Graceful Ballerinas?

My sister, Julia,

is in an advanced ballet class

and recently learned how to

be lifted gracefully as part of her routine.

The kiddos, of course,

went crazy trying to do the same thing,

and Samuel,

the unfortunate counterpart,

nearly keeled over after hefting them

time and time again.

The worst, by far,

was Isabella!

Who crumpled the moment he

touched her waist!

The best?

Gabriel!

He was a natural!

All my money is on that guy!

Maybe we'll see him in Swan Lake someday...

Though that would be a bit awkward since

he'd be the one being lifted...

Anyway,

great fun!

Tons of good pictures and

many, many laughs!

Madness

But it's our madness...

And we wouldn't trade it for the world!

Love,

Mom & Dad

Busy Elves...

Guess Where?

School's Out...And Leaves Are Scratchy

With Samuel back at school for his MBA,

we developed a tradition to celebrate and

kick-off his summer or winter breaks:

We ALL go to school

on his last day of class and

bum around until he's officially done!

The kids love exploring the campus,

and I love not waiting at home another night!

This year, being winter break,

the leaves were everywhere which

provided endless entertainment for the kiddos.

The downside?

Leaves don't feels so good down in the all

the nooks and crannies-

which is where they absolutely end up

when you play like these kids do!

HAPPY WINTER BREAK

and...

ONLY ONE MORE

SEMESTER TO GO!!!

Painting + Death

We were able to help paint my mother-in-laws house,

which means the kids were left to their own devices

for long periods of time.

What did they find?

That death had struck even the smallest of creatures,

a caterpillar.

And so...

A funeral.

Note the dirty look Owen's giving me. 

Apparently it's not cool to take pictures at a funeral-

although in my defense some people ARE doing that now.

I'm just saying...

It was a very solemn affair.

And the caterpillar was certainly given

a funeral befitting of his...umm...status?

Personally,

I like the arrow. 

...

Great, job kids!

You can definitely be in charge of my funeral preparations,

but please,

no pictures... :)

Playing Dad + Reflections of An Aging Mom

Gabriel,

finally settled on the couch with his baby bear

carefully wrapped in a kitchen towel and

ready for a bottle of...orange juice?

Oh, well. 

It is a joy to see this little sweetheart of a boy

playing daddy and taking care of his baby!

Fast-forward twenty-years or so,
and I'll be posting photos of my children

with their real babies in their arms!

Can time really fly by that fast?

I not only believe so,

I know so!

 

 

 

This little guy is still in diapers,

and yet as I carry him off to bed

I know that soon
-very soon-
he'll be able to carry me!

And yikes-

I hope I won't be in diapers!

{sigh}

Pancake Flowers, Hearts, and...Drumsticks!?!

Simple summer fun in the kitchen.

Does it get any better?

The Day the Circus Came...

One Sunday evening at Grandma Clista's,

all the adults were summoned outside.

Why you ask?

Ta-da!

The circus is in town!

There was acrobatics of every sort,

and the best part of it all was that none of the kids

froze up.

They went full boar into their program

without getting the usual stage-fright.

{ Side-note }

Well, almost everyone.  
Ava refused to participate and

sat as a spectator in the peanut-gallery with the rest of us.

The conclusion:

The Lions!

I'm taking that one home with me!

Lazy Days at the Pool

This year,

to the kids delight,

we purchased a family pass to the local pool.

How am I ever going to keep track of five kids in the water?

Luckily I have momma's boys who prefer to snuggle...

...and in the case of Iris...

...she loathes the kiddie area and

refused to play anywhere near it!

Well, lookie there.

I guess she's had a change of heart afterall.

And that drew Owen out of his towel too!

But per our agreement,

after a bit it was time to head over to the "medium" pool!

{ That's what we call the 0 ft. sloping to 4 ft. + pool. }

The kiddies also held out for the BIG pool,

and did great in deeper waters.

Plucking the boys out of the water was easy

once they saw the swim team stretching on the lawn.

The love nothing better than to blatantly stare at people.

{ smile }

Here's a quick snapshot of the big girls

heading up to the slide!

They swim like fish and rarely get out of the water-

making the most of every second of our time there!

...

The pool:

Good times!

Day-Trippin' in Davis

The Perfect Backyard Escape:

Davis, California

A major foodie town,

we had to check out the acclaimed

Village Bakery.

Sumptious slices go for $2-3 ea.,

in addition to the addicting breads & pastries that

tempt you from the display cases.

Seriously...

G O  C H E C K  I T  O U T !

Walking the downtown we came across this

awesome sign...

I'm officially this kind of vegetarian! 

The kids can't resist taking to the stage at the local park...

But we can surely tear them away for

a frozen treat at

Yoloberry!

...

The best part about our trip?

In only thirty minutes we'll be rollin' up the driveway.

Not too shabby for a night out of town!