Sensational Summer

Isn't summer the best?! Schools out, weather's great, and it's time to play hard. Our neighbors offered us full access to their pool since they are gone most everyday. This has been a gift for the kids and a blessing for me. The girls love their pool (Thatch not so fond of water this summer) and we can still go as frequently as they desire without the hassles of packing up four children, pool accessories, lunches, baby needs etc...

Now we can cross the street for swimming and lunch and then cross back over to nap and rest from the sun. On days they are up to it (and trust me they are frequently up to it) we can cross right back over for more!

Thatch happy just by the pool.

Thatch sad that he's wanted in the pool.

Thatch and I compromised. He can sit by the pool all he wants, however, he must have a "floaty" suit on. Now we are all happy

What's up? I'm ready for the pool.

The zoo (of course) has also been a frequent part of our schedule. The kids were sad to arrive and find the butterfly exhibit had not returned for another summer. Their disappointed was quickly swept away however, for in its stead has been placed an exhibit in which parakeets come and eat from each child's own personal stick of food. These birds have been specially trained for this exhibit and were comfortable walking, flying, and interacting with everyone around them. It was pretty incredible and the girls were absolutely beside themselves with excitement! (Remember folks, we are talking about two young ladies who love animals so much that Steven and I find them more frequently as "animals" then themselves, not to mention the pact already set in place in which one will be a veterinarian and the other an animal trainer. That way they can have the best of both worlds.) After almost an hour I had to bribe them out with the promise that we would come back soon to visit their birds again.

Memorial Weekend Memories

Memorial day was also very memorable, for any weekend in which Dad receives an additional day off is definitely considered as such.

We took a risk and attempted the Drive In for a second time on Saturday evening. This experience was fantastic for all. The weather was warm so we could lift the back and watch while snuggling on blankets and enjoying snacks. We all really enjoyed, "Night At The Museum 2". It was as good as the first - which is hard to say for most sequels.


On Monday morning we woke early and headed for IHOP. We then spent a few hours in Toys R Us and ended at home with four water guns. The kids held their own for over an hour but Daddy slowly began to demolish them. Haley was tired so after laying her down for a nap I grabbed the largest water gun available and, in defense of the children of course, went after Steven. We won't say who won, alright, he did. I gave a valiant effort however and more than anything felt validated beyond measure when the children began chanting my name in support. Unfortunately due to my loss, the support they offered in my behalf only bought them more wetness from Dad!

With warm weather upon us we have taken advantage of frozen treats more frequently. A few years back we purchased this ice cream ball in which you fill with the needed ingredients and then roll back and forth for about fifteen minutes. In the end you are left with tired arms but delicious homemade ice cream. The kids love it and I loved Haley J's reaction to it. She just watched but wanted so badly to join in all the fun.

Blog Equals Book

When I first began seeing blogs and family web pages appear I was most taken with the idea that one is essentially creating a family journal/scrapbook. It's the main reason we began one for our family and helps give us the drive to keep it updated as frequently as possible. With that in mind, over the past few months I have been debating on how to turn the first year of our blog "journal" into hard copy form. I did a bit of research and found a company that could do the job with only a minimal amount of assistants needed on my end - that was my one prerequisite! We were mailed the book a few weeks ago and are very happy with the end result. It's been most fun watching the kids laugh and giggle as they look through on memories of their time here in Tennessee thus far.


On a side note our family is currently obsessed with the soundtrack of "Wicked", thus the music of choice on playlist. We enjoy soundtracks to musicals in general but have absolutely loved the "Wicked" music. We are very excited to see the play this July when it comes to TN on tour.

Random And Ryley (Mainly Ryley)

The past few weeks have been filled with various events. While lacking photos Mother's Day was planned and executed with much love. It began with mother sleeping in, wonderful church meetings, a nap in the afternoon, and an amazing dinner. Steven not only created a delicious meal complete with sauteed zucchini and baby potatoes on the side, but, finished it off with one of our favorite desserts, creme brulee. He had purchased ramekins to place the dessert in and even had the necessary kitchen torch in order to caramelize the vanilla sugar on top. A wonderful day made possible by the wonderful husband and kiddo's that enrich every moment of my life!

This year Ryley wanted more than anything to perform in the school talent show. She did a wonderful job! When her piece was complete she stood up, took her bow, then ran off quickly only to change clothes in the car and have Mom, "drive as fast as possible without breaking the speed limit", so she could join her baseball team for a night game.



We have been enjoying many end of school activities with Ryley. Her favorite this year (as well as last) has been field day.

Father and son had some male bonding time when the front headlights of Steven's car needed replacing.

We picked more strawberries and produced more jam and treats.

More than anything we have enjoyed spending countless evenings at the park just playing and watching Ryley learn to ride her bike with no training wheels! That's right folks. You heard it here first. Ryley Ballard is our first "training wheel free" bike rider, with Kadyn close on her heels in hopes of soon joining sister and Dad on their frequent "bike ride runs". Bike ride runs have become an important part of our family. They mainly take place to help keep Dad healthy, while at the same time assisting in his preparation for an upcoming fitness test. They are best described like this. Ryley takes off on her bike and gives Dad a run for his money around various neighborhoods while I drive the remaining family members and their big wheels down to the park. Once Dad's miles are complete they join us on the park bike path to begin a cool down.

How Time Can Fly (Part I)

Steven and I celebrated our ninth year of marriage yesterday. He reminds me frequently that he would ask all over again if given the chance. All I can say is this. Since the night of our first date, I knew Steven would be an influence for good in my life. At that time I didn't understand how large that influence would be and to this day cannot comprehend how kind Heavenly Father was to place him in my path. He has brought me more happiness than I could have hoped for in one lifetime and I am grateful each morning and night for his love and example.

How Time Can Fly (Part II)

During the first year of our marriage Steven and I had an experience that taught us both an important lesson about ourselves. We had borrowed my brothers Nintendo 64, along with ExciteBike, and returned quickly to our home in excitement to play. We began playing that evening around eight or so and decided around midnight to turn it off and sleep. The next morning we woke at 6 am and immediately began our challenge of beating the game. I'm sure the sun rose and set that day but neither Steven or I could tell you because, with the exception of a few bathroom breaks and running once to the refrigerator to grab some leftover pizza, we neither left the game nor saw the light of day. Around 8 pm that evening we looked at one another, looked down at the calluses that had formed on our thumbs, and then set the paddles down. We frequently laugh about that experience and are grateful we had it early on. Since then we have been ever mindful of our time spent with "technology". Friday night however offered us a gentle reminder of how "time can fly" if your not paying attention.

Our area has received large amounts of rain over the past few weeks. This meant little time outside and a lot of time coming up with fresh ideas to occupy our children. In large part I have been able to accomplish this with ease, but when the weekend arrived I was more than excited to hand the responsibility over to Steven and allow him to assist in producing a fun idea for the family. Boy, did he ever. (I must interject one thing here: The Wii was brought home by Dad as a "get well family present" when Kadyn banged her head last year, which ended in the ER with bonding glue. It has since been a daddy/daughter bonding tool for a few minutes now and then on weekends.) This past Friday evening we gathered upstairs and were excited to discover that for five bucks you could purchase the "old school" version of Nintendo's Mario Brothers. Steven went first and was quickly taken out by a flying turtle. (He did not have a Nintendo growing up) I was next and to my hubbies great surprise cleared the first three boards in record time and even remembered where to pick up the hidden whistles that transport Mario to future worlds. (Unfortunately, I did have a Nintendo in my younger years and despite the wisdom of adulthood had not yet learned the lesson of "limits".) The kids were amazed by this new game, and while each was willing to take a turn, for the most part they only wanted to watch in hopes that Mom or Dad could indeed save the princess. We continued in our attempts, for what seemed like an hour, but couldn't seem to overpower world eight. We decided to head for bed and were more than surprised to find it was 11:15 pm! A wonderful lesson and perfect example of why our family strictly limits "technology time". We are proud to report that it only required wasting one of our Saturday hours to complete the task of conquering Mario Brothers and saving the princess. Congratulations to us all.

Kadyn's Violin

This past Christmas Kadyn heard the violin being played during a concert at our church. I saw her shift in the chair and as I glanced over noticed a light of excitement appear in her eyes. This was a big deal to observe in Kadyn. While she can surprise you with moments of great independence she is definitely the child who stays close to Mom, and in regards to new activities ventures no further than, "If Ryley's doing it, I will too". When I observed this reaction of excitement toward the violin I knew I must take action. She is most excited to begin piano lessons (Of course - Ryley is doing it) but since we are waiting to begin formal lessons around mid mark of kindergarten, I thought this would be a great opportunity to introduce a new instrument to our family, while at the same time offering Kadyn something unique of her very own.

She has taken for seven weeks now and her favorite activity currently is attempting to "trick" Dad by playing various bow changes and having him guess their names.