Loungin'

Here we are loungin' and talking on the phone with Aunt Roxanne. I love how babies can extend their arms all the way up and they barely reach the top of their head. Can you imagine if your head was that big in proportion to your body?

Preeeeeecious.
Mama's milk knocks him out. =)

Sweet Sister

Rachel is proving to be so good with Anthony. We gave him a bath this morning and put him in his new monkey outfit from Aunt Vera. I love the baby clothes with pictures on the bum.
I'm bananas over you too, buddy.
Here's Rachel giving him a "finger kiss." This is what she does when she can't reach him with her lips.
He's pretty happy on his tummy.
Giving hugs in the kitchen.
I think she wanted to hold him.
Very gentle indeed.

"It Matched My Perfume"

Ashlee's comment on Sunday:

Dad: "That's a pretty dress Ashlee."

Ashlee: "Thanks. It's the one that matched my perfume the best."

Dad: "?"

Ashlee: "You know, I'm wearing like a musky, flowery perfume and this dress matched."

(Smile.)

She Made It!

We found out tonight that Ashlee made it into troupe! She tried out last Friday and made the cut. She will be in Jazz troupe and Ballet troupe, and will be performing 6-10 times throughout the year in addition to the two annual recitals. After 4 years in dance this was the next stage for her, and we are so glad she made it. At first I was going to have her cut down from 4 classes to 2 for the upcoming season, but once I found out about the budget increase at Horizon and realized that her school could pay for a majority of her tuition, I couldn't see the sense in holding her back. She thrives in dance and has really gained a lot of confidence from it. It's one of the things she is privileged to pour herself into through homeschooling. Way to go Ashlee!

Going, Going... Gone.

This is what happens to a tired girl who is left outside in her highchair. She was eating her snack and watching us move the trampoline, and a short while later this is how Forrest found her.
Heads get so heavy after you fall asleep.
My sweet Rachel.

Mom and All Her Kids

I woke up from a dream this morning that I was in Nugget Market smelling all of the different perfume samples, but in my dream they all smelled like water. I so badly wanted a new perfume, and the scents on the labels sounded so good, but when I sprayed them on my wrist there was no scent. I was so disappointed. So, when I discovered that we were out of milk this morning, instead of running up to Bel-Air, I made the trip down to Nugget and satisfied my need for a new perfume. I decided on Mediterranean Fig, and it does not smell like water.

Forrest went to work today and my mother-in-law is back at her home, so it was just the kids and I. All the chores were done and the weather was beautiful, so we decided to brave it and go to the park. Mind you this was my first outing alone with all the kids. We went to the community park in El Dorado Hills (one of our favorites, especially in the summer time) which was nice because they have the fenced-in area for the little ones. I only needed to call on Ashlee a couple of times to help get Rachel and Kaitlyn out of the baby swings. Anthony slept in my arms the whole time. I met a mom who had a baby that looked the same age as Anthony. I asked her when he was born, and she said May 28th; same day as Anthony. I asked her what time, and she said some time around 2:00a.m., making them about only 2 hours apart. That was kind of fun.

When we came back to the house we set up the sprinkler in the front yard for some water play. I made smoothies and sandwiches and enjoyed a quiet afternoon. I am glad I broke the ice with that first outing.

Strawberry-Kiwi Smoothies

What to do with the five pound bag of over-ripe kiwis sitting in the refrigerator? Make smoothies, of course!
Always with a touch of honey.
And take advantage of cute photo ops like this one.