June, via iPod pictures

Most of the time, if I share pictures taken with my iPod, it’s on Facebook.  I often don’t get around to putting them on the blog.  But there are some cute ones! Instead of doing a bunch of little posts (or rather not doing, since I’m having trouble finding the time lately), I’m doing one huge one. 

You have been warned.

We often sit in the front row on one side of the balcony at church.  There’s a little extra room there, and the kiddos can easily look down into the chancel area.  We aren’t the only young family that does this.  The Harlan girls were up there too on this particular Sunday.

The babies enjoy Cheerios from time to time.  Thomas will grab handfuls to shove in.

Michael tends to eat them more one at at time.  :)

James put on his Thomas overalls over his pajamas.

The girls got to take a little ballet class at the YMCA.  They enjoyed it, but I don’t think they realized how much hard work dancing is.  :)

Apparently when you leave your iPod, your daughter, a pair of sunglasses, and a baby in a room, you will get something like this:

He appears to have been quite the champ about it.

Just regular ol’ life:

The big three took swim lessons for a couple of weeks in June (thankfully before the broken arm).  They enjoyed them very much, but I need to get private lessons for Joanna.  She’s ready and fearless – she just needs some instruction!

Gran was SO OVERJOYED to get to give the babies their very first French fries.

It’s a rite of passage at our house.  :)

Thomas says “yum!”

(For the record, I don’t think these fry pics are from the iPod. I must have mixed some big girl camera pics in here.)

Michael like ‘em too, even though his face doesn’t look like it.  He just isn’t quite as in to food yet.

As of right now, we have four weeks left of our school curriculum for the year.  I went ahead and ordered our 2nd grade/Kindergarten stuff for the fall.  It is SO FUN to open up those boxes and start getting everything organized!!

We were basically “caught up” with school at Christmas time, despite having two new babies, but we began really slowing down in the late winter and early spring.  I was a little worried at first, but it was the best for us.  There were some GORGEOUS days and weeks, and the kids spent a lot of time outside.  Outside free-play is so important, and it is just too hot here in the summer.  I’m very glad we took the time off when we did and are finishing up now.  My plan is to finish up over the next four weeks, take one week (or half or so) off to get things organized if I haven’t by then, and then dive right in to the fall curriculum.  Then we’ll take a week or two off in October to celebrate THREE little brother birthdays and enjoy the weather that should hopefully be almost pleasant by then.  Things don’t always go as planned, but it’s still a good idea to have one, I think. :)

Natalie is very ready for Kindergarten.  She made this and gave it to me one day.

Michael is my good napper.  I often have to wake him up because his stinker brother is up and ready to eat.

Same baby, different nap.  :)

And again!  There were a couple of days he wasn’t feel quite himself.  One morning he nursed, finished, and then totally crashed out on me for a little nap.  It’s not uncommon for him to take a little snooze if he’s tired while nursing (I am the human pacifier), but this was different.  Thankfully Matt was still home to take Thomas for a bit, and I was able to hold this little sleeper.  THE BEST!

So we’re not watching the world cup AT ALL, but doesn’t this kid look ready to join the team?

Last day of swim lessons – they were doing safety demonstrations.

Two of the ballet classes happened right after swim lessons.  The girls were troopers, but swimming for 30 minutes then dancing for 45 is rough!

Joanna can often be found reading to a younger sibling or two.

One day last week my mom came and got my big three and took them to lunch at Cracker Barrel.

They had a great time!

Then they stopped back by her house and “rode” on Grandpa David’s boat.

Last Friday some good friends who have moved away were back in town for a visit.  A bunch of us met up at Tin Roof BBQ to eat and visit and let our kids play.  It’s still too hard for us to eat out, but I’m so glad we went.  We had to leave earlier than we might have liked, but our babies were sure grouchy!

I put Michael in the Boba carrier just to get him out to the car, and he crashed out before we left the restaurant!

He even stayed asleep through being buckled up.  You can see his WIDE AWAKE brother in the background. :)

I love eating yogurt with granola in it, so I decided to make my own last week.  Yum!

I braided Natalie’s hair during church on Sunday.

So, on the whole, I hate summer.  It’s too hot, and all my regular stuff is cancelled.  That said, I do love the abundance of fresh fruit.  So what I’m saying is that I’m glad there are seasons.  But I could totally be one of those people with a summer home waaaaaaay north of here. 

Fruit is very fun on kabobs.

These days we send Joanna to bed at the same time as her sibs, but in our room.  And she’s allowed to read for a little while.  Sometimes she comes out after a bit and wants to go in her bed.  If I’m sure the littles are asleep, I will let her, but if they’re not, she will keep them up… for forever.  Anyway, one day she came out needing something to snuggle, but I wouldn’t let her go in her room.  I told her to just grab something and go back to bed.  Later, when we went to move her sleeping self into her bed, we found she had made two pillow people with bed pillows and Matt’s pajamas.  She’s hilarious.

My poor Thomas felt pretty punk this week.  I think he had a little virus.  We did some snuggling.

Another Joanna reading to siblings pic.  (Have I mentioned that I LOVE that she can read?!!)

We most assuredly employ child labor around here.

But we give them breaks. :)

Last fall I ordered a subscription to this Thomas and Friends magazine and gave it to James as a Christmas present (or maybe birthday; I can’t remember).  It has been the best gift! He gets a new magazine every other month, and he just loves “reading” them.  He carries one or two around with him a lot.  The girls enjoy them too, so we definitely got our money’s worth from that gift.