"The Lost Camera Cord" and/or "My Endless List of Excuses"

I can't tell you how many times I have thought about updating this blog in the last few weeks.  Seriously, it's got to be in the thousands at least!  And then when I finally sat down to do it I couldn't find the cord that connects my camera to my computer.  So I figured I'd just wait until I found the cord because a blog post about our camping adventure or swimming lessons just isn't the same without pictures to go with it.  So, yeah, that was a week ago.  Other excuses for my recent lack of blogging include, but are not limited to:

• Trying to finish up the last few weeks of my semester one week early because we're going on vacation during finals week
• Reading and listening to way too much environmental chemistry
• Finishing all my statistics assignments for the entire semester(which I did on Monday, thank you very much!)
• Shuttling the kiddos to swim lessons
• Trying to have some fun outings with the kids while they're all on summer break
• Writing observation papers for middle childhood development
• Various cub scout activities
• Running
• Family get-togethers with the in-laws
• Losing that ridiculous cord that I only have one of!

Anyhoo, I just wanted to pop by and let the world (by that I mean my mother and the very few who like to read about our crazy life so that they can feel better about their own) know that we are still here and exciting adventures are occurring and as soon as I turn my house upside down and find that blasted tiny cord that I KNOW I put in a "special place"(which is code for a never ending abyss of blackness) I WILL post about them!

4th of July!

Well, I hope you all had a wonderful Independence Day!  I started mine by running in the local 5K race.  There weren't very many runners, but it was fun and I was planning to do a run that morning anyway.  I finished in 32 minutes, which isn't fast, but it's not super slow either.  I really liked having a finish line at the end of my run. =) 
Nate had to work all day.  My mom and sisters came down and brought the kids to the park where the race ended and we had breakfast there.  Then we went home and got all cleaned up for the parade. 
The kids loved the parade!  All three of them were cheering and clapping and dancing throughout the entire thing. 

We got rained on this year.  It's a good thing Grandma Laurie brought her umbrella!

 After the parade, Grandma Laurie(my mom) treated us to pizza at our house.  We checked out the booths and carnival at the park. I have to say I was a bit disappointed.  The carnival prices were ridiculous and the booths were sparse and mostly just things for sale, no fun little games for the kids or anything. But we did get a cute picture from West Bench Photography's photo booth and the kids played a couple of overpriced carnival games and then we hit the playground before deciding to come home and play in the kids' pool.  

The kids' cute photo booth pic.  They got their faces, well arms in the girls' case, painted. 

We did a few fireworks of our own before bed.  

It's the little things in life, right? =)

The girls were exhausted and went right to sleep.  Jonah stayed awake and watched all the aerial fireworks going off around the neighborhood and then watched the Magna fireworks from the front porch with Mom and Dad.  
It was a fun and busy day.  And we all paid for it on the 5th. =)