Happy Birthday Papa

We had a nice time with Gram and Papa, Cincinnati Cousin and Cincinnati Aunt the other night.  Cake and ice cream for Papa's birthday.  Check out how many ice creams the PGs bought!  That was for 8 people.

The grandkids all got kites!

What a cute bunch.  (Just when I taught PK1 to smile right, PK2 starts making funny faces for the camera.)

This and That and the Other

I got a new rug for the family room. Now I want new lamps.

Both grandparents were here at once!  The girls were in heaven.  Today I asked PK2 which grandparent was the craziest...immediate response...Grandad. When my parents were here, Grandad awed them by swimming under water all the way across the pool.  Ever since then, PK2 has been trying to do the same.  She makes it about 3 feet of course.

I also bought this vintage map of Ohio on ebay.  Maybe for the powder room?

Nature walks with dad almost every Sunday afternoon.  Don't you love the knee socks?  She prefers them.

PK1 is such a beautiful girl.  Inside and out.  God gave me the best girl He created in 2002 and just the right girl for me.

Sir Bernard: The Good Knight

Just had to share how crazy PK2 is about this CD that her Gram bought her.  She listens to it constantly.  It is songs and stories about a dog/knight who teaches virtues.

Every afternoon from 1:30-3:00 the girls and I have quiet time where they have to stay in their room and read or listen to books on tape. I finally had to limit the CD to her rest time because she was becoming obsessed with it. She has her swimsuit on in the picture because in the last 15 minutes of rest time she always changes into her swimsuit so she can be ready to go as soon as I pack the swim bag.

My sister, who has a bunch of great "knight" stuff, dressed her as Sir Bernard last time we visited there.  So funny! She wants to be this for Halloween, but I don't know if anyone will know what she is! Maybe it doesn't matter.

Summer Reading Program

PKs participated in the summer reading program at the library.  I was excited that they earned some coupons to go to the art museum and other local attractions for free.  They were excited about these awesome tote bags:

New Baby Niece

My sister and I had our first two babies at almost the exact same time 7 and 5 years ago. Recently though, she went all rogue and mavericky, and had a third baby.  Let me tell you...as far as I am concerned (and it is all about me right?) it was the best decision she ever made.  I am so in love with this baby.  It is so much easier to enjoy someone else's baby when you don't have your own baby!  Here I am with her last weekend:

And look at this..wait for it...when she gets a bit fussy, she can go right back to daddy.  My brother-in-law is the second best daddy in the world after PD.  My sister and I locked in some real keepers back in the late nineties when we still had our looks:

And I am not the only one who loves her.  PK1 loves her:

PK2 loves her:

Grandad and Gigi love her:

Not sure why I don't have a picture of PD with her, but he loves her too.  We have been moping around the house miserably since we left her.  We all keep saying our hearts and tummies hurt because we can't hold her RIGHT NOW!  We miss you baby cousin.  Don't get big too fast.

#6

PK1 lost her 6th tooth at 9:30 the other night.  Besides the ones that we had removed by the dentist, her tooth losing routine has been exactly the same each time.  She gets in bed as though it is a normal night.  PD and I go about our evening under the false illusion that our offspring are asleep for the night.  We go about doing chores, checking e-mail, drinking adult beverages and chatting.  Little do we know that PK1 is in her bed wiggling her tooth.  Around 9:30, she emerges from her room quiet and stealthy, sidling up to one of us with a bloody mouth and a tooth hanging by a thread. "I sink my soos is ohing oo um out."  Then we all stand in the bathroom for 15 minutes watching her pull it out.

Then she runs in to write the tooth fairy a long-winded note:

Then she puts her tooth first in one tooth holder, then another.

This routine is never varied.

"How to Spend a Summer Day" by PK1

If your mom says she is too busy cleaning and packing to go to the pool, get your sister and mope around fussing.  Claim all your toys are boring and that your sister doesn't play nice.  Lie down on the floor and say you are bored even though your mom let you have two neighbor friends over all morning.  Then your mom will throw you out into the yard and say, "Go entertain yourself."  Get everything out of the garage including baby toys that your mom has ready to give to Kidney Foundation:

Play in a somewhat dangerous manner with the baby toys:

Set up an aquarium using toy animals and lots of buckets:

Draw an entire town on the driveway using sidewalk chalk:

Ask to eat dinner outside..say you are too dirty to come in.  Then make your mom come in and out a thousand times back and forth from the kitchen with extra food, dip for your veggies and refills on milk and fruit.  You are very hungry from playing so hard.

Say you don't want to go inside until your dad gets home because you want to show him everything you made. Fuss again because there is no dessert in the house.  Have your mom call your dad at 8 o'clock and say "get home and bring the kids some ice cream."

Then after your treat,complain when mom says you have to take a shower.  Then in the shower, fuss when she says to get out because it feels so good.  Get all tucked into bed and then start wiggling your loose tooth until it starts to bleed and you have to get up and ask for help.  Hmmm, maybe my mom will take me to the pool tomorrow.