Life and Times

It's been more than 2 months, so I guess its time for a new post! Here's what the Russell family has been up to:

1) We celebrated Emma's 5th birthday this weekend with our very first slumber party - she was allowed to invite 5 friends her age since she's 5. As it got closer, I wondered if I was a little crazy, but it turned out great! The girls had a blast & even all slept through the night. One key I have learned(for those of you considering this option), is to keep things as scheduled as possible :). It cuts down on the general craziness! It is so hard to believe Emma is 5! For some reason 5 sounds so big - maybe also because so many of her friends have started kindergarten and I am realizing I have one more year left with her at home. She is a precious girl & we are thoroughly enjoying her.

2. We also visited Rainforest Cafe for the first time to celebrate Emma's actual birthday - what a fun (if expensive!) place for kids! I love this picture of Addie hugging the frog outside. She leaned against him and said, "I so cute!". I think she actually meant "its" so cute, but we thought she was cute too :).

3. The girls have started at a new pre-school this year, and so far, we are loving it! Emma is in a class for kids who are older, but not old enough for kindergarten & she thinks it is wonderful. We are so blessed that our friend Miss Anita gets to be her teacher. She is learning a lot & I think will be more than ready for kindergarten next year. It's Addie's first year in pre-school, and we have been thankful for how well she has adjusted. She constantly talks about "cool"(school) and how "I take turns!" in class. Obviously, they're working on some things :).

4. Corey, aka The Mighty Hunter, returned from elk hunting in Idaho victorious! He had a great time with his dad & brother & we were all glad he was able to bring home the prize.

5. On a related note, I am up for Wife of the Year after sweetly agreeing to deliver the rotting carcass to our friendly neighborhood taxidermist. I join the ranks of other such notable wives as my friend Becky. Can anyone else relate? My favorite part of the story is that I had to run a few errands before I could make it back to deliver the head and Corey's first concern was, "You have to be really careful - people will steal it out of the back of the truck." My response, "Yes, unless you are at Hobby Lobby at 10 am on a Thursday morning. Those other moms won't be tempted."

6. While Corey was off on his adventure in Idaho, the girls and I joined my parents and my sister Holly and Canon in Destin, FL for a little adventure of our own! My mom came here to fly with me and I must say I can't imagine possibly flying alone with 2 young children. Yikes! But we had a great week at the beach and my girls loved splashing in the ocean, digging up little clams when the waves rolled back and playing in the sand. When asked what her favorite part of the beach was, Emma said, "The hot tub." Nice! One friend asked if we had a fun, relaxing vacation - I said fun, definitely, but relaxing, not a chance! Traveling with 2 small kids is as much or more work as being at home, but a change of scenery is so nice. Plus, I love being with my family & it was such a bonus to get to spend a week with them, especially my 4 month old nephew Canon. You can't fully appreciate it in this photo, but he has the cutest red hair! I love it! I'll post more pictures of the trip when I get them, but these are a few favorites.

7. In other family news, I am 30 weeks along! It's finally seeming like we're nearing the end. This pregnancy has seemed much longer than the other two for some reason. Plus, I think chasing two monkeys around has increased my tiredness. The big news is, we have finally named this child! Her name is Lila Ann Russell. It took a while to find a name we liked as much as the first two so she wouldn't feel like she got the leftovers name-wise! She is moving around like crazy and has somehow figured out how to get so low in my tummy that it feels like she's trying to make an early entrance! It makes me feel better to know we have 10 weeks at the most until we meet her. Now, for the to-do list...