Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to J! This is the ice cream cake from DQ that the Girls picked out for him, I'm almost positive that it is
the same one that he would've picked out for himself, butterfly and ladybug-lover that he is. Ha, ha!
Intended as a gag gift from friends, but not so much as this is J's cereal of choice, his breakfast of champions so to say. He can polish off a 32oz box of these in 3 days...
This one is 8-months today!
Like her Big Sisters, she knows how to pour on the drama.
But for the most part, this is what we see, that sweet little grin and bright eyes.
She rolls like a pro now (which often leads her to unusual places like under the futon) and can skootch 360 degrees on her belly.
When she gets really excited she lifts her feet and arms up off the floor and starts kicking and reaching possibly in an effort to move forward. She has even pushed herself backwards a few times. She loves to roll over to the bookcase and pull books down but her favorites are the magazines - those she likes to gnaw on. We tried puffs today and she didn't show a whole lot of interest. Hmmm, paper must taste better. She is full of personality and we can't get enough of our sweet Baby Miss.

In the books...

for another year anyway. Yesterday was the 200+ mile bike ride between two states that has become an annual event for J - this was the 3rd year that he has participated. He rides with Miss A's Dad and her Uncle and this year they had a high school rookie join them and he did awesome {especially when you consider that he was hit by a car while riding his bike just a few weeks prior}. Of course we go along too, stopping at the halfway point to cheer them on, then again at a park at the 3/4 mark
and finally to welcome them across the finish line.

The Girls love it and do really well. There were no complaints from any of them.
Rested, fed, hydrated and ready to continue on the second half.
Miss A's cousin is nearly 18 and a big hit with the Girls.


Headed out on the final leg of their journey.
Nearly 15 hours after starting out, they arrived at their final destination {11 hours of total riding time}.
A celebratory kiss.

The crew with their biggest fans!

Island Fun

Yesterday the weather was splendid and as luck would have it, we had reservations for a highly sought after 3-minute ferry ride to a popular little spit of land that boasts a sandy beach, shallow water and a surprise (more on that later). This bikini clad lil gal has a hankerin' for sand and not just between her toes. She preferred to eat it and try as I might, I could not keep it out of her mouth.

There was splashing with friends,
sandcastle construction,












and that surprise I mentioned - jellyfish. A ton of them, big and small. After confirming with the park ranger that they were of the
non-stinging variety, the kids were collecting them like crazy.

Summer Picnic Dinners

Throughout the summer, several young families in our church get together on Tuesday nights for picnic dinners in
the park. Tonight we were at the lake. Despite being dinner time, this one never eats. She'd much rather play and eat dinner later at home. She loves to be outdoors and barefoot. Our neighbor and friend said that we should have named her 'Moon beam' or some other appropriately hippy-ish, free-spirited name. Tonight she sat in the water and was content to play quietly by herself.

We found the perfect spot to keep Baby Miss out of trouble.

Once Little Sister had filled her sandbucket to the brim she realized that maybe it was too heavy for her to carry alone. Her friend,
Miss A, came to her aid. Love this sequence of pictures, so sweet.

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July! I love having all my Girls matchy-matchy in color coordinating red, white and blue!

We celebrated our freedom today by heading to the annual 4th of July parade in a neighboring town and meeting up with friends. The sidewalks oozed patriotism with young and old alike donning the colors of our flag and...
festive hats.

I caught Baby Miss in a fit of giggles brought on by the tickling fingers of her Daddy.
Some preferred a little help when it came to muting the wails of police car and fire engine sirens.
While others opted for the natural approach.
I've seriously never seen so much candy tossed out at any other parade before and of course it was a huge hit with the
kiddos. Little Sister spent much of the parade safely camped out behind my friend's chair until I made her sit on my lap, which she wasn't very happy about. It was our first year attending this parade and I'm fairly certain that it will find it's way onto our ever-growing list of favorite summer past-times.