Happy Birthday, Andy!

Happy Birthday to Andy!!!!!
Guess what? If my memory serves me correct, he was due to be born on the 4th of July....hmmmm...that explains the "one vice in life" (Andy's comments)
aka: fireworks obsession!

What can we say about Andy? Of course he is loving and kind, but he is also hilarious....
(see photo below....)

He brings joy to our lives, pours into our girls and Colin's hearts, loves all of us unconditionally and all around, is a super guy! We love you, Andy!

Below is a little collage of his gifts from tonight. (Recent visitors will be happy to know that he also received a genuine Hawkeye bottle opener!) Ava gave him a Rich Mullins CD. Jayna gave him a bird book (after all, we might as well learn the names of what is swarming our house!). Ellie got him a stop watch (Yes! No more little watch timing at swimming meets!).
Colin got him "joy" tonight--in saying "cake" and helping unwrap the gifts...it was precious.
The MN rellies got him a light to clip onto a baseball cap and a new Hawkeye cap...after all, if he's going to do yard work in the dark, he may as well see what he is doing!
And I got him this nifty "thing" to put his iphone into when he is out and about
doing yard work etc. It is way cool.
(Now watch KC upgrade the phone and the new model will need a new "thing"!)

As you can see, the cake is flanked by "round 1" of Andy's firework shopping. I'm a little concerned what round 2 will bring, as is Ellie: "Dad, I was kind of scared last year!"
I had to be the 'cake fairy' this time....and while it is not fancy, the cake was very tall (3 layers) and full of yummy yum yum.
The theme of tonight's party? Fireworks, of course! And the celebrating will continue this weekend when Andy is truely in his element!

PS....and if you are wondering about his shirt....we determined that as he ages, it's hard to remember what your name is (Andy) and what order child you were (1)! All kidding aside, the shirt was really a gift a few years ago when all of the Glynns were at a reunion. Andy's mom had the shirts made for # child and # of grandchildren. Andy is #1 child and I (Katie) am # 1 1/2! It was really cute.

SURPRISE!

How's that for a family picture? (Actually, it was an impromptu picture taken yesterday afternoon--when we were all dressed up, none of us remembered that it was important to document the rarity of everyone being in 1 place!)

This weekend, we were in IL for Andy's Dad's Surprise 60th Birthday Party. EVERYONE was there....that would be 2 parents, 6 children, 3 "in-law" children and 9 grandchildren!

It was a fun, quick trip. Andy's Dad, Jim, was surprised....and one of the best parts (for me!) was the surprise of 1) Ben walking out of the church kitchen to Andy's Dad and 2) The Whipple family then walking out of the church kitchen to Andy's Dad...they came all the way from Colorado! We didn't capture all the photos WE wanted, but here are a few fun ones:

1) Sam and Ellie--the oldest cousins. 2) Ava and Abby--the youngest girls. 3) Molly's 3 boys--we rarely get to see them; it is fun for the girls to get to know them better!1) Scott (Rachel's husband), Ben and Andy. 2) Jimmy and girlfriend Brett. 3) Jayna and Ben "hogging" Colin.



1) Jayna trying to trap Colin--he loved running on the stage! 2) Andy's words on aging... 3) Aunt Faye sharing her wisdom about Andy's Dad.1) Long time family friend Ray speaking about Jim. 2) YUMMY edible fruit bouquet and Jim. 3) Colin....still playing on the stage at the church!


The next day (Sunday), we were so sad to wake up to black skies and pouring rain. The children accepted the fact that there would be NO swimming at Grandma's house. Bummer. However, the weather totally cleared up....and as you can see, there was much swimming.

Andy's Mom ended up getting a little baby pool for Colin--he had been struggling with a little tummy bug and we were very concerned that putting him in the "big" pool might be a bad idea diaper-wise. He loved playing in the "little" pool....as did many of the big kids, as you can see below!

As mentioned, Colin was not feeling 100% great and I was not prepared...not only did we go through all the diapers in 4 hours that I had brought for 2 days, but we had ruined most of Colin's clothes too....and I had to go shopping for some necessities. Hmmmm.....when you are from WI and visiting IL, you just HAVE to get some Chicago Cubs attire! Colin thought it was pretty cool that Andy had a matching design on his shirt....
Above: The Cubs Fans (no, Andy did not spill on his shirt--he had just helped remove the pool cover outside!) and then the "little" children who were not allowed out by the pool until it was ready!


Those of you who know Uncle Ben know that he is nuts about kids. He was on cloud nine when Colin happily took to him and didn't require his usual warming up time. As you can see, Uncle Ben is also very strong...and loved by everyone! We miss Ben!


And then.....after a long day (weekend!), when your mom MAKES you stop swimming....all you can do is cry cry cry and ask to watch the Wiggles. Uncle Jimmy happily stopped doing what he was doing and found the Wiggles on TV for Colin...and within minutes, this is what happened:

What a fun weekend with everyone!

Summer So Far!

How's the above picture for the official start of summer?!

We have dear friends who own a cabin on a (usually) quiet lake. They invited us up Memorial Day Weekend and since Andy was tied to his deck staining project (remember, it was raining every other day, it seemed?!), we went for just 1 day of the 3 day weekend. As you can see, it was an absolutely beautiful day. The children swam...well, 3 of the Glynn children swam; Colin wanted NOTHING to do with it. He happily played on their little beach in the sand all day! We had wonderful fellowship with our friends (all 8 children played so nicely together!), Ellie got her "dog fix" with their new little puppy, and Ava and Hannah had a blast together (lower right photo, above). We went out on our friends' boat and it was just priceless, to see the children get so excited to tube and ride in the boat. A super-duper fun time was had by ALL.

We then came home to the deck staining and 1 more week of school....

Then, on the last day of school, our "far away friends", the Lynchs, came to visit us for a long weekend! Karen and I try to see each other yearly, but the last time we saw their entire family with our entire family was when Ava was just 1 year old!

We were watching the rainy weather and determined that Saturday was the day to go to Bay Beach....what a fun day we had, despite getting rained on!

We started off on the merry go round...

and then enjoyed all of the little kiddie rides...some of them, we enjoyed numerous times! The brave adults (Katie and Jim!) went on the Scrambler with the "brave" kiddos....it was a wonderful day! Colin has never gotten "in" to Bay Beach, and this was HIS year. He loved all of the rides--there was no napping in the stroller for him this year!
Here are some more photos from the day:

Upper left: Karen, Jim and Katie getting rained on at Bay Beach--
cheese-ball matching umbrellas!

Lower middle: Andy and 4 of the 6 children holding hands walking to the giant slide.

Bottom right: Nolan and Ava holding hands--they are like 2 peas in a pod and seeing their little good-byes the last 2 years that we've had visits is almost heartbreaking!

The rest of the photos in this collage just "happened" when we were showing our friends Lambeau Field. They wanted to see it, so we happened upon the stadium....

where there was a huge tent sale. Andy bought Ellie a jerzey at this huge sale and suddenly, guess who is spotted? Bryan Bulaga...who was drafted by the Green Bay Packers, a former Hawkeye. You all can imagine how Andy dropped everything and ran when Jim said to him "Hey Andy, Bryan Bulaga is in the parking lot!" As you can see, Ellie and Andy got their picture taken with him and Ellie's jerzey now has a former Hawkeye turned Packer's signature. Very cool....even for a non-football person like myself.

And finally, the last day of the visit. It's amazing that it is 2010 and there are now 6 kiddos between Karen and I....we have fond memories of the University of Iowa, of Karen and Jim visiting us in Utah, us visiting them when they lived in Oregon. Fun times with far away friends...and the goodbyes are not so fun. Until next time, dear friends....

And what would June be without strawberry picking?
When I found out that the farms were open, I immediately contacted my super sitter....and yes, she'd babysit that Friday at 7:30am. Thursday, it started raining and the weather did not look good for Friday. Andy convinced me to go no matter what...and even bought me a poncho to wear if I got rained on!

At 545am Friday morning, Colin woke up crying. As I rocked him, my heart grew heavy, listening to the rain and thunder. I LOVE STRAWBERRY PICKING SO MUCH....but in the rain?!?!?! Yet, at 645am, I backed out of my garage just praying to God about the weather. As I turned out of my neighborhood, the rain turned to sprinkling and I wasn't even using my wipers as I got to the farm...but they were closed! DARN IT! I drove around for a little while and then stopped at the "closed" farm to just ask them WHEN they might open. They let me pick...as long as I stopped when I heard thunder. For 1.5 hours, I was the ONLY one in this huge farm, picking the most yummy and beautiful strawberries. It was heavenly (to me!). I would even hear rain sprinkling on the leaves around me, but I was completely dry (without poncho, even!). It was a gift from God...it was just wonderful.

The next day, I took all 4 children and it was fabulous. Colin just kept saying "More...me...more...me...more...me" and Ava supplied his strawberry habit. Jayna helped me pick for our family and Ellie picked a small flat for our old neighbor "Granny". We had a grand time.

We've enjoyed eating the berries...eating pie...and making jam this year:

And this summer, we also entered the world of orthodontia.
Anyone remember Jayna as an infant? If you don't, you probably didn't get to experience the nonstop screaming. When she started sucking (hard) her thumb, it was a little glimmer of heaven...it calmed her down. However, she's continued that calming habit and now we had to make a choice: install a habit breaking appliance followed by round #1 of braces or prepare to have her jaw broken when she's a teenager. YIKES. We opted for the appliance. If you click on the above photo, you might be able to see it in the photos of her in a sleeveless shirt. It's not bothering her much...other than the struggle to fall asleep at night that she's still struggling with....but this too shall pass right?


We have also been to 2 summer swimming meets for Ellie.
They have been: 1) Very fun 2) Very hot 3) Very long (note the lower right photo below--sunset captured on the way home from the last meet....the meets have lasted long into the evening, with her swimming most of her events after her usual bedtime!) It has been fun, though, to see Ellie improve, to see her as part of the team, and to see her cheer on other swimmers--it's really neat.
And finally, we just finished Father's Day Weekend--Yay Andy!!!!
He chose a day trip to Door County....to the beach. We went on Saturday, to try to avoid being rained out....and the water was VERY cold. However, if you know the Glynn Girls, you know that does not stop them from playing in it! A good time was had by EVERYONE, it was very relaxing and very fun.
And then ON Father's Day, Andy opened his gifts, we hung out at home, and ended the day with a trip to Neenah's newest ice cream shop "A Cherry On Top". (It is especially fun for us as they have an item that has NO dairy in it, so Ellie can even enjoy a treat there!)
Andy received painted creations from the girls, a tee shirt with the childrens' photo on the back, and then he was supposed to receive a photo sculpture of the 4 children. When I opened the box that it came in, I discovered a strange lady and little boy! Our order had been mixed up with someone else's! But we wrapped the strangers up anyway, and had a good chuckle about it! (Top left photo)

And that. is. it. For now. Our road-tripping begins soon, so stay tuned for more updates....

Wiggles-obsession

Ellie watched the Wiggles as a toddler....none of the other children have really ever seen these crazy dancing creatures. In fact, it was just a couple of weeks ago that Ava looked at me and said "MOM! I think the Wiggles are REAL PEOPLE!"

A couple of months ago, I had seen every Sesame episode that is "on demand" and decided to shake things up a bit with the Wiggles. That little choice was like a volcano erupting....COLIN is obsessed and the 3 girls are enjoying this new love of Colin's as well. The above picture shows Colin intently watching the episode and Ellie copying the moves. Colin wakes up and is doing his "Wiggle dance"....he does the Wiggle dance throughout the day...and our beloved babysitter told me "He did the Wiggle dance nonstop for me!" when she watched the children all day last month!

Here is a little video of Colin's dance....he usually shuts down when he sees the camera, so it is just a small example of what we endure frequently throughout the day!

The last days of school....

The year is over, it went by way too fast....and next year, 3 girls will be in "real" school. There was some sadness at our home for many reasons over the last month--happy and sad mixed together. Is that called "sappy"?! ☺

Above, you will see the girls as we celebrated all being done, having lunch at Fuddruckers last week. Ava is doing "zero" for kindergarten, Ellie will go to 4th grade and Jayna to 2nd. I will keep Colin by my side forever.....just call me "sappy".

Ava graduated preschool just before Colin's birthday in May. Below, a collage of her last celebration....the upper left photo captures Ava to a "T"...little bitten lip and all!
As you will see, Colin has a graduation cap too...Ava made hers in class and came home saying "I have to make COLIN one too! He was very happy to wear it all day...until he accidentally sat on it and then it was ruined!

Of course, we have cute video to watch if you have time:
Jesus Loves Me by the preschoolers is here.
If I Were A Butterfly part 1 and part 2.
Hip Hop Happy Day can be found here. (Very entertaining little song, along with Ava losing her hat!)

We (Ava) are (is) ready for next year....but she is kind of the baby of the family, so we'll see how we fare next August....

And then the big girls had their Learning Celebration last Friday....and what a special event it was. We've been to a few celebrations now, but this one was spectacular....from the opening song of "Amazing Love" (found here) to the middle school teacher's tearful farewell that was so touching to EVERYONE....it was wonderful and very emotional! God has been great, God will be great again....what a wonderful year it has been...despite trials, we have all grown!

These photos speak for themselves...the girls with their wonderful teachers, and snapshots of them during the celebration. We can always count on Jayna for some good expressions...and she was so nervous about the celebration--she missed the last 2 days of school with a high fever...but she was beaming on Friday morning, with her 1st grade class!
The children also received their "Christ-like Characteristic" from their teachers--what was observed throughout the year with their character....Jayna received "Initiative" and Ellie received "Diligence"....both were very fitting, from what their teachers had shared with us at conferences this year. Great job, girls!

The kids also ended the chapel with "Tell The World", a song that has been sung many times to parents etc this year....and I don't think we can get enough of these precious little people sharing about going out and TELLING THE WORLD about Jesus!

Happy Summer!!!!