Life as a Lewis

The weather was absolutely perfect yesterday: upper 80's, sunny, slightly windy, and very low humidity. The kids (and adults) had a blast at the pool, and we were soooooo proud of Camden! He jumped into the pool, he used the diving board, he used the big water slide and had fun! This is the child we could barely get into the pool last year. Rory was pretty fearless as usual. She really loved the slide and went down it over and over and over again. Camden also had his first swimming lessons yesterday, and it went really well. I'm glad we had gone to the pool first because everything he did at the pool they covered in his lesson so he had a little bit of experience. Brian's parents are keeping the kids today while Brian and I have run a few errands and go out for lunch. I'm hoping to eat here ! Here are just a few pictures from yesterday. I clearly do not have the settings right for the bright sunny day because my colors are strange, but at least you get the general idea.

Our cheap $3 local theater (and by local I mean less than 30 minutes away) was showing Night at the Museum 2 this weekend so we took the kids on Friday night. I admit that it's kinda nice that Camden is almost 6 and capable of watching a few movies that we'll enjoy as well. We had lots of laughs, and Camden spent the rest of the weekend telling us his favorite parts over (and over) again. Rory, on the other hand, was not impressed at all by the movie and spent 2 hours climbing up and down off my lap. Saturday and Sunday were pretty uneventful although when I read in the newspaper that a new local (and by local I mean 10 minutes away) nail salon opened up this weekend and all services were 20% off, I did march myself on over and got a manicure/pedicure Sunday afternoon. When Rory woke up from her nap, the first thing she noticed was the new polish on my fingers and toes and insisted on a little manicure/pedicure herself. She loves for me to paint her toes, but she doesn't re

According to Becky , William and Xavier gets hours of enjoyment out of Camden and Rory videos, so here are a few more to keep them entertained. (and I'm pretty sure that only 3 year olds and grandparents are going to find these very exciting) Out of the blue, Rory started giving her baby CPR - weeks after we took a CPR class. One of Camden's hits during his last game of the season. Rory will sing this song to anyone and everyone who will listen. Can I just mention that she had JUST gotten out of bed this morning when she started singing it and I grabbed the camera. In case you can't understand her, she's singing "it's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring, bumped his head, couldn't get up the next morning." Rory's new thing is to "shake it, shake it."

Oh, I would love to say that yesterday's kid-free morning was wonderful, but I spent it in bed (and the bathroom) with the stomach flu. It seems to still be persisting this morning so we're canceling our date night. So disappointed! We also had to skip the pool and the movie last night. Rory, of course, was pretty oblivious, but Camden was really disappointed. The good news is that we can reschedule both of those things. Here are some random things from this week: Rory prefaces everything she says by "I needs." She needs me to carry her, she needs her milk, she needs to go swimming, etc. And if you could only hear the drama in that little word! Rory says, "Oh, maam!" all the time. Of course, she means "oh, man!" but I'm not going to correct her. Because I'm sure you've all been on the edge of your seat waiting to hear, my Ambien prescription is working out wonderfully. I've had consistent 7 hours of sleep for the last 5 nights now.

Brian is taking the kids out for breakfast and running some errands, which leaves me with a few kid-free hours. The mature and responsible way to spend that time would be to clean the bathrooms and vacuum the house, but who am I kidding. I'm probably going to kick back with a book for a while then get in some scrapping time. After Brian gets home, we're headed to my friend Shelly's pool, and then tonight we're taking the kids to see Up. Should be a fun day! Kristin Cronin-Barrow: Cherry Sweet Traci Reed/Scrap Kitchen Designs: Shabby Daddy

. . . let these smiles fool you. They fought. All. Day. Long.

We all survived grocery shopping (even left the house by 8:00 a.m.) and had fun putting the little backyard swimming pool to use. The kids love to splash around. At one point I just climbed right in with them in an effort to cool down. We've had mid-90 temperatures for the last 7 days, and it is just plain hot! I made the best salad for supper last night and thought I'd share the recipe. Well, recipe is a pretty big word for what I did since I basically just threw a bunch of things together. I layered lettuce, rotisserie chicken, black beans, tomatoes, avocado, a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and salsa, and it was delicious. I'd like to add a bit of fresh corn next time. I think this will be a staple in our summer menu. We had chips and salsa on the side so that probably took away some of the healthy points, but that's all right. Rory was up again this morning before 6:00. I took her potty and kindly (but firmly) put her back in bed. I refuse to let

Yesterday was a perfect summer day. We hit the zoo early, stayed for about 2.5 hours, and left just as the crowd and serious heat really hit. We didn't cover the whole zoo, but in the heat, 2.5 hours was about as long as the kids could take it and still have a good time (Oh, who am I kidding. The adults were melting in the heat!). We came home, had lunch, and then all took a nap.Yes, even the adults! I worked on laundry and all my coupon clipping and making a grocery list while Brian and the kids played baseball after supper. It was just a very relaxing, fun day. We've already had an eventful morning. Rory was up at 6:00 (don't even ask me why) and had fun playing with Brian's new puppets (for VBS). She kept talking to them and addressing them both as "puppet show." She was having a blast until one of them "bit" her on the finger when she turned her back on them. You've never heard such screaming and sobbing! I think daddy and the puppets are now

Our photoshoot Saturday was hot, hot, and even hotter. Rory was so pleasant and gave us lots and lots of fake smiles as we wiped the sweat off her face and she tried to maneuver butterfly props. It was pretty funny, and hopefully the photographer got something he can use. Saturday night we took Brian's parents out to eat for Father's Day. For Father's Day, I cooked one of Brian's favorites meals and made chocolate pie at his request. Unfortunately, he had to take a group of kids to camp Sunday afternoon so it wasn't quite as restful as it could have been, but we had a family movie night and had pizza and popcorn in the living room while we watched The Tale of Desperaux. By the way, this is probably the most boring moving I've ever seen! Camden was glued to the TV as usual (but it only takes moving objects on the TV to keep his attention), but Rory and I played the whole time and Brian slept (surprise, surprise). We're headed to the zoo today with my friend K

Lauren Grier/Kristin Cronin-Barrow Just Like Dad

Rory's dentist appointment yesterday was a success, and her teeth are perfectly fine (thank goodness!). She walked into that dentist's office and never stopped talking. And by the way all the office staff were gathered around her, I'm pretty sure she charmed the pants off them. The dentist told me he'd never had a 2 or 3 year old have such a great visit. I had yet another eye doctor's appointment this morning. There's progress with my crazy cornea's, but they're apparently not finished reshaping yet so I'll head back again in 2 weeks. Brian has spent every spare moment working on VBS this week (starts Sunday). I'll be glad to have the initial class over with and maybe we'll get to enjoy some family time. Tomorrow includes Rory's photo shoot for the publication, maybe a little bit of sight-seeing since we'll be in Franklin (although the 96 degree weather is going to seriously put a damper on any outdoor activity) and a Father's Day

For the second time in two days, I was stuck sticking out a tornado warning. Tuesday was in Target, last night was in the church basement! Maybe these "spring" storms will be over by the time July hits. When I received an email several days ago about a local Christian publisher looking for an Asian model for the cover of their spring publication, I went against my natural instincts to send this poor woman every single picture I own of Rory and instead just sent the first one that came to mind and then didn't give it another thought. But yesterday morning I received a call saying that she had been chosen for the cover, so we're off to see this guy Saturday morning. Should be fun! I'm taking Rory on a shopping trip (for the photo shoot) and then her first trip to the dentist. She went with us to Camden's appointment several weeks ago and doesn't seem to be nervous. However, she never seems to be nervous to see Dr. Heil either until he walks in the door and

It's official. I'm getting old. Not that I didn't know that, but a trip to the doctor today and a diagnosis of border line high blood pressure confirms it. He said to watch my salt intake for 2 months and then come back and we'll see what happens. There's lots of family history of high blood pressure so this news was not exactly a big surprise. I also left with a one month prescription of Ambien in hopes that we can jump start my crazy sleep cycle. Unfortunately, I took it last night, and it did nothing. How is that even possible? I think I might as well resign myself to never getting a full night's sleep again. I combined the doctor's appointment with a trip to the mall (of course) and Target. Note to self: do NOT go to Target when you haven't eaten for over 8 hours. Of course, the shopping came after I was stranded in the back of Target during a tornado warning. This has happened to me twice now in the last month or so. My favorite find of the day (bes

Rory learned her first two Bible verses in less than 2 weeks with very little practice time. I was completely amazed at how quickly she picked these up! And in case you can't understand her perfectly clear pronunciation, I'll spell it out for you. :) Romans 3:23 All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (this was Camden's first memory verse at age 2, by the way)

Yesterday was a good lazy day, although it still felt productive. I got lots of housework done, 5 loads of laundry washed, dried, folded and put away, but managed to avoid getting dressed or cooking supper! Brian took Camden to VBS at our friend's church, and he had a blast. Considering the fact that he spent what felt like most of the day in time out for his horrible attitude, he's lucky he got to go! I'm hopeful today will be better. Brian is on kid-duty this afternoon while I head to Nashville for a physical. Hopefully I'll fit in a trip to the mall for a quick exchange and maybe a Starbucks run. I've been meaning to post this for several days. Mary from Owlhaven recently took a trip to Korea with two of her sons. She writes here about one of their experiences. If you're an adoptive parent, go ahead and grab a kleenex before you read. Lauren Grier/Lliella Designs Day at the Pond Credits here

The first 2 weeks of summer (having Brian home) have been crazy busy! We've had a great time, but now I'm ready to slow down and try to plan some family time and some date nights before the summer is over and school starts up again. On schedule for today is laundry, laundry, and more laundry! My kids (and husband) are going through clothes in this hot weather at an alarming rate. I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to be able to keep to my once-a-week laundry plan during the summer weeks. Camden survived his trip to the dentist very well. He took the medicine, then lounged on Brian's lap for about an hour before they carried him back to put the crowns on his teeth. When they came to get us, the dentist said they wished all their patients were like Camden. He went to sleep right on time, woke up, and was perfectly fine. He was groggy and slept for 3 hours when we got home, but woke up with lots of energy. I'm a little disappointed because the crowns are large enou

We're taking Camden this morning to get his two teeth crowned. They'll put him to sleep, fix the teeth, and hopefully he doesn't wake up like this. Manda Bean/Libby Weifenbach Easy Breezy Beautiful kit (available 6/13 at SSD ) Gina Miller Acid Rainbow paper pack Gina Miller/Kaye Winiecki A Secret Garden Dani Mogstad/Eva Kipler Girls of Summer kit (available at SSD 6/13)

Well, the kids are apparently worn out from all the playtime with cousins they've had this week. Rory slept until 8:00 this morning and Camden is still in bed! They've had such a good time! We're taking it easy today. The house is clean, laundry is done, and we have no plans. I'm looking forward to a slow day. I might even get some scrapping done (haven't even started one page since Saturday!). Here's an older one I never posted.

Having Brian home for the summer is working out well this week! He kept the kids while I grocery shopped yesterday, and today he is keeping Camden, Rory, and their cousin Cheyenne while the girls go shopping! Last night on our way from seeing Uncle Jon, Aunt Beckee, Cheyenne, and Sienna, Camden informed us, "Cheyenne is my favorite cousin. Logan and Ashton too. And William and Xavier cause they're rough with me." (they wrestle with him). Rory looked at him and said indignantly, "Logan and Ashton NOT here!" Camden trying it without training wheels. It didn't end well. We're in for a hot summer. Do you see the sweat on her face and her wet hair? It was about 82 and she was just playing on the deck. Rory couldn't wait to get her hands on Sienna! Dani Mogstad/Jacque Larsen Fun Land Lauren Grier/Eva Kipler Over the Edge

We had quite a busy weekend, but it felt kinda good because we got alot accomplished. Friday morning Brian made a trip to camp to pick up the church kids; got home just in time for me to head out to my eye doctor's appointment; I made it home just in time for him to head off to a meeting (this is how our week went - we tag teamed). Friday night we took the training wheels off Camden's bike and had his first solo bike lesson. (I won't even go into how traumatic that was.) Saturday was spent cleaning house and attending Camden's final baseball game. The team did a great job and won the game. Camden had 4 at bats and 4 good hits. We're finished with baseball until spring; the coach told us that each team does it's best to keep the same players so we're excited about that. Sunday we had church and then hosted 20 people at our house in our new small group format. We won't be hosting it each Sunday night, but we will be meeting in small groups from now on. Sho

WST Picnic in the Park Collab Manda Bean/Julie Billingsley Children At Play (available tomorrow at SSD )

Today's a big day for Becky. She's currently in New York with my mom and Micah having her b.r.e.a.s.t. reconstruction surgery. It will take approximately 10 hours and is a huge surgery/recovery process. Micah will be updating the blog throughout the day if you'd like to follow along. Today we're running a few errands, taking both cars in for new brakes, and attending a retirement party tonight. Here are a few pictures from our trip to Kentucky Tuesday. Miley and Rory She wasn't too happy about having her picture taken on the dock. Gram with the bathing beauties . (It was so hot we just put the girls in their suits all day) My favorite picture of the day: Rory and Logan. It was cute enough I edited it with a fun photo effect. Miley She was so hot and tired that she camped out in the chair. Gram tried to get the girls to play with a spider. Yes, a spider. Uncle Tim and Rory on the boat. Falling asleep on the boat! Camden wasn't about to fall asleep on the boat! Ro