Carl's 1st 4th

July 4th: Fireworks!

Brianna just chillin' with her cousins!

 The happy cozy crew.

The other happy, not as cozy crew!

Oh, ahh! Carl was pointing really well by the 4th and kept pointing at each new explosion. When we first sat down, I thought he might keep sleeping, but he heard activity and wanted to be involved. Sounds like Carl!

In the Dog Dish

June 29: Why not? Carl decided he loves to get into Eko's food and water dishes. 

And not just in to them (like I'm going to get wet and grab a bunch of food!) but physically into and on top of the dish (it's a lot faster to make a mess that way mom!). 

Courtesy of Gammie and Gampie

June 30th Weekend: Brianna loves to hang out with Gammie and Gampie. She also loves playing with her cousin Casen. And, she loves being at my parents weekend getaway, the trailer. So when those three things combined the last weekend in June, she was one happy little girl! I can't speak to all the fun times they had, but I can say that she frequently asks to go to Gammie and Gampie's trailer!

Enjoy some photos my parents took!

She knows how to relax and kick her feet up!

You Mean I can Paint on my Face!?!

June 24: A Fun-Filled Birthday Party for Cousins

Brianna was excited to go celebrate her cousin's birthdays and was really excited to bring them their gift! But as part of the party, she realized she could color on her face! Can you say triple the excitement.  She sat so still, while the art was drawn on her face. I'm not sure how it went down, but after a while, we saw Brianna sitting again at the face-painting table and a little girl (older than B) was painting B's face... her arms... her legs... it was very cute! They were having a lot of fun.

She was not very happy with me when we had to take it all off before bedtime.

Commissioner and the Parade

June 21: Parade fun

Michelle and I ventured out for our second year in a row to our community parade! This year we had more kids and, I'd say, more fun. I loaded down our burley with chairs and blankets, and headed over to Auntie Micks house to have dinner. A family member of theirs dropped off their two kids, bringing the total to five kids. Once we finished dinner, we headed off to find a place to sit. We all got settled and thankfully it wasn't long before the first police car drove by, signaling the start of the parade. It's amazing to me that so many floats drive by and throw out candy. Why do we need so much candy? It's helpful to keep kiddos entertained, going and gathering whatever they can find, but who wants to give kids that much sugar that close to bedtime. I know, I know... you don't do it all the time, but still. I was thankful to the eye place for handing out fresh carrots. What a welcome treat!

Thanks Mick for the fun and company.

Oh, and Commissioner Bonkoski was on hand for his part in the parade. 

They handed out chip clips, very useful.

Loving Nature at the Arboretum

June 18: A Visit to the Arboretum

We love our visits to the arboretum. Every time we go, there is always something and somewhere new to explore. Carl was not yet walking but he still loved crawling around when I let him on his own. They had a "Green Play Yard," built just for kids. They were able to explore new plants, water, trees, small buildings, and so much more.  We barely had any time left before we had to leave for anything else! In fact, we had a hard time getting away from this kids-sized walking bridge. Let's just say Carl could have stayed there longer!

His "OOOOOO" moment. Notice the tippy toes. 

As we headed back to the car for a picnic lunch, we stopped to examine many of the fountains. This one was particularly perfect for just viewing the water trickle down.