Only a Month Behind

So much time, so few posts! Sorry we've been MIA on the blog scene lately. Here's a brief update. Ian (and Brooklyn, not pictured) enjoyed the finger painting activity that Brooklyn earned from her parents by participating in the Primary program this year in sacrament meeting. She knows most of songs from the Children's songbook, but for some reason, shied away from participating in the primary's sacrament singing on Mother's Day and Easter this year, so we had to go with a bribe...it worked.

Here's a reading time so quiet that...
Stephen actually caught a little snooze. Notice how shamu got booted off the trampoline, poor guy!
Brooklyn has been practicing reading and making simple words. I love the phonetic spellings she came up with. It makes sense to me!

His and her Mr. (and Mrs.) Potato head glasses
I'm loving the trade of babysitting Lorenzo in exchange for a haircut. He is such a cutie with those HUGE brown eyes! No, this is not a subtle announcement, but Ian loved playing the older sibling part.
My husband and children love the idea of a new baby in the home...
I just don't know if I'm ready for a year of fragmented nighttime shut-eye. How did our mothers ever do it without a complaint?

This and That as a matter of fact

This was taken right after church at Nini and Papa's house. Ian wasn't all that cooperative.
That's my boy! All smiles when he sees me :)


Potential Christmas card photo...don't hold your breath though. We haven't sent one out....EVER!
The cheese and pig tails.
This one should be censored...That's right!
Who me?
Watch out world, here I come!
Trouble gathered all around one table...Can you believe we gave them cups with no lids?
Carol is 1....plus 30. If you couldn't tell, that is an apple crisp, and yes, it was deliciouso.
I pity the po' foo'....who took my gold chains?
These boots were made for walkin'
The park at the beach was a little chilly.
"Underdog, please!"
Pianist in training...
Ocean creatures...grown in our own bath tub.
I am like a star shining brightly....
WE LOVE CHOCOLATE! (Desirae, Brooklyn, and Ian came up to the hospital for dessert. My coworkers threw me a little going away lunch party.)
Here's my tidy office.
I am now the former patient logistics manager of Scripps La Jolla.
Brooklyn got her stuffed animals ready for church.
Do these outfits remind anyone else of Eric and Rebecca? (Thanks Mom)

A Cool Summer

Remember the phrase that everyone wrote in each other's year books back in the good ol' school days, "Have a cool summer"? Well, this year our summer was literally and metaphorically very cool. That didn't stop us from eating plenty of ice cream, however. Here are some of the other things we did after all the family vacationing.

Brooklyn attended a fun super-hero party. I didn't realize batman would be the character of choice! Can you find Brookie?
Another day the kids went on a super cool treasure hunt orchestrated by our neighbors, Jen and Derek. We miss them terribly, but Fresno is a better place because it has stolen our favorite neighbors!
Here are the little capsule critters that were part of the hunt.
Here the kids are searching for the next clue.
In the end, the kids scored some "killer" friends!
And Derek, on his birthday, scored some killer homemade cinnamon rolls.
Brooklyn, under the supervision of lifeguard Ian, attended Buddy Swim Camp and the YMCA. She loved every second of it. I'm still hearing camp songs weeks later that she learned there.
What a poser! Brooklyn and her "new friends."
Our fearless water girl!
Here's Jenn on the day we saw her last. :( The moving truck, just footsteps away, not pictured.) Thanks for the colorful potted flowers!
We played... a lot.
And read plenty of stories like this.
We ate lots of seasonal melons, berries, and fruits of all kinds. YUM!
We experimented with crazy hairdo's a la Desi's Beauty Salon.
Ian and Dad found time to pose in their matching plaid shorts. How patriotic, boys!
Ian checked out the fish at the zoo.
And the gator.
Giraffes too.
Stephen accidentally got a super short military hair cut, also thanks to the family "beautician." Ian's main took a similar chop.
And lastly, we entered a really fun sandcastle building contest.
Not that we're competitive or anything...
We would've still had fun without winning. But Stephen pulled out all the stops on the construction of it. Aparantly bigger is better. Brooklyn holds the victory shovel below.
Summer, we had a blast. I can't believe you've come and gone already!