This week-end I babysat Tara, all 3 girls had a fantastic time. Yesterday the built a fort in the hallway, taking blankets, and sheets, then filling it with comfy chairs, blanket to lay on, pillows, and food to snack on during the day. They had music and games and just had a blast playing all day long. So today I decided to take them to the pumpkin patch. They got to go to the petting zoo where they had emu, zebra/donkey hybrids, donkeys, pigs, ponies, sheep, chickens, bunnies, goats, pretty much anything you could think of. We also took a hay right around the farm. They have a play area for the kids, the girls had a blast playing on giant tires stacked up like a pyramid. We also went through a hay maze because they were afraid to go in the corn maze. It was a fantastic week-end, we were all exhausted afterwards.

Here's Kylie searching among hundreds of pumpkins for just the right one. Lexi is wanting just the right one, nothing less will do! She liked these white ones, though she didn't chose one.

For anyone helping out with Kylie's fundraiser for Science Camp, this is the car you have a chance at winning. Cute isn't it?? It's a 4 seater.

MOMMY, this is the one!!! I love it! It's just my size!!

Tara, Kylie, and Lexi sitting on a pumpkin, They had so much fun, we searched for 2 hours for the perfect pumpkins for each of the girls.

the girls in front of the petting zoo! Lexi loved the dry corn stalks.

the kids got to hold chicks, ducklings, and other baby birds. The one being held is held by Tara. She was loving it! (none of them were into feeding the animals though)

here's the inside of the fort they built. complete with vacuums.

Tara at the end of the fort. The door behind her leads to my spare room.

Kylie in the front of the fort.

It's been awhile since I've been on line to blog. I started back to school and have been neglecting my blog.

Today we spent the day with the family, celebrating Avery's 1st birthday. Such a sweetie she is! Just look at her in her little cupcake outfit!! Avery really loved opening her gifts, well, eating the ribbon, throwing the tissue, playing the boxes and bags anyway! =)

Lexi, Hayley, andAvery enjoyed the tissue paper. A LOT

Here is a picture of the girls playing with Avery's See and Say toy.

Lexi really liked Avery's upstairs neighbor.

Tiffany and Avery opening gifts

Here Papa, throw this!!

This is Lexi before Avery's party. Before we went to the party, the girls did my hair and my make up. After doing my "spa day", Lexi found the make up brushes and did her own. This is the before version.

Here she is after putting her dress on, with big sister! saying, "Cheesy"!

Here is the close up "after" shot of Lexi's beautiful make up job on herself!! She was so proud of herself for the job she did!

We had a fantastic day! Can't wait to see everyone again. Now that I'm more in a rhythm of this whole on line school thing, I will try to do a better job of keeping it updated!!

another generation rides the leopard

The other day while cleaning the house, I pulled out the "famous" leopard. This is one of Scott's grandmother's first items that she painted. It has been sat on and ridden by almost every child family member since it's painting. This has been in our house forever, but is normally tucked under my desk in the front room. Lexi discovered just how fun this was to sit on and since I have similar photos of Kylie at this age riding it, I had to take some of Lexi too. look at me mommy!

what do you mean I'm not supposed to ride the leopard?? Of course I can, don't you see me on it?

cheesy mommy cheesy!

I just had to post this pic of lexi! It's not too often lately that she'll allow herself to be photographed! Just look at those cheeks!! Here's a pic of Scott pulling some cable in the 120' heat! amazing that you can still smile while working in such heat!!!

I haven't updated my blog in awhile, so I thought I should get on here and get an update going! Kylie started school on the 10th of August, 5th grade already!! All I can ask is, "Where has all the time gone?" She likes it so far, even though she didn't get the nicest teacher out there. Hopefully this teacher doesn't end up making her dislike school.

Kylie has still been living in our pool, as soon as her homework is done..... it's out to the pool for some cooling down time! She's also been enjoying the hot tub, even though she hasn't turned the hot tub water up. My little girl is a fish!
Kylie is also looking forward to going to Science Camp this fall. She got the permission slip on Wednesday and it's all she's talked about since. We'll for sure be doing whatever fundraisers are availble to do as camp is going to cost about $250!! I know that in the past the kids have sold candy bars, hopefully Kylie can become a good sales girl!!

Alexis is restarting her potty training which is fantastic. I look forward to the day that it clicks and we get out of diapers all together! Lexi has been telling me when she needs to go, however, it doesn't always work out the way we'd hope. She'll spend about 20 mins on the potty, not go, get back into her panties or pull-ups then go! I guess I should just be happy she's showing interest in the potty and know that it will click and it will most likely be sooner than later!!

Lexi has also started wanting to pick out her own outfits. If it's not something she wants to wear, she will take it off and fling it across the room! It's quite funny at times to see her have such a strong personality! Other times, not so much!! =)
Keith and Tara were down this past week-end and brought Lexi down one of those Fisher Price play houses. Alexis loves this house and spends a lot of time in there. Along with bring down the house, he also brought down a battery for Kylie's old Barbie Jeep, the girls have spent quite a bit of time driving that thing all across the backyard. Lexi tried driving it alone, so far, she's hit a tree, the dog house, and the awning. Hopefully NOT an indication of how she'll drive when she gets older! hahaha
As for me, I am starting back to school next month. I have all my paperwork filled out and sent in and am just waiting for my approval letters to come back. With one set of paperwork, I got all my approvals back today and should be able to start school as soon as the 14th of next month. I'm looking forward to it, but in the same respect am scared because it's been so long since I've been out of school. I'm sure I will do fine and I have a great support system if I need help.

Pebble Beach

After a long day at the aquarium, Doug and I decided to spend the night so that we could go to the beach in the morning. We stayed at the Howard Johnson, which had originally been condo's that were renovated into hotel buildings. It was so nice!

We woke up in the morning and after eating a yummy breakfast decided to go to Carmel since I had never been before. So Pebble Beach it was! We got there and it was great.......until Lexi's feet touched the sand. From there, a screaming fit insued. She wanted no part of it, which was stange to me, because she had loved the sand last year. So, I carried her down the sandy hill and held her for quite awhile until she was okay with being there. We walked out to the water, and right before it would get to my feet.... we'd run! She laughed and thought it was fun, until I'd try and put her down. It took about an hour or so for her to be alright being there, and it wasn't until Kylie and my brother decided to bury me in the sand that she going to be okay in the sand. Then it was a struggle to get her to leave!

this is Lexi's not so happy to be at the beach face!!Pebble Beach Golf Course
Lexi's so don't want to be standing on this beach face! I still don't want to be here!!!

All right, now I'm okay with the beach!It was only after Kylie and Doug start to bury me in the sand that Lexi decided the beach wasn't so bad afterall!this is after Kylie and Lexi were chasing waves. Lexi got caught by one instead of her catching it

Uncle Doug and Kylie me at Pebble Beach

this is another pic from the aquarium. You can see from her face just how cold this water was

Doug and Kylie at the penguin peek, even sitting on a really big rock, she's still much smaller than her uncle!!

We had so much fun at the beach. Kylie kept trying to build boxes which Lexi would quickly destroy and laugh hysterically as she did it. After about 3 hours at the beach, we packed up and headed off to down town Carmel to "window" shop, which was fun. After window shopping, we headed for home. Everyone enjoyed the time that we had with Uncle Doug. Thank you for giving the girls such a great week-end.

crazy 3 weeks!

The past 3 weeks have been completely crazy here at our house. We went from picking up Scott at the airport, to family and friends over, to picking my brother up at the airport, then taking Scott back to the airport and saying good-bye to him all over again.

The day we took him to the airport, my brother took myself and the girls to the Montery Bay Aquarium! We had so much fun, even though we got a later start than Doug would've liked.

this is Beep! Lexi loves him!!

kylie and Lexi at the jelly fish exhibit!

lexi in the touch center feeling a starfish! boy was that water cccold!kylie and a statue of an otteran amazing pic of one of many sea horses!

a cute little otter playing with his red ball!! we loved the otter exhibit

We had a great time at the Aquarium, it was so much fun watching the girls explore new things. Lexi really liked the touch pools and even though the water was really cold. She also thought the jelly fish were amazing and loved that the fish were as big as she is! Doug bought Lexi the most adorable otter stuffed animal which she quickly fell in love with and named "Beep". Where she got "Beep" is a mystery, but she loves him and that's all that matters. She has been going everywhere with him!! (see above for the pic of "Beep" as I couldn't get it to move down here!)

Thank you Doug for an amazing "distraction" for the kids.

Daddy's and my brother's visit

The past 2 weeks have been full of visits from family. Scott
got home on the 13th and we've had non-stop company ever since. We have had such a great time. Daddy (Scott) got home just in time to celebrate my birthday. He took the girls out shopping for a gift for me and brought home a pool! We have really been enjoying it with the over 100' weather we've been having. We also had a bbq on my birthday. It was so much fun! I had my friend Jenn over whom I haven't seen in about 2 years, it was great having her here too!!

We've done quite a few bbq's with friends and family with daddy home. I'm going to miss the yummy bbq flavor when he leaves, or I'll have to self teach myself on how to bbq, since I never have.

Today we had LaVonne, Guy, Tiffany, Chip and baby Avery over! More bbq, swimming and while the girls played dice games, and the boys played a washer game. We had so much fun and had a ton of food. I think I've gained 10 pounds just having my husband home!! =)

My brother is also here visiting from Colorado, mainly for his 20 yr class reunion, but he's been staying with me since he got here. The girls have been having fun forcing him to play with them, Lexi much to his shagrin, calls him "Bubba", I love it! It's great!

The girls have been having a great time with our next door neighbor's grandkids who have been visiting from Mississippi this summer. They got along fabulously, and they will miss them when they go home tomorrow. It has been non-stop swimming, games, ice cream, cake, fun.