Wade's World

Rollin' Into February!

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Jan. 22--Lauren thinks she can brush her teeth with her feet...She gets her weird habits from her dad...

Jan. 23--Lauren received Barbies for Christmas. I remembered that I had a few of mine, plus a Ken doll, in the closet! Lauren LOVED all of the Barbies! She took particular interest in one with a wheelchair.

Jan. 28--Paul had to get his eyes checked in Charlotte (he has 20/20 vision!). We stopped into Concord Mills and hit Bass Pro Shops. The fish were HUGE! I swear one was about as long as I am tall!

Lauren loved them!

We went to Fintastic after. Look at how good and detailed the picture of this snail turned out! I teach Organisms which include snails. Always the teacher!

Feb. 4--Cara turned three on Feb. 2, so this year's party was at Skateland! It was Lauren's first time at a roller rink! She was a little hesitant but had a lot of fun!

Paul designed the cake which was fantastic as usual! But look at all of the details he included! (There was even a 3 on the side of the skate since Cara turned 3!)

Lauren wasn't too sure about Daddy skating with her.

She had more fun with him than me!

Suzy took Lauren for a spin and Lauren really got into the groove of skating!

"I'm going backward!!"

We went to dinner with Josh, Shelly, and Logan. Lauren and Logan haven't seen each other in quite some time, so they were tickled pink to enjoy each other's company.

Feb. 5--Super Bowl Sunday...yeah, not so much for us Steelers Fans. While I cleaned up the kitchen, the Tech-nuts enjoyed their own entertainment. Nook for Logan, LeapPad for Lauren, laptop for Paul, and 3G and 4G less wireless for Josh.

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Baby Harper had a shower in December. Here is the proud mama-to-be with her cake! (This is Carrie.)

Harris and Lauren's class had a Polar Express PJ day. Lauren and Harris are the BEST of friends, can't you tell?

Posing with favorite teacher, Ms. Nancy. (I've been called Ms. Nancy SOOO many times this year!)

December 22--We trekked north to Ohio to visit Jon, Jess, and Evie. Lauren and Evie are EXACTLY 4 months apart and the only females from this generation of Wades. Of course, they love each other! The kiddos were snuggling as they watched a movie while Jess and I cleaned up the kitchen to get ready to bake!

We thought we'd make sugar cookies. We started with the girls in their own spaces in small parts of the table...

But it didn't take long for our efforts to expand!

The girls decorated the cookies but then wanted to do art. Here they are making cards for their stuffed kitties. Talk about two peas in a pod!

Dec. 23--And as soon as we got to PA, off go Grandpa Wade and Lauren for a 4-wheeler ride! She was in her glory!

Dec. 24--Our McCaslin Family Christmas. Lauren was amazed to learn she had so many cousins. (There were 4 cousins here. Others are out of state.) This was the first year she really recognized that cousins are family. She thought Evie and Logan were her only!

THEN she discovered that OLDER BOY cousins can be a TON of fun...

Dec. 24--Lauren left sweet treats for Santa at Grandparents Bernosky's house! She even dictated a note which was cute, too.

The annual Night Before Christmas with Grandma Wade. There was a new book this year, though, with the Charlie Brown Christmas.

Santa brought Lauren a stocking at the Wade's and we took hot chocolate to Daddy.

YUM! H-E-R-S-H-E-Y'-S is how we spell choclate!!

OOH! Santa brought me a present!

My purple robe! (She was pretty pissed that she didn't get purple slippers, too. I told her that she cannot be greedy and that Santa did the best he could. He could only bring her 1 gift this year, but we'd look for purple slippers and get them for her later. She ended up with 2 pairs--one Tinkerbell and another knit purple and fuzzy!)

Enjoying Christmas morning with Grandpa Wade!

Lauren played Santa for our Wade exchange and enjoyed crawling under the tree.

A lovely porcelain tea set!

And a princess tower, just like Rapunzel's!

LEGOS from Papa! (We've made SO many creations with them, too!)

MORE cousins! Here are Maydison and Kyleigh, Nicole's 2nd and 3rd children. Alyssa wasn't feeling well.

Lauren got a Barbie from her cousin, Evie!

The girls made a tent from blankets and chairs, used flashlights as their light source, and played Leap Pad and Leapster.

Dec. 26-- Lauren was SO exhausted from all of the family time and running to and fro that she crashed before we made it to Papa and Grandma's house in town! We dropped Lauren and grabbed dinner out. She was still asleep when we returned. Grandma did not mind snuggling her baby granddaughter and enjoyed the comfort while we were gone!

Dec. 27--We stopped in Pittsburgh to visit Justin and Jacob briefly for the evening and trekked on to Wheeling, WV to Cabela's. Now, I really was dreading this manly mecca of dead animals and...I didn't know what else. However, this enormous store was very tastefully done. There was a huge aquarium, an African plain, mountains, polar areas, and a hall probably 3 times the size of my house or larger with deer. They had an arcade upstairs next to the cafeteria that you could play games or do a shooting gallery that when you made your shot, the animals, cans, objects moved. Lauren and Paul had a "blast".

Dec. 30--Paul's friend, Nathan, adores Lauren and the feeling is mutual! He stopped by the house one day and gave her an amaryllis kit. When we got home, her flowers had bloomed!

Aunt Ivy got Lauren a makeup kit for Christmas...I texted a picture of Lauren to friends. I had some think she had a black eye! I'm thinking she's ready for a fight!

December 31--Our friend and school OT, Pam, had us over for a New Year's celebration. Lauren enjoyed playing with her cat, Baily.

Paul got on a kick that if when a 4 year old poops, the toilet stops up, it's time for a new toilet! We ended up with a Gerber. Before it got put in, Paul tricked Lauren. (Incidently, NO stops so far!)

Jan. 13--Harper Annabeth joined our friends/family at 7:50 am! Weighing 7 lbs. 10 oz. (exactly Lauren's weight!) and 20 1/4" long (exactly Cara's length), she is doing SO well! She is the BEST little girl! A great eater, a great sleeper, and a fabulous snuggler!

Jan. 14--We kept Harper's big brother, Chatham, while the family resided in the hospital. A trip to the science center to see the fish, sharks, turtles, and...

Stingrays! Lauren actually touched one this time! Chatham was happy to watch. We learned that stingrays have 5 sets of gills to help them breathe, as do sharks, while the rest of the sea creatures only have 1 set.

We went to Chik-Fil-A for lunch because they have a great indoor play area. (It's been cold and these kids had too much energy!) Look what we saw! (Carrie said another baby girl was born while her Harper was born, also named Harper! We aren't going to tell our Harper anything different!)

Jan. 14--Paul got a streak in him and put CUPBOARD DOORS on my cabinets!! While they are not stained, I DON"T CARE! THEY ARE UP!! The drawer just below my sink tips out and I can store my sponges, scrapers, and drain stops! It's awesome! On the sink door, I have a little organizer thing that stores my grocery bags!!

Jan. 20--Lauren looked like SUCH an adult! I had to snap a picture!

Jan. 21--Lauren was thrilled to hold baby Harper! Here they are! Aren't they both beautiful? Then Lauren and Chatham ran off to play.

Last week I was looking on my school home page (www.nccs.k12.nc.us ) and saw that KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION for Lauren will be March 9!!! I made a morning appointment and got her after school care by her current daycare arranged. She will be going to Thornton Elementary. Lauren is THRILLED! After I had that arranged, we ordered her a personalized lunch bag from Thirty-One with pink and cupcakes. School is rumored to be starting AUGUST 2nd for me this year, 7th for kids! YUCK~! So, a short summer is in store for us!

Our Carolina Christmas (Dec. 18)

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Due to our traveling needs, we Carolina Wades celebrate our family Christmas before heading to PA for family Christmases. Lauren and Paul with their stockings!

Mommy and Lauren with stockings

Lauren tearing into her presents!

Wow...a game for a Leap Pad! It's Tangled...But where is the Leap Pad?!?!

Here it is!!

By the way, she LOVES it!!

Lauren made Daddy's present this year. He actually had a few tears well up that she wrapped his gift herself (note ALL of the tape every 1/4" on the ribbon).

And the drawing of our family with our names written by Lauren. The frame says, "Family...The love of a Family is Life's greatest blessing." Talk about sentimental! Paul's gift were his new eyes. He had surgery in November and has been without glasses since!

Artwork, November, 1st December Weekend

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November 7--What is this adorning the end of our driveway?! It's a mailbox! Paul waited ALL Saturday for Randy, our trusty mailman, to come so that he could help Paul determine its placement. The first words out of Randy's mouth: "Did you get your federal permit to put that up?" I thought he was serious...

Lauren had some spectacular artwork. I cannot keep it all, so I decided to take pictures for a scrapbook.

Lauren wrote the word OWL on her own!

Here is her self-portrait...what large nostrils she has!

Lauren can write her 1st and last name on her own! No model, no help!

I asked her teachers if they helped her color. They said no! She doesn't usually do this well when we color but it's her own work!

This was the first time Lauren added eyelashes to a drawing!

November 12--Paul had Lasik Eye surgery on Nov. 11! He left the office seeing 20/20 and 20/40. After his check up on the 12th, we went to the Southern Christmas show! Too exciting! We got to see decorations, vendors, and so much more! We were all exhausted!

November 19--Suzy was heading to Disney the day after her birthday, so we had to delay her celebration. Lauren helped me bake cupcakes for Suzy so that we could celebrate! What a little ham!

We went to the Tap Room and had Pub Chips. Look at these dips! (Cara, Lauren, Chatham)

Lisa, Carrie (with Harper), and Suzy. Happy Birthday, Suzy!

November 23--Lauren's daycare had their annual Thanksgiving Dinner. I was off of work and Paul was able to come during his lunch time! Lauren was SO excited!

Harrison and Suzy! Cara chose to return to her friends and Nick was being...Nick.

Best Friends!!

November 24--Mom and Dad arrived Thursday morning! Lauren was ecstatic to have her grandparents here! They colored, read, played games...

November 28--While our annual Thanksgiving tradition is to put up our Christmas tree, we also watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. This was the first year Lauren really "got" that movie. She was searching for the squirrel in the tree...Then when Clark was having a hissy-fit and cussing, Lauren said, "I won't say that, it's not nice. I'll say that when I'm older!"

November 29--Lauren was upset that Papa and Grandma were leaving, but I got a good picture of us! Can you tell we are related?

December 2--Lauren had her FIRST non-family sleepover with the Donleys on Saturday! Carrie and Chatham were SOOO excited! Carrie had a friend make matching Christmas shirts for the kids and took them to Alpine Village in Lenoir to Santa's workshop. Carrie said it was so awesome, and free, and that she would have gladly paid $10 a person to go! You have to reserve your spot, but it's free!

Lauren and Chatham with their goody bag! Lauren sat on Santa's lap but Chatham had nothing to do with him. Lauren asked for a purple robe. I have no idea...

December 1--Lauren dressed herself. Enough said. It wasn't worth the battle.

While Lauren was playing with Chatham, Paul and I went to Boone to participate in Operation Christmas Child, packing shoeboxes for kids in the Republic of Congo and Southern Sudan. We met Paul's cousin, Jon, his wife, Jess, and some of their friends from their church in Ohio. This church group comes down annually to pack boxes. I can understand why they come down. It was amazing work!

Smart-Alec Paul high-fiving a dude delivering toys

One of the Ohio guys, Justin, grabbed onto the box drop!

Jon and Paul, our boxers

We packed over 60,000 shoe boxes on Saturday. This was the Boone facility's newest record! We were so excited to have participated in this new milestone! I cannot wait to go back next year!

My Smarty Pants

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Playing around and doodling last Friday, November 4, Lauren and I were drawing and writing. She's learned to write my first name in capital letters and can write her first and last name in capital and lower case letters!

Then I started to write random letters to see if she knew their names. She can identify 19/26 capital letters, 14/26 lower case letters, and identify some of the names of her classmates (Harris, Callie, Jack, and Wyatt). I had her count and she can count from 1-19, skips 20, then counts 21-29! She can identify numbers 0-10 in random order!

The funny thing is that I have NO idea when she's learned all of this! She keeps asking to go to kindergarten!

Some of Lauren's Favorite Things

Things to do: "read" or be read to, write her name, draw, cut and glue, paint, play with her doll house, follow mommy around, talk, ask questions, play her Leapster, talk on the phone, type on the computer, watch her shows (Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Phineas and Ferb, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse)

Places to go: Target, the mall, school, Jump Bunch, mommy's school, library

Toys: Leapster, Mommy's Nook, dress up, art supplies, doll house

Food: pizza, popcorn, go-gurt, bananas, apple slices, OJ, ice

TV shows: Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Phineas and Ferb, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Movies: ALL Disney, especially Cars 1 and 2, Tarzan, Toy Story 2, How to Train Your Dragon

*Thanks, Jayme, for the inspiration to document Lauren's favorites at this age!

Lauren Loves Mondays

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Check out "Lauren Loves Mondays". Lauren was featured in the Fall 2011 Newsletter for her love of JumpBunch, a program that is put on at her school.

The Experience

Hello JumpBunch Nation,

Tom Bunchman and JumpBunch Kids

I love Starbucks®, and will go out of my way to visit the nearest one. Our VP of Operations, Joey St.John, visits Disney® theme parks several times per year. I sometimes think he will grow mouse ears. Scott Karlin, our Director of Development, is crazy about Apple® products. And then there is Kathy, my lovely wife, and her fanaticism for TJ Maxx®. I can't tell you how many times she has bragged about this or that amazing bargain while shopping there!

What do each of these little facts have in common? The Experience. And what does the experience have to do with JumpBunch, and your child? Plenty. We strive to create this experience and passion for the JumpBunch brand, each and every day. Our goal is to make JumpBunch a household name, especially among families with young children. We do this by tirelessly pursuing excellence for our very special little customers. And at the end of each day, we take great satisfaction helping children achieve physical skills, as well as introducing them to our signature variety of sports and activities.

Thanks. I wish all of you a fantastic autumn and Halloween!

Tom

How to Get Your Kids to Eat Their Fruits and Veggies

The USDA Representation of a Healthy Plate

The American Dietetic Association, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) have done volumes of research regarding the nutrition of children. With this research, they have found specific techniques that will work in getting children to eat healthier. Try implementing these changes to the eating environment and avoiding forceful old school techniques, and your kids will be eating healthier in no time.

Serve fruits and vegetables at every meal. The USDA recommends that ½ of the child's plate should consist of fruits and vegetables.
Eat together as a family.
Set a good example by eating fruits and vegetables yourself.
Buy fruits and vegetables for snacking, and don't keep unhealthy snack options on hand.
Have children help select fruits and vegetables at the grocery store and again when you are preparing their meals.
Keep putting it on their plate. A child may need to see a new food 4-5 times before they will try it.
Put out vegetables or fruit as an appetizer before the main meal is ready.
Keep small containers of cut up fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator for easy snacking.
Incorporate fruits and veggies into meals your child already likes. For example, put a cup of frozen vegetables in with the noodles when making macaroni and cheese. Top off breakfast cereal with strawberries.
In the summer, help the kids create a vegetable garden, and harvest and prepare what they grow.

What Does Not Work?

Experts have found that the following methods are ineffective in getting your child to eat healthy

Yelling at your child for not eating their fruits and vegetables
Begging your child to eat fruits and vegetables
Making your child feel guilty when they don't eat fruits and vegetables
Rewarding your child with sweets if they eat their fruits and vegetables
Requiring your child to eat fruits and vegetables before they leave the table

For more information:

Franchisee Profile: Staci Lifshen - Denver, CO

Staci Lifshen and Dan Lifshen of JumpBunchDenver

When Staci Lifshen joined JumpBunch of Suburban Denver as a part-time coach 5 years ago, she could not have foreseen where the opportunity would take her. Lifshen graduated from theUniversity of Arizona with a degree in Elementary Education, but soon realized that classroom teaching was not her true passion.

After graduation, Lifshen moved toColorado and worked various part-time jobs. When she came across an opening for a JumpBunch Coach in 2006, she applied and was hired by then-owner, Alicia Hall. Soon after her hiring, she moved up the ladder and became a full-time director of the Denver franchise, helping run many day-to-day operations. When Hall decided to sell the business to move back to an IT career, Lifshen was the obvious buyer and jumped at the opportunity. She purchased the franchise in the summer of 2010.

"I knew there would be challenges, but I also knew that the benefits would far outweigh the challenges," said Lifshen. With a year of ownership under her belt, Lifshen still says her favorite thing about JumpBunch is working with the children. She enjoys teaching kids skills they can use for the rest of their lives such as teamwork and cooperation. Now that she has a deeper understanding of the business side of the franchise, she wants to put her creativity to work in expanding the program to additional schools in the Denver area so more children can benefit from JumpBunch classes. To this end, she brought her brother Dan in to help manage the business in spring 2011.

Lishen brings her own passion for sports and fitness to her business. Her extensive personal sports and fitness background includes gymnastics, dancing, basketball, soccer, softball, and volleyball. She continues to play softball and volleyball regularly and also enjoys hiking, camping and snowboarding in the Colorado mountains. "I want kids to know that being active is fun. It shouldn't be something you HAVE to do, but something you WANT to do."

JumpBunch Suburban Denver
720-979-9828

St. Margaret's Day School

St. Margaret's Day School, Annapolis, MD

Tricia Hallberg took the position of Director at St. Margaret's Day School four years ago and one of her first items of business was to bring in JumpBunch. Hallberg has a long history with JumpBunch, going back to the days when JumpBunch founder Tom Bunchman and his wife Kathy were teaching JumpBunch classes at a school where she was a teacher.

St. Margaret's includes JumpBunch for all of the children at the school ages 3 through Kindergarten. Miss Joanne comes every Wednesday and teaches a JumpBunch lesson to all six of their classrooms. "I love the JumpBunch program. I have a great personal relationship with the owners in the area and I know they do a quality program," said Hallberg.

St. Margaret's Day School is educationally accredited by the State of Maryland, and boasts 12 staff members and 105 students. The JumpBunch program fits their "learn through play" philosophy. "We believe children learn through doing. When they experience and practice skills while playing, and this helps them incorporate these skills into longer term memory and muscle memory," said Hallberg. She feels that JumpBunch does a very nice job of teaching different skills for different sports while addressing many learning domains such as hand-eye coordination, gross and fine motor skills, and doing tasks both cooperatively and individually.

The kids at St. Margaret's report that they love JumpBunch. The parents appreciate that the program is included in the curriculum. The teachers love having an organized motor skills program that they are not responsible for.

St. Margaret's Day School
(410) 757-2333

JumpBunch of Anne Arundel County
(410) 410-279-8745

Mondays are Little Easier Now that Lauren has JumpBunch!

Lauren Loves JumpBunch!

Like most of us, even four-year-old Lauren hates getting out of bed, especially on Monday mornings. She moansand groans and claims she is not ready. But then her mom reminds her that it is JumpBunch day, and she pops out of bed eager to start her week.

The coaching staff of JumpBunch of Catawba Valley, North Carolina has been doing JumpBunch classes at Lauren's school every Monday for several years. Her mother, Lisa, was originally skeptical of enrolling her 2-year-old daughter in the program. As a teacher, she was concerned if it would be developmentally appropriate. Once Lauren tried a free class at her school, she loved it. Her teacher told Lisa how engaged and enthusiastic she was about the program. "I figured if this was something that she would enjoy, then I would go ahead and sign her up.

Since enrolling in JumpBunch, Lauren has really shown a strong interest in health and fitness, and even incorporates her learning into her life. She says things to her mother like "I need to exercise today," or "I need to eat a healthy snack."

As for Lisa, she really likes that Lauren is exposed to a gamut of sports and fitness activities that she would not experience otherwise. She also sees her daughter learning skills that will prepare her to participate in organized sports such as teamwork, cooperation, sharing, and taking turns. "I love the fact that JumpBunch comes right to the school,' said Lisa. "I am a teacher so I never know when I am going to get out of work. This way Lauren is getting a great extra-curricular activity right at her school.'

JumpBunch of Catawba Valley, North Carolina

(828) 320-3832

Fall 2011

In This Issue

The Experience

Getting Kids to Eat Healthy

Franchise Profile:Staci Lifshen

Location Profile: St. Margaret's Day School

Quick Links

Tom Bunchman, Founder

JumpBunch, Inc.

1997 Annapolis Exchange Parkway, Suite 300

Annapolis, MD 21401

Phone: 410-703-2300

Toll Free: 866-826-5645

Fax: 443-927-7510

info@jumpbunch.com

JumpBunch Website

For more health and fitness related tips for children, like our Facebook page!

Franchises Available! Click for More Details

410-703-2300
franchise@jumpbunch.com

Birthday Parties by JumpBunch

At a participating location near you!

Winter Preview

Winter is a great time for JumpBunch! Look for these great lessons coming this winter!

HOCKEY!
PARACHUTE: BLIZZARD!
STEP AEROBICS!
HAVE-A-HEART
REBOUNDER!

...AND MUCH MORE!

A Busy End to October

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October 20--Lauren's fat lip from not being too nice. I couldn't remember if I put anything on the blog about this!

October 22--Annual trip to Red Wolf Farms and Pumpkin Patch. Almost everyone on this hay ride was with our party! Here are Harris, Lauren, and Chatham enjoying a center bale seat!

Pouty-Mc-Pouterson graced us momentarily.

Harris was ALL about the corn bins!

Lauren liked them, too, provided the corn did NOT get into her shoes!

Red Wolf added some super cool play equipment as seen in this helicopter! Lauren and I had a blast!

What a doll grinning in the sunshine!

Here were our selected pumpkins this year.

How many kids can we get on THIS toy?!

October 23--1st annual Donley, Cadwallader, and Wade pumpkin carving party. Lauren and C were ready to get slimy!

But decided to paint their pumpkins instead!

Suzy's carving didn't turn out and caved in. But look--it's a heart!!

October 31--The kiddos eating dinner before the trick-or-treating! We all ventured to the Donley's again, this time for the 1st annual meeting of the families to trick-or-treat together! Paul was able to come--class cancelled! He loaded up the Durango with the trailer full of hay and pulled us through the Donley's neighborhood. We'd jump off and t-or-t, then hop on to the next section of houses.

Chatham and Lauren before going out!

Cinderella, Puppy, Rapunzel, Cowboy Harris, and the Stealth Ninja

Trick or Treat!!

Trick or treat!!

Let's eat some candy!!

Happy Halloween, my loyal subjects!

Football, Oktoberfest, Fall Festival, Apple Festival

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Add caption

October 7--Suzy's boys were out of town so we decided to have a girl's night with dinner out before....

Heading to Newton-Conover Homecoming! Suzy and I taught several of the kids on the homecoming court--it was kind of cool to see how much the kids have grown!

We ran into Wyatt, one of Lauren's classmates, and the cheering began! It lasted less than half-time, so we left after the homecoming queen was announced. Not ready for NFL but it's a good start!

October 8--Saturday night was Oktoberfest with the Donley's. Here Lauren and Chatham cheese for a picture at a church event for Oktoberfest. (It was great to see something specific for the kids!)

The kids got their pictures taken and got to decorate their frames. Chatham insisted upon putting his in his room and in his prayers, gave thanks for his friend "Warlin".

October 9--Sunday was our Church Fall Festival. We jumped on the hayride first thing!

Bounced in the bouncies with the Cadwalladers

And took pictures with friends. Chatham looks SO sad!

Face paiting with a butterfly

Chatham wanted Hello Kitty but Suzy and I convinced him he'd prefer a pumpkin.

Cara got Hello Kitty!

October 10--Monday night was Bowling Night for Logan's school fundraiser. Lauren was SOOOOOO excited to go! (She's invited Chatham to go soon.)

"Come on, ball! Hit the pins!"

October 14--Paul wanted to go to dinner but avoid Hickory. We ended up in Mooresville (racin'!) with the Neigh-neighs. Lauren "suggested" that she share Tracy's dessert.

October 15--Chatham came over bright and early on Saturday. His mommy had her 10 year high school reunion to prepare so he spent Saturday and Sunday with us. Chatham was too excited to get to drive the Gator. Lauren was only too pleased to be driven about the yard!

Paul actually had a Saturday off and put me to work in the yard. (Grr.) I tried to convince the kids to help me out. Chatham put about 10 acorns in his bucket then decided the job was for the birds. I had Lauren all convinced to help me out ("I'll give you gold dubloons if you fill up your bucket!") and once Chatham was out, Lauren followed suit.

I even made it easy for them by raking acorns into a pile! Still a no-go.

How many ways could this go SO wrong? Three neighbors were out watching Paul as he backed up the redneck truck (remember, the one without doors), prop the extension ladder against the tallest tree on our property, and climb with pole pruner to trim up some branches that were hanging funny. He got the branch down, cut up, and dragged to the curb all on one day...he only fell once when trying to pull the branch from the cut as he fell backward and did a summersault in the yard! David came running to make sure Paul was in one piece...he bounced back up!

After yard work, we went to Taylorsville to the Apple Festival. The kids love bouncies so they moved on up the latter. Paul had to help.

Kid 1 down...

Kid two down...

Kid 3 down!

Art Work, New Library, Zootastic!

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My little Lauren has become quite a writer! The letter of the week was F and she can write it!

Here is a Laurenasaurus who she will name Catlyn after our cat!

Artwork from F week. She even wrote the word FISH on her own!!!

This was one of my favorites. Lauren said these are all of her favorite people!

Our local library branch moved locations to an old glove factory. Here was Lauren before we went inside!

Building blocks--too cool, right?

After our trip to the library, we went to see my kid's therapist, Ashley, and her new addition, Kinzley. Talk about the BEST baby! Happy, quiet, sleeps, eats. Lauren adored her!

She was tickled to get to give Kinzley a bottle!

Lauren was serving Paul "dinner". She loves to do this when we least expect it!

October 2--Paul likes to get on Groupon to find deals. He found a deal that was buy 1, get 1 ticket free and we wound up with 6 tickets for $21. Then we found out that teachers could get in free, so 3 more tickets. In the end, we only paid $5 additional dollars! Here were the kids--Harris, Nick, Cara, Lauren, Chatham--ready to try Zootastic.

Nick feeding the cockatile.

Lauren loved the bird! "He's not bothering me!"

The kids were terrified that the bird would hurt me!

Paul showing everyone that the bird is harmless.

Suzy, tentative, because she detests birds! However, we were so proud of her for conquering her fear!

Lauren and Cara feeding the "Joey" or baby kangaroo!

The Wade family

Chatham, Carrie, and Algebra the Zebra--look above and see the A over his legs!

Harris, Suzy, Cara, and Nick--
ALL SMILING AT THE SAME TIME!

Carrie and Chatham again

Chatham and Cara strolling together

The guide brought out a skunk--not a pelt, but a real skunk! My kid was the first to want to pet it!

We had a fantastic time with our friends on this outing! The kids did pretty well, despite the fact that Chris was getting over shingles, Harris and Lauren had had stomach bugs the week before, Nick missed a week of school due to chicken pox, and the rest of us tried to keep our distance to avoid the funk!

The Longest Post-NOT in order! Grr...

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Lauren received this cool sleeping bag with an air mattress. Notice the cat, Caslin...notice the lump toward the top which would be Lauren!

Sept. 10--The Cadwallader boys had their annual pool party birthday party. Lauren has really grown up and become independent in the pool. She adored the tube!

Paul missed Cara!

Happy birthday dear Nick and Harris!

Sept. 14--Every time Lauren went into the kitchen, she put on Paul's shoes. Paul started back to class and Lauren missed him. She got irritable with me for trying to take her picture.

Sept. 15--I wore heels to work and Lauren decided she wanted to be like Mommy. She let me take her picture gladly! I shed a tear later because she was packing up to go to PA with Paul Thursday through Monday. (WOOHOO weekend for Mommy!!!) I shed a tear as Lauren put on her backpack and take her suitcase from her room to the kitchen. Could only imagine in 14 years...

I had to do laundry and Stinker climbed into the dryer! She's so funny!


Paul came in to see why I was laughing. Look at Lauren's face when Paul caught her!

Here is where the blog was geared to begin!
Aug. 25--Paul pulled out the Slip-n-Slide for Lauren..she LOVED it!!

Aug. 28--The Neigh-Neighs joined us for dinner to enjoy company. Leah thought it would be great to celebrate Lauren's birthday late! Yum!

Chris's birthday was on the 28th. We celebrated on Aug. 30 at Chik-fil-A, Chris's favorite. It's now my favorite, too, because they have a big enclosed play area for kids...and it is separated by glass!! Here is the cake Carrie and I made for Chris. Note the happy dinosaur in the middle!

The guys (Devin, Paul, Chris) were SOOO not impressed that we sang and wanted to take pictures!!

September 1--The Neigh-Neighs babysat Lauren so Paul and I could have a date night to Charlotte to see the preseason Panthers/Steelers game! Note #86-Hines Ward, my boy!!

Look! Here's Hines again--he's so happy!!

The Neigh-Neighs invited us to Oak Island, NC to their beach house to celebrate Labor Day weekend. Paul had to work so it was the neighbors and Lauren and me!! I buried Lauren.

She liked making sand angels!

Lauren stole my camera and took self-portraits of her toes.

Lauren took a bike ride with the Neigh-Neighs. Look at her try to mow me down!!

So pretty!! (Lauren, the ocean, the weather!)

Lauren loves David and snuggled up to have a snack.

Tracy and Lauren are under the towel. Turkeys!

My lovely sand castle!


Our last night--we went to The Point which is across from Holden Beach. We LOVED it for the shells and saw a conch with an animal still inside, found 2 sand dollars, and saw people protecting a turtle egg nest. Here are Lauren, me, Tracy, David, and Leah. Granny Sue (Tracy's sister) took our pic.

Leah and Tracy

David found the conch with the animal.

Lauren showing off the sand dollar!

Isn't this just too awesome?! The way the ocean came in allowed for dry spots so we had to hop around.

Turtle egg nest. Because sea turtles are endangered, volunteers watch the nests to make sure people don't disturb the nest.

We stopped at a really cool souvenir shop. Lauren was excited about the shark. She was checking for cavities.

Doesn't Lauren look like we're really going to be eaten!

After playing at the ocean, Tracy, Leah, and Granny Sue cleaned off sand.

We took one last trip to the beach to go shelling before driving back home. Lauren chased seagulls.


Lauren liked drawing in the sand.

While Paul and Lauren have been gone, I have single-handedly hung 2 sets of curtains and 2 valances, including hanging the curtain rods! I was extremely proud! I even washed the inside and outside of the windows prior to hanging. (Josh said he was seriously impressed that the curtain rods are straight!) I'm trying to finish decorating Lauren's room and the office. Those two rooms have been hanging on, but they need to be done. I'll post pictures of Lauren's completed room and (hopefully) the office, clean, next time!

Birthday Girl turns 4!

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BEAUTIFUL Tennessee mountains! We drove this way home through the Blue Ridge Parkway.

We found the Appalachian Trail!

NC/TN line. Lauren was upset she couldn't take the picture.

Little Model!

Lauren LOVES to write and draw. She let me teach her how to write her name and now she doesn't stop!

We got together with the Cadwalladers to have some pool fun and dinner. Here are our cuties!


August 12--Paul turned 33. We took him out to dinner and I took the opportunity to get a cute pic!

August 13--Lauren's birthday party. Paul did a Tangled cake. He made the tower, we bought the sheet cake.

The guys loved to play Foosball. Logan had the best time of all.

"Happy Birthday to You!"

Paul propositioned Rapunzel!

Lauren's friends!

Aunt Carrie got Lauren a dress up trunk! Here is Cinderella!

Chatham came to visit. Lauren was very firm in her play. Okay, she was a bit bossy, but C didn't mind!

August 14--Old Soldier's Cruise. My favorite car!

Kay helped me to paint the guest room while she visited. Here is the final production (until Paul made a mess!).

Another shot

August 16--a picture of my happy FOUR YEAR OLD!

Happy birthday, sweetie!

Lauren wanted to have a pizza picnic for her birthday dinner. She was really excited to get her wish!

August 20--Nick, six years and two days old, lost his first tooth! Congrats, Nick!

Wade Reunion in Tennesee

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Before we made it to Gatlinburg, we stopped in Sevierville to visit Baker and his crew. Lauren had a blast playing with the kids her age. We have Lauren, Emma, (a nephew whose name has slipped my mind!), and Hailey.

We passed through Chestnut Hill, TN on the way to see baker. We were completely astounded when we saw Bush's Baked Beans had a plant (along with Ball jars) in this tiny town! The tacky tourists we are, we had to stop to see the museum! Lauren posing by a Bush's truck.

A rare Paul, Lauren, and Lisa picture! (Thanks, Kay!)

Lauren attempting to steal the secret family bean recipe (behind glass and lasers!).

We rented a cabin while we were in TN and we were SPOILED by it! Lauren's favorite part was the hot tub so she could go swimming!

Jeremy and crew had to rent a much larger cabin. Here are Kasey, Lauren, Aunt Ivy, and Evie as we sing happy birthday to James (who turned 11).

Uncle David loved snuggling Lauren and Evie, the only girls and the two youngest of the Wade kiddos.

Cheri had a friend, Cinnamon, who had moved into the Gatlinburg area. Her daughter, Lauren, and Evie enjoyed the Nook!

We stopped at a beef jerky store and for the first time EVER, I saw the insect candy on sale by the maker Hot Lix. They use REAL insects in the candy. here are ants and mealworms on sale. Paul and I have an episode of candy from the Food Network on these things!

Lauren was completely repulsed when I asked if we should get a scorpion sucker for Logan!

Possible Christmas card? We went on a wine-tasting tour and ended up at a Christmas shop at the first orchard.

Paul wasn't happy that I insisted upon a picture of us, but oh well! We both found a wine we liked so happy birthday to us!

Paul said the only thing he wanted to do was to see a dinner show, so the Hatfields and McCoys won! Just the mommies and daddies went while Aunt Ivy and Uncle David volunteers to keep the 7 kids at Jeremy's! They ALL had a blast!

Jeremy and Cheri; Jess and Jon

Our bootleg copy of the dinner show picture--Cheri, Jeremy, Kay, Paul (with the stinky kitty on his shoulder!), me, Jon, and Jess

The two female cousins, loving time together

Paul, Lisa, Lauren in front of Christmas Inn (This got out of order!)

Ride 'em, Jon-boy and Evie!

We hit the Ripley's Aquarium because we thought the girls would love it--they did! Look at this sawfish--it looks like it's laughing at us! Creepy, huh?

Yo, ho ho and Lauren at the wheel! Move over, Captain Hook!!

They had these awesome tubes kids could climb in to get INTO the exhibits! Here are Dory and Nemo!

An awesome penguin exhibit--I climbed through with the girls

Gotta love those Wade girls!

Bad penguin! Don't touch Jess like that!

OOH, my! This reminds me of Vegas...

If I can't get any, neither can you, Mr. Penguin!

Matching Shark-tooth necklaces! We saw the divers collecting the actual shark teeth that go to make the necklaces. Pretty cool!

Lauren, Evie, Jon, and Jess went to swim at their hotel while Kay, Paul, and I finished our wine tour. Once we met up again, we went gemming with pails and the such. The girls LOVED this! (Paul did too which ended up in a new obsession for the two of them!)

Jess and Evie, ready to mine!

Lauren was VERY motivated to find a purple rock.

We met up with the rest of the Wade crew to see a family show at The Comedy Barn. Here are Jess, Jon, Uncle David, Aunt Ivy, Evie, and Kolby...

At the end of that aisle are James, Cheri, Jeremy, Kyler, Ryan, and Kasey. Paul, Lauren, Kay, and I were in the middle of them all.

The kids got called up on stage--there is Lauren in the purple plaid shorts and white flowered tank!

Our last morning in Gatlinburg, we had Jon, Jess, and Evie join us at the cabin for breakfast. The girls were loving it and had to have a pic of their zebra and kitty.

Because, for the first time EVER, we had the shortest driving distance home (3 1/2 hours), we stayed to play at WonderWorks, AKA "The Upside Down House". It was a science museum. Lauren was a little too young and short for it, but Paul had a blast! Maybe in another 2-3 years.

Paul rock climbed. I did too only not very prettily or gracefully.

A human-size piano! Lauren would NOT share!

Paul played on the Bed of Nails. He said it wasn't so bad but it did poke a little bit.

I will have one more post to cover through Lauren's birthday. Needless to say, I spent a LOT of time not at home (3 weeks) or having people in my home (another 3 weeks). That pretty much took the rest of my summer! Where did it go? Rumor has it that the state will allow us to start school earlier again next year. If that is the case, I'll have maybe 3-4 weeks of summer and then back to work! YUCK!

And July Flies to an End!

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Along with some of my projects this summer was painting our stairs. They are pretty worn out.

And here they are freshly painted! Don't they look great?

And even though I kept the basement door closed, Catlyn still managed to get a paint paw print on my hardwood floors!

Grandma and Papa Bernosky arrived on the 19th. Lauren and Logan sequestered Mom in Lauren's room to play board games!

And Lauren LOVED to have the grandparents read to her!

She even snuggled up to Papa for a story!

I don't remember what happened but this is a hysterical picture! "Oh, my...are these people really my family?"

We celebrate all birthdays when my parents are here (Mom, Dad, Josh, Logan, Lauren, Paul, and me!). Dad and Paul decided to get Lauren an aquarium. I thought a small plastic thing with a single beta...however...

NO! It had to be 16 gallons with a Jake and the Neverland Pirates treasure chest and Captain Hook's ship!

We added some of Lauren's fish once the tank stabilized.

I also taught VBS--the 2 year old class--while the parents were here.

I got spoiled for my birthday, too! Dad and Paul got me a Nook Color! It is so fun! Lauren enjoys it herself.

The parents had to head home on the 28th. Lauren gave them big hugs before they left.

I also taught Sunday School the month of July. Here were our kiddos learning about tent makers.

Grandma Wade flew in on July 30th to join us in our Wade Gatlinburg trip. We had some wonderful rain for the first time in forever. They decided to play in the rain!

Happy Anniversary!

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Our FAVORITE neighbors, the Neigh-Neighs (Workmans) will celebrate 25 years of marriage on Tuesday! Their children planned a small surprise get-together on Sunday to help them celebrate!

Tracy and David

Lauren and Tracy's niece, Peyton, having some cake!

Lauren, Paul's daughter, thought that the stairs were awesome so she climbed on the short side. She got up at least 6 stairs and wanted to keep going. This is why she will never have bunkbeds in a room with a ceiling fan!

I need to make a blog of "Ways Lauren sleeps". Here is yet another pose, leg thrown over pillows. She was comatose when I took this. Even the flash didn't disturb her!

On his way home Saturday, Paul saw this pretty pink and purple house at the curb of our neighbors. He asked if he could take it and was told yes. We all took part in washing it well. We added two begonias to the flower boxes and viola-Lauren had another playhouse!

The front of the house. The purple chairs can be pushed in to close off seating. Lauren played for over an hour in it and again this afternoon!

While Lauren and I were in PA, Paul decided that it was time for another home improvement project. We had almost everything we needed to change out the front entry system (glass, system, door) so Paul and Josh played demo and took out my door!

The front hall leading to the bedrooms...no front door!

They decided to pull out the door system to allow for an entry way, or foyer if you will. It really makes the house more streamlined. The neighbors all around watched Paul's progress on this job and kept encouraging him. One neighbor even took him dinner one night! Isn't this beautiful?

Here is the foyer. Paul drywalled the walls, added a click together tile, and painted (the laundry room colors) in the foyer. We got sidetracked today but will add the molding tomorrow afternoon.

We added our house number and doorbell cover on Saturday. Paul mowed the lawn, so here is a view from near the street.

And an up-close picture with the house number. Thanks, baby! This was an AWESOME surprise!! Our next project: Project Stairway. We will be sanding down the basement stairs, primering, and then paint the stairs. I'll post more pictures later.

Home to NC!

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July 1--With Grandpa Wade at the Blue Canoe in Titusville. OMG--Have the Shepherd's Pie if you are there!!!

Afterward, chalk with Grandpa.

July 2--Gramps had a birthday! Lauren had to go see him to take him Cheez-Its. This was my most favorite picture of the whole trip!

Went to a 4th of July party a little early. Lauren had fun with the kids her age.

She made a friend, Christian, whose mom works as a therapist at a school similar to Act. Funny, huh?

Watching the (totally) legal fireworks. Lauren hated the noise and ended up inside the house, watching BARNEY!! (Paul would have flipped!)

July 3--The McCaslins all met up to celebrate Gramps's birthday a day late. Wings, pizza, and cake!

Another July 4th party, this time with some really big bangs! Here is Lauren and Papa, getting ready to shoot the .357!

Little fingers couldn't reach the trigger.

And ANOTHER July 4th party at Aunt Ivy's to celebrate Jeremy and Cheri's visit north. Lauren was Grandpa's "Golden retriever" for horseshoes!

Sparty Sunset

"Uncle" Jeremy and Lauren...See, shouldn't he have a little girl?

July 4--Nothing says Happy Birthday, America like a ride on a John Deere through the fields!

All grandparents joined Lauren for a hot dog supper.

July 5--Living in NW PA has its little quirks...this sign was new. I HAD to take a picture!!

July 6-When we got home, we were completely astounded by how much Lauren's sunflowers had grown!

July 9--Cadwallader's Annual Sunday School party--Cara and Chatham (Nick's head)

Suzy has the BEST blueberry bushes around! The kids were in the way while setting up the food, so I traipsed them to the bushes with a bucket to pick. More blueberries were consumed than picked by all involved. I guarantee there were some regular kids in the neighborhood!

Mary Grace was super excited about picking!

Kiddos enjoyed the hot tub. At least there were no tears or bloodshed!

End of June--We're in PA!

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The Ways Lauren Sleeps, Part II

June 13-What's up with the legs?

June 15

Paul Has Fun with Demo!

June 16--Paul decided he would have some fun...and tear away the aluminum siding that surrounded the outside of our front door. We found this beautiful wood work behind it! I LOVE the way the wood is tiered around the front. Eventually there will be a new front entry system with symmetrical sidelights, new door, new light fixture above, and stone! Not sure about the mailbox though. (Hi, Jinx!!)

We went out to dinner and stopped at Petco on the way home. Lauren adored the mini-me shopping cart! She loves to look at the animals, especially the fish. I think we may end up with a pet fish soon!

Tweetsie!

June 17--Daddy had a Saturday off (yea!) so we went to Tweetsie! Hi-ho, Chocolate, away!!

On the train

The tee-pee got a make-over!

Chick-fil-A days! We got free kid's meal coupons!

Mouse train! (And for the Caddy's and Donley's, it was our same mousy conductor!!)

June 21--Here are the sunflowers we planted in May! They are taller than Lauren! WOW!

Mommy and Lauren Drive to PA

June 22--New River Gorge in WV. Lauren and I stopped for a walk and picture opportunity!

Here is the New River Bridge we crossed to get there!

I hadn't been to my alma mater for at least 7 years, so we decided to stop. A new sign...

Um...I USED to live in Bard Hall, the dorm that WAS on top of the hill...did NOT expect to see this building in its place! I think it will be the new student union.

East Gym where my Grandpa Ryan played basketball!!

McKay Education building where I took my elementary methods classes

We made it in time to feed the beef with Grandpa Wade! Yea!

June 23--Strawberry Fields...till Friday! We got to the fields at the end of the season!

Kay does NOT like seeds, so this was VERY monumental as she ate a strawberry and found that the seeds weren't that bad!

We went to Ms. Chris's house to swim. Actually, Lauren and Chris's grandkids swam as I was too cold for my blood!

June 24--We met at CMC where my parents work to see what they do. Lauren waiting patiently...Note the skirt, gold plastic necklace and the barn boots...it had also been raining off and on for the 2 days we'd been here, so umbrella, too!

Afterward we visited Great Grandpa McCaslin and then Great Grandma Williams. GGW gave Lauren a stable and horse set! How neat!

Then off to DQ for a late lunch. Here are 4 generations! (And the rain began again...)

We got back to the house and Lauren waited for 30 minutes for Grandpa Wade to come home so she could feed the beef!

Grandma made her move under the roof near the grain when the rain came down harder. Lauren continued to wait with the grain scoop to make sure the beef were fed!

June 25--We met with Grandma and Papa Bernosky to go see Cars 2!! How exciting! Lauren loved being in charge of the tickets!

Next to the Cars 2 sign!

The movie was pretty good. Not what we expected but it was still pretty neat. We teased that Papa only likes movies where things are blown up and there was a LOT of that in Cars 2!!

After our movie date, we met up with Grandparents Wade for the Elgin Community Days. They had bouncies to play on.

And Grandpa's friend, Shawn, is a fire fighter in NY and brought his fire engine down. Lauren got VIP treatment including a spot in the driver's seat, the helmet (she said it was too heavy!), and lots of attention!

Shawn, Lauren, and Gpa Wade

Grandparents Wade and Lauren!

June 26--A family day at the Erie Zoo! We got both sets of grandparents out and about! It was a great zoo day. Temperatures comfortable, lots of shade, no rain!

An ape who is 25 years old! Big man! He had his face pressed up against the glass and some kids were making faces. He sneezed or threw up on the window then ate it off the glass!

This "monkey" needed to release some pent-up energy so she ran around a grassy area, tumbled, and rolled.

Hi, horsie!

What a long neck and tongue you have, Mr. Giraffe!

Lauren said, "Follow me, I'm the navigator!" She took the map and went on her way! I had started crossing off exhibits as we passed. She said, "I have to make checks on the checklist!" and made little checks (that looked more like "V"s) all over the map!

On the carousel

The zoo had a kangaroo exhibit that you WALKED through! No animals behind cage bars, but they were out free through the exhibit! Look closely--this mama has a joey in her pouch!

I was actually this close to the kangaroo. No zoom used!

Lauren was excited to pet a goat. She picked up a piece of hay for him to eat.

My penguin!

Zookeeper Lauren--the zoo had a hands-on exhibit for kids to explore. You could dress up and play.

Papa giving Lauren a big hug before heading home!

June 26--Caught ya! Grandma Wade climbs on cupboards to get what she needs and Lauren pulled up a stool and joined her! Kay squashed her foot into the strawberry pie (luckily there was a cover!).

They were looking for marshmallows to roast.

June 27--Lauren and Mommy needed a day to play, so we went to Presque Isle State Park (AKA "the peninsula"). This is the only beach that PA has to offer her residents within the state. One neat thing here is the Perry Monument, dedicated to Oliver Hazard Perry (a descendant on my mom's side of the family). Perry was key in defeating the British on Lake Erie in the War of 1812.

This area was known as Misery Bay because of the harsh conditions that Perry's men faced. To the left is Graveyard Pond, thought to be where crewmembers who perished were buried.

Perry Monument

Lauren catching some rays

We moved to an actual beach. The water was quite chilly but once you got used to it, it wasn't so bad.

We buried Lauren in the sand!

She tuckered out a little. Had a good hour's worth of sleep as we headed back to Corry!

There are 2 houses on one leg of Wade Road--one is the old Wade homestead where Grandma (Evelyn) and Grandpa (Laurence) Wade lived. Grandpa Wade's family lived there before them. Uncle Dennis and Aunt Cheryl live there now!

Lauren woke up and got to pedal this old antique pedal tractor! It was HEAVY! (Lacked power steering, too!)

She prefers the four-wheeler!

June 28--We went to Grandpa Wade's work in New York and got to climb up in this enormous piece of machinery!

June 29--Lauren and Grandpa Wade went up to visit Uncle Dennis and Aunt Cheryl (and their baby cows). Here they were before they took off on the four-wheeler!

Now you are all caught up on what we've been up to in PA. Lauren has been moody every few hours. She doesn't want to stop to sleep but crashes when I make her go to bed! She's sleeping about 10 hours a night and truly needs a nap in between!

May, May, Where'd You Go?

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May 27--Lauren and I discovered that my blueberry bushes sprouted ripened berries! Lauren was really excited to help me pick! She learned which are ripe and which need another day.

We've been getting a handful a day. Lauren prefers to eat them right off the bush!

May 28--Daddy had planned on us celebrating Memorial Day in Charleston. Sadly, it never transpired. In lieu of that, Lauren got to shop for her first big girl bed! While Daddy paid for Lauren's mattress set, we found a REALLY cool loft bed, complete with a SLIDE to get out of bed! What fun!

While Paul and I put together Lauren's bed, she waited patiently in the living room, enjoying her mass collection of books. Needless to say, we sorted books to be donated, packed in the attic, and put back on the shelves!

Lauren and Paul fist bumping that the bed was finally together!

Snuggling on a really comfy bed!

May 30--It took us girls two days to pick out Lauren's bedding. As it was, this was the first set Lauren looked at and wanted! She's all ready for bed!

May 30--Happy Memorial Day!

May 29--We all joined forces to celebrate Carrie's birthday. The kiddos pulled out Cara's princess Jeep for a spin. They really wouldn't stop to let me get a good picture!

June 4--Mary Grace, a friend from school and church, turned 3, so of course a celebration was in order!

Cara and Lauren enjoying some treats.

Lauren and Harris being their usual turkey selves!

The best picture of the day goes to Carrie and Chatham!

Nick taught Harris and Lauren how to play air hockey.

Harris and Lauren joined forces to try to beat Nick!

Mary Grace in her Belle outfit straight from Disney!

Lauren trying to learn jump rope...no, sweetie, you jump OVER the rope, not stand on it!

June 5--Our Sunday school class and the families met at Southside Park for a cook-out. Harris and Lauren spent a lot of time on the swings. I only have this picture. Little Miss Cranky Pants came to visit and I couldn't get any better pictures!


June 7--Lauren stalks our neighbors. We'll play outside and she takes off as soon as someone comes out of the house. She chose Brady this day, helping him improve his archery skills. Lauren's job: place the arrows in the ground for Brady to grab. Lauren took her job a little extreme--she had to make sure the arrows were straight in a row and evenly spaced.

June 8--Lauren and I received news that she would be moving to the "big girl" class 2 1/2 months early! Lauren has been visiting and doing a great job with the adjustment. (However, Mommy is a little more reluctant--this will probably be Lauren's last class before she goes to Kindergarten!) Lauren loves the dress-up center--there is a TINKERBELLE outfit! I had to take her picture before she changed.

June 10--My therapist, Ashley, is expecting a baby girl in September! Before leaving for the summer, we threw her a baby shower. Ashley was adamant that Lauren be present because Lauren has really loved Ashley's pregnancy. Here are two (well, three, I guess!) of my favorite girls!

Sandy made a stork cake and gave Lauren the fondant feet with her cake!

June 11--Logan's last baseball game for the season was on Saturday. Lauren was not in a good mood (sensing a pattern?) but it was exceptionally hot and humid.

Logan swinging at his pitch.


Coach Scott, A.K.A. "Spiderman", climbing the fence to collect a baseball fouled there by another player. This happened twice in the same game!

Oh, the Ways to Sleep in a Big Girl Bed!

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May 30--1st Night in a big girl bed! Lauren picked out her own bedding (flowers, stripes, and polka-bots!) and added some butterfly flair of her own. So, 1st position is smack-dab in the middle of the bed!

June 2--Lauren was face down, against the wall with her head pointing toward the foot board of the bed...this first picture caused me to ponder..."What OTHER ways will I find Lauren in the mornings?!"

June 7--Laying across the head of the bed, stretched out!


June 9--Laying across the head of the bed, head opposite two mornings before		!

She even had a pillow at the foot of the bed with Caslin tucked in!


June 7--Body laying at the head of the bed with Lauren's head at the wall.

The Rest of Florida, Play Ball!, and Tweetsie

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April 25--Daddy and Lauren at Mote Aquarium in Sarasota, on the boat tour of the bay and Gulf of Mexico

Wow! A rare picture with Mommy, too!

Here is our little scuba diver!

If I touch the starfish, will it hurt me?

COUSINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lauren had talked for the past MONTH about getting to see her cousins...and here they are! They could TOTALLY be siblings! Isn't it amazing? (The kiddos were watching a movie.)

Lauren with cousins Kolby and Kasey.

Lauren grinding corn like the Native Americans did in the 1400's in St. Augustine.

Maybe she won't grow so fast...or any more...

When we got home from Florida, our grass was about to take over the neighbors' yards! Lauren and I ran from the "angry gardener" (Paul) who kept destroying the garden (of clover and weeds). It was a LOT of fun. Lots of laughter, running, and silliness.

Our neigh-neigh's niece, Arianna, had a visit to the neigh-neigh's. Lauren and I helped play, bathe, and set up her sleeping arrangements.

For Easter, Lauren received a nice surprise from Grandma Wade--her own planting kit and equipment! We got to "grow" the dried soil, add watermelon and sunflower seeds, and presto--Lauren has her own garden! The sunflowers are growing the best and most so far, but the watermelon have made a comeback all their own! Our recent water amounts have helped to grow things further. Lauren can now identify the letters S and W which stand for her seeds!

Logan is again playing baseball. After our trip to Florida, we missed the season beginnings, so we crashed Shelly's day to join them for the double-header and had a TON of fun! Here is Logan. His position is catcher. He chose the number 86--My favorite Steeler's player, Hines Ward's, number!

And Logan batting!

My therapist, Ashley, is having a baby! Here is her little girl! Beautiful! She is due September 21. I'll probably post a poll on baby names. We're stuck.

And Tweetsie Railroad has opened for the weekends! We joined the Donleys and Cadwalladers for a trip. Here are Lauren and Chatham!

And Lauren and Harris

Chatham and Lauren were ahead of Cara and Harris on the slide.

We all crowded onto the Mouse Train (for two rides) and the mousy conductor (no, seriously, she looked like a mouse!) took our picture. Who would have thought that we could get 10 people looking in the same direction at the SAME time?!

And of course it wouldn't be a trip without a little pout session from Lauren. Harris tried to console her.

And he succeeded! If that isn't husband material, to put up with her moods and turn them around, I don't know what it could be! Other than a best friend!!

Cara and Suzy on the Merry-Go-Round

Lauren and Harris

Suzy braved the rides and "took one for the team" and did TWO rides of Tilt-o-whirl with the kids. Lauren and Harris LOVED it! (This was after 1 round of the Sizzler--which I braved and made it!)

Chatham was content riding on the bench of the Merry-Go-Round.

Smile!!

Lauren's first recognizable drawing of a face! I about passed out when I saw it! Those scribbles have suddenly turned into meaning! See the round face, eyebrows (unibrow!), two eyes, rosey cheeks, long nose, and crooked smile. I LOVE this drawing!!

Now we are all back home, settling in. Paul's summer session classes have started. He has 3 summer classes all in May and June. He goes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6-10 pm. He will have two hellatious weeks where he will go Monday through Thursday from 6-10. Yikes!

Lauren has been accident free for so long that I finally told her I was done with Pull-ups...with great success! We'll keep some handy for long trips and over-nighters when on vacation or traveling, but otherwise, all is good!

Lauren has discovered the power of procrastination at bedtime..."Mommy, I have to pee." "Mommy, my earring is bothering me." "Mommy, something is in my room. A fly...or Catlyn." "Mommy, I'm thirsty." You name the excuse, she is working on it! She doesn't want to go to bed, but she doesn't want to wake up in the mornings either. Oh, well.

Grandpa McCaslin is now living at Corry Manor, a nursing home VERY close to our parents' homes. Now when we travel north, we won't have to take a 35 mile detour to go see him. He's very excited about the move, knowing that family will probably see him a little more. We're hoping he can resume physical therapy, too.

Say a prayer for all teachers...only 15 more days to go!

DISNEY!

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Here are pictures from our trip to Disney on April 26th!