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So much for my blog becoming a future scrapbook......I just can't seem to find the time to update it right and regularly.....a time for everything I suppose. Here are some of the recent "exciting" things around here:



Claire and Eliza turning 7! I don't know why but every year after their birthday I always feel like I really accomplished something. Is it because again it is a two for one deal? Is it because I feel slightly crazy trying to make two very different girls happy? They aren't that hard to please but I like to make them feel like they aren't just lumped into one. We had their first birthday party this year. They were very excited about having a "friend" party. My sister Beth and my friend Patty both came up/down to help out and it was very nice having some other adults around :) Brett told me to have it on a Friday instead of Saturday so he wouldn't have to be there! But then he did come for the last hour :)

I worked very long and hard (but enjoyed it) on their cakes. Aunt Beth made special birthday girl cupcakes for each of them which they loved! We had some fun relay games/races and then 2 1/2 hrs later it was over. Hurray. Check.



Joshua and Eliza qualified to compete in the Championship Swim Meet. Anna was very happy to not have to swim in it and she spent the day with her friend Lily. They watched Luke for us.

Surprisingly, (to us) Joshua's relay team came in first and broke a record! Wow! That was fun to watch. Brett told Josh right before the race that if they won, he would buy him ice cream. Josh said, "What if we get 2nd, can I still get ice cream?" Brett said no. Since Brett really doesn't like the kids to have ice cream period - this was quite a generous offer coming from dad. (Now, mom on the other hand........). Well, they came in 1st. The coaches were SO excited.



Joshua was more excited when the day before his drawing for the t-shirt competition got 2nd place. So they gave him his drawing back in a nice frame and put a picture on his drawing on all the award/certificates that they handed out. Dad's gene. Just before they made the announcement for the winner of the t-shirt competition, Joshua said to me that he really wished he could win. He already knew that he didn't win (because the t-shirts were already handed out) but he didn't know they were having a 2nd place winner. He just ran like a rabbit to the front to get his "award" and was bursting with joy. It is hanging in his room already.

It was just as fun to watch Eliza swim her butterfly race. I never was able to coordinate my body well enough to do this stroke, so it amazes me to watch it. I was watching her swim her race and I just couldn't believe how powerful she looked and she was so fast! I think she got 2nd. She loves swimming and never wanted to miss a practice. She must have inherited the swimming gene from the Bailey side. I'm really good at floating on my back and the side stroke.

Now I will just post some pictures - in no particular order.



Go Josh!!!


One more picture I found of the other cake.....