Whew.

I can't believe that June is gone and it's already July 8th...or 9th....or something like that!  I've decided that in addition to a housekeeper, cook, nanny, and personal trainer, I could also use a photographer/web master to take pictures and keep the blog up-to-date.  That's not too much to ask, right?!

Fourth of July was fun, despite the rain.  The girls and I watched as Dain showed Kale how to safely light (small) fireworks.  I know it's a good thing for him to learn from his dad rather than his friends somewhere down the line, but man-alive it makes me nervous! I'm pretty sure Bailey will be following suit sooner rather than later.  Here are some pics from our celebration at the farm:

Cousins exploring something....

Grandma & Grandpa Hammy and Miss Shay

The birthday boy, Josh

Boys playing in the pool...Chase wisely learned that if he had the hose, he was in control of the older two.  Smart little guy!

Dain & Bailey watching the chaos

Kids watching the fireworks show on their make-shift chairs

She made this face every single time a big firework filled the sky :)

Basketball and a Birthday

Basketball camp was everything Kale dreamed it would be....and more!  He walked in the door and immediately asked to go back.  Kale especially loved staying in the "hotel" (aka dorm room) with Dain, although I'm not sure Dain was as impressed with the accommodations...can you believe that?  Who wouldn't like sleeping in a dorm on a thin, grimy, twin-sized mattress?! 

Kale has spent every day since camp practicing all the things he learned.  If I had a dollar for every time I heard the phrase, "Balance...eyes...shooting hand...guide hand...follow through" I'd be headed to the GAP for a shopping spree right now.

Bailey's birthday was fun....loud....but fun :)  She got a swing set and sandbox, plus a massive amount of toys and games that have kept both kids entertained all week. In typical form, I got distracted and forgot to take photos until pretty much everyone had left, but Dain managed to get a few and I was able to capture a couple shots of the "Blues Brothers," who made an appearance towards the end of the night with their back-up dancer ;)

Two

Miss Bailey Anne turned two this week.  She requested french fries and cookies for her "special dinner."  That makes me so proud :)

I tried to think of something clever to write about her....something that would capture her personality.....but I just couldn't find words to do her justice. 

What can I say?  She is our Bailey Boo, and she is truly one-of-a-kind.

Happy Birthday Miss Bailey.  We love you to the moon!

Camp Excitement

Saturday Kale goes to KU's parent-child basketball camp with Dain.  The kid is kinda waaaaaay excited about the whole thing....

On Wednesday we went up to campus to watch the past/present player game.  This sparked a series of about a million questions that lasted all the way home and through bedtime:
Will Marcus Morris be at camp?
Will he say hi to me?
Did you see Mario Little?
Why didn't he play last year?
Will he play this year?  Why?
Will he be at camp?
Will they eat breakfast with me?
Will there be cheerleaders?
Will you look for me on TV?
(I gently broke the news that little kid camp is not televised)
Do you think we'll play games?
Will we get to run?
Will there be coaches there?  Even Bill Self?
Any others?  I've already met Bill Self.
Can I bring Hop?
And on
And on
And on.

In addition to the questions, he woke me up at SIX AM Thursday because he was doing "exercises" about 2 feet from my head.  He packed and re-packed his bag at least three times (with all the essentials, I might add: undies, socks, sweatbands, a dinosaur and a book)!  We went to the park and instead of playing he ran back and forth and back and forth along the running trail. Today he got out of bed and promptly went to clean his shoes for camp, and he's already asked me at least 5 times if I've remembered to wash his Sherron Collin's jersey.

Saturday better get here quickly or poor kid might actually burst with excitement :)

Cheap Thrills

I think this is a sign we need to invest in a wading pool.  (We tried to hook up the sprinkler, but we apparently need a new hose because there was more water spraying from the faucet than our spinning Elmo)!

When we got inside, Kale said, "That was the most fun EVER!"  I'm not sure whether I should take that as a complement of my ingenuity or an insult because the other 364 days of the year things around our house are so lame.....

Good Stuff

This pic is destined to be a classic.  I'm fairly certain we'll see it at a graduation celebration and/or wedding sometime in the future!!

Even a cool, high school senior boy can't resist helping out his niece :)   Brandon is one of the nicest people I know.  I mean, seriously, how many kids his age would actually take the time to attend their 3-year-old cousin's birthday party?  Love that!

And last, but not least, a couple pics of our happy baby. She's already 2 1/2 months old.  Crazy, huh!? 

Disney World

Sometime in the past month Kale decided that he wants to go to Disney World to ride roller coasters, and he wants Grandpa Ballard to take him :)
I'm not really sure where the big plan started (maybe one of those commercials on TV) but he discusses it like it's no big deal to travel to Florida and like he's certain it's going to happen.

All of this leads me to an incident that happened yesterday:
There was change laying on the kitchen counter, so I picked it up and divided it between the kids' piggy banks.

Kale busted me in the act and in a very dramatic voice said, "Moooooooooom! That's for me and Grandpa to go to Disney World!"
I apologized and he made a big production of getting a  plastic sack to store his Disney world money in. He even put a "D" for Disneyland on it...and taped it shut to keep his little sisters (and mom) out.
He also added a dollar and said in a very serious tone, "I'll put this in just in case; Grandpa might need extra money."
Less than five minutes later, I heard him rustling around in the kitchen
and found him taking more money out of his piggy bank and putting it in his "D" sack.
I said, "Now what are you doing?"
Kale responded, "I want to do A LOT of things in Florida with Grandpa." "I think I have TWO whole dollars and maybe fifty cents in my bag!"

The kid is convinced that he's going to Disney World with his Grandpa and that it's going to be the BEST TRIP EVER.

I told my dad to look at the bright side....if he can pull this off, he's definitely secured a permanent spot in the Grandparent Hall of Fame! 
In the mean time, there's always World's of Fun.