popsicles at the park

I took the girls to the park for a concert this evening.  The weather is finally amazing - as it should be!

And treated them both to rainbow popsicles!  I initially bought just one, and the lady even asked me if I wanted another.  I said, "Oh no, my little one won't even notice."  Ha!  I opened Natalie's and handed it to her.  We turned to walk away and got about 10 steps before Charlotte was practically diving out of my arms to get to that rainbow of goodness!  So I returned to the booth with a big grin.  Said, "I should really know better" and spent another $1.

Best $2 I've spent in a good, long while!

you want some of this?

Splish! Splash!

We have spent the last four evenings at the neighborhood pool.  The temperatures have been in the high 80's and the sunshine's been plentiful!  NHV is almost fearless in the water this year, which is both a blessing and a curse.  It's exciting to watch her gain confidence and independence but also very scary!  Gone are the days of lounging (sarcasm implied) by the kiddie pool.  Natalie calls it the "kitty cat" pool, which is such a cute confusion of kiddie vs. kitty!  This year, of course, Natalie wants to be in the big pool ... on the steps or ladder.  She doesn't know how to swim, but she does a good job of walking up and down the steps, putting her face in the water, blowing bubbles, pulling herself along the wall, and jumping off the side into daddy's waiting hands.  How do you teach a three year old her limits in relation to water safety?  There are some lessons I really do not want her to learn through mistakes!  CPV is great with her in the water, but being the daddy also gives him license to up the fun and encourage some risks.  

I just look away ... and relax in the shade with CJV.  She is perfectly content to lounge on the chair with a few toys and her toes.  Mostly we people-watch.  She's had her toes wet on more than one occasion, and CPV dipped her booty in the "kitty cat pool" for a few minutes.  Her feet were moving constantly - like a cartoon character winding up to run!

Natalie is wearing the same bathing suit from last year, except now we call her bikini top her "shells" because of her recent Little Mermaid obsession.  When we're getting ready to leave for the pool, she asks, "Mommy, where are my shells?"  I just love that her ruffle butt bottoms still fit!  I wanted more coverage from CJV and bought her a UVSkinz knock-off in a color combination that is one of my favorites - light blue and red.  Natalie got the real-deal UVSkinz, but she refuses to wear them because the top does not look like a mermaid's shells ... hoping this princess thing doesn't last too long!  Notice there are not any photos of me at the pool ... with good reason, my friends, with very good reason!  But I am there ... having fun and taking the pictures :)

Escaping the Heat

Temperatures reached a record high here on Sunday. And it was seriously HOT. Too hot, in fact, for my sweet NHV to nap in her room - even with the ceiling fan and a standing fan kicking it on high. It was like 88 degrees on the second floor ... crazy! The front two bedrooms take a beating in the late afternoon sun - despite blinds and curtains closed and ceiling fans on high ... it was still just too unbearably hot. If you're asking yourself, "Why didn't they just turn on the air conditioning?" You obviously don't live in the NW. We don't have AC; most homes in the area don't have central air ... can you imagine? As a girl from the Midwest, it seems a bit nutty to me! So it's not typical to have AC and it is rather expensive to have central air installed after your house is built - an expense that we would only really benefit from a few days out of the year - an expense that really doesn't make sense in the long run .... therefore no air conditioning and a temperature of 88 degrees inside our house, and in the short run, it's HOT.

What do you do when your baby can't take a nap in your OVEN of a house? Head for the hammock. Positioned in the shade. Where the slightest of breezes was blowing. You can tell from Natalie's rosy cheeks, it was still warm but it was bearable and she slept for about an hour, a much needed snooze!

Summer Snoozin'

Isn't this a precious photo? I love the way she's curled up next to her daddy ... with her little booty sticking out ... her hand on his belly ... soothie abandoned on his chest ... and her lovey nearby.