Two's Not Terrible

Thatcher turned the big two on Saturday. As luck would have it we had cousins passing through for the weekend and with the additional family singing in celebration of him his excitement doubled in size. He loved his cake and was daring enough to begin taste testing it the moment it was set before him. We began singing Happy Birthday and realized we hadn't explained to him the traditions of blowing out the candles at the end of the song. Needless to say he didn't need any instructions. We got as far as "Happy Birthday to you..." and with a giant two year old blow he had extinguished the candles all by himself. He enjoyed opening presents and asked his sisters for assistance in unwrapping, which in turn made their excitement double in size as well. It was a great weekend to spend time with family and celebrate the birth of our little Thatch!



This is the position you can find Thatcher in ever since he received this train set for his birthday. We love that he loves it. Happy Birthday Thatch.

Butterfly Bonanza

When we moved here last summer Grandma Darden had sent a butterfly habitat kit with the kids to enjoy after we got moved in and settled. They loved that experience of watching the entire process from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. They even got the opportunity to gently hold them (without touching their wings) and then a day or so later release them outside. Since that time on a monthly bases the girls have questioned us on when we can get another habitat, and with the butterfly exhibit returning to the zoo their excitement for it had reached an all time high. We therefore purchased another one which promptly arrived in the mail and over the last few weeks have been able to enjoy the experience all over again.

Peach Pandemonium

We kept our plans of picking additional peaches in efforts of freezing, jamming, and making pies with the great crop here in the South. While I'll admit it was enjoyable, and feels good to have fruit put up for the coming year; I'll also admit that I am exhausted and achy, and may have bitten off (or picked off in this case) a bit more than I can chew at this particular moment. The kids and I headed off on our own Monday, since it was the last day to pick and they would close before Steven arrived home. When I got to the orchard and stepped out with three children and a rather expanded tummy the two gentlemen hesitated in sending me off by myself to pick. Nevertheless, they handed me a basket and sent me to a new section of the orchard that I noticed was much closer in proximity to them than the last time we had visited. The girls weren't up to picking that day due to our extensive time in the sun lately, not to mention the fact that apparently peach fuzz makes one "itchy". Not knowing what else to do I parked the car in between four giant peach trees, turned a movie on -I know, that's awful - and began picking. Thatcher assisted me by placing the peaches in the basket and within thirty minutes we had surprisingly picked a very large amount. We brought them home and since then have spent our days, peeling, cutting, and preparing them, taking breaks of course to go to the pool.

Overall it's been an enjoyable experience but I had to laugh when little Ryley came to me tonight with a very sad face after searching the kitchen and asked if there were any more peaches? I explained they were frozen and we could eat them throughout the year, but I had to smile knowing that at least for tonight the peaches were indeed gone!

Good Old Summertime

Summer time weekends are the best!
Friday night we headed for the ballpark where the Memphis Redbirds took on the Albuquerque Isotopes. This came as a surprise to me, being born and raised in Abq. I had always known them as the Albuquerque Dukes. Oh well, I've been gone now for 12 years - I suppose some things are bound to change. The ballgame was great with Kadyn and Thatcher enjoying the nearby playground, Ryley and Dad bonding over the art of baseball, and the entire family appreciating the tastes of concession stand treats. All was going well when in the 4th inning droplets of rain began to fall. This seemed odd given the beautiful blue sky laid out before us until we turned around to find blackness and thunder quickly approaching. The rain came pouring within minutes, the game cancelled, and our family had an adventure making our way out of a jammed ballpark. Regardless of circumstances it was a very fun night with the majority of us escaping any wetness due to the chivalrous act of Dad running the half mile in rain to return with the car.




Saturday we headed out to pick peaches at a nearby orchard. The kids had a great time helping to gather the fruit. We have already devoured our "pickings" and will return later this week to gather many more. This time our plan is to eat some, freeze some, jam some, and of course, bake pies with any remaining. We recently purchased a blender like the one's they use at Jamba Juice and other smoothie shops. This machine is a monster and has produced some fabulous smoothies thus far -thus any fruits we can pick at a good price have quickly become our new favorite flavor.



When evening came we decided it was time to introduce the kids to the Drive-In. Steven took the middle seats out of the car and filled it with blankets, pillows, popcorn, snacks, and drinks. Once there we removed car seats, folded down the back row, and got everything set up. We understood of course that this would be an "experiment" of sorts with such young children participating in an activity that was unknown and offered a very limited and confined space. Our study results proved that the age of six may very well be the minimum age in which to introduce this activity. Ryley and Dad had a fun time watching the movie while Kadyn, Thatcher, and I had an equally fun time, wrestling, snuggling, and playing games in the back. Like I said, summertime weekends are the best.

DMV Quality Control

I had an experience last week that has never before happend. I went to the DMV to renew my drivers license (well that HAS happened before, but just keep reading). This was a good thing. For the past five years my ID has had a picture that no one believes is me, due to the fact that I'm eight months pregnant with my hair back in a ponytail - which only accentuated my very swollen body. This afforded me an opportunity to fix that. I now have a picture where I'm six months pregnant with my hair back in a ponytail, and a slightly swollen body! Now people will believe it MIGHT be me.

I got to the DMV and luckily had all the correct documents for a new license. I was relieved to find that I didn't have to pass any driving tests and was excited the line was moving smoothly along (that HAS NOT happened before, but keep reading).

When I reached the counter the lady called my name and asked me to step forward to the machine and read the symbols on line 6 to check my eyes. I pushed my head against the machine and the rest of the conversation went something like this....

Lynette: "7, 4, 6, 9 . . . (the worker stops me)

Worker: "Ma'am, um . . . there are no numbers on the line."

Lynette: "Oh. O.K. (look back into machine) Um . . . dollar sign, dollar sign, F . . . (the worker stops me again - but not before giggling)

Worker: "Um . . . Ma'am, there are no symbols either. The entire test is all letters. Why don't you try one more time."

By this time I am freaking out and she is still giggling.

Lynette: "Um . . . G, S, P, L, B?"

I look up quickly. She looks to her left and then her right to make certain that no other workers are within ear shoot and says,

Worker: "Well, let's just chalk it up to pregnancy and leave it at that"

Lynette: "Are you kidding me?! I have always been 20/20! I can't fail an eye test! My husband's an Ophthalmologist!"

All right, looking back now I realize Steven's occupation is irrelevant to failing an eye test but it seemed to make sense at the time. I then in panic proceeded to look at every sign posted around the building and read them off in their entirety to her.

She said, "Mrs. Ballard, it's all right. I passed you regardless and you'll be o.k."
I left the DMV that day absolutely stunned and hope that chalking my failure up to pregnancy is both legitimate and legal. So a fair warning to all. If you see me on the road one day it may very well be in your best interest to move to the furthest lane possible.

Southern Summers

Summers in the south are usually spent doing anything that will cool you down. I fear therefore that over the next few months the Ballard blog is going to become very typical and mundane. In an effort to entertain any readers we may have we will try to keep things interesting, but for the most part a good portion of our summer days are spent at the pool.

This year we decided to try out the YMCA due to the kid friendly environment that a number of families told us about. We usually go three days a week leaving the other two to rest from the sun and do other activities. They have a great indoor pool for when the kids want to work on their swimming but even better they have a fantastic outdoor pool for little ones. Being on my own most days I had to make sure that each one had the ability to float if I was to turn my head for even a second, thus, Kadyn and Thatcher have floatie swim suits and Ryley can swim pretty well on her own. Thatch doesn't like having the floatie suit on every day so the outdoor pool is a perfect option and comes right below his shoulders allowing him to stand all by himself, which he absolutely loves. It is so fun to see all three of them bounce around the pool and play games with each other. The kids have loved it there and can last 3 to 4 hours each day before I finally persuade them to pack it up and head home. By the time we get back, take a bath, eat, and play a bit, the day is practically at an end. It's been a great place to have in such hot and humid weather, and it's only June!






The "other activities" mentioned above would of course include the zoo. Each summer they bring back the butterfly house which is definitely a family favorite. They also love the polar bears and seals, which Steven and I also enjoy thanks to the air conditioned room in which you sit to watch them. It's been a great summer thus far and one thing we have enjoyed so much is having little Ryley home to play with us each day. I'm praying that August will take forever to arrive.

Home Again Home Again

Each time we move to a new state we attempt to take in the sights and attractions that each particular area has to offer. Steven took the week off so we decided to head out and enjoy the sights and attractions of Tennessee. Our first stop was Chattanooga where we spent the first day hiking through an area called Rock City. Along with fun trails and the steepest railway in the world they had a beautiful area called Ruby Falls. The total hike is about one mile and you walk through a cave with tight walls and stalagmites all around you. At the end of the trail you gather in a large dark area where you can hear water loudly running but unsure of what exactly to expect until they turn on the lights and streaming down before you is a 145 foot underground waterfall. It was cool.






The next day we decided to hit the aquarium. They had some amazing exhibits and great aquatic life to see and touch. Before leaving we caught a 3D IMAX film that showed all types of ocean life at a VERY up close distance. I was more than happy to be saftly in my seat instead of actually diving down below to find these animals and the best part was watching the girls reach their hands out with each new species to attempt petting them. Thatcher refused to wear his glasses and ended up falling asleep thanks to a darkened room and soothing ocean waves. With the exception of Thatcher's lack of interest in the movie I think the kids loved this place more than anywhere we visited.



From there we headed two hours north to Pigeon Forge, TN. Come on, you can't leave TN without at least visting Dollywood once. Our original plan was to try out the theme park one day and the water park the next, however, after a ride down the "River Rampage" with little Kadyn crying and screaming at the top of her lungs "I want to get off this ride", "I don't want to get wet anymore", we decided to forgo the following day of water rides and spend the time with more relaxing activities. They had a blast with the remainder of Dollywood's rides and Ryley got especially daring with her Daddy in riding the more "adult" ones as well. She was very proud of the fact that at over 42" tall she had joined an exclusive club that her sister and brother could not yet meet. I of course was more of a sideline participate this trip with my doctor reminding me that the scrambler and 22 weeks pregnant do not mix. We had lots of fun each day in the pool and our relaxing day was well spent swimming, putt-putting, and playing at the arcade. Kadyn was excited to return home but Ryley began to cry. When asked why she answered through tears, "I loved that hotel room with bunk beds and the bagels". We promised that family vacations were an annual thing and while we don't have bunk beds here at the house I could definitely buy her some bagels.



It was a great trip, with the best part being no worries and no responsibilites - just family and fun. Of course, with wonderful family fun also comes exhaustion so after returning home Steven and I snuck away Sat. evening for one last night of "vacation" and hit the town for dinner and a movie. Come on now, Mom and Dad can have a little fun too!