S'mores & Fireworks!

You get the idea!  Hope your fourth was equally fun!

A Festive Fourth!

 Rick worked on the holiday this year, so the girls attended the parade without him, and Lucy was glad to see her Daddy when he got home!

 An impromptu cookout hosted by the Smith's!

 And Ellie and Caroline enjoyed painting with their 'Magic Paint'.

 Someone was not too happy to be stuck on the inside!

 The Nuspl family brought along some sparklers for entertainment.

 Caroline enjoyed the fun!

 I have no words for this one!

Happy, festive, sparkly, kids!  (Caroline started potty training in undies this week,and was so happy to be in underwear that it's all she wanted to wear all day. And she made sure that everyone knew she was in big girl underwear, too!  Even the dog was made aware of the announcement.)

My monkey

Sigh.  She climbs like no other. And when you tell her no, she just grins and works all the harder and faster at it.  Can you say "ornery"?  Oh, my.  What a little stinker we have.  It doesn't help that big sis just giggles at her and eggs her on.  Want to know how I'm spending my summer?  Chasing, repositioning furniture, and issuing time-outs!

Worms!

 Do you know what appears on the drive after a rain?

 Worms! 

 And apparently half-naked kiddos with soggy diapers,too!

 And this one just wanted her Daddy's hat.

 Ummm...yeah...better put that hat back on him Lucy...he needs a little help.

And now it's a game.  What fun did you have after the last storm that passed through?  Betcha it wasn't like this.  Exciting times around here. 

A visit with Amy & Jack

 My dear friend Amy who spent many years teaching next door to me, returned back to Ohio this week.

She and Jack came for a brief visit to do lunch with us - and we took some time to share bubbles together on the porch.

 Gosh I miss her!

 Jack was a little more interested in the vacuum he found hiding in our garage.

 He took it for a stroll around to the back of the house for us.

And threw a fit when I took it away!  You gotta love a guy who knows his way with a vacuum!  We had a nice and busy visit with our 3 under 3, but it was still good to see each other and exchange stories. Can't wait for the day she and her family are back in Ohio for good. 

Ditto.

 Running through the new wiggly sprinkler is a hit. I just wish our lawn looked like that nice patch of green in the distance. Sigh. 

 And these pics are more proof that we probably ought to invest in a bigger pool.

But they sure don't seem to mind!  Maybe we can hold out one more year.  I won't tell them they were deprived, will you?

More Summertime Splashes!

 Caroline was begging to see her cousins, so we invited them over for some sprinkler play!

 We learned that Jack is allergic to grass today - after a few minutes laying in it, he had welts all over him!  Yikes!

 Pausing to discuss their next move?

 Caroline shows her enthusiasm for her cousins here.

 And Lucy is just happy doing her own thing - and apparently sporting the latest in summer mohawks.

 Playing in the cool water is lots of fun!

What happened to my baby's feet?  More good times to come...yay for summer!