Hooray!

Friday was the last day of school.

Today is Saturday.

Summer is here.

In my opinion. . .

. . .it is not bad luck to open an umbrella inside.

. . .Crabapple trees are absolutely lovely.

. . .these two are even cuter than a couple of monkeys.

. . .Grizzlies pose better than 2-year-olds.

. . .peacocks are stunning!

. . .there's nothing sweeter than a little girl and her daddy.

Four girls -- four and under!

We took a trip to Monti this weekend. Saturday was filled with play, play play! In the morning Grandma, Mike, Lily and I hit the city-wide garage sales. When Lily woke from her nap, she was greeted by three more little girls -- four girls, four and under! Jayda, Lily, and Sienna riding the elephant (cousin Joseph -- what a sport!)
Zack and sweet Olivia
Three wind-blown models

I was Lily's second choice here. Cousin Heather (right) was everyone's favorite!
Somehow my photography always focuses on the kiddos, but we did get a chance to spend time with Jon, Laurie, Amanda, Bonni, Tony, Brian, and Lynn too. (Sorry guys, it's nothing personal.) It was a great family day!

Sweet Lily

I often share how busy my Lily can be, how funny she can be, even how exasperating she can be. But I don't often share her sweet side.

Tonight she was playing doctor as Mike lay "sick" on the floor. In all her busyness she paused and looked into her daddy's face, stroked his cheek so gently, and whispered, "It'll be okay, Daddy."

I love being her mom.

Mother's Day

We spent Mother's Day at my parents' new country place. It was a beautiful day filled with digging for worms, fishing, planting pumpkins and good conversation. It was great to spend time with my mom and my daughter on Mother's Day, not to mention my husband, dad, big brother and sister-in-law! Lucky me.

"How you doing, Buddy?"

Lily has taken to calling us "Buddy", especially Mike. He has been building her a playset, and everyday when we get home, she'll burst into the backyard and ask, "How you doin' on my playset, Buddy?"

Well, Mike is nearly done, and the product is very impressive, as you can see.

With warmer weather finally here, our patio door is now usable again. Lily loves to go out on the deck whenever she feels so inclined. Here is where she chose to eat her morning cereal the other day.