Getting rid of the training wheels

It's time for Alayna to learn how to ride a bike the big girl way. So today was her first lesson with daddy on learning how to ride a bike. She was doing good towards the end but she needs more confidence and practice before she can be let out on her own.
Man does that girl whine! She cried everytime she fell even if she didn't get hurt. Come on, shake it off and get back up. She kept saying she couldn't do it too and Colin was getting frusturated with her attitude. I love my daughter but I can't stand the whining!

I'm sick of everyone being sick!

Alayna has strep throat, Chase is coughing, I'm coughing, and now Lacey is throwing up and having diareahea again. This is the 3rd time she has had a bout of this. It's disgusting to clean up, it smells horrible! and she has blood coming out of her butt. I took her to the vet tonight and they gave me stuff to give her but there is nothing we can pinpoint as to what is causing it other then she has colitis. The first time this happened I took her to the Animal emergency place because it was on a sunday and that cost us a fortune. Thankfully I have pet insurance on her so we got reimbursed all but $100. I hope they cover it this time. A couple weeks ago she had it again and we didn't take her in that time and she got better. The only reason I took her to the vet tonight was because of the blood but I guess that's pretty common she said.
I just want everyone to get better and not get sick again!

Alayna's bond with her bunny

Some of you may remember Alayna's pink bunny she had. Well last summer we had to hide Alayna's bunny that she has had since birth. We had to do this to break her of her thumb sucking habit because she only sucked her thumb when she had her bunny. So I couldn't bring myself to throw it away so I put it in her keepsake box. Her last night with it I told her to say her goodbye's to it, and I could here her telling it goodbye and talking to it in bed and it broke my heart! I think the whole thing was harder on me then on her but the next day she was up and playing and bunny had been discarded to her bedroom floor so when she wasn't around, I took it and put it in her box. Of course that night and some night's after she cried for it and I didn't give in and she eventually forgot about bunny and her thumb sucking habit was broken!
Once in a while she would ask about bunny and I would tell her she didn't need it and she quickly moved on to something else. Well last night for some reason as she got out of the bathtub she started crying and saying she missed bunny and she wanted to see him. She cried to me "You didn't leave him in Maryland did you?" and I told her no I didn't leave him there and she continued to be upset and laid on my bed still crying that she wanted to see him so I told her if she didn't suck her thumb she could have him back and she said she wouldn't so I told her I would be right back and I went and got him out of the box and gave him to her and she just looked at him and said, still crying to me, "thank you mommy" and a tear rolled down my cheek! It was so heartfelt how she said that. She has no interest in sucking her thumb anymore, and now she just hugs her bunny and rests her face on him and sleeps with him, and last night in bed she was telling him about how she was going to be gone most of today and he would be taking lots of naps. So I can let her keep it now. Amazing the bond between a little girl and her stuffed bunny!

Chase's new bike

Chase got a big boy bike today. At first he was having trouble peddling but after a spin around the block a couple times, he has seemed to have gotten it.
ride on Chase!

Bon Jovi

We went to see Bon Jovi a couple weeks ago. It was awsome! It was a sold out concert and the stadium was packed! I think we broke some record I heard.

Summertime Fun

I got some shots yesterday of the kids playing with the neighbor kids on our swingset.

The weather has been beautiful here, in the 70's this weekend, though we could use some rain!

The little girl with Chase wants to marry him:)

Invisible fence-gotta love it!

I love our invisible fence! The dogs don't run away anymore and I don't have to worry when we open the door that they will run out. We can have fun in the yard and play fetch and Lacey is so much happier not having to be chained up. They picked it up really well and only got zapped a few times.

What a fun night

Last night we had such an enjoyable evening. Our neighbor's invited us to her parents house which is on a lake and we sat outside and grilled brats and I brought some Strawberry Blush wine which was really good. After that we started playing on the jet skis and that was the first time I had ever been on a jet ski, what fun! Mike took the kids for ride's on them and they loved it! Then we took a tractor ride down to see there horses at the stable her parents co-own with there friends. Then we got back to the house and made a bonfire and sat around that while Mike took them fishing off the dock and Alayna caught a fish! Then we were able to see the fireworks from where we were(Here the different towns have there own fireworks on saturday instead of on the 4th, I guess so people can see the big one's in Milwaukee on the 4th. )The only thing missing from this great night was Smores!

As I sat outside in front of the bonfire, watching the fireworks I reflected on my life and how much happier we are to be living here. I have only been here five months and we've made great friends with our great neighbors and my kids are making lifetime friends. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect night(wish it had been a little warmer)barbecue,jetskiing,fishing,horses,fireworks all in one night! This truely is.. the life!

Alayna's room

We painted Alayna's room yesterday and today we put her room all together. I think it looks really pretty now! Her room before was white on top and pink on the bottom. We just painted the white part purple and left the pink bottom as per Alayna.