Playing Catch Up: Disney World, Graduation, Vash's Birthday, and much more!

So, it turns out Peanut isn't crawling yet. That means I beat my own deadline of writing the blog again! Yay for small victories.

Vash finished up his first year of preschool recently. This was their last field trip for the year; the library. He was pretty bummed they didn't have any super hero books though.

A small craft they made. It's supposed to be a pig from the three little pigs. But Vash arranged the face so it looks more like a pink martian.

It's adorable.

Then, before he actually graduated, we let him ditch for a week so we could go to.... (drum roll please) Disney World! (And Legoland.) Because it's a long drive, we broke it up over two days. Vash was happy because he wanted a road trip, and Rhyla was happy because they got to watch movies some of the way there.

Funny stories about getting ready to leave for our trip:

Vash asked Craig if he wanted to be a boy princess or a girl princess. (Darn Disney for not giving the men more personality!)

The day before we left, I woke Vash up and he, being startled, shot up and asked, "It is Disney World yet?"

While we were driving, we occasionally asked the kids what they were excited for. Vash couldn't wait to ride pirates and Dumbo. I have a sneaking suspicious if Fischer could answer, he would have said he was excited for me to hold him for the next 7 days straight. Rhyla however, was excited for nothing.

Me: What? You're not excited to meet Princesses?

Rhyla: No.

Craig: You're not excited to wear a princess dress?

Rhyla: No.

Me: Really? There's nothing-

Rhyla: Nothing! I said nothing!

(Bratty and yet funny at the same time.)

Turns out everyone was excited once we got to our hotel room. Pirate boat beds? Amazing. The dressers looked like stacked boxes, and the fridge was hidden in a big barrel. The only thing the kids weren't crazy about was the skeleton picture on the curtain separating the bathroom from the room. There was a "beach" outside our hotel complex with hammocks and sand where we built a castle. And the pool was themed like a Spanish castle that had been attacked by pirates, (filled with cannon ball holes, etc.) They had a great kiddie area with slides and a large suspended barrel that dumped water over everyone every five minutes or so. I didn't think to bring my phone to the pool so I didn't get any pictures, but it was pretty cool.

Peanut scratching his belly while he waits for Mommy to wear him to the Magic Kingdom.

Disney World is well organized, especially when it comes to their bus system. Every hotel has bus stations, every bus has a destination, and it's super easy to get from place to place. And they run nearly continuously so you never have to wait long.

Despite it being a Saturday, there was almost no one in the parks that day because of the rain, hence the rain ponchos. Craig popped a hole in my poncho so Fischer's head could stick out. We looked hilarious/genius and I got several compliments on our ingenuity. I think I will invent a double headed poncho and sell them exclusively at Disney World.

We walked onto pretty much every ride, and that made it worth having to take our ponchos on and off.

Meeting the characters didn't go as well as I'd hoped. Vash was terrified of Ariel because he thought she was topless. And Rhyla hated the big cameras aimed right at her, so this was actually the best picture of her with any of the eight face characters we met. Ariel even tried to bride Rhyla with a dinglehopper but Rhyla wouldn't smile for her.

Eating Mickey and Minnie cake pops while we wait for our Fastpasss+ time to meet Mickey Mouse to start. Not gonna lie, I like the sweet shop in Disneyland better than Disney World, but it was still pretty delicious. Actually, we brought a few things home with us, forgot about them for a week, then finally decided to eat them and all our treats, (Rice Crispy treats and Turtle Clusters) tastes fresh and amazing. Now that's Disney Magic!

Did I mention Mickey talks now? He blinks and moves his mouth and recognizes things like birthday pins and babies. He walked up and "Awed" at Fischer. Kids were besides themselves.

Walking the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House. Once the rain let up it was actually really nice outside.

Peanut and Mommy with humid hairs. He's still so cute though.

So one thing that they do at Disney World that isn't at Disneyland, is a type of Pirate scavenger hunt. You check in at a station, then using your Magicband, sync into a hunt. You're given clues that take you from place to place, then you touch your Magicband to certain check points and it gives you more clues to continue on. Finally, you find a treasure and you can choose to be done, or follow a different set of clues.

It was really interactive. These skulls started to talk and gave us one of the clues. We went to one station and a snake popped out of a vase and spit "Venom" at us. All of us enjoyed it and I would strongly recommend trying it out if you're at Disney any time soon.

Watched their new parade that opened in March. There was a fire breathing dragon, people in costumes that looked like they had been designed by Katy Perry, and Anna and Elsa!

Rhyla waved at them and wished she could meet Olaf.

Vash is waving at Flynn Rider, I think. He was swinging on a giant ax as the Tangled Float went by, but he could also be waving at the guy driving the dragon. Peanut loves the princesses, but of course he would. As Vash said, "Those girls are so pretty."

We splurged and did a character dinner with the Hundred Acre wood gang. It was pricey but fun. They had a large buffet of excellent food to choose from and you got to see and spend a good minute and a half with each character. 

Bliss. Eeyore had always been my favorite too.

Fischer was just happy to sit with mommy. Craig and I made ourselves almost sick because we didn't want to leave without eating our money's worth of food. Let's just say I had three plates of real food, two plates of dessert, and a few glasses of soda before I felt vindicated. LOL.

It's funny. No matter where we go, or where we eat, the kids will only eat chicken, fries, bread sticks and drink either chocolate milk or root beer. I think I must be doing something horribly wrong... LOL.

Oh, and dessert. Chocolate anything is good in their books.

Since it was our first time to Disney World, I geeked out and made us take a trip on the People Mover. I can kinda remember riding it at Disneyland, and I definitely remember when it was Rocket Rods, but since it is never (or really unlikely) to ever come back, I couldn't miss this opportunity.

It goes a lot faster than I thought it would. We were really whipping around those corners.

As scared as the kids were to meet anyone with a face, they were thrilled to pieces to meet anyone in costume. 

We took a day off to check out downtown Disney and swim. This was one of many toy stores we visited. Vash didn't want to leave because he was building a Maleficent potato head.

Then he didn't want to leave when he went to the Lego Store and they had Lego building stations. We eventually coaxed him out with the promise of ice cream and samples from the Ghiradelli soda fountain shop.

Half way through our vacation, Nana and Papa met us out in Florida and they (foolishly) let me plan the entirety of the trip. Just kidding, I am actually, OCD so planning things is fun for me. I think I must have done an alright job because they were thanking me for weeks after the trip.

This is the only picture we have of the five of us, but I like it.

Peanut was very excited to be held by a Papa in the shade. It was fun... but it was wicked hot. Note to self: next time we go to Legoland, it will be in January. And with all walking children. (Fisch wasn't allowed on anything.)

My brave boys. Rhyla wanted to ride this as well, but wasn't tall enough. I stayed with her to take the sting out of it.

We took turns sitting it out with Fischer but there wasn't a lot of shade. This was a rare bench, indeed.

Papa let the kids play a fishing game and they each won a stuff giraffe. It actually turned out to be their favorite souvenirs from the trip. 

Waiting under an umbrella for a turn to have their faces painted.

Rhyla got a puppy. But Vash, who was upset that he couldn't get his whole face painted, chose to get nothing.

A safe haven, otherwise known as the only air conditioned area to build blocks in Legoland. Vash was rather upset that there weren't more building areas in the park. We kept telling him there were rides and shows, but Vash just wanted to play with blocks. 

I think my favorite part of Legoland was the apple fries with whipped cream dipping sauce. My least favorite part was when Fischer, despite being kept in the shade and hydrated, got overheated and threw up. No joke, I was super upset and very careful with him the rest of the trip.

The next day the lot of us hit up the Animal Kingdom park. And yes, I did make the kids Mickey shirts. Fischer wasn't wearing his though because I wanted him to be as comfortable as possible since getting sick the day before.

Rhyla's dress and cheater shoes. I shouldn't admit this but she was just 1/4 of an inch too short for some of the rides. So I put her in heels to put her over the height requirement. If she had been much too short, I wouldn't have done it. But just 1/4 of an inch? Shhh. Don't tell Disney!

Still in love at Disney World.

Craig offered to get the kids face paint again, and this time, Vash did not pout but happily picked a dinosaur eye brow thing. Rawr!

Rhyla got a butterfly and a flower with sparkly lips. She was so excited to give sparkly kisses.

You can't see it very well, but Peanut has his own air cooling system. We bought two fans with water sprayers and hooked them to the stroller. Then we blocked out the sun with an umbrella and Papa bought him a "Chill towel." Basically it's a perpetually cold wash cloth that smells like eucalyptus. Fischer loved having that draped around his neck.

A view from a bridge in the park. It is a gorgeous park, really. We went on a ride called Dinosaur with crazy real looking animatronics, watched Finding Nemo the Musical, ate the best Chinese food ever, took a safari where we saw a lot of wild animals, and finished the day with ice cream. Fischer slept in my arms during the safari so I didn't get any pictures! LOL. But Craig and I skipped out and left the kids with his parents so we could ride Expedition Everest. I was excited to see Betty the Disco Yeti, however, Craig missed her. Guess we'll have to go again sometime! 

We finished our trip with a second day at the Magic Kingdom. It was unusually busy for a Wednesday but with a good knowledge of how to use the fastpass+ system, we still didn't wait to ride anything.

Rhyla's favorite area was the Rapunzel themed restrooms, lol. She called it Rapunzel's potty place and kept talking about how Princesses know how to use the potty.

This is Rhyla's excited face as she realizes she is going to meet Cinderella.

And this is Vash standing alone with Cinderella after Rhyla decided she didn't want to have her picture taken with that big scary camera.

She was excited enough about Rapunzel though that she stood next to her anyway. It was hilarious. She walked up real slowly and stared at the ground, before raising her head and glaring at the camera. Gotta love that displeased face.

Then, despite how hard I worked to get the Anna and Elsa meet and greet Fastpasses, Rhyla fell asleep after seeing them, but before talking to them. Such is life, lol. Her last words before konking out were, "Hey... it's Anna and Elsa..."

They were very nice and laughed at all Vash's jokes. Elsa even flirted with Fischer. We almost got him to sing Frozen Heart but he got embarrassed and wouldn't do it. The girls said no one ever sings that to them, and Anna even did the ice grinding sound to get him started, but to no avail.

Aurora called Rhyla a sleeping beauty (haha), and told Vash he was charming prince. She tickled Fischer's feet and I think he wanted her to hold him! Lol. After meeting all these pretty girls, Vash kept talking about how nice and beautiful they all were. I have a feeling he's going to end up marrying a blonde someday, LOL.

Belle, who has an awesome Meet and greet btw, was the only face character Rhyla got excited to meet. Nana joked that she just had to meet her namesake to finally decide and give us a smile. If that is the case then I will take her to meet Belle first next time!

Dumbo has the best line ever. Not kidding. They give you a magic feather, which is actually a buzzer, then you run free in a playground under an air conditioned circus tent, and when it's your turn, they buzz you and you go get on the ride. Genius right? 

Nana said Dumbo was the first ride she and Craig ever rode together at Disneyland. Oh, the memories.

The last thing we did was watch an interactive show called Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor. The monsters talk to the audience and tell jokes to collect laughs for energy. Vash was actually chosen to be spoken to and the conversation went something like this:

Monster: What's your name human?

Vash: Vash. V-A-S-H

Monster: Did you know you're sitting by a princess? (Flash to Rhyla in her Cinderella Dress) And there's Mr. P! (Flash to Craig in his pirates shirt.) What grade are you in?

Vash: Preschool.

Monster: My uncle mike said that was the hardest three years of his life. What do you want to be when you grow up?

Vash: A super hero.

Audience: Awe!!!!

Monster: Well, Super hero Vash, when you get back to school tell them this joke. What did the hot dog say when he crossed the finish line? I'm the weiner!

Pretty cool that he got chosen right? Couldn't have planned that better if I tried!

Rhyla cried on the way out though because the Monster didn't talk to her. We soothed her with souvenirs though, and she quickly forgot the offense.

Speaking of, Vash got a buzz gun and a planes' headset. Rhyla got a nightgown and a Belle pillow. Fischer got a Pluto with a Tuku, and a rubber set of Cars to teeth on. 

As we packed up to leave the hotel room, Fischer cried and cried until we put him the stroller. He stopped then because he thought we were going to walk around the parks more, we think. Oh, my Disney babies. Fun story: Rhyla missed Papa so much after they left that she sang herself a little song in the car on the way home. "I'm sad because I miss papa. I'm drawing a sad face because I miss papa."

(Don't worry Nana; they missed you too! Vash asked when we could fly to Arizona to pick you two up and go to Disneyland next!)

As all good things do, Vacation came to an end and it was back to the real world. Vash had a few weeks of soccer left and it was stinking cold despite being the middle of May. Florida spoiled us you know...

In a way, the fun continued because the kids got to open up and build their Lego souvenirs Nana and Papa got them.

This cuteness has reached a stage where he wants to eat everything I eat. I was holding Fisch in one arm and had a soda with a straw in my other hand and every time I brought the can towards me, he'd start batting his hands together and leaning forward like he was going to take the can from me. So cute.

This is a sunflower plant that Mrs. Somers sent home with the preschoolers just before our trip. It was actually just the seeds she sent home, but this is what we came back to after Me-ma and Pe-pa babysat the plant for us while we were in Florida. It grows quickly.

My wild hairs. Cute thing she said recently?

"Heavenly Father loves us. I like Jesus Christ."

Thadda girl!

Vash loves picking flowers for me. Everywhere we go, I'm given a small bouquet of whatever happened to be growing in the area. This one was one of my favorites. Vash even talks to himself about the picking process.

"There are pink flowers on that tree. I should pick them for my mommy." (Imagine Eeyore's tonal quality and you've got it.)

Random shot of Rhyla "Cutting" grandpa's hair. This little girl marched into my bedroom the other morning and said, in a very demanding way, "I want a sister!" Then stomped back out. We'll work on that later sweetheart! Promises:)

This is a baby that misses Disney World. He wants to take walks all the time, and whenever Craig is around he teases that Fischer is dreaming of going back.

These are a few photos Cora's mom sent me of the day the preschool class released the butterflies that they'd hatched from caterpillars. As you can see, Vash is pretty distraught.

And he was the only one, lol. Everyone else stood by watching indifferently, while Mrs. Somers had to console my baby.

I felt so sorry for him I promised we'd order some of our own caterpillars and then NOT release them once they were butterflies. I've yet to order them but, it will happen. I mean, look at that face!

The kids still enjoy the little things. Playing in the back of Big Red while Daddy washes the car. For a while the Vash and Rhyla pretended we were driving back to Disney World. Then they wanted to make a stop at Hershey Park and eat chocolate. 

And of course, right after the car is washed, it rains. So Rhyla tells Craig, "It's ok. The sky will wash the rain away."

Fischer kisses. If Fischer were a fish, I'd guess he'd he a big mouth bass. Did I mention that he rolls around now? It's easier than crawling I guess.

Vash tried to turn himself into a transformer. He had about seven different things shoved up and around his body. And he told me recently that his superhero name is "Snap Shot."

Loving on her baby brother. Someone said something about a broken heart the other day and Rhyla says, "Don't put your heart broken. Put your heat fixed!"

Vash showing off his muddy knees after his last day of soccer for the season. Vash got an ouchie the other day and asked me to kiss it. Then he says, "Thanks. Kisses work."

They sneaked my "Big Kindle" under the table and were watching cartoons while eating lunch.

The conversation?

Vash: Can we watch Ninja Turtles?

Rhyla: NO! There's dirty rats in that!

Always in a good mood. Fischer's favorite toys, currently, aren't toys at all. He's a usual baby that loves the boxes more than the toys that came in them, crumpled paper, and basically anything he can get his hands on. I have to make the older kids be super diligent about picking up because I don't want him to choke on anything.Oh, babies.

Rhyla tied not one, but two scarfs on... all by herself. It's actually an interesting knot pattern when you look at it.

Outside beating on the work tree. Not sure if I mentioned the work tree before, but basically, its any tree the kids can hit with sticks.

Vash's graduation day. He was bouncing so much I couldn't get a clear picture of him, lol.

But Mrs. Somers, who lives nearby, came over to bring Vash some cookies and his last piece of artwork he'd left at school. I thought that was super sweet of her. Vash is sad that he'll have a different teacher next year. But I told him since he's going to preschool again, he'll still get to see Mrs. Somers even if she's not his teacher. And whenever I remind him that we're going to home school after that, he gets very excited. 

All ready for dance. Rhyla is very particular about what she wears. I know I've said it before but it's getting worse! She asked me if she could wear "the pink dress with white polka-nuts."

Yep... not dots, but nuts. 

Craig took us out to dinner after Vash's graduation. And what do you think the boy wanted? "Meat on a bone." The kid loves meat on a bone. ANY kind of meat, so long as it's on a bone.

Rhyla photo bombed us by leaping up from under the table. Hence the blurry face.

Playing with play dough is always a fun time. Vash asked me to cut something the other day using my fingernails. I think he wanted me to open a box or something. Then he says, "Your knife-ies work."

My boy spells! So far just small words and he gets "for" confused with "4" but I'm very proud!

Rhyla and I had a few minutes to ourselves to be girly and she let me put stickers on her nails. Craig let me get my nails done at a shop, (because my naturally long ones were breaking like crazy for some reason) and when Vash touched them he declared, "I think they're comfy like pillows."

For some summer fun activities, we decided to grow some things. Vash picked out a grape plant and flowers. Rhyla picked out a raspberry plant and flowers, while my pot was just flowers and Craig's is filled with herbs. I have a progression shot of these guys later.

My addiction for throwing parties relapsed and with the help of Amberly and a few other women in the ward, I threw two showers recently. This is a picture from the baby shower. I think my mom and I spent about 4 hours rolling diapers for those centerpieces! LOL.

And that's the diaper cake centerpiece for the food table. It turned out great and everyone said they had a good time. Definitely worth the hard work, and I'm super grateful for all the help offered. Amberly and I now have the titles of Hostesses with the Mostesses. 

When I showed Rhyla the pictures of the shower, she said, "That's a pretty nice looking diaper shower."

Kids got patriotic and we put up a few small decorations for the upcoming holiday. Rhyla always says, "Look at my windmill go!"

Also for summertime fun, I bought a cheap pool so the kids could get wet on hot days. Seven bucks= hours of enjoyment. 

Me-ma and Pe-pa took a small vacation recently and to thank them for watching the sunflower plant, we went over and walked their dog while they were away. The kids did a great job taking turns and holding tight to the leash. Who knows? They may be ready for a dog sooner rather than later.

Happy as a clam. He's mastered clapping and does it when he's excited about something.

And the Fisch also gets slap happy when he's tired. We're talking 'marathon giggles for no reason" slap happy.

We helped with the church clean up a few weeks ago. They needed some yard work done after a long and grueling winter. Couldn't think of a better way to spend a Saturday morning than teaching the kids to serve, so we loaded up and headed over. We enjoyed getting our hands dirty, while Peanut was walked around by the second counselor. And we found several tiny frogs! Want to know a secret? One of the guys accidentally speared one with a rake and felt so bad that he buried it before the kids could see. He swore he was being super careful! LOL.

My babies are not early risers. He needed a nap by the time we wrapped up at 11am.

We've been taking a lot of walks at Twin Lakes. These two like to sing songs while we walk. Their favorite is the Three Caballeros. But they're convinced the lyrics are the "Three Cabby Heroes."

First time on a swing. I'd say he's enjoying himself. People ask me all the time if he stole his brother's face. And I'm like, yeah actually. It would seem he did.

Rhyla and I had a "tea party" date with Amberly and Janie and our daughters a few weeks ago. Turns out there's an adorable tea shop in Scottdale and we couldn't resist going to check it out.

Our selfie as we waited for our company. They had amazing food and we shared it all up so everyone got to try a few different kinds of sandwiches. Rhyla wouldn't share her grilled cheese however, but I was surprised and happy that she ate the whole thing by herself.

Now that the weather is nicer, we walk the neighborhood more too. Fischer is getting super vocal. He'll "talk" if you stare right at him, purr when he's happy and growls when he's playing with you.

When asked what he wants to be when he grows up: I want to be a scout and an engineer and a mishishary(Missionary)!"

I think, aside from working on her knot skills, she was going for a Grecian goddess look. Rhyla made up a song to the tune of "Child of God" after watching Despicable Me 2. It went something like, "I am a scary minion ride!" And then followed with growling and other indiscernible words. LOL.  

I know this breaks about five safe sleep rules, but it's the only way he will let me set him down. And I still check on him every 2 minutes when I do this. When he's awake he can sit unassisted now. 

Sibling Love. Vash always says "Fischer is the cutie-est boy."

Speaking of Vash, guess who had a birthday this month?!?! Yep, my baby turned five this year and all he wanted was to "Run or Dye." So we drove up to Pittsburgh to do the color run 5K and it was actually amazing. It even worked out that Craig got to be home so we went up the night before, stayed in a hotel and then ran the race the next morning before heading home to celebrate more. And Craig liked the race so much, he said 5K could be our thing. I'm ok with that!

At the starting line. No strollers here folks. Our kids are troopers.

I wore the Fisch. I figured 3 miles after five days of theme parks would be a piece of cake! I just held a receiving blanket and covered him up whenever we went through the color stations.

It was at Camp Lutherlyn, which is a really beautiful venue.

Victoriously crossing the finish line.

 I think my favorite part of the race was when Rhyla realized she could hit the people throwing the dye with dye herself and she walked up and hurled a handful of it into the face of an unsuspecting worker. The guy laughed like crazy. Vash enjoyed tossing dye everywhere too. And when we got to the pink station, Rhyla switched to hitting herself with the color!

Peanut was relatively unscathed. Personally, I could have done with some more color, LOL. 

The D.J. hosting the party afterward told us to take a "Self-we." And we obliged. 

This is the best picture I think I've ever taken. This is just after they counted down for a "Dye Throw." I love that even though it's just his back, you can feel Vash's enthusiasm in this picture.

This is when the streams of dye started to fan out. Just for progression sake. And lets face it: It looks awesome.

A kindly couple took a family shot for us. We get so few of them, but this ones a keeper.

After returning home for showers and a bit of relaxing, we headed to Vash's favorite China Buffet for hot chicken and noodles. Me-ma and Pe-pa met us there.

Then we headed back home where Amberly and her family joined us for cake and presents. They brought a dollar folded into a tiny shirt! Money-gami or Orga-money? Whatever you call it, it was cute.

And of course we had a super hero cake. I normally make the kids' cake but since we were going to be out of town for the run, I copped out and brought one from the Giant Eagle bakery. It was delicious though, so I would recommend the GE bakery if you're in a pinch.

The gifts were all super hero/Lego oriented and much fun and frivolity ensued.

Vash insisted we open up his ninja turtle action figures right away and I insisted we get a plastic bag to hold all those tiny pieces before the Peanut got to them.

Vash even let him play with one of his new toys. 

Mr. Grabby getting excited about a fruit snack.

Vash showing me a trap he set. This might be a TMI story but here goes. I'm breastfeeding, (I know, shocker, haha,) and I tend to get clogged ducts. Anyhow, I was pumping to try and remove them and as Vash watched he says, "You make milk? That's what Fischer is eating?!?!? You look like a cow!"

Rhyla showing me the trap she made to rival her brother's. The other day, Vash whacked Rhyla with a piece of cardboard and gave her a tiny cut. Craig happened to be home and told Vash to go up to his room. He was comforting Rhyla and asked what he should do to Vash.

Craig: Do you want me to spank him?

Rhyla: No.

Craig: Do you want me to hit him with the cardboard?

Rhyla: No.

Craig: Well, what do you want me to do?

Rhyla: I want you to punch him.

Maybe you had to be there, but we couldn't stop laughing.

Outside blowing bubbles and eating jelly beans. Says Rhyla to the bubbles, "Come here bursty bubble!"

Rocking Daddy's hat while we wait for Rhyla to get out of dance.

Vash actually took this picture. Makings of a photographer I think. When I tell Vash that he did something well, he always says, "Yep. That's how I roll."

Receiving blanket dress designed by miss Rhyla. My mother pretended to read Rhyla a story, and Rhyla liked it so much that she cried out, "Read it again!" My mom did not have an easy time remembering it to repeat it!

Randome Project shot: My dad helped me make these Lego storage bins. Basically, I ordered cake boxes, my dad attached four cardboard cutouts to the top of each one, then Craig and I spray painted them and folded them into shape. Voila! Cute and fun place to store the Legos.

I like to think Fischer is saying, "Darn that natural light! It's nap time for crying out loud!"

This is a clip from Vash and Rhyla's "talk show" they do together. They sit and take turns telling the audience the show will start any minute. But it never does... LOL.

And now a few pictures from the bridal shower. I actually made that cake out of toilet paper rolls! Everyone asked if I got the idea from Pinterest but I'm not on there because I'd drive myself nuts...Then they requested that I get an account so they could follow me and I laughed because I'd love to but haven't the time. LOL.

Always a good turnout. We had a lot of help with the food, and it must have all been pretty good because a few of the women asked if we were caterers!

Vash taking Fischer "around the rosy."  Fischer would stick his legs straight out and smile when he got excited.

Fun story: Craig had to scold Rhyla at the dinner table for making a mess of some sort and he accidentally called her Vash. Wanting to be called by the right name, but obviously wondering if she shouldn't just let Vash take the heat, she holds her cup up to her mouth and whispers, "Uh... I'm Rhyla."

Sunday Finery. This boy likes to make fart sounds on my arm, just for funsies.

He's trying!

Rhyla on why she was sweeping the porch: I'm trying to sweep it up so it will be pretty and sweet.

Fun story: Vash was using the bathroom and Craig and I were talking about doing something fun with the kids. Craig suggested ice cream and as he finished it, Vash bursts out of the bathroom and asks, "Did you say ice cream?"

Fishing with the scouts. Rhyla is using a stick she found that had a lure tied to it, while Fischer chills in the stroller, and Vash begs Adam for some bait.

Can't get enough of these gooses. We say family prayers every night and the kids, as of lately, remember to ask for things, but keep forgetting to say what they're thankful for. So the other night, Vash says the prayer and remembers to express lots of thanks. Then he proudly announces, "I remembered the thankfuls."

While this guy doesn't full on crawl, when Vash gets his tiny blocks out, Fisch comes scooting to get his hands on them. Like excitedly, hooting, clawing to get to them. Also, he calls to me now! "Mamamama!" And the kids get so excited. "He's calling you mom!"

For your viewing pleasure: Rhyla dancing like a flower.

Vash reading! (He and Rhyla memorize books so it's not real reading yet but he does recognize several small words.)

Remember that tiny sunflower plant from earlier? This is the plant! It's almost taller than me and it just keeps going. We keep checking to see if the flower is going to pop out yet, but nothing so far.

Fischer sitting in what Vash calls the "food car seat." Munching some Elephant.

Now our segment of funny stuff my kids have said/ done:

Rhyla:

"We're gonna miss your tacos."

After giving herself scratches: "There you go body. How does that feel? Good."

"Let's watch Minnie-Rhyla!" (Instead of Minnie-rella.)

While handing Fischer something to play with; "Your evil toy."

After being asked if she'd like to go to a BBQ. "A BBQ? Just like Barbie!"

"You look pretty as a king!"

When asked why she only wears dresses: "I just like being a princess."

When asked why she was getting fussy: "Lots of bangs..."

As she was saying a prayer over dinner: "Please bless our forks and leaves."

"Let's play tick tock too!" (Instead of Tic-Tac-Toe)

And finally: I caught her using a pillow case for a blanket one night.

And a few Vashisms:

"Sauce-a" instead of Salsa.

On what he thinks dynamite does: "It blows up like a kitchen nightmare!"

"I need a rainbow to wake me up."

"Hand cups" instead of Handcuffs.

"Stirm" instead of stir.

"Crinter" instead of printer.

And when I told him to hold his horses: "WHAT ARE YOU SAYING? I don't even have any horses..."

And to leave you, a cute picture of my biggins sharing ice cream with the Peanut.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy summer. We'll be here enjoying the simple pleasures of life while we work on some big changes coming to our family:) Until next time...