Kind of friends

Liv and Kimi weren't too sure what to think of each other.  They kind of played by each other.  They kind of ignored each other.  They mostly just followed the bigger kids around and played with them.

Occasionally they found themselves with just each other, and were forced to interact.

Towards the end of the visit, though, they started to warm up to each other.  Liv couldn't remember Kimi's name sometiems, so then she would call her Gaga.  When we went back to Granny's after Emily and the kids had left, Liv ran all around looking for Gaga.  Then she came to inform me that, "Gaga not here."  

Here they are checking out their Frozen swimsuits.

They got along the best when they were being mischeivious.  Like on the last night.

They wandered to the shower by the pool. Both of them started out in their clothes, but after we saw that they wouldn't be deterred from playing in it, the clothes were lost and they went to town.

They would stick their heads under the cold water and then gasp for breath.  It was hilarious.

Next year I think these two little stinkers will be inseperable. 

Popsicles. . . and embarrassing kids

Today I had to take the van into the shop.  There are several reason I was dreading this.

First, who knows how much they will say it will cost the van to be fixed.  And there really isn't anything noticeably wrong with it.  Just a couple of dashboard lights that needed attention.  Like the airbag light.  I guess it's good if the airbag is functioning properly, right?

Second, I had to take all the kids with me to the shop to drop it off.  That is a nightmare in itself.  But actually it went really well.  They have a shuttle service so they could shuttle me and my hellions home which was nice.

Bob was the guy who drove us home in their shuttle van.  He's an old man.  Probably over seventy.  With a hearing aid.  When the guy who took the keys mentioned that Bob would be our shuttle driver, Cam said, "Bob? Bobby?"

"Sure," the guy said.  "I bet he'd like you to call him Bobby.  He probably hasn't been called that in years."

Well don't worry.  My kids took care of that right away.

Bob appeared with our shuttle van and right away Cam started saying, "Bobby!  Hi Bobby!"

And then Liv didn't want to be left out.  So she kept saying, "Bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby" over and over again. Although I don't think she knew that Bobby was a name.  And THEN she said, in her high pitched little voice she uses when she's talking to Annalise, "Oh Bobby. . . so cute.  He's so cute."

She called a little old man cute.  Over and over again.

I didn't know whether to tell them all to hush and call attention to it, or to ignore them.  I opted to ignore them.  Thankfully they finally shut up when I mentioned something about sour patch kids and only the quietest ones getting them. 

My kids are embarrassing. 

We're sad that the cousins have left and we have to stay at home and do real life stuff again.  Like clean up the living room and clean up bedrooms.  When I ask the boys to help me tidy up it's like I jsut asked them to chop off their own arm and give it to me.  The drama is insane.  I'm sure they wish we were living the good life of all day at Granny's again.

Freeze tag

In which Jace gets what he deserves

In which Kimi loves the shower

I love all these pictures of Kimi loving the shower.  She is such a fun, sweet little girl.  I feel like I've finally gotten to know her cute little personality since she's been here, and I love it.

She and Liv are not to sure about each other yet.  ALTHOUGH, they've recently started playing together a little bit.  Instead of just eyeing each other, and ignoring each other, or yelling at each other.  So that's a good sign.  Next year they'll be best buddies.

One month

I can't believe Annalise is one month old.

I also can't believe that Liv has let me sit here and play with pictures for the last half hour undisturbed.

I also can't  believe we're already halfway through July.

Little Lise is such a good natured baby.  Despite the scowl she usually sports with her furrowed little eyebrows.  She cries usually only if she's hungry and wants to eat.  Because she likes to eat.

And she also loves snuggling with her little frog legs curled up underneath her still, like she's in the womb.  If she had it her way, I think she'd like to be back in my belly.

I feel like in the month (or actually five weeks) since she's been born we've just been running around nonstop.  After we get the older kids in bed at night I usually just crash onto our bed, exhausted and content to hold Annalise and snuggle for the rest of the evening.  Hold her and snuggle and also eat, of course.  Because I'm starving all the time.

I feel so happy that we get to have this cute little girl in our family.  And sometimes when I really think about blessed Brice and I are to have our four kids. . . my heart feels so full it literally feels like I can't even handle the emotion.  Too happy, too grateful, too wonderful.  Like that expression "my heart felt like it might burst". . . I totally understand that.  It's a pretty accurate description.