sometimes it's hard

but then you look at children's happiness and innocence and it just makes you giggle.

new attire around these parts

Sophia said good bye diapers - HELLO undies.

fatherly fishing

My girls are not girly girls. Saylor's favorite part of the fishing trip was digging through the worms to find the perfect one. Not so much my cup of tea...but that's what father's are for.

Happy 4th

from my two favorite Fire Crackers... and from Josh and I.

picture taken by my newly turned 4 1/2 yr. old.

Happy Father's Day

The girls and I made a bouquet of Josh's favorite snacks for Father's Day. We took the boys (Josh and my dad) fishing that night but I have not downloaded those pics yet. Happy Belated Father's Day to all the dads out there.

impromptu zoo date

a new adventure began on Friday when I answered the phone. Friends invited us to join them on an impromptu zoo date that transformed an ordinary Friday into a ROAD TRIP adventure.

A picnic in the park the picture above is a PERFECT example of why I always have a camera in my hand - that way it exempts you from silly "who has the longest tongue" photos.my favorite time was watching the girls feed the giraffe can't you see the joy in my reaction!I think their favorite part was the ice cream. Can't wait for the next time!

driving a mini

My twin nephews and 3 yr old niece stayed with us this past week. Saylor was is HEAVEN with her extra long playdate and Sophia was entertained and fascinated with all the activity. Five kids was splendid for a week, although I was a tad more tuckered at night.

Happy Birthday Grandma

My grandma celebrated her 80th birthday last week with a giant family picnic in her backyard. This was a feeble attempt to capture the youngest great grandkids (5 under 1).

and then another attempt for the older great grandkids - too many to count.

She is an amazing women and has always been an inspiration to me. Happy Birthday Grandma!

Is it Halloween???

or migration? Where did all these birds come from?!?!

bathing beauties

some fun pics I'm going to hang in the girls' bathroom