Perky Pickers

Our Grandma Carole and Grandpa Gordon have some wonderful raspberry bushes growing in their garden. We went over for Sunday dinner and got to pick a few for our little tummies to enjoy. Here we have Mr G Troy Haun. He was the least of our "perky pickers." Where's the smile? I think he was sick of his wife walking around with a camera instead of a bucket. Someone has to capture this beautiful memory, right?

This is our smallest "perky picker." She has the idea...smile! What a good little picker! Notice her basket is emtpy due to her frequent "sampling" of the product. Must mean they are tasty (not sure why she won't eat them when I put them on her plate. She must be a two year old)! The socks are my attempt at mosquito control. I realize this may start a new fashion statement as I am often looked after for my fashion sense and style (this most often includes a pony tail, no make-up and soccer shorts. So few people can pull this off and look as lovely as I). I will take the risk.

My dear Gracie has decided to pull off the stems instead of the berries. She is so cute that we could care less. However, I will be eating out of Troy's bucket and not hers.
And finally, sweet Madelyn. She looks slightly overworked but is still able to give us a small thumbs up. Child labor laws do not apply to our family. You've got to "earn yur keep" around these parts.
Thanks for the berries! I think I ate most of them single-handedly. Scrumptious!

July 4th!

So, a few pictures from our 4th of July festivities. We had a blast! Gotta love the places we live and the freedoms we enjoy. God Bless.

This was a first for me. I had never before seen a small girl being pushed in a wheelbarrow by her grandpa for the parade. We must live in Eden! Love it!

My girls in their first 4-wheeler debut. Gracie is practicing for when she is crowned Ms. Eden. They had a great time.
Ridger and Aeva were not too pleased when we had to take them off for the parade. Next year I will stick them in a wheelbarrow too!
And finally, the fireworks! One of my all time favorite things to do.
We love our Grandma Carole! Thanks for the glow sticks (one of the many things "mom" doesn't think of).

Snorkel Tub

I have been warning Troy for 10 years that on our 10 year anniversary he would be forced to take me on a cruise. Sooo, this October marks the 10 year point. As promised, I have booked a cruise to celebrate the occasion. Part of the planning for our cruise would include snorkeling equipment. I dutifully purchased what we would need to successfully swim with the nice sharks, Sting Rays, etc. I brought them home and when I came home from work the next day, this is what I found.



If I get strep throat on my cruise I will know why. Still, how can you get mad at such cuteness? Plus, who knew that a hot tub could work as a snorkel tank?

Say Cheese

Time for the annual photos. Off to Target we go. I of course was too cheap to pay for the actual disc. I prefer to come home and take a picture of the picture. Same effect, right? At least you will get the idea.

Adorable. Even if I do say so myself.

Learning to not Drown

I have put Maddie and Gracie in swimming lessons since they were 2-3 years old. After watching them each year I have decided to call it "learning to not drown" rather than "learning to swim." I mean that is the real goal, right? No one really cares if their child has a perfect backstroke, front crawl or dead mans float (is there a perfect way to float as though you were dead?). It is honestly just making sure your kid can get to the side of the pool, make it back to the boat or survive a flash flood. Simple as that. Anyway, I got a few shots of my kids. There is some definite progress!

If she had a little more fat on her body, the foam float would not be necessary.

Yes! Underwater swimming without any sign of panic. Good job little swimmer girl!

This is supposed to be a picture of Maddie and Garrett. Not such a good one. They were on the other side of the pool. Best I could do from the "parent section."

Just to clarify, this picture is me trying to guess when Maddie will pop out of the slide and coordinate it with the delay on my digital camera. What do you think? Yup, totally missed it. She is still somewhere in that little yellow tube.

As for sweet Ms. Aeva. She, too, is doing well.

Yeah!

Anyone else sick of sweeping dirt and rocks out of their garage? Endless dirt and grossness coming into your house. It has been an enjoyable two years fighting the dirt but we are going to move on. Time to try a little asphalt!


I didn't think asphalt could be an exciting thing but...it is. I go and walk on it just for fun sometimes. I can even walk around barefoot (this was very difficult to do on road base). Yeah for asphalt and bare feet. What could be better?