Bill Baggs Beach

We haven't had a really good beach day in a while. Life is just too busy when you live this close to the beach and don't make it there! So I had Ruth play hookie from school on Friday and we headed out with our friends Tricia and Clarke and Grant--they move next week to Virginia, so this is their LAST beach day! It was pretty windy, but since that helped cut the heat, it was pretty perfect.

I have it down now so that Will carries a backpack and so does Ruthie and all I have to carry is one bag and my chair. And Molly and Will put their floaties on so I don't carry those. It's a really good system--I used to feel like I was lugging SOOOO many things, and now we get there and I just have one bag! Tricia said "I need a five year old!" haha.

We went to Bill Baggs because we have only gone to South Beach the past several times. There is always a lot more seaweed--it's a state park so they don't remove it for tourists like they do on other beaches, they let everything naturally live. It is still SUCH a beautiful beach though!

I love that truck. And that boy.

I sat in my chair and the kids dug and built and dug and built for four hours! Stopping for sandwiches in between. They worked up an appetite--this is the first time I hadn't packed enough food, I mean, they definitely weren't starving but Molly packed in two sandwiches! 

The water is always soooooo pretty! I didn't edit any of these pics!

It might be the last time we hit up Bill Baggs and I'm just hoping we find as lovely of beaches in Delray! 

Mothers Day

The Friday before Mother's Day Ruthie had Muffins for Moms day at school. It was adorable--she was SOOOO excited! My lovely friend took Will and Molly so that I had a little bit of time one on one with Ruth and it was so much fun to sit down with her and just focus on her! She served me breakfast, took my plate back after, showed me all her artwork and played dollhouse afterwards with me.

I made a little video for my mom of all 49 grandkids saying how we LOVE LOVE LOVE grandma, so here's some pics of my kids:

Haha, it was pretty cute.

Me and the kids on Mother's Day.

Sterling took Ruth and Will out the night before and brought home flowers and a 'surprise'. They were absolutely GIDDY with excitement--this is such a fun age! In the morning they made me breakfast (German pancakes) and gave me my present, a mother charm bracelet--you can see it in the above pic--and it was sooo sweet. They were so excited!

Sterling made breakfast that afternoon and we just hung out at home. It was really, really relaxed. Perfect Mother's day! 

These pictures are from a recent FHE when we took the kids to try and fly kites. But we weren't getting our usual Miami breeze, so we were unsuccessful. The park was still fun though!

More Pool+Cute Close-ups

Tricia and I keep 'not talking' about the fact that she moves in three weeks and I move in four. It's really what is making this move 'easy'--she's moving anyway, so no need to stay in Miami!!! BUT----talking about it or not, it's going to be rough to not get a text/send a text every single morning at 830am deciding whether we are going to the park, pool, or zoo together. As much as I know she wants to get out of the Florida heat, I wish she was moving with us to Delray!!!! 

This kid is getting more and more adventurous and likes taking off his floatie in the kiddie pool so he can dive like Ruth does. Swimming lessons are on the docket for this summer and I have a feeling he'll be floatie-less by the end of this summer and I am excited!

I love capturing splashing water!

Thanks to friends and family (looking at you Hazel and Ethne) this little girl has quite the collection of barbies, despite the fact that I have never bought her one. Merida and Ariel are the top favorites right now and she brings one to the pool and sits there and chatters away in a pretend game for HOURS. It is my absolute favorite thing to watch!

 Molly is so much fun lately. She crawls into bed with me every morning sometime between five when Sterling leaves and six when my alarm goes off. She reads while I read my scriptures and she snuggles and smiles. She always wakes up starving and reminds me several times that it's time for breakfast. Probably because she never eats her dinner. Even when enticed with dessert--which always works, right? Nope. She just shrugs and gets down from the table. She loves pink and sparkly and barbies. She also loves dolls and babies and books. She doesn't take a nap at all anymore unless we happen to be driving at 4pm (which we hopefully never are, horrible traffic) and then she conks out. We've been taking her on night time walks every single evening (Sterling lately because I have too many contractions that late in the evening) and it has become such a treasured time. She chatters about the airplanes and the trees we climb (have climbed in the past) and the fire hydrants and the colors of the flowers. She explains all sorts of things in her little prattling voice and I just love it so much. She lays down for sleep way easier--and I think it might be helping with her waking up at night. Not always, but things the last week and a half or so have been MUCH better. Surprisingly, the other kids don't really seem to mind that she gets to go on a walk. Ruth just reads and Will falls asleep, haha. That boy loves his sleep! So it's been working out really, really nicely.  

A couple sweet head shots of Molly:

Diving for dive sticks without a floatie in the kiddie pool!

 I tried to take some head shots of Will and this is all I got. He was super cheesing in every single one. I buzzed his hair the other day and he was SO good. Sat so still and didn't move a muscle. He follows the poem "when (s)he was good he was really, really good, but when he was bad he was awful." Yup. Today at my OB appt he was an absolute angel. He opens doors. He says please and thank you. But other times...ya know, last night he went to bed immediately after dinner. Listening is such a hard thing when you are four! He is getting so smart and colors so well and plays SO well with Molly. They have whole villages of little playing people and stacked towers. I just love mornings when we are home and they are just on the rug playing forever! He still talks about basketball all the time, haha. I told him this summer we are doing swimming lessons, but maybe next year. He is also SOOOO ecstatic for school this fall---crossing our fingers we get accepted to the ONE slot program we applied to. He's going to love it! He also gives the BEST hugs and still has baby soft cheeks that I have to rub regularly. Love him.

Andrea---this makes me think of Cowen.

I took this picture because I was talking to my sister on the phone and explaining how many things I could see out by back door at that moment. Can you find them all?? One 6 foot iguana, brown. One two foot iguana, green. One mother duck. Six baby ducklings. Four swimming turtles. Several large fish. And you can't see them with how I took the pic, but there were also several ibises. We also see lots of frogs, bluejays, red cardinals, a raven, yesterday a vulture, and other weird birds I'm never quite sure of. Of course...this photo is through our glass door and a fence, it is much easier to see them all when you are watching them move around.

I love this swim outfit of hers!

 

I gave up trying to find board shorts that stay up. I got these running shorts for her for $4 at Walmart (they have a little undie inside) and they have been marvelous! Poor girl always wants to wear her cute princess swimsuit but reapplying sunscreen to her face and arms is enough for me!

We had friends over to swim on Saturday and the dad had Ruthie hold onto his neck while he dived down at the deep end. It made Ruthie realize that she could dive that deep too and now that's all she wants to do! Runs straight to 6 ft and jumps right in. It's the absolute cutest. I also love how much faith Will has in her "Don't worry Molly, Rupee can get your stick!". Ruth is SUCH a great helper these days. She loves school, and I'm a little worried about her getting bored this summer, but she never says no to helping out! When our dishwasher got replaced, water splashed all over our stainless steel appliances. I hate cleaning those things, but Ruthie sits there with a rag and her baking soda and rubs it until my kitchen looks like it is brand new! She has also been learning to sweep because she has mirrors and sinks and tubs down. She is a pro at clearing the table and I really need to get her washing dishes more often...that's just laziness on my part because I know I'll be faster. She's picking up reading like crazy and spells out every single word she can read anywhere we are. Her hair has been really stringy and difficult lately and I switched her to adult shampoo and conditioner. I don't know WHY I didn't think about my almost-6 yr old being too old for baby 3 in 1 shampoo, haha, but it was sort of a revelation. I also got her a new hairbrush since our brushes are practically nonexistent. It has made a WORLD of difference and her hair is so gorgeous and soft and sweet-smelling lately I feel bad pulling it up every morning. Until our friend posted about lice at their school and I was reminded why I never let her wear it down to school. I have a feeling she's going to be the BEST when our baby comes!

Some shots of Ruthie:

 

 

Cutest little kids ever!!!

THOSE CRAZY TEETH!!!!!

She is just too cute!