Cancun and Father's Day

Front left to right: Jeremy, Kelly, John, Lauren, Dave

Back Left to right: Tayna, Patrick, Kim, Becky, Phil, Brett, Colleen

Patrick and I got to get away for a week in June and we headed to Cancun with 5 other couples. We stayed at an all-inclusive hotel and just enjoyed the beach, naps and hanging out with friends. We had an ocean view room that was beautiful and so nice to sit on the balcony in the early morning and evenings. Yes, I still woke up at the crack of dawn, but with an afternoon nap, it wasn't so bad. The hotel was not crowded at all (swine flu will do that I guess!), but it was just perfect for us. There were no issues getting lounge chairs and we could get 12 people into any of the restaurants. This is the first time in about 7 years that we have all been able to get away together - the last time was in Vegas for Phil and Becky's wedding! Patrick and I really took the relaxing part to the extreme and did nothing but lay by the ocean or pool, read books, get a massage, occassionaly get into the water, eat and take naps. We took one trip to the flea market which was so hot and full of pushy vendors that we left after an hour and then one trip to Senor Frogs because I think it is required that you go if you are in Cancun! We missed the girls, but they were having such a great time with Grandma and Grandpa Clerkin that they hardly even knew we were gone!

view from our balcony
One of our family's favorite sayings on the ceiling of Senor Frogs

Anna and McKenna managed to sweet talk their way into getting Grandpa into the pool every night they were there and they were even able to get Grandma in a little bit! Grandma Clerkin called in reinforcements one day, so she and Grandma Franz took the girls to the Rainforest Cafe. Much to our surprise, Anna was the one who was a little nervous about the gorillas every time they 'woke up'. Ava thought they were hilarious and laughed every time. The girls got to hang out, play, and go around town, so they thought they were on vacation as well. Uncle Mike and Nicole got Ava a little 'Going to Grandma's' pancho for Christmas, so we put it on her before we took them over there. Anna and McKenna got a big kick out of it, but Ava was running around so much that the only good shot I could get of the words was when it flipped around backwards :)

We got back to town just in time for Father's Day. We headed back over to Grandma and Grandma Clerkin's (because they just couldn't get enough of us!) and celebrated with Great-Grandpa, Grandpa and Daddy. It was a great meal of steaks on the grill and the girls got in the pool again! Happy Father's Day Patrick, the girls are so lucky to have you as their daddy! Thank you Grandpa Clerkin and Jiddo, we love you both so much!

We are now preparing for the big girls to return from San Antonio (Grandma and Grandpa C really did spend a ton of time with them in the month of June - I think Anna and McKenna may have stayed more nights with them than us this month!), my ?? birthday, and 4th of July at the lake. Have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

15 month Check up

Ava had her 15 month check up this morning and she is doing great! :) She is getting more verbal and has several words - mama, dada, bye-bye, purple, milk, more, all done and no. She doesn't use them all correctly - as in most everything is purple, but she says the word perfectly, so I am counting it :) She had to get 4 shots which wasn't great, but she stopped crying by the time we left the dr. office - she got a big bouncy ball, so all was right with the world. Her stats:

21.6 lbs - 30%

31.25 in - 75%

47.5cm - 92%

Comps:
Anna: 18.6 lbs, 29.5 in, 46.75 cm
McKenna: 21 lbs, 30.75 in, 46 cm

Here are a couple pics from my office picnic a few weeks ago

Laughed so hard, I cried...then staples!

The 2 items are not related but this is what I have been doing the last 2 evenings. First, Anna went head first in the coffee table tonight and ended up with 2 staples in her head. She was a little scared, but is doing great now. This picture was taken from the emergency room when they were numbing her scalp. When she got home, you couldn't even tell she had gotten hurt except she was using the puppy dog eyes to get anything she wanted - McKenna is sleeping in Anna's room tonight 'to make sure she is okay'. Aren't sisters the sweetest!

Secondly, I love failblog.org. I think this is one of the funniest sites and I will go take a look everyonce in awhile. I was browsing through it last night and when I read this story I laughed so hard that I did in fact cry. Even thinking about it now makes me chuckle, I hope you enjoy!

Killer Biscuit Wanted for Attempted Murder

(Actual AP Headline)

Lisa Burnett, 23, a resident of San Diego , was visiting her in-laws, and while there went to a nearby supermarket to pick up some groceries. Several people noticed her sitting in her car with the windows rolled up and with her eyes closed, with both hands behind the back of her head. One customer who had been at the store for a while became concerned and walked over to the car. He noticed that Lisa's eyes were now open, and she looked very strange. He asked her if she was okay, and Lisa replied that she'd been shot in the back of the head, and had been holding her brains in for over an hour. The man called the paramedics, who broke into the car because the doors were locked and Lisa refused to remove her hands from her head. When they finally got in , they found that Lisa had a wad of bread dough on the back of her head... A Pillsbury biscuit canister had exploded from the heat, making a loud noise that sounded like a gunshot, and the wad of dough hit her in the back of her head. When she reached back to find out what it was, she felt the dough and thought it was her brains. She initially passed out, but quickly recovered and tried to hold her brains in for over an hour until someone noticed and come to her aid. Lisa is blonde.

Dance Recital

Tonight was the girls' dance recital. We had rehearsal at 9 am and then they had to wait all day until the actual performance. They both did a wonderful job! I love the costumes and they looked so grown up with their hair in buns and a little bit of make-up. They love dancing and being with their friends, so they had just a wonderful day. It was a little crazy for me because the recital was held at my high school auditorium, so I got to take a trip down memory lane since I spent most of my time high school time in the fine arts building!

Anna had 2 performances: ballet 'A Beautiful Morning' and tap 'Good Morning to You'. I didn't any good pictures during her performance in the ballet outfit, these are both tap and the group photo is ballet. McKenna also had 2 performances: tap 'Monkeying Around' and ballet 'A Wishful Heart'. For McKenna, I only got good photos in her ballet outfit!

After the recitals we headed out to dinner which was nice - Ava was just a little tired by that point. This photp was just after nap time where she is a much happier child! Everyone was exhausted when we got home, so it was a quick change into pjs and off to bed. All in all, a great day!

Kindergarten Party!

Today was Anna's last day of school!!! We are officially on summer break (the girls at least) and we have a 1st grader :) Here are a couple of pics - from my phone again - from the party. We are going to the Roughriders baseball game tonight, so I will post again soon. Congratulations Anna, we are so proud of you! McKenna, Ava, Mayu and I all went up to school for the party and then Anna, McKenna and I went to Friday's for lunch and dessert while Ava took a much needed nap. Then it was errands and playing for the rest of the day.