Well, since June is over tomorrow it seems like a good time to fill you in on what happened in June here in our little world.  We’ve been busy as usual and June, like every other month, seems like it went by in the blink of an eye.

Alex and Avery turned three on the 13th and we had a Handy Manny and Tinkerbell pool party for them.  The event was fun as usual and brought friends and family from all over together.  Luckily we only had a brief rain storm right before folks arrived and had decent weather for the remainder of the party.  We even got to use the pool for a while, which is where Alex decided to show off his swimming skills for the first time ever.  He, with just his water wings, was paddling all over the pool and even ventured into the deep end.  I was very proud of him and enjoyed truly enjoyed seeing how much fun he was having, and how proud of himself he was too.  All in all the food was good, the cake was tasty, and everybody had a good time catching up with each other.

The following Saturday we took the kids to a local horse farm where they got to do a 1 hour lead line horseback riding session.  The place was hard to find and because of a scheduling mix-up the class almost didn’t happen.  We hung in there and gave the organizers a chance to improvise and the kids eventually got to ride the horses.  Both Alex and Avery did great and seemed to have a blast riding high in the saddle.

Last week the kids visited our neighbor’s church for a week long VBS (Vacation Bible School).  Again, they had a blast and picked up many fun songs, worked on lots of cool projects and seemed to soak in more about the Lord in 1 week than I would have ever imagined possible.  After the first day Alex broke out into full on televangelist mode at dinner while telling us about a game they learned called Jesus Came Down.  Based on his volume and excitement level I thought he was going to give Avery an Amen! on the forehead and push her backwards in the chair or something.  They will be attending another VBS in August at our church which I’m sure they will also enjoy.

Oh, and Jen didn’t mind the quality time with just Adam from 9-12 for a whole week.  I think I saw her secretly Googling for other VBS sessions that could fill up the rest of the summer

On Father’s Day we went to Pop-Pop’s house for some burgers and hot dogs on the grill.  It was a nice day and the kids had fun posing in Pop-Pop’s garage with his hot rods and all his tropheys.

This past Saturday Jen and I enjoyed a nice dinner to celebrate our sixth wedding anniversary (which was Sunday the 28th).  The night out was a nice break and allowed us to have a proper date, which we don’t really get to do anymore. It’s hard to believe that six years have gone by already!

And last, but certainly not least, we have two new additions to the family.  Last night Jen went to pickup the two new kitties that we have been waiting for for two months now.  I would tell you their names but we haven’t been able to agree on any yet.  We got a boy and a girl and are wading through long lists of names that go together. I’m confident that they’ll have names by tonight or tomorrow.

Since they didn’t arrive until last night at about 9:30pm today is their full day home and they’re already getting comfortable around the house and the kids.  And it took probably one hour for the kids to become obsessed with their new kitties.

Stay tuned over the next few days for more updates on our two new (un-named) family members!  Also, in case you didn’t catch the links above we’ve added more photos (finally).  Here are the new/updated albums:

• Alex & Avery’s 3rd Birthday
• June 2009, Part 2
• Father’s Day Weekend 2009 at Pop-Pop’s

A few weeks ago, Adam and I were invited to a 1st birthday party at Gymboree Play & Music. I seized the opportunity to do something alone with him, and Don spent the afternoon with the twins at a bounce house, Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, and then dinner. Adam had a fantastic time being theonly kid who could walk at the party, chasing bubbles and going under the parachute and he even seemed to enjoy a cupcake for the first time ever. I was headed home when I got a call from Don wondering if I had any clue how to help calm Avery down. He had taken the kids to a Japanese steakhouse we’ve visited numerous time before, and for whatever reason, she freaked out when they sat down – full on screaming, crying, blubbering fit. I was at a loss. So was he. I was glad I wasn’t there, honestly, though I did feel bad for them both. He finally managed to calm her down, but she didn’t eat much. I sort of figured it was because I wasn’t there and we moved on.

Fast forward to tonight, when we were planning to go to Lowe’s to stock up on some plants for me to kill over the course of the summer. I mentioned going to dinner, and normally the kids are all over going to a restaurant. Avery and I were alone by the pool when she asked me (more like clarified for me in case I had any ideas) that we would not be going to one of those restaurants where you can see them cook the food. I asked why, since we’ve been there before, she likes the food, etc. and she said she just didn’t want to go. I pressed her a little more and got this response: “Well, I’m just not a fan of Chinese food.” The kid won’t even be 3 until next week. As usual, I was left speechless, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

June 2, 2009 – a date which shall live in history! For the first time in 14+ months, Adam slept completely through the night and did not wake to be nursed at all! Don put him down just before 7 last night and I didn’t hear from him until almost 7:30 this morning. Of course, Avery is in sleep boot camp and screamed herself hoarse because we won’t re-cover her eleventy billion times a night, and Colby is having some sort of stomach issue that makes him stink and need to go out in the middle of the night, but the baby slept! Maybe I will sleep normally again someday!