Happy 9th Birthday Brook!!!

On June 6th, Brook turned 9 years old. That first year of life seems to take so long. And then after that time just flies. I think it's because you actually sleep through the night after that. Anyway, it got me thinking that 9 years from now Brook will be getting ready to start college. That's crazy. It all happens so fast. So Fax and I went out to lunch with Brook on her birthday, and on Saturday we had a big family party. There were a lot of pictures, so I decided to combine them into another slide show. I hope your not sick of my crazy blogging marathon.

First Week of Summer Vacation

Well, our first week of summer vacation was not the best. Jake and Summer had the croup and a fever until Thursday. We were up all hours of the night giving Jake his inhaler, ice water, and anything else to help him breathe easier and stop his barking cough. Here are some pictures of the sickies asleep. (Thank goodness for Advil and steroids.)

Jake, asleep in my bed. Why do kids always sleep better in Mom and Dad's bed?Summer always falls asleep on the couch when she's sick.

Dance Festival

May 28th was our school's dance festival. Brook and Jake were very excited about it. Jake danced to, "The Boot Scootin' Boogy" and Brook danced to, "When the Sun Goes Down." I think they had a lot of fun. And fortunately the weather cooperated too. Here are some photos:


I had a better vantage point to take pictures of Jake. He was right in the front. (And he really got into it.) I don't have as many good pictures of Brook because she was behind other kids.

Brook and her friend, Emily.

First Nice Day of 2008!!

It seems like winter lasted way too long this year. As a mom I follow the rule that I grew up with: It has to be at least in the 70s to wear shorts, and at least in the 80s to play outside in the water. On May 17th it finally got into the 80s. We don't have a pool yet this year, so I turned on a very old sprinkler and the kids seemed to have a great time. Here are some pics:

Slide Show

This was a park we visited in Las Vegas. The kids had a great time.

Viva Las Vegas

Our trip to Vegas to see the Karpowitz family in their new house was loads of fun. Here are some pictures from our trip:

Emma and Summer all wrapped up in a towel after swimming.

Brook and Kate dancing in the backyard.

Jake lost his first tooth on Sunday morning. He was pretty excited!!

All the kids together in the backyard. Left to right:

Emma, Summer, Kate, Brook, Ryne, and Jake.

Emma and Summer are twinners!
Aren't cousins the best?

Death of a Fish

Well, on April 8th the kids got home from school to find their Bala Shark "Hammer" swimming upside down. Within an hour he was gone. He was one of the first fish we got when Fax set up their fish tank. That means he was about 2 1/2 years old. Anyway, as you can see from the photos the kids were pretty upset. Well, Brook and Jake were. Summer not so much.

We buried him under the blackberries where he wouldn't be disturbed when we planted the garden. The kids even found a rock for his head stone. Farewell Hammer, it's been nice feeding you.