Parades

Yes, as in plural. Friday night was the mini - parade. Wards in the area have spent the last couple months building floats for this event. Kinda cool, if you ask me. This year our ward's float was a sandcastle, and our theme was "At the Beach", and we all walked along with our ward. It was a lot of fun! Here we are, decked out in our beach attire:

Saturday morning was the Grand Parade.

Oh, and completely unrelated to parades...Guess who found their toes?

Summer

This week is our town's celebration week. So far, we've been to two picnics in the park, and tonight was the first of three parades - the horse parade. Here are the girls waiting for it to begin. I love Ellie's choice of clothing: princess dress up complete with pearl necklace and glass slippers. She had a crown too, but decided maybe it was a bit too much. We had our neighbors and Grandpa stick around for a hot dog roast in the backyard. I love this time of year. And my favorite time of day is when the sun has sunk and our grass is nice and cool after a hot day. It sure makes putting the kids to bed at their usual bedtime hard to do.

Our first peas of the summer! We have strawberries too - I've already done three batches of freezer jam. And an ice cream cone to top off our day. I love these lazy hazy crazy days of summer!

A Really Long Post

Our weekend adventure started on Friday when I took the kids to "Noah's Ark".That evening we celebrated cousin Maybe's 2nd birthday. This is cousin Zachary, and our Mister Warren E. Are these two related, or what?Saturday was Jess's birthday, so there was more celebrating. This time the party was at our house. The kids had a great time playing in the water. I know it's sad, but I really didn't get any good photos of Seth and Ellie. Those two just move too fast.

I couldn't resist snapping a photo of Maren's big booty. She was wearing a diaper which had obviously reached the saturation point. So funny.

We sure love having cousins to play with!

I took these photos Sunday morning. Can I just say that we are in big trouble with these beautiful girls?

I made this dress for Maren. I'm not the greatest seamstress, and it actually turned out pretty cute (although too big), so I'm proud of my accomplishment.

Sunday afternoon we headed to my parent's house for Father's Day. Everett spent some time with cousin William.

This photo makes me smile.
We took a walk around the farm.

Phew! That was a lot of photos. We had a wonderful weekend, as you can see, spent with those we love the most.

And being as yesterday was Father's Day, can I just say that I married myself one amazing daddy? His children love him to pieces, and would much rather play with their daddy when a choice is given. Here are just a few of the things that I love about their daddy:

*He has breakfast with the girls every morning (even if he only has time for a cup of juice). They love it, and I love it that I get a few more minutes in bed.

*He is awesome at making sure we have FHE. He always does the lesson, and loves talking to his girls about the gospel. He also reads a few verses of the Book of Mormon every night after family prayer.

*When Nick is working in the garden or around the yard, he usually has two little tag alongs. They love to help their dad.

*Dad will take one or both of the girls to run errands. The hardware store has never been a more exciting place for a four year old.

*He takes garden walks with the babe.

*The girls love it when daddy gets down on the floor with them and plays. Horsey rides and tickle fights are sure to ensue.

We are sure blessed to have such a wonderful daddy in our home!

Life As I Know It

First of all, Mr. E is 4 months old now. I can't believe it. He is so sweet, smiley, and cuddly right now. He's attempting the big roll over, and pushing himself around in circles. His mommy is his favorite, and never fails to give her the biggest grins. His giggles just make my day. In love with this kid. This one is not so bad either... She's just starting the "I'll do it myself, thank you" (or perhaps without the 'thank you' come to think of it) stage. In the photo below she's trying to get her pants on and is getting mighty frustrated, if you can't see it in her face. As long as her big sister isn't taking something from her, she is one happy camper and is a delight to have in our home. We love watching her learn something new every day. She loves singing, especially "ABCs" (usually QRSTUV over and over again), "I am a Child of God" (the chorus), "Hot Dog" (from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse), and "Clean Up" (from nursery). She is one cute girl.

My Ellie has been the best four year old ever lately. Really, she's all of a sudden decided that life moves a lot smoother if she doesn't challenge everything her parents say. She's been so helpful, so agreeable, and so happy lately. Maybe it's the warm weather....whatever it is, I sure hope it lasts! She loves to be with her brother and sister, and can make them laugh like nobody's business. She loves making crafts, loves playing with her cousins and friends, and loves her silky nightgowns.

This photo just makes me happy:

The girls started being silly, and being really loud, which...

...scared their brother. You'll have to excuse the dirty foot in your face.

Don't worry though, he got loved up right proper. Sweet kids.

Our Weekend

We had a fabulous weekend here at our house. Friday night we had family over for a hot dog roast and some yummy peach cobbler. It was wonderful weather all day long, until about the time we were putting our sticks in the fire, and then the wind picked up. Didn't stop us from having a good time, though. I didn't take a single picture.

We also set up the tent that night, and Ellie was all excited to sleep out there until she went out in the dark with the wind just a blowin'. So, we opted for an indoor campout. Nick was a sport and spent the night in the family room with the girls (actually, for the record, I would've slept out there too, but Maren took my place on the blow-up mattress). Are you diggin' Maren's bedhead? I was certainly loving it.Saturday morning we continued our 'campout' with a breakfast cooked on the camp chef. After a somewhat lazy morning, we headed out for a drive. We stopped at the outlets and for dinner.

Sunday evening we spent some time out on the grass. Sheesh, I have cute kids.

Ellie took great delight in avoiding the camera, but I snatched one good one.
Yes, she's covered in the remains of dinner (mashed potatoes), but is she not gorgeous? Those eyes of hers are killer.
I just can't resist those sweet baby piggies.

Family Fun

We work hard around here. I feel like a huge portion of our limited spare time goes toward our yard and garden. That is the price we pay for a homegrown tomato and a freezer full of produce. Is it worth the price? Don't ask me that right now, ask me come late summer when I'm enjoying that fresh tomato. Anyway...Nick had Monday off because of Memorial Day, and we had already put in a full days work on Saturday, so we actually got out of the house and had some fun! We went to Discovery Gateway (thanks to my brother who gave us tickets for Christmas), and the kids had a great time.

Here's Maren driving a car. Ellie filling up the said car.
Ellie riding a horse (not a real one, silly).

Ellie checking out at the grocery store.

Ellie helping me out at the deli counter.Maren collecting the eggs.

Checking out the life flight helicopter. My girls were both pretty nervous when a button was pushed and helicopter noises started - chickens, remember?

Evidence that our Everett was along for the ride.

They had exhibits for big kids too.

It was really a lot of fun! Thanks, Brian!