Keeping Busy

Well, believe it or not, we still don't have a new baby to blog about, but if you think we've been sitting around twiddling our thumbs waiting for her to make her entrance, you are sadly mistaken. Sawyer and Lee Anna have had more fun than they can handle this week with all the relatives in town. Some have actually had to come and go without meeting our newest arrival, but most are still hanging around.

They've had crazy cousins... silly uncles,

more silly uncles,
and all four grandparents around to entertain them this week.
I love these two pictures (above and below). Jason's sister drove all the way from Texas with her two daughters (Sawyer & Lee Anna's only cousins) to be here for a few weeks. When we knew they were getting close, our kids went out to wait in the yard. They were so excited about seeing their cousins, as evidenced by Lee Anna's jumping up and down when we finally spotted their car. They have had a blast playing together all week.
We also had another birthday to celebrate, as Lee Anna Belle turned five on Saturday. We had the party a little early, since we were hoping to be at the hospital by Saturday, but it turned out we could have waited. Her sister apparently does not want to share a birthday!

Lee Anna chose to have a Dora pool party, complete with a Dora cake, Dora birthday hats, and a Dora piñata (we parents weren't sure how we felt about our kids so violently trying to rip Dora's body away from her head to get to the candy, but oh well).
Swiper the Sneaky Fox was even spotted at the party trying to make off with some of the loot!

And I had to add this last picture because there's a funny story to go with it. This was actually on Saturday, a few days after the party. We still weren't at the hospital, so we all went back out to the pool again. The kids discovered that they could fill up the tube Lee Anna is holding (part of a giant bubble wand) with water and pour it on unsuspecting souls. Before this picture was taken, my brothers (the silly uncles) were sleeping peacefully in the other two pool chairs when they were rudely awakened by cold water and cackling children. The uncles got up, but the kids weren't quite satisfied yet, so they went back and filled up the tube again. They came over to Papaw's chair this time, but instead of sleeping he was sitting up reading a book. He had also just witnessed the previous encounters. Not to be deterred, Lee Anna looked at him and said sweetly, "Papaw, lie down and go to sleep. We have a fun surprise for you." Being the sweet grandfather that he is, he handed me his book, laid his chair back, and waited for the splash. He even acted surprised when the water hit him, which delighted the kids to no end. Thanks for being such a great sport, Papaw!

This should be my last blog post without a new baby in it. We head to the hospital early in the morning to induce. The kids are staying with their cousins tonight and are so excited about meeting their sister tomorrow. Their Mom and Dad are excited, too, of course. We'll post pictures as soon as possible. Until then, I would appreciate your prayers!