Bruce is double digits!

It's official, Bruce is 10yrs. old! Wow. He is such a great person. I love my baby boy.

Some things about Bruce...

He is so funny! He is always making me laugh. For instance, all of the kids were standing around and a bunch of bees started flying around them. The girls were nervous. Bruce said, "I'm just going to take it like a man and stand here and be awesome."

He likes watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune.

He is getting so tall. All of the sudden he shot up and he's grown out of almost all of his clothes.

He still has a love for learning facts.

More than any of my kids, he really enjoys a day spent at home just hanging out.

He makes friends easily.

His favorite food is ramen noodles, least favorite is lasagna.

He likes to collect things. He collects key chains, pins, and miniature things.

He is an excellent swimmer.

Medieval Times

Bruce chose to go to Medieval Times for his birthday. No one in our family had ever been but we'd all heard about it. So Bruce and I went this past Friday night. My mom, my sister and her family met us there. Bruce said it was way better than he even thought it would be.
He got a few souvenirs before the show. We also got to look at the horses and he opened one present from me...his baby book...10yrs. later. :):)

We sat in the Red Knight section. The Red Knight won the whole tournament! We had a great time.

Claire is officially 5!

I know parents say this all of the time, but I really can not believe that Claire is 5yrs. old! Maybe it's because she's the baby of the family. We love this girl so much. She is such a happy person and she makes every one around her happy too.

Here are some fun facts about Claire:

*Claire sleeps with her pillow about 2ft. down from the headboard because she doesn't want to hit her head.

*Claire usually sleeps on her stomach with her knees curled up underneath her.

*Her favorite phrases right now are, "I've got a great idea!", and "Oh, come on!"

*Claire wants to be a Veterinarian when she grows up.

*She says her favorite animal is a unicorn but she also really loves snakes.

*Her favorite color is black with sparkles.

*She still puts everything in her mouth...bird feathers, shoes, dirt, everything.

*Claire loves gymnastics and soccer.

*She has a special place in her heart for her daddy. She talks about him and wants to hang out with him all of the time.

*She is very loving. She likes to curl up on my lap. Sometimes she'll climb in my bed in the morning and give me a hug and kiss the top of my head.

*Her sense of smell is really good. Seriously, it's crazy.

*She loves food.

*When she wants to watch tv she'll tell me that she either wants to watch cartoons or a cooking show.

4th of July

We celebrated our Independence Day a day early. The 3rd of July was Oceanside's 125th anniversary. My mom, the girls and I went to the celebration they had in the morning. We had some free treats, looked at the booths and listened to the Marine Corp band. I really do love Oceanside. I grew up in Albuquerque, NM but I think I will always consider Oceanside as my home town.

That afternoon we went over to Gregg's house and had lunch. We watched fireworks that night.

On the 4th we made s'mores in the backyard.

Beach Birthday Party!

Claire had her 5th birthday party on Saturday, at the beach. The weather was perfect.

We had so much family there to help us celebrate Claire.

She is such a special girl!!

Claire handed out squirters to all of the kids at the party. All the kids played for hours in the sand, the water, and on the playground. I think it's safe to say that it was the best day of Claire's life. :)

Finally Swimming!

The kids finished their first session of summer swimming lessons. Bruce and Linda get to advance on to the next class. Jane and Claire each have one more skill to pass off in their current class. We've been in the pool every weekday for the last two weeks and to three pool parties. Bruce and Linda are now great swimmers. Jane can swim but is not totally safe in the deep all of the time yet. Claire has gotten so much more comfortable in the water and is swimming short distances.

Claire was in the Sea Horse class.

Jane and Linda were in the same class, the Jellyfish.

 Bruce was in the Sea Star class.