Demolition Derby?

Not for Kayley!  She was not a fan.

Yes, I am aware she is overdressed for the fair.
She picks out her clothes...

Drew loves cars and monster trucks and loves to watch them crash into each other so we dropped Ryan off with one of our favorite babysitters and took Drew and Kayley to the demolition derby at the fair last weekend.  They were so excited to go even though they had never been to a demolition derby or a fair.  Kayley was sitting on my lap when it started.  If you have never been do a demolition derby, it is loud.  It took a few seconds for me to even realize she was crying.  I asked her what was wrong and she just said she didn't like it and wanted to go home!  She spent the rest of the time on Andy's lap covering her ears. 

We stayed for two classes and then left.  Drew enjoyed it, but he saw the rides on the way in and was anxious to go check those out.  I was ready to go when a car got really close to us and the mud started flying and 75% of the people around us lifted either towels or plastic to shield themselves.  We were clearly unprepared based on how close we were sitting!  Luckily, I only got a little mud on my leg and Andy and the kids didn't get anything.  The guy next to me was COVERED in mud.  I was ready to pay some money to let the kids ride some rides at that point!  The fact that it was 100 degrees and we were in a covered arena made it slightly miserable too.

Carnival rides are expensive and they don't last long, but the kids had fun.

 

Oh Yes We Did

I fought it.  I fought it hard.  Ask anyone around here.  Andy said it was the practical thing to do.  He was right, of course, but I still fought it.  I drove an Escape so we had to replace it once Ryan was born.  The question was what were we going to replace it with.  I wanted an SUV with a third row.  We were considering the Enclave, Acadia, Highlander, Mazda CX-9 and a couple others.  Andy was in favor of the Toyota Sienna (minivan).  He said it was more convenient, cheaper, more room, better gas mileage, better for kids, etc.  Again, he was right.  I just didn't want to be seen driving a minivan.  After we test drove some of the SUVs and I saw how little room we had behind the third row and how cramped the third row was, it was obvious what I had to do.  After I complained about buying a minivan to my good friend in Phoenix, she told me she was just happy I finally had the need for the minivan.  I realized she was right.  We are so lucky to have Ryan and the need for our minivan.  And I must say, we love it.  Let me clarify...I don't feel cool driving it, but it is so nice when carrying Ryan's car seat, getting groceries, carrying lots of people, etc.  Drew and Kayley LOVE it.  They especially love the automatic sliding doors.  I told Drew we would keep it and he can have it when he turns 16 and can drive.  He got really excited!  Ha!  I should have taped that conversation! 

Drew, Kayley, Ryan and I went to the park recently.  Kayley has just started riding her bike to the park.  She tires pretty easily and needs help when she goes up hills.  She is getting better about going downhill.  She used to panic, but she seems to be getting the hang of it.

We went early in the morning to try to beat the heat so I let Drew and Kayley eat breakfast at the park. 

They eat a little healthier at home!

Ryan slept through the entire trip to the park and back.

The kids had fun playing on the swings and the playset.  They also liked running around by the pond.

We are still trying to get Kayley to pump her legs. 
It isn't going too good so far!

And here are a few random pictures. 

Happy Super Hero Kayley

Serious Super Hero Kayley

1 month old!!!

He is either really mad the White Sox lost or hungry...

Future Hawkeye?

4th of July

Our 4th of July holiday didn't exactly go as planned, but we managed to get through it.  The "fun" started the Saturday before.  Kayley and I decided to have a girls day and we went to the nail salon.  This is only the second time she has gone so she had a great time.

We went home and she took her nap.  She took a longer than normal nap, which is always a bad sign for her.  Sure enough, she came downstairs with a sore throat and a fever.  As soon as the motrin kicked in, she acted fine and she and Drew played downstairs in the basement while Andy and Mitch worked to finish the ceiling.  She still had a fever on Sunday, but as long as her medicine was working, she felt fine.  Because she had the fever on Sunday, she was going to have to stay home from preschool on Monday, but she seemed to be getting better.

That changed Monday morning.  She came into our room at 6am and said she didn't feel well.  I pulled her into bed with us.  Less than 10 minutes later we had throw up all over our bed.  She does not like throwing up (who does though).  Considering I had had maybe 3 hours of sleep at this point, this was especially devastating to me too!  This continued every hour for a little over 24 hours.  Poor Kayley was miserable and Andy and I were exhausted cleaning up after her (she is still young enough that she doesn't fully understand the concept of getting to the bathroom or throwing up in a garbage can so there was lots of cleaning up to be done during the night).  She started feeling better right before my parents got here on Tuesday.  That was just in time for Drew to come home early from preschool because he wasn't feeling well.  Luckily, he only got the sore throat and fever for several days.  I got it on Thursday.  Hopefully, that will be it for our family for the summer!

Even with all the sickness, we still had fun.  Mom, Dad and Matt came to visit.  I was paranoid Dad was going to get sick.  He had knee surgery scheduled for the following Tuesday and I didn't want our family to be the reason he couldn't have his surgery, but he didn't catch it so that was a relief.  After taking some motrin, Drew felt well enough on Wednesday night to go watch the fireworks.  Andy, Mom, Matt, Drew and Kayley drove downtown at the last minute and just watched the fireworks from the back of the car in Andy's parking lot at work.  The weather was ridiculous so I stayed home with Ryan and Dad kept us company.  I think the fireworks show was better last year when we parked downtown and sat with all the other people, but what they did this year was probably for the best so the kids weren't gone too long and so they didn't infect everyone else!

Drew had another tee ball game while everyone was here.  I missed it because Ryan and I went to Iowa City for my friend's baby shower, but Mom took some good pictures.  It is amazing how much improvement they have in just a few weeks.  They actually kind of know where to run when they hit the ball and know where to throw the ball.  Andy's brother Mitch taught Drew how to slide so now he slides in every game.  And he now insists on wearing batting gloves!

Doctor in Training!!

Clear the ER!  There is a new doctor in training!  Kayley received her scrubs from Andy's dad for her birthday and she has been in them almost every day since.  She also has her doctor kit and she takes care of all of her babies and stuffed animals.  She offered to give Ryan a few shots, but we told her she can't practice on him quite yet.  :-)

We are busy with tee ball, gymnastics and having a newborn in the house.  I remember feeling slightly overwhelmed at times when I only had Drew.  That makes me laugh now.  By the time your third child comes, you are much more relaxed so a little crying here and there is nothing.  Try telling Drew and Kayley that though.  When Ryan cries, they are either right there putting a pacifier back in his mouth or running to me to tell me he is crying.

Overall, Ryan is doing great.  That said, I'd feel a little more rested each day if he would go back to sleep after I feed him during the night.  He is getting better, but he tends to be up for a little while after I feed him.  Or, if he falls right back to sleep, he quickly wakes up when I put him down.  We are working on it and he is getting better.  Slowly.

Drew helped us give Ryan his first tub bath on Friday night.  Drew loved it and Ryan didn't cry so we'll call it a success.  Drew picked out a Cars towel that his Great Aunt Lavonne made for him when he was a baby, got his diaper ready, handed me wash cloths, and helped put the soap on the wash cloths.  His favorite part was spraying the tub out after we were done with the bath.  There was as much water on the counter around the sink and the floor as in the sink, but Drew enjoyed himself. 

After the bath, the brothers had some bonding time.