Family Time

We love Uncle Wes and Aunt Rebecca!
We can now "officially" call Lindley "Aunt"!

Eli loves Uncle Bo!

The children and I spent ten days in Tennessee visiting our family this month. Mark had to work, so he joined us for the last few days of our trip. We had a great time staying with my parents and Mark's mom and visiting with family. My brother Bo (in the real world he is known as Bob, but that childhood name is stuck in my head!) and his love Lindley got married on the last day we were there. I am so glad we could be there! My brother Wes and his wife Rebecca flew in also, and we loved being with them. Family is precious, and I am so thankful for the time I can spend with mine!

I always underestimate how tiring it can be to be on vacation with the children. Eli displayed his fit throwing talents (he is an expert two year old, even though he is only 22 months!). It was nice to get back home and get everyone back into a "normal" routine and back into their normal beds! It takes several days for me to catch up.

Keys to a Good Night's Sleep

A Special Blankie + A John Deere = A Good Night's Sleep!

Hair

It is amazing how much time, effort and money is put into hair! People all over the world have an opinion on what makes hair look good. People all over my house have opinions on this very same topic! This week, the girls have been into having their hair braided (started by last weekend's prairie party). Anna Grace brushes and brushes her hair trying to make it straight. Olivia likes wearing hers in a ball on top of her head. Bailey has started fixing her hair by herself. And on and on.

Recently, Isaac has started to have an opinion about his hair. I guess it is a sign that he is growing up (or maybe he is just trying to drive me crazy...). He inherited his mom's curly hair, and it is bugging him (I feel his pain). He has decided that he wants to grow his hair out, especially on top. He has visions of flipping his bangs over to the side. Isaac is a pretty compliant guy, so I have been trying to give him his independence. I did finally put my foot down and took him to get a trim yesterday. Our hairdresser, Tyler, is a great guy, so I thought that he would be good to listen to what Isaac says and still give him a good haircut. After Isaac was in the chair, I remembered the fact that Tyler has long hair, and that he might side with Isaac on this one. He did trim him up on the sides and in the back. He then did something that thrilled Isaac's heart. He pulled out a flat iron. Isaac came out with straight bangs on top. He said, "This is my hair dream come true!" I suspect that I am going to have a hard time getting Isaac in the shower!

It reminds me of my favorite line from Charlotte's Web. Fern's mom had gone to see the family doctor because she was worried that Fern was spending too much time with the animals and claimed that they talked to her. The doctor wisely said, "There is a name for this. It is a childhood phase, and sadly, it passes all too quickly."

Apples!

A friend gave us a bag of apples last week, and we decided to make some applesauce. It was a totally new experience for us. We usually just have to open a jar to eat applesauce! We borrowed a Pampered Chef corer/peeler/slicer (which is a really neat doo-dad!), and set to work. Isaac was my right hand man -- he loved working the "heavy machinery". He did let Olivia take a few turns as well. It was a bit of adjustment for the children, who are used to the pretty apples that come in a bag at Walmart, to sort through the small, holey apples. They even discovered a worm or two. We were all amazed at how much the apples cooked down, and how little applesauce we actually ended up making. The applesauce was yummy, and making it was a good experience for us all!

The High Dive

Bailey has a bit of an adventurous streak in her. She loves the roller coasters and fast rides at Amusement parks. She has also developed a love for the high dive at the pool. Now that she has had swim lessons, we have given her a bit more freedom in the deep end. We went to a church pool party last week, and she spent a lot of time in line for the high dive. It has been a LONG time since I went off one myself, but I can still remember that feeling in the pit of my stomach looking down at the water. I kind of got that same feeling in my stomach seeing my little girl up their looking down. Bailey is growing up before my eyes!

Anna Grace

Anna Grace was watering our plants with water from the wading pools. Every time she passed by my chair, she wanted me to take her picture. I ended up with four or five pictures of Anna Grace carrying water. She and I are quite the opposite. I have no desire to have anyone take a picture of me in a swimsuit. Aah the joy of being a little girl...

Our Littlest Water Soldier

Eli loved our water fight. He was not the least bit afraid to get water in his face! His favorite part was throwing water on Mommy and Daddy!