Making a Splash!

I love having my phone to take pictures of things I'd otherwise miss but it sure makes staying organized in the photo department more difficult. Here are some.

This summer I kept Jane enrolled in Activity School but I decided not to enroll Anna. She was going to miss a few because of other activities and I wanted to have an opportunity for one on one time with her. I did send her a few times as a walk-in when I needed to get some things done but I'm happy we had some Mommy-Anna time. 

She found something she wanted...I told her we'd put it on her Christmas list of ideas (pretty sure she's completely forgotten about it already)

We did various things on our mornings from playdates with friends, Target dates, breakfast and the library, and even a museum event once. I sure love this little lady. 

One of my summer goals was to make it to the splash park and we went twice. The closest one is a little further than our normal activities but I'm so glad we went. We met some friends there each time and it was a blast. 

Some of the features spray is a little aggressive so I let Anna wear her goggles. 

We went once during Sonic Happy Hour and had to stop since it was so close to the park...

I brought bowls, cups, and paint brushes. This kept the girls happy for a long time. 

On our second visit we checked out even more of the park outside the spray area. 

I had to beg to get Anna to take a selfie with me. 

Jane was slightly more cooperative. 

We also cooled off a few times with the sprinkler at our house. Anna was afraid to jump over it (and would walk over slowly while looking down leading to water spraying directly into her face). We eventually got her to not look down and run over. We're still working on Jane. 

We sure love these cuties!

4th of July

I took a TON of pictures on the 4th of July. Mostly of the girls because in my completely unbiased opinion they are absolutely adorable. 

We drove into Topeka on the 3rd and started our holiday a little bit early. In the morning on the 4th we walked to the lake with the doggies.

 Anna has been working on riding her tricycle more (and even the bicycle w/training wheels) so we brought them in with us. Jane is still working on steering so she ended up walking most of the time and Kevin got to carry her trike.

It was a little humid but with the rain early on it wasn't as hot as it often is that time of  year. 

Whenever we walk by this area we have to stop to check out the bunny statues. 

See what I mean? Absolutely adorable 😊

We cut through the grass on the way back so Kevin had the privilege of carrying two tricycles. Not sure what Kevin and his Dad were laughing about but they sure do find it hilarious. 

Dressing up to check out Go 4th activities on the other side of the lake. 

So Fab!

 The hats garnered quite a bit of attention and I overheard numerous complimentary comments (basically about how absolutely adorable they were 😉)

When Kevin would throw the girls up as high as he could I heard gasps of concern. 

 We attempted a photo of me with Anna and Jane but in most of them Anna was frowning. 

I 💗 this photo. 

In the past there has been a big shindig at the Kent's house but the last couple years we've kept it pretty low key. It was fun watching all the little girls play and having a chance to do some fireworks. 

Smoke Bombs pretty much never get old. 

Popsicle break!

Jane was particularly photogenic that afternoon so I couldn't help but to take a ton of pictures. 

When we broke out the sparklers we were very clear about how careful everyone needed to be. All three girls were extremely cautious. 

They loved them though!

Kevin loved them too. 

Basketball time!

I tried to take a few selfies with Anna and Jane but they were not that interested. 

I managed one goofy face. 

As it began to get dark Kevin and Thomas lit some of the bigger fireworks they bought before the big show started. 

They weren't loving the loud sounds so I pulled out their headphones to help a little bit with the loud booms. It worked great and both Anna and Jane stayed outside during the show for the first time. While I loved sitting inside with Jane last year and Anna a couple years ago I much prefer being outside. They loved the show and wanted more.

 It was a wonderful, relaxing Fourth of July with many wonderful memories made. 

Phoenix- Amy's Baby Shower

I've had these pictures loaded for nearly a month. I was on track to catch up and then house projects began. I'm taking a little break from painting so I'm going to try again to get caught up.

At the end of June I flew to Phoenix to see Amy and to attend her baby shower! It was HOT. So very very hot. It was early in the summer for those temperatures but I was lucky enough to experience them. Despite the heat it was wonderful having some time to catch up with this lady and help with some baby preparations.

Along with errands and baby prep there was just a lot of hanging out. It's so hard having a best friend living so far away so I truly appreciate just being in the same room with Amy. Back when I was pregnant with Anna I had a trip planned to visit Amy. Unfortunately my bed rest began the day before my trip so I had to cancel. One of the things we had planned for that trip was to go to the Brush Bar to do some painting. We were able to go this trip and I had so much fun. 

I realized after I got home that most of my photos were from the baby shower and since most people don't know the guests I'm only throwing in a few. 

Isn't she a lovely soon to be Mama?

I had to put one in with Amy and her Mom, Cindy.

After the shower we stopped by where the guys were and we were able to watch Brent open his gift from his parents. It was so sweet watching him open the fishing pole. I see many Father-Son fishing trips in their future. 

My trip was naturally not long enough but I was so thrilled to get to see Amy and be a part of her shower. I can't wait to see pictures of her little man in just a few weeks.