Remembering Summer 2011

Another sweet summer has come and gone. As the girls get older with each passing year, it seems that our summers seem to fly by that much faster. Oh, how I {LOVE} summer!

I will remember summer 2011 as a summer that we: played with vibrant chalk in the driveway*visited the library on a weekly basis*learned about God's big love for us at vacation bible school*feed the ever growing fish population at the pier*celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary*were fish ourselves in the Dells*had Christmas on July 4th*bonfires with smores and pies*parades*skinned- up knees*Zorbaz pizza, of course*Clay County Fair just blocks from our house*hours of sun and fun at Blue Eagle*took the training wheels off Alexis' bike*park play*t-ball*swimming lessons*took down the crib(forever) and put Brynn in a big girls bed*backyard fun*saw Grandma & Grandpa's new place in Red Lodge, MT*bike rides*

It was a good summer! Yes, it was!

After summing up our summer, I must say....

And Then She Turned 2!

Brynn Kay Zander, you are a precious gift to us! We have LOVED watching you grow and we are so happy to have you in our lives. Life is much more sweeter with you in it!

 Love, Love, Love, This Sweet Girl...

Pet Show

Today was the day that our local library hosted a pet show. We marked this on our calendars the minute we heard about it back in June. The girls spent the day prepping Molly for her BIG moment in front of the judges. I loved this, because it secretly taught them that owning a pet has more to it than just feeding them and giving them fresh water. I enjoyed watching the girls treat Molly with so much love!

 Yes, we had a book about a Pet Show! It was read a few times...I'm a teacher, what do you expect?!

 Sudsing Molly up!

What's a bath without a little wet shake?!

A little afternoon beauty sleep!

 Food before the BIG show begins!

 Some brushing while Molly chews on a stick!

Molly's all glammed up for the pet show!

 We thought this was the most appropriate category for Miss Molly!

It was a show where all dogs received high honors!

 Molly received some nice comments about her "very, very friendly" manner and Alexis received a DQ token for a treat.

It was a GREAT pet show and we are proud of our friendliest pet, Molly!

Life is what you make it!

The next Friday that dad has off...The next Friday that dad has off...The next Friday that dad has off! I swear I repeated this phrase to Alexis over and over again for the past 2 weeks. She had been waiting ever so patiently for this BIG day to arrive. This is a day that definitely continues to make my heart smile!

I created an evening full of girlie things...a night catered to a little girls dreams! She had my undivided attention the entire evening, other than when daddy tried to sneak downstairs and join in on the fun! NO BOYS ALLOWED!
Below are pictures that we took to capture these memories. I can't wait for Brynn to get old enough to join in on the fun!

Here is our tent made with a Hannah Montana sheet, of course! And our boas for extra beauty!

 What's a "sleep over" without painting nails?!

 Matching color!

 I was the winner of round one of Candy Land..thank you very much!

 Time for ice cream in our tent...a favorite treat of ours!

Notice that we decorated the tree with our boas!

 Alexis was the winner of round two...way to go!

 A little pin the rabbit on the nose game...this brought lots of laughter for us both!

We made our own Cootie Catchers (fortune tellers)

 Here they are!!

And a night is not complete without a little Junie B. Jones!

Time for bed...goodnight!

 When I put Alexis to bed last night, I swear she fell asleep with a smile on her face. My girls will never have to "earn" mother-daughter days. I will take time to do things that make my heart smile, like spending time with them! This is life and I am making it a {GREAT} one!



I'm Bored!

Hellooo...I'm Bored!

Due to many unstructured days lately, I've been hearing these words: "I am Bored." Alexis has been turning to fighting with her sister and not obeying the rules as a means of finding something to do. It gets pretty frustrating breaking up countless fights, so something must be done! Pinterest to the rescue! I found this cool idea and I recreated our own "I'm Bored Jar."  Here it is:

Alexis and I sat down and came up with fun ideas and not so fun, but I have to do them ideas!

Here are a few examples of things she has to do:

* Make a fort in the living room using blankets and pillows

* Pick a rock out front and make it into a rock pet (add paint, googly eyes, or whatever)

* Relax on your bed for 15 minutes

*Call Grandma

*Find 5 things that begin with the letter A, B, C, ect...

*Find 10 things that are orange, pink, blue, ect...

Today she picked: Draw your dream vacation

 Maybe next time it will be: clean your room or give your sister a hug and kiss!

P.S. If you have any cool ideas for her jar, send me an e-mail! She's LOVING this!