Happy Father's Day

A Father's Day picture of Matt with Jack and Elizabeth. We love you and think you are the best daddy ever!

Kisses

Jack and Elizabeth were sitting on the porch this morning and I was lucky to capture these cute, but rare, moments of affection between them. I needed to remind myself that they really do love each other despite the seemingly constant fighting that goes on between them. Elizabeth just adores Jack. She wants to do everything that he does, wants what he has, and always wants to be near him. From Jack's perspective I can see how he needs his own space but I know he secretly adores his sister as well. For example, yesterday Elizabeth hit her head on the wall and Jack went over and gave her a hug and kiss.

Pictures from today

Another busy summer day. Jack had swimming lessons this morning and after that we went to the castle park and then came home to play outside before lunch. Jack and Elizabeth had fun jumping through the hopscotch course I drew for them. Elizabeth had fun drawing on the driveway while Jack was a maniac on his motorcycle. Even our crazy dog, Misha, loved being outside. We had an invisible fence put in a month ago and you can see by the "smile" on her face that she is enjoying spending more free time outside as well. We are loving these long, beautiful summer days.

A busy weekend

We had such a fun weekend this past weekend. Matt was off on Friday so we took Jack and Elizabeth to see Thomas the train at the National Train Museum. Jack loved the train ride, which was pulled by Thomas. He also loved the bounce houses and could have spent all day bouncing! We left just before lunch and melt down time.

On Saturday, I participated in the Bellin 10K run which is the fourth largest 10K in the United States. There were over 16,000 participants but with the wave start it didn't feel overwhelming. However, I was a bit frustrated at the beginning when I got held up behind slower people and people who decided to walk from the start. It was a gorgeous morning for the race and I was so thankful that Matt and the kids came to cheer me on. They were at the end of mile 5 and gave me the boost I needed to get to the finish line. I was hoping to finish in under an hour, but my official time was 1:00:17. I doubt I could have ran 18 seconds faster. The last two miles were really hard and I wish I would have had a few more weeks to train for the longer distance. Anyway, I ended up finishing 1551 out of 8079 women so I was pleased with that considering it was my first race.

On Sunday, we enjoyed more family time and after church had a lazy summer day. I finally got some flowers planted after dodging several thunderstorms and Jack enjoyed his new favorite treat, a fudgecicle.

50 degrees in June

We've had a cold, rainy snap the last few days with highs barely reaching 50 degrees. So, what do we do when it is too cold and wet to go outside? We make yummy cookies and according to Jack, the best part is licking the spoon!

Smiles

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Another reason I love my new camera is that I can finally capture Elizabeth's smile which was almost impossible with my old camera. I'm in love....with her and my camera!

A cute pic

Matt bought me a Canon Rebel for my birthday so I've been playing around trying to figure it out. I love the lens and how clear the pictures are. Also, I love how fast it takes pictures, making this picture possible. I think this is the best birthday present I've ever received!