Splash Pad......

With the temperatures standing strong in the 100's for a few days in a row, we escaped to the Splash Pad for some fun.

Our first visit this summer, and our lovies had a blast. This certainly will not be our last time here!

I was able to sit in the shade with my camera, capturing some memories while chatting with some of my fellow mamas.

There was so much more to show but sadly my camera battery went dead, so these are all the shots I got.....until next time.

The epitome of "coolness".....

Noah with the infamous "side tongue"......just thought I'd point that out.....

No, Lauren is not crying....she is laughing. I wanted to clarify, because when each one of our kids saw this photo they asked if Lauren was crying.....even Lauren asked!

(Although..... ironically, this expression is very similar to the face she makes when her brothers splash her in the pool...when she really is crying)

This is Nate....and he stayed on the splash pad for basically 3 hrs. straight. He felt like it was raining on him and loved it!

Luke was making me laugh. He hung out with me in the shade for a while before he really got into it.....but once he started, he didn't want to quit. It was like an endless time in the sprinkler.

One of Noah's favorite things to do with Nate at home is squirt him with the hose....and don't worry Nate loves it.  So the above photo is similar to what happens often around here....Noah loves to squirt people, and Nate loves to be squirted. God knew what he was doing when he made these two brothers!

Well, that was a little glimpse of a Thursday morning for us around here.  Hope the photos made you smile....and hope that wherever you are, that you are keeping cool!

Kids and Popsicles.....

It's that time of year already! 

Eating popsicles on the front porch in March.  

It was a good day.

 

My View This Morning....

.....and what a sweet view it was. 

I wish you could have heard the laughter coming out of my little girl....one of my most favorite sounds ever....

.....and we can't forget one special big brother who helps to make his sister laugh.

Essential Foundations to Being A Kid.....

In our home, one of the perks of being a kid is the encouragement one has to guiltlessly lick the spoon after helping mama bake brownies.....and enjoying every moment of the chocolaty goodness.

Sometimes I miss being a kid....*smile*

At least I can get a "sweet" kiss from my messy boy.

Luke....Never A Dull Moment.....

It was one of those days {smile}. 

Luke is 16 mos. old and of course at the age where I can not leave him for more than a minute unsupervised. However, if he is sitting down looking at his books, coloring with markers, or dumping out all of the wooden puzzles then I know I have a solid 3 min. to switch the laundry and put a new load in and get back to him in time....in time that he doesn't get into too much mischief.

Well...as you can see by the photos below....it was more than a minute....and Luke just happened to see Lauren's yogurt unattended, sitting lonely at the table just begging to be eaten.  

Noah is really great at keeping an eye on Luke when I am helping one of the other lovies with something.....but this day I just ran into the other room for a minute. Then I hear Noah's voice...."Mom, come look at your son!" (That's what Noah calls Luke when his baby brother is up to no good.)

Lauren was thankfully not upset at her brother for eating her yogurt....she was too busy giggling at his face.  

I'm not quite sure why he had to smear it all over the table...I guess it just makes eating more interesting or something. I cleaned him up after I took a couple of shots and got Lauren another yogurt.  

Note to self....never leave any food unattended that is within my toddlers reach....you'd think I'd have learned by now....sigh.  

The Little Mama.....

Lauren spends a good bit of her time playing with her baby dolls everyday.  And I just think that it is one of the sweetest things.  Lauren was out on our back deck this afternoon and I was quietly watching her through our glass doors...my heart was warmed as I saw my little girl being a mama to her babies. I smiled as I watched her swaddle her babies, feed them, hold them close as she swayed back and forth...I could see her lips  gently saying, "Shh shh."  I couldn't resist and had to grab my camera to capture this moment.

I am really enjoying this season of childhood that she is in. All of the different stages have their joys and challenges of course, but right now her imagination is flourishing and it is such a delight to see her be so loving to her babies.  

Oh...and in case you were wondering, I picked up that wicker baby bassinet at a yard sale for her when Lauren was only a few months old (one of those awesome finds, I think I paid $1 for it!)....I knew someday she would put a baby doll in there. I saved it and gave it to her on her first birthday.....and now this is where she puts her babies to sleep....everyday. 

I just had to include this photo of Luke on this post. I was going to take a picture of him picking up the baby, but first he puckered up for a smooch....it was so cute.