Tummy Time

(Any ideas on what to do with that hair????)

Tea Party

Anika enjoys serving early morning tea to her dolly, froggy, and panda bear. Andrew had to sit close by but he wasn't allowed to drink any tea.

Anika "cooked" breakfast this morning. We had birthday cake! During every meal Anika will turn to me and say, "Thanks cooking, Mom! It's way good." Today, I returned the favor:-)

Fruit of my labor:-)

The Yakima Valley is producing its fruit again! Today I frozen 9 quarts of strawberries and made some 10 pints of Strawberry jam - yummmm. We've also been enjoying fresh bing and Rainier cherries. I dehydrated 7 trays of cherries, too. I like them better fresh but they don't keep forever. It has been a touch-and-go season for cherries here in the northwest with the rain, hot weather, and lack of pickers but the cherries we have are certainly sweet!

Self-portait of the happy homemaker:-) I feel so domestic on days like this! (Deb, this picture is for you. Yes, I'm the picture-taker so there aren't that many pics of me -- in fact, I even have to take my own!)

More A & A

Here are a few more pics of the kiddos. Nothing special, just hanging out!















Anika continues to play mommy with her dolly. (I love her desire to play but I don't like providing pull-ups for Anika AND a dolly. Everytime I think we are making progress in the potty training department, we take a step back. Hopefully it will happen SOON.)

Piano (Wo)Man

You haven't heard "Jesus Loves Me" or "I Cast All My Cares" until you've heard Anika sing them. Today she was accompanying herself on the piano as she sang. (She MUST have the music open in front of her and NO ONE ELSE can sing along.)

Anika sings her heart out!

It's Operational!!

Phase One of playset construction is complete!!! Phase two will be to complete the swing set side. However, since we can hang a toddler swing off of the fort we figured we can wait to add the other swings. Anika's excitement knows no bounds. She trucks up and down the ladder that dad made, spends endless hours in the swing, and tirelessly repeats rides down the slides. It is great to be outside and active -- now if that slide just didn't get so hot in the sun. . .


Andrew joins us outside - IN THE SHADE!!! He is happy as long as he isn't staring up at the bright sky. Anika has mastered going down the slide by herself. I'm so proud of her!

Here's the ladder that dad built. It sure is sturdy.

"Watch me, Mommy! One-two-three-four-five." "Slide not hot. Worm (aka: warm)"

Getting there

The play set is certainly coming together. Lloyd is attaching the tarp/tent which will make this one of the only shaded spots in our entire yard. (We sure miss our trees in front.) It will be a coveted place to be in the heat of summer.

Daddy's Little Ones

Anika sports her "Father's Day" wear. I thought this T-shirt particularly appropriate for the self-aborbed-ness of a two year old.

Andrew is "daddy's little dude".

Daddy's Special Day

Lloyd enjoyed the day with his two little ones! Even though he preached in the morning, we were able to have a relaxing day together the rest of the day.

Anika & the Fire Truck

Anika loved the Fire Engine and the hat but she wasn't so sure about the siren.

Dad's Favorite Ride

Our church held its first annual "Bring Your Favorite Ride" to church day today in honor of Father's Day. We had 29 fun and creative entries and enjoyed Strawberry Sundaes on a beautiful June day. (Most of these pics are for our dads who are sure to enjoy this *almost* as much as they enjoy pics of the grands!)

This was the biggest hit with the kids. We have a number of volunteer firefighters in our church so they brought their favorite:-)

A number of families in our church have these old cars and go cruising together.


Another of my personal favs, Henry (a landscaper by trade) rode his John Deere mower all the way to church. (It was a nice leisurely drive.)

I loved this unique entry. A home-made tandem bike:-) (Lloyd and I were going to enter our bike and burley child trailer but we decided that since it would take us longer to hook it up and ride it there than it would to walk, we would just stroll over to church!)

Little Mommy

I've found that a huge challenge of parenthood is being a role model 24/7/365. My quirks and habits can come back to bless me or bite me! Here Anika demonstrates what she has learned about being a mommy. "Hummm, let's see, sunglasses go on my head. Baby gets wrapped in a blanket and put carefully in the car. Purse and cell phone can't be forgotten; I'll stick those in the back. Now, off we go. . ."

No pacifiers for us!

I couldn't resist a shot of these two sucking on their favorite digits:-) Sat. morning snuggles in Mom & Dad's bed are the best!

Play Date

Anika, Andrew, and I enjoyed a playdate with our church group at a wonderful park nearby. We can't wait to have slides and swings in our own backyard. Andrew isn't terribly fond of the bright sun.

Daddy and Andrew

I had to employ Lloyd's help in cutting Andrew's hair. (At 5 months I'm just proud of Andrew for holding his head up - let alone holding it still.) Here Daddy holds Andrew with his new do.

Haircut!!!

I never expected that I would be cutting my son's hair at 5 months but that is reality. I won't claim that it is a good -- or even decent -- cut but I think he looks less scruffy. Here are some before and after shots:-)

So excited

Anika is really excited about her new playset. Today she asked, "Where Dad goes?" I told her he was going to work. She immediately said, "Daddy, work on playset?" Unfortunately, I had to tell her no. She can't wait for it to be operational.

Making Progress

The playset is being assembled! Lloyd is so awesome. It still has a ways to go but with a few more hours it will be play-worthy.

Another Wicker

I have been remiss by not including the four-legged Wicker in our blog. Our yellow lab, Scout, is almost 3 years old. She brings lots of joy (and lots of hair) into our home. Anika alternately loves her or hates her depending on how well she is following Anika's demands:-)

Rolling Over

Andrew can consistently roll from back to tummy. It is a fun milestone, but it means that he doesn't go down to sleep as well because he rolls over and then cries since he doesn't want to be on his stomach.

My Kiddos

"Oh look, I have a hand!"