Our BIG Helpers

Our favorite little kids have become quite the big helpers lately! Sunday afternoon the girls were inside doing some chores and the boys were outside doing yard work. It sure is more fun with Emma and Camden's twist on getting things done. I wonder if they will be so eager to help out with they are teenagers. I'll have to bring up this post in 10 years. :)

Fame-Emma Style

With all the hype about the new Fame movie coming out, I realized that I don't think I ever saw the original movie. When I opened our latest Netflix earlier this week and saw that it had come,I couldn't wait to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon watching the movie. With Chris at the UW football game, and both kids resting, I was one happy gal this afternoon.

Then just a few hours later, I had my own little future student of the High School of Performing Arts doing her thing.

Belle the ballerina.

(Dancing along to Barbie Swan Lake on T.V.)
Belting out A Whole New World on her own homemade stage.

Costume Change

Mulan showing off all her moves.

Great form on that kick!

And finally, a family picture that I adore!

Mama's Boy

Who could resist those eyes......or that smile? This mama sure can't! :)

B-A-N-A-N-A Bread

For the past month +, every time Emma opens the freezer and sees the brown bananas sitting there, she asks, "Mom, can we make banana bread?" Today she was thrilled when my answer was, "YES!" I thought we'd have a bread making day. It's September and I'm starting to crave some pumpkin bread. Nevertheless when I reached down to pick up some canned pumpkin off the shelf at the grocery store this morning, it was completely bare. Come on now! Fall starts next week and there is no canned pumpkin?!?! So, my little bakers and I had to be content with one delicious loaf of banana bread.

I've learned that if a recipe calls for 1 cup of something, I use my 1/2 cup measuring cup and they each get a turn-magic!
I stirring super fast, Mommy!

GOAL!!!!!!!!!!

Today was Emma's first soccer game! Her team, the Red Robins, has been practicing for the past month and today was the first official game. Here's the team in their pre-game huddle (Emma's #23).This was Emma most of the game, trotting around the field chasing after the ball. From time to time she'd look over at the sidelines to see if we were watching...
Here she is at a kickoff... In the last quarter she broke away from the group with the ball and scored a goal!
I was too excited cheering that I only got a picture of the high five with coach afterwards.

The Princess and Pirate Party

Sunday afternoon we helped Claire celebrate her 5th birthday-princess and pirate style. Emma decided her flower girl dress from Jessi's wedding would be the perfect dress for a princess. Not just any princess...a pirate princess. The pirates and princesses on a treasure hunt.

(Camden was trying his hardest to keep up with them!)
Time for a little dancing. I think Emma was so busy singing, she could have cared less about the hand moves.

the Chicken Dance...

Princess Emma and her favorite dance partner.

Camden wasn't too sure about the pinata...

Happy Birthday, Claire!

Summer in September

We had to take advantage of 80 degree weather on a September Saturday. It would have been a great day to be at a football game, but Camden, Emma, Claire and I headed to the beach. We had a wonderful afternoon at Faye Bainbridge State Park. Emma found a dinosaur tooth on the beach!
Adorable Claire! I rigged up her dress over her monkey bar shorts so she could wade like the pro that she is. Miss Claire is definitely a Washingtonian-she can brave the cold water!

Camden was watching some other kids ride drift wood like a raft in the water. He would sit on the log and then when a wave came up, the cold water made him run for shore!

Emma testing out the water with her toes.

Camden tested the water and then rolled in the sand

(point #1,452 that boys are different than girls!)

Nothing like a day at the beach with good friends!

The finale to our fun afternoon: a ride on the tire swing.