Swimming Lesson

I signed Ainsley up for 4 weeks of swimming lessons this year. We are prepping for our big family vacation to Hilton Head, SC. I had no idea how quickly she would take to swimming. She learned how to freestyle, backstroke, and swim underwater. Her confidence skyrocketed and I was much more at ease taking two children to the pool once she had a few strokes down.

From Rankin Family

From Rankin Family

Ainsley started in Level 1 and by the end of the four weeks she has now graduated to Level 3. We will have to decide if we want to start lessons again in the winter as a break from the snow or if we will hold off until summer. If Ainsley had her way she would swim year round! Looks like a swim team could be in her future.

Big BUGS!

We love Powell Gardens and they always have some fun, neat things for us to explore. We went for a trip to see the BIG BUGS exhibit with Nana. It was a warm day and incredibly sunny with blue sky. We couldn't have a more beautiful day both with Nana and the weather.

The bugs are made out of different types of wood and are bigger than life. The kids wondered at them and Ainsley loved taking pictures. Here's a photo from our budding photographer.

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Look at the size of this bug, mom!

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Running on the sidewalk. Andrew is enjoying the ability to explore the garden. He isn't quite sure what to make of all the space, plants, and the bugs.

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Ready for Battle

Who needs toys when you have kitchen supplies? Andrew is gearing up for battle with a helmet that tops them all. After sporting this look he began running around the kitchen island and growling. Somehow he's becoming more and more of a little boy with every passing day.

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Blueberry Picking 2010

We geared up for our annual blueberry picking trip this morning. Ainsley was so excited and couldn't wait, she had talked about it for a whole month! It was a beautiful morning and the bushes were full. It was the best picking that we have seen in the three years that we now have gone.

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Andrew loved carrying the bucket. We picked just enough berries that by the end of the morning he couldn't carry it without some help.

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Ainsley was so surprised to see how full the bushes were. It was easy this year for her to truly pick the berries. The berries made it into the bucket more than the tummy also. She remembered the blueberry lemonade and the yummy cookies from last year and was saving room.

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It was a really successful, fun day. It has been such a joy in my life to see the children love each other in the little sweet moments they don't know I see.

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The berry train ride was so fun. Ainsley graciously let her brother sit with her for a short photo op. Andrew was disappointed, he is still too little to ride the train alone.

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Rosy cheeks and big smiles all around!

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Mini Vacation

We went to Nana and Granddad's for a mini vacation while dad wrapped up school for the semester. It was a great 6 days and we had lots of fun. We got some of the old school toys out and enjoyed the driveway. Here's Andrew with his dad's old Fisher Price ATV, a classic!

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And of course, no trip to Nana's is ever complete without a ride in the golf cart. This trip, there were many! We even had to recharge the battery a few times.

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One of the highlight's is Bella, Aunt Katherine's dog. It takes awhile for the dog and the kids to make peace with one another and the shared space, but this time around they settled in quickly.

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Even Andrew and Bella made friends this trip. (Bella received plenty of table scraps from Andrew who was innocently sharing his food and his fingers.)

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And then there was the pool. Ainsley started really making an effort at swimming with water wings or the innertube and Andrew proved his lack of fear repeatedly. (I see a life jacket in his near future.)

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

Nana also gave Ainsley a few special surprises! There was a special earthworm class the two of them went to. And then there was the quick trip to Branson, MO to see Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede!

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Andrew and I came along and enjoyed the fun. Both the kids loved it and were mesmerized by the sights of the horses and special effects. Ainsley couldn't stop talking about it and continually asked when we could return. Andrew was hoarse from all of the squealing he did at the horses and the actors/actresses. It was a special treat and we sure are thankful for the time we can spend with our family.

First Sting

We had our first sting on either of the children today. It was traumatic for all of us! Andrew was on the deck and playing by the rail. Mom was down in the lawn. Andrew hit just the right spot and out came some wasps from their home. Andrew took a direct hit to the forehead. As the screaming began, I pushed him away from the nest and onto his bottom. Since our deck has no stairs, I had to run around the house, inside, and then out to get him. Needless to say, he was not happy with that wasp or with is mommy!

Ice and a baking soda paste seemed to relieve the pain.

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It's now two weeks later and the site of the crime, our deck, is now under construction. The railing came down last weekend and steps will be added.

The Museum

Since going through our art books, Ainsley has been asking to go to the museum. We have a wonderful one downtown and so our first rainy day, we went. I think Ainsley would have stayed all day. Andrew, however, made the trip enjoyable for about an hour and a half.

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All of it was exciting but Ainsley was on a mission to see the Egyptian gallery and the knight.

A stone tablet complete with hieroglyphics. We managed to join in on a high school group's tour to hear more about the egyptian artifact's. The tour guide asked some questions and Ainsley piped up. She let everyone know the writing was hieroglyphics.

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A real sarcophagus and a mummy! The concept of the mummy was exciting to her and a bit frightening. We have discussed this in length since our visit.

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From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

Could this be Saint George's armor?

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Memorial Day

We had a quiet weekend and had a good time just frolicking in the back yard. The pools came out and the kids really enjoyed each other. We got some great pictures of them enjoying life!

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Getting ready for fun. "What do you want to do?"

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"Ring Around the Rosy" brought big splashes and big smiles. Ainsley played in the small pool with Andrew and had so much fun with him. You would have never guessed that a few inches of water in a small baby pool would have brought so many smiles.

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From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

"Again, again. More, more!" Was Andrew's response to this new game.

Ainsley enjoying the outdoors!

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From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

Andrew enjoying his snack! This boy can eat and drink all day. I am having a hard time imagining what this will be like when he's older.

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Definitely a Boy!

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Need we say more.

Deanna Rose Farmstead

We had company in from out of town, a special treat for the kids. Their Great Aunt was in town and Gigi took some time off of work. We were able to spend some extra time with our company and we went to Deanna Rose, one of our favorite activities. This was Andrew's first time, truly enjoying it!

He loved the ducks. I think the goats were a little to aggressive for the little guy. He enjoyed the fish and some of the larger animals, but he really loved the ducks.

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Of course, Ainsley's favorite is the pony ride. She has loved animals for as long as I can remember but her passion is really heading toward farm creatures and gardening.

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It's hot and it's snack time. As the day wore on we took frequent breaks!

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From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

Everything Ainsley does, Andrew tries to get in on the action. Ainsley is usually very helpful and will often get right in with him to help him out. Here they are milking a cow together. (It's a water filled utter on a cow replica, thankfully.)

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We had a blast and are looking forward to our next trip there. Andrew is definitely ready to get out and explore!

1st Trip to the Zoo

We made our first visit to the Zoo with Andrew!

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We went with some friends that we made through soccer. It wasn't the prettiest day, in fact we got rained on the whole time. The kids loved it and the mom's stuck it out.

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From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

We went through all of Africa and saw so many different animals up close. I think they prefer the rainy weather to the heat and sunshine. Our zoo also has train rides, tram rides, and carousel rides. We did all three. Andrew didn't make it on to the carousel, but he sure thought it looked neat. He especially liked it when Ainsley came around. Here he is waiting for the train, he was pretty excited.

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

From Andrew Tyndale Rankin

Craft Time

We've been exploring different art books from the library this summer. We are looking for good arts and crafts books to use throughout the school year. Right now, we really like the Usborne Art Treasury and First Book of Art. Ainsley picked out one craft to try out to see if she could do it on her own. Here's her rendition of Saint George and the Dragon.

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The book was great, it had the actual artwork with information about both the painting and the artist. It also had the craft instructions detailed enough that she could mostly do the art on her own. We followed it up with a book from the library retelling the legend of Saint George and the Dragon. It's one of her favorite's this spring!

Quick Visit

We had the opportunity to take a quick trip down to Nana and Granddad's. I thought I would have captured more pictures of our fun; we had golf cart rides, duck feedings, fish feedings, time with a dog, and fun toys. However, all I seem to have are a few good ones of Andrew sporting his pink shirt.

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He's gotten some more teeth finally. He's teething pattern is so different than Ainsley's was. He now has his top two and bottom two teeth. Teething has started again, but it's his molars! I guess he's trying to get all of the big teeth out of the way first. The next picture is one of my favorites. One of the few that captured the twinkle I see in his eyes everyday. That twinkle is part joy, part mischief, and part love.

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He loves be tickled and laugh. I think I could tickle him all day and he would never say "Uncle".

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