Summer Sledding

This is a favorite activity for the girls lately. Maybe it isn't the greatest idea, but it sure is funny to watch. At least it isn't a huge fall down our stairs. Plus tell me you didn't all do this as kids (don't lie)...sleeping bags count!

Just Like Mommy

The girls were playing "beauty shop" this morning in the salon. It just made me laugh. Typical girls.

Kam's Favorite Spot

Now that Kam can stand himself up to things, I often find him here, looking out the window and watching the world outside. It has become one of his favorite hang-outs.

Who Needs a Swimming Suit Anyway?

We had a garage sale last weekend, and it was H.O.T. hot! The girls were playing in the swimming pool, and Kam was dying to get in on the action. So Jace put im in the pool with the girls, clothes and all. He loves the water, and didn't seem to mind one bit that the water was cold.

Say Cheese!

Kam has discovered cheese, and he likes it a LOT!

Slow Your Roll Little Dude!

Well, Kambell has decided to grow up on me this week. He has only been crawling (like, ACTUALLY crawling instead of scooting around) for a couple weeks, and he decided that he is bored with that already. So he started to stand up to things... couches, walls, boxes, pretty much everything. At only 7 1/2 months old, I should be proud (not saying I am not), but I am just not ready for that yet. He will be cruising before we know it. I just love Payte in these pictures. She sure loves her brother TO DEATH. We are working on the whole gentel thing. She gets it, but she is about as stubborn as they come! But that smile is just to die for.

Dirt

What is it with boys and dirt anyway? While I was working on the yard one afternoon, Kam was hanging out on a blanket on the grass. Before I knew it, he had wandered over to the "dirt side" of the yard. Of course he decided to give it a taste. He didn't even seem to mind the flavor. I am just guessing here, but I think that there may be many more "dirt" posts in my furture:) Boys!

Helpers

The Girls had a good time "helping" Mommy and Daddy shovel the new dirt to get ready for the sod. I don't know how we would have ever finished it without their help :)

The Fruits Of Our Labor

I haven't been blogging very much lately, and this is why. We were tearing up the yard, and giving it a major face-lift. We pretty much spent every spare second we had moving multch and rock, taking out the dog run fence, taking out a tree, digging, shoveling, trenching, putting in a sprinkler system, laying sod, and just about anything else that would cause one to get blisters...and for blisters to get blisters for that matter. It was NOT FUN. Jace actually enjoyed some parts of the process, but I pretty much hated every bit of it. If I never see another shovel again, it will be too soon. Now that we are finally finished, it all seems worth it. After living with the mud pit for the past weeks, we are so happy to have the kind of yard that our kids will be able to enjoy! We still have a few thigns to do, but they are minor details, like putting in my garden, sprucing up the edges around the fence line, putting grass seed on some of the patchy and mnore sparce areas on the side we didn't tear up, and putting pavers underneath the deck (which will not happen until we replace the deck with a nicer, slightly bigger one next year...hopefully). A big thanks to our friends that came to help us lay the sod! You are the BEST!! Here are a few before and after pictures.

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

The Cake

Of course I made Riley's birthday cake. Here are a couple pictures.

Riley's Birthday Party

We finally had Riley's birthday party this past weekend. We typically do a big water party and a barbeque and we invite everyone, but this year she wanted to have a "girl" party, but she still wanted it to be a water party. I think all the girls had a great time.