A Seat for Susan

Annabelle LOVES this little scooter at Grandma and Papa's house. It's just her size! Papa was so thoughtful and made Annabelle's doll, Susan, her very own seat on the back! Annabelle loved it--how cute are Susan's toes peeking through those holes in the back?!  :) 

Annabelle and I agreed that if Papa lived in Pixie Hollow, he would be a Tinker fairy because he has the AMAZING talent of being able to make or fix ANYTHING! I can almost see that glowing hammer floating toward him now... :)  We love you Papa and we LOVE that awesome seat!

Splashin with Cousins

We were so excited to have cousins come over to play at the splash pad! We live somewhat "out of the way," so it's not very frequent that we get to have cousins come to our neck of the woods. BUT we sure do love it when they do! The kids had a blast together and made lots of fun new friends as well. Melody was a doll, as always. She looked so cute and feminine hanging out in the shade of an umbrella  :) Rusty was a trooper; he and Stockton are still trying to find their groove together--sometimes it works and sometimes Stocky is just too much for little Rusty to handle. :) Paige was a little leader of the pack, and it's so hard for me to believe that she's in 1st grade. She has a wonderful relationship with Annabelle and Stocky; Stockton especially loves it whenever she's around because she showers him with attention and totes him around! Annabelle and Daisy are like fire and gasoline. Haha  :) It's hysterical. Nevertheless they love each other immensely and talk about each other all the time when they're apart. I am sure they'll work out the kinks as time goes on--we are all crossing our fingers  :) This was such a fun day and I took close to a bazillion pictures! It was tough narrowing them down, and therefore this will be a BIG photo post; I just couldn't bring myself to delete any of them!

Walking through Sunshine

Over the summer the kids and I logged dozens of stroller miles! During the warmer months, we get up, pack a breakfast, and hit the road. I think they loved it as much as I did  :)  I decided toward the end of the summer that I would start taking my camera with me, to photograph some of the things we loved, some of the trademark sights we'd grown accustomed to, some of the beauty we found along the way, and anything else that stood out as photo-worthy. Unfortunately I had only taken my camera out a handful of times before I fell down the stairs at my mom's house and sprained my ankle! So much for logging more stroller miles! Oh well right?  :)  At least I have these few photos to look at and appreciate. Yes, the kids always went in their PJ's, and yes they always ate their cheerios, bananas and juice along the way, and yes they look a little messy in some of these, but they were so happy to be out in the fresh morning air and in the sunshine that it didn't matter to me. They are as cute as cute can be and I am so lucky to be able to share every morning with them! We LOVED our walks through the sunshine and we can't wait to get out there again next spring!

Annabelle loved to pick sunflowers along the way.

Susan joined us every morning, but never got a breakfast  :)

Good morning buddy!

Pretty things! I LOVE these 2 houses--the porches are amazing and the entire lot feels like peace on earth. At times we climb up to the top of a nearby neighborhood where we reach the golf clubhouse. Annabelle would always get out, throw her hands up in the air, and yell "We did it!"

"I really want those bananas!"

"This method oughtta work!" Stockton LOVES bananas, and Annabelle nicknamed him the "Banana Stealer" because every time she turned her head, he would reach over and try to steal her bowl of bananas.  :)  She started getting him back by stealing his cheerios and calling herself the "Cereal Stealer."  It all worked out...

Our happy boy!

An Outing with the Babies

During the summer, I LOVE to go on walks in the morning! After one of our walks, Annabelle asked if she could have a turn getting some exercise and taking her babies for a walk. How could I say no right?! We piled all of her "daughters" into her stroller, and took them to the gas station for a treat (well, they all shared Annabelle's treat)  :)  Sophie and Rosie were naughty on the way home so Annabelle had to stop several times to talk to them (Sophie happens to be a hitter, which always causes problems when she is in close proximity to Rosie or Susan). Nevertheless, apologies were given and forgiveness was granted as we made our way home. When we got back, Annabelle was super excited to see her friend Brayden riding his bike outside. She decided to get her bike and join in the fun! They are so cute!  :) 

 Just an average summer day...thank goodness for dolls and good friends!  :)

Hard Work Pays Off

Annabelle asked me if she could get a new Princess Tiana dress-up. She'd been wanting it for some time, so I told her she could do some work to earn it. We came up with a plan and a job chart that we both felt good about, and off to work she went! I was so impressed by her hard work! She spent about 7 hours in my mom's yard helping with yard work; she helped to plant pots for Mother's Day; she donated 8 lbs of her clothing; she shined windows, and folded the clothes in the laundry. Her goal was 20 hours of work and/or service to others. I allowed her to count 1 hour for each pound of clothing donated as well. She was all smiles with eyes lit up on the day we finally went to the store to make the purchase. And guess what? They didn't have one!  :(  We were so sad, but we eventually found her one that she loved, and she was so proud of herself for working hard and earning it! I was craaaaazy and didn't snap any photos of her in her new dress, but I did take a few of her working toward her goal. :)

Watering plants

Helping to plant a few flower pots

Sweeping the patio

Congratulations Annabelle! We are proud of all your hard work and dedication!

Annabelle Lets Loose

Annabelle getting soaked in the sprinklers and LOVING every second!

Runnnnnnn!!!

She found a friend who was happy to join in the fun! Don't you wish you could make friends this quickly with others? :)

Dad can't hold himself back--Annabelle's excitement is contagious!

So happy...and cold!  :)

What can I say... I LOVED every second of this! Annabelle completely let loose after Stockton's birthday party: running, laughing, smiling, screaming, and getting soaked by the sprinklers! It is rare that she allows herself to really let go; she is normally very cautious. It was so wonderful to just watch her be a carefree little girl--to abandon all reserve and have some fun, to ignore the temperature and get herself soaked to the bone in the evening, to have a great time with someone she just met, to laugh and laugh and laugh at the water of all things  :), and to simply PLAY! Thanks for the great memory Annabelle!