Beach Bound

We'll be back soon! Have a great 4th of July!

...Anna Claire and Mallory helping measure out the ingredients for rice crispy treats.

Watermelon Pops and New Dresses

Ever since we made yogurt pops last week, the girls want everything they eat to be on a stick.

I present to you...Watermelon Pops...really just a slice of watermelon with a popsicle stick stuck through the rind {cut a slit in the rind with a knife then work in the popsicle stick ~ not so easy}.

I thought this was a great idea in that perhaps the girls would get less sticky from dripping watermelon juice, but I was wrong. It was a novel idea, though, and they had lots of fun eating the watermelon...and dripping all over their new dresses.

I whipped up these simple dresses during nap times Tuesday and Wednesday, and since I used my own homemade pattern {!!!} I think they turned out great. I have been looking for a sundress pattern with angel sleeves forever {these "sleeves" are a little shorter than I originally imagined, but at the last minute I doubled over the sleeves so I would not have to hem them}. I finally gave up the pattern search and made my own. Not too bad.

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.