Monday, May 25, 2015

Fun Visit and Memorial Day Weekend

Lyza got this huge princess carriage from a friend and loves playing in it
Nixon is always so helpful when it comes to folding laundry 
Kevin and Amanda came to visit us a couple weeks ago. We put Kevin to work right when he got here
 After he got the painting done we let him have some fun


We walked around downtown CDA and of course chased some geese
 It was pretty along the lake but really windy and kind of cold



Nixon likes the ducks
 We carried Nixon up the stairs to go over the bridge and he HATED it
 But once we got to the top he was a happy again...until we had to go down the stairs on the other side
 We went to Dockside restaurant at the resort and got some gooeys. So yummy!
The best food is the messiest
Playing with uncle Kevin
Hanging out after dessert
We took the kids to the toy store which is always a blast 
 Here is Nixon showing his true North Idaho colors
We finally gave Nixon a haircut. It was pretty wild. Sharp scissors and a wild boy swinging his head around made for some Saturday night excitement 
 Here we are at church together

 We had fun playing at the park together

Lyza loved re-enacting the Billy Goats Gruff and being the "ugly troll" under the bridge
Nixon with aunt Amanda 
 He loved climbing all over the place
 He would be such a handsome boy if he could get the drooling under control
 Kevin isn't as experienced riding these horses as Lyza is

This guy likes playing in the sand
 We busted out the bike with the kids seat and took the kids for a ride this week. Nixon was terrified to get in but once we started riding he liked it

 Lyza of course loved it. She kept making these funny sounds trying to say something like "yee-haw" but kept saying something more like "hee-haw" like a little donkey
 Kim made this little hanging board for Lyza's dresses and girly things. The knobs are the ends of curtain rods 
 We got our artwork wall collage hung up. Kim found lots of frames from thrift stores and fixed them up and covered them in fabric. We added some clothes pins and other hanging devices so we can hang up the kids' artwork. We'll also put a family picture in one or two
 I laid some paving stone in front of our shed this weekend
I made my first cub car this last week. Lyza's primary had a pinewood derby. Lyza was in charge of the car decorating and her mom did a good job bringing Lyza's design to life.
 Lyza got first place in one of her races. She had lots of fun, especially at the refreshment table (she had cake, a cookie, and ice cream)

 On Saturday we took the kids to the beach to kick off our Memorial Day weekend
 Look at this little male model
 We had lots of fun
 We were all pooped after a day in the hot sun. Lyza fell asleep with her sharp tooth
 This was a nice sight to see Sunday morning before church
He can be pretty playful at bath time
He loves to bend down and put his face in the water. He does the same thing at the beach.
He reminds me of the episode of the Simpsons where Homer gets a drinking bird to replace him at the computer so he can leave and still get his job done
Lyza is such a good sister. Here she is singing Nixon a lullaby while she has him all swaddled up


Here is Nixon feeding me last night
We are having lots of fun around here. Hope the same is true for you. Take care.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

There has been lots of fun going on around here. The kids love playing in the back yard

Worms don't scare her
Kim did a toy swap with the kids' toys. That makes them really happy for a little while
Lyza's outdoor artwork
This is one of Kim's latest crafts. She took a plain and boring bulletin board and added a thicker frame to it and painted it all
In a moment of frustration during my constant battle with dandelions in the back yard I found myself vacuuming all of the seeds from the dandelions that had gone to seed. I will win this war some day!
On Saturday we spent some time working on one of the front flower beds. We added a tree and some shrubs. You can kind of see them in the Mother's Day picture below
I have also made some custom shelving for the kids' puzzles
This girl loves to paint
We had a yummy breakfast for Mother's Day
All ready for church on Mother's Day
Lyza gave her first talk in primary this Sunday. She spoke about the fourth Article of Faith. It was really special since it was Mother's Day. She did an amazing job and we were both really proud.
What a great wrapping job! Lyza helped me of course, and we didn't have the best materials to work with
We had a hot dog roast with Kim's brand new fire pit




Lyza had a friend over one day and they had a lunch date together
It is nice that these two can play in the bath together without too much bloodshed
This boy loves going down the slide

Lyza has a magnifying glass that she takes around with her everywhere
Brushing his hair
Lyza had her first experience playing Chutes and Ladders yesterday. She totally destroyed me!

Lyza has been coming up with her own songs recently
She also like to sing songs from the radio (i.e. Pandora)
Here is a glimpse into our nightly routine
Take care