Summer lovin' ...having a blast!

We texted our friends Trisha and Ellie early this morning and asked them if they wanted to go to the beach with us. They were totally available so after Grace's nap, we headed out. It was a perfect day for the water and sand. Apparently everyone in town thought the same thing because it was crowded. But we were able to find a nice spot right in front of the water. The girls ran between the waves and the sand building. Grace just ate the sand and threw it around with her hands. Trisha and I were able to connect again and have great conversation. Thanks Trisha and Ellie for such a great time!! Abby loves jumping into the waves. She did it over and over again.

Can you feel the excitement? Can her smile get any bigger? She asked to go back to the beach again tomorrow. I'm so glad we live close to the lake.

Awww mom! I just want to crawl right into that water. It looks so fun! Why do you keep pulling me back?

Grace loved the beach too. Her hands were so busy either in the sand or throwing sand, or eating sand...anything that had to do with sand. I think she might have brought the whole beach full of sand home with her in the van.

Can this smile get any bigger? Both of my girls had a great time! Don't you love the sand covering her entire face, especially her mouth?

Hair today, gone tomorrow

Yep, I'm missing a huge section of my hair. Yep, I cut it myself with my mom's super sharp hair scissors. Yep, I did it on my own without my mom knowing. Yep, that's a real tear falling from my face. Nope, my mom can't make it come back.

Neighborly Fun

Today was a great day! We spent most of it playing outside. We started the morning at some great garage sales. Abby got some new Loving Family pieces. This is a Fisher Price line of dolls that come with all kinds of accessories. We also got a quessidilla maker. We're going to be trying lots of different recipes in it. If you have any great ideas, leave a comment so we can try it!
Then we headed outside to play. We did everything from sidewalk chalk, to bikes, to washing cars. We finally ended up in the new pool. Our neighbors were right there with us and it's so great to have such an awesome family next door. Thanks to Ryan, Kaylana, and Jake for such a fun day! Abby and Kaylana playing with the Loving Family set. This proved to be a big hit and Abby played with it for over an hour when we came inside.

Abby wanted to trace herself and then color it so that it matched her. She did a great job!

My friend Misha came over to visit with us. She watches her niece, Lily, on Thursdays. Lily and Grace are only 3 weeks apart. It was so fun for Grace to have a playdate too. They both sat on the blanket and pulled grass and played with toys.

Oh no! Do I have a future drummer in the family?

Yeah! Our friend Misha, Lily, and Grace. We hope she comes again next week Thursday!

Healthy and Happy

Grace had her 9 month checkup today and it went very well. She weighs 18 lbs. 14 oz. and is 29 inches long. This puts her in the 25th percentile. She's perfect!
The doctor was pleased with her growth and I was pleased that we didn't have to get shots today.

Jesus Jewels, O Jesus Jewels, Where for art thou, Jesus Jewels?

Yeah, we're here. I know it's been a while since I've been able to blog, but we are here and we're loving life!
School finally ended and it was chaos for a few days. Then the girls and I headed down to see my best friend (and sister) for a few days. We love visiting them and it's especially fun to go in the summer. My sister is a teacher too, so we're both totally relaxed during the summer months. Abby adores her cousins and Grace was a big hit again. We did everything from shopping, to watching movies, to swimming to laughing.
Then I took my three nieces (along with Abby and Grace) home with me. Yes, I know, that sounds crazy, one adult with five girls. But we had a great time! The girls stayed with me and my parents for a few days. We also had my brother's kids over for a while.
In between all the family time I had my SCAM group meeting. I love getting together with these girls and it's so fun to hear about the new adoptions happening. We'll be adding two more beautiful girls to the group before the summer is over. Yeah!
Then on Saturday morning my sister and her husband joined us up here for my cousin's wedding. We took the girls to the ceremony and it was the first wedding Abby has seen. She loved it. Her dolls and Barbies have been getting married over and over ever since.
Sunday brought Father's Day and I had my family over for a breakfast brunch. I adore my dad and I wanted to give him a great meal. He is truly the best dad ever!! And he's the best papa too! After afternoon naps, we headed over to my uncle's house for brownie sundaes with my grandpa and grandma, cousins and aunt/uncles.
Whew....yep we were busy, busy, busy. But we're back to our normal routine today. Hopefully we'll be back to our blogging too. Enjoy our pictures!
Here's our Lauren! She's the oldest niece and such a fantastic role model!

Grace doesn't look too excited to hugged by Sophie, but she really was in a great mood. She loves Sophie.

We probably painted 5-10 sets of hands. These girls love to put on new nail polish. The more glitter, the better. In fact, it's better if every finger is a different color.

Julia took the camera and was busy snapping pictures of everyone, so here's one of me. I usually don't take too many pictures of myself because I have the camera.

Best buds, Abby and Julia.

Each night we watched a movie before going to bed.

Julia was such a great help with Grace. Grace was a big hit because she is still in the baby stage. All of the girls wanted to fed her, play with her, carry her around, but no one wanted to change diapers. Go figure!

Sophie and Abby played together all day long. I'm surprised that this picture actually has them wearing clothes, because most of the time they were dressed up in princess clothes.

When we finally got home I had the five girls and then two of my brother's kids over for pizza. I will admit, that was a little crazy. One adult and 7 kids. But they all get along very well.

Happy Father's (and Papa's) day!!! Here's my dad reading to Abby and Grace. We love you Dad!!

Don't you just this smile? My baby is gorgeous!

Strawberries on a hot day are the best! I am blessed with two beautiful daughters!

Happy Father's Day to my awesome 93 year old grandpa!! We love you!!

Dad and Grace after having some brownie sundaes. Who wouldn't smile?

Can you tell by this smile that we've had a great few days?

Research shows

that having a sister makes you happier and more optimistic. It's also proven that sisters are great at helping to reduce stress. I'm not sure how much stress my daughters have in their lives, but it's obvious that they're happy and optimistic. Therefore I'm a happy and optimistic mom!

Have you called your sister and thanked her for keeping you happy and healthy? I love you Beth!!

It's true,

I love Sundays! My God was awesome when he created a 7th day...a day of rest. According to Abby, Sundays are known as "stay at home" days. These are my favorite kind of day. There's something to be said for spending the day with your daughters and not having to do laundry, or get groceries, or vacuum, or....
So today after church we took naps and then headed off on a walk. Abby's been in love with walking our dog lately, although I'm not sure if it's Abby walking the dog, or the dog walking Abby.
Then we headed off to the park. It was a gorgeous afternoon and it's fun to watch Abby climb, slide and swing. Grace sat in the stroller and laughed at all the kids. We topped off the day with dinner from Taco Bell. See what I mean? Sundays with the family are the best!
Abby was dancing with the music and she thought Grace should join in. She's always happy to grab Grace and pull her up.

Abby wanted to sing "Jesus is a Wonderful Savior" and then asked me to make a video. It's so cute! Although I'm sure that when she's a teenager I'm sure she'll think differently.