from earlier

I have a lot of catching up to do here... I realize that. I have pics for you all, I just need to go through them. 
In the meantime, my brother just sent me some from their trip out here in June. Here is one of my favs...

Sour cream.

Sorry for the lack of posts. We are home now, unpacked and having a bit of a heat wave. 


After visiting my parents' and sister, I realized our yard was really, pathetically, unfun. So I scooted over to craigslist and found something fun...

I love craiglist. And my husband (who graciously helped get it home). And this climber. And Josie.  

 Josie loves sliding boards. And sour cream. 

Ice cream!!

[no caption necessary]

Josie got to take a bath with a buddy last night (not that she really needed a bath....heh). She was a bit overtired and not a huge fan of the splashing, but it was still fun. Bath-time is definitely one of the things I am looking forward to once Josie has a sibling and this just made me more excited about it. 

Coolin off...

After a long nap following the Please Touch Museum, Josie and I cooled off in the pool. Ahhhhhhh...

Please Touch...

Monday my parents took all their grandkids (and Deb and I) to the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia. We had SO much fun. I would highly recommend it to anyone with kids walking - kinder-age. 

In the entrance of the museum they had a life-size replica of the Liberty Torch made of toys. This is in the base of it.

There were areas designated for "under threes" that were PERFECT for Josie and Tristan. This was by the water area, they got to explore a log tunnel and slide, a swan "pond", bugs, etc to explore. 

In the fairytale area Josie is stacking pancakes...

There was a transportation area where (amongst other things) kids could accessorize a car to their liking, here is Josie in a car with only one rocket....hmmm....

There was a little area with a small house, yard, etc. Josie LOVED having a house her size...

Here she is in the yard of the house waving to her Mommom through the mirror...

Cousins...

Josie's cousin Tristan is about 5 months younger than her, but about the same size. They have been having a good time together...

Here they are with their Mommom, who is in heaven with all the grandkids around...

Although, who wouldn't be with grandbabies this cute?! 

Straight from the Jar...

Thankfully there was only a couple tablespoons of peanut butter left in the bottom...

Vacation in NJ!

Josie and I are currently in NJ enjoying time with my family. We had a pretty good over-night flight Wednesday night and were able to take care of our jet lag rather quickly.

MY sister and her family have moved back to NJ, right next door to my parents (in my grandfather's farm house)  so we have been having a blast hanging out with the cousins!

This is my sister's house. Its pretty much the exact layout and size as our house in California. 

Crazy, I know. 

Swings! Danica & Josie. 

 

The kids took rides with Poppop on the lawn mower. Josie doesn't have a lot of experience with lawn mowers, so she opted out this time.

Josie and Alex.

Walking from Deb's house to my parents' for lunch. Its about a 1/4 mile down a path in the field. 

Staying Busy!

I love that Josie can sit RIGHT outside the kitchen door and play with chalk while I do something boring, like unload the dishwasher. 

My little artist :)

Later the same day, I was chopping veggies up for dinner and making rice. She really wanted in on the rice action so I gave her a handful in a little dish. She kept at it well after I had everything prepped for dinner. THEN we played with the broom and dustpan for about half an hour. 

Goodbye...

My good friend Leanna and her husband Mark are moving to Seattle in a little over a week. She came by for a visit today (and hopefully will send me the pics she took). This picture is from a few weeks ago when she and Mark babysat while Tom and I had a much needed datenight.

I'm bummed. I know I will see her off and on (both their families are here) but its just not the same. We have been friends since college and she was one of the few people we knew when we arrived in California. We spent our first Christmas out here at her place, she and I were in a book club together, and have journeyed through a lot together in the last 3 years. I love her so much and am sad she won't be around to chat with.

Gosh am I pregnant and emotional right now....  :(

Grandparents and Big Trees

Tom's dad and his wife Norma came for a visit last week. We had a lot of fun. We took a quick trip up to see the Giant Sequoias...

On our way there, we stopped at In-N-Out Burger. Burgers are very important here in California. 

Tom had a LONG couple weeks at work before this trip (he was even working late the night before we left). Here is my husband on a much needed vacation. :)

Josie and Daddy exploring the river, which was RIGHT outside out hotel room. It could not have been beautifuler. ;)

Mommy and Josie after giving up on a morning nap and opting to see big trees. Tired.

We saw a bear! And Josie pointed and yelled, "Dog! A Dog!" 

Daddy and Josie at a beautiful overlook of the valley, happy campers. 

General Sherman Tree is the largest tree in the world by volume. So everyone takes pictures with it.
Its what you do. 

A trip to the Sequoias would not be complete without driving THRU a tree. 

The rest of their visit was pretty low-key. Here Josie and her grandpa are shucking corn together before a little BBQ. Obviously I was interrupting with all the camera business. 

And here Josie is test-riding her new wagon. Many miles of fun are ahead!