Summer Rain

It rained today, which I'd like to say is atypical weather for us, but it seems like all we have these days is unusual weather, so what do I know. A little rain wasn't going to keep us in all day, so I put on the rain jackets that are suppose to be for next year and we headed out.


And we can't go outside without Leo getting on the new bike. He's getting better and better. We've been working on starting and stopping on his own. He can get going by himself but needs me to stand there to boost his confidence. The stopping isn't quite there yet and I most of the time I have to "catch" him. It's only his third day, after all, so I'm pretty happy with how things are going.
Another thing we have to work on is keeping his eyes forward and watching where he's going instead of looking down at his feet pedaling, which apparently is fascinating.
And what is Serafina doing while her brother is riding. Oh, just playing in the gutter muck.

Awww...

I caught them spontaneously doing this because they really love each other. It won't last, I'm sure.

Pedal bike

Leo has been asking for a pedal bike since about one minute after he got his balance bike. We told him if he practiced on the balance bike and got really good, we'd get him a pedal bike. Well, he's a pro on the balance bike so today we lived up to our promise. We went to a used bike shop and they pulled out a bike. Tom sat Leo on it to size it up and the next thing we know, he's riding it. I got tears in my eyes because, holy crap, my baby was riding a big kid bike! No training wheels, by the way. Of course we had to buy that bike.

Looks giant, doesn't it? Note that he's all geared up with knee pads and elbow pads.
Check out Tom's grin. That's a proud dad.
A focused rider.
Here's his first ride of the day (other than the parking lot).



And here he is a little later after some more practice. But mind you, this is still his first day on a big kid bike!

Riley's 1st Birthday

Yesterday, Addison's little sister Riley turned one and we went to her party. Since I took care of Addison while her mom was in labor, I got to meet Riley the day she was born. She was adorable then and she is adorable now. She also has an amazing temperament and is a joy to be around.

Leo loves a good party, especially if they are serving chips.
Tom is so happy holding baby Elisa because he knows he can hand her back.

Working off those chips.
Chillaxing in the yard.
Serafina's eyes are looking mighty pretty in this picture.
The birthday girl!
"Is there something on my head?"
"Happy birthday to yooooooou"

Mmmm....cupcakes.

Frosting goatee.
This ice bucket was the most popular part of the party. Not kidding. Forget hiring a clown, renting a bounce house or even putting up balloons, just fill a bucket with ice and have the party of the century.

Living in the monkey house

I bought seven (SEVEN) large bananas yesterday morning. We have two left. Two. I'm living in the monkey house. Seriously.

Riley's bear

Addison's little sister, Riley, is turning one on Saturday. We are going to her party and we are bringing this little bear as a gift. It's the first crochet creature I'm giving as a gift.

She's got little white "panties" under her skirt.
Here's how the bear sizes up. Little, but not too tiny.
Serafina poses too.

Beating the heat with Nana

My mom came back with us for a visit and was greeted by a heat wave. The past two days have been all about trying to stay cool. That means lots of time playing in the pool and relaxing in the air conditioning.

Yesterday, the kids played in the water wiggle.





Here's Serafina concentrating on a block tower.

Ciara and Marcos's Wedding Shower

Serafina and I had a whirlwind visit to Southern California to attend my beautiful cousin Ciara's wedding shower. I didn't get a chance to take too many pictures because I was busying visiting and eating and chasing the little girl, though I did have lots of help with that. We stayed at Nana's and Serafina was a superstar about traveling and staying in a new place. Plus the boys had a great time without us and spent a lot of time swimming.

Here's my pretty party girl.
Entertaining the crowd.
Opening the gift I brought - The Betty Crocker Bridal Cookbook, which came highly recommended by someone who actually cooks.
I told Marcos that just because it's the bridal edition, he shouldn't hesitate to try out some of the recipes.

County Fair! Yee-haw!

We took a little drive to a neighboring county to the north to attend its county fair. I love the fair and going today reminded me of all the reasons - the food, the animals, the competitive exhibits. While browsing the "culinary arts" exhibit, a woman pointed to a cinnamon banana bread on display and said proudly, "that's mine." Her husband added that she won "honorable mention" and indeed, there was the ribbon to prove it right next to her baked good.

Though my kids were very patient during my exploring of cakes and quilts (or maybe they were just overtired), there were plenty of activities for them.

First up, pig races! Leo was ready for the race to start.
Both kids seemed unsure what it was all about.
And the race is on! Leo thought the pigs were funny running on their little legs.
Then we went to meet some of the 4H animals.
Outside the livestock tent, were these little tractors. Leo had a blast on them.
Serafina needed help to get around, but had fun too.

There was a sandbox full of dry pinto beans to play in. Serafina had a ball scooping and walking in the beans.
Leo got a chance to milk a plastic cow.
On to the most important part of the day...funnel cake!

There were a couple of dressed up characters walking around, but my kids wanted nothing to do with them.
Look at those eyes. Both kids got only brief naps on the drive home, but it was worth it for the fair fun. It only comes around once a year.
So tomorrow I fly with Serafina down to Southern California to attend my cousin's wedding shower. Leo will stay behind with Tom. I know the boys will have fun and be fine, but the only other time I left Leo overnight was when I was in the hospital having Serafina. I'm a little anxious, but we'll only be gone about 36 hours and we're bringing Nana back with us, so he's very excited about that.

Oh, and it's my birthday tomorrow. My dad, who will also be having a birthday, sent me this amazing bouquet.