Happy Summer Solstice! (yesterday)

Summer's here!  (even here, it's here!)

We spent the day outside in the water.

Outside + Water = Bliss

I know it's not exotic, but I love this little pool.

We've had it three years now (I think) and it gets a lot of use.

I hope you're filling up on Summer Bliss where you are.

Happy Day to our Tiny Girl!

We started her day with her favorite activity

Painting!

And a few new things to try Brush!

With a painting board and liquid watercolors.

Fun Times!

We celebrated with our cousins at the Ogden Tree House Museum and just hanging out with them.

We're so glad that our Tiny girl came to us.

Thomas Part 2

(on the way home)

Tiny wanted to pop her balloon.  She's trying to figure out how.

Tired but happy

Lots of silliness to go around though

Goodbye Thomas!

There's a lovely park just down the road and we love to play there.

Swings are the BEST!

Dad is really good about pushing

Once in a while some pumping occurs as well.

In other news Mowg lost another tooth yesterday.  This one got swallowed (we think).

Our cousins came to visit and we had a grand time (and not many pictures).

We celebrated a birthday.

Here are the two quotes of the month (so far)

Context:  Tiny has been calling me out of bed in the middle of the night to go potty and read a book.  (Refusing to do so during the day).  Last night she needed a diaper change and a visit to the potty at least 12 times after she went to bed.  In the early part of the night she came downstairs to find me. 

I had her on my lap and said, "Tiny, you have reached the end of my patience." 

This is the rest of the conversation:

"It's OK Mom, it's OK"

"It's OK?  What if I don't think it's OK?"

"It's OK Mom, it's OK I'll just give you a hug."

What can you say to that?!

Context 2:  Mowg and I were juicing some oranges this morning.  We took a break to taste it.

"Mom!  This is as good as spaghetti!  Mmm it's delicious!"

Welcome our last Day Out with Thomas

(get ready for an onslaught of pictures)

Tiny wanted as far away from the official photographer as possible.

They're singing the Thomas theme song

On the train

Thomas!

(and cotton candy)

Diesel 10

(and a missing tooth!)

Playing Trains

(the grown-ups least favorite place, incidentally the kids favorite

--it's far less crowded at this moment than it is most of the time)

Tiny takes her coloring very seriously

"Look see here's Percy" Tiny

"Say Steamies!" Mowg

Waiting for a balloon sword (and the making of)

waiting for a butterfly balloon

Watching a movie and eating cotton candy

(that's why I go! :))

a little golf

A little magic



Goodbye Thomas!

 We took a little trip to Fort Bridger recently

This Fort was started by Jim Bridger,

then taken over by the Mormons, and finally taken over to the military.

There are lots of interesting things to see and most importantly room to run.

Here is a bear trap circa 1900

We acquired a bugle player

An old Chuck Wagon and my dearest explaining

that they might have hung a dutch oven off the bottom.

Here is the nice young man who taught Mowg how to play the bugle.

They were both pretty pleased about the experience.

Tiny is excited about finding a ground squirrel hole. 

The ground squirrel disappeared moments before.

Pull the handcart (or just stand by your brother) in the museum

Lots of great benches along the way to just "sit for a little bit" Tiny would say.

Ranch House (or Officers Quarters...I can't remember)

 Boardwalk

We had lunch on the band stand and had a little entertainment as well.

Three hours were gone *poof* just like that.

It was proclaimed the "best day".

Here's a few pictures from our "Friday Fun Day on Saturday" a few weeks ago.

We have "Friday Fun Day" with our cousins and their Mom and I take turns being in charge.

This was her week and we had so much fun with the painting techniques.

We learned the word "Monochromatic" and made coffee paintings.

The paint is made from a little instant coffee and water. 

The ratio of water to coffee determines the intensity of the color.

The kids also traced this cardboard shapes onto a piece of paper.

Then they colored them in with washable markers.

Once that was finished they took a dropper and splashed water on them. 

 I didn't get a picture of any of the final products,

but it gave them a really neat water color effect.

It was a fun day (as they always are)

(and I remembered to take the camera and take pictures for a change.)

OK Jess, this is for you. 

These are the best I got of our cute baby chicks

and I think they're much cuter in person.

Arcana the darkest and feistiest two.

 I think these are Arcana's too, but it's hard to tell

The golden ones without any marks are Buff Orpingtons.

It was so fun to watch them swallowing their first drink upon arrival.

Hanging out under the lamp

Working on some grit

(or what happens when you drop the camera down by the bird and just snap the shutter)

There you have it, some cute baby chick pics.