Grace and Lucy's Pool Party

Last weekend was Grace and Lucy's pool party to celebrate their 8th and 6th birthdays!  All of the cousins were there and we had SUCH a great time.  Mommies can't believe how much of a "fish" I've become this summer.  The other funny thing that happened was that it seems that Ella and I (after nearly 3 years of being on this earth) seemed to finally discover each other!  We usually don't play much together, and we both tend to play with the older kids, but we were inseparable on Sunday and spent most of the afternoon together.  At one point, we were floating in the pool spitting water at each other's faces and laughing like crazy.  Pretty gross but also hilarious all at the same time. 

The food was great, the cake (and dirt and worms treat!) was delicious, and Grace and Lucy got some really cool gifts.  I was lucky enough to spend Monday morning with them since my school was closed, so I had the chance to play with a lot of them too!

Playing with the pool toys.

Grandpa taking a little nap.

Cheese!

Me and Ella being goofy.

Having some grapes with Aunt Kelly.

Me and Ella hanging out with Grandma.

Attempt at a cousin pic.  (minus Cal)

All of the cousins.



Fun with the Nelsons

We've had all sorts of fun over the past few weeks, so Mommy decided we should lump a few of them into one post.  With summer quickly coming to an end, we've been making sure to pack in as much summer fun as possible including hanging out with the Nelson family.  A couple of weeks ago, the Nelsons came over for dinner, and us girls had a blast playing on the play set outside, and eventually playing dress-up inside.  We also got together that same weekend and went for a bike ride and spent some time at a park.  The following weekend both families loaded up the boats and we spent one night camping on the St. Croix river.  It was SUCH a fun time.  So much fun in fact that Mommy failed to take 1 single picture!  Luckily, Melissa took some, so Mommy "borrowed" some pics from her blog!  All 7 of us (and 2 dogs) shared one big tent.  It was a beautiful weekend, despite a  few storms that blew through late Sat night.  On Sunday morning we got up and did some tubing and swimming before heading home.  I can't wait to go again next year!

Mommy gets an "F" for taking pictures recently, but here are a few...  :)

Trying on a few of my dress-up dresses!

Melissa brought a cake over, so I insisted we put candles on it and sing happy birthday.  :)

Us girls on our cots watching a movie.

Coloring with Bailee.

Playing in the sand.

Me and Aftin in the morning enjoying some donuts and being silly.

Hanging out in the water before we headed home.

Getting Ready to be a Big Sister

With my brother's due date a few short weeks away, I've been working really hard at some "big sisiter stuff" to get ready for him.  The first step was to finish getting his room ready.  Mommies did most of the work, but I have helped in a couple of ways.  First, I helped paint some of the letters that Mommies hung above his crib.  They let me paint one of the letters, then gave me a piece of paper to work on since my painting was getting a little wild.  :)  They also catch me in his room occasionally with a Clorox wipe wiping down his furniture getting it all cleaned up for him.  Mommy Susie's not sure where I got my knack for cleaning.  :) 

Painting his "T".

Working on a separate art project while Mommy Tina finished his letters.

Stopping mid-masterpiece to look up at the camera.

I've also started to practice some of my "big sister" duties on Joey and many of my dolls.  I carry my dolls around and call several of them by my brother's name, and I bounce them and "shush" them when I think they're sad and need to be comforted.  Last weekend, Mommies found me on their bed with Joey doing some more big sister practice.  I had him covered up in a blanket and was reading to him and rubbing his back.  



 Putting Joey down for his nap.

Reading to Joey while rubbing his back.  :)



Following in Mommy Tina's Footsteps?

Mommy Tina (or Mommy Keena, as I like to call her) was quite the softball player back in the day, and it's starting to look like the fruit didn't fall too far from the tree!  Mommies got me a tee ball set a few weeks ago, and I love it!  I should mention though that I'm not the only one who loves it - Joey loves it too!  I hit the ball, and Joey retrieves it.  It's a win-win!!  Here's a video of me practicing.  If I decide to get serious about this game, mommies are thinking my "uniform" will have to change.  :)



My Favorite Things to Say

 Over the past 6 months, I have really started to talk a ton.  Mommies are constantly saying that they need to write down some of the funny things I say before they forget, and since this blog is really my only "scrap book" right now, Mommy decided to capture some of my funny sayings here.  Some of the funny aspects of these sayings aren't what I say, but how I'm saying it.  Mommy tried to capture that in parenthesis in those instances.  This is just a start, I'm sure they'll think of more.

• Yep.  (I just started this one - it's how I respond to most things now.  I say it in a very "matter of fact" tone.)
• Where Mommy is?  (we're still working on sentence structure!)
• I don't like it.  (I tone lock it)
• I can't reach.  (I con weech)
• Mommy Keena.  (Tina)
• Mommy Susie.  (Susie)
• Grape.  (cousin Grace)
• Hug please.  (this is what I say when I want someone to carry me.)
• My Grandma, my Lucy, my Grape, my Mommy, my Papa, etc.  (everyone is "mine")
• Where my kids at?  (this question is usually asked about my cousins - Mommy Susie is a big fan of proper grammar, so this one makes her a little crazy)
• Hold on mommy, faster, slower, etc.  (I'm usually yelling these things from the backseat.  I've turned into a backseat driver.)
• Stop talking mommy….  (Mommies don't like this one.)
• I woke up. (I say this every day after my nap.)
• It’s goooood…(in reference to how something was…Maggie how was your nap?  How was school? etc…) 
• Maggie does….. (This means it's Maggie's turn.)
• I get big.  (one time when I was drinking milk, Mommy told me I would grow big and strong if I drank it, so now whenever I'm drinking milk, I tell mommies "I get big!")
• I get hair all wet.  (I recently discovered how to get my own hair wet in the bath and in pools, so I say this all the time now)
• More please.  (more peas)
• No thank you.  (Mommies got tired of me whining when I didn't want to do something, so now even if I'm frusterated and say it with a little bit of attitude, my "no's" still come out as "no thank you!")
  

Weekend at Lake Superior

Last weekend was our annual trip to Uncle Dan's parents' cabin on Lake Superior.  It was such a nice weekend.  The weather was perfect and the water felt great!  We spent most of our time swimming, but we also spent a few hours in Bayfield doing some shopping.  I was excited to get a new book in Bayfield - Chicka Chicka Boom Boom! which mommies have been reading to me every night this week!  Mommies did some snorkeling too.  What's fun about this spot on the lake is that it's actually very shallow and you have to go really far out before it gets deep.  Mommies snorkeled all the way to the deep part, but us kids hung out in the shallow end.  :)  It was so fun to have  my cousins, aunts and uncles and Grandma and Grandpa there together!  Can't wait to do it again next year!  For once, mommies actually did NOT take a lot of pictures, so we have a few from Sunday morning, and one picture that Mommy stole from Leyton and Cal's blog (thank you!).  Otherwise, you'll have to check out all of the other cousins' blogs for more pictures!

The cousins (minus Luca and Cal) posing for a pic in Bayfield.

Filling up water balloons.

Playing in the water.

Hanging out with Mommy.

The view from shore.  Those little specs in the distance are actually Dan and Eric.  They're pretty far out, but as you may be able to tell, the water's probably only up to their waists.  You have to go a lot further than that to get to the deep water!