Simply Irresistable

With Jenna at camp and Kara at grandma's house, today Jack and I had a chance to go and get his 4 year (and 2 mo.) pictures taken.

I walked in the place with all of the confidence in the world in my ability to escape without spending more than the $9.95 advertised for the portrait package.  We weren't falling for the "bring a change of clothes" thing, and I told the woman right off the bat that we were only buying ONE pose, so no need to do their usual 400 shots.  No props, no gimmicks, just a standard portrait to hang on my wall.

Jack fully cooperated and posed (after bribing ME to take him to Chuck E Cheese afterwards -- the little hustler).  He sat, he kneeled, he stood, he layed down.  Every picture was a good one!  Although it was hard to choose, I did it.  I picked my favorite and ordered the $9.95 portrait package of the one pose without looking back.

And then they hit me with this one ...



How on earth am I supposed to resist buying THAT?!!

$40 later we were on our way out the door, heading to Chuck E Cheese.  And I wondered who was craftier this morning:  Jack or the conniving 18 year old sales girl at the photo studio?

Father's Day 2011

This year we drove up to Uncle Dan and Aunt Ann's house to celebrate Father's Day with my family.  It was a fantastic day filled with fun people, delicious food and gorgeous weather for swimming.

VBS Finale

Tonight was the grand finale for another great year of VBS.

This year all three kids got to participate -- it was Jack's first time -- and mommy had the pleasure of volunteering as a counselor for the 3s and 4s class. 

It was probably the single most exhausting week of my life (and I say that after having survived the parenting of 3 newborn babies), but we all had a great time.

The family finale included an assembly, bible time, music time,

snacks and outdoor games.



Once again I'm feeling very thankful for the church community we've found here, and so glad for the friends we've made and experiences we've had.



Play ball!

Went out and bought Jack his first baseball glove today, in anticipation of the start of his first T-ball season!

I've been waiting my whole life for this : )

Tennis Anyone?

Jenna started tennis lessons today through Parks and Rec ... I think this is gonna be great for her!

Only in Central IL ...

(alternately titled:  How country are we?!!)

So today we were minding our own business, driving down the busiest road in town when suddenly we were stopped next to a big semi-truck at a red light. 

All of a sudden the kids started shrieking, "Look!"

From each of the tiny holes in the trailer compartment was poking out a pig snout!  The semi was chock-full of pigs ... hundreds of them, in two tiers. 

The kids squealed with delight (no pun intended) all the way down the road as we drove next to this truck full of piggies.  Meanwhile all I could think was, "how country is that?!"

Magical Moments

Today I was busy cleaning up the kitchen when I noticed something strange going on.

The kids were playing together nicely, and nobody was fighting.

I went in to take a closer look and found Jenna at a table with a rabbit in a hat, a magic wand, and a deck of cards -- she was getting ready to have a magic show, and I was invited!

(side note:  yes, there are also two bottles of hand sanitizer at the ready ... even magicians can have OCD)

With Jack as her assistant, she did some card tricks.

"Pick a card, any card."

"Now look at your card, but don't tell anyone what it is."



"Put the card back in the deck and I'll shuffle them up."



"Was THIS your card?"



No, it wasn't.  But I sure enjoyed the show!

Hey Jenna, do the one trick again where you make everyone get along!

Another School Year Behind Us ...

Today was the final day of school for the girls, so it was time to say goodbye.

Jenna said goodbye to 2nd grade ...

... to her friends ...



... and to her awesome 2nd grade teacher.



She had such a great year academically, and really came out of her shell socially.  Her teacher did a fabulous job at making her feel safe, comfortable and confident in herself.  How lucky we were to have such a perfect teacher for Jenna's style this year!

Kara said goodbye to the new friends she made in Kindergarten this year ...

... and to her kindergarten teacher.



Kara had a tough start to the year and things weren't always easy, but her teacher was always willing to work with me to make things better for Kara.  She had a lot of patience to give one little girl in a sea of 28 other kids, and I find that honorable.  The fact that Kara ended the year on a positive note, liking school, is more than I could ever ask for : )