Summer with Vanessa

We are having a very uneventful summer this year which hasn't created much to blog about. Because of this, I have started creating my own events to use as blog posts. The good news is that my sister will be in town soon and Andrew's baptism is coming up, so is Vanessa's first birthday (wow, how quickly time flies!). For now, you get see the things Vanessa has been up to.

She already has a temper and throws tantrums when she doesn't get her way or things don't do what she wants them to, like being able to reach things on the table.



She still loves food and getting very messy while eating it.



She has a new found love for her blanket and not just any blanket, the blanket Aunt Dorothy bought her after Vanessa puked all over her and me in the movies. It's a really cute, very soft blanket so I can see why it's becoming her favorite. The other day I pulled it out of the dryer and put it on the floor and she ATTACKED it. She kept hugging it and rolling all over with it.




The other night she was even willing to share her blanket with Jim.





I'm trying to get her used to drinking out of a sippy cup which she has been struggling with just because she doesn't want to hold it herself. She doesn't hold her own bottle 'cause she always wants to play with her hair while drinking, especially when she's tired so I'm trying to force her to hold her own sippy cup. Today while she was eating lunch I gave her a sippy cut of apple juice and here is how she was trying to drink it...





then she got mad



and then she figured it out



Happy day!!! Hopefully she will continue to enjoy holding it and it will continue once it's milk. She is such a fun little girl that has made life so fun!!!

Fun in Floaties

Today Vanessa was having fun crawling around the living room floor and crawled into the swim floaty which she thought was fabulous!




Now if I can just get her to like them in the pool our swim trips might be a little more enjoyable.

Phin's 2nd Birthday

Last Saturday was mt nephew Phin's 2nd birthday. The kids and I met Kelly, her kids and my parents at my parents' house for pizza and cake and ice cream. The kids had fun running around the backyard playing together...







singing Happy Birthday to Phin and watching him blow out his candles,



which he'd practiced for...



eating the cake and Grandpa and Grandma's homemade raspberry ice cream





Vanessa learned to beg


and found that it works if you beg the right person


She also learned that bees sting. She was crawling and put her hand down right on the bee's stinger.



She enjoyed sucking on the ice we gave her to help with the sting



The kids had fun 'helping' Phin open his presents



and even more fun 'helping' him play with them



I'm sure the poor kid was very happy to go home and be able to play with his own toys all by himself.

Best Friends

Tonight while Jim was golfing with the Elders' Quorum the Lewis' came over to play and have pizza. Ashlin asked me if Ally had a photo book. Unfortunately, because her mother is a terrible scrapbooker, Ally does not have a photo book which is what I told Ashlin. She told me that I should get her one and put a picture of the two of them on a page with the title 'best friends' at the top of the page. I thought it was so cute. I got a picture of the two of them tonight so here it is....

BEST FRIENDS



Cameron and Jayce had fun pushing Vanessa around the yard in the Barbie Jeep which she loves. Stacie and I always joke around about how one day Vanessa will marry one of those two. It's going to be a difficult choice for her though since they are both so sweet to her.

Happy 4th of July

This year we celebrated the 4th on Saturday and Monday. Saturday my parents and Kelly and her kids came over for a barbecue and fireworks. I didn't get any pictures of that day but will post some once I get them from Kelly. The kids had a lot of fun on the slip and slide and watching the fireworks.

Monday we went to the movies with Jim's family and had a b-b-q and fireworks at his sister's house. The kids got to play with their cousins while we were at the movies. Vanessa was so worn out when we got back to the movies she passed out on Jim.



I love seeing the two of them like this.



My brother-in-law Dave is a firework freak. Every year he goes all out with set up and his lighting technique is extremely entertaining.



Andrew loved the fireworks and hanging out with his cousin Steven. Everywhere Steven went, Andrew went too.



Ally is still very hesitant around fireworks.



She hid up on the porch and would slowly creep down to watch some more.





Vanessa didn't love the noisy fireworks either but it was a really fun night.

We had a lot of fun with each of our families. I love holidays and the time we get to spend together with family.

Summer Art Camp

This year I registered the kids for classes at the city art camp. Andrew LOVES Legos so I signed him up for a Lego art class which he really enjoyed. Each day they had a different subject to create and could make it exactly how they wanted. He would go on and on about each project every day when I picked him up. It was fun to see him enjoy it so much. He told me he wants to take a regular art class next year too. He's such a sports freak, I'm glad he's enjoying art so he gets a variety of activities in his life.

I signed Ally up for a Let's Play Music class so she could be introduced to music. She really enjoyed her class and the songs she learned. A few days she would sing her conversations instead of just speaking. It was really cute. Her class did a mini performance the last day of class to show parents what they had learned in the two weeks they were in class. We enjoyed watching her do one of the things she loves to do. I wish I had signed the kids up for a few more classes, I now know for next year.

Loving Chocolate Chip Cookies

For Father's Day we had dinner with my family. It was very yummy food and even yummier dessert of homemade strawberry ice cream and chocolate chip cookies which Vanessa LOVED!!!






Ally really enjoyed the food and cookies too.



After dinner with my family we went and spent time with Jim's family. I love living so close to family especially for holidays.