Chocolate Chip Zuchinni Bread

My friend, Brittany, posts the most sinful desserts on her Pinterest that you can imagine!  It's ironic because she is as thin as a toothpick and eats REALLY healthy!  I thought this would be another unhealthy one, but with the absence of oil and using only 2 Tbsp of butter AND using applesauce instead, this zucchini bread is so moist and delicious, you'll be proud that it tastes SO good AND that it is healthy!

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

from Skinnytaste.com

• 1 cup all purpose flour (she used unbleached)
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour (regular whole wheat flour would work, I used 2 cups of all purpose)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (not packed)
• 1-1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 1 cup apple sauce
• 1-1/2 cups shredded zucchini (not packed)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°.

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well.

Add chocolate chips and gently mix to combine.

In a medium bowl, mix egg, vanilla, melted butter, apple sauce and zucchini. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just blended.  

Pour

batter into a large 9x5 inch loaf pan.

(I used a muffin tin and baked for 20 minutes, then checked with a toothpick.) 

Bake

at 325° for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool

for about 10 minutes.

Remove

loaf from pan and let it cool before slicing.  Enjoy!

Today we went to story time at the library.  Adam was working downtown so he walked over to the library and helped me out during story time.  He said, 'You get a gold star for doing this by yourself every week."  It is a little overwhelming and warm in there since it is so crowded in the summer.  Too bad the story time show and puppets were so cool.  If it was a lame show, we would have the place to ourselves! 

We got to see Tia, of course, but we also ran into Aubrie's classmate, Teague.  They enjoyed sitting by each other and visiting during the show.  Teague is really interested in the baby in my tummy.  I vote his mom have another baby.  ;)  Just kidding, Marcie!

Aubrie and Teague

Emilie giving Trace a big hug



Super dad making a library appearance.

My nesting has kicked up a notch.  I found myself with the tub of Clorox wipes, walking around and looking for dirty spots to wipe down.  I did walls, the bathroom, baseboards, stair railing...it's about time.  I've laid around and been miserable this past month and it's nice to have a little energy to get some work done.  I think the baby has dropped some because I don't have as much pain in my ribs.  Since the only thing left to do in the bathroom was to sweep the floor, I told Adam that I would give him a haircut before I sweep.  So I gave him a haircut in front of the girls, which caught their interest.  Aubrie decided she wanted a haircut.

Let me give you a flashback of her last (and only) haircut.  She had to be held down as she was foaming at the mouth and screaming, "No!  Get out of here!" to the poor lady trying to cut her hair.  By the time she got down from the chair, her cheeks were so red from screaming and getting worked up.  Since then, I've taken her along when I go in for a bang trim and we've talked about how scissors aren't going to hurt you, you just shouldn't use them without an adult. 

So when she was willing to sit on our stool and get a cut, I jumped at the chance.  She didn't need a haircut.  So I just trimmed the ends and freshened up a few of her layers.  She did a really good job of sitting still. 

I've been talking about getting Emilie's haircut for the past couple of weeks.  She has really long hair in the back, and shorter hair towards her face.  While we were trimming Aubrie, Emilie said, "I want it, too!" So we put her up on the stool next and I kept cutting the back and asking Adam if I should go shorter.  We ended up taking an inch off!  It looks pretty cute.  She did a great job of sitting still and it looks really cute on her.  We bagged up her hair to put in her baby book. 

This gives you an idea of what the back looked like before.  This is the girls on Father's Day morning.

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My latest beef...

Haha.  Not what you thought it would be.  No ranting today, but I will give you a break down on baby boy or baby girl.  I want to share some delicious Mongolian beef that did taste just like Pei Wei's.  I didn't get my sauce very thick, but it didn't really matter.  It was delicious.  I also omitted the mushrooms.  You've got to give this one a try!

Mongolian Beef

from Chaos in the Kitchen

• 2 lbs flank or skirt steak
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 2 tsp vegetable or peanut oil
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2-3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup vegetable or peanut oil
• 8 oz button mushrooms, quartered if large
• 1 bunch green onions, green part only, cut in half

1. Trim all fat and silver skin from meat.  Lay steaks out horizontally on the cutting board.  The grain in running vertically.  Make several vertical cuts to slice the slab into manageable sized pieces.  Then cut the meat opposite the grain (horizontal) into two bite-sized pieces.  Cut with your blade at a 45° angles to get wide diagonal slices.
2. Dust steak pieces lightly in cornstarch and set aside while preparing the sauce.
3. In a small sauce pan heat oil over medium high heat.  Add ginger and garlic.
4. Add soy sauce and water to the ginger and garlic before it browns.
5. Add brown sugar and whisk until dissolved.
6. Bring sauce to a boil and simmer about 10 minutes or until slightly reduced and thickened. Remove from the heat and reserve.
7. In a large skillet or wok heat 1 cup oil over medium high heat.
8. Working in batches, add the steak a few at a time to the hot oil.  Cook about 1 minute without touching the meat then flip each piece and cook 1 minute more.
9. Remove meat while still rare inside, and continue with next batch.
10. Once all meat is browned, pour off oil and wipe out skillet.
11. Heat skillet over high heat and add mushrooms.
12. Cook without stirring a couple of minutes or until mushrooms are slightly softened and browned.  Reserve.
13. Add steak to the hot pan and cook about 1 minute.
14. Add sauce to the pan and simmer and toss meat and sauce about 1 minute.
15. Add mushrooms and green onions.  Toss with steak and sauce and heat 1 minute.
16. Use tongs to remove meat and veggies to a serving dish, leaving excess sauce in the pan.  Serve over rice.

Enjoy!



I went to the post office on Friday and the cutest little blonde walked in behind me and she had on cute pants, so I told her how cute she looked and she smiled and thanked me.  Then while standing in line, she turns, sizes me up and says, "Wow!  Are you having twins?!"  hmmm.  "No, I probably look so BIG to you because I'm due in 19 days."  Her face immediately was red and she covered herself with, "Well, I mean, your belly looks so big because you are so skinny!"

 As the days are counting down, I'm getting more and more excited to meet this little baby.  Is it a girl?  Is it a boy?  Who does God have in mind to complete our family???

So, if this baby is a boy, he's going to be tough and have 2 bossy sisters telling him what to do.  I picture them dressing him up, combing his hair, and he will be entering Kindergarten with a deep understanding of how females work.  But until Kindergarten, he and I will ship those bossy sisters off to Mother's Day Out and have fun doing whatever little boys like to do.  I'll probably carry him on my hip until his first day of Kindergarten and then sit on the front steps and cry until school is out.  I'll end up doing that no matter if this is a girl OR boy. (As loyal friends, you'll have to tell me if I need to quit babying my last baby.)  :)

Lately people have asked, "What are you going to do if it is a girl?!"  Well people, I'm going to love her just like I love my other two sweet girls.  I'm not going to keep trying for a boy. Right now I wonder what it would be like to not have a boy, but I know that God has a plan for our family and His plan just might be that we GET TO raise 3 girls and keep the testosterone levels low in our house. 



This summer I started giving the girls "pedicures" on our bathroom counter. 




After your toes get painted, they get dried with the blow dryer and then you get a foot rub with lotion.



I hope that when they are 18, they'll still plop their rears up on my counter and let me do their toes.  Love these girls.

Don't fret my friends.  Raising 3 girls can be done.  I KNOW it can be done and it looks like a lot of fun because I have 2 families that ALWAYS pop into my mind when I think of what it would be like to have 3 girls.  I have met so many fantastic families while coaching volleyball.  Let me introduce you to two of them!

The first family is the Gay family.  I coached Caroline when she was 14 and she was a joy to be around.  She's the middle of 3 girls.  If you think Caroline is a joy, you should be around her two other sisters and the Matriarch of the family.  When I asked Jennifer if I could use her and her girls as an example for my case, her response turned into immediate praise for her husband, Drew.

"Drew is the perfect daddy for these girls.  He is setting their bar high when they consider a young man to date, and what they want in a husband.  He also mirrors patience, sacrificial love, and humility.  He has walked the floor with colicky babies, taught them to ride bikes, pulled teeth, dance recitals, and volleyball...he has been right there, talking them through.  He is a keeper.  He is a girl daddy.  These 3 girls are the greatest blessing.  I cannot imagine our life any other way...there is no one carrying on the last name 'Gay' haha...but they are carrying on the spirit of our family."  



Carlton, Caroline, and Kaitlin

 Jennifer is a good example of a mom.  She loves her daughters and I have personally seen her be there for them through some tough teen times.  These three amazing girls are a testament also to how wonderful their mom is.  They are beautiful on the inside out, just like mom.

The girls with mom at Caroline's graduation.

The other family I would like to introduce you to is the Johnson family.  Their oldest daughter, Brynn, was on the first volleyball team I coached.  It was so easy to fall in love with Bitsy and Brian, the parents.  Bitsy is petite and her voice is as sweet as she is.  Adam always liked to sit by Brian and hear the latest sagas about his daughters dramatic jr. high/high school lives.  They always looked at things with a sense of humor, yet were there to dry their daughters' tears and pick them up. 

Carly, Kristen, Bitsy, and Brynn.

When I asked Bitsy about sharing her family, this is what she had to say...

"I love having 3 daughters.  I would not know what to do with a boy.  I don't feel like I've missed out on anything.  Brian has not missed out on anything either.  He gets out in the yard and throws the football, baseball, any ball around with the girls.  I honestly cannot imagine my family being any different.  God knew exactly what he wanted us to have and gave us 3 wonderful, beautiful, crazy, fun-loving girls.  God knows exactly what you and Adam need, too.  He has designed the perfect family for you and Adam." 

Love this family!

Once again, you have a great girl daddy, and a mom that was always a good example to her daughters and it shows in their beauty.

So there you have it.  That is my thought.  Lots of thoughts and it seems like I've had a lot of time to think about it, too.  I'm SOOOOO ready to meet this baby!!

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!  Lots of love!

 

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Pill Poppin'

Well folks, we had our last ultrasound and the baby is measuring 6 lbs 7 oz and I have 3 more weeks to go.  I'm too prideful to tell you what MY weight gain has been.  But let's just say the two of us are going to get a lot bigger in the next 3 weeks!  I was hoping to go into the ultrasound and my doctor say, "Oh my goodness!  The baby is already 10 pounds!  Let's have your c-section tomorrow!!" 

Thankfully I got to have my appointments in peace.  My friend Marcie told me to bring the girls over to her house to play with her two little boys so we could be alone.  She's such a lifesaver.  I couldn't imagine having them with me for my appointments.  I miss Mother's Day Out.  Horribly.

Today I took the girls to the library.  Something is going on downtown because I had to circle the garage 3 times to find a spot and then as soon as we sat down at storytime, Aubrie announced she had to use the bathroom.  Luckily Tia found us after storytime instead of me having to look for her and the girls got to visit with her for a little bit, but it wasn't a pleasant visit.  For some reason, Aubrie tried to lift my dress and Emilie didn't care for her juice, so she threw it on the floor, tripped over her own foot and fell down which lead to the end of the world.  The whole time I was talking to Amanda, the kids were rubbing up on my legs like little drunk kitty cats and whining about snacks, lunch options, and they wanted a balloon.

If you were to come over to my house right now, your first thought would be, "Can't Kellie pick up her shoes?!"  Well, the honest answer is no, I can't bend that far down.  But what is really happening is that the girls' favorite thing to do is to go in my closet, shut the door, and then Aubrie will take off her shoes and then she takes off Emilie's.  Then they select some shoes and clomp all around the house.  You can find my shoes EVERYWHERE.  I just kicked a pair of high heels out of the bathroom.  There is no point in putting them away because they will be back out the next day. 



Emilie playing with hangers and sporting some shoes.




This is Aubrie's doll, Hurrah.  Like Hannah, but not. 

 I was thinking lately about all the fabulous blogs out there by mothers who cook and take gorgeous pictures of their food and have such well-written posts.  My thought is:  I'll never be like them!  :)  When I cook, the herd is hungry and ready to eat.  I tried to take pictures of my dish last night and kept getting interrupted.  It cracks me up just as much as it frustrates me.  Here's Aubrie's hand reaching for some bacon from the potato salad. 

 I was in the mood to cook and make fish, since it is lighter.  The girls turned their nose up.  Aubrie was whining, "I don't like fish!!!" but as soon as I put some ketchup on her plate, she was saying, "More fish please, mommy!"  Emilie didn't care for the fish.  She took one bite of it for the sake of getting to have yogurt, but that one bite looked like it was killing her. 

I bet you are wondering why I called this blog title "Pill Poppin'".  Well, I have a funny story on Adam.  Adam came home from Atlanta last week and we were getting ready for bed.  Every night he gives me my pre-natal vitamins and Colace.  (Look it up, I'm not ashamed.  You have 3 kids and see what your body does to you!)  At the same time, he also gives Petey his Fish Oil and Zyrtec right after he gives me my pills.  Well, he was talking and handing out pills at the same time and as soon as he gave Petey his pill, he gasped and said, "I just gave Petey your pre-natal vitamin!!" 

We assumed it was fine, but I got online to check and it turns out that it probably isn't fine.  Turns out that there is too much iron in those pills and it is toxic to dogs. It was 10:30 and Pre-natal Pete was on our bed because we were having a really bad thunderstorm.  So Adam had to call an Emergency Vet Clinic and check with them.  As soon as the vet found out how much Petey weighed, she declared he would be fine.  Just give him something to eat so he has something on his stomach with the pill.  Good thing Adam didn't give him the Colace, too!

 Pre-Natal Pete got a bath last night from Adam and Aubrie.  When Emilie sees Aubrie with the hose, she wants no part of it.  She stays behind me, or far away on the other side of the yard.  That kid hates being sprayed.  Aubrie begs for you to turn the hose loose on her.



Puddle jumping




AND we are soaked.




Emilie eventually dumped some water on the front of her dress and got wet that way. 




CHEESE!  Dad took this shot of her. 




Emilie did a lot of hill sprints last night. 




She can run fast!

The girls are a lot of fun.  A handful, but fun.  The other day we were eating with some friends and Aubrie hugged Adam and said, "I love you big guy!"

She was also running down the hallway at the Y and turned back and yelled to me, "Come on Super Mom!!!" 
People looked, I beamed and didn't correct her on being so loud.  :)

It's also fun to sit back and listen to Aubrie and Emilie communicate to each other. 

Aubrie said, "Raise your hand if you like hamburgers."
Emilie responded with, "Hamburgers!?  What you talkin bout hamburgers?!"

Aubrie will call Emilie from the other room and say, "Hey Em???"  and Emilie will yell, "Yeah babe?"

They are used to hearing Adam call me babe.  They wear me out.  I'm big and tired.  But I love them so much and at the end of the day, they bring me so much joy!

I better get going.  The girls are supposed to be napping but Aubrie's monitor sounds like choir practice and Emilie's monitor sounds like a construction site.  Lots of banging.  Love to all!! Pin It Now!

Thanks Procter & Gamble

Every time.  EVERY TIME!  It usually happens when I just lay down on the couch after putting the girls down and finish cleaning the kitchen when it happens.  I'll flip through the channels and then it comes on...

A Procter & Gamble commercial showing a tired mom getting up her kid, making breakfast, busing them around, fixing their boo boos, doing loads of laundry, sitting in the stands...

Then it shows the kid all grown up and at the Olympics and they hug their mom after their success and it ends with

The hardest job in the world,

Is the best job in the world.

Thank you, mom.

You can watch it on the Procter & Gamble page HERE.

It just gets me every time!  I don't know if it is the hormones we are dealing with here.  I mean, I just cried AGAIN while watching it and pasting it on here for you all to watch.  But it is so true!  Being a mom is tough!  And I'm only at the beginning.  I've got to get these kids to Kindergarten!  I've got lots of boo boos I've yet to kiss, stands to sit in, laundry to do, and heads to pick up when they fail. 

I've always watched the Olympics with admiration for these individuals who sacrifice so much time and effort to achieve gold medals.  But maybe because of this commercial and now that I'm a mom, I'll be thinking more of the moms and dads in the stands who helped make it all happen.  My girls and this next baby may not be Olympic athletes.  But whatever they want to do, you bet I'll support and be there to cheer them on and do whatever it takes to help them achieve their goals. 

Therefore on this note, I'd like to thank my mom and dad for all they did for me.  They REALLY had to bus me around since I didn't live near anything.  There were days of 3 hour basketball practice, followed by a 1 hour drive to my 2 hour volleyball practice, followed by a 1 hour drive back home where my dinner would be waiting.  Dad always made sure I had gas money and a dependable car.  Mom always made sure I had plenty to eat and my practice clothes would magically be clean the next time I needed them.  They always offered to drive me to practice if I had too much homework or if I was too tired.  Not only that, but they bussed me to whatever city I was playing volleyball in on the weekends and sometimes race me home in time to play in one of my high school basketball games.  It all paid off and I achieved my goal of playing college volleyball and most importantly, got a free education.  In case I haven't thanked you guys enough or thanked you lately...THANK YOU.  All the credit goes to you and I'm so grateful.  You showed me how to sacrifice and make opportunities for your children and I can't wait to do the same for mine. 

I know, I know.  I'm all sappy.  But I don't care.  Let me tell you something.  It's been one heck of a week.  Adam went to Atlanta on Sunday and just got home a couple of hours ago.  He had a training he had to go to and I couldn't believe he would leave me with these two wild children while I only had 4 weeks to go.  I mean, I can't see my toes.  Much less feel them.  But I did it.  We did it.  We are all alive.  The house's cleanliness factor took a hit, but we made it.  I love having him home.  He's so helpful. 

You can tell he was cooped up in a car for 4 hours because as soon as he got home, he opened up his package from Moen and replaced the roman tub faucet.  It's been a hard project to tackle and it's been staring him down on the to-do list since we have moved in.  We looked under the panel and got confused.  We hired plumbers to come over and price out the job for us (425 bucks + 250 bucks for the faucet).  We then found out we bought the wrong faucet.  Finally we got Moen on the phone, found out what we needed, ordered it, and it was so simple, we felt silly. 

He was so proud. 

This week, the girls and I kept ourselves busy.  We went to the library, worked out at the Y, even made a Costco appearance.  I only got two comments this time:
"Are they twins?"  "No ma'am.  They are two years apart."

AND

"I sure am glad I'm not you!!!"

Hahaha.  Give it up, people. 

And today was a special day.  I took the girls to their first movie.  I didn't know this, but on random Thursdays, the movie theatre in Franklin will have a kids movie for 2 bucks!  The 2 bucks covers the cost of the movie, popcorn, a fruit snack, and a small drink!  (I get in free)  Crazy, right?!  I'll tell you what was crazy...the lines.  Oh my goodness.  I stood in line for 15 minutes, then Aubrie announced she had to potty.  I then returned to the end of the line to stand for 40 more minutes and finally got our tickets and snacks.  The good news is, they keep opening up theatres as people show up, so we didn't miss that much of the movie and there are plenty of seats. 

I learned a couple things today.  My kids aren't ready to go to the movies.  Maybe if you add the 40 minutes in the line to the 45 minutes we actually sat in the movie theatre and watched the movie, we could potentially sit through a full, shorter movie.  But I didn't mind leaving early since it all cost me only 4 bucks.  I applaud you Franklin Movie Theatre for having something like that for kids.  But let me tell you.  It looked like some moms just cruised around their neighborhoods with their minivan doors open, looking for any and all kids to jump in and join them.  I saw moms with herds of 6-8 kids!!  It was crazy.  I think it is something that I'll enjoy when my kids are a little older to tolerate a long line and sit through a movie. 

Since dad was home, we took a trip to the pool.  The girls were so excited.  We haven't been since our week at the lake.  Aubrie modeled her swimsuit for us.  Pretty fancy...

I asked Emilie to say cheese and she looks like she is straining so hard when she says cheese. 

I love those girls.  And I love super dad. 

Love to all!
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Still Kicking

Don't worry, I'm still kicking.  So is the baby.  We are all here and doing well.  And yes, I'm still cooking, but I haven't been in a "try something new" mood.  I've actually not been in an eating mood.  I told Adam to tell me if I started starving the family.  But I can really live off a waffle in the morning, half a sandwich at lunch, and a simple dinner.  My stomach is being crowded by this giant baby and my usual favorites (Mexican food and spicy food) give me really bad heartburn.  I like to spend any spare time that I have laying in bed.  It feels so good to be stretched out and have the pressure released from my ribs and feet.  I've got 4 weeks left.  We've been busy doing last minute projects and preparing for the baby, which is hard to do with these two girls hanging around. 

After breakfast playtime.  I was thrilled the other morning when Aubrie asked me for French Toast for breakfast.  Just happens to be my favorite.  I really enjoy making breakfast and it doesn't bother me being a short order cook for this crowd.

The other day Aubrie asked me to put her hair in "piggy tails".  So that meant Emilie wanted some too.  Her hair is getting really long because those were some pointy tails.  And Aubrie really has some curly hair because at the end of the rainy day, her hair looked like two little poofs. 

 So back to our projects.  Do you remember when we tiled our back splash with the Sundstroms LAST CHRISTMAS?!?  Well, we still haven't sealed the grout and caulked.  This project actually really stressed Adam out.  He talked it over with Katie several times and with the spray can in his hand and his sleeves rolled up, he called her one last time before tackling the project.  He did a great job and it looks great. 

He also randomly vacuumed upstairs and cleaned the upstairs bathroom while I, well, laid in bed.  He's such a great husband.  He's done a great job of picking up the slack.  I don't know what it is about this baby, but I'm exhausted and my body hurts way more than the other two pregnancies.  I cannot wait to see what we are having!  Another preparation we had to get out of the way was getting Aubrie a booster seat and fitting all 3 seats in the car.  Everyone got moved around.  Aubrie is now in the middle and likes to watch us drive.  Emilie is behind the driver now.  The baby will be behind the passenger so I can reach back there if I need to.  But I doubt I will need to because as you can see in the picture below, Aubrie has some long legs and arms and she can easily reach the baby for me.  She'll be such a great helper. 

So that is about it.  It's been slow, but busy around here.  We've enjoyed all the rain this past week and it looks like we will be getting some more.  I'm back to the senior water aerobics class since it is inside.  Outside was getting too hot for me and since the weather was touch and go, I thought I would stay inside with my friends.  :)

I hope everyone is doing well!  Love to all!

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HOME

I can officially say that we safely made it to and back from our annual lake trip.  Every year for the 4th we go up to Granny's lake cottage and spend a whole week at the lake.  On our way up, we weren't but 30 minutes North of Nashville before we see a car lose control in the Southbound lanes and it crosses the large, grassy median and heads right for our car.  All in one motion, Adam jerked the wheel (we were in the passing lane) and the car just missed us but the semi truck we just passed clipped its back side and sent it spinning and the semi slammed on the brakes and jack-knifed its trailer.  We thought that we were hit because debris hit our car.  It went through a thick wire fence and kicked up dirt.  We were only hit by the dirt.  I'm so thankful for the following reasons:  God was protecting us, we both were watching the road and saw it coming, and my husband, being a good driver, was able to avoid getting hit.  I was really shaken up as I looked back at the accident.  But in order to look back, I had to look past Aubrie, who was sitting right where the car would have hit us.  I'm so thankful for the Lord's travel mercies on this trip. 

When we were North of Indianapolis, it started to rain and I watched our thermostat go from 96 to 82.  Ahhh!  I thought.  A pleasant Indiana summer.  I was looking forward to going up there to cool off and enjoy time away from Nashville, which broke the record before we left with a high of 108.  But I was in for a bigger treat.  I always complain that it is too cold up there.  You have to wear a sweater on the boat and on some days, you have to be crazy to stay in the cold water for too long.  But not this trip.  Not when I only have 6 weeks left to go in this pregnancy.  On this trip, the news said it was the hottest summer since 1935.  Granny remembered it.  They didn't have air conditioning then.  But we were sure staying inside with all 4 window air conditioning units going full blast the whole week.  It was just as bad as having a rainy week at the lake.  Everybody was crammed inside and didn't want to go out.  Bless Adam and Adrian who both were brave enough to grill dinner last week. 

Emilie giving Gaga a check-up.  She is pretty smitten with him.  She constantly talked to him and was giving him the sweet eyes.



The girls slept on the enclosed porch with blow up mattresses.  It was their first time sleeping in the same room.  On the first morning, Emilie had gotten out of her bed and they were jumping on Aubrie's bed.  So Adam and I started jumping up to grab whichever kid was up first and put them into our bed so they didn't wake each other.  Or wake up the whole cottage by sumo-jumping on beds and squealing.  Adam says that this was his favorite memory from the week.  It has been awhile since that big girl has slept on his chest.



On top of the heat, Indiana is having a drought and the lake water was a lot lower than we are used to.  We couldn't jump in and when Petey jumped in, he would hit the bottom for a little while.  The girls could jump in, though!  Here is Adam throwing Emilie in the air.  He said that if "Child Chucking" was an Olympic sport, he would win.  His shoulders got tired.

Thanks for the glasses K-Sue and Kelly.  Diva Aubrie needed them.

On the day of the 4th, we all go to Adam's parents house in Bremen for a BBQ.  Later we all walk to the park for the carnival.  Nobody sat outside because it was so hot and it was pretty hot at the carnival as well.  But my girls sure looked cute.



Best dad ever.  Crammed himself in the rides with his girls.  Can you see the sweat??



Tia was a sport.  She switched turns with Adam and rode the rides with the girls.  She enjoys wild rides, but there wasn't anything wild about the worm ride.  Emilie enjoyed it.  I owe them big time next year.  Adam's going to make me cram my rear on all the kiddy rides for pay back.

The girls cooling off with a snow cone before we walk home.  "Why does Aubrie have a huge wrap on her hand?" you ask.  Well, I just turned off my curling iron and I handed it and a bag to Adam to take to the car before guests started to arrive.  Aubrie ran up to him and grabbed the curling iron.  Everybody flipped out.  She wouldn't show me her hand, she just squeezed it closed and screamed.  So I sent Adam to go get some coconut oil while I talked her into holding a piece of ice.  Well, when she finally opened up her hand, there was barely a red mark on her.  She was fine.  So I babied her and had her hold ice and suck on ice (to stop the screaming).  Adam couldn't find coconut oil at the local store and was freaking out and feeling horrible, so I told him to come back home.  We thought we had her over it, but then somebody asked to see it, which I guess brought up the traumatic memory of it all, and she was back to screaming.  So we got some bactine spray, and then wrapped her up with some gauze and bandages.  It wasn't enough though.  She needed a frog bandaid on the other hand to distract her from her injured, non-working hand.  When we got back from the carnival, she was red and sticky from her snow cone, so Adam said he was going to take off all her bandages and wash her hands, then we would re-bandage her.  Well, wouldn't you know it, when he un-wrapped her, she looked at her hand and gasped, "Oh my goodness!  It's perfect!"  She ran in to tell me that it was all miraculously healed.  Thank goodness!  She wasn't very useful with only one hand working.



"Why does Emilie have a scrape on her nose and above her lip?" you ask.  (I love how interactive you guys are.) Well, Emilie took a nose dive off of the step onto the concrete.  Her lip was fat for a day, but she only cried a little.  We just got done getting rid of a big strawberry on her knee and then she busts up her face.  She doesn't care though.  If it were Aubrie, we probably would've had to lay her down in front of an Elmo movie, give her some ice cream to help dull the pain, and apply cream every 30 minutes.  :)



I try and take pictures of the girls on the pier.  This time I bribed with candy.  It worked.

Sweet sisters

Granny has a swing on the porch and the girls would take their bath, get in their jammies, and swing with Granny or read a book. 

Dad and Emilie tried to make a sand castle.

And don't you worry about this guy.  He was in the water plenty of times.  I was a little disappointed.  We let him loose on a flock of geese, but I guess he felt out-numbered and he didn't chase them down.  But he had a lot of fun and was pretty worn out.  I love that worn out face. 

Here is Emilie loving on Granny.  Aubrie sat by Granny at every meal.  One night Granny elbowed Aubrie and said, "We are pals.  We were both born in February."  Aubrie really liked that because all week she would be elbowing Granny and reminding her that they are pals. 

Emilie passing some love on to Gaga.

Yep.  I did it.  I wore a two piece.  Proudly.  Why not?  It was hot.  I was miserable.  The baby loved not having to be covered up and so did I.  The neighbors would catch me and say, "We feel so bad for you."  Haha.  But really, the heat hasn't done me in yet.  I'm still going strong.  It is the swollen feet and the aching back from this baby hanging all the way down to my knees.  I never feel over-heated.  I just feel like an old lady.  One day my hips were killing me, a muscle in my thigh felt like it was going to cramp, and my ankles and feet were swollen.  I told Adam that I don't remember feeling this sore and immobile since preseason for college volleyball.  And let me tell you folks, that was tough.  You'd weigh in before practice, work hard in the muggy August gym for 2 hours, weigh out to see if you lost too much weight, and then return to do it TWO MORE TIMES!!! Remembering 3-a-days makes me shudder.  When I put it that way, it was just another confirmation that this is it and it is time to close down shop.  I can't wait for my finale in 5 1/2 weeks.  :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July!  Love to all!!

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