Forty squared equals TROUBLE

Derek had his fourth birthday. He also had his four year check up. He is 40 inches tall and just shy of 40 lbs. The doctor told him he has more muscle than most four years old he sees and he is a very healthy boy. I thought he was skinny like his sisters. The doctor told me that four is a really fun age for boys. We will have to see if it is as fun as when he was two.

Derek wanted cupcakes for his birthday. I was more than happy to oblige. I have never been able to cut a cake even.

He looks a little worried in this picture. "I sure hope it isn't clothes again." "Okay I can handle these kinds of clothes." He also got the bumble bee transformer. I have never see anything as cute as when Ryan pulled out his old transformers and they played together. Even the girls got involved. I obviously missed a good kodak moment. Spiderman is a fan of tranformers. I love this ready to pounce pose. I was not expecting he would get into character so well.

Sports are fun

We have been busy lately and I actually prefer it that way. I am happy that my kids have something they enjoy doing that will keep them active. Derek was able to do itty bitty football and he loved it. It was so cute to be in a room with a hundred little boys all 3-4 years old. Derek constantly had a smile on his face. Derek throw and kicks as a lefty. I was not fully aware that he was left handed until he started playing and his coach noticed he preferred his left over his right. He eats with his right hand but as a baby he would switch back and forth. He has been trying to learn how to right his name and maybe with this new knowledge it will become easier for him. Charlie loves dance. Her teacher has told me that even though she is one of the youngest in her group she is one of the leaders. Charlie tells me over and over that she is never going to quit dance. She has already mastered the splits. I have no idea where she gets here flexibility from, we probably have to credit her Grandma for that. Jenna was able to start volleyball this year and with her big sisters help, and some unknown natural talent, she has really done well. She rarely misses on her serves and has helped the team by returning the other teams serve several times. Her team has won the majority of their games. My pictures didn't turn out so great but, hopefully you get the idea. This is Irelee's third year of volleyball. Last year Irelee got her serve over the net twice in the whole season. This year she has averaged two serves each time she is up. Her coach was great both Ryan and I have been very impressed with him. Irelee's skills and confidence were both improved at least a hundred percent. Irelee also helps her team score on the other teams serves. She has improved her game ten fold and it has been a joy to watch her whether her team wins or loses but their wins have been more common. We are winding down on all of the activities now but it has been fun. I am excited to see what next year brings but it will be nice to have a small break especially with all of the holidays coming up.

Just the beginning

August 25th was a busy day for us. My girls started school. They were so excited that they ran out the door before I could grab my camera. One of my wonderful neighbors took this picture for me. This is after school. Charlie was so excited to tell me all about her first day of first grade. Irelee and Jenna weren't quite as excited as Charlie. This also happened to be Irelee's birthday. Between school starting, cake cutting, and the first volleyball practice Irelee was busy and wasn't sure what she was looking forward to the most. So my little girl is now eleven and in a year or two will be the tallest female in both families. I am excited to watch her grow and learn but I wish it wouldn't happen so fast.

The end is near....

Summer is almost over and we got a chance to play in the sprinkler with the cousins because their little brother was born. Let me introduce the cast. In the back we have Jenna Irelee middle is Gracie Charlie and Ava and in front Derek and Breck. Here is our back drop. Let the play begin.It is nice to have such a big backyard but there are times I wish we had a fence. I would call this Charlie's angels but Ryan's Angel's would be more fitting. It can be confusing since both my husband and my brother are named Ryan. They would probably both disagree about these three being angels.See how happy he is. For those of you who are wondering no this is not Derek. It is my sweet little nephew Breck. It is my opinion that Derek and Breck look a little bit alike. This is why he is so happy. A ten year old is no match for a two year old with a hose. Every kid wants a water park in their backyard. This got kind-of messy. It was fun while it lasted but then is was time to clean up and go inside. School begins in a week and we will begin a whole new set of fun.

I thought girls were hard to get ready on Sunday!

This is Derek's idea of getting ready for church. Hey at least he knows he needs a tie. This is what we were able to get him into after telling him he couldn't go to church until he changed. He did fight for a little bit. He really liked his outfit. Other days I let him pick out his clothes if he is willing to get himself dressed but ironman and thermals just aren't the best look for church. I think this is a more handsome look.

Blast from the Past: Fifth baby. The finale.

Danica was born in December of 2008. It is hard to know that my last baby is no longer a baby. So sad and so beautiful at the same time. Ryan keeps telling me she is still a baby because he knows I miss having a baby. I love how young Derek looks holding his one day old baby sister. This was Danica's first trip to Disneyland. She was only four months old. Every time I look at this picture I see a different baby because I don't remember Danica looking like this. I cropped this picture to make it blogger friendly but she is showing the cutest bum in the original pose. Danica is unfortunately not a stranger to her stroller. Being the fifth child and very content she spends a lot of time tied up. It is easier for mom to chase only one child at a time. Danica's first birthday. This isn't the best photo of Danica with her Grandpa but I love it. Danica will be two in a few months. Wow time flies. She is a sweet little girl and her content personality makes things easier on mom.

Blast from the Past: Fourth baby. The Boy!!!

Derek or "the boy" as he is called around our house was born in November of 2006. I was excited to have a different kind of addition to the family. I had told Ryan that if baby #4 was girl it would be our last one so thanks for leaving room for little sis bud. Derek has always had three adoring fans. He loves to tease them and they love to tease him back.He got so chubby so fast. He has always looked just like his dad to me.If this isn't proof enough that he is a Lund you should see him eat popcorn. He loves Lightning. His first birthday was a lot of fun. Derek was the first kid I had that didn't need help opening his presents. I love the serious look he is giving to his sisters. "These are my presents, hands off." One year old. Derek is a sweety. He is quick to smile and loves to have fun. He potty trained this year and mom is a bit tired after all of that work. Whenever Derek is in public he has the attention of all those around him. People love to talk to him or comment on him. Love ya bud.

Summer Vacation 2010

The day after the girls dance we left for our vacation. We started in Yellowstone then Grand Tetons and spent a day in Jackson Hole. It was so much fun. Ryan got to see parts of Yellowstone that he didn't remember seeing. It is hard to believe that when a kid has spent at least every other year at a place he still didn't see it all. It was fun for the kids to see the animals. I am not much of a zoo fan and it smells much better in there natural habitat. Irelee was very happy because we were able to get another old fashion family photo taken. Danica talked up a storm and was saying many new words. Derek figured out it was fun to pee by the side of the road and Ryan and I laughed when I pointed out that the door to the Yukon was not low enough to hide his actions. Jenna and charlie seemed to bond like never before. It was nice to see them play together and make believe.It is always nice when someone is willing to take your picture so you can truly see who was there. The weather was nice not to hot a few days were a little cold. We went on a few hikes. The kids were troopers. We saw lots of wild animals. Buffalo were all over the place. We saw a few deer. Ryan happened to notice this rabbit when he was taking a picture of the kids. I guess he just wanted to be photographed to. This was one of six bears we saw. They were all Grizzly and all different colors. We saw a blond, a cinnamon, a black, a gray and brown. Ryan was so excited to see a bear and be able to share it with his kids. As kids neither Ryan nor I ever saw bear in Yellowstone. Three were in Yellowstone and three were in Grand Teton. We saw many herd of Elk. Most of them were bachelor herds. These were the wildest animals around and we never lost sight of them. Don't let them fool you they may look tame but they can turn wild any moment. See what I mean. They will stop at nothing even just to get a block of cement out of the ground. All in all it was fun and well worth it. We enjoyed it so much we're going back (in about five years.)