What?!

Yeah, I'm going to admit, I never really thought any of my kids would do this, and I'll even confess I judged anyone who's kids did.  Then, the other day, Catherine comes strolling out of the playroom looking like this.  Hmmmm.........  Guess I just got knocked down a couple of pegs.  Probably about time for that!

While The Cats Are Away.......

While Lizzy and Peter are off on their numerous summer adventures, I get to log some much needed park time with this little lady.  Catherine loves to go to the park.  She loves to be outside, exploring her world.  She loves climbing, sliding, swinging, and pretty much just hanging out outside.  I love being with Catherine, and watching her explore her world and soak it all in.  What a precious, precious girl.

Weaving Camp

Lizzy loved the weaving class she took with Caroline.  She was so excited to get to weave on a real loom, and to work with real weaving tools.  And boy, did she create some amazing things!  Lizzy made an awesome little bag, a pillow, a blanket, and a great keychain for me!  Lizzy is a talented weaver and I can't wait for her to get to take this awesome class again.

Open the Floodgates!

This summer, Peter has been on a developmental bender!  This guy is suddenly able to do so much, it's awesome to see.  There's a bit of a swagger in his step, and it's well deserved.  Within just a couple of weeks, Peter learned to swim across the pool (along with many other pool tricks), ride his bike with no training wheels, and go across the monkey bars.  Whew!  I'm exhausted just thinking about all he can do.  Wow!  Way to go, Peter!  At this rate, he'll be driving and making us all dinner in no time!

Day Trip Maniacs

It's hard for us to go on "big" trips these days.  When you've got little people, turns out they've got lots of need (demands).  They need naps, and space to run around, and they don't like to sleep in strange places, or eat weird food.  They like.......routine.  We get it, and we know how to please.  So we enjoy lots and lots of fun day trips to quench our need for adventure.  We visited the Sacramento Zoo, Fairytale Town, and we even rode the train up the train museum in Sacramento (just to name a few).  The kids all love an outing, and they are always up for a fun adventure.  I love their excitement and their joy at seeing new things.  It's the best!

Full of 4th Fun

Our Fourth of July started out with a bang.......a really, really hot, sweaty bang that is.  After a week-long heat wave, things were really boiling on the fourth.  We didn't let that stop us from enjoying a totally awesome bike and scooter parade to kick off our great day.  After that, we enjoyed an awesome BBQ at our cousin's house and of course, some much needed swimming time.  Since we've never lived in a town that does fireworks, we were all so excited for it to get dark and to walk to school to enjoy the show.  It was so much fun.  Catherine was mesmerized, and kept shouting out "Stars!  Stars!" every time a firework exploded.  What a special night.

Slide-Able

After much thinking and worrying and hesitating, Peter finally bit the bullet and took the plunge off the slide!  It was awesome!  Once he did it, he thought, "Wow!  No big deal!  I've got this!" and then proceeded to slide about a hundred times in a row.  Way to go, Peter!

Wow, Peter is 5!

Wow, the kids around here sure are getting big!  Peter celebrated his fifth birthday!  Wow, he is getting to be such a big kid now.  In the past few months we've seen him not only getting taller and leaner, but more mature, more capable, more willing to take risks and try new things.  He seems so comfortable in his skin, and it's awesome to see him becoming such a wonderful big boy.  We planned a special day to celebrate Peter by hitting up all his favorite spots.  Grandma and Papa came over and we went to the mall to visit Peter's favorite place- the Lego store.  What a spot!  Peter was in heaven.  We rode the carousel and then had dinner at Peter's favorite restaurant, Johnny Rockets.  Peter, we love you so much!  We love you silly, funny ways.  We love to see how smart and capable you are, how focused and driven you can be.  We love playing with you and having so much fun together.  You are our very favorite boy in the world, and we are so thankful for you!

Pool Party Buddies!

Our sweet, sweet friends came all the way from Menlo Park to help us break in our new swimming pool and to celebrate Lizzy and Peter's birthdays.  What a day!  We had so much fun!  It's so wonderful to spend time with old friends, because you fall into sync right away and just have such a great time together.  We all loved swimming.  Everyone went off the slide, and when we were chilly, we warmed up in the hot tub.  The kids played with water balloons and blocks, and we had an awesome BBQ and super yummy cake.  We treasure time with these dear friends, and it was such a treat to get to see everyone.

Kid in the Kitchen

Lizzy loved her awesome cooking camp that she went to with Caroline.  Not only did she get to cook fun recipes in the morning, but then she got to ride her bike around town to fun activities in the afternoon.  I'm super proud of Lizzy because I know she was really nervous to take the swimming test necessary to swim in the "big" pool, but after thinking things through, and putting on a very brave face, she took the test and passed with flying colors!  It's so hard to push yourself to try things that are scary, and I'm so proud of Lizzy for being so brave.

Little Camper

Peter is such a big guy now, it's crazy!  Since he's old enough now to go to a summer camp, he asked me to sign him up for a sports camp.  I wondered how he would do.  He's never gone to camp before, plus we've just moved and he didn't know anyone.  He was a little nervous, but after getting used to things, Peter was totally awesome!  I was so proud how he was able to go completely out of his comfort zone and have a great week.  He loved all the different games he played, and was a great camper.  Way to go, Peter!  You rock!

Sweet Sisters

I love to watch these darling girls having fun!  They love to play together.  Lizzy is such a sweet big sister, and patiently includes Catherine in all sorts of games.  Catherine loves playing with Lizzy, especially when they have dance parties.  I love these little girls!

Happy Birthday, Dear Lizzy!

Wow!  Lizzy is seven!  Yes, seriously, she's seven.  That sounds really big to my ears, and it's hard to believe she's such a big, big girl now!  We had the best day celebrating her.  Lizzy woke up to her annual birthday breakfast, where we fixed her favorite food on the special red plate, and she got to blow out seven candles.  We weren't quite sure how to handle her party.  Since we've just moved here, Lizzy is still meeting new friends, and we didn't want to ask her old friends to drive so far for a party.  So, we decided a family party would be perfect- and boy was it!  Our cousins and grandmas and papa all met at our house and we drove to the mall in Sacramento to go to Build-A-Bear.  It was so much fun!  Everyone got to make their own bear, stuff it, bathe it, and dress it all up.  Afterwards, we came back to our house to go swimming and have a BBQ.  It was such a great day!  Everyone was having such a great time, and we spent so much time laughing and having fun.  Happy, happy birthday to my precious little Lizzy.  We love you so, so much, and are thankful for you every day!

Don't Forget to Look Down!

Sometimes when I wake up in the morning, I can hear giggling coming from the stairs.  I know I'm in for some laughs from my two jokers.  Lizzy and Peter think it's hilarious to "hide" in plain sight on the staircase.  I must admit, this does crack me up every time.