Sickies

I had a strange sore throat for a few days...strange because it REALLY hurt, but only a small portion of my throat was affected. Looks like I passed it on. Emmy has had a fever, and her throat is really sore too. I can tell because the few times I have gotten her to eat anything she cries out in pain as she swallows. Nights have been especially rough. 

It doesn't get sweeter than this. Natalie brought this note over to Emmy while I was snuggling with her in the rocking chair.

"I love you Emmy you're my favorite baby please get well Emmy"

Now this one's not feeling so hot. 

And Natalie melts my heart again with this message on an envelope to a friend:

LOVE ONE ANOTHER

We had these for dinner the other night and really enjoyed them. They are Costco's hot turkey and provolone sandwiches. Always have to pass on easy, tasty recipes!

Trying Some Things

I've been playing around with a few apps for photos. I'm still figuring things out.

Nate is still as talented as ever.

Summer time sipping...

In the belly of the snake...

I made Nate put this mustache on when he got home so I could see what it would be like to kiss someone with one.

Heaven help me have patience. They wanted to sell bags of water. Which just ended up puddled in the entryway of the house.

We do love our cardboard boxes. 

Come Baaaack

We all know how important it is to choose the right friends.

It is soooo important to choose friends who teach school and have summers off and can come visit.

Those are cinnamon bears nestled in that popcorn goo.

What you can't see in this picture are the delicious omelets Nate cooked up for us. I may have a sweet tooth, but chocolate chip pancakes with syrup does not tempt me. Kami and I ran a few miles together that morning, and we went on a short hike with Nate and the kids at Mt Charleston.

 Okay, third picture in a row of food. We also had some fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes. It's always exciting buying a Slurpee in Las Vegas. And scary. 7-11 doesn't attract the city's finest. Our great friend Janeen joined us at the mall this day. You can see her reflection in the glass doors. Hi Janeen!

Loved having some extra help at church handling the kids. We had Thai Peanut Noodles for dinner, one of our family's favorite meals.

Emmy made Kami play Don't Break the Ice many times. They had a system. When it was time to put the game back together, Emmy would put one ice cube on her toe and point it towards Kami. Kami would take it off and place it in the blue frame. This was repeated until the game was ready to be played.

And then the ice cubes were filled with water and handed out as Natalie's homemade lemonade. We all had seconds.

Come baaaack Kami!

D.I. and Donuts

As a stay at home mom, I have to get out of the house.

I know all mothers would agree with that statement, but I feel like I am particularly prone to that "we gotta get outta here" feeling. Today's "gotta get outta here" adventure was to the thrift store for books and donuts on the way home. Jansen was so cute at D.I. He just kept commenting about how he couldn't believe people would give away the books he had chosen. I have been tormented (in a good way, ha) all day with questions   and comments about light years, number of people sent to space from each country, UFOs, and the like.

Natalie's reading gets a little better each day. She can sound out words with short vowel sounds and surprises me all the time when she figures out words like "look," "she," and "food." She chose Diego and Clifford books.

Emmy just used her hand to scrape off all the frosting and sprinkles. I totally finished off her naked donut.

Mysteries of the Ocean

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Swimmmmmming

Well, we have more swim lessons under our belt. For one reason or another my kids aren't real "fish" in the water, but they have improved SO much. We did 3 weeks of lessons this year with Miss Sandy, and the kids loved her. They still can't swim in the deep end, but they are very comfortable going under water now and can float, etc.

Jansen got really good at sit dives.

 They used goggles every day this year, and I think that really helped them feel more confident under water.

For the first few lessons Emmy just sat on my lap, and we watched Jansen and Natalie swim. It was so nice. But she slowly came out of her shell, and we spent most of the 3 weeks exploring Miss Sandy's backyard.

Always an Otter Pop after swimming. And always snarls in Natalie's hair.

The kids miss their teacher already. Hopefully we'll take lessons from her again next summer.

A Happy 4th

Nate started celebrating the holiday a little early. He left at 9:30 pm on July 3rd and hiked Mt. Charleston all night with his buddy Brett. They got home about 12 hours later with bloodshot eyes, sore knees, and foggy brains. They had a great time, but really pushed themselves to the limit with that hike!

He slept most of the morning, and the kids and I ran errands and prepared food. Jansen and Natalie also had their swim lessons at 9:30. The real fun began at 4 when the Comins showed up...

 Thank goodness we have holidays to bring us together because our busy lives keep us apart most of the time! And at some point in the evening, Natalie put on her swimsuit.

 And Emmy put on Natalie's shoes.

 Oh this guy just stole my heart. 

 Getting excited about the fireworks.

 I'm still confused about why we did the fireworks on the pool...I mean, I know the grass wasn't an option but whatever.

 Happy end to our evening. Then we turned up the fans and sound machines and prayed the kids would sleep through all the illegal fireworks going off in the wonderful city that is North Las Vegas.

iphone pictures

I got a new phone...an iphone...I'm so happy I can take pictures now even when I don't have my camera. They aren't the best quality, but here are some snapshots from the last month or so. I love how they tell a story of all the in between moments of life.

Little Memories

Emmy only wants to stay in the bathtub for about 5 minutes. Natalie, on the other hand, could play in there for quite awhile. Sometimes when I tell her it's time to get out, she begs to stay in so she can finish her "story." It's times like this that I'm transported back to my own childhood and can remember being right in the middle of playing pretend and having it seem so real and important. I usually let her stay in the water and finish her story.

 I mean, there must be a happy ending to all those Pet Shops lost at sea right!?

 Sometimes Jansen and Natalie will lay out a blanket and some toys and create a special area for Emmy to play. They call it "The Emmy Express." So many choices! A walkie talkie, a toothbrush, plastic spiders...

 Emmy likes to sit in the cupboard in our bathroom and play with forbidden things like makeup and baby powder. I'm assuming she thinks I can't see her. 

 But I can. :)

I can't get enough of the way Emmy talks. 

"My do it."

"Daddy work?"

She wants Jansen to come with her everywhere. "Jansen come!"

Most mornings when I get her out of her crib she tells me, "I want read a book."

Right now one of her favorite books is all about trucks. She loves the "gah-bage truck."

swimsoup = swim suit

picle = popsicle

She drinks her milk out of a Dora and Boots sippy cup and calls it her "monkey cup."

She cries 100% of the time that I lay her in her crib for a nap or bedtime, but it only lasts about 30 seconds.