Summer Fun

Kiera on the swing.....

Andrew on the slip and slide; Jamie splashing in the pool

Andrew and Kiera watching tv

It has been a busy summer break so far. We have had fun with family and friends and we wanted to share some pictures. These pictures are from Father's Day when the whole McDonald clan could come over to visit. The kids had a great time in the back yard playing in the slip and slide and then on the swings. Notihng too new is going on with our family. I am taking some time off from work, it is way too crazy up there for Jamie and I don't really care to be there when it is that packed either. So I am going to take some time off and have fun with the kids this summer and go back in the fall, maybe. This week is the dreaded inventory so Pat's mom is here to help put with the kids and she has been a huge help already. It doesn't even feel like inventory week right now. Next year we will definitely be planning a beach trip during inventory, so that will be wonderful. Jamie is close to walking, give him about a month and he will be off and running. He has taken a few steps in a row, no more than five or so, but he is getting more confident on his feet. I would say his first actual steps were last week when he walked from Pat to me while we were all in the bathroom while Kiera was getting her bath. He is saying "mama" a lot lately, and seems to know what he is saying as he says it when he is waking up and ready for me to get him. He also says some like "all done", more like it comes out of his mouth as "aa-duh", but he says it when we ask if he is all done. He also says the same thing over when you say thank you, so he is getting his motor mouth running already. Kiera is doing ok, we are having a hard time with her sleep and are trying some Valerian super calm, it is to help kids calm down and promote a good night sleep. She has a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep. She has been getting up alot at night and coming in our bed. So we haven't been able to tell if the valerian stuff is helping or not as she has been out and about a lot lately. But I have noticed that if we put her down later, like 9pm or so, she will fall asleep easier, like we have no battles to deal with, and she still gets up about 8am and is in an ok mood all day. We shall see, hopefully this stuff will help her and we can put an end to all this nighttime junk. Andrew is off to his dad's this weekend and will be there for a week and then he is off to camp for two weeks. He is ready to be out and about, next year he will go to camp for a month and he can't wait! This weekend I will head to the beach with my mom and the other two kids for a few days and am looking forward to it. Hopefully it won't be too scorching hot and Jamie can be out for more than an hour or so. I get very nervous having babies out in the sun, so we may have to change up when we hit the beach in order to avoid him getting out suring the hottest part of the day.

Enjoy the pictures!!!