A Style All Her Own

While Baby Sister may take some hair-styling cues straight from the Girl's play book...

when it comes to clothes, she is developing a style that is all her own. This week the Girl has been attending Vacation Bible School for 2 1/2 hours each evening and during that time we've been enjoying one-on-one time with Baby Sister. Last night she plucked this skirt (belonging to the Girl) out of the ever-present pile of clean laundry waiting to be folded and put away mounded in our comfy

chair, slipped it on over her head, tugged it over one shoulder and slipped her arm out. She then wore it around the house that way for the rest of the evening until it was time for pajamas and bed. I thought it was quite an innovative show of creativity, style and resourcefulness. Not to mention darn cute! Here are the big Girls on the last night of VBS. The theme was High Seas and it received rave reviews from both the Girl and

Miss A. In fact, the Girl enjoyed it so much that she asked if she could go again next week.

Happy Birthday Daddy!!

Happy 32nd Birthday Daddy!! The Girl and I came across this cake in a magazine a few months ago and immediately knew that we had to make this cake for his birthday. Despite the dust that it has collected sitting neglected in the garage, J loves his dirtbike and any other summer he would be out riding. But his pursuit of competing in a triathalon and the training involved have curbed the dirtbiking

hobby...for the time being anyway. Never-the-less the Girl and I couldn't resist this cake with it's donut hole boulders, Cocoa Puff

rocks, crumbled grasshopper cookie dirt path, pretzel logs and Fruit-by-the-Foot flags. Here is the Birthday Boy being serenaded by his

adoring fans and I think he's enjoying it although it looks as though he's about to plug his ears. And I love this picture, obviously not

because of it's stellar quality but because J is celebrating with a bunch of little girls. Classic. Just like he never made it past the kiddie table. Truly my favorite image of the night. Made even more so because he could have so easily gotten up from the table and consumed his cake and ice cream on the couch with his buddy but he chose to sit at the table with the Girls. Love that about him! Happy Birthday Babe!!

Hi Papa!!

This afternoon Baby Sister chatted on the phone with Papa.

She is a multi-tasker conversationalist and can hold a phone, talk, listen and exercise all at the same time.

She even poses for pictures while on the phone.

But don't ask her for a turn to talk when it's Papa on the phone. She was defending the Girl's attempts to have a chance at talking to Papa.

And she was not pleased when Momma forcibly removed the phone from her tight little grip.

As consolation she began sucking her thumb, all the while contemplating her next move...

pulling the Girl's hair in a show of retaliation.

108 Sun Salutations

This morning me and my yoga pals (Miss A's Mom and O's Mom-who also happens to be my yoga instructor) set a world record. No

joke. Joined by 350+ other yoga enthusiasts, we participated in the world's largest yoga class. Our goal was to

complete 108 Sun Salutations and raise money for City of Hope, a non-profit organization that is devoted to ground-breaking research and treatment of cancer and other life-threatening diseases. The sun was shining and it was a bit on the warm side but a cool breeze made for near flawless weather. If you look closely, you'll just be able to make us out in the pictures above, Miss A's Mom is to the left of me in pink and O's Mom is to the right in blue. I put a frame around us for easier spotting.
And this guy...well, he is the reason that we will never get our guys to join us for a yoga class. Believe it or not, this guy is the exception and not the rule. Although he may be the general public's perceived notion of a male that practices yoga, I've never had this guy or any male even remotely close in appearance and dress show up at any of the yoga classes I've been in. This guy was one of the instructors floating around helping people to make adjustments. It was all I could do to contain my laughter

when out of the corner of my eye, I saw him hovering over Miss A's Mom and adjusting her. That was, until the panic set in that I might be next...ha, ha! Here we are - the after shot. Two hours and 108 sun salutations later.

Oh

Tonight as I was plucking a pesky gray hair from the top of my head (I know, I know. Two will replace it!) the Girl, who was watching, asked what I was doing. I told her and then proceeded to inquire of her, "Who do you think gave me this gray hair?" Without skipping a beat she replied, "Probably Gramma, she has gray hair. You should tell her to change her style and make her hair color brown. That way you won't have to worry about getting any more gray hair from her." Ah, classic. Then just a few minutes later after we'd brushed her teeth, read a few stories and said our bedtime prayers, I kissed her and told her that I loved her. She said, "I love you more than you love me." Impossible sweet Girl, impossible!!

Sun-Baked Goodness

Today we rounded out a week of water fun at one of our favorite beaches. We were immediately reminded of why it was one of our favorites - we didn't have to get up early to get in line for the ferry, we parked just steps from where we set up beach camp and the bathroom was just a stone's throw distance. There is definitely something to be said for convenience, especially when little ones are involved. All of those strategic reasons aside, we do love this beach for many other reasons - it's smooth pebbles, clear water and beautiful surroundings to name a few.
When we arrived our friends were awaiting us. D, ever the little gentleman, pulled Miss A and a relaxed, thumb-sucking Baby Sister

around in their boats for awhile. While he was busy being chauffeur, his lil sis, another Miss A and a dainty little thing she is, was doing some

floating of her own. Then Baby Sister had to give up her leisurely ride so that the Girl could let her inner teenager out. Her and Miss A

didn't want much to do with the water other than to lounge in it perched atop their boats. Luckily, Baby Sister didn't seem to mind having to share the boat. On this day, she would much rather be splashing in the shallows with the cool water lapping around those irresistible chunky little thighs of hers. She did not however, want to be hindered by the awkwardness of her life vest (don't worry

Gramma, she was always within arm's reach of an adult and was being watched closely) which makes it almost impossible

for her to bend or squat down. Towards the late afternoon though, she started to fade and was more than happy to be in the boat

sucking her thumb. That is, until a boat went speeding by further out and sent some serious waves shore-bound. That was

our cue to call it a day - that and the incoming tide that was swiftly creeping toward the beach umbrella and towels. But what beach day

would be complete without a creamy treat?! McDonalds new snack-size McFlurry was the perfect exclamation point to the end of our week and afternoon. While us Moms pondered the reason behind all of the horse racing photos on the wall, the Girls enjoyed posing with them. Love how they can find their own fun in any situation. Cause apparently, posing with horse and jockey photos is a blast!

Sizzlin' Days of Summer

Another hot day, another excursion in quest of water fun. This morning we rose and shone bright and early to grab a coveted spot second in line for the first ferry departure to a tiny slice of island. Within ten minutes of our arrival the line stretched to the parking lot and those toward the end of the line were looking at a minimum two-hour wait before boarding. This little island is popular to say the least. Maybe it's the sandy beaches or the seemingly endless stretch of squishy land and the patches of slimy seaweed that must be navigated to reach the water far out on the horizon when the tide is out. Or the view of

the snow-covered mountains on your way back to drier land. Or the fact that within just a handful of hours the tide will come rushing

back in and the warm, shallow water will be just steps from your umbrella and beach towels. Whatever the reason, young and old alike

flock to this destination and we are no exception. At least once a summer, it is well worth getting up early to catch the

tiny ferry, packing as much as you can possibly carry - lunch, towels, sand toys, beach umbrella, diapers, life jackets -

while still managing to keep both hands free for holding your sweet littles and the inevitable, numerous, long treks back and forth to the only bathroom on the island not to mention the sprint back to the ferry for the return trip lugging all of the above-mentioned items much more haphazardly when you realize that the ferry is leaving in five minutes and if you miss it you're guaranteed to be stuck on the island for at least another three hours. On this particular day, it was hot enough that the dry sand was scorching underfoot so Miss A's Mom carried her to the bathroom. When I commented that Miss A's Mom was a hero for doing so, the Girl quickly followed up with, "And my Mom is a loser." Sheesh, carry a child in your womb for 9 months, then refuse to carry her now 42+ pound body in 90 degree temps over a sandy, slightly hilly path for a quarter mile and all of a sudden you've been relegated to the loser classification. Oh but we (Miss A's Mom and myself) did get a good laugh out of that comment.

But it is worth all of it, every single inconvenience to know that the Girls are enjoying themselves and experiencing all that our local

surroundings have to offer. That they are subject to the beauty and diversity of His creation. Baby Sister was especially cute with

this kickboard nestled carefully under her arm. Eventhough it was completely awkward for her to carry and slipped out with every

other step, she diligently readjusted it. If we lived in California or Hawaii I swear she'd be a surfer girl. There was plenty of sand creation
mixed in with a bit of snacking. It seems that Baby Sister loves goldfish crackers...

even with a bit of sand on them. In fact, she might even

prefer them that way. As if there weren't enough sand on them to begin with, she began sprinkling them generously before...

popping them into her mouth.

Loving the sand-smeared cheek.

A good day's worth of play on land and in water makes for one tired Sister. She was snoozing before we even got out of the parking lot.

Poolside

Ah, another sunny summer day not to be wasted on time spent indoors and so off to the pool we headed. A 'new-to-us' pool, an outdoor pool, a pool with a shallow end - shallow enough for the big Girls to stand and still have their heads above water. We arrived early fully anticipating that the line would be long and wanting to assure ourselves of the opportunity to be part of a full capacity open swim

session. After anxiously awaiting splash time in cool water, the Girls spent over an hour in the pool before hopping out for a feast of goldfish

crackers and watermelon. Enjoying the juxtaposition of the salty cheddar flavor of the crackers mingled with the

sweet juicy melon. While they were savoring flavors, I was savoring the feet. Baby Sister's fat little toes and Miss A's golden,

prune-y feet. A telltale sign of outdoor summer fun. All too quickly our fun was over and we found ourselves relegated to the stifling

heat of the sun-baked car. But swim lessons awaited us and afterwards we found ourselves dining alfresco on a picnic dinner with

friends at the lake. Digging in the sand proved to be preferable to hanging out in the sauna that is our un-airconditioned house.