Summertime Fun with Ice Pops and Tori!

One of the "new" discoveries of our summer was making ice pops with Crystal Light (thanks Jodi!) which means they still taste great, but aren't sticky... :)

Sadly, our first trampoline mat got ruined from constant use... this was the box for the new one we just bought, which managed to provide almost a week of entertainment before it got thrown into the trash!  

The kids are great about sharing with Ithan...

... who is usually a mess at the end of anything involving popsicles!  :)

Gotta love the red tongue...

... and the second one...

... and the third one!

This is Eric's favorite position to fall asleep in... :)

One night we had the pleasure of watching the Wulf kids while Duane and Ann had a date... I managed to snap some photos of Tori's [Victoria's] time in our household with two other "babies."

Watching in consternation as Eric screams from his purple Bumbo... 

Notice it's in the "correct" position here, Tif?!?  ;)

Watching Ithan "show" her how to draw with the Etch-a-Sketch...

Skillfully avoiding Ithan pulling all the books down on top of her head... :)

And last, but not least... having a staring contest with Ithan (who can't seem to get enough of this little girl!).

And to see how helpful our son is... check out the video below!!!

And just for fun... enjoy Eric's laugh as his big brother plays with him!!!

Thanks for your continued prayers; school has started and we're enjoying a little quieter time in the mornings... ;)

4th of July and Extras!

These pics are a little behind, but it's been a VERY FULL summer!  Most of you can probably relate!  What happened to the "dog days" of summer as evinced by most of my childhood memories?!?  :)

Here are a few mid-summer photos and memories around the 4th of July!

 Modeling eyewear at Cafe Sed... I especially like the strategic placement of the price tags... ;)

 Eric fell asleep in his carseat one afternoon and when I came out from doing something in our room, Candi happily informed me that she had given him a pet so he wouldn't feel lonely.  Curiously, I lifted up the blanket to find him clenching Ithan's birthday frog -- at least it wasn't alive!!!  You never know with our daughter... :)

 4th of July started off with green eggs and ham!  Since the attempt at using blue food coloring failed miserably, the kids decided that we really were celebrating America's Independence Day, but also Mexico's since that's where we live... right.  Thanks anyway, kiddos, for making something up to make Mom feel better... :)

 Joel and I found this ice pail at a second-hand store and it's been a fun way to serve our drinks this summer!

 4th of July spread!!!

 Complete with a traditional flag cake... 

 ... and a not-so-traditional schedule board!

 Mmmmmmmmmmm.... I love Mexican hot dogs!  They just do them right!  :)

 Ithan's first time eating watermelon with the rind... it was a MESS.

So, of course, he enjoyed it!

 We had sparklers after dinner...

 ... which all of the kids loved!

 As his sparkler got closer and closer to his hand, Ithan kept breathing in and making his "hot" noise... :)

 Firework time then turned into "catching frogs" time... NOT surprising!!!

 "Guarding" the frogs, so they can't escape!

What a fun night for our family... :)

Joel snapped the following photos of two of our boys reading...

 ...totally absorbed.

 "Why are you interrupting us?!?"

 My new favorite outfit for Ithan -- it's especially handy when he's crabby and you can ask him where the crab is and he points at himself!  ;)

Yes, I get a lot of joy out of that... hehe.

 First time playing Nintendo with Dad!

All cute 'n stuff... :)

Hard to believe he's already almost five months old!

We still haven't heard anything about the kids' papers, but thank you for your continued prayers!

The Hat Post

In the classic movie You've Got Mail, one of the main characters [Kathleen Kelly played by Meg Ryan] states [here goes the paraphrase] that almost all purchased hats turn out to be a mistake.  :)

Well, our little 1-yr old thinks hats [or really... anything that can be worn like a hat] are the coolest thing EVER.  And everything can be worn as a hat!!!

So... you pick your favorite and let us know!  With a comment and a vote, you will receive a personalized photo from this cutie... ;)

 #1:  The Garden Hat!

 #2:  The Mailing Envelope Hat!

 #3:  The Grandpa Jeff Baby Hat!

 Okay... not a hat, but the sunglasses-bib-onesie-flyswatter combo rocks as far as dress-up goes!!!  He's very into accessorizing right now!

 #4:  The Elmo Shoebox hat!

 #5:  The Monkey Onesie Hat!

 #6:  The Fisherman Hat!

 #7:  The Throw-Ring Hat!  (this is one of his favorites)

 #8:  The Bib Hat!

 #9:  The Ziplock Hat!

 #10:  You knew it had to be here... The Dad's Undies Hat!

 #11:  The Toilet Paper Roll Hat!

 #12:  The Gift Bag Hat!

 #13:  The Li'l Swimmer Hat!

#14:  The Sister's Headband Hat!  (this is another of his favorites... :)

Happy voting!  ;)