Finally posting!

Ball, Ball, Ball

Sorry it has been so long since I posted last. We have been playing a lot of ball: t-ball and soccer. Lets start with soccer. They are playing soccer at the church and John is coaching. Neither of them like it. Caroline just runs around the field as far away from the ball as she can get and Nick will go after the ball until someone kicks him. Their favorite part is playing goalie and the only reason they like that is bc they get to wear the goalie shirt. Here are pictures of them in their uniforms which they look so cute in. JOhn is doing a great job coaching even though he doesn't know much about soccer. I think he is having fun too.

T-ball: Nick's personal favorite. He can't get enough and we practice in the back yard everyday. JOhn is also coaching tball. When the season started he didn't have enough players so he asked Caroline if she wanted to play and a friend of hers. Lets just say they haven't stayed in the field for a complete inning yet. They run back and forth. They like to play in the dugout or go get a drink. They giggle constantly and it is so funny to watch them. John really likes coaching tball. It is a little frustrating bc we don't have practice so he has to do all the teaching during the games, but he is very good at it. It is great watching him with all the kids.

Other things that are going on: Grandma got a dog. Caroline is in love with it and when she is around CAroline carries her everywhere. Nick likes her, but she is causing a little trouble with his asthma. She is very cute and her name is Lucky.

Caroline is dancing and has really gotten in to it. When I pick her up she says "mom I did all my steps." She looks forward to Thursdays.

I am working at Dee's in the scrapbooking department. I like it, but it is a lot of work. I am working mon, and wed, and every other weekend. I am also teaching classes.

Ok that is about it for right now. I will try my best not to wait so long before posting again. Love and miss you all!

Caroline is finally feeling better. She ate and kept down food for the first time on Monday. It is now Tuesday and John has been in the bed sick all day. I am praying Nick and I don't get it.

Let me start by saying today is AUNT MEL'S BIRTHDAY!!!!!! I will skip the singing.

We had a fun weekend minus Caroline's vomiting. Saturday was the start of soccer season. John and Nick headed out about 8:30. John is the head coach of the hunter green team, which Caroline and Nick will both be playing on. No, John doesn't know anything about soccer, but his wonderful wife thought he would enjoy it after his tball experience. Ok, I may have been wrong. No really, he is excited about it and so is Caroline. After they returned from clinic John decided they need cleats. I took them immediately and now they have cool cleats. She is all about the shoes!!!! Caroline didn't get to participate so she is looking forward to this Saturday.

Sunday, we took them to the driving range to hit golf balls. Let me start by saying Caroline is not the next Michelle Wei. I think tennis is more her sport. She was more interested in the score card at first then after 2 attempts at hitting the ball she got mad because she couldn't hit it as far as Nick and Daddy. On the other hand, Nick is a natural. Doesn't he just look like a PGA pro in this picture? He will be playing in the Potts' family foresome before we know it. And he might end up being better than his dad. (Don't tell John I said that). He was so cute the way he carried his bag (a play bag from Kmart) and how he just stepped up and hit the ball. Yes, he could hit it further than me. He had so much fun and can't wait to go back. We got a medium size bucket of balls and he hit most of them. I think the driving range is going to be a regular event now. He has the golf/Potts' bug.

We are getting pictures of baby Alex everyday and Caroline ask everyday when she is going to get to hold him. We look forward to and love getting them. Sarah is doing good and Joe is eat up!!!!!! We can't wait for his first trip to Kentucky.

That is about all going on here (not really, but this is the good stuff). I hope everyone is healthy and Happy! We send our love.

PS DD I haven't talked to you since you got home and I still haven't seen that belly! Sara Kate will be here before we know it. Keep in touch with us. Tell the girls we said hi! McKenna looks too cool for words on her motorcycle.

Please help us welcome the newest member of the Blair family....Alexander Duard Smith born August 7, 2006 at 6:28. He weighed 7lbs 13 oz and was 21in long.
Sarah and Joe brought Alex home from the hospital on 8/9/06.





This is the Pooh Nick and Caroline made for Alex at Build a Bear. He plays a lullaby and they each put a heart in him. They are very excited about Alex and can't wait to see him.

Aunt Carol the kids send big hugs and kisses. We love you and hope you are feeling better. We will check on you in the morning!

The Nest!






Isn't she beautiful? The throw!










The Jump!




Oh no my legs are red.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures. We miss you all.

I thought I would let you know what has been going on here since Nick's finish of Tball! Caroline finished dance and had parent day. We have been to the pool and gotten pics from the diving board. They are very hard to catch when they are jumping off. I did my best. We also have pics of Nick trying to play ball in the pool. You can't tell, but he is putting his leg up like a pitcher when he throws the ball.

Monday the kids got a little too creative for me and finger and feet pained on the deck. Then they painted themselves, then played in the mud and finally, the water. It was a mess, but they had a blast. Caroline painted herself red.

Tonight we took pictures of Nick's Nest! This is what he calls his bed after he gets his covers just the way he wants them and he snuggles down in them. He looked so sweet. After taking those pictures We took funny ones.

For those of you that don't know I started a new job this week at Dee's crafts. I am developing an education program in their scrapbook dept. and doing samples and demos, and teaching classes. I think it is going to take a couple of weeks for everyone to get used to it, but I think I'm really going to like it.

We were supposed to go to the bee farm today on our first field trip, but Caroline started throwing up in the middle of the night (on me and my bed) so we did go today, but we are going to get to go tomorrow. The kids are excited about that. They get to see where they live, the honey they make, and make their own beeswax candle. I can't believe school stuff is starting already. We are homeschooling again this year, but the kids are already counting down until big school next year with a real teacher. Can you believe they said that.

DD we are glad you made it home safely, but very sorry we didn't get to see you while you were here. We definitely missed you and the girls. WE can't wait for the arrival of Sara Kate.

That is all for now. Hopefully we will get some good pictures tomorrow and I will have time to post then.

Won't let me post pics. Will try again tomorrow.

Nick's last T-ball game

Nick played his last T-ball game this morning. He hit another home run, he got a trophy, and his pictures. He told us 8 times on the way home how much he loved his trophy. Here are pics from today. Enjoy!

The pictures!

Here are the pictures from my last post. Not much here today. Nick and John are going to a baseball game tonight. Hope everyone is doing good!

Ok. That is all I have. Have a good night. I'll blog soon.

Hello again....I haven't forgotten I have a blog!

Ok so obviously I'm in deep trouble since I haven't posted since our arrival home from vacation. Sorry. I really have no excuse other than the normal busy life. So I finally had a little quiet time tonight with everyone asleep, yes that includes Caroline, so I thought I would update the blog and get caught up on the 1,040 emails I had. Most pertaining to schooling, but yes that many, It is crazy.

Since we got home from vacation we have got to the pool most everyday, played a lot of T-ball and tennis, and stuff like that. Special things we have done include: A day out with Thomas. The kids loved it again this year. It was 100 degrees again this year, but worth the look on Nick's face when he saw the train. We went to the movies to see Arthur's missing pal. The kids thought that was cool, bc they don't turn the volume up or the lights down all the way. This past weekend Nick hit a home run during his game. They don't get to run all the bases, but he hit it. He is so excited I think he has told every check out person we've seen in l'ville. Their last game is this weekend and then they have a 2 week break before soccer starts. Caroline is very excited about soccer.

We have been having going to bed issues with Caroline since we got back from vacation. Yes even worse than before. So we are dealing with that. Tonight it took a grand total of 10 to get her in bed and asleep. And that was without me laying down with her. Yeah!!!!!!! Ok I'm rambling now. I'm tired. Everyone here is great. Nick is a little bummed about his allergy shots we started last friday, but he is working on it.

John and I had a big outing this past weekend. We went to see Leanne Womack. The concert was great. It was a sit down concert and if you know me that is not me, and lets just say I was a little out of my age group. But we had a great time and the show was awesome. Ok that is all from here.

Mel and Dd we hope you haven't forgotten about us with all the fun your having. I still haven't seen that belly. And we hope we get to see you before you go back to Idaho. But we are glad you are having a great time and relaxing and resting (at least as much as you can with 4 kids around). Hugs and kisses to you all.
Ok for some unknown reason it will not let me add any pics. I will try to post them again tomorrow.

Hello, Hello, Hello. We arrived home Sunday a.m. about 9:00. John and I decided to drive straight thru while the kids slept because they weren't the best travelers.

We had a wonderful vacation. The kids loved the ocean, sand, seashells, swimming, and most of all family time. We saw a sea turtle, some fish that had been speared during a deep sea dive, the fish that live in the sand on the bottom of the ocean, a mussell, and some cool fish when snorkeling. We went to one of the "amusement type parks and the kids rode the kiddie rides. They chickened out of the go carts. On Saturday we went to Shell Island. We got to take a boat ride, dug for shells, snorkel, and played in a lagoon that was seperated from the ocean by large rocks. I took lots of great pictures, which none of you can see bc I still can't find the cord. I will try to get a disk tomorrow. The kids are full of stories for everyone.

That is all for tonight. John and I are exhausted from our drive. Hopefully, I will be able to post again tomorrow. I'm sure it will take a couple of days to get back in a routine. Hope everyone is safe and sound. Talk to you soon.

PS Aunt Leslie, Nick and Caroline say hi!

Hello! We had a great day today. Nick and I got a little too much sun, Caroline got her hair wrapped, and we took our first nap. Other than that we swam all day in the big pool. So much for that rest and relaxation I had planned on and those 4 books I planned on reading. I got the disc made tonight so I have pictures they are self explanatory.

Florida fun

Sorry for the delay in posting. I still haven't found the cord that goes to my camera to download my pics to my computer. So I don't have any pics.

The kids have grown fins and gills. They have amazed John and me. They are jumping in with no fear and swimming to the side. I wish I had a video camera bc a picture would not do it justice. So much for my relaxing vacation (with my 4 books) by the kiddie pool. We were in the kiddie pool for a total of about an hour yesterday and the rest of the time in the big pool. I think pool life has forever changed. Just another sign they are growing up.

We have been keeping late hours so I have been letting them sleep in the morning. So it is about 10 or 11 before we get up and ready and out to the pool. It is hard to get 2 kids to go to sleep when your all in the same room. So John and Nick are sleeping in one bed and Caroline and me are sleeping in the other, which are a total of 4in (and I am not kidding) apart. We literally can hold hands across the gap.

OTher than swimming the only other thing we have done was go to downtown disney. They have an area that is geared towards kids. The kids loved that. Nick used his money to buy "Mack Truck" from the movie Cars. He has had more fun with it. Caroline bought princess that are like fashion pollys. They had the neatest toy store ever. You could build your own Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head, My LIttle Pony, Make Goof Candy., Princess crowns, and really cool stuff like that. They had a lego store that had an entire wall from top to bottom full of bins and you could fill your bucket up with as many legos as you could get to fit for a certain price. Outside they had a playground and an area where you play and build with legos. It was just really neat. We might go back tonight.

We miss everyone, but we are having fun. John started his meetings yesterday, but he is enjoying is first vacation as a father. I'm hoping bedtime will be a little easier when we get to the beach and we can sit on the balcony while the kids go to sleep or in the other room. In this hotel room you are right on top of each other. The kids are enjoying getting to sleep with us instead of each other.

That is all for now. I'm going to try to get a disc tonight so if I do I will update tonight and add some pictures.

We're here!

WE are finally here thank goodness. It was a very long, challenging journey. We arrived at Aunt Carol's about 1:oopm on Sat. We visited with her until 4:00 then headed to Orlando. We arrived here around 8:00 due to my bad directions. The hotel is very nice. We brought our stuff to the room and headed straight to the pool. The kids love it.

They have 3 pools, a slide, and hot tub. Caroline suprised both of us by jumping in the 3ft pool (not the kiddie pool) and swimming to the side. Not to be stopped and Nick was close behind. So I don't know how many lazy days hanging around the kiddie pool I will have. Oh well, my babies have officially grown up in the last 24 hours.

I don't have any pictures tonight bc I can't find the cord that connects to the computer. So, I will look for it and hopefully add pictures tomorrow.

We hope everyone at home is doing good. We miss you and will talk to you soon.

Vacation!

This is probably our last post before we leave for vacation. It has been very busy around here trying to get some work stuff done and get stuff ready for vacation. We have never been on vacation as a family before so it has been a little overwhelming to decide what we need and what we don't. I have been operating at danger stress levels.

The kids are very excited about vacation. John has a conference in Orlando so we are tagging along for that, then we are going to Panama City to play at the beach for the rest of our time. We leave Friday afternoon and won't return until the next Sunday. I hope everyone is happy and safe while we are gone. We will miss everyone and I'm sure we will be glad to get home when the time comes. But right now the kids can't wait to see the ocean, play in the sand, see Aunt Carol, and see some dolphins, whales, fish and that kind of stuff. We are lucky enough to be there on Aunt Carols Birthday, which will be lots of fun. We will be safe and see you when we get back.

Here are a couple of pics from today.

The kids are making shoebox oceans!

We are studying oceans and what lives in them right now due to our upcoming vacation.

Here is my cool dude on third base tonight at tball practice!

Our first sleepover!

Ok Nana/Aunt Carol here you go!

We visited in L'burg on Sunday and came home with a guest...Skylar. The kids have been so excited. The girls giggled until about midnight. So I ended up on the blow up mattress between them until I was awaken at 4:00am. Needless to say I didn't get the best nights sleep. We headed out this morning to run a few errands and then went to the pool. They have been very good and enjoyed each other very much.
Enjoy the pictures!es.

I took the kids to the radio controlled air show on Sunday. Nick was amazed. Actually, it was very awesome. The pilots were all over the USA and competed in competitions. The tricks they did were astounding. Nick couldn't wait for me to put these pictures on here. So enjoy them. This one went 300mph! It was awesome as Nick would say

Here are my gorgeous babies! Yes, Nick is wearing Big, brown, girl sunglasses, but I think he wears them well. I forgot his and he couldn't see so we wore mine. I could post pics all night bc he made me take pictures of every plane and helicopter. It was a great time. We will definitely go back next year. Caroline enjoyed the first couple of planes then she sat behind us and played in the rocks.

Nick in the outfield
Nick batting....He hit the only ball that went up in the air and past the pitcher mound.
team pledge before game.
Check out the sisterly love!
look at my boy for his 1st t ball game!
oops! suit malfunction!
Can this boy swim or what?
Ok, sorry it has taken so long to get these on here. It has been a long weekend. Hope you enjoy.

The pool is not the same without popsicles!



ok. as you can see it was a very busy weekend. On Sunday I took the kids to the radio control air show. They loved it. I was very impressed too. I will post those pics tomorrow. It won't let me post anymore tonight. These are from pool and Nick's 1st tball game. He did great at the game. It was very funny, cute, and enjoyable. He can't wait to the next one. Hope everyone had a great weekend.