Boat Races...

Every summer the local beach holds Power Boat Races in august. It is a huge event...lots of people sit on the shore line and watch the boats. Vendors are set up in the park selling food and sodas. Every year my dad brings the kids to watch the races...normally Jon goes too...but his ADHD gets the better of him and he spends most of his time walking around! This year was the first year that the kids and I went to watch also. It was fun...but to be honest I could think of a dozen other things that I would rather do...but it was a nice family outing.
We met Papa Wayne, Colter, Marissa, Emma and Lisa at the races. The kids had fun playing in the shore. Love this picture of Emma...love that scarf tied in her hair! This girl has got style!

James loved to watch the boats go past super fast. This boy really does love anything with a motor and that goes fast. He is silly like that! I laugh now...but I am sure someday he will give me many, many gray hairs!

Me! {I always feel terribly vain putting pictures of myself on my blog...but it is my online journal of our life...and I kinda want to be included! Plus the kids will someday enjoy seeing pictures of me in our scrapbooks!}

Something perfect happens to Elsie's hair in the heat...mine gets all frizzy and wonky. Elsie gets 2 perfect little ringlets! No fair, I say! We play up those perfect hair days Elsie has and wear it in pony tails daily to show off those perfect ringlets!

When the boat were racing everyone had to stay out of the water...so as soon as one races was over all the kids rushed into the water! The kids had fun filling the sand buckets with water and grass...making grass soup, ya know! Kept them busy.

A fun afternoon...we have a perfect summer of so many fun family outings. Just simple outings...but so enjoyable. I don't want summer to over quite yet...

The Garage...

My parents place is the hot spot...the gathering place. On weekends it is literally overflowing with people and action. All of the girls tend to gather in the house...mainly in the dining room and kitchen. All the guys gather in the garage. They are usually helping one another out on one project on another. Even though James is just a year old he loves to be with the guys!
James has become Jon's little shadow lately...James is always just a few steps behind daddy...and it is so cute...it melts my heart. And Jon loves every minute of it!

James loves to sit in the garage...he will just look around at everything in awe. Then he goes and climbs on the 4-wheelers and the lawn mower that are all parked in the garage. On weekdays, when Jon is at work, papa Wayne loves to bring James out the garage with him and show him all the tools and things hanging on the walls.

On this particular day everyone was huddled in the garage working on Laura's pick-up. I think they were teaching her how to change the brake pads...but I could be all wrong because that sort of thing is not my cup of tea!

Papa Wayne and James...no doubt papa Wayne was repeating over and over again to James, "Chevy good, Ford bad, Chevy good, Ford bad..." not that Papa Wayne is at all opinated and trying to get that to rub off of the grandchildren now that it is ingrained quite well in his children's heads!

A little man...doing his best to keep up with the guys. So adorable...

Special Cups...

I love the simple things in life... and I do my best to pass that on to my children. I collect pretty cups from garage sales and thrift stores. I don't collect anything in particular...so long as I love it, I collect it! I love having mis-matched cups around the table. An odd number of cups in a set is okay by me...some of our very favorite cups are just a single cup. As Elsie gets older she loves to help me scout out pretty cups!
We go in little spurts of having "favorite" cups...cups that we use at every meal for a couple days...always filled with ice-water. Right now Elsie has a vintage pink cup with 2 handles...it looks so dainty and perfect...hers came from an estate sale a few years ago. James has a heavy brown mug with a handle...we fell in love with his at a garage sale because it screams "boyish mug"! Mine is a vintage sunny yellow cup...we found a set of 6 for a couple dollars at a garage sale. We each know which cup belongs to who because we use these everyday. When I put the tray of cups down on the table even James knows the brown cup is his! And in a few weeks we will each have a new favorite cup. Gotta embrace the simple things in life...

Friday Photo Dump...

It Friday again...time to enjoy the random phone shots!
1. We found this super fun Retro high chair on our local Craigslist for only $5! What a steal for something so cool...and it is in perfect condition!
2. I have discovered a deep dislike for crayons...now that James can move chairs to reach everything I find myself picking up crayons several times a day...no lie!

3. Everyday Elsie finds a giant magnet stick and uses it for her microphone...she dances and whips her hair around...I think she is going to throw her neck out the way this girl dances! She sings crazy songs over and over...her latest one is a simple song, she repeats it several times over and over..."I'm rockin' it out, yeah, I'm rockin' it out!!" Love this age...

4. Several weeks ago we downloaded a colour sheet app...and somehow a certain little girl {who cannot read!} has been saving all her colour sheets on my camera storage! How she does it, I don't know!

5. A beautiful summer sunset...

6. I made Elsie a cute little headband on Monday while James was napping. Elsie was at one end of the table crafting with glue and fabric scraps and I was on the other end making fabric flowers! James and Daddy were napping together. Love afternoons when everything goes so perfectly...

7. I washed the sheets and the comforters from the beds...and hung everything on the line. Nothing is better than slipping into bed at night than fresh sheets with the delightful smell of outdoors! Pure bliss, I tell ya...

8. This swinget has been on the best purchases we have ever made...the kids love playing on it! James has learned how to climb up the ladder and flop on his belly down the slide all by himself. He can also climb up the slide...all the way to the top! So proud of my little 13 month old for leaning all these things! haha...

9. Breakfast time...pancakes, applesauce and rice milk...and one silly little guy!

10. Elsie prefers her rice milk in a tall wine goblet. Tastes better that way!

11. And "Fruity Dino Bites" taste way better when eaten from a china tea cup...

12. Saved the worst for last...a dental visit for me! yuck...hate visiting the dentist. I have not so good teeth thanks to 2 pregnancies and eating lots of mints! Kudos to the dentist for putting up with me and wondering tongue and terrible gag reflex!

Park Night...

I always have every intention of getting a good blogging schedule going so that I only blog when I have new pictures to use...but it just never happens...so once again, these pictures are from a couple weeks ago.
We all went up to the park for Music in the Park again. We love going up to Music in the Park...it is a great family event. And the kids look forward to every chance they can to play at the park!

Jon was home from work early that week so he was able to go with us...Elsie loves how high daddy pushes her in the swings! Just for the record...Elsie is three-and-a-half and normally never uses a baby swing...especially since Uncle Colter taught her how to pump by herself!

While daddy and Elsie were off swinging James and I were enjoying listening to some classic rock that the band was playing...and James was being a very busy little boy...

At one point James crawled all the way into the basket under the baby jogger! it is a big basket...but a very tight fit for a one year old! I had to pull him out by tugging on his feet...and yes, more than one person was watching and laughing! James is quite a boy!!

It soon became very clear that James was not happy to sit and listen to music with me...so we walked over to Daddy and Elsie so he could swing with them...

They had a blast...

I didn't think they were ever going to get tired of swinging...

After what felt like forever of pushing them back and forth on the swings we convinced them it was time to go. The sun was setting...it was almost bed time...

Another perfect summer evening. We have been blessed to have had so many perfect summer nights this summer...

Wheel Chair...

If you go to my parents house you will now find that a wheel chair lives there...
No worries though...no one has a broken leg or paralyzed or anything of the sorts. When I was on bedrest with James I kept saying how much I wished we had a wheel chair so I could go shopping but still remain resting...and it became a family joke. Well, a few weeks ago Laura and I found a posing on craigslist for a Free wheelchair!! Laura roped her boyfriend into going with her to pick it up. And now it sits in my parents yard.

This wheel chair has been a great source of entertainment for all the kids! Even James loves to be pushed around in the chair...he sits perfectly still!

Some of the rides get a little wild...

But the wilder the rides the more giggles we hear!

This is a perfectly normal sight...one child pushing another up the driveway to go get the mail! The kids keep talking about going on a walk down the road pushing each other in the wheel chair...don't know if that has happened yet or not, but I wouldn't be surprised if it did!

The drive way is at a perfect slope for running with the chair then letting it go...this is a sure way to get lot of giggles! Run-away wheel chair...

The memories the kids will have with this wheel chair...

So...if you want a good "toy" for your children...just pick up an old free wheel chair!!

*Just to clarify for my mother's sake~ My mom said "Hell No" to the wheel chair...she was really against the idea. Laura and her boyfriend snuck off and got it. They brought it home late one night, stood outside and called for my mom. She saw it, hated it, laughed and that was that. My mom was determined to hate it. She tried to scare the kids out of liking it by telling them terrible {and un-true} stories of how some old geezer died in the wheel chair. But the kids didn't mind and continue to have fun with it. My mom is still embarrassed to have a wheel chair sitting in the front yard, but I think she is coming around to the idea a little. At least I don't hear her complaining daily of having an old wheel chair in the front yard...and I have even caught her video taping the kids having fun with it! Thanks, mom for putting up with all our wild {but fun} ideas!!

County Fair...

A few weeks ago I packed the kids up and headed to the local county fair...Jon was planning on going with us, but he had to work out-of-town throughout the weekend. It is a little tough to enjoy the fair with the kids and be the photographer...so we only have a couple pictures.
We went through all the animal buildings...James wanted out of the bumbleride so he could see the animals better. Elsie, on the other hand wanted in the bumbleride...she is terrified of most animals...and those rows of cows held there by just a rope were a little much for her! After looking at the animals we headed to the mid-way! Neither of our children have ever been on any amusement rides...I decided that this year Elsie was old enough to try a ride. So we walked around and found just the right ride...some sparkly cars that went around and around in a circle. Elsie was excited as she handed the lady her ticket. Just as I was helping her into the pink sparkly car she got a funny look on her face, shook her head and whispered, "I don't want to ride after all, mommy!" So, we got our ticket back and walked away. My baby girl is not quite as grown up as she thought...and I am not going to complain on bit!

Before we left we gave another family our un-used ticket and headed for the cotton candy stand! No fair trip is ever complete without a bag of cotton candy!

James is very well aware of what cotton candy is and how yummy it tastes!

Just as we were loading everything up in our car before heading home the aunties and Papa Wayne pulled up...so we went back into the fair and walked around with them for a little bit...

Papa Wayne let James drive all the Jonh Deere tractors for quite some time...James loved it!

All to soon it began getting dark and the kids began getting tired...an evening spent at the fair is the very best kind of evening...