Happy 12th Birthday Lexus!!!

Ahhhh! Lexus turned 12 today, that is one year away from becoming a teenager! Joking aside, Lexus has given us 12 years full of love, joy and happiness! She has really grown into a stunning young lady and we are so proud of her. We did a fun twist on a rainbow cake for her birthday. The inside was a nice surprise; everyone got a rainbow slice of cake.

 We went to see the movie Kung Fu Panda 2 at the summer free movies this morning. She got to watch one of her favorite movies "How to Train A Dragon" this afternoon. We had all the grandparents over for her birthday dinner.

Wonder what she is wishing for???

The BIG 12!

 She got some great presents and most importantly had a FABULOUS day!!!

Little moments - Part 2

We enjoyed watching our hometown 4th of July parade with my parents. The kids got way too much candy. There were many interesting things being passed out at the parade this year: fireworks, soft drinks, popsicles, combs, coupons, cooler cups, sunglasses, etc...

Gotta love Pinterest...where we got the idea for Kimberly's nails!

Austin decked out in his red, white, and blue...spiderman version!

Another fun idea we found on Pinterest.

We spent the 4th of July chilling in the pool with the Ossege Family.

We watched the fireworks on the flood wall that celebrated the 4th of July and the opening of the World Choir Games. Austin was getting sleepy, so he made himself a bed on the rocks...Ouch!

This picture of Kimberly and her friend Kennedy reminds me of when Jenny and I were little and played Barbies and baby dolls outside.

Congratulations to my brother Scott and his wife Dana who celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary on July 6th. Here is the card I made them.

My cousin Myles just graduated from high school, here is the card I made him. We had a great time at his party! Randy and I learned we need to brush up on our corn hole skills, Jared and Tristan put us to shame. The kids had fun fishing on the big lake thanks to Ben and Luke letting us borrow some fishing supplies.

I really wish I could install one of these in Austin's dirt hole. Why do they have to cost a fortune?

Luke & Kimberly

 Lexus made a fishing pole out of a long stick, some fishing line and a hook. She impressed me when she caught several fish and a turtle with it.

Austin and Eli digging in the sand.

 We woke up one morning and this was on the wall next to our house. A chalk drawing of Poseidon raising a wall of water...pretty impressive!!! At first, I thought the kids left their chalk out and someone drew it. Then we found the leftover chalk bits and realized they had brought their own chalk to draw it. The artist remains unknown; I really which they would come back and draw a mural across the whole wall for me.

Kimberly, Jenna and Kennedy playing softball in the backyard.

 We visited my little sis and went swimming with her, Dana, Halle & and; Colin. The water was bitter cold, but the kids jumped right in.

 We went on the Campbell County Farm Tour this past Saturday, what a great event! The kids got to ride horses at two different stables, we bought some zucchini to make zucchini bread, ate homemade ice cream with the most delicious blackberry and strawberry jam toppings, took a horse-drawn carriage ride, saw lots of farm animals, etc...

It's the little moments...

Father's Day was the day after we got home from Florida, so we did some shopping for Randy in Florida. Still the kids couldn't let the day pass without some special gifts they found on their own. Randy always loves Kimberly's bag o' goodies she gives him for all special occasions, the fun is that you never know what your gonna get. (She tends to do her shopping in her room and around the house...so cute!) Austin wanted to give Daddy a monster truck, so he wrapped up his favorite trucks for Randy. Yes, that is X-mas wrapping paper he used...again too cute!

Our favorite dads...Randy, Grandpa Grothaus, and Uncle Scott

 It has been really easy to fit in a couple pool days thanks to this ungodly heat wave that has been threatening to fry us every time we step into the sun.

 We are currently living in a world all things superheros! For me to say Austin is obsessed is a major understatement. If you keep your eyes open, you are sure to find Batman, Robin or even Superman fighting evil in the backyard, the living room and even in the bathroom. Any given day we are watching movies about superheros, coloring/drawing superheros, and can't walk past anything superhero related in a store and not hear a well delivered speech about how he really, really needs it or he won't be able to go on living.

See I told you Robin has been spotted at our house.

 We took the kids fishing at the lake in Southgate. It was a total bust, not one fish bit our lines. Which is ironic, because just a few weeks prior Randy and Austin caught a ton of fish at the exact same lake.

 Who doesn't love a good old demolition derby? Can you tell which car was Austin's favorite? This was the first time we saw the lawn mower derby. It wasn't as exciting as the big cars, but still fun to watch.

 We enjoyed a fun bike ride to the library and the Fort. Kimberly was lightning fast to keep up with the whole time; that girl has limitless energy. Poor Randy got the job off hauling Austin and all our library books behind him in the carrier.

 I am slowly trying to do the things I pin on Pinterest, other than recipes. So, we tried the cornstarch sidewalk paint which I have been dying to try with the kids. It was fun to experiment with, but I am not sure we will do it again. It was a little hard to mix without making a complete mess and to get the right consistency. It did create very vibrant colors as seen below, but stained the kids skin pretty good.

 Kimberly has really taking a liking to softball this year. She finished the season with 2 hits; which is a great accomplishment considering they hit a ball coming in 35 m.p.h. from a pitching machine. They start all girls out playing fast pitch softball now.

Kimberly and the best coach ever (Daddy)

 What did you do when the lights went out? I went grocery shopping at Kroger; which wasn't the smartest idea in a blackout now that I look back on it. We had to quickly sort groceries into a fridge pile and freezer pile. I told the girls we had one shot to get it all in and shut the door quickly so as not to let what little cold air we had out. Randy and the kids put up the tent in the back yard. Thank goodness they did, the cool air felt good. We would of been lying in pools of sweat in the house.

 They were dancing in the moonlight...Kimberly and Daddy!

 Austin and Lauren got in on the fun too!

 We loved watching fireworks at the Fort to celebrate the 4th of July a little early; they always put on a fantastic show!

Another fabulous pool day with some of the girls friends!

McKenna & Kimberly

I just heart the moments when Austin wants to be "just like daddy"! He helped randy cut up some dead branches from a tree in the back yard. He had to have his shirt off just like Daddy too!