Summer cuts for the girls

After trying for a couple of weeks to grow out her bangs again, Ellie caved in and got them cut. What surprised us all was that Katelyn also decided to cut her hair. She wanted a short bob like Ellie's. When they got home they traded clothes and pretended that they had changed places to fool us. Katelyn would only answer to Ellie and Ellie only to the name Katelyn.

Already tough being a boy with two sisters

I walked in to Owen's room where he was playing with his sisters and here is what I saw courtesy of my two girly girls.

Tubing on the Cumberland

We hit the water on Sunday!!!!!  Sherry's boyfriend, Eric's, sister, Meg, has a boat and offered to take us out on it. We had a great time. The girls loved tubing, especially Katelyn. Ellie enjoyed it with her daddy, but not so much with her daredevil sister who kept giving the thumbs up to go faster. It was  beautiful day to be out in the water.

Owen taking it all in. 

He missed his nap and wasn't too happy, so we thought water might cheer him up. We were wrong. 

Thanks so much Culler family for letting us hang out with you guys for the day. 

Alan parties it up

Alan's birthday was yesterday and there is nothing my kids like more than to have parties. For a week they have been talking about his birthday and what to do for it. So we sneaked around buying party supplies and the girls decorated the house before he got home yesterday---streamers, balloons on the stair banisters, sign in the yard and hats for all. I think it turned out to be an excellent birthday and Alan seemed to enjoy the love pouring out of our two children. It didn't hurt that the USA soccer team won that morning to start his day off with a bang.  In lieu of birthday cake, the girls decided on making their own sundaes. Wow, they were good.

 OK, so there comes a time when party hats look a little weird on adults---the things you suffer through for your kids. They even planned for candles in his sundae.

The Birthday that keeps giving

The girls received "credit cards" as Ellie calls them to Toys R Us for their birthdays. Have any of you ever taken a 4  year old and 6 year old to TRU with the objective of allowing them to pick anything they want within a certain price range? It was certainly entertaining and they picked something they really, really, really wanted only to put it back 5 minutes later for the next thing they really, really wanted. It was actually a fun little trip and they were excited to choose new treasures. It even turned into a math lesson at the end when they paid with their gift cards and then Katelyn counted out a little extra of her own money when she went over.

My girly, girl Katelyn chose as one of her gifts a kid make-up box with TONS of makeup. The pictures below are examples of what she can do when left unattended with glitter makeup. Ellie's primary gift was a microphone which turns out to be VERY loud when sung in to over and over in the car.

Owen turns 7 months

Wow how time flies. Owen is now 7 months old. He is a  happy baby, who loves to roll around. He has his first tooth and drools a lot. We started him on real food with color this month, aka baby food in jars. He eats it up!!!  We can't understand him yet, but he just babbles away all day and evening. Not sure when he will adventure out into crawling, but he gets up on his knees and rocks which is the first step. I love this stage in babies when you can just plop them down and stay there. We are in trouble when he become more mobile.

My first tooth

Staycation in Louisville

We decided to do a mini vacation in Louisville this year. There are so many things we want to do when we go to my hometown for a visit but usually have too many family obligations to do them. So this year, we took a couple of extra days and went up as tourists.

My cousin is a horse trainer at Churchill Downs and I was best friends with his daughter growing up, so I spent many hours at the track with them. My uncle on the other side now has some horses being trained by my cousin and has developed a love of horse racing. He invited us to the backside (the barns) for the morning workouts. The girls got to pet the horses and feed them peppermints.

The girls had their own race on the track.

Friday we hit Holiday World and Splashing Safari.  Aunt Barbara watched Owen and we just spent the day with the girls. Katelyn is a roller coaster fanatic. I think I got whiplash on one roller coaster, but she had her hands up the whole way. Ellie had a great time, but was a little short for many of the rides. 

Saturday was spent at Huber's Orchard where we stained up all our hands picking berries, but boy were they good. We brought home a ton to eat and freeze. My kids can eat some fruit!!

And then the highlight of the weekend for Alan---the World Cup USA vs England. We had a birthday party to go to at my Mema's, so Alan and I headed over there early so he could watch the game while the girls were swimming at their cousin's. Fortunately USA didn't lose--they tied, so hubby was bearable for the evening at the party. Saturday night finished off with a sleepover with cousin Emily whom the girls adore. 

We headed home on Sunday exhausted, but having had a fun time. 

Belly laugh

Owen loves those things you blow and they unfold. He just laughs and laughs. I caught him on tape today and it made me laugh just watching him. You have to turn off the site's music in the green box on the bottom right to hear him.



Check out his outfit. It use to be Alan's when he was little.

Trip down memory lane part II--Katelyn turns SIX in 3.5 hours

At the hospital on June 6, 2004

Katelyn with her new sister.

Sharing some princess time together. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATELYN!!!!!!!!!!!!  You are such a blessing to us. 

Marathon parties

Today was a day of marathon parties. With both girls' birthdays falling on this weekend, it was a weekend to celebrate.  We started out at Bellevue Dance for Ellie's dance party. Miss Lauri is awesome and taught the girls some steps and dances. I am amazed at how she keeps them all attentive and in line. They had a ballet class for half of the party and then did cake and presents. Ellie had seven friends from her class attend with all the moms out in the lobby looking in through the two way mirror. Ellie wore her recital costume and looked like a princess.  They all had a great time!

Ellie before blowing out her candles. 

Owen watching all the fun. 

Chillin' at Sherry's between parties.

After Ellie's party, we grabbed some lunch and headed to Sherry's for some down time. Katelyn's party that afternoon was at Divas and Dudes Salon in Franklin. It was perfect for Katelyn--a completey girly, girly party. They put on glamor girl dresses, got their nails painted, makeup on and then got their hair put up. They played some games--limbo and freeze song and danced out on the lit up runway.

Katelyn leading the train

Ellie turns 4

Miss Eleanor Grace Calhoun was born four years ago today. I thought I'd take a brief trip down memory lane.

 Meeting Grandma in the hospital

 Snuggling with daddy.

One of my favorite sister photos.

This one captures her joy for life. 

Pizza at the pool tonight to celebrate the birthday.

Followed by cake, ice cream and presents at the house.

We have loved watching you grow from a small baby into an amazing young girl. You have a spirit about you that loves life and those around you. You have touched my heart in so many ways. I am proud to be your mommy. 

Found a bigger box

We finally have Air!!! Yeah!!! and it came in a huge box. So now my girls have their own playhouse box to play in. They drew pictures and taped them up inside just like a real house. Ellie has decided to sleep in it for the last three nights and is planning a sleepover this weekend when Aunt Joyce and Allison come to visit. Not sure they will all fit in there. The pictures are of Ellie waking up this morning in the box and conking out tonight in the box.

Living in a Box

When I was a kid, my mom always threatened to put us kids in a box when she thought we were getting too big. It was suppose to keep us from growing. In continuing the tradition, I occasionally tell my own children that they are getting "too big" and I need to find a box for them. So yesterday, after we were talking about needing to find a box, Ellie went into the kitchen and began filling a ziploc bag with goldfish. I asked her what she was doing and she said, "getting food for my box." She then headed to the garage and said, "come on Mama, let's go find my box." Now I know she was just kidding, but she said it with such a serious face as if that was the most normal thing in the world. Unfortunately, we did not have a box big enough for her.



They are growing up so fast. I wish putting them in a box was the easy solution. I try to make it sound appealing, i.e. their friends can come visit in the box, we can cut out a window, etc. Katelyn was even planning her wedding in the box. Oh well, I can't help but try.
I guess my motto of the day is "Savor every minute."

The chunk adds solids--Yum Yum

So after 6 months of his liquid only diet, Owen ventured into solid food this week. OK, not really solid, but rice flakes mixed with milk that really looks and smells like paste, but it is a start. He wasn't sure what to do with it and was more interested in playing with his spoon. I had forgotten what a mess they make. I guess we won't be slackers when it comes to baths anymore.

Day 1

Day 2--I've got the hang of this.

Ellie's Run for Africa

Katelyn ran in her first race yesterday at Warner Park--Ellie's run for Africa. It was started by one of the students at CPA when she was 10 years old. Her heart was to raise money for kids in Africa. It was our first time participating and the kids had a blast. It was very well done. They received a passport when we got there and went around to the different tents to participate in activities and get stamps. At one stop, they had to carry a jug of water while holding a basket of food on their head and walk. It turned into a great teaching moment on how lucky they are to have such easy access to food and water when other kids have to walk miles for it

Katelyn was super excited to run in her first race (one mile). When she passed us the first time, she picked up the speed and was energized. She is actually a good runner as they run all the time in PE at school. We were a bit concerned when it took her awhile to hit the finish line. Come to find out that the tennis shoes the she loves to play in at home are not the best for a mile run, especially without socks. So she has quite a blister which caused her to have to walk the last half of the race. However, she picked up the pace when she saw us and heard the cheers. Thankfully our friends, the Morrows, caught her on camera.

Heathy checkup

Owen had his 6 month check up on Friday. He weighed in at a healthy 20 lbs (90th percentile) and 27.5 inches (90th percentile). He continues to be my baby chunk. The poor little guy had to get shots this time, so he has been a little fussy. The doctor had a hard time checking him over because he has become such a squirmer and would kick off from the doctor. I would post pics, but our camera is not working right. Heading to soccer tonight to watch CPA in the sectional. Go Lions.

Owen is 6 months old today--where has the time gone

Owen is 6 months old today. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. It seems like just yesterday that I was getting ready to go to work and had to convince myself that "no" I was actually in labor. Owen has been such a blessing in our lives. He is always ready with a smile for his sisters and mama. He giggles when you blow on his belly or tickle his feet. This weekend he has started to get a kick out of "peak a boo". He loves to snuggle up with you. The girls truly love him. Sometimes I have to remind them not to love on him so hard or they risk squishing him to death. Tonight they fought over who got to hold him in the bath. We are lucky that he has learned how to sleep through the night so his mama is not so sleep deprived, although we still occasionally get a wake up call from him in the middle of the night (ie last night). Sometimes I wonder if his mild nature comes from being a third child. He must know that our lives are a whirlwind and he is polite enough to go with the flow. So at the 6 months mark I just wanted to send lots of love to my baby boy and thank my husband for allowing us to have this little bundle of joy.

Grandparents

We have been blessed with awesome grandparents on both sides of the family. Last weekend, Kit and Grandma Marilyn flew in for the weekend to attend the girls' recital and to love on the kids. As usual, they spoiled us all with love and gifts and we thoroughly enjoyed their visit.

This weekend, Grandma Karen came in for Katelyn's end of year Grandparents Day. She got to see Katelyn's class and see her end of year performance. I didn't realize it was going to be quite the show. The kindergarteners sang with the "Big" kids. It was such a surprise because I had not heard Katelyn singing or practicing much before. She had even learned the waltz to dance with her special guest. Imagine my mom's surprise when Katelyn came and got her.


As a belated Mother's Day, we had a couple of girls only events. Friday night we treated Grandma Karen to dinner and the theatre. We all went to see Cinderella. It was originally suppose to be at the Sherrmerhorn (sp?) but was moved due to the flood. The performance was wonderful. It was great to see so many CPAers have their hand in it. Saturday, mom, Sherry and I got pedicures--a treat from the girls for Mother's Day. We bid mom farewell after church today as she headed back to Louisville. Looking forward to seeing her in a couple of weekends when she returns for the girls' birthdays and also the Bargers when we head to PA this summer.

Dancers

Inspite of the heaviness in everybody's hearts this week as the neighborhood has dealt with the aftermaths of the flood, a since of normalcy returned to our house this weekend. My in-laws came in for the weekend to see the girls' dance recital. They were so cute dressed in their ballet costumes. It is all very humorous. You go to the venue and wait through 2 hours of dancing to see your kids do their two minute program as best as 3 and 5 year olds can do. They did pretty good and were quite proud of themselves, especially when they received flowers from their doting grandmom.



As usual I have to include a picture of my chunky monkey whom I just adore. He was all smiles for the grandparents this weekend. He is growing so fast. His favorite toy to play with right now is his toes.

Nashville Flood 2010

WOW! What a weekend. (by the way, this is Sherry posting since Amy is without power) I have never seen anything like it. It started on Saturday when it rained and rained. Amy and I went out anyway for a girls night. I stayed the night (which it rained and rained some more)and on Sunday morning, Alan woke us up saying that the river was flooding and we needed to start moving the furniture upstairs. As I looked out the window I could see that it had risen over the path and was slowly coming up to the houses. After moving the furniture, Amy and I along with the girls went to check out the situation. We walked down to a friends' house that lives along the river. Water was starting to come up into their backyard. At that point we knew that it was getting more serious. Went back to the house and moved more furniture. With all of our furniture moved, all we could do was watch and pray for the water not to come to the house. Watching it was the scary part. The water rose so fast and the current was so fast. People that wanted to stay in their houses were convinced to leave and were rescued by a boat. By late afternoon it had completely surrounded the houses on the river, the houses across the street from those and the houses in the cul-de sack. Luckily the rain finally stopped around 5:00. Even though the rain had stopped, as the night went on, the water was getting closer and closer to the house. It filled about half of the backyard and the side yard. While we were hoping and praying that the water wouldn't reach our house, Katelyn kept asking if she could get her bathing suit on. . .GROSS! If only she knew what was in that water! Some of the neighbors whose house had gotten flooded bunked in with us for the night. They are still without power (could be a couple of days) and without cellphone service. If you need to reach them and can't, try calling me. I am sure I will be out there a lot this week. Please keep everyone who was effected by this disaster in your prayers.