Where do I even start?

I'm sorry my updates haven't been as frequent lately. In all fairness, with it being summer, neither have your visits or comments. Which is fine, enjoy the sun and water! I know I complain some about it being winter. However, these pictures were taken on Thursday and I am afraid they are going to expose me as the big fake that I am. We've had some nasty days, but usually it is nice and sunny and pretty warm here too. There are blossoms everywhere and everything is green and flowering. It is a nice place to winter...

But still, summer is about more than nice weather. For me, summer is a feeling. It's like, even though I am not in school anymore, summer still means freedom and fun like it did in the school days. Anyway, it's fine, just remember how much I was missing the summer when it is a blizzard up there and I am lounging by the pool.




So we've been busy and sick this past week, but have still managed to squeeze in some fun. Here are the kids after Laine's dance class. I think I mentioned that it was in a clearing of a Reserve and is really beautiful. Having the park there is great too.



Gabe has been busy being his usual mix of fun and destruction. He is such a crack-up. He has now decided to refuse to wear clothes. I knew this day would come, it's been building up the last few months. The other day he had a bath and then refused to get dressed all morning and ended up taking his nap just in his diaper. He had just woken up by the time it was time for dance and still refused to get dressed. I finally threw him in the car and brought the clothes along. I had an appointment with a friend during dance and got lost and had to pull over and ask a woman for directions with my naked baby in the back. By the time I got to my friends he still refused, and let me tell you how 'classy' it is to pull up to a friend's for a visit with your naked, snotty-nosed baby. I finally had to wrestle him to the ground as he continued to arch his back and cause a scene. Then of course the next minute he is sweet and then funny and making you laugh and smile... typical.

So. Laine has decided she wants to call us by our first names... exclusively. It is something she has done off and on since she was two, and every one has gotten a huge kick out of it. But now that she does it exclusively it makes me a little worried. She makes me feel like a step-mom! I'm sure that is what people have to be thinking when say says, "Natalie! Watch me slide! Natalie, can you catch me? Natalie, can you help me climb this?..."

In other news of days that I knew would come, she has started developing her Aussie accent. I was intrigued by the thought that my kids would have one, but now that the day is here, it is weird for me that she doesn't sound like us! So far it is only the EE sounds like 'mommay' and 'dadday' -though that is a poor example since we haven't actually heard those words, but you get what I mean. Perhaps it will be different when her transformation is complete.

This is the best, it's Laine's new Eeyore hunching walk when she is 'depressed'. I'm not quite sure you get the full feel of the sulking. For some reason, all emotion she expresses I simply find hilarious, especially negative ones. Then again, there is the possibility that I am just a bad Mom who lives to laugh at my kids.

Here it is again in better form. DRAMA queen! I love to laugh at her to show her not to take herself so seriously. She usually responds well to it actually and it makes it fun for me.

Okay, I have 2 other posts I will do this week but I just need pictures so stay tuned, I will try to be better.