34 Weeks!

Can she (or I????) get any bigger? With about 6 weeks left to go, the scary answer, is yes! Seeing that clock on the side bar wind down is getting me excited for Kate's arrival... and nervous too, of course. I'm ready to start taking guesses on when I'll deliver and how big she'll be- and I'm thinking there is no way she'll be under 9 pounds! God likes giving me big, healthy babies!

Fourth of July Weekend at Camp

It's been a few years since we have gone to camp for the 4th of July. The weather didn't seem too promising, but we went up Friday afternoon and caught a bit of sun- enough for the kids to go swimming. The neighbor's camp has a nice sandy beach that is fairly shallow.

My kids are water-babies these days... they see water and they want to be in it, no matter how cold it is. Their cousins aren't quite as used to the water.

We forced Caleb to go for a canoe ride that night. He had a great time once he got in, but was nervous before they launched. He even caught a fish while they were out.

The boys went fishing with Josh and Grampy and we ladies went downtown to enjoy the parade. The girls were prepared to get a lot of candy and waved their flags for each float. Admittedly, the Greenville parade is a highly amusing. Someone turned their lawn tractor into a float and Mr. and Mrs. Claus came down the road in a Sea-Doo boat. A third of the parade is made up of fire engines and ambulances from all the nearby towns. Thankfully, the girls weren't hard to impress.

The fireworks were actually the best we've seen in Greenville and we were very impressed overall. When they started to launch them, Isabelle shouted "Jesus, look out!" And Caleb, who was overtired, said grouchily "Iz, God knows what he is doing!"

When asked if they liked the fireworks on the way back to camp, Iz said "Yeah. I peed my pants a little!"

Swimming Lessons

We don't have a public pool in our town, but we do have a wonderful public beach that is staffed with lifeguards. The lifeguards do double-duty by teaching swimming lessons in the AM and both of my kids are beginners this year.

Isabelle is a little nervous when she can't touch the bottom of the lake, but her swim instructor is wonderful with her and I could see a smile on her face despite the fear.

Caleb is doing a great job kicking and I've seen him using his arms a lot more too. He is also feeling more comfortable without a life jacket on.

Unsolicited Artwork

What's better than a six-year-old surprising me with this drawing? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

(Josh was the one who figured Caleb was trying to write Mama- I just thought he mixed up his vowels on "mom". What a sweetie he is.)

Beach Days Are Here!

Sunny weather for two days in a row- so we went to the beach! It finally feels like summer! But not for long. Rain is in the forecast for the next week. We're already praying to get some extra summer weather in September and October!

Build-A-Bear for Her Birthday

Guessing what is in the box. She's my girly-girl. (It was a My Little Pony ice cream truck)

Isabelle had a great birthday and Build-a-Bear was a hit. A little overwhelming at first. So many animal choices and then clothing and accessories!

Daddy picks her up so she can get a good look at all the choices.

After choosing a pink bear with white hearts, she holds down the pedal that controls the stuffing machine. She then chose a heart and filled it with love and kisses before the "doctor" sewed her up.

Giving her new bear a bath.

Isabelle named her bear "Salon" (I love her imagination!). She chose "fancy" clothes for her bear (recent life influences include the Fancy Nancy books) and a backpack that needed to be filled with treasures. Caleb suggested many items he thought would be great for her bear- a fly-fishing outfit complete with fishing pole, roller skates, and a surf board... all of which she turned down to his sadness. We really enjoyed our first experience with Build-a-Bear!

Birthday Girl

She is officially 4 today! I remember well the day Isabelle was born- mama's don't forget big days like that. For some reason, I was amazed by her dark hair and eyes. She seemed so small to me, though she was 8lbs, 9 ozs, 21 inches long. She was a snuggler right from the start. She has truly taken on the meaning of her name- "Consecrated to God" (Isabelle) and "Full of Life" (Vivian). I look at her and see more and more of me. Sometimes it's scary, sometimes laughable, always amazing.

Sadly, Josh is on-call this weekend. But we still celebrated with giant Blueberry Muffins (topped with yummy praline sprinkles) for her birthday breakfast. She loves blueberries. And hopefully we'll get to enjoy her big birthday surprise, a trip to Build-A-Bear, today too. If not, we'll still enjoy remembering the past 4 years of her little life.