Norris Lake

We took a family vacation to Norris Lake in Tennessee for a week of boating and relaxing. It was a fabulous trip! We went out on the boat almost every day. Andy was like a little kid in a candy store when he dove into the water for some skiing. No skiing for me this year! I did attempt the tube with Brooklyn, but neither of us decided we should do that again. She said she "loved it!" while she was out there, but never wanted to get back on the tube. Andy's dad allowed both of the kids to drive the boat. They definitely need to work on their steering!




When we weren't on the boat, we were swimming in the water at the dock. Xavier amazed me once again. He went from not wanting to let go of Andy or me in the water to jumping off the dock by himself and swimming to the ladder. He loved the tube and sea doo. He begged us to take him out on the sea doo every day! Once again, Brooklyn loved the sea doo then never wanted to go out on it again. She was content to swim in the water and ride in the boat.
Thank you to the Murphy's for letting us use your house. It is beautiful!

July 4th

We started our Fourth of July celebration on July 3rd with the celebration of Opa's birthday and a trip to the Columbus Clippers game. We stayed after the game to watch Red, White, and Boom from the stands. It was an amazing display, but the traffic afterward was horrible! It took us an hour and a half to get home from the game and that included some creative driving by Andy.




On July 4th, we started the day with Marysville's awe inspiring parade. ;o) It lasted all of 10 minutes, but allowed plenty of time for Xavier to gather lots of candy. Brooklyn was able to ride on her dance center's float. She was excited to see us cheering for her on the side of the road.




We had the Marshal's over for dinner and fireworks. The kids experienced their first sparklers. Xavier didn't want to touch them, but Brooklyn thought they were great! She ran through the yard until they burned out. I was sure she was going to catch one of her pigtails on fire! Unfortunately, I forgot about the cup of water for the used sparklers and Charis burned her fingers. Sorry!


After dark, we headed to the walking trail for Marysville's fireworks. We roasted our traditional s'mores and enjoyed the evening.

Are we crazy!? Yes!!

We decided to put our house on the market in April. We love our home, neighbors, etc. but want a little more land and a house better set up for entertaining. We're looking at moving to Plain City so we can be closer to our church. No offers yet, but we've definitely had some positive feedback from our showings. If it is meant to sell, it will sell. We're content either way.

Surprise! We'd been discussing the possiblilty of having a third child after being SURE we were happy with two. We said we would start trying after Disney and the triathlon. I found out I was pregnant three days after we got home from Disney. My official due date is January 23, 2008. Thankfully, I've been more tired than sick. The kids are really excited. I think the entire world knows because of Brooklyn. The triathlon training is being put on hold for a couple of years, but I'm going to try to keep swimming. The next few months should be interesting...

Breakfast with Elmo and Blue

We went to breakfast with Elmo and Blue at the Honda Wellness Center. I was shocked when the kids went right up the the characters. I guess Disney broke them of their large, stuffed animal fears. The pancake breakfast was neat because you held out your plate and they threw the pancakes at you! I wish I had a picture of the kids catching their cakes. Camera batteries don't always cooperate. Maybe next year...

Strawberries!

We went berry picking on one of the hottest days of the year so far! The kids ate their weight in strawberries. Brooklyn did a great job picking pretty red berries. Xavier's were so green and rotted that the nice woman at the counter didn't charge me for his. A cool strawberry smoothie was just what we needed after a long, hot, hour of picking berries.

Believe in Magic

Brooklyn's dance recital was Memorial Day weekend. It's amazing how much she has improved from last year! I think she was most excited about the makeup and flowers. Dancing was just an added bonus.

Officially a Kindergartener

Brooklyn had her last day of preschool on May 24. Preschool graduation was the following evening. I can't believe how big my baby is! She's so proud to call herself a kindergartener!

Day 8: Goodbye Disney!

We spent our last day at the Magic Kingdom again. What a great place to be for my thirtieth birthday. After the parade, we went to the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney for dinner. While I was away from the table, Andy pulled streamers, balloons, noisemakers, etc. from who knows where, and decorated the table. What a surprise!
We left the next morning for Tennessee. No more problems with wildfires! We spent the night with the Caldwells. It was a great time to let the kids play and catch up with some friends. We were happy to be home the next day.

Whew! What a trip!

Day 7: Back to the Magic Kingdom!

Brooklyn took this picture of Andy and me!



We didn't arrive at the Magic Kingdom until 8:00pm! We took the ferry instead of the monorail to the park and it proved to be a great choice! The kids loved the wind in their faces and the horn on the boat. My favorite moment in Disney was on this night. After the Spectromagic parade(which we couldn't see because of the crowds) we went back to Fantasyland. Most of the crowds stayed near the front of the park to watch the fireworks. Brooklyn wanted to ride the teacups and Xavier wanted to ride Dumbo. I opted to ride Dumbo because I am not a huge fan of fast spinning rides! Just as Xavier and I took off on our ride on Dumbo, the fireworks began. We had the fireworks from the castle on one side, and the huge ones behind the castle on the other side. It was an amazing moment to be on a classic Disney ride with your child, watching the fireworks, and listening to him "whoa!" under his breath as each brilliant, colorful, boom filled the sky.

Day 6: Epcot

The day at Epcot was a quick one for us. I think the kids are still a little too small to appreciate all that there is to learn there. They did enjoy a visit with Nemo and Turtle Talk with Crush. We also took a trip through all the countries with a stop in France to sample some of Andy's favorite treats.

Day 5-Part 3

We finished out our day at the Magic Kingdom with the "Wishes" fireworks. I think we wore them out!

Day 5- Part 2 The Princess Lunch

We've finally arrived in the Magic Kingdom! This was, by far, my favorite park. Brooklyn, my mom, and I attended a lunch in Cinderella's Castle. Brooklyn had her picture taken with Cinderella, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Alice, and the Fairy Godmother. Sleeping Beauty is her favorite. It was great to see the sparkle in Brooklyn's eyes when she came to our table. During the lunch, the children were told to make a wish with their magic wands. Brooklyn wished she could fly. She's still waiting for it to come true!