"She looks like a man!"

That's what Joel said between fits of laughter. She thoroughly enjoyed her blackberry smoothie for breakfast (thanks again for the berries, Linds!).

She also thoroughly enjoyed the reaction she got from her brother and sister.

Little clown

*Clothing update: I was able to get all the berry out of the pjs (didn't use oxi-clean or boiling water, but now I have some tips for next time). It took some effort, but they are clean!

Hot, Hot, Hot

It's a little ridiculous when it's 8:15 in the morning and already past 75 degrees. The kids went out to play this morning and this is what I saw when I checked on them a few minutes later--fully-clothed, drenched, and laughing hysterically. I guess it sounded more fun to jump in with clothes on than to change into swim gear. Whatever keeps you cool on this soon to be 107 degree day.

The only way to play tag in this heat is to jump through pools and have the sprinkler on.

I even get in the pool with them when it gets this hot. We had some fun "dump buckets of water on Mommy" time.

Camping

Friday evening was our very first tent camping experience. Sleep deprivation aside, we had a great time. It was fun to be with friends and fun to watch our kids enjoy the new experience. Joel discovered a new hobby--throwing rocks into the river. Kari enjoyed the s'mores, relished the freedom of running wild with the other kids, and learned to appreciate all the dirt and grime that comes with "roughin' it." Aubrey learned that Doritos taste really good and kept us on our toes as she ran around the campfire, toward the edge of the hill, and into the trees. She was quite the ragamuffin, as you'll see from the photos (have to take a closer look). Aubrey was the cause of our lack of sleep. After way too much screaming, she finally fell asleep at 10:30pm (normal bedtime is at 7pm) and then awoke at 4:30am--not good. Thankfully, we have understanding friends who also have screaming little kids, and they weren't too bitter over the early morning wake up call. Greg was our breakfast chef, so he just got an early start on the meal.

We'll go again sometime because we really did have a good time, but maybe not for a while, and maybe never again with a 17 month old. I meant to blog about our little trip sooner, but after we got home, Aubrey got sick (maybe all the Doritos, the heat, the lack of sleep?) and kept us up late again--more sleep deprivation. She's better, and we're about caught up on our sleep now, I think.

Going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo...

We took advantage of the cooler morning today and headed to the zoo. A lady passing by volunteered to take our photo, so I let her. The kids always have to come say hello to the fake bears before we go see the real animals. (See Aubrey's blue shoe? That's the last we saw of it. She kicked it off somewhere between here and the sea lions, and we never did find it and neither did "lost & found." Thankfully, I had an extra pair of sandals in the diaper bag. Not sure why they were in there, but I'm glad they were! It could have been a very long morning with no shoes for my toddler.)

"lunch" at 10:45am. There's something about the zoo (maybe all the walking) that makes us hungry really early. The kids were asking about lunch at 9:45am, not long after we arrived, but I held them off for another hour.

I'm too busy holding and lifting up kids to take photos at the animal exhibits, so I end up with more with the fake ones. We did get to see the real elephants, too, though. Kari and Joel are excited to see the lion exhibit when it's finally finished. They ask every time we go if we can see the lions. Not yet, kids, not yet, but hopefully soon.

In all our spare time (during naps and after the kids are down for the night)

Our summer house project has been new windows, and the end is in sight! We started this project in June and have been working on it bit by bit. We had old, ugly metal windows with broken seals. In the summer the heat poured in (and the slider was a BEAR to open and close), and in the winter the cold air blew in. When our front window cracked this last winter, we decided it was finally time to do it. Greg has put in a lot of hours and done a really good job, and once again, we had great help from family and friends. I am so happy with how they've turned out! They look so much nicer inside and out, and with this hot weather I've really noticed a difference in how much less heat is coming in. I'm sure it'll be nice this winter, too, to not have the cold seeping in and the wind blowing in. Another thing I've noticed is they're much more sound proof than the old ones. If the windows are shut, I can't hear the kids outside! I was watching them play in the backyard while I worked in the kitchen (There's not a lot I love about our kitchen, but the window looking out into the back yard is something I do love and want in our next house). I had the house closed up 'cause it was hot out, and I could see Aubrey's crying face (she tripped and fell), but I couldn't hear her! So strange. Now I know I have to keep the window cracked.

Here's Brian cutting out our old kitchen window. He was the master saw-man

And here is the new kitchen window. Ahhh! So nice.

And here's the front (the trim isn't quite finished on the back). We're making progress on this little house. We make improvements every year--slow but sure.

This and that

So proud of herself for figuring out how to get into that doll stroller

Early morning snuggles

playing in the dirt

Why we only have washable markers in this house

Fireworks and BBQ

It was quite a crew at the Wilson's this year. Here are most of the kids (4 or 5 of the babies were already asleep and inside)--impressive lot, don't you think?
We enjoyed some good food and had fun watching the kids (and Andy and Greg) shoot down the slide into the little pool. (It was a scorcher of a day!) After dinner we had a parade, complete with loud instruments and flags, down to the neighborhood park so the kids could burn off some energy and to whittle away some time before fireworks. I put Aubrey down while everyone headed to the park. She was asleep by 7pm and slept til we woke her up to leave at then end of the night. The guys put on quite the pyro show for us in the street once it started to get dark. Most of the kids LOVED every second (see Joel's smile?), but a few of the younger ones weren't too keen on all the noise and sparks. I'm not all that keen on it myself (the potential for danger makes me nervous, especially with the kids close by), but the enjoyment my husband (and all the other husbands, too, I think) and all the kids get out of it is worth it, as long as no one gets hurt, and no one did. We ended the evening watching the big fireworks show in Sandy from the comfort of Andy and Jen's backyard. Thanks, guys, for putting on a great party, once again!

Splash Park

We had plans to go the splash park earlier this week but just didn't feel up to it. When the temperature gets above 85 degrees, though, it starts sounding more appealing. The kids and I went and picked up Michelle and the girls, crammed all 5 car seats in the van, and headed out. It was a fun time. Good idea, Aunt Michelle!

The one of Kari on the bottom row cracks me up. Is she 5 or 15? She wasn't even posing for the camera! Out of all the kids, I think Aubrey enjoyed the water the most. I also have to add that I completely enjoyed the fact that Joel wasn't stressed about the water getting in his eyes. Thank you, swim lessons!

A smattering of photos

Yes, it's summertime. The kids are enjoying the warm weather, and yesterday I enjoyed taking photos of them outside.

can you say "senior picture" (pose her idea)?

classic Aubrey moment--running away and looking back with a grin

Isn't she sweet?