Snores

The weather has been hot hot hot and we have spent lots of time in the sun. Look at that skinny little Julia rockin the slip and slide.Also rockin the wading pool on the deck. We cannot get enough of the water. My girls are turning into two brown berries.
Bryan was supposed to go camping this weekend but because of his lonely wife he decided to stay home and hang out with us. Since he didn't go camping we had a little camp out on the deck.

I also made a little trip to Cincinnati and had some bangs cut and went a little blonder. (Kristi you're the best!) The pictures isn't great but I really love the change.

We made s'mores, or s'nores as Julia called them. Though nothing compares to an open fire, the grill works when necessary. I had forgotten how absolutely yummy sticky gooey s'mores can be.
We also whipped out the Barbie tent and this wild child was having the time of her life stuffing graham crackers in her mouth as quickly as possible and finding any puddles on the deck and wiping them all over her face. She smelled like pond and was covered in marshmellows by the time we were done. I think that is a sign of a good time right?
I'm pretty sure Julia ate three.
My Audrey girl is such a funny little stinker.Her new obsession is first following her sister around but other than that she is most frequently hauling a baby around...

and carrying her purse. What am I going to do with all these girls? Poor Bryan is going to be dealing with ponies, princesses and purses for a long time.

You Give Me Fever

So this past weekend I was sick with a fever and a very sore throat. I think it's the first time since being a mother I was actually "in bed" sick. Don't you worry, I am feeling much better now but I thought I would share a few things that I've learned these past four of five days of being under the weather.

Every time I talk to my mom she is going to ask me if I have swine flu.

It turned out to be a great weight loss plan. I think I lost three pounds. Now if maintaining means that I am allowed to eat nothing, then I assume those pounds will return very shortly.

Mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom... is more annoying when you're sick.

Sunday lunch: macaroni and cheese. Sunday dinner: peanut butter sandwiches.

Bryan goes into panic mode. Panic mode leads to spastic cleaning of the house and constant comments about rethinking his career so he could be home more often. After five years invested in this career I don't think "rethinking" is going to make your wife feel any better. Just a thought.

When I do get sick it will of course fall on the weekend that Bryan is on call. I think he saw me for a total of six "panicked" hours of the whole course of my sickness.

There is nothing wrong with watching the food network for four hours straight with your three year old, nothing at all. Don't judge me, it's the only station we can both agree on.

Nothing wrong with the t.v. being on 97.5% of the past four days.

Feeding two children couldn't possibly be more exhausting. Do crackers count as a balanced lunch?

I.B Profin is WAY better than Tylenol.

Julia makes an excellent errand girl. Too bad she can't change Audrey's diaper.

Audrey has a new found obsession with climbing the stairs. That has nothing to do with me being sick but it was still really annoying.

Getting better after a sickness like that means ten loads of laundry, a floor so nasty that my feet stick as I walk, toilets that make me gag and so many other disasters around every corner.

Speaking of that little stinker Audrey. This morning I was in the kitchen doing something and Audrey was beside the couch playing with toys. I strategically placed the toy basket on that side of the couch so the mess of toys cannot be seen. Audrey is one of those quiet kids. I'll think she's looking at books and literally one second later she'll have climbed up the stairs and be in her room. She's sneaky that one. Anyways, she was playing with the basket of toys and I hear her panic cry. (You know all kids have those specific cries hurt, sad, hungry,etc.) I run over to the basket thinking she must have fallen in the basket and her little pajama legs would be sticking out, but instead this is what I saw...


Where was Audrey? I see toys, I see basket but I don't see Audrey. I even looked inside the basket but she wasn't there. I start to look around and even enlisted Julia to help me find her. I then started to worry and started yelling for her. I finally hear her little cry again. I go back to the basket to take a look and finally found her...She had quite literally wedged herself behind the couch. I actually had to move the couch to get her out. Can you see how far back there she got? Seriously Audrey, there's no toys back there.
Finally making her escape. Julia and I both sat and laughed for a good minute or so after this.

Ring Around the Rosies

Julia had yet another dance recital. This time we jazzed things up with a big tutu. I was amazed at the improvement she has made since her previous recital. Her coordination has seriously increased significantly. Her dance class brings her so much joy and it was so fun to catch a glimpse of that.

Of course when she gets all dolled up we have to take a few pictures.

They have been working on the different ballet positions. It was great to see she actually knew what they were.
Moving on...Today we decided for a Sunday activity we would venture over to the Park of Roses. I can't believe I have never been there. It was absolutely beautiful. There was every color of rose in full bloom and the smell was heavenly.
They had this look out tower that overlooked the garden.
Our little walker checking out the pretty blooms.
When we were there we just happened upon a free concert they give every Sunday evening. It was a little community band that played familiar melodies. It was fun to stop and listen for a minute with all the locals. It was like quaint small town magic. I couldn't have been more delighted. I think the smell of roses, the cute old people, beautiful garden and fun music was enough to make my week. Oh and these two cute girls as well (and finally having a husband home to enjoy it with)...

Every once in a while we need to stop and smell the roses. What a perfect day.
Here is a video of Julia's "floor exercises." The first one cracks me up because of the giant grin on Julia's face. I didn't post their entire dance because it is several minutes long, but if you have a great desire to watch it let me know. I'm sure I could arrange something. There is some pretty impressive hip action going on that could make it worth your while.

These Boots Were Made For Walking...

Since turning the big one Audrey has learned a few new things.

She had her first taste of strawberries and blackberries and I think you can see she enjoyed them very much.
She has figured out a few new ways to torment her big sister. Hair pulling, fascination with Julia's favorite stuffed animal "baby bear" and pretty much the grabbing of any toy in Julia's hand is on the list. I often hear Julia yelling, "NO Audrey!!" like her life depends on it while she is quickly grabbing all the toys in sight and making a panicked run for it. Survival of the fittest I tell you and it is shocking at how quickly that little Audrey can move.
This picture has nothing to do with the rest of the post but...
Yesterday I was able to get together with some of the girls that I worked with when I first moved out here. It has been five years since I started that job and almost four since I finished and had Julia. It was great to catch up and crazy to think how much time has passed. They are such good friends and it had been too long since I had seen them.Now on to Audrey's biggest trick...she is walking! Hooray! I was hoping that she would walk for the summer because I am tired of the black hands and knees covered in dirt. I am aware that she is pantless in this video. As I was walking Julia home from playgroup there was this giant puddle in the road. So I impulsively told Julia to go ahead and jump in it. She gave me an "are you serious?" kind of look and then immediately stomped and frolicked to her heart's content. So Julia and Audrey were soaked. So I being the good mom I am let Audrey go pantless the rest of the day. The video isn't great but it is hard to stage good walking so I got what I could.