July 4th

Okay so i finally finished going through the july pictures. this is the fourth of july. my brother's family came up and we had a sleepover. the kids loved playing in the pool. we lit some fireworks that night and then everyone else went to watch fireworks over the valley. i was busy desperately trying to find an open store that sold kate's binkies. i did finally find one and even got to see some fireworks while i drove... ;)

meghan

grant

Swimmy Swimmy!

Kate LOVES being in the water. if she's not swimming, she's begging to play with the hose. "wa wa" is her favorite plaything. she has a little swimming pool in the backyard but she loves going to the big pool at the gym as well. these are a few shots from the backyard pool from a few different days.




kate loves copying me and that means a lot of cleaning so i got her her own little broom. she does quite well with it actually. she decided to take a breather from the pool and sweep up the deck...

A little hiking and a little dinner

we went for a nice little walk on a forest trail with grandpa and grandma and had a grand ole time. we saw an indian pictograph in a cave, threw rocks, and watched the raging river.



kate is a very coveted dinner guest. and she has no qualms - she loves seeing all her adoring fans and the very cool playgrounds at the various locales. ;)

The Entire Month Of June In Three Short Posts.

boy have i been a slacker with the blogging. summer always seems busier than any other time of year even though i have no child on vacation from school. the world simply runs differently in summer i think. so i have to play serious catch-up with my june and july photos. so here's june.

kate and i went to visit my friend jenny and her two boys. we had

a grand ole time. jenny has better wit than anyone i know and kate loves other kids so it was a lot of fun.

kate has decided that reading the paper is a rather pleasant pasttime in her off-tornado hours. I think she finds the news a bit shocking sometimes. :)

kate loves gardening. i got her a little pair of gloves because she kept trying to put my own on. she liked trying them but they didn't stay on long. i got her a set of tools as well. those on the other hand have gotten some mighty good use. now i must teach her the difference between flowers and weeds...

The "I" list

Just a fun little nonsense thing. I'll do it for Kate first as most of her typing is still unreadable by most English-speakers, then I'll do it again for myself.

Kate's "I" list
i am: stubborn, beautiful, independant, charming, the light of mommy's life
i know: what i want
i want: what i want, when i want it
i have: everyone wrapped around my little finger
i wish: these silly adults could learn my language
i hate: bedtime, being put down, clothing
i miss: my binkie. all the time.
i fear: lots of stuff for a minute, then nothing at all.
i hear: lots of people telling me how pretty and smart i am.
i smell: chocolate, poopy diapers, or soap depending on the time of day.
i crave: chocolate
i search: for mommy
i regret: nothing, yet.
i love: chocolate, dogs, mommy, stories, binkies and the kitties
i care: about my family
i always: adored
i am not: ignored.
i sing: to "old macdonald" and hymns
i fight: yes please.
i make: beautiful pictures
i lose: binkies. and my temper.
i win: when grandpa's around
i never: think i'm wrong
i listen: to no one
i am scared: to go to sleep by myself
i need: my space. and then mommy's arms.
i am happy about: reading, chocolate, binkies, swimming, showers, and mommy
i tag: mommy

Laura's "I" list
i am: stubborn, smart and loyal
i know: enough to recognize my ignorance. :)
i want: to travel more, to help my daughter grow, and to go to graduate school
i have: a beautiful little daughter/best friend
i wish: travel was cheaper
i hate: that i can't forgive myself. and the extreme cold of getting out of the shower.
i miss: old friends
i fear: losing loved ones
i hear: kate's book mooing.
i smell: fear. hah hah, actually i smell burritos at the moment.
i crave: chocolate
i search: for knowledge
i regret: a lot of past decisions
i love: my daughter, traveling, photography, gardening, family, reading, and medicine
i care: for the well-being of friends and family
i always: show up late at least according to "conventional" time. ;)
i am not: who i want to be yet.
i sing: in my car. loudly.
i fight: too often
i write: lots of text messages
i lose: my temper. and my patience. and my keys.
i win: people's friendship and respect and a shocking lack of contests.
i never: want to be in cold water. brrrr!
i listen: very well when i want to
i am scared: to not accomplish things i can
i need: love
i am happy about: it not being winter!
i tag: YOU!