The summer of 2011

 We are a having the ultimate STAY-cation this summer.  We have been taking full advantage of everything around us.  We go to the pool almost every day.  I'm not sure I will ever be able to post pictures of this because it is almost always just me and the kids.  Marcus and Katie can swim almost the width of the pool.  They run and jump in, and can get things off the bottom.  Addy is the master of her float.  The first couple weeks of the pool she wouldn't let me put her down, now she won't let me hold her.  She wants to do her own thing and goes all over the pool in her float.

We spend plenty of time outside riding bikes and playing with the neighbors.  We hike some, but not that much lately since it gets hot so early here.  We have gone to some of the kid museums here in Charlotte.  We have also been enjoying the free movies at the local theater every week.  As crazy as my life is with 3 kids so close in age, it is nice  that they all love to do the same thing at the same time. 

We had Talia and Will spend one night with us, Katie was so excited to have a sleepover.

At the end of June Katie had an adventure camp at the Nature Preserve near us.  She loved everyday.  She learned about a different type of animal everyday.  On the day she learned about fish, they sent her home with a gold fish.  She was so happy, she named it Princess Fish and carried her everywhere (in the jar they gave her).  She cried so hard when her fish died the next day.

The week that Katie was at camp, Marcus and Addy got a little bored...I bribed them with taking them to the movies with their friends.  My neighbor joined us with her son John, Marcus' best bud, and we brought Addy's favorite friend, Kate.  It was very entertaining to watch a movie with 4 three year olds.

Marcus and John

The crowning moment so far this summer has been Katie's birthday.  There has been a countdown going on for the past month (we are now counting down until Sept for the twins birthday).  We spent the week before Katie's birthday celebrating--we tried to do something special each day.  We had a "mixed up day" where we ate dinner at lunch and then a picnic lunch for dinner at the pool so we could swim all evening.  We went for ice cream.  We went to a movie.  On Friday we went to the park and then on a hike.  We ended up at the lake because the kids wanted to throw rocks in.  

It started with this...Katie went in to get some shells and fell...then Marcus joined her.

Then Addy joined them.

And ended with this.   A full blown swim fest.

Grammy and Grandpa showed up Friday evening.  While we waited for Mark to get home we went to the pool, when we arrived some little girls asked Katie something about Marcus and Addy.  I'm not sure what they said, but I heard her say, "Some families are different colors".

Saturday morning was the big day.

Katie started the day with a yummy breakfast then we headed to check out the progress on our house.

For her birthday Katie asked to see Mark's office--his building has so much security that the kids haven't gone up yet.

She got her picture taken and got to wear a name tag

They are using dry erase markers on the window

After lunch complete with ice cream and then nap time we opened presents.

Emmie had this horse while she was at our house, her and Katie played with it everyday.  She was pretty excited to get her own horse, she just had to tell Emmie.

Our church always does fireworks the weekend of July 4th.  This year it fell on Katie's birthday, she decided the whole thing was for her.  We got there around dinner time and spent the evening hanging out with friends.

Talia, Katie and Addy

Katie getting her body painted--she wanted dots all over her arms and face.

Other kids kept jumping in front of Addy so finally I just decided to paint her myself.

Mark and Addy and Charlotte--Charlotte is a twin almost exactly 2 years younger then Addy.  She is so cute she almost tempted Mark into wanting another child-almost.

We were at a Native American Reservation in SC--meaning that pretty much anything could go with the fireworks.  It was quite the show.  Marcus wasn't scared this year, he just said what he always said about noise; "too loud!".

Katie trying to comfort Liam and Charlotte

The next day after church we had cupcakes and sang "happy birthday", my baby is getting so big!