Summer fun!

Here is Andrew riding on his bike. He's gotten pretty darn good. I want you all to notice that in the pic below he's scratching his bottom. Yes, yes he is.




























Here's Lolo and Andrew at the annual Fireman's picnic for 4th of July in Sunriver. Lots of fun, and no loud fireworks! It's my kind of fourth. Later on in the evening Lauren was complimented by a complete stranger that said, "Best 4th of July dress I've seen all day." That's right, she was super cute. Sorry Andrew, you didn't have any cute duds. I'll work on that for next year.

And of course I had to get the shot of daddy reading to the kiddos on our vacation in Sunriver. Super cute. They LOVE their daddy, and think he's just about the greatest. We had such a great time. I want to go again, right now in fact!

Hey mom look at this...

That's what Andrew said to me on Tuesday morning as I was dropping him off to daycare. So of course I turn and look and what do I see? My 3 year old son flipping me off. Yes folks that's right. Here's how mommy handled this one...
A: Look I can do 1 like this.
L: You know that's not a very nice way of saying number one. Let's just do it the normal way.
A: Yeah, I'll just do it like this when we're at home.
L: Good, no problem.
Thinking in my head, please don't flip everyone off at daycare and teach your other 3 year old friends how to do it.
Well, not even 3 hours later I go to get him, and what do you know, he's shown everyone! SUPER!
The best part is, (Sarah you'll love this) my daycare provider asked him who showed him how to do it and he said, my mom's friend Sarah showed my mom and then she showed me. Yes, that's right. Sarah you get the blame. You can pay for my therapy now.

PS-I would love to post a picture of this (because he is so proud) however I'm really trying not to encourage it. Sorry folks you'll just have to use your imagination.

Beautiful!

I had to post this picture of Lauren Elizabeth. So beautiful.

SUMMER IS HERE!!!

Yeah summer is finally here. This is how I love to wake up in the morning. I know the pics a bit old, but it hasn't really changed too much. Lolo in her sleep sack and Bobo crawling in her crib every morning. Man I love these two.
In following with tradition I say that everyone who reads/follows my blogs makes a what are you doing this summer list. Here's mine so far:

Sunriver: Yeah!
Weddings: Seriously so many people are getting married this summer, it's CRaZy!
Relax: Not sure how this one will happen with two kiddos around :)
Read: My book club is in the middle of choosing a new book, any suggestions? And of course professional reading. I don't really want to do it, but I know I should.
Anniversary: It will be 5 years for Nicholas and I this summer. Let's hope he's planning something fabulous, it's his year to make it happen.
Swim lessons for the kiddos: Andrew is old enough now to go in alone, I have to be with Lolo. I can't say I'm really looking forward to getting in the pool in my suit and all. Good times.
Picnics/Hikes: I'm hoping for a few low key weekends where we can hang out as a family. Do some hiking, eating, chillin', you know the good stuff.
Sleeping in: Again, not sure when this one will happen with the kiddos around.
Baking/Cooking: I love to bake and cook and try new things. The bad part is I always like to eat all of it as well. I guess I should add one more idea to my list. :(
Working out: Need I say more?

I'm sure there's more to think of. However I should probably get back to playing with Andrew...I've been on the computer for awhile now. Looking forward to reading reading all of your lists for summer...maybe they will give me some ideas.

PS-I've just been talked into getting the Easter candy bag down from the top of the fridge to pick something out to eat after dinner...hmmm...why is this bag still in my house? How did I get talked into this? Oh my oh my.

Picture update

This would be what Lauren does when anyone says "No" to her, or really anything else that she doesn't want to hear. What's missing is the loud cry/screams she gives off during this tantrum as well. Interestingly enough she wasn't having a meltdown during this photo...she just went into this position...not sure what to make of that.
This picture would be Lolo trying to carry her diaper bag like a purse. She tried for several minutes to make this happen, but eventually gave up. Maybe that's why she went into her position (as shown above). This girl is always keeping me guessing. So darn cute, and yet quite a diva.
This picture is from the infamous Dozer Days. Many out there know what I'm referring to. It's a day for kiddos to get their kicks driving and playing around huge equipment. Andrew has been the last 3 years of his life and he LOVES it. This was Lolo's first year...I'm not sure if she's going to be such a big fan. In case you can't tell she's screaming! I love it. How hilarious is that?


Does it get any cuter than this? Seriously. This is Andrew in his soccer "uniform". He is not aware that he's not actually on a team, but I don't want to burst his bubble just yet. He's asked to wear this outfit 3 days in a row. Super cute.
I must say I think he grew about 5 years over the long Memorial weekend. He looks bigger, talks like he's bigger, and acts bigger. Oh man, I'm not ready for that!

Update

Carter and Andrew at the zoo. Such a fun day! Everyone loved the animals. They were also easy to spot in their matching red tops. :)
Lauren pushing her stroller around in her new dress from Papa. It's about the cutest thing I've ever seen. She will spend hours and hours playing with dolls and strollers.
Andrew riding his new bike for his birthday. He's getting better each time. What a big boy!
Andrew using the vacuum hose as his blower...kind of looks like he's shooting Lauren up...hmmm...Lauren loves to show how she is a big girl now and climb in and out of her chair. Seriously, I love these two.

Many things have happened since I last blogged. To be quite honest I'm not even sure I remember them all. I wanted to do a quick post though, because it has been quite a long time. The kids are growing up so quickly. It's been really fun to watch them together. Lolo wants to be where her brother is, ALL THE TIME. And Andrew REALLY likes to go into her crib in the morning when she first wakes up. He cries if she wakes up before him, because he likes it that much.

Nick and I have been busy at work and with bible studies. Nick only has 3 more weeks of Bible Study Fellowship and then he's done for the summer. Yeah for sleeping in Saturday mornings (but I know he won't sleep in). Our CARE group (bible study from church) is just finishing the book The Five Love Languages. I recommend this book to anyone married or in a relationship. It really helps you understand yourself and how you feel loved, as well as your spouse. It's been great for us. We've also been running a ton getting ready for Pacific Crest at the end of June...we're both not sure which race we'll sign up for, that is yet to be determined!

The kids and I have been enjoying the weather outside. Finally, Andrew can go out and play. He wants to constantly be outside. It's great. Our neighbor hooked us up with some pretty cool outside toys and Andrew is enjoying himself. Of course Lo wants to be out there with him...she's not quite ready for it all by herself. She's doing great at walking around, but she takes a seat/fall every now and again.

New things for Andrew: He's 3, so he's big now. As he likes to tell me, he's growing up. It makes me a little sad. He looked bigger the day after his birthday. He loves the following: lawn mowing, blowing, anything outside in general, dinosaurs (we've got almost every book published about them), and his sister of course.

New things for Lauren: She's walking everywhere...whether or not we like it or not. She doesn't like to be told no, or be careful, or anything where you're basically telling her what to do. She cries. She literally throws herself down on the floor and cries. She LOVES to eat...I'm not sure where she got that from??? She's a big girl and drinks milk from a cup now. No more bottles (yeah!) She can say; mama, dada, doll, dog, and num num. She also signs more for food.

Enjoy the pics! Hope all is well.

We did it!

Nick, Mark, and I completed the Beaver Freezer Triathlon on Saturday April 4th. It was about 28 degrees when we started out...slightly chilly. Mark and I finally made it out of the pool, and headed out to bike. He of course flew by me on the bike, and I thought to myself that it may never end...but eventually I made it to the run. That was the best part for me.
I ended up feeling pretty good when it was done. Nick did great. Mark did great. It was pretty fun really. The best part was eating a nice breakfast afterward. :)
Hope you enjoy the picks. The one where you can't tell what it is, is actually me swimming in the pool.