Summer Sunshine

We practically lived outside last week with the HOT temps! One of Leila's favorite summer-time activity is running through the sprinkler with Daddy. This year, Chris was super excited because she actually wanted to try the Slip and Slide with him. She wasn't too keen on it last year. A typical afternoon in the sun at our house involves crawling or being pushed on the Slip and Slide, running through the sprinkler, lounging in her kiddie pool and pulling her slide into the pool for a water slide. To close, we enjoy some Wheat Thins and ice-cold water. LOVE it!

Staying cool in the 90+ weather.

A little attitude:

Lovin' the water slide.

Getting an intro lesson from Daddy about the Slip and Slide. Yes, our Slip and Slide is really a giant piece of garden tarp. It works fabulously! We can slide side by side because it is so wide and we didn't even have to make a trip to the store. We had it left over after some landscaping projects from when we moved into the house 6 years ago.

Small steps to start with. Okay, this is pretty cool.

I LOVE this picture!

Cropped a little closer...look at that joy!

Taking a rest under the sprinkler.

My two favorite people! I love spending the whole summer with these two!!!!

Classroom Curtains

Chris is so excited about the office in his new classroom at the high school! He wanted some curtains, so we searched all over JoAnn Fabrics and found the PERFECT fabric for my hubby!!!! He picked out some awesome trim too. I think they turned out pretty cool. Check 'em out:

Of course I had to make myself some too. I don't have an office, but I do have a shared project room. My fabric is totally ME. Any guesses??

You got it! Mickey Mouse!

Fourth of July Festivities

It has become a tradition for our house to host the July 4th Festivities. We love having both of our families over for a good ol' BBQ and, of course, fireworks. This year, in addition to Chris's and my parents, we also had Chris's Aunt and Uncle over. They were in town visiting from Cali and couldn't get over all the fireworks our neighbors were lighting off. Their home city doesn't allow fireworks, so it was special for them to join us.

While waiting for it to get dark, Leila employed much of the family as babysitters. Grandad, Uncle Ken, Papa and Aunt Chris.

Finally it was time. Leila is hearing all about sparklers here from Papa.
I can do this, Dad!
She was so excited with herself...then she touched the top part of the sparkler after it finished. Well, it was still hot. Poor kiddo! She burnt her two fingers a little bit. Leila watched the rest from the porch.
Leila and her grandmothers. Notice Leila's ice pack for her fingers.
Just before the show...
Our pyrotech and music coordinator for the evening.
Enjoying the fireworks and some ice cream.
Aunt Chris and the Weed.

Looking forward to next year!

Star Wars Sheets

Look who finally gets to put her Star Wars sheets on her bed!!! Leila has been real close to being potty trained for a long while now. She just needed something to motivate her to be more consistent...and we found it! A few weeks back I ordered these sheets and a deal was struck. The sheets would not be going on her bed until she was out of diapers (except for sleeping). Luckily we found Star Wars sheets that have original trilogy characters on them or else it might not have worked. Here she is in her first nap time sleep with her favorites Han and Luke.

The Tavern Family is published

Jenni, a friend of mine, posted on her blog that she recently printed off her family's blog pages. I thought it sounded like a wonderful idea! So, today I checked out the site she recommended and just 30 minutes later, I have both 2008 and 2009 books ordered and paid for. I am super excited to see them in a few weeks! What an easy way to create a scrapbook!

Check out this site if you are interested:

http://blog2print.sharedbook.com/blogworld/printmyblog/cutestblog/index.html

Thanks for the idea...and the research, Jenni!

Hitball with the Rainiers

Our friends the Simons invited us to the Rainiers game on Thursday night. So, we packed up some snacks and headed to Cheney Stadium. The weather was perfect for a baseball game! We bought cheap seats right behind home plate (out of the sun and heat). It was Thursday, so hotdogs and soda were only a dollar. Good deal! The Rainiers were hosting the Salt Lake City Bees. The night ended with a 3-2 victory for the HOME TEAM!

Our view:

Mackenzie and Leila shared some cotton candy. Can you guess what color?

Both the girls...

Enjoying the game:

All three of the girls: Mackenzie, Anni and Leila. We wanted to see if Anni likes Chris again. She used to LOVE him, but has recently started crying whenever he even looks at her. Looks like she is still not too sure...
Anniston loves Leila though.
Thank you Simon Family for the invite! Great night with friends!

Gramma Georgia's 90th!

Christopher's Gramma turned 90 on June 14th!!!! The family threw her a grand celebration this last weekend. Lots of family members and good friends joined Gramma to honor her. What a special lady she is and we are so blessed to have her in our lives!

The birthday girl and Papa.

Gramma and Chris.
Chris and his cousin, Beth, and her hubby, Jay.

Papa and Leila.

Daddy and L.

Kisses with Daddy.

Leila and G.G. (Leila calls her this instead of great grandma).
Smiles with Aunt Chris.

Toasting G.G. with Daddy. Leila sang about 5 words of Happy Birthday before passing the mic back to Daddy.


Since Gramma's birthday is Flag Day we decorated with red, white and blue.
Showing off some dance moves...I LOVE this picture. Such personality!

Leila and her Gramma.

This was how the party ended for Leila...a heap on the dance floor. The party ran from 1-4pm, which is right in her prime nap time, so needless to say, she was exhausted by the end of it. I think G.G. would have loved to join Leila for a mid-party nap!
Happy Birthday Gramma! We love you!!