Doe, A Deer...

Okay, so I don't know if this is a female deer, but I just couldn't resist. A deer gave birth to two babies right in our backyard! One of the babies walked away as soon as it was able. This one was smaller, and took a little time to rest before joining its mother. This is a quiet, secluded spot in our backyard where we never play. Our neighbors happened to see the mother giving birth, and let us know about it so that we could see a brand new baby deer. We couldn't resist taking a picture. Rachael was sick this day, and was therefore not up for the photo opp. She did make it outside to see 'Bambi' though.

Happy Birthday Rachael!

We celebrated Rachael's 5th birthday this week! (I can hardly believe that my baby is 5! Where has the time gone?) We serve breakfast in bed to the birthday girl or boy on their special day. This year, Rachael wanted a cheese omelet and a piece of bread (gluten-free, of course).


CHEESE! Rachael is not at all excited, is she?


Rachael decided that she wanted a yellow bunny cake this year. I thought that was appropriate as she has a spring birthday. As I was making the cake, I found that I had too much cake to make just one. What could be better than one yellow bunny cake? Two yellow bunny cakes.

This year, Rachael really wanted a new bike for her birthday. She is pictured here on her new bike, holding her favorite birthday card. It was a talking My Little Pony card. Thanks grandma.

Dance Recital

Rachael had her dance recital this weekend. She did great! She danced and smiled and had a great time. (Last year, on the first night of the performance, she just stood there with her finger in her mouth. Crowds are not Rachael's thing...The second night, I was back stage where she could see me because I was a parent helper. She danced, and we discovered that she would dance if she could see me. This year, I volunteered to help both nights, and she danced both nights. Hooray!)


Morgan and Rachael are pictured here with two friends Jeana and Abby Simpson, and 'Auntie' Lynn. Lynn is a great friend and the girls adore her. Rachael is holding sunflowers from Daddy.

Kings Island

Ohio is a state famous for its amusement parks. Two of the best in the country are here - Cedar Point (in Sandusky) and Kings Island (Cincinnati). This past week my brother Cameron was visiting here with his girlfriend, Seavenly (formerly Sister) Robbins, who served her mission here for the past 18 months, and was recently released. In addition to visiting her old stomping grounds, we took a trip to Kings Island. Mom and Dad came out from Indy to join us. Though we got rained on in the AM, and had wet shoes throughout the day, it was a great time.

Morgan and Rachael enjoying a kiddy coaster.

Rooby Rooby Roo!

My favorite ride was the new Firehawk, on which you ride lying down, and feels as if you are flying. Don't let the picture fool you, although I feigned vomiting, I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

Spring is Here!

Popcorn Tree!
It is finally spring! Cincinnati is green and blooming here, there, and everywhere. Unfortunately, with the beautiful blossoms, comes allergies in the Runyan household. Morgan and Chris have had it the worst this year. Sorry guys.









WORMS!
























With the rain and the warmth have come the worms. Big, fat, juicy worms. Chris told the girls that he would give them a chocolate if they would hold one. Rachael decided that she didn't want to touch it with her skin, and grabbed a skirt from the dress-up box to cover her hand. Good thinking Rach!

Rock Climbing for FHE!

The University of Cincinnati recently opened a new, multi-million dollar exercise facility. It is very nice, and has everything that you can imagine including an indoor track, an Olympic size swimming pool and a climbing wall. The University was offering free usage of said facilities for families of students this week. As our girls love to climb, we thought that we would take advantage of this opportunity, and go rock climbing for family night. Morgan and Rachael did great, and climbed higher than we would have expected. Hooray for 'wholesome recreational activities'!

Way to climb, Morgan! She did climb over that little overhang, which was harder than it looks. (Especially for a little body.)

Here is a close-up shot of Rachael climbing, chalky hands and all. Chris enjoyed watching his girls climb the walls, and did so with a mixture of pleasure and pride.

Here is an action shot of me. Long legs come in handy every now and then...

Violin Recital

Morgan had her very first violin recital this week. She practiced and practiced, and did very well.





















Morgan is pictured here with her violin teacher, Ms. Sarah.




















Lynn joined us for the recital and the reception afterwards. Thanks for coming Lynn!