Sunny Days

I am lovin' February.
The dry, sunny days have been so good for this mama's soul.

Swingin' . . .
 

Racin' . . .
{Kenners had been riding her bike.  We don't just sport helmets for the fun of it}
 

Crowin' . . .
Even Mr. Rooster enjoys the sunshine!
{He's new, by the way.  Isn't he pretty??  Yeah.  Our hens think so too.
We're incubating eggs as we speak}
 

More Swingin' . . .
Miss Tay is her happiest when we're outside.
 

And more racin'. 
Kam has to keep up with her big sissies . . .
 

 Miss Tay has been especially fun to watch grow and change these days.  She can be a bit challenging.  Definitely the most headstrong of my girlies {and that's saying a LOT because they've all been fairly . . . opinionated}.  But her vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds.  And the little looks and expressions . . . she keeps me laughing {and guessing}, that's for sure!
 

 

Yep.  We're all much happier when the rays are shining down.
 

 What's the weather like in your neck of the woods?

 

 

 

 

 

Spring Fling

Saturday afternoon was our annual Spring Fling dance performance, and it was such fun to watch Sierra and Makenna on "stage".

It was a beautiful day for it, too.  Warm temps, and even a little sunshine peeking through.

Sierra loves her Jazz 3 class.  She started with Jazz, and it's always been her thing. 

Kenners, on the other hand, has tried it all: Tap, Ballet, Jazz, and is now in Hip Hop.
I think she likes Hip Hop ;)

And Kam was just happy to finally get ahold of some Cotton Candy ;)

She'd been asking for some all day!

Busy Busy Bees

We've been busy, busy bees!

First off, all of my whining about the weather has, apparently, paid off ;)

We've had a two day break from the rain, and the thermometer hit 86 degrees this weekend! WOOHOOOO!

Sierra and Makenna have been practing and preparing for their upcoming dance recital. They dance all.day.long. Up and down the grocery aisles, in the living room, outside, you name it. It's pretty cute. After my doctor appointment on Friday {more on that later}, we stopped by Michael's to pick up some things we could use in making little gifts for the girls' classmates. Kenners chose these little suckers. And we saw the butterflies, and couldn't resist. So we turned them into hair clips.

Sierra decided to make bracelets for the girls in her Jazz 3 class. After I snapped this photo we added a little sterling disc stamped with the girls' initials.

Oh, and did I mention the weather has been gorgeous?! I did? Oh, well, it's worth mentioning twice ;) {Did ya notice that someone lost another tooth?}

If you're new here, or missed it before, we live right next door to my parents. We each own 20 acres that adjoin, and it's such fun for the girls to have their grandparents nearby {Jeremy's parents are just up the road too, making it extra special!} Sierra's been holding on to this mailbox since Valentine's Day in hopes of putting it up where our driveways meet, so that they can exchange notes.

Oh, and did I mention? We've been having some nice weather ;)

Wordless Wednesday ~ Bubbles

Sunshine & BBQin'

. . . Go hand in hand!

In honor of my sister coming up for a visit {and also for someone's 30th birthday, ahem} we invited a few friends and family over. And oh, what fun we had.

We only had one uninvited guest. This "little guy" came boundin' down the driveway, and once he saw the kiddos he didn't really want to leave.

Would you be wanting to leave if you were getting all that love and attention?

This is my friend, Mandy, and her two adorable babies. My mom used to take care of Mandy and her sister when my sister and I were little. We pretty much grew up together, and haven't seen each other since we were about 13. Yeah. It was quite a reunion.

The kids only had a teensy bit of fun. It was rather boring for them, actually. Can you tell? They were half asleep from the sheer boredom. Yawn. ;)

Guess who ♥ LOVES ♥ their cousin? Kam could not get enough smoochies from Mona. She kept chasing after her trying to give more and more loves. Precious, I tell ya.

My sis and my best friend from middle school and high school. Annie planned the entire gathering {with some help from my mom}. She is a party animal ;)

Ang & I met up again last summer after losing touch for several years. How precious friendships are. I'm so happy to have her in my life again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a gorgeous day.

Sunshine.

Blue skies.

Friends.

Family.

Good Food.

It doesn't get much better!

Wordful Wednesday ~ Sunny Days

The other day I was watching the news, and our weatherman stated that not only did we accumulate a full June's worth of rain in just one day, but we were also {only a handful of days into June} over 700% of typical rainfall for this time of year.

So . . . .

days like this:

make me shout, "Hallelujah!"

Ahhh, glorious sunshiney days!

They make me feel so cheery!

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What puts you in a good mood?

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For more wordless/wordful Wednesday fun, head on over to Seven Clown Circus, 5 Minutes for Mom and Miller Racing Family :)

Sunny Days!!!

Sunshine!!!

Oh how I love sunshine.

It's been MIA for months now.

But it made its appearance a couple of days ago, and has stuck around. And I cannot begin to tell you how happy that makes me. It turns my whole mood around. Everything is different when there's that golden-y goodness streaming through the windows, you know? {Can you tell I'm sooo ready for Summer?}

How do I love thee, sunshine? Let me count the ways:

Playing outside!!!

Enjoying the fresh air

{and the poor, neglected swingset}

When that beautiful blue sky accompanies!

When we make a spontaneous trip to the park

When I get to wear sunglasses because it's so bright!

When we're reminded of the little things that make life so sweet!

I'm linking up to Jennilee's ~ A Glimpse of Summer because I'm longing for summer too, girlfriend!

Edit: Uh-oh, I don't think I followed the rules :( I posted sunny pics, but not summer pics. For good measure, here's one of my favorites from last summer. I don't want to be a rule-breaker ;)

Almost Wordless Wednesday ~ Hot, Hot, Hot!

It's been so hot here these last few days.

And wouldn't you know, just as we're reaching into the 100's . . .

Our air conditioning decides to call it quits.

Thank goodness for water activities,

And a Nana who lives right next door!

Friend Makin' Mondays ~ Summertime!

And here, my friends, is another installment of Friend Makin' Mondays, hosted by

Kasey of All That Is Good.

This week we're talkin' about 10 things we love about summer

This should be a cinch since I LOOOOOOOVE Summer!

1. BBQs. I love 'em! Get togethers of any kind will do. The girls' cousins are out of school, and both my sister and sister-in-law are home through the summer meaning more flexibility for family gatherings, yay!

2. Family Reunion. Each year my side of the family holds a 3-day reunion camp-out. It's a great opportunity to see our relatives that live farther away. It's sad to admit, but we probably would never see them otherwise.

3. Slip N Slide. I know it sounds silly, but I love the darn thing. The girls could slip and slide all day long, and sometimes I let 'em!

4. Playing outside. We live in Oregon. We're lucky to see the sun at all. Most of the year it is drizzle and gloom, so we try to take advantage of the few decent days we get, and enjoy the outdoors.

5. Sunsets. I just love watching a beautiful sunset.

6. Vacations. Who doesn't love a getaway? Typically we don't do anything extravagant in the summer. But it seems each month is filled with some sort of getaway. A trip to the beach, camp-outs, they all refresh and renew the spirit.

7. Warmth and Sun. I know this is a "duh", but I cannot get enough of the sun. We see it so rarely, I just want to drink it up!

8. Though we go through many a bottle of sunscreen around here, we spend enough time out of doors to get a nice glow during the summer. There is something about a little tan that makes you look healthier.

9. Sundresses. I love to wear them!

10. Long days. Doesn't it just seem like the days go on forever during the summer? I love that it stays light so late, it means more time for cramming in all that summer fun!

So, what do y'all love about Summer? Go to Kasey's to read more about summer fun, and play along!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

If I had a green thumb, I'd plant fields full of tulips

Alas, I do not. The gardening gene missed me somehow (sorry Mom).

No worries. Just hop in the car and drive to the tulip festival.

I don't even have to get my hands dirty!

Can you sense the excitement? They can hardly contain themselves!

Looks like the rides may be a little more up their alley