365.2: WEEK 28

Whew. I'm caught up. And I'll be making a post about Cali soon. It's crazy - you wait and wait and wait for vacation to arrive and then POOF. Over. Our trip this year was such a blast; I feel as if I enjoyed nearly every moment. I may have even cried on the way home. And then cried harder when the kids had to readjust to life at home. The worst. Over the past week and a half, we've gone the Aquarium of the Pacific, played at Huntington Beach, visited the Los Angeles temple, spent two days in Newport, eaten at In 'N' Out, returned home and created chaos, had a little boy's half birthday, done yard work, and recovered from our Cali adventure.

July 8th - July 14th

TWO POINT FIVE

My crazy little man hit 2.5 years. Somewhere between a toddler and a little boy. This kid is so full of life. So full of energy. So full of silly. He constantly has us laughing with his goofy noises and funny faces. Independent beyond compare. Loves dinosaurs, firetrucks, and trains. Attached to his dad at the hip. Thinks he can keep up with his three older brothers in all that they do. My albino boos.

HALFER

Our baby girl. Just like that, a year and a half. This little one is sassy, silly, and sweet. Has a firecracker personality, just like her sister. Says about 3 dozen words and is beginning to string them together. Wraps her arms around my legs and buries her head close in when she wants to be held. Climbs more than any of the others did. Loves to wear dress-up shoes, put on pretend makeup, and play with dollies. SO happy for this cherry on top.

365.2: WEEK 26.5

I've been crazy busy. Photographed a wedding. Preparing for California. Plus a million other things. A quick recap: unscheduled naps, salt-dough stars, dermatology appointment, swings, movie theater, afternoon swims, scripture reading, patriotic program, trip to Old Navy, preschool activities, and half birthdays.

June 17th - July 7th

365.2: WEEK 25

It's been another week of discovery and play, making me further appreciate my life. I love what these images capture. We've eaten frosted sugar cookies poolside, learned about our five sense with the help of Mr. Potato Head, explored a new splash pad and playground, watched popcorn popping up close, boycotted naps in favor of iPad play, discovered a new ice cream shop with the best banana split ever, and continued the transition of the baby going to nursery. I love these little faces.

June 20th - June 26th

WATER PARTY

I'd blog about our most recent Friday Fun Day, but I'll spare you the torture. Needless to say, our epic fort sleepover was an epic failure idea. And our back up plan of star gazing in the desert was not so stellar. So let's rewind to a week and a half ago to when we had a water party. We did this activity last year and the kids absolutely loved it; we invited friends and had a fabulous time. We decided a repeat was in order. We invited different friends this year (because we want all of our friends to feel the Friday Fun Day love) and planned some new activities. We kept some classics, like polka dot soup and a pool full of water beads. We also had some new things, like pool noodle boats and a little pool with a slide. The kids went CrAzY. It was so much fun to watch them play. We had hotdogs and chips for dinner, followed by popsicles for dessert. Summer doesn't get much better than this.

365.2: WEEK 24

We have had a week of merry making. No appointments or obligations - just preschool and play. Despite near record-breaking temps here in Arizona, we have spent a considerable amount of time outside, whether it be on our swing set in the mornings, at the pool most afternoons, or visiting the zoo with a friend. Other than that, we've kept cool through lots of pretend play, visiting the library with my mom, or watching movies on the couch.

June 13th - Jun 19th