Last week, we had the pleasure of our family friend Kelly coming to visit.  I had taken the kids over to Nana and Papa's to welcome her before Anthony had gotten home from work, and we couldn't figure out why it was taking so long for him to come over.  Everyone was pretty surprised when Darth Vader showed up instead! (In this picture, Connor is running as fast as he can to find something, ANYTHING, to lightsaber fight with him.)










Kelly sprung into action when Connor cut his ankle.  As an ER nurse in downtown Detroit, I think she's managed a few more serious cases.




We've been spending most of our free time at our neighborhood pool.  I would really like to have both kids swimming independently by the end of the summer to save a lot of stress next year!  I think my skin is the darkest its ever been, which is a total waste of a good tan, considering my wardrobe is not the most stylish/flattering at the moment.




For years now, Alaina has been talking to my toes like they're little people.  All I need to do is wiggle them in response and she's entertained.  Thank heaven for easy children!




Noodle fight!













Love the bumcrack!




It was great to be able to catch up with Kelly (it's been 2 years for the kids and Anthony, and 5 for me!).  I love being around people who are so laid back that it's relaxing to be in their presence.







Sometimes I complain that our neighborhood pool is busy, but the definition of "busy" was redefined after a trip to the City Park Pool.  I took this photo before another hundred or so people piled in.  It seriously got to a point where all you could do in the pool was jump up and down.  The things we do for our children! (I'm sure you're laughing at that, Mom and Dad!)




I do love that the kids are unphased by crowds.  If there's fun to be had, they'll have it.







I ALSO love this face of sheer terror on Daynarae.  I still laugh out loud every time I see this picture!




Alaina is usually very good about having her picture taken, since she's grown up with a camera shoved in her face.  Her one weakness is sun in her eyes.  Look at her trying to maintain a smile even while being blinded!  With Daynarae, on the other hand, it's nearly impossible to get a good photo where she's both looking at you and smiling.  It's usually one or the other, but some days, you just have to settle with a finger up the nose.




Summer in Colorado can be defined by sunny days and stormy evenings.  It sure makes for some gorgeous skies, like this cloud formation, taken from our front driveway.




Since Ryan's backyard butts onto Budweiser fields, he has the best view for thunderstorms.  Last night's sky flashed continuously for hours.  Forgive the graininess of this photo...it was my first attempt at photographing lightning.  Usually long exposures are employed for such photos, but since I didn't have a tripod, I just held my camera.  This picture was made in 1/3 of a second, which tells you just how much lightning we see!




I can't believe that it's almost July!  For all of my saying how ready I am to have this little boy in my arms, it's also starting to freak me out how close we are!  If he comes when Alaina did, that's only SIX WEEKS AWAY!  AAAAHHH!  It's easy to get frustrated at his nightly 2 AM hiccups that last 40 minutes, or the neverending heartburn, or the unflattering things happening to my body, but previous experience tells me that they're easier in than out!  Hopefully having more/better perspective under my belt will ease the trials of the newborn phase.  We've been a family of four for so long now that there are many emotions accompanying becoming a family of five.  The feeling of not really knowing what we're in for is unsettling, so I'm trying not to think too hard about it (difficult for the overanalyzer).  We're all doing well and enjoying our summer!

Summer has been good to us so far!  My original goal was to have something planned every weekday, but that proved a bit too ambitious.  As long as we do something out of the ordinary every day, I feel pretty successful!  One of the malls close to us hosts events every Tuesday, alternating between $2 movies and free kids festivals.  As shy as Alaina remains, she's always up for a good time, so she volunteered to play musical chairs at one of the events.  The problem is, she's never played musical chairs, so every time she was "out" and told to sit down, she'd jump right up again as soon as the music came back on.  I didn't have the heart to correct her, since she was having a ball. :P




As with anything free that involves kids, there were a zillion people there.  We waited in line for nearly an hour for these animal balloons, so they warranted a picture!  That was no easy feat, considering my allergies have been making me miserable and it was 90 degrees that day!




Balloon tosses are usually fun for about 1/2 a throw.




The kids and I went to see Anthony at his new job.  We immediately knew which desk was Daddy's! I must say, the near complete silence in there was intimidating, but the kids enjoyed getting to give a dog a treat (yes, people are allowed to bring their dogs to work with them - Mary Ann's dream!) and receiving a few goodies of their own.  Alaina was a little confused and kept asking, "Can we eat dinner here?", since the only work she's familiar with is Cheesecake Factory!







We have been spending lots of time at the neighborhood pool.  A few days ago, Connor took Uncle Ryan's pool key off of my keychain, put it on his, and promptly lost his set, so any pool fun has been put on hiatus.  Add that to the list of keys he's managed to lose over the past six years.  Luckily for them, Uncle Ryan isn't as cheap as I am, and bought popsicles from the ice cream man one day.  I bet you'll never guess what the going rate for three popsicles is...$8 bucks!  Seriously?!




Not one to let any amount of sugar go unconsumed, Connor was the only one that managed to finish his before it melted.




As far as the pregnancy goes, everything is chugging along smoothly.  I just got the call today that I passed my glucose test (a first for me!), but my iron is low.  I'm feeling large and in charge, and without Cheesecake to keep me toned, I have officially entered the world of cellulite.  I'm trying not to stress about it too much, but now the guilt is in full force when I need some ice cream.  Baby boy's kicks are getting stronger every day, and he's my first child to give me sharp kicks in the ribs.  Physically, I feel fine.  My back pain is gone since I'm not picking up and bending while carrying heavy trays, my feet don't hurt, I'm getting enough sleep.  I feel downright spoiled!




Last week, Telvent (the subsidiary of Schneider that Anthony technically works for) threw a party celebrating its 600th client.  They rented out an island in the middle of a lake with paddleboats, canoes, water trampolines, and dinner.  It was definitely a step up from any of our previous work parties!  We invited Nana to go with us.




The kids were very excited to ride the pontoon boat to get to the island.







We were greeted by huge, nasty catfish.




Connor immediately wanted to go out on a paddle boat.







After dinner, we enjoyed the water trampoline (I've always wanted to play on one of those!  I was pretty bummed that my first opportunity to occurred while pregnant!)




Anthony had stayed behind to mingle, and I quickly learned that I was not meant to steer any ship, so I let Connor take over.  I figured he couldn't be a worse driver than I was, and I was stunned to discover that his skills far surpassed my own.  Outdriven by a first grader...




Look at that concentration!










This little man has been keeping me on my toes ever since we moved.  He is so busy and must be doing something every minute of every day.  He thinks he is a grown up and should be treated like one, so we have daily power struggles.  It's not that he hates brushing his teeth, he hates me TELLING him to brush his teeth.  He doesn't mind trying new foods, but if I INSIST that he do it, it's WWIII.  This kid...




Last weekend, the Budweiser Clydesdales were in town.  It was cool to be able to see them, especially since you can see the brewery from our backyard.  We watched them get hitched up, then pull the wagon through the streets to make deliveries at all the restaurants in Old Town.




Connor loved seeing the huge animals.

























Father's Day was low-key, beginning with breakfast in bed and spending the day with Anthony's family.