The Fair and the Lake

We kicked off Memorial Day Weekend at our stake's annual fair.

The big kids went for a swing . . . 

. . . and Joy played on the water slides . . .

. . . then we headed up to the lake . . . 

. . . where we caught some rays on Papa's boat . . .

. . . then played some foosball . . .  

. . . and relaxed with the iPad.

Nothing like roughing it at the cabin.

What a Lovely Hat

We had dinner and cupcakes at my parents' house last night . . .

. . . then Papa modeled Joy's new hat . . .

. . . until she explained that it's actually her swimsuit.  Silly Papa. :)

Ice Cream and a Hard Hat

 More random fun from the past few weeks:

Papa stopped by to visit the other day, and he let Joy try on his cool hard hat.  I think it really compliments her dress, don't you?

Daniel wanted to try it, too.

Later, when I check on him at nap time, I found that he'd decided Joy's bed was more comfy than his.  He obviously preferred his lizard over her bear, though.

That's not an optical illusion.  Joy's toothbrush has a suction cup on the bottom.

One of the neighbor boys has let Joy borrow his Roller Blades so she can try them out.  By the end of the afternoon, she had actually let go of the fence and was scooting along on her own.

Last but not least, I love this shot of the big kids sharing a treat at the make-believe ice cream shop.  Yum!

Mother's Day in the Apricot Tree

 Joy and Daddy tied on their aprons this morning . . .

. . . and made me French Toast for Mother's Day.

This afternoon we went to Pink Grandma's home to have dinner and climb around in her apricot tree.  The harvest is delicious and abundant this year.

Grandma and the Bear

 Pink Grandma visited today.

It was fun to play Settlers of Catan with her . . .

. . . and hear her rousing narration of "We're Going on a Bear Hunt."  I don't think I would have made it past the "thick, oozy mud."

Lazy Sunday

 This Sunday afternoon . . . 

. . . Daniel played on Starfall.com . . .

. . . while Anna worked on her sitting skills . . .

. . . then Daniel, Anna, and Mama took a walk . . .

 . . . while Daddy and Joy played Settlers of Catan on Daddy's iPhone.

From Dress-up to Checkmate

Here are a few random photos from the past month or so.

The Princess and the Pirate.  That's a pretty intense stare, Daniel.

Joy being class leader for the day at school.  She likes playing with Ella (the girl in pink).

The boys on the bikes.  Phillip recently bought a Triumph Sprint (the blue one) because he thought it might meet his needs even better than his Honda VFR (the yellow one).  He's determined to only keep one, but weeks later he still can't decide which it will be.

Anna nearly always wakes up with a smile.  I've stopped swaddling her arms, but I haven't worked up the nerve to ditch the wrap entirely.  Maybe once the weather warms up a little more.

We finally got to meet Rob's girlfriend Sarah yesterday.  She's a sweetie.

Joy has taken an interest in chess lately.  She took some lessons on our computer, and is becoming a decent player.  She has checkmated me at least once, but she hasn't beaten Daddy yet.