Garage Sale Day 1 Recap

As children Jessica (my garage sale partner in crime) and I both remember our Mom's garage sales. And ironically we both remember the same thing...donuts! What is a garage sale without donuts?!

So we started bright and early, a donut in hand, waiting for the masses. Our official open time was 8:00 am, but of course we weren't going to turn anyone away and by 7:55 am I already had a customer (I use that term loosely) trying to return a floor lamp. I had told her that it unscrewed in half for easier transport, however I guess the threads were stripped and it wasn't staying together tightly and if you lifted up on the top part it came apart. My solution: don't lift up on the top part. Her solution: complain. I finally said "well it's a $2 lamp, I am not in the repair business do you want to take it or do you just want your money back?" She choose the money. No problem, two hours later I gave it away to a very nice lady who agreed it could be ducted taped together hidden behind the lovely dresser she also purchased from me and all would be good!

At the end of day one I have made maybe $100 (I am trying not to focus on how hot it is forecasted to be tomorrow or the three days of preparation that has gone into this endeavor!) I said I was trying.

Garage Sale!!!

I am spreading the word that my friend and I have combined our treasures for a garage sale!

Thursday & Friday
8:00 am to ??

824 Anne Street
(Trails Edge Subdivision)

Featured Items:
Baby Boy Clothes (0-18 mts)
Misc. Baby Items
Furniture
Clothes Dryer

We have quite the variety!! I am sure there is something for everyone! Tell a friend!!

I couldn't sleep last night. Sometimes I have trouble just turning my mind off and closing my eyes. I had read the Pioneer Woman's top ten tips for blogging before I eventually drifted into dreamland. So my mind began to flood with topics for my 2 Little Chiefs. Brace yourselves for randomness!



First, I don't often take pictures of the kids sleeping for fear of waking them. However, I feel these are some of the most precious moments...mainly because they are peaceful!

Grant has really started pointing. He did it a few weeks ago, but I thought it was just by accident. When he pointed to the cabinet for more crackers it was no accident! We are working on waving now. Elizabeth did the "squeeze the fingers together" wave. What I have seen so far of Grant he seems to have the "limp wrist" wave!

Last night we went for a walk around 7:30. Grant fell asleep in the stroller and when we arrived back home Brandon took him upstairs and put him to bed. He sleep through the night! I didn't even have a chance to put jammies on him!

Brandon has officially reached Hero status in his little girl's eyes. She often wakes up in the morning and as soon as she realizes Daddy isn't there she starts crying "but I didn't get to give Daddy a kiss!" She is pretty big on giving kisses to everyone whether it be at bedtime or a departure. If one of us isn't there I have her kiss my hand and I take them her kiss. So I thought it might be a good idea if we left Daddy a kiss on the door and he could take it on his way to work. So that's what we did. Well she woke up and cried (loud enough to wake Grant) "Oh no Daddy didn't take his kiss!!!" How does she know he forgot her imaginary kiss?!
There will be times in the middle of the day she just says, "I want Dada!" Each night she asks when she wakes up in the morning will Daddy be here or will he be at work? It's kind of hard to explain weekdays and weekends to a 2 1/2 year old!

Old Settlers

This past Friday we went to Metamora's Old Settler Days. Another good ole' hometown festival. I was really excited for Elizabeth to try the rides. We went with our neighbors (and good friends!) Their little girl Lauren is fearless so I thought she would help encourage Elizabeth to try some new things. As it turned out Elizabeth was more than willing to try the rides. They started slow with the Carousel and Motorcycle, but did the Super Slide, Dizzy Dragon and even the Scrambler....after dinner!


Lauren & Elizabeth ended the evening dancing on the square to the live band. These girls have a lot of fun together!




Grant had a good time too. I think he will be ready to get in the game next year! He was actually clapping along with the music!

Rodeo

I tried to take Elizabeth to the Piatt County Rodeo last June, but a little baby boy had other plans! So I took both kids this year down to my grandparents and they showed us a real rodeo!



Although this maybe a small town rodeo it is a pretty big deal because the points go toward the International Pro Rodeo Association (or something like that!). The first thing to notice was that the parking attendants are on horseback. Right inside the gates were pony rides and Elizabeth has been asking to ride a horse so of course we saddled her up! Her pony was named Charley and she was all smiles the whole ride!

We took our seats in the bleachers and waited for the events to start. We were introduced to the Rodeo Queen. This little lady stays very busy! I never saw her off of her horse! At this point I should also mention how patriotic the rodeo is. I should have anticipated this, but I didn't. I also owe my mother a huge apology. We were at Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede several years ago on vacation. When they presented the American flags on horseback she stood up. We all looked at her and rolled our eyes (she was the only one who stood up). I now understand why. The same thing happened at the rodeo, but everyone stood up immediately. Sorry for teasing you Mom, you were just being a good American!!

The first event was Bareback Bronco and it provided some excitement. The first cowboy got bucked off but his hand got caught up in the rope and he took quite the beating. The second cowboy got bucked off right in front of us! My grandma was grimacing...I loved it...this is what a rodeo is all about! Unfortunately, that was all for that event and we were entertained for quite some time by the rodeo clown. The rodeo clown wasn't bad, it was just that his antics were a bit much for a two year old and we needed to see more horses!

Next was the calf dressing. Yes, adults chasing a calf trying to put a giant pair of cow size underwear on it...calf dressing...just like it sounds!

The kids (not my kids!) did mutton busting. This is when the kids act like bull riders, but instead of riding a mean old bull, they ride a sheep. Well these sheep were fast and the kids didn't stand much of a chance!

At this point they announced a 20 minute intermission before the second half started. Second half?! It was already 9:00 pm. Elizabeth hadn't napped and I failed to bring a bottle for Grant. We decided it was best to head home. Enter: Meltdown Mode. Elizabeth cried the whole way to the car and most of the way home. She was so tired! I really wanted to see the events of the second half (barrel racing and bull riding), but there was no way the kids were going to make it. Next year we will plan better and insist on naps!

It doesn't get much more hometown and wholesome than the rodeo. Thank you Grandma & Grandpa Briggs for showing us city folks a good country rodeo!



(and Cory & Kari, if you reading this, I have to admit that I had to laugh knowing that you were enjoying the South of France and we were at a rodeo! I thought to myself, they are having a glass (or two) of French wine and we are having corn dogs!)

The Birthday Boy

Grant Ryan Turns One!!


The kids are so lucky to have their grandparents in their lives. Ima & Pops and Mimi & Pops were of course there to celebrate with Grant, but in addition we were blessed to have Grandpa Ray, Grandma Phyllis, Grandma Louise and Grandma & Grandpa Briggs!


(really wish someone would have told me to fix my hair!!)

Grant never took a nose dive into the cake. His hands were caked with cake though! He had a birthday bath after he had had all the sugar he could take. He actually pushed the plate away!




Having a good laugh with Pops!


Grant got a lot of nice gifts and he has had lots of fun playing with his new toys this morning. Elizabeth has had a lot of fun too! She actually handled Grant's birthday really well. I was waiting for the melt down to come at anytime, but it never did. She was a little extra helpful with the unwrapping of the presents, but she promised that Grant could help her on her birthday (and we have that recorded!)

We had to take a bath this morning so they could play with a new bath toy that squirts water down, kind of like a fountain/shower...hard to explain, but super cute. They loved it and didn't want to get out of the tub! But then we went outside and used the new bubble machine and they loved that too! I think what I like the most is that they can play with so many toys together. We are working very hard on sharing and this has presented lots of opportunities to fine tune our skills!

All in all Grant was in a terrific mood all day. The only time he even fussed when we took a balloon out of his hands so we could light the candle on his cake! My Mom made a video that had complied pictures of his first year and it is amazing to look back and see much he has changed. He doesn't look like the same baby! In the beginning he was classified as "delayed" because he wasn't hitting his milestones, but he has caught up and is even exceeding some milestones now! We are so proud of all that he has accomplished and for what is yet to come! Last year on Mother's Day we moved Elizabeth into her big girl to make room for our new baby in the nursery. That night I cried. Brandon told me something I will never forget. He said, "Alison, they are supposed to grow up, if they didn't something would be wrong" So very true, yet it's still hard to accept how fast it all goes by. So thanks for letting me try to capture all of these moments in this new outlet called a blog!!

Making the Cake

So I had this grand idea to attempt a topsy turvy cake for Grant's birthday. I know a lot of people buy their children really nice bakery cakes, but I am too frugal (we prefer this word over cheap, but really that's what it is!)

I started baking the cakes at 6:30 this morning. I turned out one of the 8 inch cakes while Elizabeth was eating breakfast. Well it didn't come out clean and I said "oh darn it!" and she asked what was wrong and I showed her part of the cake still left in the pan. Her reply was, "don't worry mommy, it is ok, Grant can have that piece!" Always the thoughtful sister!



So it ended up being 3 tiers. I was hoping to put a dirt road (made of crushed oreos) on the blue layer's ledge, but it wasn't wide enough for the toy truck to sit on, so I scraped that idea.

















The dots are melted candy melts with sprinkles. I printed his name out and put that under a piece of parchment paper and then just piped the melted chocolate. This way I had a better chance of getting the letters similar sizes! Then I just added a line at the bottom of each letter to serve as "picks" so I could stick them into the cake.

I thinned my frosting out a little too much, but other than that I was pleased with my creation. The middle layer didn't slide off, which I had a fear could happen! I did explain to the party guests that I worked hard to make this cake crooked, it wasn't by accident!

Thanks to my Mom, Kara and Nicole for letting me borrow the varying size cake pans!

Our Baby Turns 1!!!

To say we were excited when my water broke a year ago today would be an understatement! I was down right silly! We got to the hospital at 11pm on Father's Day and Grant joined our family four hours later.



Grant Ryan entered this world, on a very stormy morning. There were actually tornado warnings. He wasn't able to be with me right away because he had a little bit of a rough time adjusting to the real world. So Brandon was with him in the nursery and I sat in my room with the shades drawn (hospital policy when there are warnings) desperately wanting to hold my new baby. It was the longest 6 hours. But finally we got to cuddle our new bundle of joy! This picture was actually taken in the moments just after he was born and I got to hold him briefly. But you can tell in the picture how gray he looked.



Our sweet baby boy after his bath and looking much better!!









The new Pauli family of four!

It is hard to believe it has been a year already. It is hard to remember when it was just the three of us! Grant has been such a blessing and it is so much fun to watch him grow and change and develop his own little personality!

Grant joined this world two weeks early and that was not by accident. Brandon lost his grandfather and I lost my grandmother within the first two weeks of his life. They both had told us that we were going to have a baby boy and both of them were able to meet him. If he would have come on his due date, this wouldn't have happened. Don't ever forget that God is in charge!



Birthday bash post to follow! Happy birthday, my baby boy...love, love, LOVE YOU!!!

Father's Day

Father's Day was supposed to start with Dunkin' Donuts in bed for Brandon. However, we had to run into town later that morning for some birthday shopping so to minimize our trips into town we settled for Ron's Donuts. Not that Ron's Donuts are bad, it is just hard to beat Dunkin' and we arrived at 9:45 and the selection was not the best. They didn't even have Brandon's favorite, a chocolate long john. Thank goodness we like different kinds of donuts. I would never fight him for a long john! We made up for it by accompanying it with a breakfast sandwich from Hardee's.

Brandon's wish for Father's Day was to be able to watch the US Open. We ran into town so Elizabeth could pick out a birthday present for Grant and grabbed lunch at the Arches. At this point I feel like I am failing in the food department on this special day. We got home in time for the kids to nap and Brandon to watch golf.

We had made plans with my parent's to get together that evening. So I made the Pioneer Woman's Pizza Crust (my new fav) and prepared the toppings and we took it over to my p's to cook on The Green Egg. We used fresh mozzarella and I thought it turned out pretty good. It was nice to be able spend the evening with my Dad.

We spent Saturday evening with Brandon's p's. Everyone got haircuts and we swam and had a cook out. At some point I will figure out how to upload videos, but for now you will have to take my word for it. Elizabeth started swimming with Pops and then her confidence really grew and she swam out of Mimi's arms into Daddy's, which kept moving further and further, until she swam across the whole pool by herself!! Now I am not saying it was a perfect breast stroke, but she isn't even 3! We were all pretty excited for her!

Thank you to all of the wonderful father's in my life! I am so blessed to have all of you...Dad, Kenny, Brandon...love you all!!

Bicycle Safety Town & Food Adventures

I have been trying to take the kids to Bicycle Safety Town for a few weeks now and the weather has just not cooperated. We had planned to go with my Mom's Group yesterday, but it got rained out. It is all Elizabeth has been talking about. I think she is finally going through the "I'm jealous of my baby brother" (who is doing lots of new things and getting lots of attention!) accompanied by late onset of the terrible two's. Most people say they are actually the terrible three's and I am starting to believe it! At any rate, we are trying really hard to give her extra attention and make a big deal of her accomplishments as well. So when all she talks about it taking her tricycle to Safety Town I really wanted to make it happen.

My friend Jessica and I had planned last night at 8pm to take the kids this morning. As the storm started at about 3 am this morning and we both had our big kids in bed with us, I wasn't sure Safety Town was going to happen. In my spare time I have been perfecting my radar reading skills and I predicted that we had a window from 9am to 10am that would be dry. No one won any style points this morning, as we hustled the kids out the door this morning!

Sure enough at about 10 am it started misting, but we toughed it out for awhile before throwing the towel in. It wasn't crowded and we can finally say we made it to Bicycle Safety Town. I should explain for non-Peorians that this a fenced in area that has paved streets, like a mini city with signs, overpasses, tunnels, street lights, etc...

We ended our trip with a stop at the Smoothie King, where Elizabeth asked if there was a king inside! (we play a lot of Candy Land and to refresh your memories, there is a king at the top of the candy castle!). One sip of her delicious smoothie and she forgot all about a king not actually being there.

I am really starting to explore new foods with Grant. He only has four teeth, so we still have to be careful, but I think he welcomes a change from baby food. Cheese has been a big hit, so far American and Provolone. We did black beans a couple of times last week. He also really liked yogurt. Yesterday he had a quesadilla...ok I think we have the dairy area covered! I really have forgotten how I did all of this with Elizabeth. He has had peanut butter, so no worry of allergies, which was a relief. Puffs and Baby Mums Mums still seem to be a favorite. It is a challenge for me to think of what new foods I can introduce to him. Elizabeth is a really good eater, so I hope he will follow suit.

Because Elizabeth is so verbal, I find myself sharing things that she says. Today it was this:

E: I think we should get a new baby
Me: Like give Grant back and get a new one?
E: A new baby
Me: So another baby and keep Grant?
E: Keep Grant, and get a new baby
Me: Do you think you would like another baby brother or sister?
E: A baby brother
Me: We should probably ask Daddy
E: Why?
Me: He might have an opinion on the matter!

Talk

Something about the car turns Elizabeth's questions into high gear! She talks so much I have to remind brandon that she is talking and to not talk over her. The other day is actually yelled "excuse me I'm talking!". We work pretty hard on using manners and nice words, so it was nice of her to say excuse me, but we are working oc the tone! I guess on this particular car ride she wore herself out because then she said, "can everyone be quiet, I'm trying to take a nap!"

Grant has really picked up on all of this talking too and has also increased his vocabulary. He now has a very defined "ba ba ba ba!". The German is also coming out in him as he says "nine, nine, nine, nine" I think he could carry on a conversation with his sister!

I am beginning preparations for his birthday, which is one week from today! I am planning to make my first topsy turvy cake....stay tuned!

"No, No"

Apparently the magic words "No, No" just mean move faster! To Grant that's what they mean anyway. He has now discovered the dog food. He grabbed a piece while I was doing laundry and he crawled away faster than I have ever seen! It was like his body was his get away car. Too bad the brown drool gave it away!

He has also started to crawl up the stairs. Yesterday he could only get on top of the first one, but today I found him on the second one! When I said "Grant, no, no" he only laughed and tried to crawl up to the next one! Aye, Aye, Aye!

I suppose the cabinets and drawers are next! He is becoming quite the mobile monkey! Elizabeth is trying to adjust to her little brother getting into her stuff! His favorite things right now are shoes and toilet paper. The thought actually crossed my mind today that it might be time to start buying cheap toilet paper because I seem to be throwing a lot of unused toilet paper away!

Kite & Bacon Bubbles

The heat wave continued on Wednesday, but at 11:00 I finally took the kids and Jack outside. I found some Buddy Bubbles, which are bacon scented bubbles for dogs. Jack LOVES to chase bubbles. The only problem was there was no bubble wand in the bottle and the wands that we have wouldn't fit into the bottle. This may be one reason why the Buddy Bubbles product hasn't taken off....they make it kind of hard to use when they don't provide you with the proper tools! (just in case the makers of BB are reading this!) So being the problem solver that I am, I poured the bubbles into a cup. I am not really sure Jack appreciated the bacon scented bubbles, but he chased them all the same!

Although it was very humid (and did I mention hot?) there was a breeze so we got the kite out. Now we had quite the traumatic experience with a fairy kite in the early spring. A story wort retelling...

It was a warm day in early spring and a perfect day for flying a kite. We had found this really cool kite string handle that was ring shaped, perfect for little hands. It even had a little notch so you can let out as much string as you want and then stop. On this particular windy day Elizabeth wanted to hold the kite. I got our beloved fairy kite up in the air for her and it was flying pretty high. I then handed her the handle and told her "hold on tight, don't let go". Jack or Grant needed my attention, so as she stood in the back corner of the yard I ran to the garage real fast. You know it is always in those "real fast" moments that things happen. Sure enough, she had let go. I see the neon yellow handle bouncing across the field. The wet, muddy field. Elizabeth starts crying "my fairy kite, my fairy kite." The kite is still blowing across the field.. EB is still crying. I looks like the handle is stuck on something. So I put on my rain boots. I put Elizabeth's snow boots on her and strap Grant to me in a sling. We start tromping across the field. The mud is thick and sticking to our boots making our trek even heavier and slower. All the time EB is still crying "my fairy kite, my fairy kite." I am trying my best, but man this is tough. I get to where I think I had seen the handle only to find a old corn stalk. I look a little further and I can see the wind has carried the kite into a tree about another half a mile away. Well, as you can see this was quite the situation, so I will get to the end. The kite was stuck in the tree and I couldn't reach the handle and we had a very long walk home. We hung our hopes on daddy being our hero when he got home from work. All he was able to salvage was the precious handle.

Aunt Amber happened to be in town and heard of our sad tale and bought EB a new and better lady bug kite.

Even as we flew it today Elizabeth said, "I won't let go!" Good plan!




We had a little swim at Mimi and Pops and then hit the neighborhood garage sales. Brandon had a softball game that we went to. About three minutes in, I regretted that decision. It was so sticky and the kids just wanted to sit on me. But we clapped and cheered real big when Daddy hit a triple!

Farm Park

Today my Mom's group went to Farm Park. It was a cool 91 degrees and despite it being a "free day" I think the heat kept the crowds away. Due to the heat the animals were not extremely active, nor were they all that hungry. The ones that weren't hiding out in the shade didn't seem real interested in eating the same old pellets! Elizabeth did feed the horses and at the end we managed to make the mama goose real mad by getting too close to her babies. They give you the food in an ice cream cone so you can also feed the animals the cone. The goose was hissing and I snatched the cone out of EB's hand and threw it at the goose. I didn't really mean to hit it. It was just supposed to be a gesture of "here have some food, we don't want your goslings!"

I failed to bring a snack and EB was hungry. So as sweat was starting to run down by abdomen I decided it was time to hit the concession stand for lunch. EB ate a really good lunch and Grant sucked down his pumpkin banana food tube, or "squeezie food" as we call them.

I can't say it was the most exciting trip to Farm Park, but it was free and nice to hang out with our friends. We cooled down in the Pauli Pool this afternoon. Grant really enjoyed the water and maybe enjoyed his bottle and a nap in the shade even more! I let EB wear her water wings and just have fun. We didn't ask her to blow bubbles or to try to float and guess what? She did all of those things on her own terms at her own pace! I think we will just let the swimming stuff come naturally and let her just play all summer. I have a feeling we are in for a hot one!

St. Louis (aka Pauli Family Fun Weekend!)

We spent this past weekend in STL with Brandon's family. Our first stop was the STL Zoo. It was about 95 degrees and it is safe to say we were all hot and sweaty! The apes proved to be the most entertaining. Let's face it, who doesn't laugh at animals playing with their poop! The zoo was open late because there was a band playing until 8 pm. It was not crowded and we able to roam around at our leisure. The kids rode the carousel with Mimi and Pops and before leaving Elizabeth got her face painted.


We found a new area of STL called the Delmar Loop and actually ended up eating dinner there both nights. The first night we dined at an Italian/Pub type restaurant called Cicero's. Italian nachos were really good!

We started Saturday morning at Grant's Farm. Owned by the Busch family, this is the home to the world famous Clydesdale horses. However, there is so much more than just horses! The adventure starts with a tram ride through Deer Park. Animals of all kinds (not just deer!) are roaming around you...really close, there are no barriers between the animals and the trams. Given the heat the animals were not real active, but a lovely family of geese and mules did walk right next to us! After the tram ride we feed the goats. We did this last year with Elizabeth and it was so much fun. You get small bottles of milk and you can go into the goat's pen or feed them from outside the fence. You have to stand your ground if you go in because these goats are smart. If they see you with a bottle in your hand they want your attention. The little ones can easily get knocked over. Elizabeth thought it was funny to have the goats all around her, but wasn't too excited about being pummeled, so after being inside for a bit she opted to feed the goats from the safety of behind the fence. Stella and Grant also preferred this method! Stella even taste tested the bottles for the goats! The carousel is located right next to the goats and once Elizabeth spotted it that was next on the agenda. Just the girls did the carousel today. I am not sure going around in a circle is really Grant's idea of a good time. Then there was a bird show that had trouble holding the little ones attention. It was cute, but just didn't move fast enough. To be honest, I couldn't understand what the parrot was saying either! We visited the beer garden for our hospitality drink (or snow cones for the kids!) and a snack. Really we just all needed to take a break in the shade, because once again it was a scorcher! We visited the Clydesdales and then headed back to the hotel for a little R&R and break from the sun. We were all hoping for naps, but the kids didn't feel that was necessary and only one out of the nine of us got to snooze!

We packed up and headed to the Brew Tour. And once again some more "hospitality drinks!". We actually got to pet the dalmatian in the stables. It was probably my fourth time on the tour and to the best of my recollection, not much has changed in the beer brewing process or the history of Anheseur-Busch! But we were happy to share the experience with the rest of the family.

We ate at Fritz's a restaurant that brews it's own Root Beer. Once again a great meal and we ended it with a trip to Ben & Jerry's!

We went back to the hotel and went swimming, but the water was really cold. Yes, it was an indoor pool, but not an enjoyable swim. I quickly voted for a Sunday morning swim to be taken off the agenda!

We had a relaxing Sunday morning before heading to the stadium for the game.

I was very excited that we had new Cardinal gear to wear to the game. Not a great picture of the kids, but you can see their shirts!


I guess the kids needed a pregame nap. Yes this was on the way to the game...not on the way home! Grant looks like he is ready to catch a pop fly!

Elizabeth was excited about two things...fireworks and Fredbird. Well, first you only see fireworks if there is a home run or if the Cardinals win. Second, Fredbird does make as many appearances as one might think! We had to make up a lot of stories about where Fredbird was between innings! Did you know that Fredbird has a "birdie bathroom" at Busch stadium? When we first got to our seats Elizabeth said she was hungry and we said we could go get food. "I don't want to leave, I don't want to miss the game!" Oh a true fan! I should mention it was like an hour before game time! I think she was just on the look out for Fredbird. Lucky for us Pujols gave us a home run in extra innings to win the game so there were fireworks! It was a really good game! The kids did super despite the warm temps. We were actually very lucky to be in the shade. I'm not sure we would have been able to withstand the sun beating down on us for three hours!


Brandon even took Stella during the middle of the game to change her out of her Cubs shirt and put her in a Cardinals dress!

Brandon lead us most of the weekend, whether driving or walking. He does both fast! So it was not always easy for everyone to keep up, but everyone behaved themselves really well....oh there was that incident at the end of the brew tour, but we won't go into details of that display of brotherly sisterly love!

It was a wonderful family weekend and we are so grateful to have been able to spend it with our family! When we got home Sunday night I was getting Elizabeth ready for bed and I ran downstairs to get monkey (her lovie). When I came back up she told me she had pottied in her pull-up. When I asked her why she didn't just get up and go to the bathroom she responded "Mommy, I was just relaxing". Well it was a relaxing weekend, I guess she was still in vacation mode! Thanks Mimi and Pops for everything!

A Summer's Day

Today was beautiful so I filled the inflatable pool. Jack was the first one to get in! Elizabeth was more interested in our lilac bush...actually more interested in picking individual blossoms!

Oh she decided to get in!

As it was approaching dinner time, I asked her to put the tricycle away and somewhere in the process she met the driveway. Many tears followed. Rightfully so though, she skinned both knees pretty good and caught herself on the heels of her hands. We washed the scrapes, put on neosporin and band-aids.

Brandon had a softball game. Grant fell asleep on the long car ride there (3 blocks)! "I'd Hit That" (brandon's team) won. It was a little buggy out but it was a nice evening to watch him play. Elizabeth cheered "go daddy go!" and asked several questions about why or why not daddy was running. I think she may be a little young to understand offense and defense. Although I did my best to answer ALL of her questions and trust me there were many! She never stops asking questions! Brandon and I just laugh when we are in the car with her because it is non stop rapid fire questions and heaven forbid if we try to have an adult conversation. "I'm talking!" she will yell.

The first boo boos of summer....the first of many. I cringe to think when Grant will start walking and met the concrete the first time! I will just hold on tight to him for as long as I can!