Thirteen???

Welcome to your TEENS, darling girl. Or should I say "young lady"? Because you are well and truly on your way.

We may not always agree or even share the same universe, but you will always be my special kid. When you were born, so was a Mommy. (Not to forget the Daddy, too!) Your arrival created a family from a couple. And we liked you so much,we decided to have more. So, really...this whole 5 kids thing is YOUR doing. Hee hee hee.
Some cool stuff about you:

• You are a TERRIFIC big sister. Especially when you think no one is watching.
• You have a weird but wonderful sense of humor. Came out early on and has just gotten weirder.
• You are SOLID in your faith and down to earth. We like that you know who you are and don't mind being her.
• You are a fabulous lacrosse player. You've taken to the sport like a duck to water.
• You have the power to use your intellect for good...and, so far, you seem to plan to do so!
• You are a good friend and listener to your friends. (not always to US, but...)
• You have been an adventure from the very beginning...starting with the day of your birth when we were trapped in the delivery room alone.

This year's festivities included cheesecake with all kinds of fruity toppings. And in a couple of weeks, a joint party with Miss Allison, featuring Sunday Obsession!

We are very proud of you...and can't wait to see where God takes you!

A Ben-bit

So...my pumpkin Ben has a unique turn of phrase and uses some pretty *dated* vocabulary. Think: actually, cool, awesome, way fun.

Mrs. Tina was talking with him the other day and made the comment "Ben, you were born in the 80's!"

To which he replied, "No! I was born in APRIL, silly!"

Gotta love the little booger!

Happy Birthday, America!

We had a fabulous--but rainy--4th of July. Spent the day at a local park that is handicap accessible (at the suggestion of Patrick's helper-friend, Ashley, who joined us!) and enjoyed a lovely picnic. Played a game of girls vs. boys tag on the play equipment and headed home for nap. Ashley took a family picture for us--not pretty, but hey, it's the whole gang!

It rained (read--torrential downpour) during our planned BBQ time, so we settled for pizza and a Buster Keaton movie. (NOT a hit with the kids, despite the physical humor and silly antics) Didn't want to risk setting out in the storm, so we opted to stay in with our own sparklers and mini-works. By then, the rain had washed away the icky muggy July-ishness and the night air was soft, if a little damp. One of our neighbors had an incredible fireworks display to rival almost any municipal setup, so we timed our celebrations to counter theirs and had a lot of fun kicking back and talking American history with the beasties.

Happy birthday to the very best country in the world...from a family that's proud to be American!

GREAT at Eight!

Middle child Matthew turned 8 in June. (Yes, lots of celebrating in June!!) He set his sights on things courtly and requested a castle and knight playset...he was not disappointed. ;-) And then scored BIG with a gift card to Borders from Gramma & Gramps. We enjoyed a lovely cookies & cream ice cream cake (from Baskin-Robbins, of course!) and lunch at a local Mexican restaurant. (Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, that's for certain!)

What you might not know about Matt:

• His family color is green, but his favorite color is blue.


• He is a VORACIOUS reader! (he's my bookstore buddy)


• He is very friendly and loves to chat with ANYone.


• He can beat 2 out of 3 babysitters at Scrabble.


• He LOVES school!!


• He is sneaky when in stealth mode...and often surprises us with the places he ends up!

He is fabulous, wonderful and GREAT at 8!! Can't wait to see what surprises are in store for us this year, kiddo!

No More Baby Zoo Crewers

Yes, we've broken the baby-toddler barrier. The youngest of the Zoo Crew turned 4 in June, officially becoming a "pre-schooler" according to big brother Matthew. Happy Birthday, Abba Zabba! She had a chocolate "funny cake" with pink frosting. And her girly-girl dreams came true when she opened a package of ballerina gear from Gramma & Gramps!
Some factoids about our baby girl:

• She has a strange accent that we can't figure out...somewhere between Jamaica & New Jersey!
• She loves pink. Anything pink.
  She is opinionated and strong-willed. (Matthew says "hard-headed")
• She is a our resident drink thief...she's drink anything if it's in reach. (ask Big Sister for details!)
• She's my girly-girl!! and likes to have her nails & hair done, too! (Note the pretty nails for her birthday...thanks, Shasta!)
• She prefers the floor to her bed, so long as she's got her sparkly pink blanket.
• She will try ANY food! (and likes most of 'em!)

We can't wait to see what new and interesting things you find to share with us this year.