Tales of this, bliss, and that...

Just a few pictures from one of our summer walks. The girls love flowers, and I spent a good portion of our walks attempting to keep them from picking flowers in all the yards we passed! Precious Zab and her flower! Stelly smelling her flowers! Zoey and her plant :)

I began this post when I was watching my favorite little Foxlettes...but it's worth finishing so ignore the present tense. Everyday, shortly after lunch, the girls lie down to rest. And most everyday they ask me to rest with them. And I do most days if Baby Rowan isn't in need of my services. Some days they sleep and some days they don't. Most days when I rest with them they usually fall asleep for at least a half hour, which is just enough time for me to get things cleaned up from lunch. But my favorite part of rest time is right before they fall asleep. This is generally the time they strike up some of our most interesting conversations or do the things that I might not necessarily notice when all four of them are awake. And when I think they are sleeping too long and I need someone to play with I will creep in the room, open their blinds, and occasionally make an accidental cough. :) (And here is where I turn to present tense...) I certainly will not forget the conversat...

My cousin, Katy, and her twin boys, Dawson and Porter, were back in Iowa for a week this summer so they came over for a play date with the girls! The boys will be two and a half later this month and the girls are now four...by looking at the pictures you really can't tell they are that far apart in age but fun was had by all during the few hours they spent with us. The day consisted of playing, reading books, playing, jumping with Rowan, playing, eating lunch, playing, and finally goodbye hugs. My camera was capturing exceptionally blurry pictures that day, but I managed to capture a couple decent memories! Porter playing with the trains! The girls love being read to...therefore, they LOVED Katy! Dr. Seuss has them hooked! Baby Row chillin' :) Where's Port? "Aw man! She caught me!" A crazy large group of PB&J eaters! The trio, duo, and Cousin Katy! Lady's Man! Dawson finally warmed up in time to give goodbye hugs... Attacking Zoe with some more goodbye hug...

Sometimes in life we learn to do things the "hard way." I am one of those people who makes it a habit... My most recent encounter involving a horse. (You see where this is going, right?) In the last month I've spent a couple of my weekends out west with Drew's family camping and riding horses. Other than the thirty-some bug bites I managed to have all over my legs, I absolutely loved spending my time outdoors roasting marshmallows, riding Marshmallow, paddle boating, fishing (for thirty minutes at a time), and swimming with Anna E! Our final trip this summer ended with a bang (or a lope, rather!) Yes, for the first time in my life I was able to experience my hair blowing in the wind while riding on a horse. I was on my final ride with Shelly and Alice and managed to open my mouth before the end of the trail. At the time, I actually thought it would be funny to rub dirt all over me and say that I had fallen off of Marsh...but then Alice began to lope with Sandy. And ap...

So my sister, Holly, sent me a text message a couple weeks ago saying, "Call me back- we need to talk." Translation: I just got engaged- I want to ask if you'll be my maid of honor. And I said yes! (As did my other sister, Jenny) The wedding won't be until sometime in 2012, but I am already excited for Blake to become part of our family! :) The newly engaged couple... Seriously, so proud to have these two in my family! Hahahahahaha :)

So I am definitely jumping ahead a few posts, but I wanted to introduce the newest family in my life...Meet Hallie, Owen, and Entergetic Ella! Honestly, I'm still trying to figure out how I manage to meet such great families. These kids come complete with manners and all. After school the other day Ella asked me what she should have for a snack. I suggested green eggs and ham, and while I was one-hundred percent joking, the girl was all for it. So we just made green eggs because we didn't have any ham. (Honestly, this was probably a plus because I have absolutely no idea how to make green ham!) And yes, for your visual entertainment I'm including pictures... Ella and Owen preparing the eggs! Yep, they're green. Yum?!?! Owen and his eggs :] (And Holly... I promise there is a special post in the making!)

One... Two... Three... ...and still smiling! :) Just another random update...I'm currently in "OMGoodness I leave in X amount of days and still have so much to do" mode. Add that to my deilemma of needing a new fuel pump and you have one stressed out soon-to-be grad student. I honestly believe that you prepare for these moments in your life, not because you expect the transitions to go perfectly smooth, but to avoid every.single.possible. thing that could go wrong. So really, I'm doing pretty good, right? Next week is my last week with the Fox Four. *SOB* (Although, I'll still probably blog about them in my spare time, considering I have a kajillion pictures of them that are all worth sharing- not to mention the stories that go along with them). Now off to pack for another weekend of riding horses. (Ah, yes...that's another post in the making!)

This was me fifteenish years ago on Christmas morning. I had just come downstairs to discover my Little Tykes Dollhouse from Santa! The following birthdays and Christmases I also recieved the grandparents house and the stable complete with every.single.accessory. My mom and Santa were just that good! :) And today I know of three little girls who absolutely love the set. I can't lie...I'm still in love with it, too. Already loving it! A horse on a tractor...the imagination is endless! Sweet Abby...notice her triplets :) Hours later...literally. My best attempt at pictures was through the house...getting their attention was impossible. Steller Again...at three in the afternoon. (Seven and a half hours later) Even the Zhu Zhu Pets got in on the fun! Poor Baby Row...we literally sat and stared at eachother the whole day!