August

August.  Hmm...only 2 months behind in blogging.  Ugh.

Maggie got this Merida doll for her birthday.  She loved it!  I was very surprised because she's more of a stuffed animal person.  I snapped this shot because I have never seen her "mother" a doll.  wow!

I'm definitely getting too old and tired to push this massive stroller to run any more!  The girls have such a good time together.  They chat, sing, play silly made-up games. Good thing Maggie has started school again and I can run alone or, if I have to, run with the single stroller. 

One random day we found  small cat in our yard upon returning from a shopping trip.  The kids immediately fell in love and named him Twinkles and I made the cardinal mistake of feeding the darn thing.  For several days it lived in our house during the day (being adored to pieces by the girls) and in our yard at night (scratching at our back door in the early AM).  I seriously contemplating keeping it.  I am NOT a pet person and even I was becoming attached...until it sunk it's tiny little claws into my favorite yellow chairs.  End.Of.Story.

Cat moved to the neighbors--good thing she was in the market for a kitty cat.  The kids miss him terribly and I do feel bad.  Maybe a pet is in our future.  Just not the immediate one. 

With school getting under way, other activities are resuming as well.  Gymnastics for Maggie and dance for Caroline.  I really wanted Maggie to stick with dance but she was adamant.  Caroline was the opposite.  I asked if she wanted the gymnastics/dance combo class and she said gymnastics could go.  Luckily we found a class for each child at the same time on the same day which is a huge time and driving win for me! 

Driving across town to pick up Maggie from school at 3pm could not be a worse time.  My dear Caroline who never naps is now passing out on the drive over.  I have to wake her up when we get there to walk over and grab Maggie.  She has then had just enough of a nap to stay up later at night and drive her dad and I nuts! 

The one and only picture I took at our church carnival.  I manned an archery booth almost the whole time so I didn't get an opportunity to follow my kids around with a camera. 

Caroline started preschool.  She was beyond thrilled.  She had been waiting for this for what seemed like forever--talking about it constantly.  We picked the same preschool we sent Maggie to, Cornerstone.  Maggie had such a positive experience there we are confident Caroline will as well.

Utah Trip July 2012

More pics of our July trip to Utah.

 

4th of July family picnic.

Big family candy bar game. Me explaining the rules to Maggie (what is UP with my creepy hands?):

She's so happy to be here!:

All the goods we scored:

 Happy mom (creamsicle--hard to find in Colorado!), happy kid (Utah fun rocks!):

Where was Caroline? Convincing her older cousins she's allowed to go through my purse and put on my lipstick: 

 

 

Games with cousins.  Maggie throwing the water balloon:

And...getting hit by the water balloon:

My mom and Aunt Janet watching the goings on:

My kids love, love spending time with Julie.  I guess they had her take pics of them from inside the house:

Then a little photo shoot in her backyard with huge umbrellas:

 And finally, an adorable morning pic of these two loves: 

 



July Part 2

Buckling up after a day at the pool:

Trip to IKEA: 

We found smaller versions of our big stuffed carrot friend: 

Maggie played beauty parlor with Caroline: 

Patrick had a birthday.  He chose donuts over cake: 

Pool time.  This is most definitely the biggest theme for the summer!  We had lessons for the girls, lessons for me, and just plain pool play.  It made for TONS of swimsuit and towel laundry!

 

July Part 1

Trip to Utah:

Sweet cousin Ruby reading to the girls: 

My brother-in-law Brett was kind enough to drag me along for his workout (well, by that I mean be STARTED off together).  He took off on his bike as I attempted a run.  Wow!  It was a killer workout running UP ski slopes but such a needed break from my same old running routes back home.  And running down was just fun: 

We hit the movies with the Matesens (Disney's Brave): 

Back home.  A night out for dinner leads to finding slugs--and staring at them: 

Shopping trip turned spray ground surprise.  Soaking wet kids with no change of clothes and a good 30 minute drive back home.  Don't they look concerned about it?:

June Part 2

Caroline got her very own "Dorothy" shoes.  She loves them!  She kept saying, "These are MY Dorothy shoes, not Maggies.  Right?":

Playdates with friends (Emmett and Addy Crapo): 

 Trips to Menchies Frozen Yogurt:

Daddy helped the girls make pink and purple pancakes: 

Maggie wrote a sweet little note to her sister: 

I finally got around to downloading Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline.  We listen to it constantly.  Here's Caroline singing her little heart out to "her" song: 

When we get lightening at the pool we get booted.  Caroline was bummed so we just took her home to swim in the tub: 

Summer Starts (June Part 1)

With the school year behind us, both birthdays out of the way, and the pool calling our names, we kick off summer!

 

The goggles were a big hit...even when nowhere near the water:

Patrick went on a short business trip and the kids were so excited to have him home they decorated our door.  I moved their adorable art to the interior of the door so they could stay up longer: 

We potty trained Caroline.  After potty training Maggie I was in no rush to repeat that disaster again!  I put it off.  And put it off.  And....put it off.  Finally Patrick "suggested" I give it a try.  Two days and it was done.  Hooray for Caroline! She really saved my sanity.

A quick shopping trip with just Maggie.  We stopped to play in the spray ground and eat some Red Mango frozen yogurt: 

We spent a CRAZY amount of time at our local pool.  Morning swim lessons were just the beginning.  We would do hours a day.  I figured they needed the exposure to the water and, maybe by some miracle, they would become fish. 

Trips to the library: 

Patrick decided he wanted to cook his own Father's Day meal.  Little did he know it was going to be like a million degrees outside!!  He told me afterward that although it was tasty he'll not be doing that again.: