July 4th and Hula Hoops

For the past 3 years we have gone to our old HOA July 4th picnic party. The kids really enjoy it and Lauren loves going down the water slides.


Pure satisfaction!


A little snow cone action before the big event.


Lauren entered the hula hoop contest this year. She won her age group and managed to get us a $25 gift card to a pizza place. Then she entered in with the older kids and had to do some tricks too. You can watch the full video here.


Cole also enjoyed the picnic even though he didn't get to do the slides. Next year we'll let him go on the water slides too.

Little Joe's

Crayola factory visit

During our vacation in PA, we decided to meet up with my brother and his family at the Crayola factory in Easton, PA. Although technically it's not the factory but more of a museum. They did show us how they make crayons and markers. Here's a picture of some sand art outside of the factory.


Lauren and Caroline at lunch.



Justin and Lauren after they finished navigating their boats through the locks. Inside the crayola factory but just upstairs is the National Canal Museum.


Here Caroline and Cole are pushing their boats through the locks.


Lauren is learning about pulleys.




All four cousins pose for a photo op. Cole was a little preoccupied.


Afterwards, we all went to get ice cream next door at the purple cow creamery.


And one last try to get all the cousins looking at the camera.

Chinese candy

Last time I took Lauren to the dentist I gave her some Chinese candy
and now she thinks the dentist's office gives them out.

Footloose

Lauren is anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Bride.


Before the food arrives, a little tic tac toe to stimulate the mind. Lauren had her hands full with Daddy's cousins.


"Remember, we all have to fall down at the end of the song."



Lauren and Cole loved dancing at the wedding. They just couldn't get enough. Lauren especially loved dancing with the bride and groom as many times as she could.

Floating

Cole's first and most likely last trip to PA

We visited back east for a good 10 days and stayed in PA. No trip to PA is complete without visiting Longwood Gardens. Especially since it's only 10 mins away. Here Lauren is enjoying the water much like her last visit.


Cole is playing with one of the many water exhibits in the children's area.


Lauren and Grandma are at the top of one of the tree houses in the gardens. There are a total of 3 or 4 of them.


Here's the whole house.


The lily pad area has some of the most colorful flowers.


And last but not least, there were 3 little chicks in a nest right on the front porch in Grandma's wreath. This will be Cole's first and last trip because the grandparents have sold their PA home and bought a new one in Seattle.

Summer in NYC

Peace and quiet

To prepare for our upcoming plane trip, we bought the kids each their own headphones. These are specifically made for kids by Kids Gear and they have a lot of positive reviews on Amazon. After Wednesday, we'll let you know how well they work. On a side note, we had ordered these from Amazon at 10:46pm using the super saver free shipping and they arrived the next day at 2:28pm. It's a good thing we didn't pay for upgraded shipping and I guess it helps that we have an Amazon distribution center in Phoenix.

Eye exam

I just had my eyes checked after almost 5 years since my last checkup and about 5.5 years since I had my PRK eye surgery. The doctor said that my eyes were 20/20 and that the results were basically perfect. I still think my right eye isn't as good (good being relative) as my left but overall I'm still very happy with the decision.

Summer fun

I can't believe I've been blowing all this time. Where has this invention been all my life.


Lauren showing some pretty form except she's right-handed and not left-handed.


Cole insisted on only using one hand.


Lauren frozen during freeze tag. Cole is about to unfreeze her. Then again, maybe not.

I'm 4 yrs old today!

Turning 4 yrs old has been a pretty significant milestone in my life. 4 yr olds can do so much more but at the same time the expectations also increased. For example, I don't get any more bunny crackers when I use the potty. I also can do more things such as climb the rock wall at the YMCA.

Itty Bitty Sports - T-Ball

A little stretching before starting.


The coach had them practice running around the bases.


Here Lauren is throwing in a group of 3. Some of the kids don't understand that the other person should be ready to catch the ball. Luckily most of the kids are not very accurate yet.


Lauren is running to first after hitting the ball.

I'm 2 years old today!

Finally I'm 2 years old now. Since I didn't get a new bed for my birthday, I'm beginning to wonder how long they plan on keeping me in the crib. My sister was already out of the crib before she was 2. Well just to recap my past 2 years.

527 photos to produce the 24 monthly photos
4 states (AZ, CA, NV, WA)
2 airplane rides
1 outpatient surgery
0 ER visits

Birthday treat

Cole at Sesame Street Live.

Itty Bitty Sports - Basketball

The second sport in the Itty Bitty lessons is basketball. Here Lauren is trying to shoot a hoop.


"Can we play soccer?"


Cole enjoyed dunking the ball.



"Who's ready to do suicides next week? They are just as fun as basketball."

Easter fun

We decided to check out the annual Ahwatukee Easter Parade this year. It consisted of mostly local groups (even the local TEA party) and lots of girl scout troops (brownies and daisies included). One common theme though was the passing out of candy and easter eggs which Lauren loved.


Here's a dance studio with their own float.


This was a boy scout troop.


The organizers of the free concert in the park series also had an Easter egg hunt. Here you can see Lauren and Cole hunting for eggs. There weren't too many kids in the 3 and under category.


Cole is enjoying all the loot he picked up. Turns out some of the eggs had money or gift certificates in them. We got four gift certificates for free frozen yogurt. Definitely beats jelly beans.

Pancake Art

We recently bought a pancake batter dispenser to be used for filling up mini cupcakes but since it was actually designed for pancakes, I thought I'd give it a try. I must admit I am not an artist and actually had a lot of trouble coming up with things to draw.


This was supposed to be a smiley face with two eyes but it looks more like an African soapstone sculpture.


Heart.


Flower


Car


Triangle. I told you I had an hard time thinking of things to draw.