Plus one more is FOUR

This week we got to keep our favorite niece Amelia. She came home with us from church on Sunday and stayed until Tuesday morning. My girls were AMAZING with her. Playing, helping, teaching....I hope she had as much fun as they did. The only time Amelia cried was when Jane got in trouble at supper one evening. She was so kind to sympathy cry right along with her. So thankful her parents trusted us to keep her. So thankful we realized that stopping at three kids was one of the smartest decisions we've ever made. Four is just MORE....more of everything. More food, more space, more noise, more laughter, and for two days it was more fun.

Amelia covering her ears while her Uncle Andy sang the special music at church.

 After eating a birthday cupcake at Jane's party. I swear this child has the tiniest nostrils ever. And don't you know she loved having Aunt Sarah dig chocolate frosting out of her nose.

Jane is FIVE

Presents piled in the middle of her room....Martens birthday style. She also got a new bike, but we left that in the garage.

Dressed in her finest for church. This dress cost us 25cents at the church garage sale. Well worth the money. Jane said it had a great twirl factor.

We had a pool party with friends and family on the afternoon of her birthday. She had three of her bestest friends come play at the pool. This girl has gotten so good at swimming since the summer started. She swims, she jumps in, and now she wants dive sticks to practice going to the bottom of the shallow end....all without her floaty on.  WHAT?! My baby is growing up. I am so in love with this kid. She is my very funny, kind of naughty, super great baby girl...that is not a baby anymore. just ask her.

July 4th

Jane on the 4th

 

Our 4th of July was a day of fun and family. We started out the day trying to find a bicycle for our almost 5 year old. Who knew it would be so stinking hard to find a little girls bike in this town!? We came home empty handed but knew there was a bike at a Toys R Us in Overland Park with Jane's name on it. Thankfully Andy made the trip the next day and we had one happy girl.  The afternoon was spent at the pool because that is where you will find us most afternoons between 1pm and 4pm. After all of us took a quick cat nap we made it to Andy's parents house for food and fireworks. We had intially talked the girls into not buying fireworks....telling them we would just give them the cash instead. Something about setting our money on fire just feels wrong. Instead we ended up telling them we would spend a minimal amount just so they would have something to light and not use other people's stash of sparklers, fountains and smoke bombs. Good times.

Family=Love

     These are pictures of the most important people in my life. Of course they are not all pictured in these two photos, because that would take a bigger miracle than the Royals winning the World Series. This is a sampling of why I love my life. These people right here. The top picture is the entire Greiner family, minus one cousin who had to work. Below is the Martens family.(not all of us, of course, just the important ones.)

Good Things

My favorite thing in my office. Good things will happen today. I am counting on it! I am on day 2 of trying to eat healthier and exercise. Have I mentioned how much I hate to exercise? But I've decided I hate feeling sluggish waaaaay more. We are running around like crazy of an evening between swim lessons and volleyball and baseball and piano lessons and gymnastics. None of which involve time with my husband. Nope. We are flying solo, each of us taking a kid, or two, or three, along for the ride. I am so thankful for the ability to do these things for my girls. They are having fun, learning new things, keeping their muscles moving. I know that it is a blessing to have the time, and a car with gas in it, not to mention the money to pay for all this stuff. So I will not crab about the stress and strain of this on my marriage. I will not crab about the stress and strain of this on my budget. I will not crab about the stress and strain of this on my own physical and mental well being. I WILL remember that good things are happening today!



Magnetic

 

If you build it they will come.........

Turns our we have the cool yard in this neighborhood too.

How much does a swimming pool weigh?

Because this pool is worth its weight in GOLD. The neighborhood pool is up on a hill next door to our house. When we first chose our lot, we worried we would regret the location. Hells No. We don't hear a bit of pool noise, BUT we can walk out the back door and be wet in less than three minutes. Which also means you can get out of the pool, dry off and be home in less than three minutes. See how that works? Super awesome greatness all the way around. We go to the pool, for some stretch of time, almost EVERY day. The girls had a sleepover the other night--we turned on the pool lights and swam until 10pm. A request to jump in the pool "just for a minute?" are almost always given the go ahead nod. My girls are loving the time to hang out with friends and be active. We are loving this free entertainment that wears them out and lets us sit and watch. My girls are going to look liked bronzed babes in their school pictures this year.