Silly kids

After dropping Joseph at VBS this morning, the girls and I went for a run on the Line Creek Trail. Maddie was so good, and didn't fuss to get out of the stroller until we were almost back to the parking lot. She wanted to walk Molly herself, but by this time Molly just wanted to rest. Oh well! 

I'm biased, but could she be any cuter??

After some good naps and an early dinner, we headed to the library to claim the rest of our summer reading prizes. The kids were silly in the car, welcoming me with raspberries. 

They both struggled a bit to go to bed tonight, staying up to read in bed for a while. A solid hour after I put Maddie to bed, I caught her singing Let It Go to herself, getting louder and louder with each "verse." She is so funny!

Olde Glory Days Carnival

I realized I didn't post the pictures I took during the carnival Thursday night, so here they are! I was a little surprised at how quickly Maddie discovered a love for all of the rides- only a bit of trepidation the first time, and then sheer happiness each subsequent time! Joseph loved the roller coaster, and rode it countless times. On Saturday night, he convinced joe to ride the "big kid" rides that he was tall enough for, and it seemed like Joseph enjoyed them more than Joe!

Singing

Maddie has entered a new phase of adorableness. She can frequently be heard singing to herself! Her top song choices? Ring around the Rosie, twinkle twinkle little star, happy birthday song, the baby signing time theme song, and of course, like all little kids these days, let it go.

She also has very strong music choices, preferring to hear Happy and the Lego theme song over and over, and will loudly tell us to simply turn the music off if it isn't to her liking. Such a girl!

Harry Potter

Joe's finally getting to share the Harry Potter love with the next generation! James has been reading the series and just finished Prisoner of Azkaban, so we are watching the movie tonight. 

If only the other little kids cared about the movie and weren't wiped out after a long fun weekend, they may have made it up longer too!

Lazy morning fun

This morning we officially began our Fourth of July fun weekend. Maddie kicked things off by sleeping in until 9am! No complaints from this mama!

After a casual hotel breakfast and nice calm shower (while Maddie hung out in bed with some cereal and dried fruit watching Sesame Street), we headed over to mom's house. She, Gary, Joseph and Ethan were building and painting wooden model cars, so we hung out for.a while. 

The weather this week is abnormally cool for this time of year, which is amazing! It's so nice to hang out outside with a breeze and blue skies, not dripping in sweat. I'll take it any time over the usual 90+ degree temps we are supposed to have. 

After they finished painting, Joseph hopped in the Gator and started driving all around the back yard. He has become quite the confident little pro!

Maddie finally got a chance to take a spin. Love these two! They have each had a great time playing separately with their cousins but I think they are happiest when the other is around too. 

Such a fun summer morning! I'm back at the hotel now so Maddie can rest up, as this evening brings Joseph's favorite day of the year- carnival day!

Cousins at play

Today Lisa, the girls and I headed to Crown Center to play at their free exhibit, which was being presents by the Magic House. We got there too early and spent some time enjoying the gorgeous cool weather, checking out the fountains. 

Luckily since we got to the playspace early, there were only a handful of other families there too. The girls had a great time checking out the exhibits. 

Claire loved the car! They brought in a real electric car that the kids could climb around in. 

The whole exhibit was about "reduce, reuse, recycle" and included a play recycling truck as well. 

Maddie's favorite part of the recycling truck? The hat!

She had to take a turn behind the wheel as well. 

I snuck out to grab some candy from a shop across the hall, and Maddie pointed at a bin of candy necklaces. She knew what they were, somehow, and asked for one. I decided to be nice and get them for her and Claire. They were a big hit!

On the way down to Clinton, Maddie got to hang out, watch the iPad by herself and suck most of the rest of the candies off the necklace. While she has missed Joseph these last few days, I think she has really enjoyed her special time with her little cousins a lot!

July challenge

I have decided to challenge myself to blog every day this month, in an attempt to get back into blogging. 

This morning, Lisa, Claire, Rosemary, Maddie and I headed to a local donut shop for a special breakfast treat. Those big kid cousins don't know what they are missing out on!

We found Maddie's sunglasses this weekend, and she has been loving wearing them whenever she gets the chance. 

Someone's figured out how to wear them just like mommy!