Even more fun with a cuz...

Jenn, Ty and Mary arrived on Friday night. Last summer Ty wasn't a fan of the water, but this time he didn't hesitate jumping in the pool and crashing in the waves. And of course Lucas had the time of his life.

Humidity Head

Having fun is tough work...

Summer Break!

Lucas's preschool ended last week, so our summer of adventure began this week. On Wednesday after work the kids and me hopped into the car and drove to Grandma and Grandpa's house. It was a nice drive, just like when we did it in Feb. We drove about 5 hours while Lucas watched a new Tom and Jerry DVD and Ellen napped on and off. We took a break at a place with a playground, and then arrived around 9pm. The kids were so excited to arrive... they played like silly nuts until about 10:30 that night.

I worked Thursday and Friday mornings, just like at home, but the afternoons were for playing only. We love to have an early dinner and then go to the beach for a couple of hours in the evening, when the sun isn't so strong. I'm worried about Ellen's fair skin.

Here is "too cool for school" with his little sister. My mom made Ellen this dress...

Grandma, Grandpa, Roo and Missy

Mommy with the Bird

Mommy with the Kid

Oh yeah, we're cool.

7:00 AM

Homemade blueberry yogurt...

Lucas had pout face, Ellen had a happy face. Lucas knew that it was not the store bought, sweeter version... Ellen didn't notice.

My favorite little head of curls...

"Come on Blinken!"

Not sure why Lucas still calls Lincoln Blinken, but he does. Lincoln wasn't as excited about getting wet as Lucas was, but in the end they had a blast.

Sweet Baby

Focus

When Ellen plays in the car, most of her time is spent trying to fasten the seat belts in the car seats. Her little face is so serious and focused when she's doing this work. In the second pic below she saying, "Doo-tus" to let me know that she's sitting in Lucas's car seat.

Flowers for Mama

Ellen, like her brother, likes to bring me flowers. In this first pic she was running to our neighbor's yard to grab a handful of flowers from their bushes (oops). In the 2nd pic she is throwing them at me : )

Little Sister

I think her main goal in life as an 18 month old is to keep up with Lucas...

Vita Mix

We just made an investment in our health and treated ourselves to a new high powered blender. I had been dreaming of getting one for months. We made a random trip to Costco last week and they were doing a demo on this blender. I felt like it was meant to be! We got it at a discount and didn't have to pay shipping. And thankfully my grandmother had been holding our birthday and Christmas gifts (money) at her house, so I already had most of the money set aside to buy it. So this is technically a gift from Mom, my grandmother in Atlanta. Thanks Mom! We have healthy smoothies every morning, I've tried veggie shakes for lunch, and we are trying new fruit sorbets for dessert. I can't say that Lucas is this blender's biggest fan, but he does like the wand that came with it since it resembles a sword.

Playing in the car...

Ellen's favorite thing to do now. Her next favorite thing is walking two houses down to our neighbor's house and playing on his front porch. There are two rocking chairs - she'll sit in one and then point to the other one and say, "Mama, Mama."