We be in SD

We have been in San Diego for only 24 hours and it's already been a whirlwind.  We got in yesterday and the girls were so excited to see Mimi & Papa.  They raided Mimi's suitcase and started playing dress up right away.  We had dinner with my brother, Jess & baby William last night (I will be sharing photos of the little guy soon).  This morning we went to the New Children's Museum, which is just steps away from the condo.  It was very similar to the Phx Children's Museum and the girls had a great time painting, playing in the bounce house, rope climbing, and so much more.

Oh, Mexico!

We went to Mexico over Father's Day weekend and it was such a wonderful trip for our family.  The girls LOVE the beach and the pool at the villa provided many hours of fun in the sun.  It was really nice to relax and unplug from everything--no cell phone service, no email, nada.  I love it.  We went out to dinner both evenings but during the day it was all about the beach and loungin' around.  Our friends, Lori & Sean, came with us and they were so much fun to travel with.  We are looking forward to returning in October!  Here are some photos of our trip:

Redesign

Our little redesign in the family room/kitchen area is done and I'm really excited about the outcome.  Below are some before and after photos to check out.  The changes are subtle but it really makes our house feel warm, cozy, and kind of like a grown ups house now :)

Family room before

 

Before After

AfterCabinet lights above

Sweet Potatoes

We tried 'em and Mr. R likes 'em.  Butternut squash too.  The jury is still out on carrots but we'll try again soon.

Summertime FUN!!!

I love summer.  The heat doesn't seem to bother me too much and I love all the fun things we get to do as a family when the days are long.  We have the best backyard and summer nights are so much fun.  Even though our backyard faces west we have some great shade trees and from about 3pm on the entire pool is shaded and it's the best time of day to swim.  We have been getting in the pool when Cory gets home from work and everyone loves it. We also just installed some great floodlights so we can play in the backyard after it gets dark.  Here are some shots of Cory and the girls doing motorboat and a few other random shots.

Five months

Ryder is 5 months old and it's hard to believe how fast time is flying by.  I am trying to soak up every precious moment because he is growing like a weed and all of a sudden doesn't seem like a little newborn baby.  He weighs about 15 1/2 lbs, has 2 bottom teeth that came in days apart from each other, can almost sit up on his own, loves to be on his belly and do the "Superman" moves, has discovered his voice and loves to yell out to get our attention, is seen often sucking on his fingers for teething relief & really enjoys his Bumbo seat and Exersaucer for entertainment.  He is such a great addition to our family and every day I think about how blessed we are.

 

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.