Happy Birthday DeeDee!

For DeeDee's big 60th 59th birthday, we threw a surprise party at our favorite Northglenn park, EB Rains.

The Surprise

Hanging Out with Cousins

Taking a Walk to the Lake

Happy Kiddos

All Tuckered Out 

Happy Year and a Half Birthday to Our Wonderful Girls!

Dear Emily,
You are a year and a half old today, growing so fast. Your smiles, giggles, and cuddles make our days so much happier and our lives so much fuller. It is so fun to watch your imagination blossom as you pretend play more and more. While you're rocking a baby, stirring your cup of tea, reading a book aloud, or helping your Little People get to school, there is some internal dialogue going on that lights up your eyes as you see your world. I love the shy smile you give me when you notice that I'm watching you, lost in play. We are so proud of you as you've begun taking your first steps and walking tall like a big girl. You are such a brave little fish in the water, and watching you swim this summer has been an amazing experience.  Your vocabulary seems to grow every day, and listening to you form new words makes us so happy.
We love you very much Em!
Mom and Dad

Dear Addison,
Here you go, racing towards two. You're a girl on a mission, always on the go, and your curiosity and determination bring smiles to our faces every single day. You have such a lighthearted soul, and your laughter and sweetness bring so much joy to our lives. You take everything in stride, and with your problem-solving skills, you don't give up easily. You are so very brave, hardly crying when you fall down, ready for the next challenge. Your wide toothy grin brings smiles to all the faces who see yours, and your excitement and energy are contagious. It is so fun to watch  you dress up, seldom seen without a hat, jacket, or purse. We are so proud of your listening skills, helping us clean up and following directions. Whether you're blowing bubbles in the tub or racing up and down the stairs, you're always ready for a new adventure.
We love you very much Addie!
Mom and Dad

Beautiful Girls

Accessorizing

Emily chose to accessorize her own outfit today (7/31/12) with this mom-headband inspired necklace/scarf and hair-tie inspired bracelet. I love how she chose colors that really do go well with her outfit.

Kissing Cousins

These girls love their cousins!

Funny Faces

Hangin with Dad in the backyard, 7/22/12

A Visit From CeeCee

CeeCee and Girls 7/20/12

Daddy's Shoulders is a Great Place to Be

Chris and Em 7/19/12

Chris and Ad 7/19/12

Flower Sniffer

Bubble Bath

7/19/12

Climber

Addie climbed into her own high chair 7/11/12

Photo A Day...Starting Now

Low on energy, knee-deep in pictures, I'm going to post a picture a day until I feel "caught up".

Grandpa John and Annalea 7/10/12

Sour Grapes

Our grapevine has given us fruit....very very tart fruit.

Water Play in the Backyard

One hot but slightly overcast Tuesday in early July, I decided it was time to pull out all the stops, go hog wild, and bring out all the yard toys at once and have a big ol water party in the backyard. I haven't done it again since, but re-watching these videos inspires me to do it again before the summer's over. We had a pretty darn good time.

Addie immediately went to her old favorite, while Emily explored the new crabby territory

Crab sandbox (this year to be used exclusively as a swimming pool) and platform slide courtesy of Craigslist

Telling secrets over starfish and watering cans

Lovin' the new slide

Good Ol Waterfall

Ladybug!

This is just the right depth!

Taking it apart, again, in order to figure out how it works

A Case of the Moondays

Mondays can be hard. Daddy goes back to work, and Mom has her hands full. After an especially fun weekend with Dad, this particular Monday in July was just a little rough.

Emily smeared so much food in her hair and on her clothes at lunch, it was decided that a sink bath was the only way to go.

While Emily was getting cleaned up, Addison decided it was time to learn how to climb onto the kitchen chairs. But she didn't stop there, because the next highest thing around was the kitchen table!

**Don't worry, folks, I stopped her before she reached the coffee, and it was sitting cold from the morning, anyway.
***Also, our kitchen table no longer has anything on it. Ever.

Weekends with Daddy

We sure do love our weekends with Chris. Playdates at parks during the week are getting harder now that Addison is getting so fast. If Emily were running right beside her, I could keep an eye on both of them and be one of those spectator parents. However, Emily's still into the knee-walk, and requires assistance in getting around. She likes to take her time and puts up quite a fuss when she feels rushed. So these days, the most fun way to play at a park is one-on-one, and we get to do that when we're all together as a family.

EB Rains Park

First stop: a picnic table with our ice cream sundaes! 

Addie took a few bites of her vanilla ice cream

What kid doesn't love ice cream? Well, on this day, Emily, for one! Every time I tried to give her a bite, she'd shake her head "no." Since this trip to the park, I've discovered that anything I try to feed her with a spoon (even the beloved cottage cheese!) gets the emphatic head shaking response. She wants to do it by herself!!

Then it's off to the playground!

Both girls playing in the same area? It's amazing!....but it doesn't last long!

Dad joins Addie on her adventure...

while Mom and Em play peek through the bars....

... and around the columns

Dad finds a way to take a little break...restraint!

Emily gets a turn, too

After we played ourselves out, we headed out for a stroll around the lake.

Lots of geese to look at

A little girl gave Emily her balloon

Back home it was time for a nap, and when the girls got up, it began to rain, so we got to sit on the porch during a great thunderstorm

When the rain eased up a bit, Dad took Emily out to play in the water

There's a stream in the street!

Hot concrete and cool rain are a wonderful combination!

And what comes after splashing in rain puddles? A bath, of course!

Washcloths are one of our favorite bath toys!