Balance Bikes, Razors, and a Basketball Hoop {awesome outdoor kids gear!}

This has been an outdoor Summer for our family!  It's amazing what a difference a year makes.  My 3 and 4 year old can now swim completely unassisted (and even dive to the bottom of the pool!), our oldest can play outside on his own and is somewhat self entertained with big boy toys and not to mention our youngest is running all over!  Outside time is not just more manageable, but it's truly enjoyable being able to supervise verses being physically involved every second.  Below are 3 types of toys (along with pictures and a video) that have made this Summer super fun for everyone!  We were very blessed to receive ALL of these as Christmas gifts...except for the Basketball Hoop which was Minh's 8 year old birthday present from us :)


Razor Sole Skate
This is Minh's favorite outdoor "toy" as of right now.  It was incredibly hard for him to learn how to ride...it literally took weeks of practice!  However, it was the first outdoor toy that he was determined to conquer and I was sooooo proud of him for not giving up.  He pushes it like a skate board and rests his back foot on the back wheel cover.  He can stand or bend down and hold onto the front (in video) and a great plus to the Razor Sole is it's tiny making it very easy to transport to the park!  And of course, he must wear his helmet!

Razor Ripster Skateboard
I don't have a picture of Minh on the Razor Ripster, but this seems to be the new "cool way" that kids commute to school.  Basically you stand on it with one foot in front, one foot in back and swivel back and forth.  It takes a LOT of balance and strength.  I was so happy his Uncle gave this to him for Christmas since he had been talking about it non-stop!  There are lots of different types of Ripster's, and honestly I don't know the difference between styles/prices.  He is still practicing and can make it about 50 feet, but is getting better everyday!  For an 8 year old boy who doesn't have a skateboard, this has really fit that niche.



Balance Bikes
These bikes are the most amazing outdoor toy ever made!  seriously   My parents saw kids riding them in New York, and when they enquired about them, it turns out Balance Bikes are the new European trend.  I had never even heard of them before, and as it turns out, no one in the South sells them yet.  Basically, it's a low bike without training wheels and the theory is, that kids learn to balance and ride them and then can transition straight to a regular bike.  Meaning what?  Meaning NO TRAINING WHEELS.  We have not got that far, but I am here to tell you, these bikes turn heads everywhere we go.  It took my then 2 and 3 year olds about 2 weeks to master the balancing aspect of the bike and once it "clicked," they TOOK OFF! 
1. They go faaaaaaast all with a simple "tap, tap, tap, gliiiiide" pattern of foot motion and balance.  And not only that, there's no hard work like on a tricycle or the wobbly back and forth like on a bike with training wheels.
2.  They can go for 30 minutes at a time and much faster than my husband running at full speed.
3.  The control the kids have on them is amazing.  They can cut short corners and if they do fall, they're so close to the ground there's no real injury. There are many different styles made out of different materials.  The kids are wooden and are so sturdy.  Check out the video below to watch them glide!  I recommend this to all of my friends...it's a must have for little kids and has made our lives much easier with no little parts falling off, kids getting hurt, or even too tired after a few minutes.

Basketball Hoop

We just put it together for Minh (it was his July birthday present) and I can already tell this is going to be such a used outdoor game!  He can play by himself if we're not out or with friends.  :)

Below are a few more pictures from our family picnic last week.

Thao Playdates!

We've made a real effort this Summer to get the kids together with their own friends for some one on one time.  And to do that without siblings in tow is a real feat.  But alas, we made it happen!  Some had been cancelled due to my morning sickness, but we did the best we could!  A few weeks ago, we coined 5 days as Thao's playdate days and he and I went over to his very best friends house for a morning playdate.  He had been counting down the days to see his best friend, K, and even though I got sick at their house *ack* I was soooooo excited for him to have a one on one playdate!  My 3 youngest are not in any type of pre-k, so it's very neat (and I believe essential) to allow them to interact with friends without their sibling groupies.  A few days later we went to a large playdate hosted by one of his other favorite friends, R.  Just Thao and I went and he had a really great time with "the boys" while I desperately tried not to get sick.  haha  Below are lots of photos!

Quick snack!

 Magna blocks...super cool!!!

 Woohoo!!!

 Pure joy!  (Notice the shoes on the wrong feet...that's very intentional ;)

 So handsome!

 Best buds!

Swim time!

 So much fun!  Well, for them...I was sick on the sidelines.

 Little fish! 

 Here he comes underwater!  I'm telling you, there's nothing compared to the peace of mind having your 3 year old swim safely on their own.

10 Weeks {baby #5}

I am now 10 weeks along with baby #5!  The beginning of the pregnancy was an emotional roller coaster since they could not find a heartbeat and I started bleeding.  However, a follow up appointment eased our minds as they found a strong baby heartbeat on the ultrasound!  My morning sickness had been "raging" for 5 weeks or so.  I usually get sick 3-4 times in the morning, remain nauseous all day, and am sick again near dinner time.  I've lost 8 lbs, but we are hanging in there!  This is NOTHING compared to pregnancy #4 where I was sick 13-14 times a day, lost 17lbs and was finally diagnosed with Hyperemesis (aka extreme morning sickness).  So, even though I have some very challenging days keeping up with 4 kids, it is much more manageable than last time-and I constantly have to remind myself of that.  PLUS, my parents are off work during Summer and are able to help out all the time.  My first official OB appointment is tomorrow-yipee!!!  My husband is a-MA-zing!  He does the laundry, dishes, and completely takes over without me even having to ask when I just physically can't.  Oh how I love him...I am so lucky  :)  Below are a few tummy shots.  I am showing MUCH earlier than with my other 4 kiddos...

Short Orlando Trip

A few weeks ago, my husband had a convention in Orlando.  So we packed the kiddos up and headed over for 4 days!  We first went by the convention so he could sign in and OF COURSE snuck into their pool.  ha!  It was AWESOME!!!  With a lazy river, splash area, and large slide {unfortunately, I forgot my camera in the car}...we had a great time!  We then headed over to the Condo that we rented (we've obviously outgrown a single hotel room) and spent the following 3 days enjoying the pool.  My parents came up for the day and were such tremendous help while I was still battling morning sickness.  It was a great trip which included bubble baths, pool time, movies, and even a dinner at a nice restaurant (very rare that we take all the kids out to dinner)!

Bubble bath time!

 So cute!

 Nam's first time walking through the splash area!  He loved it!

 The boys :)

Scuba boy

 My husband and 3 of our children!

 Passed out cold on my shoulder.

 Adorable!

 There was a major thunderstorm so we built a fort.

Having fun underneath!

 My husband and mom playing arcade!

 Out to dinner and look what Minh found!

 She had a fever the 2nd night :/

 First time at the movies!!!  We saw Winnie the Pooh  :)

Frozen Frosty Shakes!

Last weekend the kids enjoyed some Wendy's Frosty shakes.  Thao is very sensitive to anything cold, so after watching him gulp down his Frosty and periodically "shake," I grabbed the camera to record!  Watch, laugh, and enjoy!  I am considering sending it in to AFV...I think we have a winner!  haha

First Helecopter Ride {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

I am linked to aliciashomemaking for Try New Adventures Thursday! 

Minh turned 8 years old on July 4th *tears* and my parents found another amazing gift via Groupon!  They purchased a 30 minute Helicopter Ride.  Seriously, you just cannot top my parents super creative, yet super frugal gifts!  It was obviously a surprise, and my mother reserved an outside table for our family, my parents, my brother and grandmother at a restaurant called, The Hanger.  And let me just say, this place was a dream come to true for four little children.  Why?  Because it overlooked the entire airport and since it was a beautiful holiday morning, small planes were taking taking off every 3-5 minutes!  The kids were in AWE watching the planes and all of us were able to savor a wonderful breakfast and enjoy good conversation.  It really was an amazing experience! 

Minh opened a few presents from family (he received an Ipod Shuffle to run with!!!), and we made our way downstairs to "leave."  We then wandered out to the super cool zebra striped helicopter...and what do you know, the pilot just happened to be standing there.  hee hee  My mom asked if we could take a few pictures of the helecopter and then she handed Minh a birthday card which surprised him with a helicopter ride!  He was veeeery nervous.  She then created a little grab bag with all of our names in it, and he selected who would be riding with him.  And of course, MY name was pulled!  It was totally rigged.  ha

We had a wonderful time and after about 5 minutes, Minh loosened up and started looking around.  Our Pilot was great and kept explaining the area as we flew over the Coast and local islands.  And I must say, I was VERY proud of myself for not getting sick on the flight considering my morning sickness was raging at this point.  Check out the photos and video below!

The view of the landing strip from our table!

 Opening gifts.

 Learning about his new ipod shuffle he is allowed to use while running with dad!

 SOOOO cute!

 Who needs a fork when they are this good!?

 More planes!

 Taking a look at the helicopter!

 Minh and our Pilot!

 Opening the card that explained his gift.

 Getting ready to lift off!  And the building in the background is where we ate breakfast!

 A littler nervous!

 Wow, wow, wow!!!

 He wouldn't let go.  Very rarely do I get the chance to hold his hand anymore...it was such a sweet moment and an amazing experience!



Awesome video of our take off!!!