Arts Festival

On the way to take Dad for his weekend golfing trip to Texas, we thought it would be fun to spend a little time at the Arts Festival. The first thing Bella wanted to do was get her face painted like a butterfly. She waited very patiently (if you can believe it) for about 30 minutes until it was her turn. She knew she wanted a butterfly and was thrilled with the result. She sat so still and the moment of surprise when she looked in the mirror was great. We had a good time doing a few other crafts, but the face painting was the real hit.

My New Addiction

I have a new addiction, and I can blame Bret for this problem. If you have never played Ticket To Ride, it is such a fun came. We have played the board game and love it, but it is meant for more than 2 players so we couldn't play very often. Bret discovered you could play it online. I am completely addicted, it is really getting out of hand, but I love it!

It's Finished!

Our basement is finally finished. I never expected it to be done so quickly, but we are loving all the extra room. I am in the process of moving down everything from the office to make way for our nursery. It is quite a job, I have far too many scrapbook supplies, but I am almost done. I will post some pictures soon. Thanks to everyone who helped so much, we never would have made it without you!

Last Day of School

Hurray! School is out for summer. Isabelle had a great time and loved her teacher, Miss Jessika. Bella and I celebrated with ice cream. She chose to make her own cone. We are looking forward to a fun and busy summer!

Cousin's Swim Day

We had a great time swimming with all our Garriott Cousins at Dan and Jen's pool. Bella was pretty impressed that the twins can swim without life jackets. Her mom isn't brave enough for that yet! Thanks for having us over!

Jake swimming with great goggles!

Abe surfing with a little help from Aunt Heather and Sam.

Gracie-Girl's awesome handstand!

Grandpa Boyd getting in on the fun!

Baby Caroline looking sassy!

Strawberry Dessert

Since a few people have asked me for this recipe I thought the best way to share it was on my blog. It is my new stand-by, thanks mom for passing it along.

Base- White Cake, make according to the directions on the box, but bake in a sheet pan, usually 10-14 minutes.

Filling- 2 pts. whipping cream, beat it stiff. Add 2 C. powdered sugar and whip. In a separate bowl beat 8 oz. cream cheese and 1 1/2 C. powdered sugar. Fold 2 mixtures together and spread over cake.

Topping- As many strawberries as you want combined with danish dessert. Make pie glaze directions on box.

Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

It is the easiest dessert ever, but I am completely addicted!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day Bret! We love you. You are the greatest Dad to our girl, that's why she loves you best!
Even if she does like to call you "That Naughty Daddy" sometimes!

Grandpa Boyd

Happy Father's Day to Grandpa Boyd. It was not easy to get a picture of him and all these silly grandkids, but it was pretty fun! We love you!

Swimming Pool, Swimming Pool

Bella has been waiting for months for Grandma Chris's swimming pool to be opened. With the cool spring, it has taken a while, but finally it was time. We celebrated Father's Day a little early for Grandpa Clyde and swam and swam. Some how, we didn't get a decent picture of Grandpa, so you will just have to come home soon so we can try again! The kids had a great time. Special thanks to very patient Uncles who don't know how to say "No" yet. We are excited for a fun summer. Kelli, if you are looking for good news, this is it, let's swim!

Hot, Hot, Hot

Once again, Bella loved being the "Star of the Stage" at her dance recital. It was pretty cute to watch her dance. She loves it! Thanks to everyone who came and watched her through all 30 dance numbers! Bret thought I was taping the wrong kid the whole time, but luckily, I can still recognize my own and have it all on video. If I can ever figure out how to get it off the video camera, I will put it up for all to enjoy. In the meantime, feel free to ask Bella if she is Hot, Hot, Hot and she will do a little of the dance for you!

Stranger Danger

I was in the store today and it was nap time. Bella was just plain exhausted and had decided she wanted a feathered fan. Don't ask me why and for some reason I was extremely opposed to buying a feathered fan. She was in the cart throwing a full on fit. It was a little embarrassing, but I just hurried to the check out line. She was still going strong when the lady in front of me says "Can I talk to her? I know a trick that always works." I said "Sure." This lady puts her arm around my daughter and says (getting louder as she goes) "When you act like this, it makes me very, very angry." I about died. Bella just looked at her and kept going. I guess we need to keep away from strangers in the check out line.

Disney Daze

Bella's final preschool program was titled Disney Daze and since we are in love with all things Disney, she ate it up. It was fun to watch her sing and act out the hand moves. My favorite was the Hawaiian song. We had a great year in preschool and are very excited for next year! These aren't the greatest photos, but I did capture it on video for anyone who wants to watch!

The Color Wheel

In order for the scouts to get their artist pin, we had to teach them about the color wheel. I was trying to figure out a way to make this interesting as I am sure they have learned it in preschool. I found a fun way on the Internet, (what did we do without it?) mixing frosting and spreading it on vanilla wafers. Highly entertaining, I recommend it to anyone who has to try and teach about colors.

Dance Preview

Just thought I would give you all a little preview of next Thursday. Bella is ready to be the "star of the stage" once again! This was before we got the actual dance pictures done, once the really photogragher tested his lights and it hurt her eyes, there was nothing doing. It was quite the experience, but hopefully next week will go better. Let me know if you can make it and I can pick up tickets!