Galina's 4th Birthday

Galina turned 4 at the end of July.

She wanted a yellow cake with chocolate frosting.  A girl after my own heart.

Brielle was excited about the cake too.  She has a sweet tooth as big as her mommy's.

I do wonder what this girl wished for.

It was hard for me not to help her blow out the candles.  She had a hard time with it.  But it did keep her quiet for a few minutes.

Galina always manages to get herself decked out.  You've gotta love Brother's belt above her waist with her belly hanging out.  Not to mention my bra strap around her neck with a used glow bracelet as bling.  Gotta give her points for creativity, that's all I have to say.

Present time!

Here's the birthday girl trying to figure out how to work her flashlight.  Of course she shined it right in her eyes which surprised her and made us all laugh.

"A Barbie!  Just what I wanted!"  Note to self: never ever buy a Barbie that sings.  I was to learn this later on.  The hard way.

I also found some Fisher Price little dolls with houses for a great deal on E-bay.

All the kids enjoyed them.

I even think Bryce thought they were pretty fun.

Here's Brielle in her usual pose.

Hey sweet one, can you take your thumb out long enough to smile at the camera?

Oh, that's a good one!

She was able to swipe the ice cream truck and get a little undisturbed play time in.

There are my two girls in Treyton's cardboard pick-up truck.  Brielle driving with her seat belt on and Galina in the back with her hair flying all over.  Hmmm....I hope this is not a foreshadow of what is to come.  Oh dear.

Galina you are celebrated!  You bring life into any situation.  May we all learn from your enthusiasm and ability to soak up the moment, truly embracing the present.  I love you, Magoo!

Crescent Mummy Dogs

I just had to share these adorable mummy dogs that I just discovered from the All Recipes website.  What a fun meal for the kids before they go out to trick or treat!  Just wrap crescent roll dough around a hot dog, bake, and add a mustard or ketchup face.  So fun!

PB Cheerio Bars

MMMmmmm....

These simple bars turned out great.  Perfect to add to lunch on the go, after school snacks, or as a breakfast bar.  

PB Cheerio Bars

2/3 C Karo syrup

1 C brown sugar

1 C peanut butter

6 1/2 C Cheerios

Mix syrup and sugar in pan and cook just until it bubbles around edges.  Take off heat and add the PB stirring well.  Add Cheerios and stir.  Place in a buttered 9x13 pan and press down hard so they won't fall apart when you cut them.  Enjoy!

Special Quilts

Bryce's parents and grandparents came down for a visit towards the end of July.  Just in time to celebrate Galina's birthday. 
Here's Grandma Sharon reading a card and giving the birthday girl a present.

 Presents are so much fun!

 Can you tell these two are related?  Bryce's paternal Grandpa Bob enjoyed the morning.

 And Bryce's paternal Grandma Ruth made special denim quilts with matching pillowcases for the kids.  She is an amazing quiltist (is that a word?). 

Even though it was like 85 degrees outside, these kids had to sleep with their quilts.

  Thank you grandparents for a great day!

Estes Park

We took a vacation to Estes Park this summer and here are some highlights:
Galina and Madina...their names got mixed up all week.

Never thought I'd see the day...Brother Brent holding my two girls and smiling?  This man is not a kid person so this is rare!

 Treyton and cousin Marat playing with Playmobil guys.  Treyton thinks his big cousin is the coolest person alive.

 Me and my parents....sooooo good to get hugs from them!

 My parents loved to sit outside and just watch them play.

 I'm impressed I got this picture as these two boys don't stay still very long.

 Daddy and Brielle at the pool.

 Hours of fun at the pool for all the kids.

 I also got some puzzles from the clubhouse which were so fun.  I love puzzles and haven't gotten a chance to do one that had more than 24 pieces since I've had kids. 

 Celebrating Treyton and Galina's birthdays.

 Galina turned 4 at the end of July.

 Treyton turned 6.

 Unbeknownst to my mom, she gave Treyton a trick candle that kept coming back to life every time he tried to blow it out. 

 Oh, he thought that was so fun.  We all got a kick out of it!

 Some presents to celebrate.

 Prego and her honey.

 Cuddling up with Grandma Kay on a cold morning and watching cartoons.

 Brielle out hiking with Daddy.

 But riding became more fun.

 Galina and no fear of cliffs.  Or anything for that matter.

 Studly boy.

 The fam at the falls.

 Treyton and Marat searching for snow.

 Grandpa Don and Treyton at Grandpa's yearly snack site.

 Mommy and Brielle trekking along.

 Father and daughter.

 The fam again.

 There are several hikes in the Rockies that kids can earn badges for completing.  The one we went on that day was one of them.  We had a little ceremony and presented them with the badges.

 Galina hiked the whole way and earned a badge too.

 This dog kept showing up in strange places all week, including Brent's head.

 My parents watched our kids so Bryce and I could go for a hike.  This is our favorite thing to do together.  It's how we started out our dating relationship...in person.  But that's another story for another time.

Happy trails!