Going for a walk

Conrad lives to be outside. He loves to go for walks and this time, he pulled Phoebe along in the weeding stool and had his Mom follow him in his $3 yardsale trike... she kept up pretty good too.
-Brenda

Harry Potter Party

The invitations arrived this past week... we believe by owl. We were invited to a Harry Potter Party planned by Katie & Lindsey... the best way to celebrate one of their most loved books that they have grown up with. 12 years of reading & re-reading the books, listening to all of them on Audi during family road trips (LOVED them!) Tonight we dressed as Muggles and excitedly began our party. Thank you girls!
Memories:
The wizard treats we were each assigned to bring. Pin the lightening bolt on Harry Potter. Harry Potter Treasure Hunt. Nearly Headless Nick Hot Potato. Name my character. Watched Harry Potter 7 part one to get ourselves ready for the final movie coming out. Conrad in dress up clothes. Snuggling with Carter. Feeling grateful that the guys so willingly participate in the things that mean the most to our girls.
-Brenda

Phoebe 10 Months

Taking first steps. Willful. Bright eyed. Quirky. Quite attached to her Mom & Dad. Always up for eating and not picky. Loves to play peak a boo. Delicate skin aka a non-tanner. Terrific screamer at times, thankfully not always. Crawls quickly. Likes to chat. Giggles. Patty cake. Goofy. Light sleeper. 3% size on growth / weight chart. A mighty spirit. Oh so very loved!
-Brenda


It's easy to see that the days of saying '123 smile' to Conrad are a

thing of the past... it's painful to watch. I will now need to just catch
him as is... which is best anyway.

No Lift Off

Up very early with the sun and we followed the crowds to the hot air balloon lift off. Cloudy skies and unpredictable winds kept them grounded, though many were blown up and they stayed anchored to the round. The kids and Ransom were plenty tired. We came home to Katie's breakfast of strawberry / creme cheese filled french toast.
-Brenda

Happy Birthday Larry Boy

It was a happy surprise that Larry didn't have to work at the hospital on his Bday (July 3). We canceled our visiting teachers and gave him the gift of a 5 hour nap... much needed. He woke up to dinner, a game of Speed and an ice cream sundae bar. He couldn't be more loved by all of us!

-Brenda

Fourth of July weekend begins...

The long Fourth of July weekend is here. Saturday, we went to Tyler & Lindsey's for some good homemade pizza before going swimming. Innertube diving, Speed, handstand competitions and a bit of synchronized swimming made it was extra fun! The ones that were up for it went to see the fireworks outside of Stadium of Fire... playing duck duck 'move' with the kids until they started. Bedtime never felt so good.

-Brenda

Graham Crappers

Our Grandson Carter is here for the rest of the summer, so we welcomed him home with a BBQ and smore's. The girls made yummy side salads. When Conrad got there, Carter's first words to him were, 'You can talk!'. Conrad was so happy to see him and they played and wrestled together the rest of the night, going around the yard and finding anything 'brown' that they could burn. I love how building a fire turns dinnertime into a long summer evening outside. Perfect weather. Conrad would hold his wood on his lap and waited patiently for the fire to burn down. We asked if they wanted to go to the park and play... they would not leave the thrill of the fire. Carter did a good job making us s'mores with graham 'crappers'. Ashlee gave the guys haircuts, playing around with Ransom's style... then it was off to play four square.
-Brenda