Ainsley Marin is 6 months old!  Sitting up great, rolling everywhere and getting up on her hands and knees twisting to crawl, but not just yet!  She loves her mushy vegetables (especially peas--she lunges at the spoon when she sees them coming her way) but not fruits for some reason.  Although, she does have a sweet tooth and once in a while will get a taste of someone's ice-cream or lollipop!   Her personality is growing and changing, but still the happiest baby on earth.  Her sisters and brother's adore her more and more each day and often argue about who is going to help push her in the stroller, feed her or sit next to her.  She's growing so quickly and just moved up to the same size diapers as Aidan (either he has a small bum, or she's got a chunky one!).  She loves being outside and going for walks and looking cool in her shades!

Aidan Kane just turned 2 years old!  Where do we start with him. Our little "fublemaker" as he says.  Bedtime has recently become a challenge with him. He's just not tired at night any more and keeps the girls up by coming out of his bedroom a dozen times, opening their bedroom door and causing trouble (well, not real trouble...he insists on one more hug and kiss from them....many times).  He's beginning to use his words to tell us how impatient he is "Daddy, come up here NOW!". He can count up to 16, and no longer skips the number 7 (which he was doing for a while).  He also loves to play tackle football with the girls and loves when the boy cousins come over!  He's been Daddy's little helper the past couple of weeks in the back yard as Jeff finished up clearing some of the woods.  He wants to be joined at the hip with him, always with a tool in hand.  Still can't be a kid size or pretend one, he insists on the real things.  He parks his chair down the basement next to Daddy and watching when Jeff is fixing stuff in his work area (like taking apart and putting back together small equipment motors!).  We celebrated Aidan's second birthday last weekend with a truck cake.  We weren't planning on a party, but were surprised that day when people stopped by and we turned it in to a party and Aidan was thrilled (as was Keeley who was drooling over his presents all afternoon, counting them and insisting he was getting more presents than she got when she turned 2...and with her memory, we're sure she actually remembers!).  He got tons of cool stuff and Woody and Buzz Lightyear toys (I loves swinging outside and yelling "to infibity and beyawn!" (Buzz says "to infinity and beyond" in the Toy Story movie when he flies in the air).  We finally have the pool open, and Aidan loves it (and doesn't mind the cold water either!).  Jeff has taken him under a few times as well.  He did excellent at his first dentist appointment and teeth cleaning earlier this month, batting his eyelashes and flirting with all of the hygienists...

Kaelin Avery is 3 years and 2 months. We swung by the Sheep Pasture on the way to an errand a couple of weeks ago and she wants to go back every weekend now. We did head back a second time so she could feed the sheep and goats, she's so great with them and will stand there forever just caressing this one goat that loves her.  Aidan of course yanks on the goats horns!  She was over Nana and Papa's house a couple of days ago and found an old horse book of Mommy's from 20 years ago.  It goes in to great detail about breeds of horses, parts of the horse, equipment names, etc. She took the book home with her and now carries it all around with her and to bed too.  We'll want to wait a couple more years before taking her to horseback riding lessons, but she's going to love them!  Swimming lessons will start in our pool soon, and and she can't wait.

Keeley Shea is 4 years and 5 months old. She had her preschool "graduation" three weeks ago but is already looking forward to her second year of preschool in September.  All of her extra curricular classes have wrapped up for the Summer too. She finished her Maplewood Gymnastics class and Sports class (where she was the only girl with 25 boys! and held her own!).  She also had her final class and recital at the Gymnastics Academy.  But, she'll be taking a summer course there with Kaelin.  She's becoming more and more competitive.  Always wanting to make sure she is first and the best.  So, she gets easily frustrated when she doesn't do something perfectly. Last night Jeff was teaching her to play baseball (he decided that starting her off with a regular pitch instead of t-ball would be the better way to go). She did amazingly well, but every time she missed a pitch, she'd say "aw, I'm never going to be the best!"   (Of course, we reassured her otherwise!)

Upcoming birthdays & events include:

• July 1st Nana's Birthday
• July 3rd Grandpa's Birthday
• July 10th Cousin Ryan O's 6th Birthday
• July 16th Cousin Ryan Y's 9th Birthday
• July 23rd Cousin Elle's 2nd Birthday
• July 25th Auntie Jenn and Uncle Brady's 3rd Wedding Anniversary
• August 10th Mommy and Daddy's 5th Wedding Anniversary
• August 16th Auntie Kelley's 35th Birthday
• August 25th Uncle Cary's 48th Birthday
• August 27th Nana and Papa's 40th Wedding Anniversary