June Book Update #2

In a shocking turn of events, I managed to squeeze in another book this month. I grabbed a Jennifer Weiner book at the library the other day. I've read pretty much everything she's written. They are usually 300+ pages, but I typically can't put them down.

This one was...less than exceptional. I had the plot figured out right away which is never very fun. It was a good little read, just not up to par with her usual stuff.

Meanwhile...I also downloaded a short story of hers that was free on iTunes. I LOVED that and apparently it was made into a book that comes out this week. I doubt I'll be able to score that one at the library so I may have to break down and buy it.

Now I just have to decide which book I won't have time to read while I'm at the beach.....

Photo Bomb at the Pool

This week one of my awesome aunts came over to visit and brought my cousin K's oldest kiddo, E. It was a spectacular summer day so as soon as they arrived we hit the pool. The girls all had such a good time.

I wanted to snap a picture of E with my three girls to send to my cousin so I set up the shot in the kiddie pool.

And if you can do math...(three of my girls+1 E=4, right?) you will notice there are five lovely ladies in that picture. A cutie, who ironically had a name that started with A, totally photobombed us and joined in the fun. Her mom looked mortified and I just laughed. I mean, who wouldn't want to be a part of our family. ; )

Cheap Summer Fun

It's hot. And my kids have been done with school for 39 days. So when it comes to entertaining them, I sometimes get creative. This week...we played "Will It Float?"

This game (inspired by David Letterman no less!) basically involves a large container of water and a bunch of household objects.

My girls had a BLAST going through each item to see if it would sink or float. (Some even did both!) We kept a tally so I totally count this as a math lesson too.

After that we opted for another fun, cheap game. I picked 10 spices/cooking items from my cabinet and then I blindfolded them. They smelled each one and then had to guess what it was. It was hysterical! They didn't get very many right, but they sure had a wonderful time.

Wordless Wednesday

Smoky Mountain Weekend

My mom's side of the family came up to visit us over the weekend. We hadn't been able to spend much time with them since my grandmother died, so it was great to spend a few days hanging out and making memories.

They did some eating and shopping around Gatlinburg while we were at our track meet on Saturday morning and then we met back up Saturday evening. We had a great dinner and then headed for the Foothills Parkway.

We hiked up to Look Rock for an AMAZING evening!

It was a little hazy, but the view was still pretty wonderful.

On Sunday we all loaded up in a caravan of three vehicles and descended on Cades Cove in search of a bear. The bulk of our crew went Friday night and were rewarded with a bear sighting....but they wanted more!

We saw one on the first half of the cove but it was pretty far away. Then, right near the turnoff to Abram's Falls my aunt (who may or may not have been hanging her entire body out of her vehicle) spotted a HUGE bear.

It was great! All the kids got to see him and the grown-ups took about 514 pictures (each). After the bear excitement we let the kids cool off in the creek near the mill.

I'm so grateful for my extended family and for their presence in my life. I love that my kids are getting to know my aunts and uncles and cousins as they grow.

The Final Lap

Yesterday was our final track meet. It wasn't our best day in terms of placing, but it was certainly a good showing nonetheless. I'm so proud of my girls. Sticking with a track and field program through four weeks of summer heat is certainly no easy task, but they did it with ease. And I can already tell we're going to have to plan next year's vacation around the camp because they definitely want to return.

They were even featured in news coverage about the camp! So check it out!

June Book Update #1 (And probably the only one)

Just like on spring break, my reading has dropped off significantly now that the kids are on summer vacation. Typically I used Allie's naptime to read but since the older girls are no longer napping, I use that time to do things with them.

That being said, I am reading. Just not a lot. A few weeks ago I picked up a book that our team of pastors gave us when we joined our current church. (Please don't tell them it's been on my bookshelf that whole time....) It's called Psalms for Praying.

I've been reading one Psalm each night before bed. It's a calming way to start my prayer time and close the day. And since there are 150 Psalms...this book will last me for quite a while!

In addition to that book, I've been reading some short stories out of Going Long. It's a collection of stories that have run as a part of Runner's World magazine over the years. I'm a subscriber and have probably read a lot of these, but having them all in one place is pretty neat.

The ones I've read so far are amazing stories of runners who had to overcome adversity to continue the sport. My favorite one was on Team Hoyt. I knew their story, or at the very least thought I did, but reading more about this father-son team was no less inspiring. Because even though people assume because I run marathons I have motivation by the truckload, there are some days when I don't want to run. Days when I want to lose the key to the treadmill and not think about that next race looming in the fall. That's when I pick up this book and select a short story to read.

Champions of God's Word

All this week, the girls and I have been attending Vacation Bible School at our church. It is, after all, one of the best parts of summer. I always loved attending VBS at my church growing up, and at other churches in my community as well.

Putting in a full day at work and then dashing off to help guide 17 second graders through the week has proven to be exhausting, but I am so enjoying the week. We have an Olympic theme this year and have been learning all kinds of new things. My girls really seem to be enjoying themselves.

Tonight is the conclusion of our VBS week and I think we're all going to miss that daily interaction with our church family. I'm very grateful that my girls are surrounded by such an amazing community of faith. I hope it is something that will follow them and lift them up in the years ahead as they grow into young women.

Wordless Wednesday

Way Back When

We were recently at my parents house and I as I wandered through the laundry room this photo caught me eye. It's my sister and I from Christmas 1984.

Now why this adorableness has been relegated to the laundry room is beyond me, but that is a blog for another day!

The Gospel According to George Lucas

This week the kids and I are enjoying VBS at our church. It's such a great week and my hat is off to the amazing moms in our congregation who have made it all happen. One of the things all the kids are learning this week-the books of the Bible. We have a catchy song, we have Bible drills and races to see who can put them in order the fastest. We even have a study guide for them to practice at home.

So yesterday I decided to quiz the girls about what they had learned.

Me: "Ainsley, I need you to name two books of the bible."
Ainsley: "Luke and...." (She paused for a split-second to think of another one.)
Allie: (Shouting...) LEIA!

So there you have it folks, the little-known and less-studied book of the Bible, Leia. I'm pretty sure that's the one where the disciples watch Jesus feed 5,000 on the Death Star.....or is it Tatooine? I always get those confused.

Father's Day Recap

We had a nice Father's Day weekend. I guess that's a bit presumptive for me to say since it's not my holiday, but Jamie seemed to like the 48 hours or so in his honor. We made him his favorite meal and desserts. We made him crafts and cards and let him pick which board we played on Mario Party 8.

Jamie got a new shirt, a couple of golf clubs that the kids and I spent about three and a half hours at the sporting goods storing picking out...and we made him the obligatory craft. The girls had each made awesome crafts at school for Mother's Day, but now that summer vacation is here, the Father's Day craft clearly falls within my realm. I didn't want him to miss out on the hand-painted goodness that is a craft made by small children.

We settled on a picture frame.


Yeah, I know....it's pretty awesome. Maybe if you ask nicely, we'll make one for you for your birthday or for Christmas.

Anybody Need Some Onesies?

After last week's announcement that my sister is pregnant with a boy, I decided this weekend was as good a time as any to go ahead and sort through all those girl clothes I had been hanging onto for her. And when I say clothes, I mean about 5 Rubbermaid tubs full of 0-12 month items. I did manage to find quite a few unisex pieces that will work for my nephew (still so weird saying that!!!) so that was exciting. And a little tip for all those moms-to-be out there. Buy white socks. NOT pink/purple/ruffles. This makes sharing socks with friends a little easier.

After a small meltdown that my babies are no longer babies, I set to work. I made a pile for my sister, a pile for Goodwill, and a pile I'm going to try and consign. I was pretty heavy-handed with my sorting. But then I kept coming across things I wasn't ready to give up. Dresses and sleepers that brought back a flood of memories. The thing about having three girls is they all wore pretty much the same articles of clothing as babies. I know it seems silly to be attached to a faded sleeper when the children who made that sleeper wonderful are still deep in the throes of childhood and currently wreaking havoc upstairs, but there I was in the playroom, sorting all those clothes and having a really hard time giving some of them up.

So I made a fourth pile. That pile is now safely tucked away in the garage, ensconced in blue Rubbermaid.

There may come a day that I'm ready to sort that tub again, but that day is a ways off. For now, it can stay in the garage and be there when I need it.

There's An App for That

I was fortunate enough to get an iPhone a few months ago. I truly love it and all that it can do. One of the best parts of a smartphone, is the way it helps entertain my kids at moments when patience (mine, not theirs) is running thin. Think at the doctor's office or while I'm checking out at the grocery store. It's also helpful when Allie is stuck in her car seat and I've exhausted all my other "car tricks."

Here are just a few of the kid-approved apps we can't live without.

Perhaps Allie's Favorite is the Mickey's Halloween Puzzle Book. It's a storybook that also has puzzles on each page.

She really, really loves this app...and I'm pretty sure it was free. I'm not big on actually paying for apps, so it was either free or only 99 cents.

Either way, she loves it and never tires of reading and working the puzzles. There's also a Winnie the Pooh puzzle storybook and a Finding Nemo one. SUPER cool apps!

Another great app is Curious George. It has quite a bit of interaction involved so Allie can spend quite a while playing this one.

And don't forget the beloved Disney Princesses. There's one called the Disney Princess Sticker Book. It lets you dress and undress each princess, but it also has a story for each one.

A new addition to my phone is the Pirate School app from Jake and the Neverland Pirates.

There are all kinds of games and songs on this app. Allie can create her own pirate song and then the app will play it back to her.

One of MY favorite kid apps has been on my iPod touch for several years. I moved it immediately to my phone because it's such a neat one. Allie killed many an hour at the ballet studio with this one! It's from FirstWords and is called "Animals."

It starts with three-letter animals and then moves up from there. The child has to drag the letters (which are scrambled) onto the corresponding letter under the animal. When they get the word right, the app says the name of the animal and then the child hears the animal sound.

I'm always on the hunt for more (and cheap!) kid apps so let me know if you've found any that your kids love.

Summer Streaking

During the summer months my running has a tendency to take a back seat. The weather is often not cooperative and having all three kids at home all day means being confined to the treadmill. I checked my training log and last June I ran just 20 miles....for the entire month.

So when Runner's World posted on Facebook about joining them for a Summer Run streak, I was game. Basically, I pledged to run at least one mile every day from Memorial Day to Labor Day. That's 38 days straight of running! We're 18 days in and I haven't skipped a run yet. Sure, it's been challenging, like on Monday when it was pouring rain and I had to be out of my house for most of the day because of the flea treatment. But there I was squeezing in a mile between making dinner and my sister announcing she was having a boy. It was just 8:34. I mean, who doesn't have 9 minutes every day?

I'm typically a big believer in rest. But since this streak only requires a minimum of one mile, it's not really putting any extra stress on my muscles. I've found I really look forward to getting in at least a mile a day. On good days I extended the run to four or even five miles, but if the schedule doesn't allow I'll take my one mile and call it a day.

Wordless Wednesday

Where a Kid Can Be A Kid

I will openly admit I hate Chuck E. Cheese. I hate the noise, I hate the potential for germs, etc. But my girls were invited to a birthday party there over the weekend so clearly they wanted to go. I dropped them off and then went with Allie to run some errands.

When we got back, our sweet neighbor (it was her son's birthday!) had some tokens for Allie. She got to ride a few rides...and LOVED it.

Jamie has now decreed that it is where he wants to spend Father's Day.

It's a BOY!

So yesterday afternoon Chris and Anna came over to our house after their ultrasound. They had a HUGE box full of balloons. The girls had been instructed that if there were pink balloons in the box, the baby was a girl....blue balloons meant boy.

So when the time came, the girls opened the box and out popped the BLUE balloons. I was videoing it but all you can hear is me yelling because I was so excited.

Everyone is thrilled about the baby being a boy...everyone except Allie. "I not want a boy. It be a girl tomorrow?" Yikes...someone is getting knocked off her youngest grandkid pedestal and it's not going to be pretty!!!

And now...baby shower planning and shopping begins in earnest!!!

Baby Business

Today, after much anticipation, my sister and her husband will find out if they are having a boy or a girl this October. My girls cannot wait. They've been keeping up with their growing cousin by asking Anna each week how big the baby has gotten. The latest update from Anna's pregnancy e-mails indicated the baby is now as long as a banana. (That's up from last week...when it was a sweet potato....)

My girls honestly don't seem to have a preference as to the sex of this baby, they just really want to know. Allie says it is a girl. Ainsley says, if it is, she wants to braid its hair. Anastasia remains undecided. They talked about it in the car yesterday and mentioned that I was gonna be an aunt. Allie got really upset and said, "But I don't want mommy to be an aunt." After some translating...we realized she thought we meant ANT not AUNT. Stupid English language!

While the girls were at a birthday party yesterday, Allie and I did some shopping. And we have an outfit ready for a boy...or a girl. Only time will tell which one we're going to give them today....





I'll keep you posted!!!

This is Nuts

Allie: "Mom, I got sumfin' stuck in my nose."
Me: "Is it a booger?"
Allie: "No, it's a nut."
Me: "A nut?!?!? What kind of nut?"
Allie: "A popcorn nut."

Yes, that's right. My beloved toddler managed to shove a popcorn kernel up her nose this week. THANKFULLY a trip to the ER was not required as I put one finger over the unoffending nostril and instructed her to blow her nose as hard as she could. The kernel shot across the playroom faster than the speed of sound. "Thanks, Mom. That's better."

Never a dull moment at Casa Lamar....and I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Another Pinterest Project

Some people get Pinterest. And some people don't. But whatever you think of it, *I* think it's pretty darn awesome. I've made several projects that I've found there and quite a few recipes as well.

This week my cousin pinned a cool summer yogurt treat. Here's what it looked like on Pinterest.

Basically....you take yogurt and freeze it to make little yogurt melts. I decided to give it a try. I chose strawberry Greek yogurt, rather that Yoplait because....well, because I'm a yogurt snob. I opted for a small container just so we could experiment without wasting a huge carton of yogurt.

The small container made a couple dozen yogurt melts (or bites or whatever you wanna call them). The thing on Pinterest said to put them in the freezer for an hour...but I found it needed to be more like an hour and a half.

The kids LOVED them. As in...ate them all up in minutes. Mine didn't look nearly as pretty as the ones in the photograph above, but they were certainly tasty and SUPER easy. Hooray for a fun summer snack!!!

Unleashing My Inner Space Nerd

I grew up the daughter of a man who knew his way around a solar system. My grandparents allowed my father to cut a hole in their roof so he could make his own observatory when he was a young man. His affinity for all things space continued well beyond the race to the moon and into my childhood. He would come to my elementary school and show us sun spots and other cool things. He let us try freeze-dried ice cream like the astronauts ate. We built a model of the space shuttle together.

So last week when he told me I needed to come over and borrow his telescope for a rare sight in the skies, I knew he meant business. I'll be honest and say I wasn't thrilled about hauling the extremely heavy telescope from his house to ours, but I complied. And boy am I glad I did.

That little black dot is Venus as it moved across the sun last night. It won't happen again until 2117, so we made sure the girls saw it last night. I'm so glad the it was a clear evening so we were able to see the spectacle properly. And since my parents were away in New York City, I texted my dad the picture above so he knew I really followed through and unleashed that inner space nerd that he helped create so many years ago.

Wordless Wednesday

Catch Them If You Can

We are into our second week of track and field camp. Anastasia and Ainsley practice two nights a week and then gather with hundreds of other kids from all over the Knoxville area on Saturdays for a meet at Tom Black Track at the University of Tennessee.

The first meet was amazing. In addition to stellar weather, my girls rocked their competitions. Anastasia chose the 4x100m relay, the 100m, and the high jump.

We learned a lot, but we had a lot of fun too.

Ainsley chose the long jump, the 50m dash, and the 4x100m relay. She was placed on the anchor leg of that race and blasted her way to a first place finish for her team. The video we got is awesome!

They continue the camp all the way through June and we all can't wait to see what excitement is in store. They're going to have a few more cheerleaders at this weekend's meet as friends and family join us at the track. Should be a fun Saturday!

Gentlemen of The Road

Thanks to Anna and Chris, we are big Mumford & Sons fans. The kids like the music, we like the music...everyone wins. So imagine my excitement when I learned the band was coming within a stone's throw of us later this summer.

They're coming to Bristol for a stopover on their Gentlemen of the Road tour. Needless to say, Jamie and I already have our tickets. I can't believe we're finally getting to hear them live! What a fun thing to look forward to all summer!

Summer is here

Summer is finally here.


We're eating popsicles and playing in the garden hose. We're taking little day trips and participating in some really cool summer camps. So you may not see me around the blog as much. It doesn't mean anything is wrong, it just means I'm taking extra time to enjoy having all three of my girls at home all day long. Life is good!