Carving hearts!

As we carved the pumpkins, I realized that something about the inside of a pumpkin scares little kids. My children pick up worms, play with beetles, chase down spiders and squash them, but putting their hands in the middle of a pumkin completely terrifies them! Hannah is past that now, even though her first two years carving pumkpins was difficult to get her hand in there. This year, I physically had to force Elayna's hand into her pumkpin. After much screaming and hesitation, she finally put it in. I was able to convince her to pull out all the loosened guts. Looking at the pictures you can see her anxiety...oh well, if it doesn't kill you, it only makes you stronger!

Once the pumkins were gutted, Elayna decided she wanted to have a heart nose. After carving a somewhat successful upside down heart, Ed had to show me up and carve some fancy heart eyes and nose for Hannah's pumpkin! :) Oh well, both girls were happy with their pumpkins, and that is all that matters! Another hectic, yet enjoyable Halloween!

Halloween Party

Hannah was invited to her first Halloween Party this year! She was entirely overwhelmed with all there was to do! With all the kids, Elayna and I decided to stay and help out. There was decorating pumpkin contests, bean bag tosses, scratch creations, pizza, candy, and my favorite...no-hand-donut-eating contest! Watching the donut hit Elayna in the eye was hysterical (I know, I shouldn't laugh). Hannah also got some donut up her nose! LOVED IT! By the time it was over, my kids were EXHAUSTED! Lots of fun, good times.

Transformation!

So, cheap mom didn't want to buy a blonde wig for Hannah for Halloween, so to make up for it, I told her I would make her hair equivalent to Cinderella's, but in the red-headed version! Ironically, it only took me thirty minutes to put her hair up in a flipped over bun with ringlettes down the back and around her face. I then smashed her crown together to fit the bun and TA-DA Princess Cinderella was created! The key piece to the costume was the glass slippers (thank you Wal-Mart), completely sparkly silver glitter with a bow...what more could a little girl want!

BOO at the Zoo!

This year, we took the kids to Boo at the Zoo on opening night. The girls are big into the princess scene right now. Hannah was a very dazzling Cinderella, while Elayna was quite a cute Rapunzel. While there, we ran across Lilly at the childrens zoo. Ironically, she was also a dazzling princess! I gave them the whole first hour to trick-or-treat around the zoo before I made them pose for a couple pictures. Hannah has the timing completely off and I caught her glancing away...or dodging the camera! None-the-less, they were cute!

Pumpkin Patch

This year, Elayna was able to pick out her own pumpkin at the pumpkin patch! She enjoyed running through the pumpkins and quite liked the large ones, but decided that the best pumpkins were the size of oranges. It took some convincing to get her to choose a pumpkin that is carvable.
Hannah on the other hand is a true pumpkin picking pro. No green, no white, no holes, not too tall, not too short, no cave-ins, can we say OCD!!! Finally she ended up with the most perfect pumpkin!

First Day of School

Well, today Hannah started Kindergarten. It is her third year at Holy Rosary. She went from twice a week when she was 3, to three times a week when she was 4, to all-day kindergarten. It is kind of nice having uniforms. I never have to worry about what she is going to wear. I just wish she would quit growing...or stay in the same size for at least one school year! None-the-less, she was over joyed to be back with her friends. Her and a handful of kids all started when they were three and have become best friends. The teacher is already having to base a seating chart around that! HA!

Elayna, was back at day care. Although she started back three weeks ago (part-time), today was her first "official" day. She got home and was exhausted! Needless to say, she was in bed by 6:30...and sound asleep shortly after!

Reservoir Lake

This past weekend we went camping in southern Montana. Ryan, Chase, the girls, Cooper, Holly and I went up first thing in the morning. It was our plan to get there and set up camp for mom, dad, Ed, Maggie, and Beauregard. When we arrived it was colder than I anticipated. The girls quickly put their jeans on. Within the hour it started raining. By mid-evening, it was hailing the size of dippin dots or BB's. Once the hail stopped, the second vehicle arrived! Good timing! We had a relaxing evening and chilly night of sleeping. The next day we did most of our activities. We went swimming in the lake (although Hannah was the only one brave enough to jump in), fishing, and took a hike around the lake, not to mention EAT! All the fish we caught went into the frying pan and were gobbled up promptly. Elayna actually ate a whole one herself. Hannah on the other hand is still afraid to try new things, but eventually ate a couple of bites. She actually said it was good, but she hates fish. Kind of an oxymoron if you ask me! Ah kids! We also enjoyed a late night thunder storm...I was able to catch one streak of lightning. Overall, it was a great weekend. We survived with minimal mosquito bites...although Hannah did get one on her eye lid that promptly made it swell almost shut!

New Goggles!

Hannah has really taken to swimming! While shopping, she asked if she could get a pair of goggles. We found a relatively inexpensive two pack so each of the girls could have one! They looked so cute. Sadly, Hannah's goggles snapped and we had to fix them. I think I will just buy a decent pair next time!!!

Hannah's Photography Take 2!

So, Hannah asked if she could take my camera and take pictures around the yard. Of course I was a little nervous that she would bury it in the sand box, but never-the-less, I gave it to her. I was truly amazed at some of the pictures she took. She was able to capture some great pictures. Everything on both of these collages were taken by her and unedited by me. All of my other collages I edit and take out all the background stuff. A couple of my favorites are their feet, the tennis ball, the worm, her wolf pup, and Elayna on top of the tree house (head view). She didn't use the zoom at all. (I never told her about it. I was trying to minimize the number of buttons she had to push!) She asked for a camera for Christmas. I asked her if she wanted Santa or mom and dad to get it for her. She told me mom and dad so we could get the right one! Of course, she wants a purple and silver one...boy do I have a task in front of me!

Congratulations!

Well, Hannah's T-Ball season is over. She ended up playing fabulously. By the end of the season she was about 70% focused on the game and 30% focused on twirling, jumping, and picking dandelions! That is a huge increase from the beginning of the season. She was playing hard, hitting well and running SUPER FAST (thanks to a new pair of shoes). We bought her some new shoes and she was convinced that the shoes made her run fast...not her. Gotta love kids!

Ross Park

A week ago mom took a day off to spend with us at Ross park. Jaime, her kids, mom, Elayna, Hannah, and me enjoyed relaxing in the tubes, splashing in the water, and picnicing in the sun. Fun day for all!

New Hot Tub

So, we FINALLY got a hot tub. After years of complaining of aches and the NEED (I say this because I want to believe we needed it) for a hot tub, we finally broke down and got one! The girls looked at it as a mini swimming pool. They eventually found out that they couldn't swim in it very well. It has been nice taking them in there after dinner as a nice way to relax before bed. Love it!

Playing in the Sun

When it gets hot, the kids surely love to get wet. Somehow, we came across two different kid sprinkler items. One was from mom, the other was in the garage...can't remember from where. In any case, the blue ring actually pushes out the water quite forcefully. Elayna hated it since it was always over her face! The hopscotch however, was perfect for Elayna since she could walk across it without getting her face wet. Although, she quickly found out that once you step on an edge, water comes blasting out (hence the wet face). With the weather this nice, we have been playing outside often, and picnicing almost daily. We are into BBQ'ing everything! It was a fun week, except for a minor sunburn that Hannah attained. She kept laying on her back and scooting across the hopscotch. Well, apparently that made the sunscreen come off quicker than I had planned and she has a small sunburn. I don't think she has ever had one before. One thing is for certain, she doesn't like having one!

Hannah's Photography

So, the more I scrapbook, the more Hannah wants to! AHHH, Ed would be so proud. The last time I scrapbooked, Hannah sat with us for almost three hours scrapbooking herself! So, while we were in Yellowstone, she asked if she could take a picture of us. Her argument was that she needed to practice for when she got her own camera to make scrapbooking pictures! Of course that argument was enough for me! Not so sure Ed was too thrilled about it! In any case, here is the picture she took. Not too bad if you ask me!

Fourth of July

For the fourth, we took it relatively easy. It started with a simple game of double deck pinnochle, which turned into and epic battle in which the women were victorious! Then, we went to Lowe's to buy some PVC pipe to make the game ladderball. Our BBQ at the Jolly's started at 5, and we alternated partners and teams from 5-9:30 when we walked to the fireworks. Ladderball was quite fun! Thanks Rachel for introducing us to it! The firework display was nice. I spent most of my time trying to figure out my camera. I was able to get a couple of nice shots! Finally we walked back home to let off our AWESOME fireworks! I love the 3ft rule for Idaho...nothing can go above three feet...of course many people don't follow that rule. Elayna and Hannah both liked the sparklers, mainly because they could hold them I am sure, but Elayna kept holding on to them well after the sparkle was out. Since they are now made out of a straw type material, it slowly made it to her finger. That was the last sparkler she held. I now have a daughter who is afraid of the sparkler! All-in-all a good day. Nice and relaxing.

Yellowstone 2011

Fourth of July weekend we decided to take the girls to Yellowstone to camp. Normally we spend one long day running around the park seeing the sites. This time we decided to take it a little easier and spend one night in the park. We stayed at Bridge Bay Campground, very nice place. By spending two days in the park, we went on a couple of hikes that we haven't been on before. Hannah did surprisingly well. She walked well over two miles the first day and one the second. Elayna walked to entire 2/3 mile loop on her own, and then down another 3/8 mile to the brink of upper falls. She was way too tired to walk back up the switch backs though. Luckily for us, as we were driving, we saw two bear sitting off the road. The amount of people stopped was insane! I have waited my entire life to see bear in Yellowstone, we have gone there yearly since I was 8, and now I have seen them two years in a row. I guess the time of the year matters! Hannah wasn't that excited to see the bear. To her, it was just another animal to check off.

We took the girls for a nice dinner at the Lake Lodge, bit of advice, make reservations ahead of time! Afterwards, we went back to camp and built a fire to make smores! We used cookies with chocolate as the base, then fancy campfire marshmellows for the inside (although I am not convinced they are any better than normal marshmellows! By the time we made it to bed, it was well passed their normal bedtime; compounded with all the hiking, the girls were exhausted! All three of us slept in two bags zipped together, while Ed slept by himself! Wipe a tear! The next day we leisurely made our way to Old Faithful and then out. The new visitors center at Old Faithful was kind of nice, but it looks a little to modern for my liking. Lots of information inside, especially for kids. Not to mention, a cool place to get out of the heat! After Old Faithful, we made our trip back home. Great weekend!

Puppy Face

A week ago we went to my father's company picnic. Hannah was so excited when she finally made it to the front of the line. She asked to look like Beauregard (my mother's puppy). She was so proud of her face! I think they did a fabulous job!

Braids

So yesterday the girls played in our little swimming pool for a couple of hours. Afterwards they decided to go down the slide in our backyard which had a hose running at the end of it...WELL with wet swimming suits and wet grass, the girls flew off the end of the slide and went skidding across the grass for five or more feet. Needless to say, they thought that was the coolest thing they have ever done. HOWEVER, by the time they were finished they were a muddy mess!!! Hannah knows that if we take a bath in the middle of the day, I will braid her hair in her "little" braids. Although her braids are bigger than I would like, after getting through Elayna's hair, my patience was running out! The good things about them is that I am off the hook for doing their hair for a week!

Guacamole Face

Need I say more? Alex...BEWARE!!!

Sand Dunes

Right before the Jolly's headed back to Georgia, I took them to the sand dunes for one last chance to get dirty with each other. Other than the wind blowing like crazy, it was a perfect afternoon. Elayna was very hesitant at first to climb up the sand. The other three girls ran up the hill as fast as they could...three steps up, one back, three steps up, one back. Eventually they made it to the top with Elayna still sitting at the bottom. After an hour or so of being beaten by the wind and sand, we called it quits. If I learned something from that experience is that sand doesn't mix with wind...or sunscreen. The sand stuck to them like glue!!!! Needless to say, all four girls needed a good scrubbing when we got home.

First T-Ball Game

One week after school let out, Hannah had her first T-Ball game. Sadly I was unable to make it to either of her first two games. Ed took some great pictures though. Her team name is the Tigers and she is playing with the kids from the Small World (where she went to day care before Holy Rosary). She has been hesitant all season claiming that she is no good, but we try to assure her that she is just new at it and it takes practice. She can consistantly hit the ball to the pitchers mound, or just past and runs like a pro. When she is in the outfield, she can be caught throwing grass and chewing on her glove...not many balls make it past the pitchers mound. Her favorite position is catcher. In this league it is the most active position since she is the one who gets to put the ball on the T!

Ponce Wedding

Well, I took very few pictures at Sara and Alex's wedding. Actually, these may be the only pictures that I did take! It was a very BEAUTIFUL wedding. Nice outdoor ceremony, with dancing, DJ, food, and drinks afterwards. The colors were gorgeous, brown and teal, and all the ladies look amazing...uh, I guess the guys did too ;) Elayna went home with my parents early, so I didn't get any pictures of her. However, Hannah stayed and danced the night away! With a normal bedtime of 7:00, when 9:45 hit, she was exhausted! She had been dancing straight for almost two hours! Needless to say, she fell asleep on the way home. In the beginning when noone was on the dance floor and Abby asked me to dance with her, I shrugged and said "what the heck"...it isn't often I get to dance with my nieces. Shortly after, Hannah, Adrea and Sara joined in and I was able to take a couple of pictures. I truly had a great time!

The Jolly's Return

So the "other" Jolly's came back to I.F. for a couple weeks! It was SO great to see them again. Our visits seem to be yearly and each time my nieces have grown a foot...or at least it seems that way! After many days of rain, we were finally able to go out in the back yard and just relax. Ed, Dave, and Abby played catch with a softball. It was quite entertaining watching them fight for the ball. Often times one, or both, ended up laying flat on the ground! Abby on the other hand is a natural! She has a nice arm on her! In the mean time, Elayna, Hannah, and Adrea ran around on the small park we have created in the back yard. It was so nice to just enjoy being with each other, too bad the two weeks flew by that quickly. Before we knew it, they had to head back to Georgia.

Pre-K Graduation

This year Hannah graduated from Pre-K. The performance was fabulous. They did a small skit of Stone Soup, each child had a small speaking part. The parents had to work with them to memorize it. I was so proud of her. After a couple of kids speaking they would sing, two more speakers, sing some more...etc. They continued this until the book was finished. It was quite entertaining. Then they sang two songs afterwards. I always record one song, but half way through the second song, I had to start recording...it was too cute not to. In the pictures are Mrs. Copp, her artwork, and her besties.

Copper King Hotel

This weekend we went to Butte for Dawson's graduation party. After the party was over, we went back to the hotel for a bit so the kids could swim. The hotel pool had a huge water slide to go down. I was able to get some pretty good videos of it. The only problem with the slide is that the pool it emptied into was quite cold. Then, the hot tub was scorching! We couldn't find a happy medium. Elayna's lips turned blue in the big pool, but her whole body was bright pink in the hot tub. It literally took two trips down the slide for my nails to turn blue. Can't believe that Hannah went down that thing probably thirty times. Thank you Ed and Ryan for putting up with the freezing water!