Memorial Day

We have had a great and very low key weekend. Lots of swimming and cooking out. I love having a grill since Ryan does most of the cooking and he enjoys it, too! We only left the house for a few hours today to run some errands and eat breakfast. We roasted marshmallows on the fire pit and Ryan and Bryce slept in a tent outside one night. Mia and I opted for the comfy bed! Bryce had the idea to make pinatas that looked like tanks since it was Memorial Day and we hung those today so they could hit them open. It was fun to just spend time together as a family before I start driving to Dallas every week for dr appts!

Bryce Update

Here is a quick update on Bryce. He is 7 now and will be 8 in September. I can not believe my baby is almost 8. Crazy! He is finishing up first grade and has had a great year. He is doing well with reading and loves math. He is adding 3 digit numbers, telling time, counting money and more. Science is his passion right now and he wants to be a scientist when he grows up, but is unsure of what field right now. He loves looking up info on animals online (anacondas are the latest interest after seeing one at the zoo). He writes his own books, complete with illustrations, both fiction, like Pirates, and non fiction, about penguins. He has a very good memory and can remember things from when he was just a couple years old.

He has been doing karate and loves it! I think he is going to do a more advanced tae kwon do in the fall. He also wants to play a sport at the Y in the fall, but is undecided on which one. The Y here offers baseball, soccer, basketball, and flag football every season so we will see. He thought he would do soccer, then basketball, then football, then baseball with the seasons, but now has more options! He just lost his third tooth (first top tooth) and that is what he is showing in the picture. He was very excited and did not freak out about the blood this time! He was having leg pains and the dr wanted to do bloodwork due to Mia's issues and all the bruises he had on his shins, but everything came back normal and they think it is just growing pains. As if he needs to keep growing!

He is a great big brother to Mia and is usually pretty sweet and patient with her. He is looking forward to having a baby brother and says he will "have to watch out for 2 kids now". Sweet boy!

Mia Update

I wanted to do quick updates on each kid before Keller is born. Mia is 3 now, will be 4 in October. I cannot believe it! She is so mature for her age in most things. She has a pretty extensive vocabulary and talks all the time, except when playing bashful! She is outgoing and not meek at all! I always said I hoped my daughter would be more outgoing than me so she didn't miss out on things and that prayer was answered! She is potty trained (finally!). Once deciding she would do it, she was basically trained a day later. It just had to be on her time and with the bribe of chocolate bars. Hershey kisses were not enough. The girl LOVES chocolate and all things sweet. She will eat two fruits: grapes and bananas and one vegetable: green beans.

She started "atastics" (gymnastics) and loves it. She does very well and listens to her teachers. She wants Ryan to build her a balance beam for at home. She no longer wants to take dance class. I am absolutely certain it is because she knows I want her to, but that is okay! I just want one recital from my daughter- that's all I am asking. She wants to do t-ball or soccer at the Y next year. She is a very sweet little sister and loves Bryce so much. I am sure she will be a great big sister, too. Her health is great! No reason at all to have to go back to the hematologist. She has only been sick once in Houston and that was strep throat. She loves her daddy and thinks she should get all of his attention at all times. She still likes mommy to rock her at night and is convinced that I can rock both her and Keller when he arrives!

She has been asking to do school work with Bryce and is catching on quickly to most preschool concepts. Sweet girl!

Belly Pictures

I have done pictures of my belly with each pregnancy and am getting brave and decided to post a couple for my own records since this is the only scrapbook I keep! The kids are so excited about Baby Keller. Six weeks from today I should be holding him- can't wait!

Science and Art

Both of our kids love science and art projects, neither of which I have much talent or interest in. I have been trying to come up with fun, creative things for them to do, though. They have made "lava lamps" with oil and water, made a volcano with coca cola and mentos, painted murals, etc. Here is a picture of the explosion!

Zoo

We all went to the zoo a few weeks ago. It was HOT, but fun. It was the first time Ryan had been with us so the kids enjoyed showing him around. Bryce had to show him the bats. I thought it would be good to go one last time before it got too hot, but they have the dinos coming now through Labor Day so I guess we will be going back!

Staying Busy

We have been staying busy the last few weeks with our playgroup park days, field trips, and karate and gymnastics classes. The classes end in a few weeks and they have show week where I can get some good pictures to post. Keller will be here in a little over 7 weeks! Yea! Everyone is ready. Especially me. The next month is going to be a lot of traveling back and forth to Dallas for appointments.

Here is a pic of the kids dressed up for a costume carnival at The Little Gym. Bryce was Indiana Jones and Mia was a "shaker girl" (flapper girl)!