Little Things

Here is a collection of pictures from the last few months.

Sitting on the porch, reading The Friend, and watching the beginning of a thunderstorm.

Naps for Clara are more intermittent now, but I always put her down and am grateful for when she does sleep!  

Kids having a mini car wash.  :)

Nice to be able to eat at the picnic table on the deck when we're home at lunchtime.

Boys playing army attack.  The kids are so lucky to have such a fun dad who plays with them.

They love to dress up in Clara's dress-up princess clothes and dance together.  :)

Back in May David and I finally made it over to the temple for a date.  It was a big deal because it was our first time getting a real babysitter!  I asked one of the Beehives I know in YW to watch them.  I knew she loved kids and thought she'd be a good choice.  Sure enough, they had a GRAND time!  She really played and played with them, got them to bed (they were both asleep when we got home), and cleaned up, too!  And since it was a temple date, she didn't accept payment!  We will for sure have to use her again on a date that she can get paid for, because we were all very happy with the results!

The statues at the Carmel library are always a hit.

We've got work to do!

He always wants to dress himself.  I try not to fight it unless it isn't weather appropriate.  I love seeing some of the outfits we comes up with!

Clara got her 1st haircut!  It was a last-minute decision.  We walked into Great Clips and I hadn't even thought about what I wanted done to her hair.  So all they did was a VERY fast trimming.  Afterwards I wish I had had her wispy bangs trimmed, too, but that'll just have to wait.  Her hair does look better being more evened out.  She had the BEST time up in the salon chair.  She was cutely smiling with her tongue out, not making a peep, for the whole haircut.  I know she felt very special.

Before

After

So many thunderstorms lately!  Eli loves going out to play in the rain.

On Father's Day weekend, David's family had a get-together at his brother Adam's house out in the country.  David went and took the two older kids.  Eli had a wish come true and finally got to go fishing for the first time!  He had fun, but was pretty bummed that nobody caught anything.  :)

Father's Day morning I made German Pancakes for breakfast.  David had been requesting them, and it was my first time making and having them.  They were super easy and delicious, a win-win!  For his gift I printed up some of his photos and framed them for him to put in his office at work.

Bubble fun!

Watching the bubbles take off

Clara loves to line things up.  I often find a line of things like boys or toys as pictured here.

These two hooligans can love playing together and being best buddies.  They are often giving each other hugs and saying how much they love each other.  But of course, like every pair of siblings, they also have their share of squabbles, most of which stem from Eli picking on Clara.  He gets bossy with her, and likes to tease and pester her, especially when he is restless (which drives me CRAZY).   One of their favorite make-believe games to play is "Pirates."  Here's a silly picture of them mid-play.

Eli loves to climb into Clara's crib in the morning.

Frisbee with Dad is a favorite pastime.

  

Park fun!  Eli loves to walk on this "pizza saucer" as it spins around.

Taking a little walk in the woods.

The Saturday after Ezra was born, David took Eli to Conner Prairie's Curiosity Fair.  They had a great time doing all kinds of exploring, experimenting, and watching.

Making toothpaste

Got to watch cement be made

Enjoyed a cool and talented dog show!

Last Friday my mom offered to come up and babysit the older two so David and I could go to Castleton and buy some fabric for a project (and have ourselves a date).  We were able to use a giftcard to eat at Olive Garden, and then shopped at Joann's.  Ezra was perfect sleeping away, and it was really nice to have some quality time with David.

Our visit to Coxhall Gardens, in Carmel.  

When a faucet is turned on, water runs down these rocks and into the sand at the bottom.  The kids dug a big trench to make a stream with the water in the sand.  Got very messy but they sure loved it!

Oh no!  Eli's stuck in jail!

Clara loved running up and down the "colored brick road."