Kathryn

Patrick's sister, Kathryn, has nine kids. Yes, you read that right. Nine. I am amazed at her life. She is lovely, cheerful, gifted, and so fun. They are leaving to visit her husband's family for Thanksgiving and in preparation she wrote this.
Can you even imagine packing for 11 people?

I love you sweet Sophie

We celebrated Sophie's 5th birhtday on friday. She's been looking forward to being 5 for MONTHS and frequently prefaced things with "when I'm 5..." As an added bonus to her new age, she awoke to the first snow of the season.

Her favorite presents:
Harmonica
Razor Scooter
Super cheesy light up Sleeping Beauty doll.

Fishing

There's a little pond just down the street from our house that has an abundant supply of small blue gills. Patrick has been taking Sophie and Thomas there on the weekends to give me some quiet time. I walked down with Henry this evening to get in on some of the action after they had been down there for awhile. They caught at least 10 today with Sophie reeling in the fine whopper pictured below. We practice catch and release of course, for those of you concerned with the fishies' well being.

LuLu

We love having my mom (aka "LuLu") close by. She is a source of constant love and laughter - plus, she has mad laundry folding skills. The kiddos adore her and I think it is pretty safe to say that she adores them. I seriously don't know what we would do without her. I took this photo a few days ago on her birthday - what a sweet memory of her and Henry.

Sophie's Influence

This is what happens when Patrick is not home.

6 1/2 Weeks

Henry

Afternoon Tea

One of Sophie's favorite things...

4th of July night at The Winsteads

Happy Independence Day!

We started the morning off with a parade through our neighborhood - complete with a real firetruck and all. Sophie and I decorated the wagon - we didn't go "all out" like a lot of people in the parade, but hey, it was our first year doing it and I felt pretty good about even making it:) The parade started and ended at the pool and afterwards we all swam and indulged in Hot Dogs and Snowcones. This was our first neighborhood event, and it was a treat. Patrick is not so much a fan of swimming, but even he had a good time. Being in the pool is really the only thing that makes me feel like I'm not pregnant - not the getting to the pool and getting out of the pool and chasing a two year old around the pool - but time actually in the water is pure bliss. Plus, Sophie is quickly becoming a confident swimmer which makes me happy. It was also super fun having Patrick with us and he certainly lightened the load with Thomas. I love holidays.

Rest time this afternoon and then off to watch fireworks tonight with some friends. It has been a bittersweet day for me since my whole family is in Texas at a family reunion. We planned on going until my doctor advised me not to travel. The irritating braxton hicks have not let up and it they are really taking a toll on my body. Can't wait to have this baby! Anyways, I am missing seeing everyone and really wish we were there. So, here are some pictures of our day close to home...

Where did May go?

Hmm, a lot happened in May. We got the exciting news that Patrick passed the Bar Exam with flying colors! The law firm he is now working for asked for him to start a few weeks earlier than expected, so we tried living it up as much as possible before his first day of work (last monday).
We celebrated Thomas' 2nd birthday on Memorial Day with family and a few friends. Patrick set up our tent in the back yard and we put his train set in it - ironically, the little girls mostly played with it while he was busy playing "backieball" - A lot of kids on our street have basketball hoops on their driveways so he has become obsessed with basketballs. We bought him a little one so he can play in our backyard and he's proven to be a darn good shot. Unfortunately our lab McKinnley also likes basketballs and has managed to puncture just about every one we leave outside.
I feel like I'm more pregnant than I actually am - at least I'm in the third trimester, but I am seriously wishing the summer to be over. Going to the pool is really a two man job. I'm not moving as quickly as usual so I have to be really careful with both of the kids swimming. Sophie is doing great and can swim independently. Thomas on the other hand likes RUNNING from the baby pool to the big pool and then back to the baby pool. This gets quite old. Last week after I had changed him into dry clothes, I was packing up our bag and before I could utter a word he had jumped into the baby pool. It was a very low moment for me and I started crying once we got to the car. Moving on.

A few pictures from the month that totally flew by...




Patrick's dad gave Thomas an old cigar box filled with treasures for his birthday - it contained a sack of marbles, a miniture horse, a sucrets tin, and keys to a 1950's Ford Fairlane. Patrick said it's like contraban for toddlers. We love it.



After his party the boys went to the park to play ball...





Mandy, a close friend of mine from high school recently moved to Denver. It has been super fun spending time with her and catching up - The last time we saw each other was 7 years ago a wedding shower for Patrick and I in Albuquerque. Can't believe our 10 year high school reunion is this summer...