Playing Doctor

Abbie, Brie and Eric

Abbie & Eric
Dr. Brie

Abbie Grace

We had a friend come over the other day (Eric W) and the kids got out all the doctor stuff and diagnosed each other. There were broken bones and boo boo's galore. They had a fun time giving each other shots...paticularly when they did it on the top of the head for some reason. Brie swiped several items from the big kids and performed her own version of medicine on herself and some stuffed animals. I'm pretty sure none of it was covered under any kind of health insurance plans...

Popcicle Pushers

Here is a little video of the girls with their popcicles and Abbie and Aubrie at their finest!

NiNi's birthday

We had a great Mother's Day and NiNi birthday this past weekend. My dad brought me flowers (since my sweet husband is away) and he played with the kids ALL afternoon while my mom and I played two hands of Phase 10...which I resoundingly lost incidentally. Mom got a beautiful ring for her birthday and I think she really loved it. I got a stunning necklace from Abbie made from beads she and NiNi had found in our craft area. She did a good job stringing the beads...they are decorated in an American Flag theme which works well for what our family is experiencing right now with Big Daddy away. Both Abbie and Aubrie loved the cake and devoured a couple of pieces...well, Abbie ate the icing and Brie ate the cake. They make a great pair together. Abbie's teeth at one point were orange and looked really gross so we made a point to brush really really well since we have a history of cavities. We did have an exciting phone call from Phillip yesterday. It was so good to hear his voice and get to hear him say he was okay. It's hard being separated by distance but it's nice to have all of this technology to keep us in touch even across the miles. All that to say, Mother's Day was nice this year...it could only have been better if Phillip had actually been here to celebrate with us. We are missing him but are so proud of all that he is doing for our country.

Popcicles

Aubrie: 21 months

Abbie 5 years old
Aubrie

The girls first summer popcicles

My kiddos love to eat popcicles. There is something special about sitting on our front steps and just hanging out with an icy treat. These are pictures of our first summer treat this year. It's been warm (not as warm as say in Kuwait) but it's been nice. Brie loved her popcicle and was very protective of it. Abbie tried to swipe it and that got a definitive and swift response from little sister: a boisterous "Sop" which is her version of Stop! Gotta love sibling interactions.

Marathon Pictures

Ken and Phillip waiting on Becky and "watching" the kids...oh wait, where are the kids... hmmmm...

The Crew: Aubrie, Abbie, Elaina and SuperKaden
Completion of Relay One and a very happy Simon Family

Meeting my cheering squad at a checkpoint

Off to the finish line!

Little Rock Marathon 2009

This year I ran in the LR Marathon. I did a relay which was 6.2 miles as one leg of a four man (woman) team. It was tons of fun, lots of work and I'm so glad that I did it. My friend Becky ran the first leg through downtown LR and over to the North Shore then I go to run through historic downtown LR (gov's mansion, Arkansas Baptist College, Central High, the State Capitol, the park from gang-banging in LR...you know, the interesting places in town). Becky and I had our own personal trainer to run with us...that of course was my dad. He ran Becky's leg of the relay with her and then ran with me too...and he ran crazy fast, I had to book it to keep up with him! It was a beautiful day for the race...perfect weather for running! The best part of the run was seeing my own personal cheering section and three different spots along the way. Phillip, Abbie, Aubrie, Ken, Becky, Kaden and Elaina Simon met me along the way and cheered me to the next meeting spot. It was awesome and so encouraging. I have the best friends and the sweetest family ever!

Okay, it's been a while...

Brie in her car (20 months)

Tulip in the yard...Hooray it's spring!

Abbie upside down on the swingset

My girls in the Azaleas...springtime in Arkansas

There is no excuse, I know. It's just been busy but tonight I'm up late and not really wanting to head to bed so I thought I'd do a quick update. Things are fine in the Durham household. It's been a wonderful year so far and we are enjoying our time with Phillip before he deploys for the summer. The girls are so wonderful and so much fun. These pictures are from today. It's the first time they have been out since early this past weekend because they both came down with cold...thank goodness it wasn't pneumonia again. They are clearly on the mend and doing fine. We were out looking at the few pitiful flowers in our backyard and took these pictures.