Sprinkler Fun

Last summer, Sarah wasn't so fond of the sprinkler.  Mostly, she just stood there crying while it hit her in the face each time it headed her direction.  This summer, though, she has discovered the true joy of running through a sprinkler on a hot summer day!

She still got hit in the face, but this time she was ready for it!

Indoor Backyard

This week, we discovered the Rainbow Play Systems showroom in Olathe.  It's AWESOME.  For $4, kids can run around and play on all the amazing play sets they have set up in their climate controlled showroom.  That's right, folks - it's air conditioned.  It's like an indoor backyard...except that it's way, way cooler than any backyard I've ever been in!

Sarah and Finley had a blast climbing, swinging and playing!

Sarah LOVED this wrecking ball swing...

Kate didn't play at all, but she sure enjoyed the fact that it was cool enough to nap comfortably inside the showroom!  

Princess Sarah

Recently, Sarah has really enjoyed pretending to be a princess.  I mean, she has REALLY enjoyed it.  She uses it for good ("Princesses always share.") and for evil ("Princesses don't eat peanut butter.").

She has tried to teach Kate the basics of princessness...



...and she's even tried to share her tiaras with her dad!



I, for one, have really enjoyed watching her play in her beautiful dresses, and I couldn't help but follow her around this afternoon taking pictures as she danced and played outside.  Obviously, princesses don't care about the heat, either!

Princesses have quiet moments...

...and not-so-quiet moments!

 

 

According to Sarah, "Princesses always love slides!"

But what princesses love best is a popsicle on the front steps after a tough afternoon of pretend!

11 Weeks Old

July 16 - July 22

We were lucky enough to get another week of beautiful weather this week!  On Thursday, we met up with the Umscheid clan for a field trip to the zoo.  It was a little different than our usual trips to the zoo, though.  We only saw a few animals and spent the majority of our time on riding things - carousels, trains, trams, and the Sky Safari!  This was a first for Kate, but also for me and Sarah!

On Saturday, we took our summer trip to Paris to see Grandma Linda and Grandpa David.  This was Kate's first trip to Paris, and it was the first time that she met her daddy's family!  It was great to see them get to play with Kate.  She was very well behaved and smiled and cooed with everyone she met!

Before we left, we took a family photo. Notice how Sarah, Tom, and Grandma Linda all share the same grimace/smile?  Maybe Kate will get lucky and not inherit that particular trait!

The poor girl was exhausted after the trip, though!  She actually slept NINE HOURS that night!

Grandma Linda has this picture of Sarah hanging on her family room wall:

She requested a picture of Kate in the same outfit, so on Monday, we took some pictures for Grandma!  Of course, Sarah was only 3 weeks old when I took her picture in the ducky outfit.  Kate is obviously older than that, but I'm surprised at how different they really look!

This was as close as I could get to the same shot for her:

I did get some other cute pictures in the process, though!

On Monday, it also happened to be 95 degrees outside.  Summer actually felt like, well, summer!  After our little photo shoot, we escaped the heat by going bowling.  Kate didn't participate, but I'm sure she was cheering for Sarah and not for me...

Sarah repaid the favor by teaching Kate how to be a princess.

Kate, I just hope some of those princess dresses are still around for you when you want to wear them - Sarah won't take them off right now!!!