Summer

This summer is shaping up to be one of my favorite seasons ever.

(I took this picture in between digging out the garden bed and spreading grub killer.)

Back yard kiddie pool.

Vegetable and flower gardening + only having to water once a week because it rains over night.

Getting to know the neighbors.

Tessa learning to dig in the dirt and run through the sprinklers.

A standing tea party date with me, the girls and our next door neighbor. Tessa calls her "our pink friend" because she wears pink (well) 90% of the time.

The beach. The beach. The beach. (And two kids who love it)

FREE swimming lessons offered by the city + season passes at the city pool for $6.00 a person.

I'll let you know when I think of more.

No Fear

We met some friends at the Y for Friday family night...Suddenly two of my family members were missing and this is where I found them.



Cute isn't it...

...but she would never dare climb, would she?

Well, the thing about Tessa is that for all her timidity (which is lessening as she gets older) she will try anything as long and we have never once hinted that it is hard/scary etc.

And so...

No end to the stories...

I have at least five hilarious stories, courtesy of a certain three year old...

However, they may be controversial in that they have to do with...ahem, nipples. But in a totally (nursing) family friendly way.

So if you want to hear them, read on.

1 - Around the beginning of the year Tessa started checking periodically to see if her little niplets were "still there". Then, while we were visiting Auntie Laura she started asking me who all had nipples. Daddy? Meg? Quincy? She? (this refers to Auntie Laura and Uncle Connel, whom Tessa called "she" and "he" until the last day we were visiting when she started calling them "the other daddy" and "the other mommy") I giggled at this last question and told her she should ask Auntie...

Later that morning at breakfast Tessa started asking again. "Do I have them?" Yes. "Mommy, do you have them?" This line of questioning sent Uncle Connel scurrying into the other room in a hurry. Yes, I responded. Then Tessa turned the tables on my little game by asking excitedly "Lets SEE!" At which point Connel passed out.

2 - Not only is Tessa interested in nipples, so is Meggie. The girls where in the bathtub and Meg giggled and grabbed for Tessa's chest. She kept pinching and pinching and Tessa giggled and tried to squirm away. Finally, she really protested, with very clear logic. "Meg, STOP. You has yours own!" (An argument many of us could use at one point or another)

3 - Now a days Tessa covers her little chest every time we change her shirt and squeals. "Hurry, these are going to get cold!" (Which she has pointed out would make it hard to feed her baby.)

4 - And the other day I gave Aaron a hair cut. He sat in the kitchen bare chested, with a towel and a plastic drape on. It was chilly in the house. After I finished giving him one of the best hair cuts ever (hair cuts by wives are always amazing...right?) he was brushing the hair off and cleaning up. Tessa was very concerned. "Daddy, are those gonna get cold?" "You better cover them!"

5 - I'm sure there are more to come. And if you are really upset that I exaggerated and only have 4 stories you can see a 5th story here...

Bath

Meg. Loves. Bathtime.

Especially because she is in the tub with TESSA!

Tessa is fond of bath time as well. I mean, how could you not love the bath when you have feet that look like this?

And how could you not love Bath Time in a bathroom that looks like this...

BEFORE

AFTER.

Photo Catch-up Meg's Birthday

Someone just (as in 6 weeks ago) turned ONE.


Meg shares her birthday with a little boy in our ward. When his mom and I talked about doing a joint "party" I warned her I had an idea for a theme but it might be a bit girlie (as in, not trucks). She gave me carte blanche so I went ahead with my idea.

Last year the kids were born on a 90 degree day in April and all the trees blossomed at once. So the theme was "Popcorn popping on the apricot tree" and I spent a good deal of my day making this...



Which as you can see had three cupcakes at the top that could be pulled off to make 2 birthday "cakes" and a pity "don't feel left out" cake for Tessa.

Which she enjoyed

Photo Catch-up - Easter

I rocked Easter. I feel upside down most days but I pulled it together for the holiday and, essentially, became my mother for the day.

I mean look at this - bunny shaped pancakes.

Plus rice kripsy treats in the shape of bird's nest and dinner on the table and the house clean in time before our dinner guests arrived. Cute little monograms for the girls baskets. A necessity so that Tessa wouldn't claim it all for herself.


It was conference weekend so no church, just home in jammies listening to inspired words on the internet. The past few years we have walked along the beach between sessions - the past few years it has been in the 50-60s and drizzly, so it seemed Sunday appropriate. When it is 75 and GORGEOUS, it seems a little less so. But that didn't stop us from enjoying the beautiful day on the beach with the new Easter Bunny kite and bubble gun. (No pictures because I made the decision to enjoy the trip, not photo-document it).

Aaron got to fulfill a childhood fantasy of drinking milk from the inside of a hollow chocolate bunny. And by fulfill a fantasy I mean, live vicariously through his daughter, like any good parent should.


Icing on the cake was Tessa's first potty training success - I told her I would let her buy a prize if she "went" (remember 3 weeks to even sit on the potty...) so of course it was on a Sunday. Luckily I had a stash of fun things in the closet, including super fun window crayons. WE. LOVE. THEM.