{It's all about climbing}

Nope, K isn't walking yet at 13 months, but she is climbing every thing she can. Yesterday, she climbed on these steps while I was trying to get the kids ready for church. She was so proud of herself.Then, E decided she was the perfect height for him to try and put a barrette in her hair. Isn't that cute? He loves helping the girls get ready and he always tells them how beautiful they look once they are done. I hope he never out grows that...his wife will love it!

{Camping}

We finally got brave and took the kids camping. J and I love camping and did it often before kids came into our life. It has just seemed like too much work to take the kids. And my biggest fear....would I pack enough baby wipes? Can you ever pack enough baby wipes? I would have totally backed out last minute because when I committed to going, I thought Kate would be walking....but she's not. However, J wouldn't allow it. He was dying to go and he didn't think it would be a pain to take a crawling baby camping. And guess what? He was right! It's not often that happens (hee hee), but it's true....camping was lots of fun and no problem at all with all the kids. We all slept in the same tent and even that went really well. The first night K woke up at 4 am so I took her out of the tent and walked around with her for a while in hopes she'd fall back asleep. But she didn't and I just ended up getting eaten alive by mosquito's. But what's camping without a few mosquito bites? We went with some other families, some of which we knew and others we didn't. The kids had lots of friends to play with, which was awesome. The group site was very secluded so they had rein of the territory and we weren't worried about them. I didn't take any pictures, which I am really bummed about, but J did sneak some. His photos are always different than mine. He likes to document the surroundings...not capture people. O' well. Now we will never forget what our tent looks like, or the bathroom, or the trail. Thank goodneess for that.

Oh, there is one of people!

I can't tease him too much because at least HE remembered to take pictures!

{Summer Softball}

J played softball again this year with some friends. They had a lot of fun, which is the important thing because they only won ONE game. J always has fun playing sports and although he doesn't "enjoy" losing, he is a good sport.By the time I remembered I had my camera, the rest of the team had taken off.

{Wilderness Trek}

I asked the kids what they wanted to do today and they said they wanted to go to the zoo. So we piled in the car and headed off. This zoo is always lots of fun because they have a huge area where the animals can all roam together, somewhat freely. I enjoy seeing the animals when they are not in small cage exhibits. This zoo also has a fun little area for kids to learn about wildlife through games and hands on displays. They also usually have a fun craft. This time they made bead bracelets. That was "fun" trying to keep the beads out of K's mouth while E and L also needed help stringing their beads. :) I didn't get many pictures because during the tram ride through the zoo terrain, K kept trying to climb out the open windows. I did leave the zoo feeling like our past trips with Daddy were much more pleasant.

{Independence Day}

Poppy and Granny invited the family over for a 4th of July BBQ celebration. The kids enjoyed playing and eating yummy food. It's always fun to visit with family.

{Mohawk}

I am not sure where the fascination came from, but E has wanted a Mohawk hair cut for the last 6 months. Every time we see someone with a Mohawk he has to point it out to me...even if the person is less than 5 feet away. J thinks it would be fun for the summer, but I just can't do it. So, E & I compromised...every time I cut his hair, I style it like this and he is beyond pleased. This last time I even put blue hair gel in it and he thought it was so "awesome".

He cracks me up.