Alternatives

The last couple of summers, we've enjoyed our little above ground swimming pool.  It was a wonderful,  refreshing way to spend many of our hot summer days.

This summer, we opted out of putting up the pool.  We thought it would be too much to worry about with our house on the market and all that goes along with that crazy roller coaster real estate ride.

So a few weeks into our crazy 100 degree temps and LONG drought I passed a little blow up pool at Wal-Mart and thought it would be a great alternative for our transitional summer.

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Looks like great fun in the picture, doesn't it?

The pool looks exactly like the picture along with all the fun parts.

HOWEVER, they must have photoshopped the kids in the pics because they make the pool look MUCH bigger than it actually is.

What a disappointment.

Our resident munchkin, however, was tickled pink by her new 'water park' and it's good enough for the rest of the summer.

Little Hoopster

Not as in basketball ~ as in hula. 

My dad taught her how. So cute.

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Better than any of MY attempts ~ that's for sure!

Tea for Two

Gianna CRAVES company. Friends. People that will play with her. We are blessed to have so many sweet little friends that we enjoy so well....but most of them are boys. We've finally gotten to the age, where having little girlfriends to do girly things with is becoming more desirable than it used to be.

One of her little friends, Sophia, has the very same issue - many little friends who happen to be boys. No complaints - just ready to explore some feminine fun.

So today, we had a little tea party for these two little girls.

I was so happy to have the chance to show Gianna a special gift she received when she was only a few weeks old.  It's the sweetest little miniature tea set that I've been patiently saving for just the right age.

I was equally as excited to pull out on of my favorite gifts ~ a tea posy, which is a clear tea pot that brews these fabulous teas which actually bloom in the pot.  It starts off as a round, over sized 'seed' and once boiling water is added, it begins to bloom in front of your eyes.

Their anticipation was precious...

As I added the boiling water and warned them how hot it was, their little faces were so cute with concern...

This is  what it looks like when it blooms....

And this is what they looked like when it bloomed...

Sips...

Tastes...

I hope their little friendship grow as they do...

Oh...and we did invite one little boy...

...Sophia's little brother, Joseph.

Is he not the cutest little Squish you've ever seen? Laid back, smiley, low maintenance....dream baby.

So you think you can sing?

She sings ALL day long:  songs she knows, songs she thinks she knows, songs she makes up....songs, songs, songs.  Some times these songs are impressive, sometimes  they are hilarious, sometimes they are annoying, but most of the time they are really entertaining.

Today I pulled out the karaoke machine so as to proverbially kill that last hour of the day before Daddy came home.  That is the LONGEST hour of the day for me - and I'm sure many stay at home moms - and working moms whose husbands work later than they do. (God bless all the single parents out there!) 

I grabbed my phone to record.  You can thank me later.

Sunrise, Sunset

It's nice to have the opportunity to really appreciate the sunrises and the sunsets with out worrying about to do lists, or bedtime routines, etc.  Here are a few from our Florida tirp.

Who am I kidding?  The surnrises I witnessed were only because one or two of us were sick ~ and I wasn't taking pictures those mornings.  However, here are a few morning shots from our condo...

 It's faint in the picture, but we did get to witness G's very first rainbow one morning before daddy awoke...

She really loved the beach....

...for the first five days or so.

On Day 6 she announced, "I don't want to go to the beach. No more "saulcy" water!"

She'd had it. Plus we were having issues. (No Lewis vacation is ever without it's issues.)  We (she) had a horrible bout with constipation that was not 'fixable' without an enema and very dramatic outcome. Horrible, I tell you. I was in tears.

No sooner did we recover from that traumatic event, then we were awakened to Gianna screaming in the middle of the night. Let me clarify:  Daddy was awakened to screaming.  The usually light-sleeping Mommy somehow entered a sleep deprivation coma that night and didn't hear her child calling out for her. I would normally feel very guilty at this point, except for the fact that my husband walked into Gianna's first stomach virus.  (Have I ever mentioned that I don't do vomit? I don't. I can't. They all told me I would be able to handle it with my own.  They were wrong. God's gift to me that night, was not being the one to enter that sick scene.)

Anyway, she was SUCH a trooper through that episode. Just a little clingy, which was fine by me. (Nice to have a cuddly child every once in a while.) A couple of days to lie low was not the worst thing.  We were in a beautiful condo with every convenience, and a heroic husband/daddy who was wonderful to us. Yes, us.  I got the bug next. I'm telling you, us Lewis girls seems to always reserve our illnesses for trips. Daddy always seems to reserve his upon arrival home. Yep....he got it too.

So add all that with a family reunion - (* the reason for the trip to begin with) and a strong willed two year old who was exercising her defiant muscles....it was an exhausting trip. We were happy to be together and away from our 'normal' lives for a bit and we did have many fun times and great memories, but there's no place like home. 

* Iain's family was all in Tampa, where his brother lives, because they were all going on a 7 day cruise.  We opted out - being that we are trying to sell our house and possible adopt again.  All I can say is - THANK HEAVENS WE DIDN'T GO ON THAT CRUISE!   

And I'd be remissed if I didn't mention the fact that my big girl slept by herself in a room on the other side of the condo - which she wanted to be pitch black at night.  "No mommy, please shut that door and you go down the hall."  I'm impressed. I'd have been a chicken.

Twinkle Toes

Well, I guess I should've known then...

or even then...

and especially when I witnessed this...


that maybe....

it might be necessary...

to look into getting this little girl...

enrolled...

...in ballet classes!

I think Twinkle Toes is ripe for the picking!

Buckle up, Lake Charles Dance Academy:  your next prima donna is on her way!

Mommy and Me Carpentry & Craft

Our local library had a Summer Kick Off event last Wednesday with loads of activities, projects and entertainment for all the kids.  There was a wood craft area that Home Depot sponsored and kids were making bird feeders, toys and planters.  I thought the planter would be cute, but didn't want to attempt it during the mayhem - so they gave me one to take home.

One day while I was trying to kill some time before Daddy got home, I present the idea to Gianna.  She was excited and I wasn't quite sure just how long it would hold her attention - but I figured the paint would lure her in - and it did.

She thought it was a puzzle at first, and it really sort of was.

She participated in each step. (Check out her first tattoo!)

 Painting is always a favorite.

The legs had to be hammered onto the base.  I think it was fairly brave of me to give her the hammer, but I have to say, she was amazingly precise. I was very impressed with her carpentry skills. Her PePaw is going to be so proud.

Mommy helped finish the paint job.

I was so impressed with the result.  Can't wait to add a little plant for her to take care of.