Fourth of July...What a Blast!

We headed north to visit some great friends for the Fourth of July weekend, and we could not have had a better time! Here are some highlights from our action-packed weekend! We kept nine little children up very late for fireworks! Above, Ainsley and C. are waiting patiently for the show to begin, playing with their glow in the dark necklaces.

What's a party without a pinata? The kids had a blast working to get this one open. Notice Ainsley's expression as she watches T. preparing to take another swing.

Bennett and L. did some crafting together...decorating their patriotic sun visors.

Oh man...our friend, Dave, rented this gigantic inflatable for the day. He is a genius, because this was an extremely popular activity. The kids and many of the adults got a good workout!

We went to a really big parade in a teeny, tiny town over the weekend. There was a wee bit of rain, but it did not keep any parade goers away. We were glad we endured the wet, because it was a great event...lots of candy!

More parading.....

While waiting for the parade to begin, Bennett got some fireworks painted on her face.

We stayed with some friends, and the children had the joy of hearing a hilarious tale before bed. They heard a story about King Soggybottom, and they just thought it was a hoot! I think Bennett and Ainsley's dad enjoyed it as well!

Our friends live in a very unique house. One of the features is a huge spa tub that is elevated with carpet covered steps leading up to it. Now, this may not be every homeowners dream, but if you are a little kid, nothing could be better! Five kids and two dads piled in to wash their feet after some outdoor play. Did the dads really think they would only be wetting their feet? Probably. But the moms knew that this foot bath would not end without a kid or two being soaked all over! Oh well...we're making memories!

Crazy Ainsley

We all know that Bennett is a crazy kid. Well, Ainsley is coming along nicely in the area of craziness.... It's about 9:30 p.m. in the above picture. Shouldn't we be wearing pajamas and brushing teeth? No, no! We should be generously buttering our bread while wrapped up in some scarf-type thing. Right!!!

Bennett is playing a computer game here. Apparently Ainsley was not happy with the appearance of the screen at tabletop level. Hey, why not put a really flimsy child-size chair on the regular chair for a much improved view? Yes!!!

My, what big feet you have! All the better to take a baby on a walk with, my dear. Ainsley loves fancy shoes, whether they fit her or not. However, after watching in terror as she cartwheeled down our entire flight of stairs in high heels, we have a "no fancy shoes while going up or down stairs" rule at our house.

Weekend Wackiness

What a lovely weekend we're having! We kicked it off with a garage sale Friday evening. What did Bennett and Ainsley do while the sale was in progress? They hauled about a half million vintage Cabbage Patch Kids out to Grandma's SUV. I think that they were playing something that had to do with Baby Jesus (the doll Ainsley is holding was Jesus). But honestly, every time I got close to the vehicle the girls started yelling for me to leave. They do not like me interfering with their "Grandma Time." Where is Grandma in the photo? She's sitting up in the driver's seat with the air conditioning on full blast because it is hot out! We also were pleased to receive a surprise visit from some great cousins. Here are a whole lot of cousins, piled onto a teeny, tiny teeter-totter. The tiniest cousin, a mere four months old, is looking a bit alarmed. Bennett and Ainsley and alarmed babies go hand-in-hand.

We rounded out the evening by grilling and hanging out with some friends. We whipped out the Fun Foam and played a bit of Floamball. Here is Bennett, fresh out of her first T-ball season, taking a pitch from Renee. Of course it was a living room homerun!!!

Tooth on the Loose!

Exciting news! Bennett lost her first loose tooth today! She had wiggled it quite a bit and it was bleeding. She asked me to pull it...imagine that! I was quite surprised that she would let me, but she did. Pop, out it came, and she couldn't have been more thrilled. She exclaimed, "You don't know how long I've been waiting to be able to stick my milk straw (from school lunch) through a tooth hole!" Too bad school is out for the summer...no milk straws. Oh well. Hopefully the monetary compensation she receives from "The Tooth Fairy" will make up for this slight disappointment.

Fathers, Motorcycles, and Chocolate

Ah, Father's Day weekend! We had a lovely one. It started with some shopping for the special dads in our family. While we were out shopping, we parked next to this Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Bennett looked out the window and said, "Oh, this is JUST the motorcycle of my dreams! I want to leave for my honeymoon on a motorcycle just like that someday!" Really?!?! I asked her when she thought she might marry. She replied, "When I'm 70." Really?!?! Never a dull conversation with that girl!

Father's Day partying occurred with cousins. Here they are, downing some

tasty food from the grill and garden.

The cousins also spent some time cooling off in M's whale-shaped sprinkler/pool.


Bennett's on the non-dairy diet. It is no fun. Auntie made some chocolate chip oatmeal cookies with non-dairy chocolate chips, and my, oh my, was Bennett pleased. Here she is, savoring one.

The cousin party pooped Ainsley out. By the time we arrived at Grandpa and

Grandma's to celebrate Father's Day with them, she was pretty much worthless. Above,

you can see her "celebrating" with Grandpa. He looks just as wiped as she does. We were eventually able to wake her and squeeze a little more party out of her that evening.

Curly Girly

So has anyone noticed that it's really humid? No, probably not. Well, Ainsley's hair has noticed. It's been pretty curly as of late. I tried to capture the curls in this photo, but the photo doesn't really do them justice. The Girls really like this picture and wanted me to share it because they like their dad in the background. He looks like a tiny little mower man who is mowing along the railing of the porch, about to mow Ainsley's curls and maybe her left ear right off. As Bennett would say, "It's an optical illusion." Just a fun picture!

What's New?

Are you ever too old for your beloved rocking horse...Bennett says "no." Here she is, no longer a tot, using Honey Pie Pony for seating while watching a movie. Very practical.

Ahhh, the wonderful porch swing! Perfect for reading books on a warm summer evening.


A little wrestling match between cousins. It looks like Bennett's being had by a 3-year-old!

Cats, Cousins and Cake!

What a busy Thursday we've had! It all began with a morning visit to Grandma's. The Real-Looking, Fake Cats came along to meet little Cousin A. who is visiting for a few days. The Real-Looking, Fake Cats brought Real-Looking, Fake Dog along.
Cousin A. was happy to see Bennett. She gave Bennett a trike ride.
What's wrong with this picture?

Cousin A. was happy to see Ainsley. She took Ainsley for a walk in the stroller.

Again, what's wrong with this picture?!!??!

In the afternoon, Ainsley got to attend her first friend birthday party ever! Man, was she pumped! It was a princess/swimming party, so here she is just prior to attending the party, wearing her favorite princess dress and her swimsuit beneath. Does she look thrilled or what!?

Big Sister was not thrilled about Ainsley partying without her. I had to take her to the playground, get her a cool and delicious beverage, and relax with her at the park for two hours while Ainsley ate cake and swam. It was rough for the poor girl, as you can see!

Random Weekend Photos

Below are some photos taken over the past two days... Necessity is the mother of invention, correct? Most inventions come about as a solution to a problem, and apparently Bennett had a problem she needed to solve. We noticed she was working in her math workbook with this hair rubberband contraption on her finger. It was looped around her finger and her marker, making it next to impossible for the marker to slip from her hand. Apparently losing her grip while writing is a challenge Bennett faces, ah, but no longer!

The above photo can be seen at some point nearly each weekend at our house. Grant and Bennett usually spend a portion of either Saturday or Sunday afternoon relaxing outdoors. Often they relax under our small tree in the yard, affectionately referred to as "Maple Tree Lounge." On this Saturday afternoon, they opted for the driveway, probably because the grass was wet from recent rain.

Saturday evening was spent celebrating a cousin's birthday. It was a very fun and extremely loud evening. Above, most of the cousins can be seen enjoying the hammock...amazing that no one was injured!

Ainsley is just relaxing with B. and A. in the hammock. This is how hammocks should be used, Girls!

Eight children and 1 dad in the hot tub, oh my! Again, amazing that no one was injured! Thanks, Uncle C., for taking one for the team and chaperoning this activity. You are a brave soul!

T-Ball...The Verdict Is Still Out

Bennett is playing t-ball this year. We're not sure what she thinks of it, really. She usually complains that she doesn't want to go to her game, but then she appears to enjoy playing once she's there. One thing is for certain. She is not fond of being the catcher. All of the gear is simply too much for her, and the helmet gives her a headache. She is, however, quite adorable in the catcher "get-up."