Boosterthon Fun Run

 Once again, the kids' school opted for a boosterthon fun run as their main fundraiser for the year.  It was a warm and humid morning and the kids were all decked out and ready to run!

 Kari was soooo excited that she got to be a part of it!!!  Normally, Kari is the child who gets "tired" just walking down the hallway.  Honestly, I thought she would run a few laps and then get hot, thirsty, and tired and just walk the rest.  Not so!  Aside from the designated "walking laps," she ran 33 laps in the time allotted!  (Max laps is between 35-38.)  I could hardly believe what a fast little runner she was--and she had a blast doing it!

The "buddy lap" with her buddy, Nora.

 After the kindergarten-2nd graders ran, it was time for the 3rd-6th graders to run!  (Oh yes, we had to stay out there for just a bit longer!)  Britta was pretty good sport though--and, thankfully, we found a shadier spot for Round 2.  (Juliana was at preschool so I dodged a bullet on that one.)

Christian's class

 And they're off!  Christian is a speed demon and was one of the top 5 finishers (of all the four upper grades!!)  Em got off to a strong start as well...

 But then after some hard running, she and Ella had to come over and say hello and give Britta a high-five.

 After Christian finished, he came over and relaxed in the shade!

Christian and Sullivan

Em and Miss B

Britta was very into her cup.

Energizer Bunny Runs Out

Juliana is our little energizer bunny.  She just keeps going and going and going...She has been my earliest child to give up her naps (at just 2 1/2!  All of my others were 4 when they started to give it up!)  She just has a LOT of extra energy and just doesn't slow down--most days, at least!

But, then there are those days that it all just catches up with her!  (This happens a lot when school and other activities start back up and we are adjusting to a new schedule.)  A quiet, peaceful Ju Ju is a rare sight, but it's oh-so worth the wait.  She is just soooo cute!

Her lovie and a dolly also got nap time.

Ahhhhh.....

Sleep well, sweet Juliana!

Britta's One Year Pictures

Almost an entire year has gone by with our Miss Britta.  What a blessing she has been!  (I call her my "reward" for having a fifth child--she's been that awesome.)  So, being the awesome baby that she is (and by awesome, I mean easy-going, extremely happy), I thought I'd be adventurous and try taking her one-year pictures myself!  She must've known I had high expectations of her...

I picked a small little seating area/park right by Juliana's preschool.  She wore the most darling dress that my mother had made for her.  I brought a beautiful quilt my sweet and talented friend, Tessie, had made just for Britta.  I brought Britta's favorite little reading rocker.  I even brought a gerber daisy flower and some helium balloons.

Well, it was a windy morning so the balloons were out.  The big camera scared Britta so I did my best to appease her and forgot all about the flower.  Thank goodness I brought the blanket and chair or else I may not have gotten any happy pictures.  Thankfully, I did manage to snap a few good ones and, thankfully, she's a very pretty and photogenic baby even when making yell-y, squishy, and generally unhappy faces.

 Can you see the progression of our session?  When I just couldn't torture her any longer, it was time to go pick up Ju Ju and call it good.  I can't expect too much more from my little soon-to-be one year old, can I?

Trouble?

Trouble??  This girl??  NEVER!

Practice, Practice

Christian continues to work on getting faster feet.  He will take the ball out and practice kicking it against the house in a trap and pass type of drill.  I really admire how hard he works when he decides he wants to improve at something.

 So that way, when it's game time, he knows what to do with the ball and can make quick and smart plays.

"Me Too's" Turn

Being three has its perks and one of them is that you are officially old enough to start dance class!  Miss Juliana's turn for ballet has arrived and she thinks it is just fabulous.  Miss Mary Lorraine is her teacher and is so great at engaging the kids and keeps ballet super fun for these preschoolers.  They also get to do basic tumbling--which is an added bonus for all who get to witness it.

Ju Ju claps

Ju Ju rolls