Summer has arrived in Florida

Helen looks to the Great Arbitrator (i.e. Mom) when Alex commits the injustice of trying to steal a toy

Ella likes to snuggle up in a basket of laundry

Daddy reading to the girls (and Alex on his way to try to get mommy's camera)

Happy Alex

Helen had a hood on one day and when I put it up, Ella wanted to have her hood up too. Only problem - she did not have a hood on that day. So I pulled her shirt up on her head and she thought it was great.

We are so big now that we can turn our car seats so they are forward facing!

What to do at the park when there are only two baby swings? The girls get to share!

Alex and Helen love to swing

Helen likes playing in the sand too (Ella and Daddy were off exploring)

Our beach stroller - off to the beach!!

Who knew Helen had enough hair for pigtails?

Of course Ella wanted one too but she only had enough hair for one pigtail

Helen looks like a Dr. Suess character

Sometimes there is nothing better than sitting in a laundry basket together

Daddy enjoying a quiet moment to read the paper

Our first 5K

This past Saturday was the River Run - a 15K (9.3 mile) race through Jacksonville that I have done every year since I've lived here. It is a big tradition here. This year, Cecil had to work on the day of the race so I was on my own. Strollers are not allowed in the 15K (not that I could push a triple stroller for 15K anyway) so I could not do it with the kids. But there was a 5K (3.1 miles) that did allow strollers. So we got up early Saturday morning and headed down to the race. The kids did great in the race. They were very happy to see new sights and hang out. I brought sippy cups of water for them so they could hydrate at the water stations too :) The downside of doing the race is that it was impossible to get any pictures of us running. But we must have been quite a sight because we got lots and lots of comments. Most people were saying "You go mom!", "Way to go" "You go girl" or just "Oh my God!" But I heard one person as we walked around before the race say "She's my hero" That really touched me. I know he was saying it in an offhand way, but I don't think anyone has ever called me a hero before. Then I stopped and thought about what we must look like - 3 one year olds in a 4 foot wide stroller with some crazy lady running behind them.

It was actually not too bad running with the stroller. It is pretty big and unweildy and we almost took out a couple of walkers, but we were able to run the whole thing. And it was great having so many people cheer us on as we went along. The kids never fussed or cried - they just sat there and were perfectly content. After our race, we went back to the van to wait while April ran the 15K. Thankfully the kids actually fell asleep for about an hour and got a good nap in. Then it was back up for the Diaper Dash. This was a 25 yard "race" for kids. We were in the 13-18 month race. I gave the kids some snacks to carbo load before the race and hydrated them with water. It was hilarious. Again, the problem with doing this without your husband is that you cannot get any good pictures. April had Ella and I had Helen and Alex. Ella took off pretty quickly and made it to the finish line. Helen was plodding along pretty well but she was holding my hand as was Alex and Alex was not motivated to move. He was too busy staring around at all the other cute little girl racers. Helen and I were dragging him along. But we all finished and the kids got finisher t-shirts and medals. The picture above is of me with the kids after the race with their medals on.

Ella is ready to walk around and show off her medal

Everyone goes in different directions and it is hard to keep up

I'm trying to keep Helen and Ella close so I don't lose them

Ella and Alex are checking out the race scene

Back home on the back porch, Helen practices her McDonald's moves in her apron

Helen and Alex share toys in the pool

April teaches Ella how to brush off her hands after falling down

Playing in the pool never gets old

We are starting to practice our coloring - but it comes to a quick end when there is more chewing of the crayons than coloring with them

The kids are fascinated watching April wash her truck

Ella likes to press her face up against the screen

For some reason they thought it was hilarious to walk around with boxes on their heads

Alex is a blockhead

15 Months and Walking

Helping Mommy and Daddy fold laundry on their bed on a Sunday morning

Grandma and Ella reading

Alex gets his first hair cut (there was not much there to cut but was getting a little shaggy so we decided a trim was in order). He has no idea what is coming at this point.

He's beginning to think he may not like this - even though he is busy staring at the handsome fellow in the mirror

Just a trim to the curls in the back and we are all done!

Grandma came for a visit and we all took a picture after church on Sunday morning

Helen enjoying the sun and warm day

Ella is ready for the pool to get filled up

Alex and his signature walk with his hands straight up in the air

Helen's signature walk is with her arms tucked in close to her chest

No one has the heart to tell Ella how little she is so she keeps on trying to carry about things that are bigger than she is - and usually succeeds!

Ella figured out how to climb up on the picnic table

The back deck is all done and they love being able to play outside on it

Of course, monkey see, monkey do and now Helen has to try it too

Alex and Mommy at the beach

Helen playing in the sand

While Ella was repulsed by the sand at first, she has come to like it

Helen

Alex has a blast playing at the beach

Everyone loves crawling around and checking everything out