The 4 year old questionairre

We did this last year and thought it would be great to do annually...until she totally refuses, that is!

1. What is your favorite color? Yellow

2. What makes you happy? when Daddy gives me back rides to bed

3. What is your favorite animal? Giraffe

4. What is your favorite food? Strawberries

5. What are you really good at? Swimming

6. Who is your best friend? Bella

7. What is your favorite song? "Girl on Fire", Alicia Keyes

8. What is your favorite thing about you? that I am so silly!

9. What is your favorite show? Peppa Pig and Lalaloopsy

10. What is your favorite thing to do? Play in my new playhouse

4th of July

This was a really fun 4th...probably my favorite in a long time. The night before, Maddie's school had a huge event full of bounce houses, games, food, bands and frankly, a better fireworks show than I have seen since Disney! The girls had a blast!

While we were watching all the fab lights, I realized another activity is marked form the bucket list!

On the actual day, I had to embarrass my poor little guy with goofy attire. He's totally gonna hate me one day. But look how cute. Totally worth the risk.

 We had a family BBQ...pretty low key but lately, that's kinda how I prefer things. It's my new favorite adjective.

 Someone, ahem, Yaya, decided silly string sounded like a good idea....

Not so much for all involved. Poor brother....

 

And finally, a quick drive up the road to see the downtown fireworks...Happy Birthday, America!!

6 Months Old!

 Our sweet boy is a half a year old...and the size of a toddler! Seriously, the boy weighs 20 pounds and is 26 inches long!  He wears 9-12 month clothes for crying out loud! And man is he happy...except at night lately, which I am fairly certain is them mean ole' toothers coming in! A little Tylenol and Baby Orajel seem to be helping. He's such a happy boy and laughs ALL the time...especially at Maddie...he thinks she's hilarious!

And some big boy developments: he has a new jumper in which he goes insane, a walker that he can actually propel already (I see an early walker in my future) and I gave him a sippy cup for the first time...it was clumsy but anything that goes in the mouth gets figured out pa-retty quick with this little guy!

Also, he has been taking swimming lessons...at this age it's really just survival techniques should they fall in and getting comfortable with the water (and since we have a pool and he'll soon be mobile, it's giving Mamma some comfort). He LOVES the water and is a natural! H loves floating on his back and can even go under...my little future Michael Phelps :)

Another one bites the dust!

So, I chose canoeing....huh?? When was THAT ever gonna happen?? I have a lot of fab ideas and absolutely no way of actually carrying them out. I'm a bit of a dreamer, I suppose ;). We did, however, get the chance to kayak! Same-ish, right?? 

Susie was house sitting this gorgeous home on a canal leading to the river and well, we got to also enjoy it's spoils....kayaks and all! 

Father's Day

"A Father is a son's first hero and a daughter's first love."

We had a great Father's Day...although how do you cram enough awesomeness into one day to celebrate the world's BEST Daddy?! I love that I married a sentimental sap, so I made him personalized cards (after his Mother's Day rant about the price of cards!) from the kids. He loved them...and they had photos he could keep...totally doing this from now on!!

 I also married a man that loves food second only to his family. Breakfast and a German dinner were on his small list of requests. Done and done! Along with a few little gifts and a day at the water park, we ate like kings and queens...and gained a pound or ten.

I never loved Father's Day, not having one in my life, it was always just another day...until I married the best father I've ever known. Our children are so lucky to have the most patient, loving, fun and devoted daddy there is and I get to share my life with this amazing man. Now I love this holiday...celebrating him and the fabulous husband and father he is!! Lucky, lucky us! 

Summer Bucket List!!

I did this in the Fall and it was so much fun...and forced us to do some things that were not in our usual repertoire! I mean, pet rocks?? What IS that, even??? I had to Google it, no joke.

Not to mention the big one drives me batty when she has idle time, God forbid! I'm high strung and she exhausts me just watching her. So, a list of things to keep us all busy! Right around the time I made this, we had accomplished a couple so here is the evidence....

We went to Maddie's very first movie...it. was. awesome. The movie, that is! We saw Epic and Garret I really liked it. Maddie was a little, meh, about it (of course anything that requires silence and stillness is pretty much Chinese water torture to her). She did pretty well, considering. I think the fact that the seats went up and down was more exciting than the ginormous screen in front of her. To each his own.

 Maddie and Bella had a sleepover! Mo has been helping me by taking Maddie a day or two a week during this summer so the least I could do was take hers for the night! Of course swimming was first on the schedule...

I have created this awful fun tradition of making pizzas when they are having dinner together. They love being involved. A little messy? Sure, but look at those faces....

 These little dancing queens were up WAY past their bedtimes but they were really good and had a blast, so Mamma let it slide....