Clare Gets Some Wheels

This little blessed girl was gifted a pink barbie jeep from her great grandma and grandpa and I am living my childhood dream vicariously through her.  She is so cute buzzing around in it and listening to its little radio.  She often "runs errands" and has to "stop for gas."  If I see her not using a hands free device for her phone calls in there, I might have to ticket her one package of bunny fruit snacks.  The court of law gets hungry sometimes.

 

Fourth of July Celebrations

 Above are the fourth of July cuties of mine.  They were all decked out in the morning for the neighborhood parade after having red, white and blueberry pancakes for breakfast.  The had their bikes all decorated and the baby was donning her signature patriotic smile.  We had Aunt Michelle with us this morning and she gave us back up on the parade so mommy could assume here "mamarazzi" position with camera while tending the giant stroller.  Its good too, because Aunt Michelle had to go New York City on a 7 year old who took out Clare.  Don't think he'll run a 2 year old over anytime soon again.  In fact he may just skip the parade next year.  After a warm morning we were all ready to head to Grandma's for a visit and a swim!

Blueberry Patch

One of our bucket list activities this summer was berry picking and since I missed the boat on the strawberries, I jumped on the blueberries.  They were late this summer (Thank God because so was I getting around to this.)  The little ones love it because they have such an active roll and because we get to eat the bounty after the picking.  We went last year with Clare and I couldn't get her to stop sampling the bushes as we walked through them.  This year, she was a little better worker.  Hayden was a professional this year for sure.  It was soooooo busy there because we did this a couple days before the 4th of July and it was such a temperate week.  We have been blessed by a temperate summer this year so have been able to do outdoor activities well into July.  This one was a favorite!

Big Girl at the Table

 Well we busted the high chair out for the 3rd and final time as it is time to start introducing some rice cereal to the little one.  It always takes a little bit for this to become a permanent part of the schedule because it is really nothing more than messy practice at the beginning.  She was so happy to have a spot around the dinner table and the kids loved having her there too.  For the most part food went in and after negotiations with her tongue, she would figure out how to swallow it.  She mostly loved the social factor of the meal.  Our baby is growing up!  Hard to let this one keep moving forward, but forward we must go. 

Elise at 4 months

This beautiful lady is 4 months old.  She loves to suck on her hands and I had a hard time getting a picture that isn't drool laden.  But even then, she's still adorable!  I love this little peanut and can't believe how fast she is growing.

Father's Day 2013

 Father's day started with church, then a nap for everyone, and then we got down to celebrating Dad!  The kids gave him his gift which they had been a part of selecting.  We were 3/5 of the gifts, better than other years.  Then we went and got our bowling shoes on (for Hayden and Clare it being the first time).  Daddy showed them how to bowl and Mommy showed them how to win.   Ooops, did I say that.  Well if he wouldn't let me win anything while we dated, then I'm sure not going to hold back because it's Father's day.  Either way, we look forward to a rematch soon! 

So sweet!

Enjoying nature

 I love it that my kids are at an age where they are amazed by creeks and waterfalls.  They stop to sniff and flower and pretend to sneeze.  I love it that they are content to run and run and run some more.  I am grateful that I get to take in this beauty of nature and enjoy the beautiful sight of my children doing the same and loving it.  We have made time to get outside and take a deep breath and go for a walk and some of out beautiful surroundings here this summer again.