A Little Bit of Everything - Our Most Random Post Yet

Alright folks. We're up and running with photo access and I'm learning the in's and out's of the Mac. This thing is cool! So, here are some pictures to accompany the post below and then a few extra as well. First up is a picture of Ryley's first day in first grade. Then we have some pictures of soccer practices. Their actual games begin a week from Saturday so when those take place I'll post more pics.

We also returned to the "Incredible Pizza" place last week and this time attempted it with Thatcher. I was a bit nervous to be in such chaos with three children but I must say that Thatch has come along ways when it comes to running off. We couldn't get him to ride any of the rides but eventually talked him into giving the bounce house a try. Once that happened he was hooked for good. All three stayed right beside me the entire time and it ended up being a very stress free, fun afternoon.

I'm also adding a few pictures of myself getting down and crazy as I joined some wonderful girls from our church in the midnight release party for "Breaking Dawn". Please excuse my appearance - I ran from a day at the pool straight to the party. It was very exciting and fun and I'm still amazed at the fact that I lasted past 9:00pm.

Below that is a picture of the kiddos. We had some extra time before church so I grabbed them together for a quick photo. I'm also on a Peter Cetera kick right now which is why he is the music of choice for this post.

I warned you this was going to be random!

No Picture Available

Hello everyone. We finished off last week with swimming each day and preparing for the start of school. On Friday evening Steven and I attended a medical benefit downtown. It was fun to get all dressed up and enjoy a relaxing night out.

Ryley started first grade on Monday. She got a really great teacher and is loving it already. She wakes me up each morning around 6:45AM dressed and ready to go. It's fun to see her excitement - I'm sure it's like this from now throughout high school, right?!

Soccer practice started this week as well. This year we talked Kadyn into giving it a try also. She appears to be timid but that little girl is quite a go getter. When Ryley wrestles Dad she's in it for the fun, when Kadyn wrestles Dad, she's in it for the fun and the win. It's been exciting to watch them play and interact with their teams.

There is a good reason there are no pictures to view of the above mentioned events. While I have been experiencing some major "nesting" moments it seems I have rubbed off onto Steven who must be experiencing "sympathy nesting" as well. I wonder if that's medically possible? Anyhow, his sympathy nesting has been much more exciting than mine. While I find it comforting to relax in our home that's been sanitized from top to bottom again and again, Steven has caught the shopping bug. My sister would be so proud. Don't get me wrong. We haven't gone crazy by any means. It has been fun however to complete our bedroom and Steven finally made the long awaited plunge into buying himself an iMac. It's been fun to use thus far. The kids have loved talking to Grandma and Grandpa Ballard and actually being able to see them face to face via the computer and I love how easy it will make editing pictures and video. Thus, stay tuned for Steven to add the software and Lynette to figure out what in the world she is doing.

1 out of 3!

We officially have a swimmer on our hands. At the beginning of last week Ryley went from timid to courageous and decided to test her swimming abilities by jumping off the diving board into deep waters below. We were at our neighbors pool and I'm not quite sure what came over her but it was both awesome (and terrifying) to watch. She had never before tested her swimming skills so we were uncertain of what to expect. I waited on the side and told her once she hit the water to start swimming for it and if by chance she sunk to the bottom than Mom would be right there to grab her! She jumped, held her breath (I found myself holding mine too), and not two seconds later she popped to the surface and was swimming like a fish. Since that afternoon my morning alarm clock has been Ryley at our bedside begging to go swimming. With school starting soon I can't bring myself to deny her request. Kadyn and Thatch love it as well and are trying hard at their own levels.

I definitely think one of the greatest parts of parenting is seeing the face of your child as they strengthen and master skills that they've worked so hard on.

Crazy Cats

This week the Ballard's decided to shake it up a bit. Instead of spending our usual time at the pool we joined our church play group for a day at the sprinkler park, headed for the zoo a few days later, and filled any time in between at our neighbors pools. I know, I know, right now your thinking, "Those Ballard's are a pretty crazy clan"!

Actually, I had one of those weeks with a lot of different little errands that needed to be completed in preparation for the upcoming school year, so, instead of filling our time with long days at the pool we did a variety of fun activities between the necessary ones. It was an enjoyable but busy week and we are looking forward to a weekend filled with rest and relaxation.

Ryley loved it!

Kadyn stayed safe behind the water guns!

Thatcher wasn't quite sure what to think!
He and I enjoyed the snacks and shade.

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!