it's arrived, ya'll!

It's that time of year again ... summer has arrived in Florida!  We've had two weeks straight of high 80s weather ... some days filled with humidity ... other, more glorious days, just heat.  We went to the park after our MOMs Club meeting on Monday, and that's when I made the decision, it was time to start going to the water park!  It was so stinking hot on Monday.  I about melted out of my clothes.  The kids were hot and sweaty ... with red faces!  It was definitely a wake-up call for summer.

So yesterday, we did it for the first time.  I took the kiddos to the water park, and they had a blast!  I was worried that Koki would run off the whole time, but it turned out my worrying was for nothing.  She loved the water, and she stayed and played in the water park area the whole time.  She didn't run off once!  I think this will be a great summer!  It's so nice to just sit in the water and watch the kids play ... dump water on them ... chase them around ... have them jump into my arms in the pool ... all without having to worry about Khloe.  Last summer, she sat in-between my legs the whole time, and she got cranky pretty quickly.  This year, it's tough to get her out to go home!  She's pretty good at leaving the toy section at the store by saying "Night, night, [bear].  See you next time!"  So, we do that at the water park, too.  "Night, night water park.  See you next time!"  Then she will come with me to get changed into her dry clothes.  Hey!  Whatever works!

First jump of the season! 

My cutie pie!

Big brother helping his sister out to the middle.

Today, our friends (the Adams) came with us.  The kids had a lot of fun rediscovering the water park and pool together.  Colton and Mason kept Gwendy busy by jumping into her arms in the big pool over and over and over again.  I had Koki jump into my arms over and over.  She is so silly!  She would barely let me get her put back onto the side of the pool ... I mean, I would just get my hands off of her sides, and she would jump right back into the pool!  It was nuts!  I was trying to teach her to count, "1 ... 2 ... 3!"  But she just wanted to jump right in immediately!  She kept giggling and laughing.  She was having a grand 'ol time.  I guess I need to look into swimming lessons for the kids this summer.  Colton is okay with putting his head under now ... and Koki wants to go swimming so badly.  I just want them to be safe!  Koki kept saying to Gwendy, "GWENDY! Swimming, swimming, GWENDY!"  She's so loud.  It's hilarious!  She just loves Gwendy, and she wants to tell Gwendy everything!  It makes me laugh.

Round #2 at the pool this week.  He's so cute!

Love this girlie!

The nice thing about the pool is that both kids are wiped out when we get home, and I don't have to coax Colton to stay in his room for "quiet time".  It gives them a much needed rest and me a much needed break.  Plus, it's great exercise and fun times had by all of us!

Speaking of getting outside to the water park ... we headed to the beach this past weekend.  Billy's boss told us about Honeymoon Island.  So, we went there to check it out.  It was super nice!  You can see Clearwater from the beach where we were swimming.  It was supposed to rain on Sunday, so there were lots of huge rain clouds ... and it was cloudy, but that actually made it really nice to be at the beach.  The sun wasn't shining down in the kids' eyes, and it wasn't extremely hot.  It was just the perfect temperature to be at the beach.  We had a great time!  Colton is a fish just like his Daddy!  He didn't want to leave the water.  He kept trying to lick the waves ... it was nutso! I told him that it would make his tummy sick, so he stopped.  But he was just splashing and playing in the waves.  Koki is a little more hesitant at the ocean than the pool.  The waves (as small as they are) are just a little intimidating to an 18 month old, I guess.  She'll get used to it.  She was having a blast digging holes in the sand and carrying around the buckets.  I guess they are both like their Daddy!

Sweet baby girl ... digging in the sand at the beach.

Our perfectly, cloudy day at the beach.

The little fish ... playing in the water.

Everyone digging holes together. 

This nut tries to lick the water ... hmmmm, can we say, "bad idea?"

Silliness!

The sand was gorgeous!  Had great layers and marbling all throughout.

Sissy found a hole to sit in.

This is her dancing for me!

Going to the beach ... going to the pool ... the smell of sunblock ... summer is here!  We are having a great time, and I am happy to have the warmer weather here to stay for a while.  Talk to me in August ... I will be SO ready for fall/winter ... somewhere else!

On Friday last week, I decided it would be fun to do something with these bunny shaped marshmallows I bought around Easter time.  So, after Colton's nap, he and I made rice crispy treats with them.  He had so much fun being a helper!  He placed the butter in the pan and stirred it until it melted. Then he dumped in the marshmallows, and I helped him stir them until they melted.  He, then, dumped in the cereal, and I mixed it up.  Then he poured the bunny shaped marshmallows in, and I stirred them into the mixture.  He helped me to pat down the bars into the pan.  He was so proud of himself!  We'll have to make more things like that where he can be such a big helper.  He really liked it!

Big helper, Cole stirring the butter!

The proud cook and his finished product!

I got a surprise treat from Billy on Friday! Yummy!

On Sabbath, we had the pleasure of attending the early service to support our friends whose children were being dedicated to the church.  Our friends, Mike and Duska Mewhirter, had both of their kiddos, Landon and Beckham, dedicated.  We were so happy to be there to support them!  It was really nice.  I taught Sabbath School again this week.  It was a new lesson ... Breakfast by the Sea.  It went really well.  Somehow, I always get stuck teaching the first week of the new lesson, but that's okay ... I don't mind it.  Koki ended the day singing "Sabbath is a happy day!"  I love how kids seem to gravitate to that song.  It seems like that was one of Colton's first Sabbath songs that he learned.  It's catchy ... and repetitive.  I guess that helps!

The kiddos listening to the children's story.

The Mewhirter Family having their children dedicated to the Lord. 

Cole took this picture with my phone.  Not bad for a 3 year-old.  There were many, MANY more bad ones.

Daddy and Sissy at Sabbath School.

Proud to bring me Colton's art project.

She said, "Oh, sheep ... baaaaaaa."

Sabbath evening at the park ... she is such a climber!

She can even climb the big wall all by herself!

Of course, the big girl prefers the big girl swing! 

Colton said, "Look, Mommy!  I'm flying!"

Hope everyone's weeks is going well!  I get a MOMs Night Out tomorrow evening ... dinner with my MOMs Club friends.  That's always a nice treat!  On Friday, we are going to a MOMs Club event ... Kids in the Kitchen.  So, they kiddos always like to "cook" something.  This weekend, we have a lot of yard work ahead of us.  Well, we've decided to do the flower beds little by little, so we have the first "little" section to complete.  Plus, we haven't mowed in a couple of weeks.  I have a bush I want to transplant ... so that's another thing.  Plus, I have to start on my restoration project!  That vanity is calling my name!  I hope to get started this weekend.

 A few pictures to end the blog ...

I cannot keep this boy off of the floor.  He wants so badly to be near Mommy and Daddy that he keeps falling asleep in the hallway just inside of the sliding door. Silly boy!

And on a different night ... and these are just the two pictures I took!

We were at the park this Monday ... and a little girl had a stroller with a baby there.  Koki kept trying to take off with it.  Colton broke our stroller trying to "fold it up to take on the plane".  I guess I need to get another one ... she misses it, obviously.

A flower in our yard ... spring has sprung!

I took this picture on a family walk we took this week.  It's so beautiful!

Colton zooming around the neighborhood on his trike!