Phobia Fighters!

 Us Kinard girls spent a lot of our week facing some of our phobias.  Poor Hailey got her first bee sting and that pretty much solidified her fear of bees.  Lainey had to face her fear of bouncy houses during a birthday party at Pump It Up (basically a giant warehouse full of inflatable bouncy houses) and during gymnastics camp (they have a caterpillar bouncy house at the end of each day).  And I got to spend some quality one on one time with a huge snake that somehow found his way inside our house while I was home alone with the girls!!! 

 

When we weren't facing our fears or handling snakes, we were just cruising right along through summer.  I hate to say it, but I am counting down the days until summer is over, the girls are both in school/activites (Hailey 5 days and Lainey 3 days a week!) and our new baby girl is in my arms and not in my belly!  This pregnancy has by far been the most difficult.  I'll spare you the lovely details and just say that I think my body has been trying to shake me and say "what the heck are doing to me woman?!"  I can't believe I have spent most of the last 5 years of my life either pregnant or nursing, or recovering from being pregnant and/or nursing.  And I'm about to add another year to that once baby girl gets here!  I still can't bear to close the "baby" chapter of my life yet, but I do think it's safe to say that if we have any more precious bundles of joy, the next one will be spaced out a little more!

 

In an effort to keep the girls entertained and keep me from collapsing from pregnancy exhaustion, the girls have been enjoying lots of new camps and activities.  Hailey finished up Bible School and then started a new camp at a nearby private school.  Lainey enjoyed another week of Mommy/Lainey time and even got to have a playdate with her friend Ella and a new neighborhood friend!  And since I only had one child in the mornings, I even managed to spend time with a friend (and actually have complete conversations!) every morning too! 

 

We also had fun celebrating some summer birthdays! Lainey had a great time at her friend Charlie's icecream truck birthday party and Hailey had a blast bouncing around in bouncy houses at her friend Maddie's birthday party. 

 

This week (and for the next 4 weeks!) the girls are in gymnastics camp.  Lainey was beyond excited to finally be able to partake in all of the fun!  She was jumping, rolling and running all over the place!  And the 9-12 break in the hot August mornings couldn't have come at a better time for this pregnant Mommy!  If baby girl decides to follow in her sisters footsteps, then in a little over 4 weeks, once camp is over, she will make her grand entrance.  Otherwise, the girls start school the following week and I will at least have quiet mornings alone with my new baby bundle:-)

 

So, to recap our week*, we've all been scared straight at least once this week, the girls have been having a great time in summer camp and I'm exhausted and uncomfortable,  but the light at the end of the tunnel is at least visible.

 

*There is another member of our family.  Poor Daddy has been working harder than any person should ever have to work.  It's insane and I can't talk about it.  If you see him, give him a hug and a coffee!

 

 

They are so cute, it's ridiculous!

 

 

Watching our pet chipmunk eat his peanuts that the girls left him on the back porch. 

It's amazing how much fun these two can have with a cardboard box!  It was a rocket ship, a car, a house and a tunnel! 

We've been discussing Halloween costumes at our house.  (yes, I know it's still July, but not only is Fall in Virginia my "happy place" it also means that I will finally NOT be pregnant!!!  You can't blame me for being excited!)  And Hailey wants to be Ariel the Little Mermaid again.  Great!  Saves money right?  Well, not when Lainey wants to be Ariel too!!  They both agree that the baby needs to be Flounder.  Poor thing.   

Give these two some baby wipes, and they will spend the next 15 minutes wiping down the house (or restaurant booth, or doctors office waiting room, or airport seat...)

Watching the "big truck" aka garbage truck. 

Smiles before Hailey's last day of Bible School. 

Giving each other "noozles!"

Lainey soaked up her last day of "mommy and me" time.  She spent most of her week in this position :-)

Taking baby for a walk in mommy's shoes. 

When the cat's away, the mouse will play!  Busted playing in Sissy's room while she was away at Bible School!

 

Smiles with Babu. 

 

It's no secret that I do not like to get dirty.  No mud, dirt, bugs or frogs for the Mama.  That's what makes Gigi and Babu's house even more special.  The girls love to get down and dirty in the woods and I love that I don't have to do it with them!!  Hailey's favorite thing to do is hunt for (and then manhandle!) frogs! 

Lulu just loves the attention and the fact that she can go buck wild there!

Hailey and her froggy named...wait for it..."Holly."  Yes.  Every time she catches a frog, she names it Holly.  Even when she catches two, they are both named Holly.  Lovely. 

Lainey, decorating the garage with chalk doodles. 

It's been pretty darn hot here lately.  In an effort to keep the girls cool, we made a makeshift water table out of a cooler.  Rather than calmly splashing in the water with her toys, fully clothed, Lulu decided strip down and climb into the cooler. She impressively wedged her chubby little body inside the cooler, or her "pool" as she would call it and had a blast!

 

Hailey opted for some fun with the hose for her water play. 

She had fun watering Gigi's grass and flowers...



...but I think she liked "watering" Babu the best!!

The girls had a great time at Charlie's 2nd birthday party this week.  He had an icecream truck there and you better believe we took advantage of it!  We all made at least 2 trips!

Lulu had fun visiting with the other babies at the party. 

We missed the memo on the invite that said to bring our bathing suits...so as any lady would do, we stripped down to our undies in the middle of the party and hopped in the pool anyways! 

Birthday cake tasted much better after a refreshing skinny dip!

Pretty girls before Sunday school. 

 

Hailey was excited to go to "Big Girl Church."  She sat through the first half of church with Mommy and Daddy, and then got to walk her offering up to the front of the church all by herself before heading to her Sunday school class.

 

Lulu, after Sunday school with a half eaten cake pop, daddy's hat and a clothespin baby Jesus. 

Crazy girls. 

Buggy, rosy cheeked after her first day at Collegiate Camp.   

Resting in their cubbies. 

Lainey loved another week of "only child" time with Mommy!

 

She even got to ride her own scooter around the house without her big sister trying to take it away!

 

Look who we ran into at Starbucks on our way to a playdate with Lainey's best friend Ella?!!  Daddy!  What a fun surprise!

 

Lainey and I had some friends over for coffee while the big kids were at camp.  Lulu loved helping Mommy bake banana bread and cinnamon coffee cake for our friends!

She loved mashing the bananas!

Reading her favorite book, 8 Silly Monkeys, while going potty. 

 

Hailey had a great time during her camp at Collegiate School.  Each day, when Lainey and I came to pick up Hailey, they would run to each other and give each other big hugs.  Then Hailey would have to show all of her teachers and friends her "baby sister Wainey."

 

Dance party after camp. 

I don't think either one of them needed the sugar cookies they were eating at the time. 

Evening porch sittin' with popsicles. 

Coloring on the steps before bedtime. 

Poor Hailey got her first bee sting this week.  Damn thing interrupted our sweet backyard picnic lunch by stinging my Hailey Grace on her lip!!  Now she's too afraid to play outside!  Grrr. 

Bike riding in front of our house with Gigi and Babu. 

Lulu, looking bad to the bone on Sissy's princess bike. 

Heading across the street to the playground!

The girls love their great big "princess bathtub" at our new house! 

 

Sweaty girls after a walk to our church playground to meet some friends!

 

Another day, another stroller ride to the church playground!

Tiny train conductors. 

Lulu, playing on Noah's ark. 

 

 

Playground pals. 

Dinner and of course ice cream cones at Jason's Deli with Mommy and Daddy. 

 

The girls after their first day of gymnastics camp.  Bug, with a big yawn and her babydoll in her belly under her shirt, was exhausted and Lulu was amped up!!!  She was so excited about having her very own "gnaka" time and getting to play on all of the gym equipment too!  She wouldn't stop talking about it on the ride home. 

 

Instead of beating the heat at the pool...again...we decided to spend the morning painting pottery.  Hailey painted a mermaid (appropriately, the mermaid looked just like Ariel) and Lainey painted a monkey (she loves the book, 8 silly Monkeys, jumping on the bed). 

 

 

These two sure do love to dress up. 

Ahhh...terrible two's.  I thought you were just a myth.  Hailey's 2nd year was easy breezy compared to Lainey's.  This little nugget is the queen of tantrums!  Here she is, spending a little time on the time out steps.   

Even though we were almost an hour late to Maddie's birthday party at Pump It Up because Mommy was dealing with a SNAKE inside our house, the girls still made it in time for cake.  And really, that's the most important part!  Plus, Lainey is still scared of bouncy houses.  Every time she saw the invitation on our fridge, she would say, "No bouncy house!  Scared!"  We were only in the bouncy house room for 10 minutes, but you better believe she spent the whole time screaming!



Looks like Maddie's cake passed the cake inspection.  They both asked for seconds!

Smiles after Maddie's birthday party.