The Fourth of July

My little firecrackers! A's a bit of a loner when it comes to posing. Or maybe her sister squeezes too hard.
E wanted everyone to see her special nails. Normally I don't allow red on little ones, but we've got spirit, yes we do!
A runs off some energy before the long car ride to the country where DIY explosives are welcomed!
Aren't they sweet together? I'm not sure what had A so captivated, just that it wasn't me.

There's a baby in there! And I'm pretty sure I can get to her! My cousin's little girl is almost exactly a year younger than A - in fact, this is the dress A wore last summer!Cake break. After eating 1/4 of a hamburger and approximately 3 beans she took off. Naturally refueling is necessary.
Ready for the show. This made her Daddy real nervous. Something about shrapnel falling I think. Sissy.

E wields sparklers with caution. It's quite surprising really.Look! Fireworks! Our families did a pretty good show this year.
Ahhh. The aftermath. This is what spending time running with your cousins is really all about, at least that's what it's about for the grown-ups! Precious memories followed by precious silence!

Goals, Part June

My cousin came into town and we celebrated with a trip to the aquarium. It's really a fantastic place to take the kids. This is the touch tank where you can feel the difference between a ray and a small shark. My opinion is that sharks feel like sandpaper while rays feel like the smooth side of a raw chicken breast.Look, it's a baby! See how it behaves in it's natural environment? Oh look, Fred, it's waving at you! Isn't it cute?
Another touch tank. Here the children are allowed to feel shark eggs, starfish and an urchin.
You never can tell what each new exhibit will bring. Here we have human arms. I believe they're female. Gender can be difficult to determine at this angle.
We celebrated Grahmi's birthday this month. We were asked to make a sign on the fly and get a picture of both kids with it. My brother's family did the same and their picture has the children sitting very nicely on their front porch, each holding a sign with military precision. Our results were slightly different.
We got a little pop-up pool this summer. It's been fantastic fun, and very little trouble. Totally worth it! No hauling children to the public pool and I don't have to don a suit in front of all my neighbors! The water's still a little chilly for the wee one, but she has fun running around the backyard while E swims.
Apparently the December ice storms weakened the trees a bit. This is our neighbor's beautiful tree, felled by a summer thunderstorm. There was an identical incident across the street.
A started her one year old class at the church. The girls will overlap this summer, but then E will move on as A begins her journey. I'm in love with the teachers here, E has never once not wanted to go and A just walks right in without looking back. That says it all!
There are fewer things more heartwarming for me than watching my husband enjoy our girls. Happy Father's Day again, sweet man.
More Daddy Love, with E making her contorted goofy faces and A clapping and sucking her lip. Just another day in paradise!
All caught up! Thanks for coming along!

Goals, Part May

Peek-a-boo with her closet doors. We can't even go into her room without doing this every. single. time.E's time at our church's pre-school program is nearly over. Next year she'll attend Pre-K at a public school. She's very excited, but I'm a little bit sad. At the year end program E posed with her best friend. They've gone to this school together since they were one. How sweet is that?
This is our first attempt at finger painting. It won't be our last, but next time I might feed her first. (Yes, Mom, the paint was non-toxic.)
Just about the cutest little grin in the world. A's such a flirt, it's awfully fun to share her with others. She's never met a stranger - begs to be held by the person in line behind us at the store.
But this is what happens if you tell her no. She doesn't like no.

And there's this if you say no with conviction. O the drama! She stayed like this for at least 2 minutes!

Did I mention she's walking? That could account for the serious lack of semi-regular posts! Many of you will appreciate that in spite of being new to this walking thing, she's managed to pull off "Walking with Purse" without any problem.

In this house, you learn to eat pizza on your own. We don't cut up the big chunks into little sissy bites. You want the good stuff? Tackle it like a man.

This work of art was aptly named "Melting Snowman with Party Hat." I really wish I'd gotten a picture of "Anteater," it was truly a masterpiece!

May. The End.

A Girl's Gotta Have Goals

I really want to post our Fourth of July pictures, but I can't until I get caught up. I can't pretend the last 3 months just didn't happen! We've had some incredible fun, after all. So here's my little re-cap!

April

We went to a local animal sanctuary with our dearest friend. They have all kinds of amazing creatures - lions and tigers and bears, o my - but instead of showing a great picture of their creatures, here's mine.
The girls had such a blast playing at Auntie Danielle's house in her new ottomans. We'd have some too if it weren't for E trying to put the lid on the ottoman while A was still inside.
A had her first playdate this month with a sweet friend's son. They're just a week apart in age and it's a treat to see them grow together. Rumor has it they kiss in the church nursery, they're mute on the subject.
When I inherited these end tables, I never imagined they'd be baby stairs. See the accomplished look on her little face? It's like she's laughing at me. Okay, she was laughing at me. These days she sits on the top and watches toons with her sister.
We have this tiny little rose bush in our front yard that has these sweet, delicate lavender blooms that last about a minute and a half in the scorching heat. They smell amazing. What with all the rain, I don't think we'll be seeing many more. Today in place of this picture you'd see my E cuddling up to a group of naked twigs. Thank you, black spot fungus.

There's April! Ta da!