Watch Out! She's Riding on 2 Wheels!

My sister told Morgan she would help her learn to ride her bike on 2 wheels the weekend we were back home for Father's Day. Ashley was just about finished loading her car to leave when Morgan reminded her of her promise. My mom quickly got the training wheels off and they headed out to Ashley's basketball court. Let me just say that I had been avoiding this task as I just assumed this would be 1 more way for Crash to hurt herself. Surprisingly, she figured out how to ride in probably less than 5 minutes! It did take her a little more time to figure out how to use the brakes instead of her feet though!

I don't know if there is any volume in these videos or not. If not, let me give you an idea of what is going on in the background. Shelby has a little bit of a jealousy problem when Morgan receives too much attention. So while she is shooting baskets, she is feeling sorry for herself. If you can hear my mom who was standing behind me she is telling Shelby to "just go eat worms" after she said, "no body likes me". It was pretty funny.

a little blurry but she looks like she's having fun!

After Ashley left, my mom and I took the girls into town to ride bikes on the trail. This way she could ride on a straight path instead of in circles around the court. It didn't take long and she was going as fast as she did when she had 4 wheels! As fast as she can go....

The days we were there, it had rained overnight. The trail had some mud puddles along the way. There was one that Morgan did not successfully make it through.

she wasn't hurt but mad that she got her new shirt full of mud

Morgan wouldn't look up for a picture with her bike

big sis didn't have a problem rubbing it in

found some water to clean up a bit

finally able to smile about it

I will say I was impressed that she had it down so quickly. But if you watch her ride, you will understand my concern. She rides a bike just like she walks - heading one direction and looking in the other!

Another Tooth is Out!

Shelby pulled out her 2nd tooth after a trip down the slip-n-slide. Even though her new tooth is coming through from her 1st tooth, you can see she can still get the tongue through the hole!

Misc Summer Happenings

In my previous post of our trip to the north, I forgot to include our visit to the swimming pool. It seems like each time we are up there in the summer, they want to go swimming but we always run out of time. We got there, but it wasn't exactly the warmest evening so we only stayed about 1 hour. Shelby was in the big pool so my pictures of her are pretty blurry since I was taking them through the fence. Morgan had the entire little pool to herself.




For all who know Morgan, her baby doll goes with her just about everywhere. She forgot her bed (baby doll does have a pack-n-play) so Nonny fixed her up with the roasting pan. Just the right size!
Speaking of beds, I forgot to include this in Morgan's birthday party posting. She received this little dog that walks & barks. She made him a bed in her room out of this box. Blankets were borrowed from her baby beds.

And final news. Shelby had outgrown her bike so she got a new set of wheels. She wants to get a basket for it but we just haven't found the right one yet. She tested out several before my eye caught this one. I was surprised she liked it with all the pink but it does have a good balance with black. She is loving it!

Summer Fun with Cousins

Father's Day weekend I took the girls to my parents' house in WI for a little fun with the family. Summer fun at Papa & Nonny Moe's always includes the slip-n-slide. And what makes a slip-n-slide even more fun? Going down hill! Fortunately, unlike here in flat Illinois, you can find hills in backyards in WI. And there really isn't a better way to tell a story about slip-n-sliding, than through a bunch of pictures. So here you go, and enjoy!

the slidin' crew

Micah, Noah, Morgan & Shelby

(Caleb said, no thank you to the picture)

Morgan

Micah

Micah & Caleb racing

Shelby

Shelby spittin out some consumed water

I loved this expression

Shelby with Aunt Ashley

just can't get the kid out of some

(day later bruises indicate some bodies are no longer child like)

everyone loves to ride on her back although they are getting too big

the bigger kids really slow down the ride!

a little elbow to the neck always feels good

can't ya tell? just look at Ashley's expression!

here is a little comparison of the kids from last summer with the present

I don't have many pictures of Noah since the boys had been playing for quite awhile before the girls and I arrived. By that time the water was getting pretty cold and he'd had enough.

and finally a little video clip

Play Ball!

Shelby had her first pre-softball game on Saturday. For anyone wondering, pre-softball is when your coach pitches the ball to the batters. She seems to be enjoying it and her team is the Reds. She was the first batter of the game and hit the ball on the 2nd or 3rd pitch. She made it around the bases without getting out so unofficially scored the first run. They don't keep score so that is why I say "unofficially".

ready to play

pre-game

first at-bat

run girl run!

on deck

playing the field

good game by both teams

Go Reds!

Back Date

If you read the blog but don't receive a notice in your email, I back dated a post for the girls' birthday party to May 21st. Check that post out to read about birthday fun!

Personality Pictures

These pictures of the girls are my favorite right now as I think they truly portray each of their personalities at the present time. I won't say anymore and just let the pics speak for themselves.

The Annual Comparison

It's time for the annual comparison of pictures to see if Morgan still looks like me at the same age. I had a hard time finding a great picture of her as she is kind of in the stage of not smiling her best at photo ops. I think maybe she doesn't look as much like me as she used to. In the past, some have thought old pictures of me are Morgan. At school, so many people tell her she has to be Shelby's sister because she looks just like her. However, for the most part, Shelby looks like Nate did when he was little. Who knows? Maybe Shelby's look is changing a little too and in the end they both will just be a nice mix of us both!

I Have a 1st Grade Graduate!

Shelby's last day of school was on Friday. They had to go for a worthless 1 hour. My calculation was 1/2 of her class didn't even show up. She had a lot of fun in first grade and loved Miss Hoelscher. She learned a lot and continue her excellent pace on reading that she started in Kindergarten. I think she ended up reading at about a 3rd grade level. She also did great on her weekly spelling tests, only missing 1 word all year. Although, I've wondered all year if those words were challenging enough. She only received 1 serious face on her behavior calendar that came home every day, otherwise she had a :). She made the poor choice to agree to pass a note for her friend or not so great friend Lilli. She was not happy and hopefully learned a lesson. Overall Shelby had a good experience and a successful year in 1st grade!

Here is Shelby's comparison of her first day and last day. Like Morgan's it is kind of hard to tell but what it looks like to me is her face and belly both slimmed down.

Shelby & Mya

Shelby, Quentin, Ian, Evan & Hiroki

Emily & Shelby

last time heading in with Miss Hoelscher

Shelby & Miss Hoelscher

soon to be Mrs. West when she gets married next weekend!

Shelby had a play date with Quentin after school. Morgan & I hung out too. We met at Subway for lunch and then we all cooled off at the McGraw sprinkler park. This summer our goal is to work on the math packet I ordered from the school and practice cursive writing from a book I bought from Sam's Club. And of course, keep reading. Hopefully by August she will be as ready as can be for 2nd grade. Holy Cow!