Black Band!!!

Ian took his black band test on Friday and passed!!!!!!!!!! He can now swim in the deep water at the Y!!! Great work Ian!!!

How is our diving form??

So, Gavin told me today that Daddy fixes airplanes and Mommy works at State, fixes students and watches baseball! Ian had his last swim lesson with Trey this morning. He passed all his swim tests and did very well. We signed him up for another round of lessons to continue his progress, so he'll go Monday/Wednesday nights for the month of July. Tomorrow is the last day of Safety Town. There is even a graduation that we'll attend at 4pm!

Mom and my grandparents are driving down for the night and they'll be able to attend this graduation. Ian asked his teacher yesterday if there would be any stairs to get to the graduation because he wants his Grammie to be able to go. Can you believe that??!!! The teacher sent home a note telling us that there are no stairs and to have Ian's great-grandparents attend would be awesome! When I picked Ian up yesterday, he was soooo excited to tell me the news and said, "Pop-pop can come, too!"

After baths tonight and stories, the boys decided to practice their diving. They are sooooo cute!!!! Well, at the same time, they stood on Ian's bed and wanted to dive OFF the bed. UMMM...NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gavin looks at me and says, "Why mom? Why?" Ian just started laughing because he knew better.

Well, I'll post some pictures of the family over the weekend!

More pictures from the weekend...

Baby Luke...Kaia and Ian cuddling...bedtime stories with Grandpop...

Recovering From a Great Weekend

We've had quite a lot of excitement the last few days with my dad here, the Benes Family here and the arrival of the boys' new cousin! I think the boys have caught up on their sleep. Gavin slept for over 3 hours today while I was at work. Wow! Our neighbors who stayed here didn't get to play with him because he just slept and slept!

Ian has swim lessons this week in the morning and then Safety Town camp in the afternoon. He loves both and we'll sign him up for another round of swim lessons. I think we'll take 2 weeks off and then do the morning session for 2 weeks. Next week he does Camp Wiggle Worm with two soccer buddies. It's in the morning Monday-Thursday of next week.

The kids and I met mom's realtor late this afternoon and looked at a few places. Yea, I'm sure you can all picture that! Anyway, the realtor asked Ian how camp was today. Gavin proceeded to tell her that he went to camp as well. LOL Yea, okay...maybe Mommy Camp? At least he didn't tell her Boot Camp! Some of you have witnessed our Boot Camp. The boys love it! If they tell me no, then I tell them to drop down and give me 10 crunches and they do it. It's sooo funny! They march and salute. This all started when they were practicing to march for my dad's retirement ceremony.

No pictures tonight. I'm charging the camera up. I still have to post some pics from the weekend and I will get to that.

That's it for now...let me know if you are liking this blog!

Grandpop is here

We're having quite a weekend! Kent, Jess, Kaia and Luke arrived Thursday night. They left the next morning to drive up to DC for a wedding.

Grandpop took the boys bowling yesterday (no pictures since I was at work) and then last night we went to Frankie's. Grandpop treats us to Frankie's once a year and we always have a great time. Gavin was able to go on the gokart AND the bumper boats! For the first gokart ride, Gavin went with me and Ian went with his Grandpop. Gavin was trying to honk the horn (there was no horn, but thought there was one) to tell me to get going! Ian was telling Grandpop to go faster and faster to pass Gavin and me! They took another gokart ride, but this time Gavin went with Grandpop and Ian went with Cailean.

The bumper boats were exciting to watch. They always get drenched, but this time...Gavin and Ian were pretty dry. Not my dad and Cailean! Gavin tried to take over the controls from his Grandpop!!!

Ian tried the batting cages, but even though the sign said "Baseball: Slow"...it was FAST and scared the living daylights out of Ian! Cailean saved a ball and let Gavin go in at the end because he was NOT liking just watching his brother. The bat was sooo heavy that it took all of his strength to lift it up!

CHECK OUT THIS LINK TO SEE MORE PHOTOS!!! http://picasaweb.google.com/turnbull1220/WeekendWithGrandpop?authkey=RN4Cdqj_Z3c

Welcome to the World Neal Thomas...

Neal Thomas Turner was born this morning at 8:16am in Bennington, VT...weighing in at 8lbs 15.9oz and 19 1/2 inches long!!!

We have a nephew!!

Congratulations to Neal Thomas' parents...Neal and Megan!

Why?

Gavin has really changed lately...talking in sentences...having conversations with you. His new thing is that he asks, "Why?"... you explain...he adds, "Why mom?"...you explain a different way...he says, "Why?"...you explain again...he says, "Oh, oTay" and then goes back to what he was doing. It is soooo funny!

He is following Ian's footsteps with eating! Let's see...yesterday for breakfast Gavin ate a bagel with peanut butter, 2 waffles, apple and half of a peach. Then, he asked for a snack.

Monday events

Ian started his second round of swim lessons this morning. We thought he would have Chad, his swim instructor from last time, but he is not teaching in the mornings anymore since he is coaching. So, Ian has Trey. I was a bit nervous when Ian started the class because Trey told the group, "Swim 25 yards free"...and he wasn't IN the water with the kids. Plus, Ian was the smallest (that is unusual for him) in the class. I walked down to the other end of the pool and told Chad, "Ummm...why did you want him in that class? He is the smallest and he has to swim 25 yards and Trey isn't in the water!!!" So, a minute or two later...Chad went over and introduced himself to Trey, gave Ian a high-five and all was good! Thanks Chad! But, Ian just absolutely amazed me in the water. He kept up with the big kids and did it all! Yay Ian! Ian likes challenges, so we'll see how these lessons go. :) He liked his lesson, so that is good!

It was the second night of VBS and it just flew by. The kids were excited, the volunteers were happy to be there, so the environment was just awesome. For recreation, the kids played a type of shooting hoops game. You know Ian and his sports...he was soaking it all in! Just grinning from ear to ear. He tried new food as part of the Seder, which was a big step for Ian because last year he didn't try anything. In the Marketplace, he made his Mamma (lol) a beee-u-tee-full (I sound like Aunt Sandi!!!) bracelet and he did pottery projects. I think he did some woodworking tonight or maybe it was last night.

I'll post some photos of VBS. I have an awesome tribe! Go THOMAS!

VBS: Thomas Tribe

Ian and I just returned home from opening night of Vacation Bible School at our church! Ian was sooooo excited to find out his tribe. Last year he was in the Philip Tribe and this year...it's the THOMAS Tribe! Ian thought it was cool when I told him that Grandpop's real name is Thomas! I'm his tribe leader and we have 8 boys in the group. :) We have an awesome group! We did our chants going from place to place and they even wanted to pretend to be Thomas the Train! That was fine with me! We all get to wear cool looking robes like what they wore way back then and rather than name tags...we wear bandanas (color coded by tribe) and the kids write their names on the front. They can wear them wherever they want. We usually end up wearing them around our foreheads...including the tribe leaders!! By 7:30am, the kids were pretty tired! VBS lasts every night with Thursday night being the closing night.

Gavin got one-on-one time with his Daddy tonight. He kept asking for Ian while we were gone though. Poor little guy. I'm sure Thursday night Cailean will take Gavin and Grandpop to check out VBS.

Tomorrow morning we start another round of swim lessons. Wish us luck! ;)

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL THE DADS OUT THERE READING THE BLOG!

Our First Overnight Camping Trip...

I know some of you have been waiting for me to blog this experience! haha So, we headed out to Jordan Lake (about 15-20 minutes away) to find a campsite at Crosswinds on Friday late afternoon. We found a great spot...couldn't see the lake, but it was okay. We chose a site where you walk down a few steps to the area. There was no campsite to the right of us, which was nice. Nobody was at the site to the left of us. So, we pitched our tent and got everything ready. It didn't take us long because we had the bare minimum. For dinner we cooked hot dogs over the fire, which Ian and Gavin thought was neat. We had watermelon, carrots and chips to complete our gourment dinner! Oh, toasted marshmallows, too. In this short amount of time, Cailean had at least 3 ticks crawling on him. I, of course, was not impressed. I understand ticks come with the territory, but I have never been near them camping before.
After dinner, we headed over to the boat ramp and fished from the dock. We all caught fish! Ian didn't know what to think when his own mother caught one!!! Of course then I had to tell him that I used to fish all the time with Grandpop and Uncle Muck at the Dog River in Northfield! He didn't know what to say when I told him I baited my own hook, too! Does he think only Cailean could do this? I didn't ask! haha
So, we headed back to the campsite and when Ian got into the truck, he said, "When we get back to the hotel room, I want to cook marshmallows." We chuckled and said, we're camping and not at the Hampton Inn!!!
When we got back to the campsite, we did a tick check and had to take care of that situation. Ticks must like males because I was tick free.
We got into the tent and it took a little bit before the boys would fall asleep. Yea, all four of us in the same tent. It was soooo ridiculously hot that we slept on our sleeping bags. Gavin chose to wake up two or three times crying. I'm surprised the Ranger didn't come over and kick us out! Cody barked a few times at some of the noises, too. I kept waking up thinking I had a tick on me and made Cailean get the flashlight to check. I was like, "Cailean, LOOK. I can feel it. I KNOW there is one right there." Nope, no tick.
When morning arrived, I realized that I should go to chiropractic school in my next life and then open up an office right outside campgrounds! How come nobody has thought of that yet?
We left this morning to get back to Cary. We had a "Meet the Teacher" time for one of Ian's camps he is doing this month.
It was really nice to be outside with no computer, no telephone (although we did have cell phones), no email, no tv, etc.
Other than the tick situation, the boys really enjoyed themselves! I'm sure we'll be doing this again.

Here's a link to the slideshow of pictures from our camping trip: http://picasaweb.google.com/turnbull1220/Camping

At the Spray Park

The boys look forward to the summer season at the Y's pool because that means the spray park is open! Here are a few photos from the Y.

Having Friends Over

Last Tuesday Ian and Gavin had fun playing with their friends, Justin and Connor, for a few hours. Justin and Ian have been in Sunday school and pre-school for the last two years together. Gavin and Connor have been in childcare at the Kirk for the last two years together and will be in the same pre-school class this year. You can see in the photo that the younger boys were trying to play air hockey and the older boys were trying to play pinball. You can play either game on that thing. It's a thing because I really don't know the actual name for it!

Planning...

No new pictures to post tonight! I'll have some good ones this weekend because after I work on Friday, we're going to attempt an overnight camping trip to Jordan Lake. This should be very interesting with the boys and Cody! We'll have to leave a bit early on Saturday because we are going to meet Ian's teachers at an event on Saturday morning for one of his camps this summer. We enrolled him in "Safety Town" offered from the Town of Cary. It's a 1/2 day camp for 5 afternoons taught by teachers, high school students, police staff, firemen, Kiwanis and I can't remember who else. It's for rising kindergarteners and that is what Ian is considered right now.

The next two weeks will be busy! Gavin will be doing fun things at the Y in the Bumble Bee Program while we workout. Ian will enjoy swim lessons and Vacation Bible School at our church kicks off Sunday night for 5 nights. Then, Ian will do Safety Town during the second week of swim lessons.

I'm having a Stampin' Up! workshop at home tomorrow night. Anyone interested in ordering products...let me know! :)

I might not post anything else until we come back from camping. If Megan, Cailean's sister-in-law, is in labor, then I'll definitely find a second to post the news! We're excited to have another niece or our first nephew any day now!!!!

Isn't this picture funny?

I was going through some pictures and came across this one. I took this picture a few months ago. Gavin sporting sunglasses at night and inside. Ian trying to put a serious face on for the photo opportunity! What a ham!

Two Active Boys

What a great day! The boys let me swim laps this morning and they went to childcare for one hour. After, we raced over to a local park to meet up with 5 other moms and over 11 kids from church/pre-school for a playgroup. I cannot believe I forgot my camera! The kids were excited to see each other and they all get along soooooo well. After some time at the park, we came home for lunch and Gavin took a nap. Ian and I cooled off underneath the fan! When Gavin woke up, we were off to Monkey Joe's to meet Leslie, Max and Sam. Monkey Joe's has over six inflatable bouncy things and oh my gosh...what a blast! I went down a few times to teach Gavin how to go up to get to the slide. He got the hang of it and he tried using his head (physically) to help him when he was getting tired! He was soooo proud every single time he got to the top. I could NOT keep up with Ian at all. He was going from one to the other in a matter of seconds. Trying to get a picture of him going down a slide was next to impossible. I kept getting just a picture of a slide! This place has a few workers scattered throughout the room. Kristina bonded with Gavin and helped him a few times on the bigger slides. Max, Sam and Ian kept saying that Gavin has a girlfriend! She would just follow Gavin around and Gavin was grinning from ear to ear. We had dinner there and it was so nice to get together with the Reids. All four boys get along just great! When we got home, the boys were off to another super soaker night with Cailean. This time Cailean had the hose! Just a fun day today!

Cailean's Birthday!

Ian and Gavin woke Cailean up early this morning by singing "Happy Birthday" to him! They had their "Breakfast of Champions" breakfast and then we were at the soccer field by 7:45am for an 8am game. We don't normally like the 8am start for games, but today I didn't mind at all since we knew it was going to hit 100 degrees. The team played great and Ian had quite a few shots on goal. After the game, we gathered under the pavilion and had our awards ceremony. Each Elephant was awarded a trophy. Coach gave Ian the Most Coachable Award because he always listens to his coaches and does exactly what he is told! What a honor to receive that award! The team even gave me a very nice award. I couldn't believe it! I cannot believe the season is over!!!!! These families are just soooooo awesome and help us out soooo much!

In the late afternoon, the 5 of us headed to Bullwinkle's for Cailean's birthday! We had fun with the arcades and then had dinner there. When we arrived back to the house, we had his birthday cake! After, we all went outside to play with the super soakers!!!!!!!!!! What a blast! Ian and Gavin got their Mimi soaked!!!!!!! Gavin kept calling for a timeout! He was sooo funny!

The waterslide experience...

So, Ian and I go to the Y tonight to attempt our first waterslide ride. We get in line...he watches the people going down...tells me to go first. I'm thinking, "Oh great. I'm freaked and I have to act calm!" You lay down on your back with your arms and legs crossed. Those directions were freaking me out. But, I can do this, right?! I told the worker that he just earned his yellow band this morning, so if he doesn't want to go down, then I'll be back up to get him. Well, off I went and I kept yelling to myself, "Oh crap this is fast!!!" Turn after turn after turn and you are cruising. I get to the bottom...fly off the slide into this little pool and was like, "That was unreal!" I look up and don't see Ian. Wow, he went down!!! Well, he finally got to the bottom and when he was at the end of the slide and about to hit the pool... you should have seen his face. White!!! He was scared. The poor kid! He did receive a high five from the lifeguard at the bottom and I'm sure he'll like the slide once he goes down it a few more times. But, for tonight...he went down just once and headed into the big pool only to practice for his black band, so he can swim in the deep end!

THE YELLOW BAND!!!!

Big news in the Turner household...Ian earned the yellow band, which means he is able to go down the water slide at the Y! He had to swim 12 yards without goggles (started practicing this week with no goggles) and tread water for 30 seconds!!!! Hooray for Ian! Next, he wants to work on his black band, so he can swim in the deep end!

Super Soakers

I've been wanting to take a few pictures of the three boys (yeah, Cailean included) with their super soakers outside, but I seem to be the one who ends up without a super soaker. So, why would I want to go out when I could get soaked by three??!!! Last night Ian was supposed to help Cailean water the flowers. Well, I don't know who started it, but the doorbell rang...I answered. Ian was drenched from head to toe and asked me to come out and see this huge bug. Now, c'mon. With Ian grinning from ear to ear and Cailean not in my sight...do ya think I'm going to fall for that trick? Cailean was ready to get me with the super soaker!!! He was hiding behind the trees!!! Gavin didn't join in on the fun last night, but he was part of it two days ago. When he walked, you could here the water in his shoes!!! So, I just might go home from work with the biggest super soakers you can imagine...one for me and one for my mom!!! Dad, you'll be down here this month...be ready!!! ;)

Is it fall yet???

We are having a major heat wave right now and is it rough! It's too hot to even hit the pool and doesn't that sound funny! Let's see...updates on the boys...Ian went through another growth spurt. He is just shy of 48 inches...I'm using inches because he needs to be 48 inches to go down the water slide at the Y! He is still an eating machine and I don't know where it all goes! Gavin's vocabulary has really taken off. Wow! He says he is a big boy now and not a little boy anymore. He loves to tell stories. You might be able to catch a few words of the story, but if you piece them together...you'll understand!
We've got another busy weekend as we finish up soccer and celebrate Cailean's birthday. Ian's last game is at 8am on Saturday followed by an awards gathering with our team at the park. We'll see what Cailean wants to do on his big day!

It's definitely summer!

It's slowly creeping up to the 90's down here. I'm not sure if I'm ready for this heat just yet. However, I certainly do love swimming at the outdoor pool up at the Y! This morning I swam laps and then I took Ian out of childcare and we went swimming to practice what he has learned in swim lessons. Then, we went and picked up Gavin. Since the spraypark is closed right now, I chose to keep Gavin in with his friends at the playground for today.
We had an active day yesterday. We met three other families in the late afternoon at a park and the kids ran around. We had dinner there and then headed over to soccer practice (the playgroup happened to be meeting at the same place as soccer...convenient for us!). It was our last soccer practice of the season. Time sure does fly by. At then end of practice we played a scrimmage between the Elephants and the parents! They always love doing that. It didn't take long for the boys to fall asleep after they showered.
No pictures right now...I'll do that later. Enjoy the day!

It's fun to blog!

I'm thinking that maybe this blogging will help keep everything in order as I scrapbook! All these little stories and memories. I'm trying to catch up with the scrapbooking right now.

Last night we were at Nick's birthday party and Cailean was able to take Ian on a go-kart. He has been on go-karts before, but after watching this time...he will NOT be allowed to go for his license. NO WAY! He loved to go fast and was telling Cailean, "Faster Dad. Faster." Ian was loving it! You can see that for yourself just by looking at the picture I uploaded! Gavin was a bit too short to go as a passenger (I'm assuming!), so he watched with me. Gavin had a ball at the party as well...playing mini golf and arcade games!

The other picture was taken today when we got home from church and Sunday School. The boys always have a good time in Sunday School with their friends. Gavin plays with Elliot and Connor in childcare. Ian's class averages 15 kids in it and they are a close group!