Pretty Ballerina

Summer is Here

Here is a fun picture of two cute kiddos on their last day of school. School was out June 10, so I guess that means summer has officially arrived.... sort of. Steven is in summer school until July 15th so we are still getting up every morning to get someone to school until then. And Elise is going to a Day Camp next week so they are definitely keeping busy. The kids have been enjoying the warm weather and had cause to put their swimsuits on everyday last week for either swimming or running through sprinklers. Popsicles have been plentiful and fun outings have been nonstop around here. This mama isn't getting much done, but good times are being had by all. I guess that is what summer is about. Now to go tackle my pile of laundry while Elise is off washing the car with Dad and the boys are sleeping :-).

Nemo and Dory

We took the kids to The Aquarium of the Pacific on Cameron's birthday. It was cool. They saw dolphins, sharks, sea lions, jelly fish, sea turtles and more. They even got to touch a sting ray and a baby shark (although Elise refused). However, with all that, I think Steven was most impressed by the big tank full of baby Nemo's and baby Dory's. Obviously the display did not state that they were Nemo and Dory fish - it gave the real scientific names. But little Nemo's and Dory's were exactly what they were, and Steven couldn't have been happier. We came home, put Steven's Nemo jammies on, and let him watch Finding Nemo. Life just doesn't get any better than that.

Dangerous Recipe

I was given the recipe for these Frozen Fruit Bites and asked to make them for Relief Society tonight. They are so easy to make and so tasty, I thought I would share. In fact, I probably should not have this recipe because they are so easy and yummy that I could see myself making them a lot. I mean really a lot. You can find the recipe at familyfun.com .

Birthdays Are Fun!

For Cameron's first birthday I made him a giant cupcake for him to have all to himself. He took a few bites of frosting and thought it was great until he looked down at his fingers and saw that they were covered in blue frosting. He definitely did NOT want that blue frosting on his fingers and was quite upset by it, so he was done with the cake after just a few bites . Don't worry, I fed him some with a fork the next day before tossing it in the trash. And for presents he got one big ball and a whole bunch of small balls. I think balls are about his favorite thing so he was in heaven. It definitely redeemed the whole blue frosting situation. Maybe he'll decide to have another birthday next year after all.... and I will remember to avoid blue frosting on his cake!

What does a one year old eat for lunch?

What did Cameron have for his special birthday lunch with just mom while Elise and Steven were at school? His first McDonald's cheeseburger and fries. And in case you can't tell from the huge smile on his face, he was a fan. I think he likes being one and having lots of teeth!

My Mom and Dad are Special

Elise filled out these forms at school for Mother's Day and Father's Day. Some of her answers seriously made me laugh. Like, "My Dad can do lots of things! I think he's really good at: drawing T-rexes" Hmmmm... he's not much of an artist, and I don't believe I've ever seen him attempt to draw a T-Rex. Maybe she knows something I don't? But my very favorite is, "My Dad really likes: me!" At least the girl has some self confidence. And by the way, both Chris and I are so smart, we even know how to do Kindergarten homework. Aren't you impressed? Although I must say, Kindergarten homework has become much more challenging over the years, so maybe I should be flattered.

Little Miss Bossy!

Elise tells me she has a boyfriend. I'm pretty sure I don't like the idea of my five year old having a boyfriend. I mean, what is the point when your five? Everyday when I drive by her school to take Steven to preschool, her class is at recess and she is playing on the monkey bars with said boyfriend, Ethan. Literally, everyday without fail. I always tell her that it is nice that she plays with Ethan, but she needs to play with the girls sometimes too. So last week I drove by one day and she was on the monkey bars with Violet, and Ethan was nowhere to be seen. When I picked her up from school I told her I saw her playing with Violet at recess and not Ethan. Her exact words to me were this.

"Well Mom, you know the monkey bars are not actually Ethan's favorite. They are my favorite and I make him watch me go across at recess everyday. But since they are not his favorite I told him today that he could have some free time and play chase with some other kids."

What??? My five year old is "giving her friends freetime?" The good news is that with such bossiness the whole boyfriend thing is not likely to last long. I am sure he will tire of that in no time flat. Hopefully by next year she will be happily playing with the girls at recess again. And yes, we have had a talk about bossing friends about. I'm not sure it will help though. Somehow I wasn't surprised by the conversation because that is just so Elise. She always thinks she is in charge of everything and everyone. I love her to pieces, but I'm just sayin, sometimes I am not really sure where that little girl came from. I think she must be her father's daughter :-).

The pictures above are from her classes final assembly performance. It was cute. I recorded it but somehow erased it from the camera - darn! In the first picture she was practicing her dance for me at home before we left for school that morning. In the second picture Ethan is standing next to her in a blue shirt and shorts, in case you were wondering what the boy who gets bossed around looks like.

The Cutest One Year Old Around

Happy Birthday to Cameron. It is so weird how on one hand this year has just flown by (I can't believe he's one already) and on the other hand it is hard to remember life before Cameron. He is such a happy baby. He likes to babble and talk nonsense, or "Cameron talk." He is definitely the third child and knows he needs to make sure he is heard over all the noise - he has quite a scream. But at least it is a happy scream. And he loves to follow his big sister and brother around and be right in the thick of things. He has the cutest laugh and is VERY ticklish. He is happy nearly all the time, even when he gets hauled around in his carseat or stroller all day, and even when his naptime is cut short. He is so chubby and adorable, I just want to squeeze him all the time. Happy first birthday Cameron. We love you!