Big garden = SALSA!

Our tomatoes finally ripened! It seemed like they were green forever! In one day, we picked 13 BIG tomatoes, a bag of green beans and some onions. Libby has the best time picking the vegetables. She has fun, and it's a great life skill lesson, as well. Having a garden is work, but it's really worth it. These tomatoes were unbelievable! When you buy produce from the store, you kind of forget what "real" vegetables should look like. They were ruby red and beautiful.

Part of the weekend harvest...

Libby cutting an onion from the garden. For a 5-year old, she's great with a knife.

Libby's garlic chipotle salsa... hot, but SO good!

Meet our new kitty

Well, our attempt at having a dog failed miserably, and pretty much ruined dog ownership for me... at least for now. So, my compromise with Libby and Roan (who still wants a dog) was to get another cat, as a playmate for Stella. We were lucky enough to find a year old kitty who has already been spayed and declawed, and who is current on all her shots. She's a beauty! She's a Snowshoe Siamese with long hair and blue eyes. It'll take a few days for she and Stella to scope each other out and stop hissing like fools, but so far, it's going well! The kids are thrilled. Oh, and her name is Sadie Caroline.

Not a great picture of Sadie, but you can get the general idea of how pretty she is!

You should see her tail!

School supplies = Big money!

Libby and I had quite an adventure buying school supplies last night! It's amazing how much a kindergartner needs to start school. She had a great time picking out her folders, her binders, scissors, glue, etc. Something she (surprisingly) doesn't need? Pencils. Go figure. This shopping trip was an exercise for me... letting Libby choose what SHE likes (Hannah Montana) vs. what I like (not Hannah Montana). Even though stores have good prices on school supplies right now, I still spent a fortune! And we didn't even find a backpack!

Libby with a portion of her loot!

My little fish!

One of the best parts about our vacation to the lake was swimming in Karen and Orrin's pool... the kids had the best time! The pool is 4' deep, so both Libby and Roan could stand on the bottom without the water going over their heads. They thought that was pretty awesome.

Roan climbing in on is own...this is great because he's not always the bravest boy, especially if mom's not right there with him!

Libby Lu in her tankini, havin' fun!


I had to post this, just to show that belly! Love it!

Libby loves Sandra Lee...

Libby and I love to watch The Food Network together. Ever since she was about 2 years old, she has enjoyed watching "Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee". She watches it most every Sunday, and makes lists of which recipes I should print off for us to try. Well, last Sunday, Sandra Lee gave a recipe for an easy kid snack... we had the ingredients on hand, so Libby got busy in the kitchen. She made ham and fruit snack kabobs, using deli ham, grapes, cantaloupe and watermelon. She made enough for snacks for the whole week and even convinced Roan to help. Right now, when you ask what she wants to be when she grows up, she's torn between becoming a chef and becoming a teacher. She's great at baking and decorating cakes (she has her own set of icing bags and tips), and she's amazingly independent in the kitchen. I've let her use knives (w/ supervision) since she was very small, so she can chop and dice as well as most adults. She's a talented girl and we LOVE her!!

Libby with a completed kabob. They looked awesome!

Friends...or cousins?

As I mentioned in the previous post, we love to visit Auntie Karen and Uncle Orrin, and their kids, Maddox and Melanie. Karen (Houghton) and I have been friends since her first day at Ray-Pec Middle School in 7th grade. Through Karen, I became friends with her sister, Kim. We all ran around together in high school, and have so many fun memories together. Now that we're moms, our kids are now friends, which is such a blessing. Libby, Maddox and Roan were each born 9 months apart, so they're great playmates... and Maddox's little sister Melanie may be tiny, but she holds her own with the older kids. Libby adores her, and Melanie appears to have a bit of a crush on Roan! I just love that Karen and I grew up together and now our kids are growing up together. She and I have always been more like sisters than friends... and now our kids are "cousins"!

Maddox and Roan's concert... Maddox has a crystal light container for a drum and Roan is playing Papa Phil's piano. As Roan said, he was "really feelin' it"!

Roan and Maddox, post concert. Best buds!

The Annual 4th of July Bash!

Every year, the kids and I pack up and go to "Auntie Karen and Uncle Orrin's" house for their huge holiday party. Karen and Orrin live out in the country, very near the Lake of the Ozarks. We love going there because they are like family... the kids get to play and have a great time, Karen and I get to visit, and it's just as good (maybe better) than being at home. There was a watermelon eating contest, water balloon fights, and lots and lots of fireworks. We had an awesome time!

This is Roan having a great time with Jordan during the water balloon fight. I know, he's bright white, just like his mom! Jordan is Karen's nephew (her sis Kim's son), and is one of the nicest kids ever. Roan just loves him (although he perpetually calls him 'Gordon'!) and says Jordan is his best friend!

The watermelon eating contest... ages 5 and under can use their hands. Libby was the big winner in her age group! They look forward to this every year. In fact, Libby made my dad buy a watermelon and have a practice contest! My parents will do anything for that little girl!

Ready... set... eat! Even little Melanie participated this year (left to right: Melanie, Orrin, Libby, Roan, Jordan).

What a great July 4th! We can't wait for next year!