Cousin Camp T-Shirts

Every summer, Steve's mom and dad host all of the grandkids at their house for a week of "Cousin Camp." They go to the zoo, have cookouts, ride their bikes - all that fun stuff. And each year, they make t-shirts to wear during the week and keep as fun reminders. Bella hasn't been big enough to go yet, but Grandma and the cousins always include her in the t-shirt fun! This year, Evie was included, too, and I actually managed to get pictures of the girls together!

2009

2010

2011...and now, for this year!

Stylin' little lady!

Aaaww! Chunky monkey! Love that smile and those chubby cheeks!

Bella looks a little spaced out in this picture, but it's the only one where they're both looking at the camera. I love how the girls are leaning into each other in this picture.

Now it's Bella's turn for a cheesy smile! She looks so old in this picture! (And I love the double-chin.)

Pretty soon, Bella and Evie will get to join in on the adventures!

Mel's Birthday

Mel's birthday was on Monday and we decided to get some of her friends together and go back to Ormsby's, where Steve and I went for our anniversary date. There were about 15 of us and we had a great time! It was the first time we left Evelyn with a babysitter who wasn't family; luckily, we know the girl very well, so I wasn't nervous and I didn't feel the need to check in. Yay!

Mel and some friends playing bocce ball. The downstairs was huge - a few bocce ball courts, pool, darts, a ton of places to sit and eat! 

Lee Ann, Tiffany, Steve, and I playing darts. I'm really glad that we've spent so much time with Mel's friends and love them dearly!

Sister shot! We went out for a date, just the two of us, on Saturday night to a place called Keegan's Pub. I had the pub grilled cheese (sounds boring, but it was so good!) and Mel had the fish and chips. Then we went and watched the new Bourne movie. We loved it! 

Hanging out by the skee ball machine. Our friend, Ashley, is in the orange shirt. Bella loves talking to "Ash-a-lee" when we visit Mel's office.

A picture from our sister date on Saturday!

Summertime Goodness

Our favorite signs of Summer: dirty toes, half-naked babies, stained fingers, peanut butter on lips, picking flowers, rolling in the grass, and playing on tractors!

Love the peanut butter marks on her cheeks that were leftover from her peanut butter sandwich at lunch!

Wearing her "Olivia the Pig" undies and holding onto her Beanie Baby pig that was a Christmas present from Mimi. I wish I could run in the front yard without pants on!

Trying not to smile as she runs away from Mama's camera. One day, I'm hoping she'll love posing for me!

Bella's tractor is a hand-me-down gift from Adam, one of the boys who lives across the street.

And chubby, baby legs! Evie is so close to fitting into the TOMS that Cathy McCallum bought for her; I had to try them on a little early.

Bella's Weekly Quotes

It's been almost a week since I've posted anything, but we've been busy! Busy with very normal, boring activities that haven't seemed like fun blog post. I have a few in my head, though: Bella's first day of preschool next week, Mel's birthday this weekend, and a new Bible study that has been slapping me in the face and convicting me in some very necessary, but "un-fun" ways...

For now, here are some comments and moments from my darling, precocious three-year old. Oh, what will I do when I have two who can talk? (Or three? Or four? Whew!)

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Discovering that she would be going to Rex's house last night while we were at Open House for preschool,

Bella: "Will Rex's Mama be there?"

Me: "Yes, Rex's Mama will be there."

Bella: "If Rex's Mama could be there, that would be AWESOME!" 

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I can't go to bed now! I need my "ba-jay-mays". Your what???

I finally figured out she was saying "PJ's".

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(While Steve and I are trying to talk in the car...)

Bella: "Mama. Mama. Mama. MAMA!!!"

Steve: "Bella, stop yelling!"

Me: "Yes, Bella?"

Bella: "Mama. Daddy. Do you see that green sign? Over there? That green sign?  There's an 'O'. See it? See the green sign? It's green."

Me: (swallowing my deep sigh and hoping I sound enthusiastic...) "Yes! I see the green sign!"

Bella: "Where? Where is there a green sign?"

This is when Steve starts to bang his head against the steering wheel.

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For awhile, Steve and I would nickname different stores for Bella instead of bothering with the official name. Wal-Mart was the "blue store", Target was the "red store", and Home Depot was the "orange store". (Can you tell where we shop the most?) Now that she is older and can understand more, I've started pointing out the real names for the stores we visit. I started with McDonald's, but no matter how many times I've pronounced it for her, it comes out of her mouth as "Bo-Bo-Dons." Seriously? How do you get "Bo-Bo-Dons" from McDonald's?

It's like that episode of Friends when Phoebe is trying to teach Joey a few French phrases, and finally has to walk out of the room in frustration. It cracks us up to hear how she interprets different words and sounds! At least we know she'll get them eventually.

Saturday Outing

Mel and her friend, Ashley, wanted to go to the Dekalb Farmer's Market today, so we decided to tag along. This place is crazy! It's subtitle is "A World Market" and that's exactly what it is; every employee has a name tag with their name and the phrase, "Languages I speak: _____________________." It is not what you think of when you imagine strolling through a farmer's market on a Saturday morning. Here is just one shot of the main aisle...

You would need about two hours to get a good idea of everything there! Their bulk items are their best deals and I like their grains. Small tubs of spices are $.36 - $1.25. I bought large containers of flax seed, raw barley, wheat germ, and oats for no more than $2.00 a container. Here are some of my goodies!

I've found lots of healthy recipes that suggest adding wheat germ and flax to them, but it's not something that's very convenient to find at a good price. That's why this store is so great! I also found a bunch of spices that are usually so expensive! I hate paying $5.00 for a jar of rosemary when I only use it about once a month! I'm so excited to start cooking with barley and to add the wheat germ to some smoothies!

After our excitement of the farmer's market, we went to a restaurant called Farm Burger. All of their beef and chicken are grass-fed and their ingredients are from local farmers. We had a very hippie day!

Burgers with cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, Gouda, jalenpeno peppers, and tomatoes. Yum!

Consignment Sale Goodies

I've heard about a huge sale that goes on in our area every year, but I've never gone. It has always seemed a little intimidating - there are hundreds of sellers and rules about when you can go in - I wasn't sure I wanted to tackle it alone. Well, I put on my big-girl pants and finally went to a sale today!

It reminded me once again to be so thankful that we have two children of the same gender! I was so thankful that I didn't need to be there to find a whole new, Fall wardrobe for Evelyn. I was in the market for some dress shoes for Bella, which I found for $2.00, and an exersaucer or walker for Evelyn. Most of the exersaucers were $25.00 - $35.00, and they were in VERY primary colors.

I found a walker for $23.00 that I really liked! I think I probably over-paid a little bit if I was basing it on garage sale prices, but I was okay paying for the convenience and a style that I liked.

Evie's feet just barely reach the floor. I'm sure she'll like it more and more as she grows!

Why do my children make adorable faces until I bring out a camera? Then, they give that blank, cross-eyed stare.

Evie is lifting her head so well! She doesn't love being on her stomach, but she loves sitting up and looking around!

The sale was definitely a success and I'm glad I have one under my belt. The prices are 1/2 off on Saturday, so I may go back with Steve. I saw a beautiful double stroller for $130.00, which I was NOT willing to pay. But, oh, what a pretty stroller! I did a deep sigh of longing as I walked away.

Babysitting Princesses

 A few couples have gotten together and formed a babysitting co-op; six families take one Friday night each month and rotate babysitting duties. Last Friday was our turn, so we hosted five little girls (including Bella) and one handsome little man at our house!

When each little girl arrived, she got to choose one of Bella's dress-up outfits to wear. They looked really cute!

Some Daddy and princess time...

We made whole wheat pancakes and decorated the tops with flowers and crowns using food coloring. Note to self: food coloring can really stain your lips and fingers!

Rex chowing down on his pancakes! We didn't make him wear a princess dress.

Molly was in a loner mood...while the others were upstairs in Bella's room, she set the coffee table for an imaginary tea party. It was so cute! 

Steve entertained the kids outside with tricks on the swing while I fed Evie inside. It was kind of nice to be able to stay inside with the baby while we roughed it in the heat. They loved him!

Whew! We had a great time, but man, it was a trip! Six toddlers for three hours will take it out of you! I'm very thankful that our month is done and we have four more to go before it's our turn again!