Photo #183 Run, Jason, Run!!!

This evening, Jason ran his very first official 5k!  We are so very proud of him!  Not only did he end in the top 10, but he also ran his best time for this distance!

Initially, Jackson, Molly, Benny, and I were outside to watch (they ran just down the street from our house), but then Jackson, of course, had to go potty.  We hurried home and while he was taking care of business, it started to rain.  I decided to leave Benny at home.  Ah, the sweet smell of a wet dog.

After getting Benny into his crate, the rest of us headed down the street to cheer Jason along.  We managed to get there before any of the runners came by, but, at this point, it was pouring rain.  Thankfully, a coworker of Jason's lived on that street and we were invited to stand on his front patio so we could get out of the rain.  We ran to the street whenever was saw Jason running (he ran by twice).  Jackson did a great job shouting "Go, Daddy, GO!!!"

Photo #182 Oh, How They Make Me Smile.

Molly is enjoying "pretend" more and more each day.  And I am enjoying watching her.  This morning, she had at least half of her pajama drawer out on the couch.  In the photo below, she is trying to put her pajama pants on her baby My Little Pony.

Then she started dressing herself up.  Yes, she does already have a swim suit and a dress on.  Apparently, she needed pajamas, too.

And, behind her, you can see the mess of clothes she did, eventually, clean up herself.

Today, I also made rice crispy treats for the very first time ever!  I know!  Crazy, right?  I have no idea why it has taken me this long to make them.  Since it has taken me so long to make them, I had to make them extra special by putting chocolate on top.  The kids greatly enjoyed them as you can see for yourselves.

Photo #181 Happy Belated Birthday, Molly!

So, we recently came into some money.  Don't get all excited.  We just found an old birthday card of Molly's that still had some birthday money in it.  Note to self, if at all possible, don't move around your child's birthday.

Anywho, we were thrilled to be able to use her birthday money to get her a new tricycle!  So far, every bike or tricycle we put her on, she couldn't reach the pedals.  She often climbed onto Jackson's tricycle and would try so hard to get herself moving.  This morning, a friend of mine mentioned a tricycle her son had (he was around the same size as Molly) so I asked which one they had.  We found it at our base BX and snatched it up quickly!  It was perfect!  Molly is excited to finally have her own tricycle that she can actually pedal instead of waiting to be pushed around.

Thank you Great and Nana, for the birthday money!

Photo #180 A Little of This, A Little of That...

Oh, what a day this has been!   It had it's ups and downs.  I'll just give you the ups.

Molly REALLY likes to dress herself.  This afternoon, while we were watching TV, Molly would wander into her room and come out with a piece of clothing she wanted to wear.  First, she came out with a pair of Minnie Mouse pajama shorts.  She put them on herself!  I'll try to explain how.  One leg was in the correct hole.  The other leg was in the waist part, and her waist was through the other leg.  Did that make sense?

Next, she came out with a blue tutu.  For some reason, she needed help putting that one on.

And finally, she came out with a Dora pajama shirt (all of her regular shirts are hanging in her closet) and she put it on all by herself.  She looked delightfully cute and was so proud of herself!

Unfortunately, she did not enjoy having Mommy take photos of it.

Eventually, we had to change her clothes.  I would have taken her out the way she was, but we were going rollerskating and Jason didn't want her tutu getting caught in a skate.  She did much better getting dressed the second time.

So, we took the kids rollerskating for the very first time, today!  It was a bit stressful, but overall, the kids did great.  Jackson made it around the whole rink with Jason and didn't fall.  We had to hold him up on the rink, but the outside of the rink was carpeted and Jackson was able to walk on his skates without falling on the carpet.  Molly.....well.....we're gonna wait a while before taking her, again.

And last, but not least,.....Benny!  He just keeps getting better and better.  Last night, he slept in his crate for 9 hours without a peep and without any accidents!  It was fantastic!  I think I just might survive puppyhood!  Yesterday, Benny and I took a trip to Petsense to pick up a gate for the playroom doorway.  We didn't get a gate, but we did get Benny a new bed.  He picked it out himself.  I threw a few beds on the ground and this was the one I couldn't get him out of.  :)

Photo #179 Creative Little Critters

Molly is such a little mommy.  This morning, I walked into her room to find her reading to her stuffed animals.  She even turns the book around so the animals can see the pictures.  :)  She also tried to put her pajamas on her stuffed bunny.

The boys had another morning out, so Molly and I had some quality time together.  Molly decided she wanted to color, so we got out her Dora coloring book.  (Later, we painted suncatchers together.)

Jason and Jackson went to Lowes for their kids workshop.  This was Jackson's very first time doing this and he did a fantastic job!  He made a UFO and has his very first workshop patch for Mommy to sew onto his apron!  We can hardly wait for the next workshop!

Photo #178 Another Day of Fun!

Another fun filled day for the McGinthy family.  This morning, the kids and I went to the bouncing place.  We stayed for an hour, but it was packed so we headed over to McDonald's for lunch and the playland.  Oh, and we watched Peter Pan before heading out!

Just before dinner, the kids did some painting!

After dinner, it was time to tackle Daddy and Benny!  Benny LOVES to play with Jason.

By the time the kids go to bed, Benny is ready to go to sleep himself.

Photo #177 I Spy With My Little Eye.....

I am so pleased to be able to say that my son is definitely not hooked on television.  During the photo below, Molly said she wanted to watch a show.  I put one on in the playroom and after a few minutes, we asked Jackson if he wanted to watch and he said, "No.  I'm looking at my spy book."  He spent a good, solid 30 minutes sitting with Daddy and looking at his book.

Photo #176 I Love Hats!!!

In case you haven't already figured it out, I love to knit!  Most of all, I love to knit hats.  I often get inspiration for other peoples and then I change a few things to make them my own.  I finished another one this afternoon.  Here is my finished product!

Photo #175 A Girl And Her Dog.

Molly may have taking a bit more time to warm up to Benny, but she is delighted to play with him now.  Lately, I've had to tell both kids, "put him down!"  Thankfully, Benny continues to be a spectacular dog and just takes whatever the kids do to him.  Recently, Molly has taken to sitting on Benny and grabbing his face to give him kisses.  This evening, she decided to play dolls with him.  :)  It's only a matter of time before she starts to play dress-up with him.  I'm pretty sure I'm looking forward to that day far more than Jason is.  Yes, I will have the camera ready whenever that day comes.

Photo #174 A Very Fun Weekend

Saturday morning, Jackson decided we needed to have another donut picnic!  So, we all (including Benny) hopped into the car and off we went.  Normal,  it would have been my Saturday to sleep in, but who could possibly say "no" to a donut picnic?

Benny had the chance to explore one of our local parks and the kids got to play with their "gumbrellas," as Jackson says.  :)

On Sunday, we decided Benny was due for a bath.  What you don't really see in the photos, is just how very fluffy Benny is.  He only weighs 8 lbs but looks at least twice that.  However, get him all wet and he is the scrawniest looking little thing.  :)

Photo #173 Special Night

This evening was family night at Vacation Bible School!  All the kids had the chance to perform a song for the parents.  This is Jackson's very first time singing up infront at church!  I was SOOOOOOO excited!  Here are a few photos and a video of his delightful performance!  It took him a little bit to warm up, but he got into it. :)

Photo #172 Another Day, Another Bunch of Cuties

Jason and I have decided that, when Benny's ears are up, he looks like a racoon.  Unfortunately, his ears are only up when he's laying on his back, so it was a little hard to get a photo of it.  This was the best I could do.  What do you think?

Tonight was another night of VBS!  I hope Jackson is enjoying it as much as I am.  Here are the kids checking out "Campfire Creek."  It's where all the music happens!

We had some time to kill before dinner, so the kids and I hung out in the music room for a bit.  My heart melted a little when they both sat in a chair together.  Molly with an old Baptist Hymnal and Jackson with the Bible.

Photo #171 Getting a Bit More Comfortable

Day after day, the kids get more comfortable around Benny.  I suppose Jackson didn't really take all that much to warm up, but Molly still has her moments.  Today, she surprised me by walking right up to Benny and giving him one of his dental bones.  But she didn't even stop there.  She held onto the bone and sat with him and pet him.  It was adorable.

The kids also got the chance to walk Benny.....to the mailbox and back.  For those of you who don't know, the mailbox is one house down.  :)  They loved it.  Jackson walked him there and Molly walked him back!