Doggie Box

 Friday evening Dan wanted to eat out for dinner.  Gabriel chose Kansai.  Yeah, this kid has expensive taste!  When our dinner was over, we all combined our leftovers into one doggie box to take home.  I was teasing that it would be my lunch the next day.  Gabriel took a pencil and wrote his name on the box --- like that would stop me from eating it??  He was giggling at how clever he thought he was.

In case you can't read the words, he wrote, "Gabe's   No Grace."  Yep, that's a big brother for ya!

Happy Birthday, Gramps!

 Grampy turned 70 last week!  Barbara invited us over to celebrate his big day with some homemade lasagne, salad, garlic bread, and dessert.  Let me tell ya . . . that was more like a gift for Mommy!

The Lindsey family brought candles that look like sparklers to go on a cookie cake.  How fun!  And they go out all by themselves . . . no one needs to blow their spit all over the cake!  Ha!

Happy Birthday, Grampy!

Labor Day Weekend

We spent Labor Day weekend camping at O'Bannon Woods State Park, despite the threat of rain generated by Hurricane Isaac. Our theory is that rainy camping is still better than no camping at all.

I'm pretty sure that we hadn't been at camp for 15 minutes before Ninny and Pap broke out root beers for all of the kids.

To entertain the kids, Candi took them on a bubble parade around the campsites.

Cassidy had just celebrated her birthday, so we brought her birthday gift with us to camp.  Grace was so excited for her to open it.

Saturday morning was so perfectly laid back.  I enjoy sitting around the campfire drinking coffee and watching the kids play.  I think Grace likes hanging out around the campfire in the morning too.

Grace was cuddling in my lap when Alicia snapped a quick picture of her being silly.

The boys nearly wore the rubber off the tires of their bikes riding around the circle.  That is one of my favorite things about camping in our circle at O'Bannon.  The kids can ride and play, and the parents don't have to hover.

Gabe was having a ball hanging with his buddies.

The boys broke out Monopoly.  I'm not sure how long they actually played, but I feel certain they didn't actually finish a game.

This sweet baby girl was so sleepy.  She fell asleep in my arms.  It's been a long time since I've had a sleeping baby in my arms.  I have to admit that I miss it.

Saturday morning we loaded up in the back of Daniel's truck and went to the pioneer village to look around.

The kids were killing the candy.  Someone put out suckers, Twizzlers, and Smarties and let the kids eat to their hearts' content.  Yikes!

The donkeys and oxen were in the same pen.  One of the ox brayed and scared the girls to death.  They were much more comfortable talking to the donkeys.

The sheep were chatty little fellows too.  They were making all kinds of ruckus.

The kids got to play with pioneer toys . . . a far cry from a Nintendo DS.  Ha!

Dan and Wayne tried out a two-man saw.  They agreed that it was more difficult than it looks.

Dan found a baby mouse in the rocks.  After the kids got a chance to check it out, he took it to the nature center so it could become a snack for a snake.

Silly Grace and Cassidy used Wayne as a seat while waiting for the hay press demonstration.

After watching the hay press for a little bit, the kids decided they wanted to go back to the village to make a basket.

Dan has a basket weaving merit badge, so it's no surprise that he was a regular basket weaving expert.

It started to rain about 1:30 or 2:00, just as we were finishing up at the pioneer village.  Back at camp, Grace couldn't wait to splash in puddles.

So what happens when the sun comes out right after a good rain?  You get a beautiful rainbow!!  This one was amazing!

Janelle, Alicia, and I checked out Scout Mountain Winery, just a few miles from the park.  We all agreed that the sweet red wine was our favorite.

While Dan finished fixing dinner, Alicia, Janelle, Marcia, and I headed to the playground with the kids.  Grace insisted on pulling the wagon up the hill while Mazden and Nora rode.

The boys played fighting games . . . like boys do.  Grace went back to the camper for buckets and shovels.

I know it's a shock that Grace was digging at the playground.

The boys played hard!  I feel like I barely saw Gabriel on Saturday.

A camp-out just isn't a camp-out without roasting marshmallows over the fire.

I know I've said this before, but I'll be happy to say it again.  One of my favorite things about camp is sleeping with my baby girl.  We cuddle in bed all night.  Waking up next to her in the morning is such a sweet little treat.

Sunday it rained.  The nerds read their books under the canopy while it rained.  (I poke fun because if I had still been reading Fifty Shades, I'd have been reading too.  As luck would have it, I'd finished mine.)

I got out sand art for the kiddos.

There is no better place to do sand art than at camp!

I tried getting Cassidy and Grace to make sand pictures with the spilled sand, but that idea didn't go over very well.

The boys watched each other play Sam's DS.  I'm not sure how long they played the DS, but I'm pretty sure they exhausted their screen time for a week.

See the muddy mess?  Oh, and the nerds reading . . . still!  Ha!

Like I said . . . a rainy weekend at camp is still better than not camping at all!  We had a ball hanging with our friends and family.  I'm already looking forward to NEXT Labor Day Weekend!

Random

Grace collects the most random things and puts them in her "treasure box" in her bedroom.  Last week I was putting some things away in her bedroom.  I opened her "treasure box" to find this orange flag that she found out by the road when we took the trash out.  Here among the play jewelry, silly bands, and hair barrettes is a dirty orange flag from a construction site.

Art in Speed Park

 

Last weekend Carly called and invited Grace and me to Art in Speed Park with she and Riley.  We could not possibly turn down a fun girly afternoon.  After walking for a bit, we stopped to eat a snack and listen to some music.  Grace chose homemade potato chips . . . Mmmm.

We found a booth that sold cute little necklaces.  The girls got to choose their chain and the pendant to put on it.

You know Grace can't listen to music without dancing.  Riley joined in too.

She loves to twirl and dance.  Her tutu skirts are perfect for it.

I love her free spirit.

We all know that Grace is a girly girl.  But she's not afraid to get dirty either.  Carly and Riley went to the restroom.  While Grace and I waited, she sat down beneath a tree and began digging in the dirt.  People walking past us just laughed.  I'm sure my pink tutu and sparkly Hello Kitty shirt wearing girl sitting and digging in the dirt was a novelty for them.  As for me . . . it is par for the course with Grace.  I wouldn't change it.

First Day of Preschool

 Grace's first day of 4-year-old preschool was last Monday.  We had a special dress picked out and a pair of new shoes for her first day of school.

 

She was SO excited to be back in Mrs. Wilson's class this year.

I had to bribe Gabriel to pose for this picture.  It was worth it though, because they look so cute.

Water Toys

One evening last week, Grace wanted to play with her Polly Pocket water toy.  Of course this is an outside toy because I don't want water spread everywhere.

However, Grace took it one step further and donned her bathing suit.

She is such a silly girl!  And I love her!