My Rylee Girl Turns Six!!

My attempt at a homemade cake. I was proud even though it did not look exactly like the picture I was trying to copy. Great for my first try. No complaints, the kids loved it!

Everyone enjoys cupcakes!

Everyone wants in on the action. Sorry Rylee :)

Love the face! Party girl!!

Mom and Ry! Love you Ry Girl! Happy Birthday!

My Little Rylee Starts School ...

Birthday girl! They grow up way too fast!

She loves to discover new things!

The many happy faces of Rylee girl!

My big girl! I can do it on my own, mom!

Proud Daddy with Ry on her 1st day!

Mommy is trying to be happy!

Rylee, we love you and are so proud of you. May you enjoy every minute of school. Be a good girl and learn a lot. Have fun sweetie!

Love, Mom and Dad

Simply Saturday

Sleeping in, Starbucks, and shopping ... these are the highlights of my Simple Saturday. Now normally, shopping is not simple. But in the event that you find that perfect item, shopping becomes simple again. Today was one of those days. I have found the perfect pair of jeans. You know what I am talking about, ladies. The magic jeans that the minute you put them on you feel a few sizes smaller. They fit in all the right places and they actually look good. Now for the best part, 60% off. Praise God!!! I would not have paid full price!! I love getting a good deal. I left the store with a smile on my face. It was a good day!

Back to school ... yes!

It is that time of year again ... back to school. This year I am embracing the new school year with open arms. My kids are in need of some structure back into their lives. I am all for the fun of summer, but I also enjoy getting back into the routine.
Rylee (5) is starting K this year and she can't be more excited about it. Every morning she asks me if today is the day she gets to go to school. I hope this attitude continues throughout the school year. I am dreaming, I know!! She loves to learn and the thought of going to school like her brother and sister is a thrill.
Kallie is going into 2nd grade and she is playing it cool. She is giving her sis advice about school like she is going into high school. It is quite entertaining!! This year might prove to be a challenge. It is her first year going to school without her best friend, Julianne. The first few days will be rough. We are already praying!! We love and miss you girl!!
Hayden is a typical boy. Starting school is the last thing on his mind. The other day he told me, "wouldn't it be easier if I just didn't go to school?" I laughed and told him of course it would be easier, but what would be the fun in that. He was not too impressed with my humor!! Oh well!!

I am looking forward to having my house clean for more than 2 minutes during the day. Having 5 kids home all day turns my house into a disaster. Some days I feel like I am drowning!! Pick up after yourselves already!!! It is a lesson we are still learning. Learning at a very slow rate, I might add.
Tanner will be joining the troop this year and going to preschool 2 mornings a week. Wow!! Just think what I could get done with no kids 2 mornings a week. It makes me smile!!! The potential!!! So the countdown has begun... 5 more days until school starts. Yippy!!!

Wood Duck Dash My first 10k

I ran my first 10k this morning and I am still alive to blog about it!! We ran in the 4th Annual Wood Duck Dash at Lake Erie Metropark. It was a beautiful day, but very, very warm. To be honest, I think I prefer the rain. The sun beating down on you really zaps your energy. At the start of the race my legs felt pretty good. My friend Keri and I set a good pace from the beginning, but that sun gave me a headache and made me nauseous. At mile 3, I thought I might loose my breakfast. Praise God that did not happen! The route headed into the woods about that time, so the shade saved us. At one point, I told my buddy this was no "dash"! We had a good time and felt amazing when we crossed the finish line. Our goal was to finish without walking and we did. Next race in October, we will beat our time. We are praying for cooler weather, just not too cool!! I do want to run in a 1/2 marathon in the future, but I am not ready yet. Baby steps! Great job ladies! I am so proud of us!! I love that I get to share this with you. You inspire me and make it an adventure! Keri, I thank you for being my running partner. I could not of done this without you. You are my rock!! Can you believe how far we have come? It is awesome! Looking forward to many more races. Thank you, my friend!

Confessions of an amateur runner

Thursday night I set out to get my 6.2 miles in so that I would prove to myself that I would not fail in my 10k race on Saturday. It had been one of those weeks, so I was behind on my training! Big surprise, I know!!! I arrived at the park at 6:30pm and got out my new toy (an arm band for my mp3 player) Yes, sis, I finally got one. I know I am an amateur at this running thing, but no one says that I can't look the part. I get everything properly hooked up, stretch and off I go. My first lap, I struggled to get a good pace and my legs felt like lead. Great!! This is going to be a long, long run. By mile 2, I was not feeling any better and to make matters worse, the humidity was getting to me. "How hot is it out here!! I am dying!"
My mind starts to think back on my week, trying to justify why I was performing so poorly.

This is what I came up with ....

Sunday: felt sick to my stomach all day and went home to rest!!!

Monday: not feeling much better, but must get a run in: 3 mile run

Tuesday: woke up with my "sore throat" that keeps haunting me every 3 months. I called the doctor and got in at 9:10am. I am not missing my race to this. I am a little fired up!!! Feeling a little better by evening, so I go run 3 miles. (Sorry Jenny, I had to)

Wednesday: knew that I would not get a run in due to church, so grabbed my watch and went to jump on the trampoline with the kids for 50 minutes. It was a great workout. I could hardly walk when I got off. (I can hear your laughter at the thought of me jumping with the kids. I am sure it was quite a sight, but the kids and I had a blast. It makes you feel young again. That is never a bad thing!!)

Thursday: my 6.2 mile run

There is a chance that I over did it a little. Let's pray that is the case. By the time I finished, I looked and felt like I had run a marathon. My body was screaming and me and my legs were rubber.
Note to self: I need to get a new running outfit! Might as well look as good as possible if I am going to put my body through this.

I would appreciate your prayers on Saturday morning, it looks like I may need all the help I can get.

Simply Saturday

We are going to celebrate this Simply Saturday with a date night. On August 3rd, Steve and I celebrated our 13th anniversary. Wow!! What a blessing. God has blessed me with a wonderful husband who loves me dearly. He is my best friend and my anchor. I find new things to love about him each day. I love to watch him with our kids. Being a big kid himself, you can usually find him playing right next to the kids. They love spending time with daddy. He is fun, playful and a man they can trust and look up to. Life is good here! Well, I better go get ready. I have a hot date!!!

Vacation is almost over!

We have to leave tomorrow and I am trying not to think about it.  It makes me so sad.  We have had a wonderful time.  No one wants vacation to end!!  Tonight we are going to have a special meal cooked by my father, followed by a fire and the making of smores.  I know, you are all jealous.  It should be loads of fun.  

Pray that the plane ride is uneventful.  With 5 kids, you never know the adventure that waits for you. My kids love flying, so we have that in our favor.  We pack lots of movies, snacks, and plenty of things to entertain.  We are getting pretty good at traveling.  

I am not looking forward to coming home and getting ready for school.  The summer is never long enough.  Rylee is starting Kindergarten and clearly I am not ready for that.  Before I know it, Tanner will be in school!  My baby.  Ok, now I sound pathetic.  School shopping, here I come.   

Vacation Fun!

We are having a wonderful time in Idaho.  The weather is amazingly hot!  We will be coming home with a tan.  Yes!  

Our days have been filled with swimming, boating, playing games and spending time together.  It has been wonderful.  We are eating way too much junk food, but that is what vacations are all about.  The kids have been getting up early and going to bed late.  We are squeezing every ounce of fun out of each day.  

The boys have been fishing and golfing.  Steve is loving it!  Kal and Hayden got to go on a fishing trip with grandpa and daddy.  I heard all about it when they got home.  I am sure they will be asking us for a boat soon. :)  I will let daddy deal with that.

The girls got away for the day and went shopping and out to lunch.  We left the kids with the daddy!  It was delightful.  We have decided that this will be a tradition each summer.  We found great deals and I am coming home with new clothes.  I have a personal shopper here keeping me in style.  A mom of 5 still needs to look good!  Thanks Aunt Nae!  You are the best.  

My children are turning into quite the little swimmers.  We have been to the lake and the pool. They are having so much fun. I have lots of pictures.  I have greatly enjoyed my new camera.  Mommy has been having fun.  I am hoping to share some of them if I can figure out how to link the slide show I have created.  We will see!!  I am still learning!  

A few more days left.  I am trying not to think about it.  It will be hard to leave.  We are having a blast!!