Happy Pioneer Day

Just a little dancing by the fire pit. Hannah even knew I was about to take a picture. I fit in with this family more than I want to admit!

Parker waving as he played with Megan.

Just a little excitement here - Kenzie finally got the chance to use the light-up wand she'd gotten for her birthday.

Thank you to Caroline's neighbors for putting on a nice illegal show right above our heads.

Fireworks are one of those things so much better in person. Pictures just aren't the same. (Parker might disagree with that, however, since he loved fireworks on the 4th when they were a mile away, but whimpered a bit each time one went off directly above us.)

This giant marshmallow was very much enjoyed!

This amused me - Chris plugging his ears as a firework is lit.

Kenzie hates loud noises, so she was the first one back inside. After a few minutes of me covering Parker's ears, I asked him if he wanted to go inside, too. "Yep!" he exclaimed. So they watched Wow Wow Wubbzy and waited for the fireworks to be over. "Fy-works. LOUD!" Parker told me several times. That's the end of the fireworks for this year, though!

Relaxing

Can you think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than sleeping in a hammock with your special blanket and panda bear?

Discovery Gateway

Wow, are we tired! Today we went to the children's museum in Salt Lake, and the kids were so busy. Parker loved pushing these buttons to watch bubbles appear in the tubes, and he wasn't so happy to be stopped for a picture.

We couldn't get him to leave the ball area!

Kenzie playing the giant xylophone (and Parker in the background, still at the balls!)

Kenzie loved the play house. She ironed for awhile, then she went to the market and brought back two loads of groceries to stock the cupboards and fridge. Pretty cute.

Parker had found a bug car to drive around.

Then another car.

Then he discovered the water area and was incredibly happy.

Kenzie is a good sport and will pose for Mommy.

Parker was still busy with the water.

Going grocery shopping in the cute little market.

She loaded up, and then another little girl checked her groceries out at the checkstand.

It's easy to tell who's in charge in this family, since they're driving.

Kenzie also got several carrots at the market to bring to the horse.

Building with magnets with Daddy

In the helicopter. I thought Parker would love it, but it was hot outside and he was exhausted by that point. He didn't want to sit in it. He fell asleep in record time on the way home!

Not Quite so Brave

The sun was in her eyes, but McKenzie was so excited for her last day of swimming lessons yesterday. She talked and talked about getting to go off the diving board...

...and she was so eager that she was the first kid up there. I think if she had gone second, she would have been fine, but leading the way made her a little nervous.

Finally another instructor helped lower her in. Then she exclaimed, "That was fun!" I must admit, I'd rather she be a bit cautious around the deep end anyways. We can't believe summer's half over already!

"It's...a...Nack-Nack Table!"

That's what Parker yelled with excitement when he saw this new picnic table. The kids have eaten several snacks and dripped popsicles all over it already. It's such a relief to send them outside to eat.

Maybe I'll just leave them out there. haha

Part 2: Why He Needs Naptime

The other night I was sitting at my computer, laughing as I listened to Parker over the baby monitor. It was after 10pm and he was still up singing the alphabet to his stuffed panda. I made a video clip just to capture the audio, since these are the things I'll miss when he grows up.

Part 1: Naptime

I was sitting in the living room reading for a minute the other day, and Parker started bringing out his pillow, blanket, books, etc. He read books for awhile and played, then eventually curled up and went to sleep.

Such a sweet little guy. He is so independent, though - if the nap is not his idea, you can just forget about it. I didn't dare try to move him to his room. It's a comfy couch, anyways.

Happy 4th of July!

Since this was the first Independence Day in our house, we weren't sure if we would be able to see the fireworks from our backyard. We hoped so, though, and the kiddos eagerly sat in the camping chairs on the deck and waited... Luckily we were rewarded with a good show. The lights from the middle school were in the way a bit, but you can't beat sitting in your own yard to watch the local fireworks.

Parker took a long nap in the afternoon, so he was wide awake at 10. He sat on my lap and said, "Fy-work!" a million times. As soon as the show was over, though, he went right into his room and got in bed by himself. He even called out, "Night-night fy-work!"

Toy Story 3

McKenzie wanted to see a movie in the theater for her birthday, like she did last year. So as one of her "presents" (that bucket of popcorn was $6.50, after all) we went to see Toy Story 3 today. It was Parker's first time at the movie theater, but he did great. He ate popcorn and Junior Mints and was glued to the screen. It was a really cute show, too, so it was a fun outing. I think McKenzie's birthday is officially "over" now!

Finally the Cake

Confession of the week: Here's Kenzie on her actual birthday with a candle stuck in a doughnut. She loves doughnuts lately and is always begging for one in the bakery of any grocery store, so she was more than happy. I felt the motherly guilt, though, of running out of time to make her a cake. (Darn you Motherly Guilt!)

So, Thursday morning we started on the cake, made a huge mess, but had a good time together. Kenzie stirred up the frosting colors ("Mom, this yellow is pretty much orange. But, it's okay!") and then decorated ("Mom, she looks like a pig. Oh, now she's pretty!")

She waited and waited to be able to write her name on the cake by herself. It's trickier than it sounds, though, so I helped her steady the bag a bit. Otherwise it was all her.

My redemption - she had her Cinderella cake, and it was only two days late. (Funny story: Kenzie asked, "Can we pretend it's my birthday again?" I said, "Sure, Happy Birthday!" She smiled and said, "Thanks, Mom. But, where are my presents?" Nice try!)