Free Concert

While hosting a play date last week with Sierra and Chase, I was privileged enough to have a free concert performed in my own bedroom by Lorelai and Sierra.  How convenient, I didn't even have to walk!!  :)   The girls were dressed in jeans and vests (apparently that was their "rock star" attire) and they belted out songs into their light-up microphones.  Totally entertaining!

 Sassy Sierra.

Lorelai always sings at the top of her lungs ~ she's definitely been bitten by the acting/performing bug.

 Precious picture ~ Dan has it as the screen saver on his iPad.  What a proud daddy!

Savannah Smiles

Here are some of the pictures that I took while we were in Savannah earlier in the summer.

Starting off with a big breakfast before a day of sightseeing.

Here we are enjoying lunch down on River Street.

A street vendor was selling balloon animals, but I apparently Lorelai and Ashlyn were so cute that they gave them balloon tricycles for free!  Lorelai's didn't hold up very well so she ended up making hers into a hat...

...and a flower.

She and Ashlyn were also given flowers made out of palms for free, even though the vendors were charging for those, too!

On the day that the girls got their pedicures, we went for a pedicab ride and stopped off for ice cream. 

Looooooving this picture!  I took it during the pedicab ride while Lorelai was in Grandmother's lap and I was sitting next to them with Ashlyn in my lap.

Movers & Shakers

Last week I tried taking some household items and letting the kids create their own fun shakers.  Sierra and Chase were here playing, so everyone got to get in on the fun!

First step, take an empty water bottle and put some beads in the bottom.

 The nearly finished products ~ after filling the bottles with water there's just one step left.

 Once you add a few drops of food coloring, these shakers go from pretty good to fantastic!

Chase had a great time working on this project.

Miller kept filling up his bottle and then dumping the beads back out.  Guess he wasn't thrilled with his selections.  Eventually he created a shaker he was satisfied with.

Best buddies.

Some Duos and Handsome Dan

My guys.  

 Lorelai and Sierra taking the plunge.

This picture reminds me of how Dan and I typically end up looking in pictures:  Me smiling like a maniac and him looking at me like I'm an idiot.

Dan and Lisa's nephew, Andrew, getting ready to make a splash.

Adoring this picture of my handsome husband.

Usually I'm behind the camera, but I promised Dan that if he posed for a picture with me I would post it.

Bubble Painting

I'm trying to keep the kids busy over the summer doing some crafty things inside, particularly since the heat can be sweltering at times.  I search a lot of crafty-type blogs and have gotten some pretty cute ideas that luckily are fairly inexpensive, too.  This idea came from housingaforest.com.

The materials were pretty much regular household stuff: cups/bowls, straws, dish soap, water, paper, spoons, and food coloring.

Just mix up the soap, water, and food coloring, (I just eye-balled the amounts) give them a little stir, and you're ready to roll!  Just be sure to tell the kiddos to not accidentally breathe in while blowing the bubbles.  Miller made that mistake twice (What can I say, he just turned 3!) and ended up with a mouthful of soap~yuck!

Even though he's not looking at the camera, I like this picture because you can tell he was having fun.

Next, remove the straw and place a piece of paper on top of the cup or bowl.

 I love how he's just gazing at her.  How sweet!

The end result: some colorful artwork with no two exactly alike.

Our Sweet, Sassy Lady

Earlier this week Lorelai was making videos of herself on the iPad singing Justin Bieber songs.  She would watch the playback and just laugh hysterically.  I was able to capture lots of her giggles, as well as some other sweet, sassy, and funny faces.