Cutest Monkey at the Zoo

We got to go to the zoo on Friday with Tine and Tye. He is adorable. Due to various ailments in both camps, we decided not to let any of the kids touch, hence no pictures of all of them. But Tye is so cute- and he liked the giraffes, just like his mama. I hope we get to see them more often.

Isn't she a doll?

This gorgeous little girl is miss emily- our sweet cousin! We love it when she comes over to play- she's as fun as she is gorgeous! Her little brother ain't too bad, either!

Swingers

A beautiful day at the park yesterday. We played a bit of soccer, played on the playground and had some swing time. My new camera with its extra cool action shot setting was able to capture the fun. How did I ever live without this thing?

Birthday party- Take Two

Since Ellie slept through her first birthday cake, we decided to give it another go. Cousins Emi and WW came over for cupcakes and a couple more presents. Ellie wasn't quite sure what to make of it, and seemed to want to go ahead and sleep through round two. She managed a bite or two of cupcake, but was so distracted by her elder siblings/cousins she didn't come close to finishing it off. However, Hayden and Chloe both managed to polish theirs off, no problema. Ellie loved her Peek-a-blocks turtle (thanks, grandma!) and the tissue paper, of course. She is very relieved that she won't have to do this again for another 51 weeks.

Ready, set, BOWL!

While in Vegas, our lovely hotel had a bowling alley. Hayden got to go bowling for the first, second and third time. He loved it, and wasn't too bad. The bumpers helped. Mom, on the other hand, was not that great. I guess I need to work on my delivery and beer gut.

Movin' on up

While visiting a park, we learned that not only can Ellie climb steps, but she likes to climb and will do it over and over and over. She also likes really big slides, as long as Dad rides with her. Our little adventuress. Who knew.

Birthday Girl!

Ellie is One!! I can't believe it. We had her birthday in Vegas, and she enjoyed herself- although she fell asleep before she could have cake. Our trip was a bit hectic, though, because chloe got round 2 and 3 of the horrible stomach bug. Not fun in a hotel room. Hayden had a blast hanging out with Grandma, and watching horse racing on t.v. Travelling with three little ones is not exactly peaceful, but does have moments of fun.

Recovery

After 48 hours of a 24 hour stomach bug, we are all recovering. AC wins for volume, E for number of attempts and Chloe wins for creative location choices. SO glad that is behind us. Here are some pics from a few days ago- needless to say, the camera has been out of action the past few days. And grandma, no more blue frosting on cupcakes. Not pretty on the return journey.

Easter fun with the cousins

Here they are- all six cousins. Aren't they a good looking crew? They had fun at Easter at Grandmas. Hayden got a bit aggressive during the egg hunt, but Emily had the last laugh because she found the most money eggs! All in all, a great day to be a cousin.

Just Chillin'

Hanging out in the backyard while dad cooked dinner. The girls are just kicking back enjoying another beautiful spring evening in AZ.

Splish, splash

Ellie's taking a bath! My kids love their baths- they'd stay in the tub all day if I'd let them. Funny, though, how they never manage to stay clean. hmmmm... It must be a ploy to take more baths.

Like Father, like daughter

I found Chloe working hard at her calculator- taking notes, figuring the bottom line. Will she grow up to be a business type, like her dad? I hope at the very least she's a friend to math, unlike her mother. Either way, we like to see her use that noggin.

Uh-oh... Mom's got a new toy

That's right- got my new camera today. Now I can really torture my kids. I need to actually figure out how to use it. Here are my initial efforts playing around today while the kids played in the mud.