just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

So this summer the boys decided to try out a sport they hadn't yet done...Swim Team! If it hadn't been for their sweet little friend Mia from church they probably never would have given it a thought but her family is big into swimming (they are raising olympic caliber swimmers) so the more time the boys spent with her and her family the more interested they became in swimming. Now I had been warned to stay away from any sport that includes the word "meet" (which advice I totally appreciate now) but I can say it is one of the few sports that the kids can really benefit from for the rest of their lives. So after a few rounds of lessons and stroke school and some encouragement from the Thatcher's, the boys decided to try out for Water Mocs and thankfully they made it. It's amazing what two hours a day, five days a week for two months can do to transform a couple Seattle boys, something their coach had assured me would happen. If only I had before and after swim videos! Talk about a transformation. They may not be the fastest kids on the team but they have to be a couple of the most improved!!! Since moving here we learned that the Cincinnati area is actually a big swim area with a high percentage of national swimmers coming from this area. We are in no way raising Olympic swimmers but I love how well run the swim programs are out here and how awesome the boys swim coach was! Most importantly I loved that the boys loved doing it! And I can proudly say I now know what a "heat" and "clerk of course" are...

So here are a few shots from the season:

Our swimmers:



Ready set swim...



Ty's favorite stroke was the butterfly and Connor's was the breast.



Practice and coach feedback was critical...



For Sage it was all about hanging out with her BFF Riley who has been swimming with Water Mocs for a couple years! Sage hopes to join the team next summer but was happy just cheering on her brothers and friend this season!



To get the kids pumped for the Championship one of the coaches hosted a "Psyche Party" which timed well with Sean and the boys coming into town...



The boys had worked so hard in preparation for the biggest meet of the summer, The Tri County swim championship at Miami University. They were pretty excited to be swimming in a college pool and to have a few extra fans cheering them on...



You gotta love that the sport with some of the most fit bodies in it celebrates the end of season with a "sweet endings" dessert banquet! We were not complaining...Way to go boys!!!



And a big shout out to the boys' Head Swim Coach, Derek! He was fantastic!!!

Happy 4th!

We were super excited to spend our first 4th of July in sunny, warm Ohio but unfortunately we awoke to a cooler, overcast, and wet day. We didn't let that stop us from having fun though. We invited a few friends over to light up the sky with us and thankfully the weather cleared up long enough for us to finish off the last of the goods we had smuggled into town from WA! Who knew smoke bombs would continue to be such a hit with the kids...

All about dad!

So between Jack's birthday and Father's Day, we've been celebrating Jack a lot lately!  I didn't include photos of what he got but let's just say he's been hanging around the shooting range a lot more... Clearly moving to Ohio has meant taking up new hobbies.



Father's Day is another special day here in the Roddy home! It seems like not too long ago Jack was jumping into a cab the morning of our scheduled c-section to rush downtown to purchase a camcorder so that we could capture the first moments of the boys' lives on video. (Nothing like waiting until the last moment!) :)  After months of playing classical music to my belly and talking to the boys in utero, the day had finally arrived that we'd get to meet these two little beans who up until this point were only known as twin A and twin B. His dedication to being the best father he could be started the moment we found out we were pregnant and continues to this day. I love the example he is to the boys about what is means to be a great father, husband, leader, and son of God. I love listening to him take everyday dinner conversations and turn them into teaching opportunities for the kids. I am so lucky to have him as my husband and the father of our children. We love you Jack!

Sage is Seven...Officially!!!

Thankfully the first words out of my mouth when Sage came running down into my bedroom in the morning were "Happy Birthday sweet Sagie!" Unfortunately those were not the first words out of the boys mouths. Nope, they were busy showering when she came bolting in expecting to be greeted with a joyous "Happy Birthday Sage!" Instead she got told to "Get out...Privacy!" Lesson learned: Make certain EVERYONE in the family is reminded that the first words out of their mouths on Sage's birthday is "Happy Birthday!" For someone who is so good about remembering every one elses birthday it's no wonder her feelings would be hurt when the same doesn't happen to her. Thankfully after a few tears, she was all smiles again!

So here is the birthday girl before heading off to school a year older!



Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of her and I having lunch together at school but what a hoot that is. I always love watching her interact with all her little friends! For her special birthday dinner, Sage had picked out my chicken and broccoli rice casserole which I take as a compliment since she could have picked eating out but chose my home cooking!!! And finally it was time for the family party...



Here is Jack explaining to Sage what her present includes. This lucky girl and I will fly off to Chicago for a mommy daughter trip and spend the afternoon at the American Girl store shopping and eating! In addition to that she also got a gift basket full of all sorts of American Girl books, DVDs, polish, and soaps, and some clothes from the boys. She loved the AG DVDs and was so thrilled that of all the movies out there, the two she got took place in both Seattle and Cincinnati, the only two places she's lived. Totally unplanned!



I can't even express the joy that comes from having Sage in our family. She is our sunshine, our "happy child" who is so thoughtful and kind and soooo adores her older brothers. She's our miracle baby and my little buddy! We love you Miss Sage!!!

Happy Mother's Day to me...

What a fabulous weekend I had...first Mother's Day tea with Sage at school on Friday, then a birthday celebration for Sage on Saturday, and finally Mother's Day on Sunday! Without question though my favorite part of Mother's Day would have to be when Sage came running in to my bedroom at the crack of dawn before anyone to bring me my breakfast, a glass of milk, and wish me a Happy Mother's Day! She said she knew I drank chocolate milk every morning for breakfast but she couldn't find the syrup (we were out!) so she hoped I was ok with just the milk. It was so sweet and then she continued to tell me I was the best mother in the world and how much she loved me as she snuggled up next to me in bed. It's the sweet thoughtful moments like that that I cherish. Sadly the boys are now beyond the stage of making cute gifts at school which is a bummer as those were always my favorite but Jack is always good about taking them out to each select an arrangement of flowers for me since most other things he'd tell you would end up getting returned. Admittedly I was really looking forward to a house full of lilies but Ty was determined to pick out the most beautiful colored flowers he could find and as it turned out it meant I would be getting dozens of roses...lol! I love the thought he puts into picking out flowers (he gets that from his dad) and they were the most beautiful coral colored roses I'd seen but sadly I need to be better about recognizing the thought instead of wishing I had just gotten a bunch of my favorite lilies but Connor did come through with an arrangement that included lilies. And what do you do when you have a hard time choosing which arrangement to buy? You buy them all. That's what happens when you've got the rock star husband I have. Although they didn't smell up the house the way my lilies do, they sure did brighten it up. They were beautiful... if even for the couple days they lasted...lol!

At the end of the day though, the thing that makes me happiest is looking around the dinner table to hear these three beautiful children calling me "mom". I am blessed.

Someone is Seven!!!

I felt like I was on such a roll with fun themed parties for Sage the past few years but for some reason this year I was drawing a blank on what to do! Thank goodness Sage came up with the ideas of having a gymnastics party or an American Girl party and after going back and forth between the two the decision was made for us when we got a call from the community center letting us know that with the exception of Mother's Day there was no available day in May for a gymnastics party. I'm glad it worked out this way because even though at home parties are a bit more work, they feel a bit more special and between the AG fashion show last month and her AG present from Jack and I that she'd soon be getting, it seemed fitting to have an American Girl party!



Although this was a larger group of friends than she'd ever had at a party before it included a great combination of friends from school, church and the neighborhood and everyone seemed to have a great time! We asked each girl to bring their American Girl doll (or favorite doll) and the first craft they did was make a tutu for their doll! They turned out so cute! Unfortunately the shirts I had ordered ended up being a bit hard to get on over their heads but after some pulling and stretching we managed to get them on...



Next it was time to make these darling American Girl paper posies which turned out so cute and made a great centerpiece and mothers day gift for the girls to take home to their moms afterward!



It wouldn't be a party without some dancing...



And here is our sweet birthday girl!



Once again she was very blessed with wonderful gifts. She loved each one, in fact out of curiosity I kept asking her which was her favorite and her response was always the same..."they are all my favorites!"

May...one of my favorite months of the year!

May is special for many reasons: First off, Jack and Sage celebrate birthdays in May! I also have a couple brothers that celebrate birthdays in May but the day that really pulls at my heart strings in May is Mother's Day. For many years Mother's Day wasn't a day I looked forward to, in fact it was a very painful day. To this day I am still very sensitive to the many women out there who suffer in silence on this day, as it's definitely not an easy day for some. But thankfully it's turned into a day I look forward to every year! I will always cherish this opportunity I've been blessed with to have three children that call me mom...even if that means hearing kids screaming "mom, mom" at the most inconvenient time. I remind myself that I did beg to hear those words...

I thought my days of doing Mother's Day tea had ended last year as it seemed it was only done in Kindergarten but thankfully Sage's teacher put on a Mother's Day tea for first grade which I was thrilled to learn they were doing. We arrived to beautifully decorated tables, a yummy breakfast, and the best part...a production that included poems, songs, and art work. These tender moments are the ones that I live for. They are the gentle reminders of how blessed I am to have three amazing kids that call me mom.

So here are a few shots from today's Mother's Day Tea! I also included a photo of Sage with some her class buddies and one with her Teacher Mrs. Burgess and Mrs. Jarmon (who shares a wall with Mrs. Burgess).

Sage on the runway...

Back in February at the Heart Gala charity event we attended, Jack was determined to win the "American Girl" getaway trip to Chicago. It included two round trip tickets to Chicago to visit the American Girl flagship store (with the best part being we wouldn't be flying commercial), a visa gift card meant to be used at the AG store, a gift card for some Chicago pizza place and a gift basket full of American Girl movies, books, nail polish, etc. My sweet husband thought it would be the perfect trip for Sage and I to enjoy together and with her birthday around the corner and knowing the money was going to benefit a good cause, it was hard for me to not agree to it or be excited about it. Well after some strategic bidding we were the winners. One of the things that was included in the package was a couple VIP tickets to the American Girl charity fashion show in Cincinnati and an opportunity for Sage to walk the runway. Of course Sage was very excited about this. Now, the funny part was that the word VIP is deceiving. VIP did not mean you were one of the models that got to model an American Girl doll outfit and carry an American Girl with the same coordinating outfit as those models had been selected months ago from a slew of applicants who clearly were aware that this event even existed, had tried out and were thrilled to have been chosen out of hundreds of applicants. What VIP did mean was that Sage would walk the runway during intermission which made me giggle. I imagined everyone leaving their seats to go to the bathroom or get more food and having poor Sage walking the runway with no one but me to watch which actually may have been just fine since who knew how she'd do under the lights with hundreds of eyes on her. But my idea of intermission and what intermission actually was were different. First of all, no one leaves during intermission and secondly the girls that walk during intermission actually have answered a ton of questions about themselves beforehand so as they are walking the runway the announcers are sharing all sorts of fun facts about them with the audience. I thought it was much better than listening to what girl you were dressed as and what time period she grew up in, which is what occurred if you were one of the main models. You may be wondering what I did about Sage not having a real American Girl to carry with her down the runway since she still doesn't have a real one but no worries as they encouraged us to use one of their dolls. It was no surprise that Sage came out carrying the 2013 new American Girl doll named Saige (with an 'i'). I can only imagine how funny it would have been to have Sage walk out carrying her "Target" version... So here is our cute model Sage:



After she finished we continued to watch the show and at the end she got a cute American Girl shirt, a gift bag, and a photo from a photo shoot they had done of her a few weeks prior. But the best part was the time we got to spend together. Priceless...