Bike Riding and more

Summer has been pretty go so far. I guess if I were to describe it in three words I would say it's busy, scheduled and tiring. Busy in that we have a lot going on right now, scheduled in that we have a pretty good daily rhythm and typically do about the same thing every day and tiring because the kids are worn out a lot and because I always have to wait until Daniel gets home to do any errands now (taking three kids to the grocery store=nightmare).

This past Sunday we had another attempt at a family picture... not horrible but it sure would be nice if Owen was looking at the camera and the kids would crack a smile.

The past few mornings after I get home from the gym, I've been taking the kids for a walk and then letting them ride their bikes for a little bit before it gets too hot outside. Yes, they're wearing their pajamas but it is still like 7 in the morning in these pictures.

Mags doesn't ride a bike so I just hold her while she watches the other kids.

Here are just a few quick snap shots I took of the kids this morning:

Bliss Florida Trip

This month, I had the privilege of going to Florida (minus husband and kids) to join some other members of the Bliss family (my mom's side).  It was awesome!!!  Plus I got to see a lot of family, some I have only met a couple of times.  WARNING:  These are all of me.  I might have had the camera a lot and taken a lot of pictures of myself with relatives... it happens.... no kid pictures in this bunch, just moi!

Here we are!  Ok, here we go from left to right top first.  Derek, Aunt Nina, Grandpa, Janell, mom, Auntie Di, Julie, me, Kim, Amie, Beckie

My Aunti Di (Dianne) and myself and dinner... I am named after her.

Kim and I on the pirate cruise.

My Uncle Rick (whom I love!) and I on the Pirate ship... he even looks like a pirate!

Cousin Derek and I on the pirate ship.

Me and my momma!

Cousin Janell and myself at dinner.

And here are some crazy ones of me....

We had a water gun fight on the pirate cruise.

I have endless talents.

I almost look athletic here playing pool volleyball.  It had been awhile since I'd played, but I gotta say, I've still got it!

Kim and I on the beach at night.  I love the beach.

Though it isn't pictured, I had fun at the beach, went jet skiing, played lots of games, ate some delicious food (including some chocolate chip cookies that may or may not have been recalled) and we enjoyed celebrating my cousin Beckie's birthday.  I am thinking a girls vacation might be in order every couple of years!

Family Happenings

It's been a busy few weeks. I went on a trip to Florida (pictures and blog post to come), Daniel's been busily finishing up his dissertation, we've been in the process of buying a new house, the kids have been in swim lessons, going to the gym a lot, our camera broke, had to buy a new camera and we have basically just been trying to keep up with everything else! So, the blog posts didn't really happen, but I am back on board and hopefully will update more regularly.

Look who is finally walking! She decided to take her first real steps the day I left for Florida so I missed it. It was kind of annoying since I am with her ALL THE TIME and she chose to wait until I wasn't around. Grr... Though I think her grandma enjoyed it! She just wanted to show off to Grandma I guess.
Like I mentioned, Dan is finishing up his dissertation and I think he is both stressed an relieved that the end is in sight. He defends August 4th, wish him luck!

Elise just finished up swim lessons and really enjoyed that. She did great and loved every minute of it. She can now swim in the shallow end on her own for a bit. I think by the end of the summer she will be on her own for the most part.

Owen did not enjoy swim lessons. He LOVES to swim but wanted to do his own thing and was annoyed that there were teachers telling him what to do. He is an independent kid so it fits, but it was annoying to pay for lessons he didn't participate in. We do go swimming almost every day so he is also getting really good at swimming. Potty training has been frustrating. I basically have to drag him to the potty... so it is more me being potty trained. Oh well, we'll keep working on it.

Maggie has been great. She has gotten a little less clingy (at least towards me) and has really gotten attached to her dad. She is a silly girl and we adore her. Maggie also likes to swim though she is annoyed that mom has to hold her.

Father's Day post--- a day late!

Since it has been forever since I last posted anything, it shouldn't be a surprise that I am late on the father's day post. Well, here it goes..

Happy FATHER'S Day!

I have a pretty great dad, actually the best. He's the only one I have so I suppose I don't know the difference but I know I have been lucky to have him. Some of my favorite things about my dad are first, that he can fix anything and everything. If ever I have a problem or concern he knows what to say or makes sure he does whatever is necessary to fix it. I love that about him. Second, I am grateful for our talks. He is smart and gives good advice. He is level headed, patient and has a good perspective on life and I can come to him to get advice or to just get reassurance that I am doing what's right. Third, he puts up with me. This is a big one since I was a rebellious youth but also because I am loud, don't sensor and am a pretty annoying child (even at 26). Fourth and most important, he is a wonderful head of the family. He has always directed our family in the right direction and I feel like I owe a lot of who I am to him. My dad is a pretty amazing Papa as well... Owen especially can't get enough of him. Love you dad!

The next father in my life is my husband. Oh he is an awesome dad!! He reads to his children all the time, plays with them, helps out with all of their physical needs and is the fun parent. He's wise about the ins and outs of life and will instill this quality in our children. He teaches them by example, and also shows them the right things to do. Dan provides everything they could ever need in life and understands their needs as young children. The kids love to meet him when he comes home from school each day and he is always welcomed with open arms and sloppy baby kisses. Dan has an amazing bond with each of our children and they all love him so much.

Next is my grandpa. Since I wasn't around when he was raising kids, I can't say much about that, but I can tell you that he is a great grandpa! I love him so much! He is funny... so funny. Grandpa is always interested in everybody, no matter what. He listens to all the people he meets and enjoys talking with each of them. He's always interested in what is happening in my life and is always as excited to see me as I am him. He's just so fun and I can literally sit for hours with him watching tennis (I am watching Wimbledon as I am typing this by the way) because he loves it as much as I do. He is the grandparent that I have been closest with and I think we have a wonderful bond. Love you grandpa!

(Side note, my Grandpa McPherson died when I was young, but I have heard stories of him and can see the effects of his parenting through my dad. I do know that he was a fun guy, with great integrity and was a very smart/wise man and I love him for raising my dad to be who he is. Specifically, I have one clear memory of him. It was of me dancing with him and him putting me on his feet, I know he loved me).

Another father in our lives is Daniel's dad. Since I am the one writing this, it is my perspective here but I am sure Daniel would have much more to add to this. Brent is a wonderful man. He is incredibly intelligent and helps direct us to make wise decisions as a family. He cares for his family so much... even though he has a job, I think he would MUCH rather just tour the homes of his children and grandchildren more than anything else. He is an amazing grandpa... Ellie especially adores him (that is Ellie in the picture) and talks about him frequently even though we don't see him often enough. I think Brent could watch his grand kids just play all day, but I think his favorite thing is to hold those babies. He's walked circles around the house just holding my newborns. Something specific that I love about Brent is his spontaneity. If he wants something, he just goes and gets it... that is so like me and I think it's great! I love Brent for raising Daniel to be the man he is.

Grandpa Adair is Dan's mom's dad. We were lucky enough to live near them the first year of our marriage and what a blessing that was! Admittedly, we weren't a real social couple in the beginning and much of our social life was spent playing dominoes with Daniel's grandparents. Grandpa Adair is an incredible man. He is so strong in his faith and directs his family with such love. Even though his children have been grown for quite sometime he still talks to his children regularly. I love that! Grandpa Adair is also beyond generous... with his time, his love and his means. Even though he has had some problems physically, Grandpa Adair has such an energetic spirit to him. He draws people in and it's impossible to not love him. I am personally grateful for his willingness to organize family reunions every other year as family closeness is such an important priority to me. We love (and miss) you Grandpa Adair!

Grandpa Weber (pictured with Brent, Daniel and Owen--4 generations of Weber boys) is one of my favorite people. I think this is because he is a bit quiet and I love talking to quiet people and finding out more about them. Sadly, we have only seen Grandpa Weber a handful of times since we have been married (though I think we will see him this weekend and we are beyond excited). I do know that he is a very smart man. Sure, he was in academia for many years, but beyond that, he is life smart. I can tell this by the things he says and the advice he offers and also by the way he observes situations. I know that Grandpa Weber has a strong sense of family and puts family before anything else. When his grandsons lost their mother a couple years back, Grandpa Weber was there to help. Daniel always tells me what a fun grandpa he was to have growing up. I remember at a family reunion six years back when he concocted an apparatus that shoots off bottles! It was a lot of fun! He is amazing at keeping up with genealogy... we love the legacy that he will be leaving behind not only for his grandchildren and great- grandchildren but generations to come. We love you Grandpa Weber!


As you can tell, we are incredibly fortunate for the wonderful examples of fatherhood we have in our lives. We are better for the fathers and grandfathers that we have. Life is about family, and we know this and are thankful for ours.

Extras

A few extra pictures that I thought should be posted...

Birthdays are SO exhausting.

She's one now, she thinks she is big enough to climb on everything. Scary.Owen just playing... I had the two pictures of the girls to post, but wanted to include one of him.

Some Birthday Celebrating

We had very low key birthdays this year. We figured it was probably the last birthday where we could get away with not having an actual party, so we thought we would take advantage. Next year Ellie will get a real party with lots of little friends.

This year, we made cakes for both Maggie and Ellie. Maggie's was first and whatever wasn't eaten by the time we made Ellie's got tossed. Ellie decided that Maggie needed a purple cake with white frosting and colorful sprinkles. We just made the basic round cake... like I said, we were low key this year.

Ellie opted for a pink cake with pink icing and purple writing. She also loved wearing a pink 'birthday' dress for the occasion.

On Ellie's birthday we went to Chuck's (ake Chuck E Cheese).

Dad with his birthday girl.Owen chowing down on some pizza even though he really wanted to go play.

Maggie ate her entire share of pizza as well.

To be honest, I wasn't planning on doing any presents this year. From family, they received swim lessons and dressers for the new house. We definitely aren't in need of any toys or anything and since we are trying to save money, I wasn't planning on gifts. BUT- Ellie started saying how excited she was to open her presents.... SO I raced to Walmart and got her a couple things, mostly craft stuff. Here is Mags on the carousel, doesn't she look terrified?
Owen climbing up to the slides.

Even though the girls had low key birthdays, I think they enjoyed themselves and we always have fun when we do stuff together.

School is Out!

Quick blog marathon before bed....

The kids' preschool got out last week and we are all pretty sad about it. They had class parties to say goodbye to the school year and for everyone to say goodbye to one another. Both Elise and Owen have really loved this preschool and we are really sad that we won't be attending their next year. As I tried to get the kids into preschool in Katy, I was told it is easier to get them into college and that parents are at the doors at 4 a.m. on enrollment day! Crazy, but lucky us, we were able to find a place that will work for us and we are very excited to try it out next year.

Owen's party was first, but as every other kid was at the table chowing down on cookies and cupcakes, our Owen was napping away. He is so cute. I am glad that my 2 1/2 year old still needs a nap every day. Ellie was not so kind at that age so I am enjoying the fact that he still needs it.

After being trampled awake by his little sister, Owen took over her stroller and rolled out of his classroom in style-- legs crossed, laying back and chomping down on a chocolate chip cookie.

I am especially sad for Elise to leave the school because she has so many cute friends at school that she always talks about along with teachers that she adores. I am grateful that she had such a good year. Here she is digging into an ice cream sundae.

Here is Ellie showing us something she found.
Maggie was there too. She was having dad feed her cookies the entire time.

After spending a week and a half with the children and without preschool, I am admitedly a bit scared of spending the entire summer without any of us having time away from each other. However, I think we will make the best of it and do lots of swimming, crafts and park days.

Elise turns 4 today!

Can it be? Can it be that we are parents of a four year old? It's true. Elise turns four today. It is strange how her birth can feel like just yesterday and at the same time feel like such long time ago. This year has been a whirlwind. In your 3rd year of life:
-you gained another sibling who you adore
-you continue to be caring and concerned for others feelings

-you started being concerned with whether or not your clothes matched

-you learned how to open the pantry with the child lock on it

-you learned how to write your name, and Owen's name which you must include on all your papers along with your own

-you became a real water bug... just loving the pool and I am sure in your 4th year you will learn how to swim without any floatation devices

-you memorized several books and often trick us as to whether or not you can read...not yet

-you and Owen are best friends

-you learned how to throw a REAL fit

-you are quite sassy

-you scream better and at a higher pitch than any 3/4 year old we know

-you are a wonderful big sister

-when you are talking to Owen and Maggie you always refer to yourself in third person

-you love to bake

-you like to comb other people's hair

-you can take care of your brother and sister really well... at this rate, you will be babysitting by 5 :)

-you love to shop with mom

-you always try negotiating with mom and dad to get what you want

-you love the holidays and always try to take it all in
-you only keep your hair done half the day and then always take it out

-you like it when dad does airplane with you even though you are starting to get pretty heavy!

-you like to hold your baby sister (and brother for that matter)

-you are bossy, very bossy

-you are a creature of routine... you like routine

-you love makeup and like it when mom lets you put hers on

-you also love jewelry and dress up and all things girly

-you are a great helper, always doing most things I ask you to do

-you can name all the Disney princesses and feel like you are one of them

-you crave attention

-you enjoy doing crafts -- all the time

-you are a wonderful colorer and can stay in the lines

-you have a funny and cute laugh

-you LOVE Sea World!

-you love preschool and always want to go

-you like to snack

-you think you are a teenager, well at least you often act that way

-you are always up for an outing and always ask what we are doing every morning
-you love your grandparents

-you always want a little treat and some momma time when Owen takes his nap... it's our time

-you like to wake up Owen from his nap

-you always make sure that everyone is playing together nicely or else you get mad and sad about it

Biddle baby, we love you so much! You are so sweet and kind and our family wouldn't be the same without you. I know right now it is very exciting that your birthday and Maggie's birthday are so close together, but it won't always be that way, but I promise to always make each of your birthdays special because each of you are special to us in your own way.