Picnic at the Park...

After church today, the preschoolers headed to the park for a picnic lunch and of course, play, play, and more play!  The highlight of the day was Ms. Maria brought her paint and painted all the little girls faces...the girls LOVED it!

Kenley the princess...

Anna Lauren getting her face painted...she wanted a rainbow on one side and a butterfly on the other side...

Samantha and Katie Grace...

And here she is with her rainbow and butterfly...

Rileigh the butterfly...the butterfly seemed to be a popular choice...

Emmy...another butterfly!

And the day wouldn't be complete without a picture of these three...

Elliot LOVED the swing!  He laughed, and laughed, and laughed!

Cooper thought the swing was pretty fun too!

And last but not least...Cooper was DETERMINED to get himself a piece of ice!  And let's just say it is true...boys are oh so different than girls...he tries things Anna Lauren never even thought about doing!  However, I love their differences...it would be no fun if we were all the same.

Race for His Glory...

This morning we did the Race for His Glory 5K and 1 mile fun run at Ridgecrest Baptist Church.  It was a beautiful day and what better way to start the day than a run.  The 5K was a benefit for a young couple in our church...the guy was recently in a motorcycle accident and is now paralyzed and will spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.  But...what a miracle when you see this young guy push his own wheel chair 3.1 miles and cross that finish line just a couple months after his accident...let's just say there were tears.

Left to Right: Rileigh, Anna Lauren, Emmy, and Avery...they were anxiously waiting for the 5K to end so they could do their 1 mile fun run!

Matt, Cooper and I ran the 5K...let's just say we had one good running partner...LOVE this little man!

All the kids lined up at the start line...let's just say there was LOTS of excitement!  Anna Lauren is on the second row kind of in the middle...

And they are off...I don't think Anna Lauren was prepared to be "trampled" by the big kids...BUT...it was fine and once they got on past us she was off to race!

Scoping the crowd for her cheerleaders (Daddy and Cooper)...

Rileigh waving to Mr. Matt and Cooper as she nears the finish line...

Anna Lauren was getting tired at this point...BUT...she knows better than to walk to the finish line.  Got to run when everyone is watching!

Mommy checking her time...wow...she did so much better than her last fun run...so proud of her!

Jeremy and Emmy nearing the finish line...

Super proud of these 3 little girls...on the way to the race, Anna Lauren told me she loved Rileigh and Emmy to pieces...so sweet...such precious, precious little girls, and I'm so thankful she has these friends!

They were so proud of their medals...as they should be!

Last Soccer Game and Party...

This past Friday night, Anna Lauren had her last soccer game and end of season party.  Matt and I were completely pleased with the soccer experience...Anna Lauren was happy at every practice and game, she played her little heart out at the games, and in the end it was just fun for all of us.  We went into it as letting her have an experience to try soccer but most importantly, keep it fun...she has many, many years to compete seriously.  And when all is said and done, she said she will play again.  However, we are going to spend the Fall doing one thing (she has picked tumble) and "adjusting" to kindergarten/big girl school, but we may consider soccer again next Spring.  We'll see how the Fall goes and go from there.

And this is the smile you get after she scores...she is very proud of every goal and can tell you exactly how many she scores each game.

Love this "intense" face!

Watching her "kick" roll in to score once again...

At this age, it is all about kicking the ball...even if that means taking the ball from your teammate...

After the game, the whole team went to McDonald's to have dinner, let the kids play, and of course get medals.  Here Anna Lauren is getting her medal from Coach Jeremy...

Coach Jeremy, Anna Lauren, and Coach Scott

Bye Bye Paci...

At 18 months, Cooper has said bye bye paci, and we are so very proud of him!  I'm pretty sure we took Anna Lauren's away between 12 and 15 months but for some reason I had such a hard time taking Cooper's away from him.  I think it has something to do with that being the last "baby" thing, and I know he is my last baby.  Anyway...since January, he has only gotten his paci when at home in his bed.  But...it took us several months to say...ok...we are taking it away for good.

And here is the funny part...when we put him to bed Friday, it was not in his bed.  He wiggled around some and looked for it, but he never cried.  It has been three nights...still no crying...just going right to sleep.  Obviously, he doesn't need it!

Just Another Saturday of Soccer...

Anna Lauren had her next to last soccer game this past Saturday...it seemed to be just a "normal" game...nothing exciting to report.  She did score two goals...and for her, as long as she scores, she is happy as can be!

It was picture day...here she is right in the sun taking her individual picture.  I'm assuming the photographers will be better than mine.

The "attempt" to take a team picture...there are two little boys missing...

The game is about to start...Anna Lauren and Jack are starting the game...yes, this is them sitting in the middle of the field.  Hmm...you know what?  They are having fun, which is what it is all about, and they did get up and play!

Getting ready to score...

She scores...Matt took this picture, and I think it is such a cool shot!

Giving coach high fives...

Katie and I walked around and around the field during the game...we were not complaining...we talked, watched the game, and had two "busy" one year olds under control while the Daddys got to actually sit on the sideline and watch the game.  Everyone was happy!

I think this picture is funny...looks like Grace is just watching Anna Lauren kick...

And one more team picture attempt...most of the kids are 3 or 4...Anna Lauren is the only one who is 5.  But...since she has never played before, this has been the "perfect" experience for her.  Not one time has she complained about the kids being younger/smaller than her.

Matt's 34th Birthday...

Saturday we had a fun-filled day with friends celebrating Matt's 34th birthday...

The kids and I couldn't wait for Matt to leave on his bike ride Saturday morning so we could decorate for him...Anna Lauren knew exactly what she wanted to do, and I let her do it!  She was so proud of her poster she made for her Daddy!

Anna Lauren was having no part of Daddy taking a shower before he opened his presents and cards...so...he opened away sweaty and all!

All he wanted for his birthday...new flip flops!

After Anna Lauren's soccer game, we headed to Mexican (Matt's choice) with the Williams family to enjoy birthday lunch.  The kids were FABULOUS, and we had a super fun time!

After lunch we came home and everyone got a nap before heading to the Bounds house to cookout...the girls talked Matt into pulling them in Mr. Jeremy's bike trailer.  Too bad they are right in the sun, but here is Anna Lauren with sweet Emmy.

Rileigh was sweet and let Anna Lauren and Emmy go first and she waited and went Cooper...Cooper LOVES to ride in anything that moves!

Sweet Emmy...

 
Sassy Anna Lauren...

Then all the girls took a turn with Cooper...Rileigh thought it was a good idea for Cooper to just stay in instead of having to buckle and un-buckle him every time...such a sweet girl!

Precious Rileigh!

The birthday boy requested a cookie cake...

He had lots of helpers waiting to blow out his candles...

Could eat these three little girls up...for the most part, they are so good together and typically play so, so sweet!

And the best part is they let Anna Lauren spend the night...she was so excited!

Got to love Rileigh's "war paint"...they got into Rileigh's make-up and had themselves a good time. Thanks Bounds family for a super fun night and especially for celebrating Matt's special day with us!