The Actual Celebration

While in Colorado, Jason and I managed to sneak out for an anniversary dinner all to ourselves.  It's been a tradition to have a special dinner since we are in Colorado almost every year on our actual anniversary.

We found a new place, Currents, on Main Street in Salida, and it was great!  We both agreed it was a place we'd never take the kids.  :)  No mac and cheese on the menu, the prices were not something we'd ever justify spending on the kids.  Lots of fish and seafood, hence the name I guess.  It was perfect for us to celebrate 6 years of marriage!

We got back to the house right at bedtime and the girls barely even noticed we were gone.  Amazing what happens when you have cousins, G&G, and fun mountain adventures to distract you, right?

Refreshed

We just got back from our annual family vacation to Colorado and I feel pretty refreshed.  Which is great!  Yes, there was lots of time in the car and uncomfortable mattresses and crabby kiddos....but overall, it was just what I needed.  The Rocky Mountains are my most favorite place and we have so many great memories there.  I am so blessed and THANKFUL to have the opportunity to go each year, and spend the time with my family and now my girls.

On that note, I need to get caught up with work, laundry, and establishing a routine again.  This is no small feat!  But, you can expect lots of pictures to be posted in the next couple of weeks as I find time to sort and upload.

Sushi

Jason introduced the girls to sushi while I was working in KC a few weeks ago.  No raw fish, just the California rolls.  They seemed to love it...which is awesome since that's always a place we have to avoid when we eat out with the girls.

Mismatched

Another day at the splash park... 

Lesley insisted on the swimsuit top and bottom she is wearing. She has a little to learn about fashion I believe. 

They both thought it was absolutely hilarious to cover the fountain and then let it spray them.

We are still waiting for Miss Leah to be checking out these fountains and the water pressure to increase.  Not yet...but we are certain in time she'll get sprayed directly in the face.  Do think that's mean of us to wish for that type of outcome?

Great G and Great G

Loved seeing these pictures on my mom's camera! 

They have always loved their grandkids and their great grandkids are no different. 

And I think the great grandkids love them too!

6 Years

Today marks 6 years of being married....

It's been a pretty awesome 6 years with some pretty memorable experiences.

I'm hoping the next 45+ years are even better than the last 6 years.

I can't seem to load any of our wedding snapshots so instead I've included a few of my most favorite memories since the time we got married.  They will likely be obvious choices, and there are so many more I could have included but don't have time to track down (our fabulous vacations to Mexico, Colorado, Key West, Washington D.C., San Francisco come to mind).

 

The day we brought Miss Lesley Annemarie home - March 13, 2009

 

One last "date" before becoming a family of four.  What you can't see in this photo is my gigantic 8+ pregnant belly.  It was big, trust me.  September 2010

Meeting Miss Leah Kathryn - October 5, 2010

 

That same day, when Lesley met the "bay-bay" for the first time.  It was a rough start, but now she doesn't know life without Leah.  October 5, 2010

 

The day we realized we really were parents of two perfect daughters - October 7, 2010

The start of a new era, Moving to OK - April 2012

Bixby Green Corn Festival

We went into town to check out the famous Green Corn Festival the weekend before the 4th. As expected, it was a carnival with some folks hosting local booths, selling anything from kids clothes to sunglasses to lemonade to salsa to jewelry and more. 

Though we didn't take the kids on any rides, we did manage to spend a chunk of money eating fair food. 

Lesley wanted to check out how the cotton candy was made. It was delicious! We had to convince Leah to take a bite, but she was quickly hooked. 

There was a small stage in the town square with a few local performers.  Lesley thought it was fun dancing!

 

The corn dog was tasty - both girls loved it!  A few days later, when we were eating corn on the cob, Lesley referred to it as a corn dog, versus corn cob.  We thought that was funny.

Funnel cake was really the biggest reason I wanted to check things out.

Don't mind Lesley undies.  Oops.  She LOVES wearing skirts now, but I don't let her wear them to school (obvious reasons) so she often wears them on the weekend.  I sort of like it.  By the way, the skirt in the above photo is actually a size 18-24 months.  Isn't that funny it still fits her but she has outgrown most of her 3T pants because they are too short?

Leah got tired of the stroller so she parked it on Daddy's shoulders.

She thought it was funny to tap daddy on the head over and over and over again.

Even with the heat, it was a fun hour or so.  We had our share of fair fun and walked away with a $5 pair of sunglasses and coupons for free ice cream and chicken sandwiches at Chick-fil-a.  That alone makes it a successful event!

Spalsh Park

Warning: You might get sick of photos from the splash park, but we seem to be going there a lot with the hot weather. We haven't identified many good indoor activities for the kids, except the aquarium. Even if we had, the splash park makes for good entertainment we can squeeze in between dinner and bedtime. The bonus is that it wears the kids out and they are usually ready for bed. 

Lesley thought it was hilarious when the water sprayed up and hit her in the tushy.

Leah is starting to get a little more outgoing and adventurous at the splashpark.

This was the first time we brought buckets and it was a success.  They both had a blast trying to catch water and then dump it on each other, on us, wherever they could!

Daddy was of course trying to trick the girls into standing under the buckets.

I think these photos were taken on the 4th of July.  We had expected a full house at the park, but ended up eating a pretty early dinner and then heading to the splash pad....to our surprise, it was basically empty!  A great time for the girls to really explore and have fun by themselves!

Camera #2 - G&G Visit Tulsa

Photos from Grandma Nancy's camera...

Lesley joined in on the elk spotting too.  I'm thinking my Dad can't wait until he gets these little girls out hunting.  They will have a ton of fun with Papa.

The girls were eavesdropping on Papa's conversation with Uncle Andy.  Don't mind the pictures/frames along the wall.  They have now either been hung on the walls or put in storage (guest room closet).  The dining room is now completely empty and I love it that way.  We just aren't ready to buy a new dining room table, so I decided to just leave it empty.  Maybe one day down the road I'll stop being picky and Jason will stop being a penny pincher and we'll buy something to fill the space.

A morning trip to the park with G&G.

Silly girls.  So hard to get a photo with both of them looking.

Also, Lesley was in desparate need of a haircut.  G&G even tried to take her to a place, but they were packed with kids running around waiting a turn.  We managed to get it done after G&G left so she doesn't have to look up just to see past her bangs.

They were checking out the river from the bank behind the park.  The river runs through Tulsa and we drive across it frequently- to get to church, to one of our favorite river side parks and walking paths, and Jason works on the other side of the river so drives over it at least twice a day.  Thankfully there are a few bridges that cross over so it doesn't really cause any issues.  And, we have a Pike Pass now so we can hope on the turnpike without needing exact change.

G&G took our season pass and headed to the aquarium.  I don't think it held my parents attention like it does the girls'....but I think they had a good visit in the air conditioning.  The other option was the zoo, but like now, it was HOT those few days.

In the shark cage - Leah is ready to break out.

The alligator - It looks like Grandma is trying to hold Leah back.  Don't worry, it won't bite.  :)

Playset snack time!  Fresh fruit!  We can't get enough of that around here.

And, they even took the girls out for margaritas!  Though I think the girls just drank milk or water.

What a fun few days for the girls!  We hope G&G enjoyed the visit, even if Jason and I were working and we didn't really do anything exciting.  We are still trying to scope out the actual options for where to go and what to do.  I know there is stuff to do...just need to

Camera #1: G&G Visit Tulsa

We were so happy to welcome our first guests to the house a few weeks ago. Grandma Nancy and Papa Keith came for a visit - arriving late Sunday afternoon and staying until Wednesday morning. The girls had so much fun with G&G, and got to spend Monday and Tuesday with them while Mommy and Daddy worked. I really wanted to take at least one day off work, but it was quarter end so just not an option. 

I'll have two posts, one with the photos from my camera (below) and another one (hopefully soon) with a few more pictures from Grandma Nancy's camera.  Bear with me, there might be a few duplicate looking photos, but good stuff nonetheless.

Leah was really, really excited to read Papa's "Bugle" magazine and check out all the photos of the elk.  We even pulled out some old magazines Papa had given Lesley when she was about this age.  So fun to remember Lesley's obsession with elk and now seeing Leah just as excited.

This seriously lasted for what seemed like 30-40 minutes.  What a great attention getter for our toddler!

Headed to the pool for a quick dip.

Daddy didn't get in, but I was glad he could snap a few photos since we don't really have any from our numerous trips to the pool this summer.  The girls always have fun, and they are getting braver and braver.  Leah is fearless - you must always keep your eyes on her since she'll just jump in thinking you are right there to catch her.  Lesley is a lot more hesitant on the edge, but tries really had to swim away from you while in the pool.  Makes this mama nervous!  We need more swim lessons.

I found the crew on the swingset during snack time one afternoon.

She looks like a little birdie with Papa here.  Kind of funny.

Reading books and playing with hats before bedtime.

Leah sure is cute in Papa's hat.

It was really nice to have visitors and show G&G a little about our new town.  Hopefully they make it back sometime soon...and they need to bring more visitors with them.  We have plenty of space in the house!  Actually, I told Jason I was going to volunteer to host the Hoffmann Thanksgiving to give Aunt Denise a break.  Doubtful anyone would come, but still thought we'd offer just in case....

Week at G&G's - Early June

I'm about ready to admit that I will always be in "catch up" mode with the blog.   No matter how hard I try to find time in my day, blogging usually doesn't make it to the top of my priority list.  But....I keep trying because one day I hope to print my blog as a keepsake.

Anyway, I stole some photos from my mom's camera and found these pictures from when the girls stayed with G&G in early June.  Wanted to include them here...even if they are OLD.

The girls helped take care of Grandma's flowers.  These photos pretty much describe Big Sister and Little Sister.  Whatever Big Sis does, Little Sis has to do as well.  We are definitely at that stage.  We buy everything in twos (identical if possible), we plan for two girls to do everything, and we have to diffuse "me too" and "me first" show downs.

Of course a trip to Papa's shop to test all the four wheelers was on the agenda.

The big one!

I've really been noticing how old Leah is looking and acting these days.

They went to the park.  Pretty sure Lesley is outgrowing these swings.

I guess I should have told Grandma Nancy that the Elmo shirt is actually pajamas.  No worries, I wear my pajamas all day sometimes too.  A perk of working from home!

Love this silly girl!

See what I mean - growing up!

A climber!

Exhausted!  She fell asleep in the middle of a book.

She is into this thing where she wants to take her naps in G&G's bed while we are there.  It works...and probably is best in order to get Leah to sleep since it takes Lesley a lot longer these days to fall asleep.

Our crazy haired cowgirls on the farm.

As usual, they had LOTS of fun and talk about their next trip to Grandma & Grandpa's all the time.