A quick ride......

Owie Blister

Kent and I are determined to lose some pounds before we go on a cruise in October. Therefore, we have been trying to be more active and exercise while hauling three kids along with us! I have finally decided I can no longer use the excuse of carrying 16+ pounds of baby in this belly (since it has been almost 18 months)! SO..... I am playing outdoor soccer on Wed. nights, this last week it was 98 degrees out (not so fun for me). As a result, my sweaty feet were sliding around in my cleats and I got a blister the size of a small tumor on my heel. It's really not pretty. This has prevented me from being able to wear any real shoes.

Instead of taking our usual walk, I suggested we go on a long bike ride instead, then I could wear sandals, without having anything rub on my heel. This worked out really well! It was quite a ride, Brayden loved it and did an excellent job riding in his trailer. However, the girls not so much... Ellie thought it would be really fun to head butt Danielle with her helmet. Dani didn't think it was so fun and shrieked the entire time this was happening. Here we are riding our bikes past other pedestrians, with Dani shrieking, and me screaming at Ellie to stop.

We rode on the path through Liberty Lake (which reminded me of Sunriver and our senior trip, and it made me miss the girls)! Apparently while riding on this path next to a golf course we almost got nailed with a golf ball by some old guy. When we turned around to head home, he came running toward us apologizing (Kent thought he was under the assumption that we were turning around to kick his ass) for hitting the ball so close to us. The Phillips family had no clue we were about to be knocked out. We were trying to survive our own battle of our babies causing each other head injuries! This poor guy had no clue we are oblivious to everything around us!

It's always an adventure, notice in the pic. how my helmet is on crooked, almost sideways. Kent mentioned this to me after we had been riding for an hour. Does this really surprise you though? Also, note that Kent has Brayden all by himself and I have TWO girls duking it out behind me!

Sisterly love...???

Wow, it is an emotional roller coaster around here, and we haven't even hit the pre-teens yet. Danielle and Elizabeth love each other one minute, then they're slapping each other across the face the next. (Which is very funny, and almost impossible for me not to laugh)! Here are some pics. that I thought were too cute not to share!

Grandpa's 60th B-day!

Wow! It was a party weekend! Last Friday my sister, Kalin, planned a surprise party for my dad. A bunch of the girls that he has coached over the years came over. I am glad to say Kalin pulled off the surprise very well! (Danielle wasn't so sure about it, that's her hiding under the counter).

Then on Saturday my mom had the whole family over for a BBQ. What fun! The kids got to play in the pool and on the slip-n-slide. Big cousins Jeremy and Loren even showed the kids how the slip-n-slide works. Ellie was all about it, our 16 month old was cruising on that thing! We have been told she's an animal, I have to agree! Danielle was more into the cake and Brayden split his time between both. Happy Birthday Dad, I hope it was a good one!

'Couve girls

While we were in the 'Couve some of the girls (and husbands) got together with our massive amount of kids at the park. Not much chatting took place,

but it was a good work out for all of us. I agree

with Jocey, next time just girls, no kids.
As you can see, we all have adorable children,

I think I missed a few though. Hopefully Sarah will post her pics. because I know they will be

better!

Lincoln City

We made the drive to the Oregon Coast and it was well worth it! The kids all loved the beach! Ellie was in heaven running as fast as her legs could carry her in the sand. Brayden's favorite part was flying a kite (we've been watching Mary Poppins). Danielle loved digging with the shovel in the sand. It was a long three days, but lots of memories. My parents were brave enough to join us on the adventure, and it was so fun to have them there. Brayden even got to drive with G & G so he got lots of special time (Kent and I got some quiet time and could actually talk to each other in the car)!

Cleaning Crew

I tried to clean the house yesterday, something that doesn't happen very often. When you have three kids who are three and under, it is really a pretty pointless task. None the less, we have friends who are staying here this weekend when we are out of town. Therefore, something had to be done! The kids all decided they were going to help! Brayden got his pretend duster sprayer and washcloths for his sisters. Everyone made a big effort to make sure everything was spotless, especially the doors! After the dusting was complete they got Dusty (toy vacuum) out and cleaned the floors too! As you can imagine our house is now spotless! Bethany, just know that cleaning was attempted, but by Friday you won't know it!

Life jacket thongs!

What a fun day! We went to the Post Falls river and went swimming and had a picnic. All of the kids loved the water, especially Brayden and Danielle. They both got upset when we had to get out because they were shivering. I have to say the whole life jacket thing was pretty funny. A strap right up through the crotch, can't get more comfortable than that. On top of that, Danielle kept falling forward face first in the water and then the life jacket would flip her onto her back. It was quite a ride for her. Despite all of this, she loved the water. Sandy and Chris met us and got to play with the kids in the grass and on the playground. It was a great way to spend a hot Saturday afternoon!