Happy Campers

Captain Awesome and Max wait to hang the hammock ~ which is draped like a towel around his neck. If you are taking a camping trip or just hanging out in the back yard, the Eagle Nest Outfitters' hammock can be extremely entertaining or totally relaxing ~ depending on your preference or perhaps your age. Also, it is very compact and lightweight. The whole hammock stuffs into a bag that is about the size of your hand. This hammock is truly a must-have.

happy campers soon become sleepy campers ~ sweet dreams sleepy heads, so glad I got to see your beautiful smiles

xoBeau

Beauty in the eye of the Brother

Big brothers should be encouraged to spend time with little sisters. It is in those tiny moments that sweet memories are made, which surely must be the basis for eternal bonds. When given enough time, they are required find ways to entertain themselves, thus giving way to creative urges ~ and art is found in their lives ~ allowing them to see the beauty within each other.

Today, Captain Awesome snapped a shot of Pippi hanging from the basketball goal as black clouds rolled in the sky above. This has to be one of his most compelling photographs, yet.

xoBeau



{To Captain Awesome: You did excellent ~ I can't help but smile!

xoMommy}

baby girl x 2

Zoo Bamboo

xoBeau

Busy Bees

Limelight hydrangeas went into the garden this week

Captain Awesome is... well... awesome at digging the holes

Pippi is fabulous at getting her hands dirty and discovering the little things

Like this little thing ~ bzzzz

xoBeau

Spa Treatment

xoBeau

Body Art by Pippi

1 Permanent Marker
plus
A Pinch of Inspiration from the Jungle Book
(pretty sure she was going for tiger stripes)

xoBeau

Sesame Street Playground from Putumayo

Take a listen to Putumayo's newest release Sesame Street Playground! It is a collection of Sesame Street songs from all over the world. Oh, and videos.... This is a 2-disc set: 1 cd with songs and 1 dvd with music videos. They just came in, so Pippi has not seen or heard them yet ~ I can't wait to see her reaction. She LOVES Elmo!

Elmo on the Bonnie Hunt show plugging his new release

You can purchase from bandVillage.

TIP: Don't forget to sign up for the bandVillage newsletter. If you sign up, a gift certificate will be sent to your email address. Use it when you purchase ~ it is like a coupon for the Sesame Street Playground cd by Putumayo!

~ Goodbye Sweet Friends ~

Pippi's little friend ~ our neighbors ~ have moved away. Whenever Pippi ran outside, little W was always waiting by the fence to greet her. Pippi and W would share sand toys across the fence. Little W would find the tallest pieces of grass (flowers) that he could find and deliver them safely into my hand ~ this was his gift to me. If Pippi cried, little W would become upset and with a concerned voice say, 'My friend, what's wrong with my friend.' Little W and his mommy would bake cupcakes and bring some over to share ~ Pippi's favorite! Because of Pippi's young age, this was the first summer that she has really been able to make friends. I wanted to make sure that little W had something to remember his friend by. But what kind of gift would be the best token of remembrance?

This is what we came up with:

a sweet picture of the friends from a recent play date

cropped and placed inside a self adhesive laminating pouch,
punched with a hole and strung with some twine

tied around a the neck of a new friend who is soft, cuddly, and ready for adventure!

It was sad to say goodbye, but we wish them a beautiful future and thank them for the sweet memories!

xoBeau

Last days of summer ~

See you next year ~ little summer feet ~ I am sure you will be much bigger then!

Pippi Translated

If you hang around Pippi for a little while, you will see that she jabbers a lot in a language that sounds extremely foreign. If you listen carefully, however, you will hear bits of English coming through. But even those words require translation.

Boogie - any kind of bug; she does an excellent job of pointing them out!
But - belly button; she likes to show you hers
Flower - all green growing things, even trees
Hair Bow - anything that goes on the head, this includes helmets and giraffe horns
Hop Hop - bunnies and hamsters; the bunnies frequent the spot under the bird feeder and were named first, the hamsters were later given to the boys as a gift; they both look very soft ~ she just wants to squeeze 'em
Max - all dogs; one of our dogs is named Max ~ poor Max, he does get squeezed
Mommy - all adults
Mommy KaMommy - a special mommy name reserved just for me, thank you Pippi
Moan - cellphone; she likes electronics
Milk - all beverages, such as, milk, juice, pop, even mixed drinks; if we are out at dinner and I have a strawberry margarita, she just will not be content until the waiter brings her a virgin one ~ diva!
Nipe Nipe - Goodnight or going to sleep
Poo Poo Diaper, Oooo, Nasty - anything that is gross; this is apparently what she thinks when she looks at butterscotch delight
Up and Down - balloons, going upstairs, the trampoline
Watch - movie time

I don't know about you, but I can see the relation. Of course, all of these terms come with genuine tones and priceless expressions. Our exchange of important information is evolving ~ wonder what we will be talking about 10 years from now. Ummm, scratch that thought.

Sincerely, fro me to you.

xoBeau

Waiting & Wishing

Pippi waiting on her brothers and wishing that she could ride the bumper cars ~

xoBeau

We love Miss Oklahoma

Miss Oklahoma (a.k.a. my aunt Iris Ann) is here for a visit and we are savoring every moment! When she is in town, it means eating anything and everything yummy, shopping til you drop, lounging by the pool, staying up til the wee hours of the morning laughing and carrying on. She likes to have fun with you, she loves you and she wants to make sure you know it!

Our favorite tradition, and one apparently caused by my serious need for the perfect pair of cowboy boots, which took us to 3 states and back again, is the foot rub. Every time she comes to visit, we kick off our flip flops, tennis shoes, socks, whatever it is that binds our little piggies, squirt a generous portion of lotion, and just rub those tired dogs down! This time, she brought a sweet lotion set that included everything from the foot soak to the foot spray. Ahhh heaven!

Last night, we inducted the newest member, Pippi.
These were taken with my cell, so not super clear, but still super precious!

Summer Photo Contest - Pippi

Heading out the door to hit the pool on a hot summer day, Pippi grabbed her brother's scuba mask and popped it on her head. I couldn't resist but to pull out my cell phone and grab her picture. She obliged me with a hollywood pose and smile!

Vote for Pippi at http://www.5minutesformom.com