July is over....3 more weeks of Summer

This Summer has really been flying by!

We've had some fun things happen around here:

Sam has learned to ride his bike without training wheels! He's really doing so well with it and really surprised me by starting to attempt "tricks" like riding off the curb on purpose just a day or two after learning. He's always the last one to put his bike away so he can get a bit more riding time in.
Now that Sam can ride and Kaitlyn can ride without training wheels, I can load the other two in the jogging stroller and do my running outside instead of on the treadmill. I've really been working on increasing my speed and times and have recently gotten up to running 3 miles straight without stopping! (woo-hoo!) So last Friday I loaded all the kids up and we went for a run. There were a few more stops than I'd like but we went first thing in the morning before it got too hot and we had a GREAT TIME! I think we'll try it again tomorrow.

Speaking of heat, it has been HOT! This is Lindsey this past Saturday after playing outside for a bit. We can't be out for long in this 105 degree heat! We keep ourselves really hydrated. And we're hitting the pool 3-4 times a week! And it was a bit adventurous when our Upstairs A/C went out and then about 10 days later our downstairs went out too, thankfully both times it was the same part that needed replacing.

And another thing we're really enjoying this summer is the fun activities "The Friend" has for us! I've loved sitting and reading these stories with my kids and teaching them the Christ centered principles and lessons we find there. We took this photo to send to the Friend--so maybe they'll run it? Who knows?
Some other "fun" things going on is that Matthew has learned how to climb up the bunk bed ladder--this kid ALWAYS has a bruise on his head from some mishap, he definitely keeps me on my toes. But he LOVES music and it fun to watch dance with the other kids when we jam out to my running music on my ipod.

So anyway, that's been us lately. Our days seem so long but we pack our weeks full of fun things--I've really loved having my kids home and being able to spend time with them. Even as I write this we're about to head to the Library to turn in our Summer Reading Logs and get new books, we've already been to the park with friends for breakfast and then went swimming--it's a full fun summer at the McKneely's!!

Oh thank Heaven....it's 7-11!

So this past Monday was July11th, (7/11/11) and in celebration, 7-11 stores were giving away free Slurpees! my kids have NEVER had one! (I know child abuse right?) so after we did all our chores we loaded up for a quick treat!

Oh thank heaven--7 Eleven!

Early July 2011

We've had a few things going on

#1: Family Movie Nights and the Wii
Dad has put a movie room in our play room and we've REALLY been enjoying it. We've instituted some family movie times and this past week we watched "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" which was cute and clever. And Sam's new favorite thing to do with dad is play Legos version of Star Wars and Indiana Jones and they have "man dates" each weekend playing.

#2 Bike Riding
Sam rode his bike for the first time this past weekend without training wheels! Go Sam. As a side note, I'm so thankful for a wonderful husband and father to my kids who is good about challenging them and teaching them new things. He's so good at this kind of thing! We also challenged Kaitlyn and Sam to ride un-accompanied around the block. Kaitlyn was pretty nervous as this was very out of her comfort zone but Sam was cool and brave and was a good brother. After the first time though she was hooked and they went a few more times. Bike riding is FUN!

#3 Birthdays!

Not ours, but our Aunt Rachel had a birthday and so did Grandpa Lewis. We were glad to be able to spend some time with each of them. This past Sunday we did go to be with Aunt Rachel on her birthday. We brought her a cake and some home made cards.Happy Birthday Rachel.

And then the next day we had Grandparents Lewis come over to celebrate Grandpa Lewis' 57th Birthday. Again, some more home made cards and a yummy dinner and an adult movie night upstairs where we watched "The Pursuit of Happyness"--a great flick!

Happy Birthday America

Our 4th of July was laid back and spent at home. We had the kids take naps (which shockingly they ALL did! woo-hoo) and then we ate dinner--we grilled some yummy brats and chicken.

After dinner we had a bit of time to kill so we headed over to the pool to swim for about an hour.

Then it was off to watch fireworks! We stopped by Sonic to get some treats--the kids were really excited!

And then to Plano for some fireworks. We've found that a GREAT spot to watch the firework show put on at the Oak Point Nature Preserve is at the Los Rios LDS Chapel in Plano. We can avoid the traffic and most of the crowds and still see things just fine while having some grassy space for us to sit and relax and we've told enough of our friends that we were even pleasantly surprised to find some of them there too!

Happy 4th of July!

Summer Activities

This summer we've enrolled the kids in a few activities:

Sam has done a Bobby Moffat soccer camp. It wasn't all we'd expected it to be and Sam thought it wasn't that fun--(it was unusually hot early this year)but he stuck with it and finished. He still wants to play but would prefer just to play and not do any more clinics!

And Kaitlyn has enrolled in some ballet classes. She's been asking me for awhile to try ballet, we thought a few classes in the summer would help her decide if she wanted to do it in the fall. And she's decided she'll just stick with the piano for now. Which she's really doing well at!

And we're swimming--A LOT! like 3-4 times a week. It helps that all my kids LOVE the water and are so happy in the pool. We've found that it's best to go first thing in the morning before the water gets too warm and the pool is not as crowded. It also helps that we go right after I've done my run on the treadmill!

Matthew WAS an easy baby....

But now, he's Trouble with a capital T!!

This boy has hit a threshold of "into everything" that none of my other kids ever came close to. Maybe it's because I don't have a flexibility of just running after him all day long like I did with the others but this kid is CRAZY!

He has a knack for finding all things dangerous or expensive. He's broken my glasses, tweaked his dads. Can find the lone pair of scissors in a room, or the lone marker. He LOVES digging in the trash (took out an empty dishwasher detergent bottle and poured the extra soap on the carpet and bleached a spot) and playing in the toilet (ew!). And he's amazingly adept at opening cabinets and drawers and emptying the contents!

And a couple weeks ago he learned how to climb onto chair and from chair to table. He loves the phone and anything with buttons. This especially drives dad crazy in his upstairs media room. And all of these things he runs around doing ALL DAY LONG, and in an instant.

I have to admit I find myself putting him in his high chair or pack and play on a regular basis to keep him safe and to keep my sanity! Heaven help me, this boy is all over the place! It's a good thing he's super cute--Matthew, you were such an easy baby why are you being a handful of a toddler?