Summer Fun

This is basically a phone dump...I went through my pictures on my phone and realized there were several I haven't posted to the blog.  We've had a great summer, and it's sad that it's winding down so quickly.  I can't believe it's the end of July already!!

July 4th Fun...
We went to the Mt. Zion fireworks (on the 3rd) this year and it was cool enough that the kids wore long pants and a jacket (once the sun went down).  They thoroughly enjoyed them :)!

Festive kids, waiting for the fireworks to start

All eyes on the sky (I think my flash was a little bright)

The next day was actually the 4th, and I picked up some snap pops for the kids at the store.  The loved them and soon, the neighborhood kids came over to join in the fun!

Action shot, throwing it down to pop! 

Nora thought they were hilarious and loved them!

"Pop-Its"!!

We've enjoyed s'mores this summer...

Lots of outside play (and sitting)...

Fishing...

Fun with friends...

We met our good friends Matt and LaToya Schroeder in Bloomington a couple weeks ago to hang out and swim at the State Farm pool.  It was so much fun.  Here are some pictures of the kids after swimming!

We went to the museum this morning and met the Koskinens...

Loving on Ronald McDonald

He didn't want to miss out.

Soren and Ethan pretending to be news anchors and weather men.  So funny and cute!  This is a picture of the screen on the outside.  They didn't know I was watching :)!

And one more of a cute girl posing in the grass...

Such a ham!!

Bunk Beds

When we found out about baby #3, we knew 2 of the kids would be sharing a room for a while.  We have another bedroom downstairs, but I am not ready to have a child down there.  Anyway, fast forward several months...we purchased a bunk bed (after lots of discussion, Pinterest scanning and measuring).  We set up said bunk bed in Ethan's room last week and he loves it!  He has moved right in, on the top bunk.  This weekend, we moved Nora in with him.  Last night was their first night sharing a room and I would call it a success!  I snuck in to snap a picture of their first night in the same room and here's what I found :).

Both kids, peacefully sleeping

 We are in the process of picking out paint and decor, so stay tuned for a shared kids bedroom tour.  

See You Soon!

Our dear friends, the Lloyd family (Erin, Jeff, Brennan, Chase, Kullen & Mayleigh), moved to Chicago this week (thanks ADM).  It's been tough on us all...kids included.  We have grown to love this family like they are our own family.  Our kids play so nicely together and love to be together.  We squeezed as much time in with them as we could this week!

Our small group had a going away party for them at our pool.  It was so fun!

Look at all these kids!!!

That's 17 kids there (Just so you don't have to count).  There is 1 more, (but she's less than 2 months old)

Ethan, Brennan and Camden enjoying some ice cream!

I've grown quite close to these 3 girls in the last year+, so saying good bye to one is so difficult!

Erin, Emily, Jessica and I- our last time at the Surf Club all together this summer *tear*

The weather around here has cooled down a lot for this week, so we all planned to meet at the zoo before they left.  We had 6 families represented here...even more kids!! 

19 kids!!

Checking out the wolf.

These are the oldest 4 boys of ours...Camden, Soren, Ethan and Brennan  (Jessica, Emily, myself and Erin)

We will miss the Lloyds like crazy, but I know God has a special plan for them in Chicago.  And it's not that far away!  Another thing that made it a little easier...we have girls weekend planned for next week!  Can't wait :)! Lake Michigan, here we come!

Nora Girl

I've realized a lot of my blog posts have been about Ethan lately.  Nora is definitely not standing in the background around here :).  She is a busy, busy 2 year old who is always in the middle of things...even when she isn't necessarily welcome there ;).
She has been riding the strider bike since the start of summer and she's got it down already.  She zooms all around on that thing!  Tonight, I got the camera out and took some photos and video.

Ready to roll!!

Watch her go!

After some bike riding, she got out the bubbles.

Choosing her tools

Daddy, helping her out.

Chasing the bubbles

Since I was sitting right next to our big, blooming hibiscus plant, I snapped a photo.  So beautiful.

Tennis Star

I may be a bit biased with my title ;).  Ethan has been having weekly tennis lessons in our local park for the past 6 weeks or so.  He has really enjoyed it and learned a lot.  I stayed the whole time today to watch him and take a few pictures and videos.  He's decided he's a left handed tennis player, and does quite well :).

Taking a nice stance as the ball comes :)

Check out that determination! 

Cute Nora, the tennis fan

Getting some instruction from the coach

Playing "Cops and Robbers".  He loved this game!

And a quick video of him in action...because they are playing on a half court, Ethan kept hitting it out.  I told him to keep it up.  It will be a good hit on a full court ;).

Hello 3rd Trimester

Today marks the beginning of the 3rd trimester of my 3rd pregnancy!  Crazy!  I only have 12 weeks to go, and it seems like we have a lot to do/get through before then.  There have been those who have requested baby bump pictures ;), so here are a couple.  Or, I should say...here are the only ones I have.  I guess that's what happens the third time around.  I'm pretty sure we have weekly pictures from Ethan's pregnancy and maybe bi-weekly or at least monthly pictures from Nora's.  Anyway, moving on...

Me at 20 weeks (half-way there)

And 28 weeks (Yikes! This baby is growing!)

I've been feeling pretty well.  But chasing after 2 kids everyday does make me sleep well at night ;)!
We have chosen to not find out the gender this time and couldn't be more excited about it!  We knew with both, Ethan and Nora and I can't wait to experience the surprise of the gender reveal at birth!  We are still working on a boy name, so any suggestions are welcome (but don't be offended if we don't use your suggestion).  Check back in about 12 weeks for some exciting posts!!

LEGO Plate

A few weeks ago,  I took Ethan to our pottery painting store, Next of Kiln.  They had a LEGO plate painting class and I signed him up.  So, along with a couple of his friends and Nora, we went to paint.  There were several LEGO faces you could choose to paint...Ethan chose a ninja.  He had a great time and is so proud of his plate.  I will admit, I helped him a little, but he did the majority of the work.  (It was hard for me to let go and not help more!)

Ethan, Brennan and Soren- getting started.

This girl did great!  She was kept busy with some children's scissors and a little paper. (She doesn't get scissors very often, if ever, at home!)

Finishing up the front

Making the LEGOish bumps on the back of the plate

Finishing up and ready to let it bake.

We just picked up the plate a few days ago, and here's the final product!

All bright and shiny!

And the back with the LEGO bumps

It looks like the blue Ninjago guy, right?!  He loves it and I love that he had so much fun making it!

Baseball Summer

Ethan's baseball season is coming to an end (1 more game) and he has loved it.  He has learned a lot and improved a lot!  He is hitting pitches, catching balls, throwing farther and learning the game of baseball.  Here are some pictures from his last couple games!

The boys on the bench, waiting for their turn to bat!

Cutest 3rd baseman ever!

#7 is my favorite

Ready for action!

Getting ready for his turn in the lineup

Good form :)

Here's a little video of some of Ethan's baseball hits from this season!

Grandma Terri and Pop came up for Ethan's game on Thursday.  We decided it was worthy of a visit to Krekel's afterward for dinner and ice cream!

Cute kids at Krekel's

Pink and yellow ice cream are the best!! (Some would disagree)