Braedyn's Boo-Boo

Poor little man decided he would "superman" (aka jump full force in a laid out position) onto the couch.  Well, he mis-judged his flight and landed chin first on the corner of the couch--right on the frame.  Here was the result:

Yep--a nasty cut on his little chin.  So, off we went to the ER in our nasty, sweaty deck staining clothes.  Here is the little guy in the waiting room.  We waited for TWO HOURS!

Luckily there were games for Daddy to play! 

After finally being seen, the nurse left it up to us to decide if we wanted her to stitch it.  Poor Braedyn was hysterical at the word "stitches" so we decided to bypass the three stitches and just live with the scar.  Braedyn promised the nurse he would be careful, keep it covered, and let mommy wash it out and put medicine on it twice a day.

 Now he will match Mommy and Brookelyn with a "tough man" scar on his chin!

Brookelyn Turns 6!

It has now become a tradition in the Bates House that the birthday kid gets their doorway decorated, so that in the morning they have to bust through the paper and collect their hanging candy.  Here is Brookelyn's doorway:

Here is the Birthday Girl Friday morning:

We set out for a special birthday day.  Krispy Kreme was our first stop!  Yum!

Then, we headed to Imagine Studios to do a little crafting--of course the Birthday Girl's favorite past-time!

Brookelyn painted a cupcake box.

And, Braedyn picked out a football box.

That evening we celebrated with a special Barbie cake. (If you remember we had her early party when all her friends could come during school.)  Make a wish!

We love you, Brookelyn!

Summer: Week Four

Monday Brookelyn took time out of cleaning out her old toys to teach her brother a little ballet.  Notice his feet and his "beautiful" arm position!

Tuesday Brookelyn spent the night with one of her friends, so Braedyn got some special "guy time" with Daddy.  Here they are eating ice cream sandwiches and watching The Tour de France:

Wednesday we hit the pool with friends.  Can you tell they were WORN OUT afterwards?!

Thursday I took Brookelyn to the gym's track to do a little triathlon training.  She ran 3/4 of a mile all by herself without stopping. This is her "ready face".

 And, Friday was a BIG day--Brookelyn's 6th BIRTHDAY! Happy Birthday princess!

Our Second Triathlon

On Sunday we competed in our second triathlon (this time locally).  Honey and Sashi watched the kiddos for us (a BIG thank you to them) and brought them to the finish line to cheer us on.

Here is Allen coming in from his bike.  It was a TOUGH bike course--tons of big hills and a longer stretch than our last race.

Between sightings of Mommy and Daddy, the kids were happy to swing in the shade:

And, here is Allen crossing the finish line! He did an amazing job!

 

And, me crossing the finish line.  (I was determined to beat that guy behind me!)

We both beat our times from the last triathlon (and on a MUCH harder course)! I have to say I never thought I would ever race in a triathlon, but I have the best training buddy EVER in my amazingly motivating husband!  Thank you Allen for pushing us to do things we never imagined!

T-minus three months until our Olympic Triathlon!

Brookelyn's First Triathlon!

On Saturday morning Brookelyn competed in her first triathlon! She was so excited, and we were all thrilled to cheer her on!

Here she is at bike check in and body marking:

This is her transition area set-up:

And, here she is ready to listen to the pre-race talk:

Daddy got her all stretched out:

Honey gave her a little good luck loving:

Then it was time to get all lined up...

and head out to the pool to start!

Brookelyn did so well on the swim! She never stopped kicking and was determined to get to the other side!

Then, it was out of the pool and onto transition to the bikes:

This is where she lost a little time, and we learned that biking and running in her bathing suit is probably a must.  But, of course I thought she needed cute little shorts and a top to change into.  So, we may forgo fashion for time sake next time.  :)

Here she is headed out for the bike portion:

Little bro cheered her on!

She was really fast on the bike! She headed back into transition and then headed out for the run.

And, here she is crossing the finish line:

YEA BROOKELYN!

Time for a drink!

We are SO PROUD of her!

I think we have a little triathlete in the making--I am sure she will be kicking Mommy and Daddy's bootie before long!

Summer: Week 3

We had another fun and busy week this week!

It started with a trip to Missouri to buy Mommy's contacts (long story), so they got McDonald's because they were very good! Can you tell they were excited?

Tuesday we cleaned to get ready for Honey and Sashi.  Braedyn was all about the Magic Eraser!

Then, it was the 4th of July--the favorite holiday in the Bates' Household!

Honey spoiled both kiddos ROTTEN, of course.  They loved playing with their new goodies!

On Friday we took a trip to Crystal Bridges.  We "loved" it!

Summer is going by WAY too fast!

Happy 4th of July!

We had such a fun 4th this year--after all what 4 year old, 5 year old, and 32 year old don't love blowing things up?!

Here they are with their stash of goodies:

A quick break to humor Mom for a picture:

They wanted the fireworks to "chase" them, so of course Daddy obliged.  (This was much safer than it looks in this picture.)

And, what would a summer evening be without a quick potty break...outside?!

Braedyn danced through Brookelyn's smoke bomb.

Honey and Sashi shared in all the festivities too! It was SO much fun!

Sparklers:

Two years ago we started doing the wish lanterns (like in Tangled).  Each year the kids get to make a wish and set one off.  Here is Braedyn's wish lantern:

And, what would the 4th be without a fire? Here is Allen putting out one of the fireworks that got a little out of control.

 Happy 4th of July!