Tessa's fish birthday....

We had a wonderful birthday party for Tessa yesterday, it was soooo much fun! I went with a fish theme because she has become quite the little swimmer this year and she loves goldfish crackers. The weather was a little more extreme than expected, it was 90 something degrees before 10 o'clock in the morning and 100% humidity, but we got through it. We got out the kiddie pool and the slip n' slide and just let the kids have at it. Tessa had a great time and did a great job blowing out her candles and opening her presents. The funny thing about the gifts is that she thinks they belong to the person who gave them to her. For example, her friend Moses gave her an awesome top, and she kept saying it was his and would not play with it until I convinced her it was hers and it was okay.



Me and my birthday girl.


Simon and Carlee.


Carlee playing on the swing set.


Andy bought a bunch of the "sponge in a capsul" things and put them in the pool for the kids.


Tessa's friends.


The cake....was inspired by a cupcake I saw, so I just changed it to a cake.


The cupcakes


I love this picture of Tessa blowing out her candles.


Porter was such a great big brother and sat by her the whole time making sure that things went well. He was also in charge of a fishing game that we did.


Tessa loves sunglasses, especially at the pool, she got two really cute pairs.


This was the face Tessa made the whole party, it was so funny, and just so her.

Thank you to everyone who was able to come and who helped out, we really appreciate your love and support. Tessa had a great time! And thank you to my friend Lauralee who made the super cute invite.

Two Years Ago Today....

I was at the hospital wearing a hospital gown and getting ready to pee in a cup, just part of all the lovely preparations to being induced. Andy was with me and we were laughing thinking about past memories of me being in the bathroom at the hospital pre-labor with Porter and Carlee, awwwww, good times. Porter and Carlee were home with their Grandma Kay Lee waiting for us to have the third addition to our family, the one that I thought would be the last. The day was long and hard, starting with many pokes trying to get the IV started (I have bad veins), then many more pokes to get the epidural (apparently I have a bad back too), but all of that bad stuff disappeared from my mind as soon as I saw her, it was amazing. I had no idea what an amazing child she was going to turn out to be. I had no idea her eyes would be so blue and stay that way (YEAH!!), or that her hair would be so blond and curly, or that she would be talking so well before she was even two, or that she would have so much control over her Daddy, or that she would call me "Mama" instead of Mommy. I love our little Tessa May. I am so grateful to be her mommy, to get her hugs and kisses, and to give her her first hug every morning. Happy Birthday baby girl, we love you.

Great Clips in the yard....

Last night we decided that it was time to give P a hair cut, so in lew of trying to save a few bucks we decided to just go for the summer buzz in the backyard. It was sad to see the new layers of blond leave the top, but I know they will be back.

I love sitting in our backyard at night, there is usually a small breeze that is big enough to move the huge trees, the locus bugs are out buzzing loudly, and the lightning bugs start to fly and you wonder if you are crazy before you realize what it is you are seeing.

Tessa waited so patiently for her turn for a hair cut, it was a very serious thing for her. You can see her tired "I have been swimming today and had no nap" eyes.

Documentation of a summer day in Cleveland....

It started out with picking blueberries with some friends at a farm not too far from home. I am not a blueberry fan, but there is something different about a blueberry picked fresh and a little warm from the heat and humidity, I ate at least a handful.









As soon as we decided it was too hot to be outside anymore it was off to the pool, our home away from home. Only this time the pool was different because Carlee passed the swim test!! You have to pass the swim test to go down the slide and do the diving boards if you are under a certain height. I never imagined that my little girl, who spent most of last summer in a cast on the side of the pool, would be swimming as well as she is and diving to the bottom of the pool to retrieve the army guys Andy throws in. I am raising fish here at this household, it's all good, I always wanted to be a mermaid myself, and it is fun when I see Carlee trying to swim like one too.









We camped at the pool all day, eating pizza there for dinner, hanging with firends, until there was an announcement of a "brown out" (the second night in a row), after that we decided to call it quits, we were spent.

Fifth of July Wrap Up.....

One of the things I love about living where we do is that the city does not celebrate holidays that fall on a Sunday, it is all a part of the Cahoon family legend where all of the land came from, so all of our activities were on Monday. We had a rockin' BBQ here are our house and then everyone went over to the soccer fields by the lake to gets spots on the grass to watch the firework show. It was a great day minus the 90 plus degree weather and humidity. We are so grateful to live where we do and have the friends that are like family, it makes life sweet.

Happy 4th of July and other things....

Here are the kids as of this morning before we headed out the door to church. They were so excited about today being the 4th of July but not to happy about the fact we would not be making it to any parades. I understand their disappointment, it feels weird it being the 4th and not going to sit on the side of a curb cheering, listening to the local school bands, and hoping that we get some candy thrown our way. But that is how it goes here in Ohio when the two parades we knew about locally were happening during the time we have church. Oh well, there is always next year. But on a side note, I am awesome because I bought them a box of Pop-Its! to do this morning, I know, pretty sweet.







So, what has been going on with us...not much really. Andy has officially started as a third year resident and is loving being in the ER again this month, then again next month. (Today when we got home from church and were ravenous in the kitchen he was wanting to open a bag of chips but needed the scissors. I was in front of the drawer where the scissors were so I got him the scissors and as I handed him the scissors I said "here doctor". I thought I was pretty funny trying to be like a nurse in surgery handing the doctor his instrument, I know I am not the only one who has ever done that. You had to be there I am sure but it really was funny with him being in scrubs and all about to leave to go to the hospital.)

We have been hitting the pool as often as we can. It feels so nice to get into a cool pool and feel free of the heat and humidity and to feel weightless, which I am so not right now. The kids and I are getting some crazy tans even though I am using SPF 50 religiously even on myself. And for those who know about the hand print sunburn on my leg which Andy calls leprosy, I would like to report, that is fading.

I have been crazy with the towel bags and am thinking about applying to be in a craft fair thing that happens to fall on my birthday this year and is only 10 days before my due date, so who knows.

More babbling.....I am grateful for today and the awesome holiday which we celebrate. I love that it fell on a Sunday and I was able to go to church and think more and more about the freedoms that we have and why we have them. I am also very grateful for the men and women who sign away their lives to fight for our freedoms every day. I am so happy and filled with joy when I think about my sister-in-law and her husband who is home for two weeks from Afghanistan. And lastly I am so grateful for our beautiful American flag, seriously, it is so pretty.

Happy 4th of July to everyone!!!