{ A Day with Friends }

My kids went to sleep very unusually early tonight, which is the only reason I'm blogging about what we did today, the very day that it happened.  They were tuckered out after a very fun, full day of hanging out with some very special friends. 

My dear childhood friend came down for the day to keep us company as Tim has been away all week on a business trip.  Between us there are seven children!  The fact that we packed them off to the park after lunch, then walked to town and bought ice cream and walked back still amazes me.  Wowza!  So tired tonight, but such fun we all had.

 The Girls 2 yrs, 7 yrs and 18 months

 And Boys 4 years and 2.5 years

 The Babies 9 months and 3 months

 Couldn't get over Ruby's bows!

 The Troop Snacking

They were soooo dirty and hungry after playing at the park

{ Little Mr. and Miss and What They're Up To }

Miss Katy Grace

You are sunshine.

Your smile gets comments all the time.  It's a great one!

You are a happy, happy, happy girl.

Little Miss 14 months

You like to sleep.  A lot.  Often you give me that look, "Mom, pleeease put me to bed" and when you find your pillow you reach your little hand out for your "night-night" (blanket), snuggle in and that is that.  You spoil us in this respect, Young Lady!

You chatter

You never meet a stranger

You are your daddy's daughter,

but everyone is saying you look like a miniature Mama

You're loving shoes and clothes as much as ever.

You know when you've got a pretty dress on.

If you can pull clothes out of the laundry or dresser you're perfectly content

You are getting quite attached to your daddy.

Having him come through the door from work is the highlight of your day,

and romping around on the floor with him, well, those giggles get me every time!

You're actually a little bit naughty sometimes.  Shocking but true.

But oh! can you turn on the charm!

You're cutting four teeth right now.

Waving bye-bye.

Giving out hugs.

Stealing our hearts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mr. Oliver Forest

You're every bit two.

A goer, a fixer

big brother protector.... but, Sister (whom you call "Day"), don't take my toys!
You hug and kiss your sister so sweetly.
You want to make sure you know where everyone is in the family.
 

You're loving to do:

playdough, puzzles, paint and anything hands on

 You are fascinated with colors

 You are our little helper:

Unloading the dishwasher

setting the table

unpacking groceries

You are EATING DINNER now!  It's taken two years, but what a relief!

You're done cutting teeth.

 You love your preschool Sunday school class.

The stroller we bought for you and your sister is your "car", and because 

you've gone to the carwash with Daddy, you must regularly "wash the car" by sending 

it out to the back porch.  I love that budding little imagination!

 

You're soooo excited about the baby!

You point to the baby with so much pride

 and oh, how your eyes light up when you feel him/her kick!

You've been wakeful at night.

Are you afraid of the dark?

Does something hurt?

We sure wish we knew, but it's a phase.  It will pass.

Until you turned two, you weren't much of a snuggler,

but now you like back rubs and quiet times together.

We love them, too

and we love YOU!

{ Da-Da's Day }

It's pretty sweet to hear Oliver saying "Da-Da" these days and seeing him point him out in pictures.  I decided it's high time I blogged about Father's Day, in attempt to get caught up on this little spot of ours. 

We've been working really hard on our house this summer (which is a post in itself to come), and we just hadn't had a weekend off in a very long time.  Saturday of Father's Day weekend, Tim and I decided we wanted to get out of the house and just enjoy a day as a family.  Over breakfast we decided what we'd like to do and then we packed everyone up and drove to Spokane for the day.  It was a wonderful day of no agenda, beautiful sunshine, happy kids and good conversation.  Tim and I find that one of the best things about being together in a car is just the time we have to talk.  We have far less distractions.

 Tim and Oliver had their first carousel ride together!

We spent the morning and early part of the afternoon at Riverfront Park.  We played in the playground, walked over the river to the old flour mill, had lunch at Red Robin and wandered around the mall for a little while.  It was a very good family day!

{ Antics }

Oliver

He is becoming more a boy than a baby all the time.

This week he discovered climbing.

Those little feet were happy glued to the floor for the past four months since learning to walk, but I guess the floor just isn't good enough anymore! He is keeping me on my toes, that's for sure.

 When people say that moms have eyes in the back of their head or they can see through walls or silence is not the sound you want to hear when there's a toddler involved... well this week I'm finding out those are all true!

Yesterday I found him on TOP of our roll top desk and later the kitchen table.  We just bought the desk to keep him away from our computer.  I guess we solved one problem and created another!

Yesterday, just after breakfast, I came into the kitchen to find him having a picnic!  Sure glad I'm just mopped and swept the floor!

Or last night, while making dinner, I decided letting him pull ALL of the pots and pans out of the cupboard would afford a level of contentment and give me the freedom to cook in peace... peace around the din of banging pots, that is!  He very studiously worked on finding the correct lid for the pans and unorganized and reorganized all of the pans several times.  I just keep telling myself I'll appreciate the help in a few more years.  I'm hoping that keeping it fun now will encourage that help in the future.  We'll see. 
This picture also reminds me how much I want to paint that terrible salmon color out of my cupboards!

We've been playing with play dough lately, crayons and finger paint.  Eating all of it is a little more appealing, but he'll get there.  We're having fun in the mean time.

I love that he loves to help with the dishes.  It's one of his favorite things ever!

Piggy back is a highlight most evenings.  It sure makes my heart happy to see them together and hear the laughter.

He's happy and he's healthy and he's such a joy. He's a challenge, but that's okay. I love being his mom!

{ All Boy }

Yesterday was a good day to be Oliver! He discovered dirt for the first time and it was love at first sight.

Tim came home for lunch and worked a little more on his latest project: more raised flower beds. He started these before we got married. They were (are) my wedding present. The plan is to go around the entire front of our house. It's a major project, but what is finished so far is just wonderful.

While Tim worked, Oliver and I sat out in the yard to keep him company. It didn't take him long to crawl over to the dirt... and then into it.

Growing up with one sister and no brothers, this world of boys is all new to me, but it is SUCH a joy to watch him explore his world.

After he had had enough of the dirt, he was off to explore the machinery!