Driveway Race

I hate when I go for weeks without blogging.  As always it's because we've been busy.  Claire's birthday celebrations, swim class, and VBS all kept me going from one thing to the next. Josh left for kids camp last Sunday so we (the girls and I).  Went to my parents' house for the week. We've had a great time!  It is so nice to have outside space to play.

A few days ago, Joy had her first ride in the Little Tikes coupe.

It was a tight squeeze for both of them in there so Claire got on her scooter,

 and we pulled the car with a rope.

 You can see the excitment and glee on her little face.

 This video is very long  but I don't have the time or patience to

edit it so watch it for as long as you can stand.

 That went on for quite awhile and Joy eventually got tired and wanted out.

She started pushing the car all over the driveway and street. 

 We all jumped in the pool afterward; both girls were beet red! 

It was a fun and precious evening!

Poolside

We are loving summer!  The weather has been warm enough to enjoy the benefits of summer without being too ridiculously hot. (yet).

This week we went to Grandma's gym pool for the afternoon.  We had a very fun time!  Claire just played with Grandma and Aunt Shelbe most of the day while I had Joy glued to my hip.  Joy is going through EXTREME separation anxiety right now and will only let 3 people in the world hold her;  Me, Josh and my mom.   But with a face like that how could I mind? 

She sat by the edge of the pool watching Sister for quite a while.

Claire was so excited, she never stopped hopping through the water and playing.

It cracks me up how different these two girls are. 

While Claire is deathly afraid of getting water in her face....

Joy is splashing, crawling and laying in the lapping waterline.  

Life is easy for the easy-going.

Growing Up

Yesterday, Joy stood up off the ground all by herself!

 

She was pretty proud of herself but has not done it again since.  

 

She can stand alone for about 30 seconds and lowers herself back down with control.   She'll be walking soon I am sure!

She loves to chew on nerf darts - they feel nice on her 5th tooth coming in!  

 

Pensive moments.

 

Claire is excited that her birthday is coming up and likes to remind us that she is "growing up".

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She went swimming yesterday and was still deathly afraid of getting her face wet so I signed her up for a Phoenix Parks Rec swimming class.  It is specifically for children between 3-5 years old who are afraid of water.  

That water was cold!

Ladies Tea - Simply Citrus

Last weekend was our second annual Ladies' Tea at church.  It was a fun, exhausting and busy time but I loved every minute of it!   The past few weeks, every spare moment was spent planning, preparing, testing recipes and ironing napkins. 

The theme this year was Simply Citrus and I actually got some pictures.

We sold 99 tickets and had 16 ladies help out either by making recipes, setting up, cleaning, or hostessing a table.... and some did all of the above!

The centerpieces - deceptively easy looking, really a pain in the neck.

 

We had 3 courses of  3 to 4 foods each. Everything was delicious.  

I am so thankful for all the ladies who agreed to make over 100 tiny foods.

Speaking of tiny, look at these adorable fondant flowers to top the petit fours!

Before:

During:

The devastating clean-up after:

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The clean-up wasn't so bad - mostly because we got a head start thanks to the fantastic kitchen help. 

Paul, The Dishwashing King.  Seriously, one of the coolest guys I know. 

 I am humbled that he took his entire Saturday to wash dainty dishes. 

Thanks Paul!  (and you thought you weren't in any pictures)

Josh was as always my main supporter and help.  He even ironed a tablecloth! Nothing makes you love your husband more than when he's helping you with something that is important to you.

We had some very servant-hearted youth helping out too.  They got paid in tiny left over treats.

(how many guys does it take to count cups of salad? 4 apparently, probably because their hair was in their eyes)  But seriously, they did a wonderful job.

Every lady got a take home favor (thanks to my mom!)

Thanks to all who made the tea a success!  I hope everyone enjoyed it as much I did!

Change of Plans

 The Ladies Tea at church was this past weekend, (photos coming soon!) so I now have some spare time.   We were supposed to meet Grandma at her gym pool today but Claire came down with a stomach bug that has made it necessary for her to stay close to a toilet all day so it has been fun just being home with nothing I have to do.




We took the chance to try out our new magnet fish in the water.  These are from Lakeshore Learning. I wanted to get them back around Christmas but they were $20 so I didn't succumb to the temptation even though I knew that my Puggles group might like them.
 
  Well, about 2 months ago I was at Savers and found a brand new, unopened box with every fish still individually wrapped in plastic and wrapping paper on the box that said "Merry Christmas! Love, Gma and Gpa O!"  Well, sorry Gma and Gpa O, someone didn't like your gift, but I sure did!  Especially with the $6 price tag that Savers had slapped on it.   The Puggles spent MANY hours entertained by this toy and now that Puggles is over, I brought it home for Claire and Joy to play with.

Fisherbaby.
 

Yep, we spent the early afternoon soaking up the sun, catching fish and capturing some precious moments.


 






Right after I took this picture Claire said "I love her very very much... I think she loves me too" 

Sometimes it is good when your plans are interrupted.

A few minutes later, pool time went down hill fast as it was almost nap time so we came inside for a snack.



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Poor Joy, she just couldn't stay awake any longer. (and now you know why she always wears a hair bow or a hat.)

Waterbeads... Who Knew?

Yesterday, we played with waterbeads. I have read about them on various blogs and thought they looked kind of fun.  I found some at Walmart for $2 a pack. (In the floral department) I got 5 different colors so I would have plenty for a Puggles activity and then totally put off using them til now. They start out very, very tiny and hard....

but after soaking in water for a few hours, they plump up and become smooth, slippery, bouncy balls of jelly that are irresistible to chubby, little hands

Joy enjoyed them much more than I thought she would.  It was supposed to be a Claire activity but Joy dug right in and couldn't stop touching them.


After a while. this started to happen so she had to go inside for a nap and sister kept on playing (alone...outside....by herself!!! Miracles never cease.)


They feel like fish eggs!
 

The best part about these beads is that if you set them out on a cookie sheet in the sun, they will dehydrate back to their tiny original size so they can be stored away and played with again and again.

I did take them to Puggles last night and they were a huge hit!  There were quite a few squashed ones by the end of the evening and I think most of the night we spent picking up and chasing after the tiny balls but the Puggles loved them.

The colors got all mixed up last night and so many were on the floor that they look a little dirty.  This afternoon I plan on filling up Claire's wading pool and throwing them all in so she can play, clean and sort them before we let them dry out again.  It should be hours of fun for Claire.