June Insta Catch Up

I am just now realizing I never did a June Instagram post.  OOOPS!!  We have been so busy around these parts that I rarely have time to sit and type something out.  I need to get this done and then do a July catch up.  Plus I want to blog about our two fun trips we took... so keep your eyes out for those because I will eventually get to them.  ;)

We spent a morning at Jump Time and has a blast.  This was our first time trying the one in Meridian, and we loved that they had a junior section.  I let Quinton roam free since it was dead and he had a blast! 

Natalia's school had another book fair and I'm a softy for books.  So I took the kids and spent every last penny of what I had budgeted for the fair.  I can't help it, I loved the book fair as a kid and I want them to love it too. This is a small sampling of what they chose that day. 

My nephew Dyson turned 2 and his party was at Merrill park.  We had a ton of fun eating pizza and cupcakes and the kids got to play with cousins in the splash pad.  Quinton and my Grandma Gladys have a pretty special bond, as you can see. 

Girls having some fun with cousins at the party

Quinton even got in on the fun on the splash pad

Getting ready for the splash pad, I couldn't resist snapping a picture of his adorable swim outfit and flip flops!  Girls clothes can be so much fun, but oh man am I having fun with some of the little boy clothing. 

I signed the girls up to do a summer gynastics class every Thursday.  The first couple of weeks Lydia wasn't so sure about it, but now she seems to really love it.  Our buddies the Everman boys (Jude and Tate) are in their classes as well.  

Natalia being in year round school means that our summer break started off later than all the other kiddos around us.  I was getting jealous of all their summer fun.  So I went ahead and set up our little pool anyway, and then it just felt like summer to me.  Although shortly after that I was hating our triple digit weather and pretty much hated summer again.  ;) 

Celebrating National Best Friends Day with an old school tailgating picture of me and my two besties.  

Natalia's kindergarten program at the end of the year.  I seriously had to restrain myself from tearing up when they started singing goodbye kindergarten hello first grade.  Yikes.  She was adorable the weeks leading up to her program.  I'd catch her singing her songs all around the house and in the car all the time.  Then when we got to see the program the songs all the sudden made more sense.  

The morning before her program this big girl go the Citizenship Award at her school in a special awards assembly.  I was such a proud mama, and again had to seriously restrain myself from not crying.  She tests me all the time, but I know she is really a great kid and totally deserved her award.  

Natalia saved up her birthday money and bought a new lego set.  They've started releasing various Disney Princess sets and she is loving putting them together.  This was the Jasmine set and so after she got it they sat down one morning and put it together. 

My gorgeous girl and her birthday pictures. 

Quinton LOVES water.  The girls pool is just a little too deep for him and he makes me so nervous in it.  So while grocery shopping one morning I came across this little $8 pool and new he would love it.  It's the perfect spot for him to splash but I can sit next to him in the patio chair and still watch the girls too.  He loves it. 

Trying to come up with something good for Natalia's teacher at the end of the year was tough.  I checked pinterest as usual and came across the pot of flowers.  I wanted to add a little more to it, so we got some gift cards and turned them into flowers as well.  Added the lady bug since my thing for Natalia has always been lady bugs and wrote Mrs. Head a cute little note explaining the significance of the lady bug.  

He was seriously having the best time sitting his bum in the pool but still splashing at his water table.  It was too stinking cute. 

First and Last day comparisons.  So grown up.  

My big girl is done with Kindergarten.  I still cant grasp the fact that she is old enough to be in first grade.  

End of year family picnic.  Because she was in AM kinder our picnic took place at 10:30am, too early for lunch really.  I just grabbed us some smoothies and that did the trick.  We got to go through her portfolio that she'd been filling with projects through the year.  I got to help Mrs. Head fill the binders with the students papers a couple of Mondays there at the end so I'd already sneaked a peak at hers.  ;) 

The girls like to get the back patio wet and then smear sidewalk chalk every where, making a gross like paste.  Well, it makes it pretty slippery for a little guy who is still trying to figure out this walking business.  He slipped and bonked his noggin pretty good... and then came to me for snuggles and kisses.  I love when they get to that point and all it takes is mommy's loves and they feel better.  Makes me feel like superwoman. 

For whatever reason he LOVES being up on the couches downstairs.  And I'm not a fan.  He makes me so nervous up there and I'm constantly thinking he's going to fall.  He is a little wild man, and so fearless.  He looks like such a monkey here with his little toes and trying to use his feet for leverage.  

Lydia has been saying for a long time now she wanted to cut her hair.  I held of for as long as I could, but she held to it.  So when the girls had an appointment to see Marbella my hair stylist, we went for it.  I managed to hold it together and not cry.  She looks so darling and so much older with her cute little a-line cut.  And she loves it so that's what counts.   

After shots of my pretty girls and their hair cuts.  Natalia got a couple of inches trimmed off.  

There is a good chance this photo was taking earlier in the day prior to the hair cut... but I can't remember and these are all out of order.  But we attempted making our own bath bombs.  I had brought back a couple from Las Vegas for the girls and they were a huge hit.  My cousin spoiled Natalia with three more for her birthday.  But man are those things pricey.  So we found a recipe and put some essential oils in (serentiy and lavender in this batch) and they had a blast.  Their skin was so soft from them too since they had coconut oil in them.  

Testing out a new pedicure place in Eagle for Cheryl's bday and we both gave them a huge thumbs up.  I LOVE getting pedicures.  Seriously.   

My birthday post for Cheryl on Instagram.  Just a little backgroun info, when we lived in our first apartment anytime I came home and she was there I'd say "hey lady" so that's what the lady is, not that she's a non lady or whatever adding quotations would do to a word.  ha ha ha.
"Today marks this "lady" being on this planet for 34 years. I've now officially known her for half our lives. Who knew 17 years ago when we met at Baskin Robins (thanks Amy) that we would be besties 17 years later. Thanks for being a friend. For being my "Thriller" dance buddy. For many summer boating adventures. For the many poolside/beachside afternoons. Dressing up for parties, Vegas, BSU games and #wolfpackforlife. You brought the weird out in me and I'm forever grateful. Cheers to 17 more years! Happy Berfday!"

We got to dog sit my brother's beagle Snoopy and we really had fun having her hear.  I never thought of us as a two dog family, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and the girls loved having her around.  Especially Lydia, she adored Snoopy and was always "drawing a picture for Snoopy" and I found a huge stack of pictures next to Snoopy's kennel.  Quinton definitely got a kick out of the fact that he had two dogs begging for his scraps.  

The girls really wanted to paint rocks.  Natalia had to do one at school and it got them on a kick to do it at home.  So we did.  And they painted one for Grandpa Steve (new paperweights I guess) for father's day since we were headed that way later.  Quinton really wanted in on the action.  So I got out some yogurt and dyed it with food dye.  Gave him paper and let him go to town.  He LOVED it.  

For father's day we got to go to Grandpa Steve's house and eat yummy barbaque and then go swimming in his neighborhood pool.  We were the only ones there and the kiddos had the best time.  Quinton LOVED it.  First he relaxed in his floaty and then I decided to test out his new puddle jumper.  

As you can see he also loved his puddle jumper.  However he would only let Charlie hold him, he wanted NOTHING to do with mommy.  His favorite was to be thrown in the air.  

After swimming this kiddo zonked out on the couch.  The other two slept in the car on the way home, not this kid.  So stayed like that for a good hour or more too.  

Posted this gem as my tribute to Charlie for father's day.  The first time I got to have all my loves in on place and have their picture taken.  Wow has time flown.
"Happy Fathers Day to my favorite guy. The best daddy our babies could have ever asked for. Thank you for loving us so fiercely. Thank you for providing for us and taking us to do fun things. We are the luckiest! Here is a little throw back to my first picture of all my loves all together."

Our awesome dads.  They are the best and we couldn't of asked for better Grandpa's for our kiddos.  

The girls dance recital pictures came in and I couldn't believe my eyes.  Lydia still has such a baby face here, and it seems totally gone now.  Natalia looks so grown up and TAN ha ha ha.  I got them to agree to do another year of dance, so I'm pretty happy for that! 

Natalia had a soccer camp for four days that she loved!  She's been asking to try soccer but I was nervous about the time commitment a true team would take for us.  I wanted to see if she actually liked it before we got ourselves into something like that.  So this was just through the Y and for four days from 9-1015 she ran her little heart out.  It was a fun experience and I definitely want to try for another soccer camp before school starts.  

Another afternoon nap for this girlie.  This time she fell asleep on the floor in front of the TV during one of their shows.  I thought it was maybe a growth spurt since it was the second time that week that she did that.  

The girls adore their cousin Cypress and ask almost daily to play with her.  This afternoon they were out swimming and then decided it was more fun to be in Quinton's little splash pool "sleeping and snuggling"  silly girls.  

After their fun afternoon it was determined that Cypress would spend the night with us.  It was their first sleep over with her and they were so excited.  We watched lots of My Little Pony, had pizza, and played hard.  The girls went outside to draw more chalk and ended up with a pajama pool party instead.  Quinton had a blast on the side splashing away and he was totally drenched as well. They all crashed hard after that though.  We had moved Natalia's mattress into Lydia's room next to her bed so they could all sleep in one room and they loved it.  Natalia came into my room around 1am and freaked me out saying she couldn't find Cypress.  I jumped out of bed WIDE awake freaking out thinking where the heck could she have gone!  She had rolled her little body between the two mattresses and covered herself up with the blanket so Natalia didn't see her.  At 5am when I woke with Quinton for a bottle I checked in on them and she had put herself back up on the mattress.  ha ha ha

I'm kind of a crazy car seat lady.  I'm a big fan of the whole waiting until they are two to turn them thing.  And when I see people post pictures of their kids with improper car seat usage it makes me cringe.  And lately I feel like I've seen a ton of it.  Anyway, this was my broadcast to the world saying hey, do the rear facing thing... it's safe.  And to show that I know the frustration of the kiddos getting hot being rear faced I also showed everyone the little fan I got Quinton to cool him down.  It has worked wonders and he loves pointing at it and saying "ooo"  

Getting the girls bags ready with fun stuff to do for our big road trip to the Coast.  I'm may or may not have a problem with 31 bags.... they are just so convenient! And, I don't even sell them.  ha ha ha

Unfortunately my kids got hit with pink eye.  Natalia's eyes were just red, but Lydia and Quinton had the gross goopy eyes.  So for the first 24 hours of starting eye drops we are still considered contagious, so we had to stay home.  We made the best of it though and had pancakes for dinner and made more bath bombs.  

He was loving being in our learning tower and being at counter level with me.  He still made me nervous with the big holes in the sides of it and  now I'm wishing I would have saved the mesh crib bumper thing I had to velcro around it and make it safer... hmm I might have to make something now.  

He was just being adorable as usual.  Up bright and early at 6 am as usual too.... man I'm still not a morning person and I'm struggling with his schedule.  But those cheeks are just too darn cute, and he had a mouth full of waffle and thought it was the best time playing in his car.  

Natalia worked hard for her Roaring Reader pass to Roaring Springs and the expiration date was fast approaching.   So I figured Charlie should just take her on daddy daughter date to get it used.  They had the best time and Natalia has the cutest sun tan lines from her swim suit.  Charlie on the other hand got burned and it sucked.  

The disaster that is our toy room... ugh I have a love hate relationship with that room.  It's nice that all our toys are contained in one room, but man does it get destroyed and then I get overwhelmed thinking about it.  Their new thing is to take a bag, suitcase, cart whatever and fill it with as many toys as possible to pack for a trip.  They do this over and over again, until I find bags everywhere filled with toys.  And they do this with their cousins too.  That morning I had dumped out the bags and made huge piles of toys that just got to me.  I almost snapped and threw them all in the garbage.  Yeah I was that crazy mom.  We got it all put away and then because I really don't want to stifle their imaginations and take away their fun we just came up with a compromise.  They can still play and pack for trips, but they can only do one bag and only three toys in that bag.  No more multiple bags filled to the brim.  It's worked well and they've gotten better about putting away their packed toys.  

Our old house.   We still own it outright and use it as a rental.  Our old tenants moved out and before we got new tenants in we went to see what condition they left it in.  The girls had fun running around.  Natalia remembered the house, and Lydia claimed she did but I'm not so sure.  She said at one point that we needed to go get our stuff out of the house and move it to this house.  So I think she thought we were moving into the old house ha ha ha.  For my own nostalgia I made them take a picture in their old rooms ha ha.  Unfortunately our old tenants really seemed to quit caring about the house after they decided they weren't going to resign the lease and let things go.  So we've had to spend the last couple of weeks getting carpets, floors, paint redone.  LAME.  It's done now and hopefully we can get someone new in there.  

WOOOO!!  I can't believe I got that done.  Of course it's late and I should be in bed... but I really really need to get this ol blog caught up.  WE had so much fun going to the Coast and to Texas so I really want to get those written down asap.  The July insta catch up will be a short one because I'll have a ton of those pictures in my trips blogs, so hopefully that one will get done soon too.  We've got three weeks until Natalia starts up in school again and I've got this on my to do list before she goes back.  =)