July 4th, 2015

July 4^th is one of our favorite holidays in Huntington Beach.  We are really going to miss it when we move into our new house.  We have the same routine every year, with a few tweaks here and there. 

It all starts the day before when we have to stake out our spot along the parade route.  This year the 4^th was on a Saturday so everyone was out getting a spot –  we lost our usual spot to some other parade goers.  But all worked out and we had a great spot for all of us to enjoy the parade. 

Fascinated by the music and horses.

Parade fun!!

Firetrucks are cool!

Hugs!!

From the parade we go to the pool for fun in the sun – with a little BBQ for dinner. 

Just relaxing!

We cap the night off with a walk to the beach to watch the fireworks.  By then the house is a mess, everyone is exhausted and we all head to bed.  What a perfect day!! 

Summer Vacation

The kids and I spent a week back in South Dakota at the end of July.  We had a wonderful week and Cameron was able to join us for a few days.  The week flew by.  Every day was jammed packed full of activities, visits with friends and family, and fun in the sun.  My kids just love all of the new and exciting things they get to do while back in South Dakota.  This trip they were particularly fond of running through the sprinklers, playing with their cousins and, as always, lighting fireworks.

The first part of the week was spent with my mom.  We spent as much time outside as possible.  My mother has some new neighbors with kids the same age as Brynn and Burke.  Every morning the kids would wake up and be so anxious to get outside to see what the other kids were up to.  We spent as much time as we could with my grandmother, ran through sprinklers, and lit fireworks.  We spent an afternoon at my aunt Joane’s house feeding fish, smelling the flowers, and trying not to have one of the kids fall in the pond.  I was also able to catch up with a few of my girlfriends and their families at a park one evening.

Twirling in Smoke Balls

Games Outside

At the pnd

Water Fun

Sprinklers!!

Ready

The second part of the week was spent with Cameron’s family in Yankton.  It just so happened that Cameron’s nephew Aiden had a baseball tournament in Yankton and we had a wedding all of the same day.  So all of the parents’ and siblings loaded up and headed to Yankton for a fun filled weekend.  A few of Cameron’s aunts and grandmother also made the trek to hang out with all of us.  We spent one day along the river playing in the water and the second day cheering on Aiden and his baseball team.  Aiden even got MVP one of the games.  We were all so proud.    

What a great vacation!!  We can’t wait to do it again!

Cheering on Aiden

Resting

Fun in Yankton!

Preschool Graduation

It is crazy to think Brynn is no longer a preschooler.  She is nearly 5 and turning into this sweet young girl.  It feels like yesterday we were sending her to preschool with Ms. Cathy.  Three and a half years later, and she is graduating from preschool and heading to transitional kindergarten.  I still wonder to myself, am I sending her to transitional kindergarten because she is not quite ready or because I am not ready. 

Brynn and her classroom had been practicing for their spring performance and preschool graduation for weeks.  Every day she would come home from school and practice her songs in her room so no one could hear and it would be a surprise.  On the day of her performance and graduation she was smiling from ear to ear.  She had to wear the perfect outfit (including her “high heal” shoes) and have a flower in her hair.  She did a fantastic job singing and dancing. 

Her proudest moment was when she got her preschool diploma and got to give Mrs. Jenny and Mrs. Diana great big hugs and thank them for a great year.  They both have been so wonderful to Brynn and my family.  We are lucky to have them. 

Two Peas in a Pod

A few weeks back we spent a long weekend in Denver visiting family.  Brynn and her cousin Kinley were so excited to see each other.  They had such a wonderful weekend playing, watching movies, going swimming and just being together.  They love to skype and talk about all of the things they are going to do the next time they see each other.  I have a feeling they will be great friends for life.

Dance Party

Ready for the pool

Spending time together

15 Months

Our little boy is becoming more and more independent every day.  He thinks he is one of the big kids and loves to chase his sister around everywhere she goes.  He gets frustrated easily if you do not treat him like everyone else.   He wants to be included in absolutely everything.  He loves to go to the park and play with all of the other kids.  He will go down the big slide all by himself and giggle the whole way.  What a little dare devil – my heart stops every time he does it. 

But as he gets older the more teeth that just keep coming in.  The poor thing had four teeth coming in all at once and was completely miserable for days.  I think most of them have broken through and we are through the worst of it.  Despite his painful cries he is a joy and has the most infectious laugh that I want to bottle up forever.

Stats:

• Weight - 24 lbs 13.2 oz (75-90 percentile)
• Height - 32.5 inches (98 percentile)
• Head Circumference - 47.5 cm (50-75 percentile)

Burke Loves:

• Airplanes
• Puppy Dogs
• Being Outside

Burke is Working On:

• More Words
• Figuring out the lock on the front door
• Pointing to Body Parts

Easter 2015

We had a fun and relaxing Easter.  The Easter Bunny made a stop at our house and hid the kids’ Easter Eggs, which was a huge hit.  Brynn loved running around the house looking for eggs and helping her little brother find a few too.  Burke’s hunt turned into a seek and destroy strategy.  He figured out that if you toss the eggs the shell cracks and you can stick your fingers in the squishy eggs.  Typical boy!  After the egg hunt the kids played with their toys from the Easter Bunny.  Burke was fascinated with his bubble machine while Brynn just wanted to try out our her new goggles for the swimming pool. 

I was too lazy to cook for Easter so we headed to our favorite brunch place.  We all ordered exactly what we always do and loved every bite.  We ended the day with a second egg hunt and a candy induced sugar high.  What a lovely and relaxing day.  

Decorating and More Decorating

Since when did dyeing Easter eggs become such an event?  First you dye them, then you wait for them to dry, then you paint them, you wait…and wait for them to dry, and then you finally get to finish them up with stickers.  I never knew it could be such a process.  I was afraid, multiple times, that Brynn would lose interest and I was going to get stuck finishing up the decorating by myself.  But my little artist persevered and finished them all.  They turned out beautiful.  Some are pretty princesses, while others are animals.  And you can never forget about the crazy multi-colored egg that you never know what they will ultimately look like.  After a few snack breaks the eggs were ready for the Easter bunny.