Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Peace & Quiet

When it is quiet in our house, usually that is a clear indication that something is going down, or rather, someone is up to something, I was pleasantly surprised yesterday afternoon when I came out of the home office to find this:


Brad was on a ride downtown and I was the lone parent at home, clearly not doing a great job of keeping both eyes on them, but they made me smile, I love stumbling across something so innocent and child-like. And sometimes those moments are possible because no one is looking, I love to just sit back and take them in without interacting with them. I asked Olivia what they were doing, and she simply replied "We are watching TV, see" and pointed to the pillow they had propped up, clearly their imagination is really kicking in these days.  I love observing their interactions as sisters.  This morning when Olivia came strolling into our bedroom, Avery was on our bed watching TV, her eyes lit up and she yelled "My Sister, LaLa, My Sister", her excitement melted my heart.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Memorial Day 2011

Silly Sprinkler
I love that we got married over a long weekend, our Anniversary usually falls on or around Memorial Day so that gives us an extra day to spend doing our thing away from our respective places of employment. And I also love that we took Friday off and gave ourselves a 4 day weekend, we should make a habit of that! Memorial Day always used to be our (My Parents & I) weekend to visit the graves of the loved ones that are no longer with us, a chance to say a quiet prayer and bring them some fresh flowers to spruce up their resting spot, my Parents did that this weekend, I miss being home for events like that, odd huh?  I am very thankful for those that have given their lives, those that have served and those that are serving our country today, thankful for the sacrifices that they have made, that their families have made so that we can continue to be the land of the free and the home of the brave.


Last night we joined some neighbors and friends at The Koehler Compound for a cookout and of course had some spirits and laughter.  Evenings with neighbors and friends never disappoint, we get to chat and enjoy each other while our kiddos entertain each other.


Today I thought it would be a good idea to rearrange the Morning Room aka The Toy Area, well that wasn't a huge success, in fact I kinda loathe it, but I am so torn about what to do with that room its going to stay where it is for the week until I can hit up Ikea on the way home from DC on Sunday, I am hoping Ikea can inspire some greatness and the room will be just perfectly organized a week from now.

Ring-around-the-Rosie

I did however have a ton of luck yesterday at the new HomeGoods.  They have a ton of nautical themed home decor pieces and I went to town, between the items I scored and the masterpiece Jeni is working on, at least the walls will be looking good, I just have to solve for the organization piece.

Sweet Campbell drinking from the hose

Today we spent the better part of the morning and after nap-time with our neighbors out in the 118 degree heat (Insley's thermometer said 118).  Thankfully the Harris family procured a swimming pool this morning large enough for the 6 Kiddos we have hanging around these parts on a regular basis.

Jules, her face is priceless, this is just after getting splashed with cold water

We enjoyed some Filet on the grill and some delicious Corn on the Cob for dinner and the girls went to town on the Filet, they just kept asking for more and I had planned to bribe them with lollipops to just get 5 bites down. Fooled Me! I realized it was the first time we had used real plates for a meal in quite some time, shame on us, we have been eating out far too often these days and my waistline is feeling it. This girl is going back on the fat gram counting wagon first thing in the morning, I have several more pounds to shed before the summer gets into full swing. Wish me luck!!

Thank You from Olivia

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Happy Anniversary My Love


Here he is folks, the man I married 6 years ago today. As a little girl you dream of your wedding day, you think about the dress, the flowers and your father/daughter dance, what you don't spend a whole lotta time thinking about as a wee young thing is the man you are going to marry.  We had a perfect wedding day, a day full of celebration, of love, of friends & family and of course, champagne, but what we have now is a marriage, one that is filled with love, laughter and friendship, things that will stand the test of time, and while I didn't spend a lot of time thinking about the man I was going to marry at age 7, I spend my days and nights thanking my lucky stars that he chose me, that we chose each other, that we get to wake up together (when he isn't traveling or snoring - ha) and tuck our girls in together every single day.  We have a marriage, one that isn't tricked into thinking its going to be perfect every single day, but one that we are both committed to making better, and one that we know makes us better individuals.  It is a balance, and one we are still working to perfect, but one we love working on.  There isn't another person on this planet that has seen me at my worst and loved me more for it, that is what true love is all about.


The wedding day was perfect, even though it sprinkled on us just after the ceremony, the sunset after was worth the sprinkles. And that is what marriage is all about, it might rain, but the rainbow after makes it all worth while, the rain sometimes gets you to a better place, it helps things bloom and grow, and without that rain, we might just forget how beautiful it can be, just after the rain.


Happy Anniversary Brad, I adore you more today than I did 6 years ago, and as long as you figure this whole snoring thing out, I plan to adore you more everyday for the next 6, and then 6 after that, etc.


Friday, May 27, 2011

Team Turner Mission: To Give....

Over the course of Olivia's short 3.5 years of life we have attempted on several occasions to guide her to give, to show her how important we think it is to give of ourselves to others, whether it be the gift of money, the gift of our time or the gift of our blood, sweat and tears. We want our girls to be generous souls that passionately want to give in the hopes it leaves someone better than they were before.  It is a tough lesson to teach a 3 year old for several reasons, one, sharing just isn't natural to them just yet, and two sometimes the reasons why others need and we don't are scary and too hard for them to grasp, and frankly too much for me to explain, no 3 year old should understand or comprehend what being homeless is all about, or what its like to battle a dreadful disease like cancer.  So for all those reasons I don't think we have hit the jackpot on giving quite yet, but that doesn't mean we are giving up, we are going to keep pushing on, and working towards a lifestyle that instills the value of paying it forward.


Today Olivia's Pre-School participated in the St. Jude Trike-A-Thon. Brad and I took the day off so we could show our support and cheer her on (and take Riley to the Vet, and see The Hangover II, and go shopping, etc) I love being able to participate in her school events and I am beyond thankful that I work for a company that values family time, so that it is possible for me to be there for her Art Shows and her Trike-A-Thons. 


I, Olivia set a goal of $500.00 and I am proud to say that she crushed her goal.  When all is said and done she will be contributing close to $700 to the childhood cancer fight that St. Jude Children's Hospital fights every single day.  I am so very thankful for everyone that gave to her cause and showed their support, from co-workers who I haven't worked with in a few years but who have amazing hearts, to close friends near and far who I am so blessed to have in my life and of course from our family who is always there to support us, everyone was so very generous, we can't thank you enough for supporting our little girl.


I was so happy to see all the kids in her class participating in the event, her teachers did a great job preparing the kids for what the event was all about and they used the week leading up to teach them all about bike safety as well, which was music to Brad's ears!

Team Turner

A big THANK YOU goes out to Adam, Kearstin and Jayden for the adorable Team Turner shirts the girls are sporting.  They were perfect for the event today and the girls plan on wearing them to Brad's race in June as well to show their support.


Avery didn't get to participate this year, but in the Spring of 2012 I know she is going to be all over it.

This little girl is growing up, she will be four in less than two months, where have the last four years gone? And how is it possible that she is so stinkin' beautiful? My goodness, her smile makes me tear up, I just love her to pieces and I love the little girl she is growing up to be, attitude and all. 

Brad and I brought Popsicles for the class today so after they finished their 30 minute Trike-A-Thon they all sat down and enjoyed some delicious Popsicles.  I have to brag just a little, Olivia by far was the cleanest kid, either she eats too many Popsicles and has perfected it, or the others are just Popsicle rookies, either way the other little buggers had Popsicle rivers flowing down their arms and legs and Olivia was clean as can be!  It's the little things that make you so proud - HA.


*I have no idea why all the photos are uploading to Blogger so blurry, they are crystal clear in Picasa, anyone have any advice? Did I change settings by mistake? I just noticed it the last few posts, but its driving me batty. Help Please!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

95 Degrees in May?

What do you do when it is 95 degrees at 6pm and it isn't even Memorial Day yet? I know! You let your children run through the irrigation sprinklers, in the front yard nonetheless, why keep this kind of class under wraps, share it with the world. Embrace it! Put it out there for the world to see, heck, throw on some cut off denim and get in there like swimwear.

Captain America!

Brad snagged the girls from school in the hopes of taking some time off the pick up times I have been averaging the last several pick ups. Drop offs have actually been worse, most mornings it takes me 30 minutes to get both girls into their classrooms and get back in the Yukon.  He brought them home, gave them some dinner while I stopped at Old Navy and scooped up some super duper bargains. I got Olivia a bathing suit for $2.25, how fan-frickin-tastic is that? And it has an Anchor on it, I love Anchors!!! I was pumped. Shout out to my homeslice Jeni for sending me an email after her lunch shopping trip in which she seriously scored close to 20 items for $60.

Brad and I woofed down our dinner so we could get the girls outside for a little sprinkler time. Sure is a good thing our Lawn Service came today and that our yard was covered in freshly cut grass.....NOT.
Of course it wouldn't have been a night in our 'hood without the neighbors, and tonight Campbell did a little topless dancing for us, while Jules took some time off after the sprinkler hit her smack across the face at close range, the poor thing! I bet she'll be up for some sprinkler dancing on Sunday!


Olivia, Brayden and Zack had a blast running around! Next time the adults are going to get the lawn chairs out, crack open some spirits and lounge while we supervise.

Whose child is this? Good Grief! Nothing like drinking from a fire hose!

The Next Paula Abdul


I just had to share this with you, the quality is awful, because it is a scanned in photo, but Olivia's pose is priceless, I could eat her up, attitude and all.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Stockpile..I think not.

I have mentioned it a time or two, that I am not in this couponing game to build up my stockpile or plan a big haul, but rather to save my family a dime or two and score myself a hobby along the way. For those that know me well you know I have been in search of a hobby for quite some time, and the funniest thing about couponing is that my Mom was a coupon master back in the day, long before e-Coupons or Printables, she worked her magic with rebates like her life depended on it, and of course it didn't, but she licked those envelopes with the best of them and probably saved our family a boat load of moula along the way.

I haven't had a chance to share my latest bargains, so I figured I would catch ya'll up on the last week or so in the life of Leigh the Couponer.

Thursday May 19th - Walmart
13 Items for $2.01
Kotex Panty Liners (7) - a bit much, I know, but heck, they won't go bad and they don't take up a lot of room, and I've heard people really like to receive them in the stocking on Christmas Morning.
4 Pack Razors
Fly Swatter (2)
BBQ Sauce (3) (.42 each, after a $1.00 Coupon for each Item)

Thursday May 19th & Friday May 20th - Walgreens (Had to go back the next morning and bring them a copy of their own coupon policy)
Tylenol Precise - Free
2 Sally Hansen Nail Polish - $.09 each
3 Rolls of Scotch Tape - Free

Friday May 20th - Kroger
10 Lean Cuisines (On Sale, $4.00 in Coupons and $1.00 SavingStar)
26 Yoplait Yogurts (On Sale and $2.80 in Coupons)
2 Wisk Laundry Detergents (On Sale, Coupon and $1.00 SavingsStar)
Better Oats Oatmeal - Free (On Sale + $1.00 Off Coupon)
*They were running a great toothpaste sale and I had 3 coupons to pick up 3 tubes for free, but they were sold out*

Sunday May 22nd - Walgreens
Gillette Fusion Razor $.99 (Originally $12.99, on sale for $9.99, $4.00 Coupon + $5.00 Register Reward)
2 Pure Silk Shaving Cream $1.00 Total (Originally $2.49 each, on sale for $1.99 + $1.50 Register Reward, means that each came to $.50)
2 Scunci 18ct Hair Elastics $0.00 (Originally $2.99, on sale for $2.00 + $2.00 Register Reward = FREE)
Bayer Asprin $.79 (Originally $3.79, $2.00 Store Coupon + $1.00 Manuf Coupon)
3 Aluminum Foil $2.07 (Originally $5.07, Store Coupon for $.69 each)

Saturday May 21st - RiteAid - First Trip to RiteAid
Purex Laundry Detergent ($1.03) - I paid $1.97, but they gave me $3.00 UP Rewards, so I came out ahead by $1.03

Sunday May 22nd - Target
*Button Down Stripped Short Sleeve Camp Shirt - $5.98 ($3.00 Target Coupon, and it was on Clearance for $8.98)
*Tank Top $3.60 ($2.00 Target Coupon, and it was on Clearance for $5.60)
*Turquoise Sandals $12.00 ($3.00 Target Coupon, original price was $15.00)
*Men's White T-Shirt 2 Pack $8.99 ($1.50 Target Coupon) *not an amazing deal, but he needed a few new ones, at least I found a coupon.
*Beach/Ballerina Barbie - 6 at $4.00 each (On sale from $5.94 each, saved $12.00) *I have one to each girl in Olivia's Dance Class
*Garnier Face Wipes - $2.49 (On sale from $6.49 and I used a $2.00 coupon)

Olivia informed me at 10pm last night that we were out of "toilup paper" so the trip to Walgreens this afternoon was a result of needing more TP, it wasn't actually a planned trip, couponing with the girls isn't a relaxing, hobby-like experience.

Wednesday May 25th - Walgreens (First Trip with the Girls)
Complete Contact Solution - ($1.00) ($9.99, $2.00 Store Coupon, $1.00 Manuf Coupon + $8.00 in Register Rewards, so I made a $1.00 on the transaction)
Tylenol Precise - Free ($7.99 - $3.00 Store Coupon - $5.00 Manuf Coupon)
2 Charmin TP 6 Packs - $4.98 ($3.99 - $1.00 Store Coupon - $1.00 Manuf Coupon - 7x RR Points)
*I ended up using the RR from the Fusion Razors tonight and walked away with an $8.00 RR from the Contact Solution, so net out of pocket tonight including a $17.99 Rx = $17.65

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Under the Sea

Avery waiting for the show to start

Olivia's Pre-School hosts a Music and Art Show every year in the Spring and this year they had planned on having a cookout/pot luck to get all the families together on the night of. Well of course last week the forecast called for rain every single night, so they ended up rescheduling the Art Show and the Picnic and the Music Show was moved to a Church just down the street to ensure the show could still go on despite an impending storm.


Avery & YaYa coloring

Olivia marching her way to the stage with the rest of her class

The teachers work so hard for several weeks to perfect the lyrics and dance moves, I can imagine they consume large quantities of wine every night when they go home after a long day of practice, can you imagine trying to get 60 3-5 year olds to cooperate, sing together and move together? Get out of Town!

Olivia loves this stuff, I mean that child has been belting out "Under the Sea" and "Good Ship Lollipop" for the last several weeks as she attempts to fall asleep at night.  And the 4 year old class even spent time learning facts about Hawaii and Sea Life, that they one by one shared with us during the performance, it was adorable. Picture the little boy from Jerry Maguire saying "Did you know the human head weighs 8 pounds?", but with sea life facts and interesting facts about the islands of Hawaii, priceless.

Olivia and her class lining up on the top riser


They have 3 classes that participated, so they each took a theme:
1) A Beautiful Island By The Sea - this is the group that taught us all about Hawaii
2) Creatures by the Sea - can you guess what this class taught us about?
3) Fun by the Seashore - this was Olivia's class

Olivia's class sang several songs, including Surfing Safari by the Beach Boys, complete with Surf-Life Dance moves, adorable!  I got all teary eyed watching her up there, I was nervous for her, but she was great.  I did however zoom in on one of the photos I took of her and she had her two hands pulling out the legs of her bathing suit, good thing I didn't notice that during the performance, after the fact all I could do was laugh, poor little darling.




The whole crew



I was so happy for Olivia that Brad's Parents were able to come up for the night and celebrate her performance with us, and of course YaYa was here for the week to join in the fun.  It is so important to me that we are there, all of us, as many of us as possible to support her in everything she does.  I loved having my Parents at my volleyball games and I intend to support Olivia in everything she chooses to try, but I would be lying if I said I hope she chooses music over sports...but that is selfish of me, I am honestly just afraid if she goes the music route she will see how UN-talented her Mommy is in that space, whereas with sports, I think I could hold my own - HA.  I will get over it if it turns out her passion is the Piano rather than Basketball.

After the performance we all went out for Ice Cream to celebrate, Olivia's favorite treat...she gets that from me.  I think everything should be celebrated with Ice Cream...which would explain those few extra pounds hiding out on my fanny!!

FAME

I wanna live forever....I wanna learn how to FLY...I really thought Olivia was going to bust out in some serious FAME moves over the weekend at her Dance Recital.  Let me set the stage for you...five 3-4 year old little girls on stage, lined up, 1 5 year old little boy, he goes one by one and twirls them around while super peaceful ballet like music is playing in the background, in between twirls Olivia starts busting out some robot-hip-hop moves all the while the other girls are quietly waiting for their turn to twirl. I couldn't figure out what was going on, why she was making all those strange jerky moves, until the music came to a screeching halt and jock jams started pumping through the audio system.  Olivia knew the fast music was coming and her little feet just couldn't keep the excitement under lock and key, she couldn't stand still and when the jock jams came blaring out of the speakers she was off like a jack rabbit, it was hilarious.  I can't wait to see the DVD of their performance, because she was priceless.


It was a long weekend. Friday Night we rushed to get to the school by 6:15 and the girls first performance was #9, so they probably didn't take the stage until closer to 7:30-7:45pm, the good news was, unlike at the dress rehearsal on Tuesday Night the girls were able to watch the other performances and that kept them entertained and took some of the pressure off the parents, and please note, I was far more prepared than I was on Tuesday. I had snacks and juice boxes (WITH juice box holders) coming out the wazoo...coloring books and crayons coming out the ying yang, you name it, I had it and it was coming out of something.


We attempted to take a family photo before we left. It didn't go all that well, first of all we were rushed, second of all no one was in the mood and last my certainty not least, my Mom was behind the camera...a bad spot for her to be, she is still trying to figure out how to program the VCR to record Days of Our Lives from back in the day when Marlena was possessed by the devil (if you watch the show, you know that was EONS ago), a quick study when it comes to technology she is NOT.


Avery clearly didn't get the memo that it was Olivia's night to shine...so of course when we asked them so sit with each other, you would have thought we were negotiating peace in the middle east...good lord those two were difficult.


The highlight of the night, outside of Olivia's shaking her tail feather during her ballet performance was that Olivia's teacher Ms. Lorna came to show her support.  If Olivia could marry Ms. Lorna she would. When Ms. Lorna is around Mommy is CHOPPED LIVER.  Ms. Lorna walks on water, and she works so hard to please Ms. Lorna...whatever Ms. Lorna does, I need to start doing, because I would give 30lbs off my midsection (notice I didn't say an important organ) to have my children work hard to please me. Jeesh.




Ms. Lorna can rock that Crystal Gail look with the best of them, can't she? She has been Olivia's teacher since September and I am scared to death about Olivia moving to the next classroom, she just adores Ms. Lorna to pieces. Ms. Teresa, Olivia's other teacher came on Saturday to the 2:00pm performance and Olivia was also very excited to see her. I am so thankful for her teachers and all that they do for her. I think my Mom got teary-eyed saying goodbye to her teachers after the Music Show on Thursday Night, my Mom just thinks they hung the moon.  I have heard several parents comment that Ms. Lorna is the best they have, and that she has been there for almost 30 years, how fortunate are we to have her as a role model for our daughter!

Another highlight...snacks. I think between Friday and Saturday, Olivia must have eaten 3 bags of Goldfish and about 3478 jelly beans. Friday Night we brought Olivia flowers and presented them to her onstage after the Finale (that is how this studio does it, I found it to be a little strange, but to each their own), and then Saturday after realizing that Olivia could have cared less about the flowers I figured that a Ballerina Barbie might yield a better reaction, so I came prepared with a Ballerina Barbie for her Saturday performance.


Too bad I didn't think of these little darlings and their potential reactions.  When I handed Olivia the Barbie her little friend "C" burst into tears, and it broke my heart, her Daddy hadn't brought her anything, so I got eye to eye with Olivia and asked if she would be okay giving her Barbie to "C" and that I would buy her another one, but that it is important to share with those that go without sometimes, and much to my surprise she willingly handed over the Barbie to "C", who smiled through her tear stained face.  I got all teary myself, I was BEYOND proud of Olivia for giving with such a happy heart, what a sweet child she can be, I expected tears and a fit, but she was totally fine giving it to "C", I hope and pray that her selflessness stays with her and helps her develop into a kinda little lady with a big heart.  We ended up getting Ballerina Barbies for the rest of the class and we delivered them last night at the School Art Show. They were all thrilled, spending $4.00 on a Barbie was well worth the surprise and delight in those little eyes.

Olivia loved dance, and while the recital weekend was a bit exhausting for all involved (me & Olivia), it was worth it to see her up there facing a crowd, trying something new and doing something she loves.  We will likely continue with dance, but we are looking forward to checking out some new activities like soccer or tee ball.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Trike-a-Thon

Olivia is participating in the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Trike-a-Thon this week at school and I have anointed myself the annoying fund-raising parent. I actually never really pictured myself being so excited about begging people for money, but since having children, the thought of my child or anyone else child suffering from such a dreadful disease like cancer, its just unthinkable to me, it actually makes me tear up just thinking about it.


St. Jude is a fantastic organization, one that has been near and dear to my Grandparents heart for the last 25+ years and one that I am happy to now support.  My Grams (Mom's Side) actually made a donation in Olivia and Avery's name for their Christmas Present this year and I can say it was probably my very favorite gift they received.  And of course if you follow my blog you know that I am pulling for sweet Lucy who is battling cancer right now and receiving treatment at St. Jude.  Her story just pulls at my heartstrings and I don't even know her parents, but I am beyond thankful that they have the people at St. Jude watching out for their precious little girl. 

And don't get me wrong, I know everyone has their own passion, and their own charity, I know this isn't the one for everyone, but for us, and for us right now, this is it.  We are going to work with Olivia to help her understand what this is all about and what it means to raise money and help other people out, talk about a tough life lesson to teach a 3 year old. Wish us luck.

If you would like to support Olivia and St. Jude you can make a donation at www.mytrikeathon.org/omt

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Dance, Dance, Dance

This is a big week for Olivia, she has two big performances this week, her art/music show at school and her Dance recital on Friday and Saturday.  We are so excited to watch her shake her bon bon and belt out "Under The Sea" while strutting around in both a bathing suit and a tutu.  Last night we had her dress rehearsal for her dance recital, and holy smokes, it was long.  Her class is performance #9 in Act One and performance #6 in Act Two and then they are also in the finale, so we were there last night for almost 3 hours, and when you are not prepared to entertain a 3 year old for 3 hours it feels like 83 hours.  We didn't bring water or snacks, I honestly thought we would be there for 30 minutes, they didn't set expectations with us at all, I will be more prepared on Friday, without a doubt. 

But the point of my story is another funny Olivia quote...so she has a busy week, something every single night this week. Tonight we have dance photos at the studio and last night when we were going to bed (VERY LATE) she asked me several times "What are we doing in the morning?" and "What are we doing after school tomorrow?", so finally after responding multiple times I said "Olivia, you silly girl, I have told you 4 times, we have dance photos tomorrow night after school", and so this morning when we were getting ready she gave me a grin and said "What are we doing after school today?" and when I smiled at her she said "Tell me 4 times again" She is a HOOT.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

On a dime...

Last week was up and down for me and the girls.  Brad was out of town the whole week and for the most part the girls were well behaved, but when they weren't....they really weren't, if you catch my drift.  Between the soap, lotion and Vaseline I almost lost my mind, I bet you can imagine what those three things have in common...when used in mass quantities and spread on your arms, legs and in your hair they are all VERY messy.

One night, after the girls second bath in a 20 minute period (see above about lotion and Vaseline), I commented to Olivia that sometimes their behavior makes me want to "run away and hide", and then about 15 minutes later I was tucking her into bed feeling rather defeated and rather frustrated when she looked up at me from her bed and said "Mommy, when you run away, don't forget your running shoes, and if a car comes, get to the side by the white line and wait for them to pass, I sure hope Daddy gets home safe, and it is super silly that we don't have a car" all in one breathe those words came flying out of her sweet little mouth.  My horrible mood melted away, it is amazing, when it comes to my children, my moods turn on a dime.  I can be right on the edge, ready to jump, ready to throw myself off a cliff and then words like those come flying out and I am reminded how lucky I am to have them in my life, that no matter how many baths I have to give them, I am thankful I have them to give baths to, that when I tell Olivia that I want to run away from home, she is concerned for my feet comfort and wants to make sure I don't get clipped by a car, that girl has a heart of gold (HA).

Popsicles & Panties

In Olivia's defense, I didn't realize she was wearing a skirt and sitting spread eagle for the photo shoot

Brad had to work a race just South of Richmond so the girls and I enjoyed some quality chick time today.  After naps we all enjoyed some popsicles on the deck.  I love spring/summer treats and I love sharing them with my two little darlings.  The girls love popsicles and usually are pretty good about eating them with a quickness so as to now cover themselves in popsicles juice, but the sun had an unfair advantage today and they lost that battle, they were sticky little buggers by the time we were finished.





I think Riley got some quality licks in this time around, usually he stalks the sticks but rarely comes out with as much as a taste, this time he got some solid bites in and the girls reactions are priceless everytime he makes contact with their popsicle with his tongue.  (Gross, I know, but give me a break, it was hilarious)


Look at the joy on her face...no judging me, today I played the part of "Make your child happy first and foremost, and keep them safe from disease came second"


Nothing spectacular about this photograph, but I happen to be madly in love with it.  I think its just a nice glimpse into their life as sisters and I happen to think that is pretty stinkin' special!