Kick-off to the Olympics

 Our family is counting down the days to the start of the much anticipated summer Olympics!

  We are super excited over here, and have already marked our schedules so we don't miss any of our favorite events. Corban is really looking forward to the swimming this year and I always love watching the gymnastics. 

I also secretly LOVE the fact that there will be something worth while for the kids to watch on television over the next two weeks;)

 So today, the kids and I had our own little kick-off to the summer games. 

We started it off with a "Breakfast for Champions"!

Well, I'm not sure if champions actually eat colored pancakes for breakfast or not, but hey...it worked for us;) The kids thought it was cool,  and as we ate we talked about the olympic rings and what each color represented.

We all learned a little something new;)

 Then it was time for us to go outside for the passing of the Olympic torch. 

Everyone took turns running up and down the street with the "flaming" torch and then passed it on to the next person to carry.

 Then it was back inside to play some of our own variations of fun Olympic sports!

Table Ice Cube Hockey was a HIT...

But so was the ultimate cup stacking competition;)

 

Soon it was time to pull out the crafts and get a little messy;)

The little ones enjoyed painting their own version of the Olympic rings, while the big boys created some cool Americana stationary. 

 

Who knew that cut up toilet paper rolls and a little paint would keep everyone busy for over and hour?!?!

For lunch, we decided to eat two different foods that represented the two countries which make up our family. We had a good ole pepperoni pizza with a side of...get ready...

chicken fried rice-HA!

I know...what a combination, right;)

And with that...the Bruce family Olympic games came to a close.

We played one last game as we took turns extinguishing the flaming torch.

The kids had to see who could stand the furthest away and still blow out the burning candle. 

These pictures make me laugh!

We've definitely got some pretty strong lungs in this house;)

I hope y'all are looking forward to the Olympics as much as we are!

GO TEAM USA!!!!!!!

Imaginon FUN with cousins

 I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE summer! 

 

I heart lazy mornings, sun-kissed cheeks, hours spent at the pool, ginger-bread brown kids, and days filled with what ever suits our fancy;)

 Since we were in China for several weeks this year, I kind-of feel like summer has JUST begun for us! I'm totally ignoring the fact that August/school/fall is just around the corner AND attempting to savor EVERY sweet moment we have left to enjoy. 

Today, I met my sister B and her kiddos up at Imaginon for a afternoon of fun and play!

B scored us some tickets to one of their much anticipated "Terrific Tuesday" shows and the kids were super excited to go! 

Of course, spending time with cousins...no matter where you are OR what you are doing...is always a welcomed treat! 

The kids has so much fun that not only ONE, or TWO, but ALL THREE of my "littles"

 fell asleep on the car ride home!

That's a sure-fire sign a GREAT time was had by ALL;)

The Doctor and the Y

 This may sound silly, but as I sat down to type up this post, I was completely overcome with emotion. 

 I realized that this sweet little one pictured above became a part of our lives exactly one month ago TODAY!

Just one month ago, Shane and I were ushered into a dark, hot room in Xi'an China, and handed this  incredible gift!  Thirty-one days ago TODAY our lives were completely changed by this tiny bundle.

All I know to say is THANK YOU PRECIOUS JESUS for this amazing blessing!!  She is BEAUTIFUL,  SWEET as pie, and the PERFECT addition to our family! 

We are incredibly grateful and overwhelmed by the Lord's goodness towards us!

Adoption is the most AMAZING thing EVER and we are SO thankful that the Lord chose it to be a part of His plan for our family!!!!!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU JESUS!!!!

Friday morning, I took AK to her very first doctor appointment After a thorough examination, our  pediatrician looked up at me and exclaimed that she was...PERFECT!! 

(WE already had figured THAT out though;)

But as far as her health was concerned, she was...ABSOLUTELY PERFECT! 

Poor baby girl still had to have some blood work done and several shots were given, but (bless her heart) she was a real trooper! We meet with an ENT specialist in a few weeks to talk about the Microtia of AK's right ear, but our pediatrician believes it is a "non-issue", and that the treatment plan will be simple. I'm praying that she's right;)

 We are beyond thankful to the Lord for this healthy (and darling) baby girl!!

Friday night, we headed over to the YMCA for their "Family, Fitness, & Fun Night"

Our family definitely LOVES a good game night, 

and a chance for some friendly competition is always a welcomed treat!

Running relays, playing dodge ball, finding treasure, and the hula-hooping hop

were just a few of the games we participated in.

I must add that our family ROCKED it out in this "ball and hoop" game;)

We were declared the UNDEFEATED champs of the Y--HA!

And after our fun evening at the Y came to an end, 

we headed over to the "Dunkin" to cool off and enjoy a yummy treat.

Cootie Catcher

My kids LOVE making "cootie catchers"! You know, those little paper origami things that you used to make in the third or fourth grade.  Well, my boys especially love them and make them all the time. They have fun coming up with different "fortunes" to write down on them and then pass them out to their friends as little gifts.

 Anyway, today I surprised my kids by making my own version of a "cootie catcher" !
{I had seen this idea online somewhere, but can't remember where...}

I loaded everyone up in the van and told them we were going on a nature scavenger hunt
...using a..."cootie catcher" 

They were intrigued and couldn't wait to see what was in store.

We headed down to the path in our neighborhood and before jumping out of the car, I explained the rules of the game.
Instead of silly fortunes on the cootie catcher, I had written down directions for our nature hunt.

Every one took turns playing on the cootie catcher and then had to complete the direction given at the end.
Some of the things they had to do were...
Hug a tree

Find something that in nature that starts with the same first letter as their name

 Look under a rock

Find something that smells
Find TWO leaves that look similar

Take 35 steps and find a flower
Take 65 steps and find an insect

You get the idea;)

The possibilities you could include were endless...

 but so was the fun;)

Fruity paint

Fresh fruit, paint brushes, and a hose for quick clean up was all we needed for this fun afternoon.

The kids had a blast getting messy while making and creating their very own fruity paint. 

I raided my refrigerator and gathered up whatever fresh fruit I had on hand. 

 

Then the kids got busy mashing the fruits into a paint-like consistency. 

The "mashing/mushing" part was definitely the MOST fun;)

Although, Miss Addy-Kate preferred eating over the creating;)

It was fun testing out the different fruits and seeing which ones produced the most vibrant colors on the paper.  

I think the strawberries may have won;)

 After making quite the mess...

we turned on the hose and everyone had a blast getting clean again;)

Makin' a Splash

 So Shane headed back to work today and the kids and I jumped back into our usual summer routine. It's been really nice having Shane home with us, but I think we were all ready to get in a groove and find our "new normal". I'm so glad we were able to bring AK home during the summer months though. At least our daily schedule is still very relaxed and our days are much more laid back.  

Today, the kids and I spent the day at the Y pool. We

 packed a picnic lunch and met some friends there for a full morning of fun in the sun!

Addy-Kate is absolutely lovin' the pool! 

She's getting more and more comfortable and confident every time we are in the water!

She's definitely going to be a little fishy by the time summer ends;)

 I couldn't be happier about her love of the water.

 There's no better way to beat this heat than by sitting poolside;)

Snapshots of our weekend

 I've been taking a lot of pictures lately. I constantly have my camera in hand and am always snapping away.  I want to be sure to capture every single one of  Addy-Kate's "firsts"!  I want to capture each sweet interaction she has with her siblings and every grin she so willingly shares. I want to make sure I savor every single minute of this time, and somehow cement in my mind these fleeting moments.
This time for our family has been so special and I don't want to forget a THING! 

This weekend was no different. We spent time with family and friends and I had my camera close by to capture it ALL;)

 

Friday night at the ball fields... 

Saturday morning at the park...

 Good ole' Mickey D's for lunch and ice cream...

Dinner and swimming at my parents house on Saturday night...

And AK's first time at church on Sunday morning!

It was a rather simple weekend for us, but one that was definitely enjoyed by all;)

Can you say "MOO!"

 Today, was "Dress like a cow day" at Chic-fil-a! 

 

All you had to do was sport your best cow costume and you received a full FREE meal. 

How AWESOME is that... especially considering how much our family LOVES Chic-fil-a!!

And we are ALL OVER SOME FREE FOOD too;)

 

The kids had so...much fun and enjoyed looking at everyone's cow costumes.

We have already marked our calendar's for July 13th next year,

 and can't wait to celebrate Cow Day again;)

 

Playin' at the Park

 

Today, we took the fab five for a bike ride. 

We decided to ride to the park which is only a few miles away from our house. This was AK's first bike ride EVER, and (like everything else) she LOVED it. 

I could hear her giggling in the back each time the bike went over a crack or bump in the sidewalk;)

Too cute!

 

Sophie and Hudson both fought over who would get to ride in the trailer with her and keep her company while we rode. 

We settled on taking turns...one rode with her on the way there and the other on the way home;)

Everyone was happy;)

 

The weather could not have been more PERFECT for a park day and the kids had an absolute BLAST!

 

We sure are enjoying having Shane home this week and we are taking full advantage of our time together. He goes back to work on Monday (bummer) and we are ALL really going to miss his company! 

It's a known fact at this house that Daddy is WAY cooler than mommy;) 

After a fun morning, 

we headed home and Shane made us his special strawberry/blueberry smoothies for lunch.

They were delicious and the perfect way to cool off after a great morning out!