Weasel

R&R have an IKEA easel set up outside so they can paint, draw, use their chalk and the mess stays outside.  They have always enjoyed it but Ree seems to really love it right now.  She calls it her "weasel" and I laugh every time I hear her say it.  I will ask her over and over again what she's doing.  She replies, "I'm drawing on my weasel"---as if to say, "Duh, Mom.  Can't you see what I'm doing?"  I gave her some dry erase markers the other day and we spent almost an hour drawing all kinds of animals like skunks, fish, sharks, dogs, & cats.  Tonight she got upset while getting ready for bed and came into our room while I was nursing Ryder.  She was crying and I told her it was okay to be upset and asked her how I could help.

Me: "Do you want a hug or to sit in my lap?"
Ree, looking out into the backyard: "No, I want to go draw on my weasel."
And off she went to go draw a few skunks on the weasel.

I smile every time she says it.  It never gets old.

Graduation

Today was the Graduation Day for the girls' Apples to Zebras class. They really loved their class and their teachers and I'm sad it's over. It was pretty amazing to hear from them each day about what they learned. They are little sponges and came home with new information every day.

A little dirt never hurt

Ryan face planted in our flowers and didn't get hurt but came up for air with a face full of dirt. She had no intention of wiping it off her face and continued to play.  She is such a crackup.

We love our bikes

Living in a cul-de-sac is so much fun.  We can ride bikes without worrying about a lot of traffic.  The girls love riding their bikes and the weather has been so great in the late afternoon. 

Maddie likes to come outside and play too.

Stormy

 We had such a fun weekend and one of our outings included a stop at Aunt Dianne & Uncle Mike's house to see the new baby pony that was born (she told me the correct name for the baby pony is a stud but I will continue to call it a pony).  He's adorable and they are going to call him Stormy because he was born on a stormy night.  The girls love their house because they not only have horses and chickens but also a trampoline, a playset, a pool w/ a slide, AND a playhouse.  It's all on one huge acre and it's so much fun.

Ryder's 4 month birthday

Ryder is 4 months old.  Where does the time go?  I can't believe that we are 1/3 of the way to his 1st birthday.  Someone please stop the clock.   He is the happiest, sweetest baby and he loves watching his big sisters run and play.  You can tell that he's dying to get in on the action and can't wait to be mobile.  He's rolling all over the place and pushing his strong legs to move around.  This kid is going  to be on the move really soon. 

Design on a dime (kinda)

 We have been making subtle changes to our house recently and it's been fun to "fix" things up.  We moved R&R into the front bedroom and recently painted it pink and painted the bathroom yellow. It's definitely a better fit now.  We bought beds for them and put their names on the wall.  It's a beach theme just like the playroom.  I am really happy with the outcome--it's so much brighter than the bland taupe that was there before.

Mr. R's room is a mix of surfer dude and soccer dude.  It's leaning towards soccer dude but we have some fantastic surf bedding that we borrowed from our friends and some vintage surf posters.  Auntie Casey made the adorable soccer mobile that hangs from the fan.  We love it.We recently painted the outside of the house and changed the landscaping of the front island.  It had lots of crusty dead bushes before and Cory had the idea of building a planter with flowers and adding 2 small palm trees.  It turned out so great and the darker paint on the exterior made a huge difference.
There is still lots to do.  We want to add a security door soon, add more pavers in the backyard, redo the firepit and bbq grill.  It's always a work in progress.  Stay tuned to see what's next.

Facials with Emmie

We went over to Auntie M's house for a visit and she gave the girls "facials" while we were there.  They have been dying to go to her house and we made an impromptu visit the other night.  They loved being pampered in her luxurious spa.

Little dancers

Can you tell who is almost 5 in this photo and who is 3?  My girls were obsessed with their suckers and couldn't focus on anything else.  Miss E was a doll and smiled so cute in every photo :)

My little helper

I love when I download photos off my old camera that the girls use.  I find all kinds of photo treasures that crack me up.  They both love taking pics and these recent ones made me laugh.  The past month or so I've had a mother's helper come over to play with R&R while I get stuff done around the house or make dinner.  She's 11 years old and we love when she comes over.  She's somewhat of a neat freak and it's so great because she loves to pick up the toys and straighten things up. These photos show Miss A cleaning up the girls room.  Notice how she is doing all the work and they are just taking photos of her.  She made their bed at 4 in the afternoon, which cracked me up and was getting help from no one.  I was quite impressed with the finished product.

New landscaping

We are making small improvements on our house and this is one of them. I wish I had a before shot because the front island area was so ugly.  Cory and our landscaper came up with this concept and it turned out great.  We have also painted the outside of the house, the girls bedroom/bathroom, and Ryder's room.  More photos to come.  Stay tuned :)

I can't resist this face

Those eyes.  That hair.  The cheeks.  He melts my heart.