Aaron is 8

My squishy, smiley, cuddly red headed baby turned 8 years old in July.

He's still smiley and snuggly, but definitely not squishy any more. 

His red hair is more strawberry blonde in the sunshine of summer. 

This boy of ours is charming, extremely affectionate (he gives the BEST hugs), is always trying to squeeze in more kisses at bedtime, and quick to learn. He fits many of the stereotypical "baby of the family" characteristics and golly he brightens my days. (Except for when he doesn't. ha! He has his moments like the rest of us.)

With Ethan and Aaron's birthdays being a day apart, they expressed an interest this year in not having a joint birthday party. Our new family birthday plan (oh, you know how I love a plan!) is to alternate between a party and a family outing. This applies for all the kids and of course they can always choose a family outing if they don't want a party. Aaron's family outing was to an indoor go-cart racing facility and he was pumped! 
Darin and I watched them and then did an adult race with the two of us. Darin won...no surprise! :) So fun to see their personalities behind the wheel. I'm not going to name names, but one child was very careful to follow the rules posted and another crashed into the boundaries multiple times. Two others were aggressive and fearless. Maybe you can guess?

Aaron actually came in 1st in the second heat, followed by Ethan, Luke, and Irina.

He's growing like a weed and it won't be long before he catches up to Ethan in height. This coming school year will be the first for him to take classes away from home. He'll be taking 2 classes on Mondays at the homeschool academy the older boys attend. He's nervous, but he tends to approach all new activities that way. Give him a day and he'll be begging for more. 

The family outing was the day before his birthday leaving us plenty of space to just enjoy him on his actual birthday. He requested a fruit pizza for his birthday dessert. (sugar cookie bottom, with a cream spread, and fruit on top... google it. It's yummy!)

Happy Birthday Aaron! 

I hope you never stop throwing your arms around my neck. 

We love you to the moon and back!

What's Cookin' Good Lookin'?

This summer the kids each took two turns to be responsible for planning, preparing, and cleaning up after dinner. My goal was to teach them life skills, give them an appreciation for my job ;) and to maybe have some fun.

Luke decided to make spinach quiche and to make it easy I bought frozen whole wheat pre-made crusts. 

He served it with vegetables and made from scratch brownies for dessert. 

Luke did great, but I have to say it took a LOT of time. When I prepare meals it's all about speed and efficiency. I don't necessarily enjoy the process, but know it just has to get done. I was not prepared for how long this "chef in training" process was going to take. One kid meal down, SEVEN to go!?! ack!

 Ethan chose applesauce pork loin with rosemary, asparagus, croissants, and ice cream sundaes for dessert. He really enjoyed the creative process. Since he helps in the kitchen more then the other kids, it was not as complicated. 

 Aaron made stromboli, a veggie tray, and fruit pizza for dessert. 

He was SO excited about his artistic display. Super cute. 

By the time we were done with Aaron's meal, I knew I needed to steer them towards meals that they could learn to make independently during the school year. I was becoming weary of the lengthy hours making the meal of their dreams. Ha! 

Irina decided to make a cold pasta salad with lots of vegetables. 

She made raspberry, white chocolate brownies for dessert. 

 Luke and Ethan chose salad bar and taco bar for their final meals. 

Aaron asked to make "pigs in blankets" and broccoli. Interesting. 

We have one more meal for Irina and she can't decide what to make. 

All in all, it was a good (but tiring for Mom) experience. 

I like to be solo in the kitchen, but it was a stepping stone 

for some important kitchen skills. I'm not ready to hang

up my apron and pass over all responsibility yet. ;)

June: swim team, sickness, storms...

Before spring soccer was even over, we were already busy with swim team practices. 

Our first swim meet... This is before we invested in a tent. 

It was HOT and Luke was less then pleased to hold up our beach 

umbrella while I figured out how to get it to prop up. 

Still looks cute though...in a tough guy kind of way. ;) 

Aaron made a big turn around this season. From too many tears last year to VERY eager this year. 

Irina also improved a lot this year. Dropped her time at every meet. It was hard for her to learn to swim last year, especially considering she'd never been in a pool three years ago. She didn't give up and had a lot of help from her coach and friend (on her right). 

Our favorite botanical garden had an awesome Lego display. 

We took advantage of a cooler day to explore. 

This is one of MANY lego displays in the garden. It was magnificent!

Haircut time! 3 inches off. Much easier!!

The sickness begins...each of the boys (including Darin) had a 5 day fever. 

No other symptoms. Aaron went first and slept a lot! 

A big storm ripped through and knocked out our power for 24 hours. 

We almost lost our apple tree, but Darin was able to stake it back up and 

it looks like it will survive.  

Darin's birthday dinner... filet mignon, sweet potato, 

homemade mozzarella sticks, and caesar salad. 

Cherry cheesecake for dessert...yum!

Ethan was next...so sleepy and still. Such a sweet patient. 

(I got so much done! Cleaned out all my kitchen cabinets 

and bookshelves. Made a big goodwill delivery.)

Luke was next, followed by Darin. I may have gotten a touch of the bug, but nothing like the boys. 

Thank the Lord! Irina has the benefit of orphanage immunity. She never got it.

June came and went in a blur.

Spring Beach Trip

Hello! Finally coming up for air to catch up on this 'ole blog. Summer has been full and I just haven't felt like blogging. It will be a whirlwind catch up...

We went to the beach at the end of May/first week of June. Here are some photo memories...

The kids were really ready for a break from school (me too!) This was our tenth year going to the Outer Banks. 

It was probably the rainiest week in all ten years, but we made the best of it. 

 As long as it's not thundering and lightening, why not swim in the pool? You get wet anyway. ;)

The beach is still fun in the rain, right? Didn't stop these kids from splashing in the water and digging in the sand. 

I had strange delusions they would stay dry in raincoats. Ha! 

I love biking and exercising with my family. 

Had a little reality check with the power of the ocean. 

No one was harmed, but Poppy and I were a little nervous. 

Ahhh... bright sunshine! And I didn't dress them like triplets. I promise. 

We just happen to have a lot of duplicate clothes in many sizes that 

just keep getting passed down. I'm not sure they even realized. 

Once swim team started, they ditched the swim shirts. 

It sure did make sunscreen application a bit easier at the beach. 

This picture above needs to be my screen saver. 

I can't explain why this view and these colors make me so happy. 

These kids had a really terrific week. They truly enjoyed 

each other and were mostly a pleasure to be around. 

At least that's what I remember almost 2 months later. ;)

No siblings or cousins this year, but it was great to make beach memories with Grammy & Poppy.

And the lady behind the camera most of the time...

my mom actually caught me smiling and laughing. 

Something I don't do nearly enough! The kids were 

thrilled that I let them eat a strange combination of 

leftovers from the fridge/cabinets for dinner on the last night.

And since I took so long to blog, that means our trip next year is even sooner. Hooray!