Play Time!

Once the we got the girls' playroom tidied up for their birthday party, I took a few pictures for their old-fashioned baby book since I have tons of pics from their old playroom that used to be in the spare room but so few now that we've moved things up to the FROG. I thought I'd share them...

The slip~covered chair my mom helped me with... {could not have done it without this}

Anna Claire helped me with the wall decals...

I thought we needed a table and lamp by the chair, but I didn't have a penny to spend, so I dug out a lamp I used to have in my classroom and a TV tray table from a set Walter and I got as a wedding gift. A little spray paint on the table and some scrap fabric and ric~rac from my stash and viola...

The before picture...

Just keepin' it real, y'all.

Three~Year Well Check

{Anna Claire}

37 3/4 inches tall and 31 1/2 pounds

{Mallory}
37 1/2 inches tall and 32 1/2 pounds

The girls are doing great! Mallory needs to drink more milk and stop biting her fingernails {which I already knew}, and I think we've got a plan for dealing with a few discipline issues arising from these terrible threes...everyone warned me!

Week after next we head to the dentist {yesterday's appointment was cancelled ~ sick dentist}.

Blueberry Picking and Puddle Jumping

Yesterday after breakfast we picked blueberries. Both girls were very excited at the start but it was hot even in the morning, and they both eventually lost interest. About that time our bucket was full. Not bad for maybe forty~five minutes of picking which included two false~alarm trips to the potty for Mallory which eventually resulted in poopy panties. Lovely.

Don't be fooled by Anna Claire sitting down on the job. While Mallory and Dylan ran around playing their three~year~old version of freeze tag, Anna Claire was right there beside me {most of the time} trying her best to fill her bucket.

I love this picture of Connor and Mallory.

Now, I am looking for some inspiration on what to do with a gallon of blueberries. Any good recipes out there? I am leaning towards these blueberry cheesecake bars.

While the girls were napping a good old~fashioned summer thunderstorm started up. Great napping weather for the girls who both slept beyond their usual one~and~a~half hours. Once the thunder finally woke them up and the rain stopped, we went outside to jump in some puddles and burn off some energy.

The Easter Bunny brought them these rain boots for Easter 2010...and they finally fit!

I love this picture because it shows how long Mallory's hair is...and how short Anna Claire's is. I am thinking they may need their first haircuts before school starts. Mallory...just and inch or two to even up the bottom which will probably mean the loss of those sweet baby curls still hanging on to the tip ends of her hair. And Anna Claire... to try and give some shape to her thick, wavy mop.

DIY Waterslide

Hours of enjoyment!

Yogurt Pops...Brilliant!

This is not a new idea. I saw it in a magazine ages ago, so I thought it was time to give it a try. I cut a slit in each lid with a knife, and Mallory stuck the popsicle sticks in.

Then, we popped them in the freezer for a couple of hours.

 Yum! Sitting on the back porch in the summertime deliciousness!

What I love about these is that they melt a lot slower than popsicles and don't really drip. And, if you want to try them, I ran them under warm water for just a few seconds to help them slide out the yogurt cups easily.

Art Appreciation

Anna Claire and Mallory love to paint and I love that they already have an appreciation for it. However, painting can be messy {they do pretty well, considering}, so it's not an any~time~of~day activity around here. I usually encourage them to paint in the morning...while they're still in their pajamas...and that usually satisfies their creative urge.

Most of the time, they paint upstairs in the playroom, and since we moved their playroom upstairs back in December {probably my favorite room in the house!}, I never seem to remember to bring my camera up there, and if they're doing something cute or silly, the moment has usually passed by the time I run downstairs, get the camera, then run back upstairs.

Since school has been out we've been spending a lot more time upstairs and I've been bringing my camera along...so here's a little peek at the artists at work. Sadly, I didn't take any pictures of their finished pieces, but I do save their paintings...for a little while at least.

I think I really need these frames to display some of their mini masterpieces {great idea, Holly!}. Their bulletin boards are still full of their school work, and while I need to clear them off for fall, I still haven't found a viable storage option. {any suggestions?}

Summer Fun in the Sun

Disney World will probably be the highlight of our summer, but make no mistake ~ we have been enjoying ourselves in other ways, too. Since it has been sooooo hot lately with heat indices topping out around 110 degrees {!!!!}, we have been spending a lot of time in the water.

This may be a little redneck, but with the girls potty trained, taking the potty outside has been a life~saver. With all the water they drink in the pool, we'd otherwise be making trip after trip inside no doubt dripping water all over the floors. This is just so much easier.

Sunbathing...

Is there anything better that eating tomatoes straight out the garden? No sooner had Granny put the basket down than Mallory was digging in.

Walter spent Father's Day either doing cannonballs into the pool, or being "pushed " in by Anna Claire and Mallory. Pushing people into the pool is there new favorite game. I'm not so sure we should have started this.

Looking for Daddy's sunglasses...

Father's Day was also Grandmom's birthday, so after spending the morning in the pool, we headed over to celebrate!

Happy {belated} Father's Day to Walter and my dad and Happy {belated} Birthday to Grandmom!

We finally made it to the beach yesterday and to the Sand Dunes Club on Sullivan's Island. We've been trying to get over there forever because Granny and Papa have privileges through SCE&G. When we woke up yesterday morning, I saw ~ and smelled ~ the first signs from the wildfires. I didn't really want to spend the day outside at the beach in a smoky haze but hoped the ocean breeze might help. When we got there it was so hazy you could hardly see the lighthouse and we could smell the smoke, but once the tide turned and the breeze kicked up, it got much better.

 Lunchtime!

The girls love their Little Einsteins beach charis {my $3 yard sale find last fall!}.

Probably the best part about the Sand Dunes Club is the pool. The girls loved it because they thought they were at the water park, and I loved it because it was free, and because we were able to rinse off all the salt and sand before the ride home. I definitely think we'll be going back!