Hooked

This weekend we went to my parents' house and took the Girl's dirtbike. There is a vast parcel of property nearby that is open
to riders. J likes to ride there but this time around it was all about the Girl. He left his bike home so that he could help
her. Not that she needed it. In fact, she was taking the corners a little too fast for him. On Saturday Baby Miss and I went with them
to watch her. Poor Daddy, he'd cringe every time one of her training wheels lifted off the ground and it happened - a lot. He
should've known that she'd like to go fast, she is his daughter after all. And not only going fast but going and going and going. She
rode Friday, Saturday and Sunday. When it was time to leave on Sunday afternoon there were tears and much
disappointment. I'd say she's hooked.

Trail Riding

We are loving afternoon bike rides on the trail. Something so invigorating about the fresh air. The Girls, all of them,
love being outside and this trail is their favorite. Not hard to see why, the lush green and tons of dandelion puffs just begging to
have their seeds blown away.

When sunglasses just won't do...

Lil Sister brought these to me today on her way outside and asked for help putting them on. Not sure why cause we have at least half a dozen pairs of children's sunglasses lying around our house.
She wore them all afternoon,

long enough that condensation built-up inside the lenses and they left her with indentation rings around her eyes for the rest of the day.

Look Who's Riding

We got the Girl a bigger bike as this one was much too small. Little Sister went with J and the Girl when they went to get a new bike and she
was absolutely crestfallen upon arriving home and figuring out that the bike was not for her as the Girl hopped on it and took off down the sidewalk. J quickly wheeled out the Girl's old bike and presented it to Little Sister. Her face lit up and she started shrieking, "My new bike, my new bike." Just as if it were completely brand new and she had picked it out herself. I love that she doesn't care about being the recipient of all the things that the Girl has outgrown, I know that this won't always be the case. In the meantime, there never was a cuter bike enthusiast.

Mmm, smoothie!

We love a good smoothie in this house and usually blend them up at least a couple times a week. Tonight, Baby Miss tried her darnedest to get in on the deliciousness.

She got pretty close.
And I love this expression, "What?! Can't a baby get a smoothie in this house?"

Hoping for more of this...

lemonade sipping,

sprinkler spraying,

popsicle licking,

Baby Miss sleeping,
sidewalk chalking,
Baby Miss gazing,
bubble blowing.

Beachy

Today we went to the beach with some friends. We'd barely hit the sand when I turned around to see Lil Sis had stripped off
her capris and was running rampant in her diaper. She's not fond of tights and pants apparently aren't high on her list either.
Whenever we come to this particular beach, hitting the nearby candy store afterwards is a pre-requisite. Forty cents bought me two small packages of sixlets and two old-fashioned candy sticks - one cotton candy flavored the other blueberry. In return I had two happy girls and virtual silence on the long (thanks to traffic) drive home.

Here are all six kids, ages 5, 4, 3, 2, 6 months and 1 month.
And this is a sticky face combined with sidewalk chalk. Love it!

Always Posing

Our spunky one, always has a bit of sass for the camera.

Tummy Time

Baby Miss has been tolerating tummy time much more happily these days...

maybe it's the pillow pet?

6 Months

Oh man, this one is 6 months today, the time has passed so quickly and she has stolen our hearts with her sweet demeanor and
twinkling eyes. With the little grin than more often than not, resides on her face and oh...
those chunky little thighs. Well, chunky by our standards. Her sisters never had any chub or roles and I am in love with them! Her noises have evolved from quiet coos to jibber-jabber with actual consonant sounds and although she can't be in the sitting position without toppling over, she sure tries. Even straining against the straps in her carseat to be more upright. She is still in a size 2 diaper but barely. And now...the comparison photos and stats:
Weight: 14 lbs 1 oz (12%)
Length: 26 1/2 inches (75%)

Head Circumference: 16 5/8 inches (52%)
Weight: 13 lbs 10 ozs (9%)

Length: 25 3/4 inches (51%)

Head Circumference: 17 inches (76%)
Weight: 13 lbs 13 ozs (10%)

Length: 25 1/2 inches (50%)

Head Circumference: 17 1/2 inches (90%)

8 Mile

Yesterday was a day to remember and not just because of the puffy heart-shaped cloud that was floating
above us in the sky. Let's just say that Eminem's '8 Mile' has nothin' on ours. What started out as a planned meeting with
friends to ride bikes on the trail for a bit, turned into an expedition to find a once-visited park along the trail, resulting in an 8 mile roundtrip journey. We did find the park and the Girls had fun playing, climbing and swinging while us Moms contemplated the likelihood that our big Girls would be able to make it all the way back to our starting point along the trail with legs tired from pedaling so
far on bikes that are much too small for them. Our guys caught up to us on the way back and being able to ride with their Dads
captured their interest for awhile. But then it happened, just like we knew it would. The Girl was first, said that she was tired of riding and couldn't pedal one more foot, let alone the two miles that were between us and the parking lot. Miss A tried her best to distract the Girl by offering to trade bikes with her and it worked too, until the Girl clipped the back of Miss A and sent herself and the bike crashing down to the pavement. At that point, the stroller's weight limit was put to the test, {Love how Baby
Miss is just sleeping through it all.} as was Miss A's Mom's arm strength. But the story doesn't end here...Miss A fell off the stroller resulting in a scraped knee. There was no way she was getting back on the stroller so she climbed back onto her bike but couldn't pedal because of her knee so her Momma pushed her and I maneuvered the stroller with one hand and precariously balanced the Girl's bike over my shoulder with the other. We eventually made it back to the
parking lot where weary little souls found refreshment in a trunk tailgate party of Cheez-Its and Cadbury Mini Eggs.