The ladder

Saturday mornings are usually "help Daddy in the garage" kind of mornings. 

Scarlett loves it. 

From cleaning and organizing to fixing cars and shelves that break off your walls that have had that crap on it for the past 2 years but somehow choose to come down now *breathe* to squishing bugs, picking flowers, and fixing ladders.

This is Scarlett's version of Michael fixing our wooden ladder (he added the rungs on the paint can step/holder thingy)...drawn on the ladder, no less.

It's clearly completely accurate. 

Here's the reenactment:

I have to remember treasures like these. 

....especially when I am repeating the same thing for the fifth time and she still pretends to not hear me.

...or when she takes things away from August. Again.

...or when she cries very dramatically when I turn off her My Little Pony marathon.

Oh, terrible threes, you are a beast!

Labor Dabor Day

We took a quick jaunt down to California with the Barnette's and Wach's for the 3 day weekend (and took a whole week's worth of pictures). I was expecting everything to be crazy busy (because, you know...we were going to be there...) but it was awesome! (I love needless parentheses).

We spent some time at the beach...

Scarlett was the same age as August when she was introduced to the beach. 

However, August wasn't quite as timid. But it also wasn't as cold as Oregon!

August went body boarding.

Then, turned into this malnutritioned neckless pygmy. I promise he eats.

August's favorite was finding rocks and throwing them in the ocean. He'd try to find them where they landed but got really confused when they weren't there anymore.

My thighs finally met the sun for what seems like the first time all summer.

Stop looking at my thighs.

Scarlett did a little boogie boarding.

But the nervous nellie decided it was more fun to just pull the boogie board.

We chilled at the pool. Which I highly recommend after going to the beach...no sand in your car!

When looking at the picture Scarlett  said, "That shark is eating my snacks!"

August learned how to jump in the pool...and I found out I make crazy ugly faces...

August was apparently thirsty. He was sucking the chlorine out of his tube. *barf*

Monday we beach clubbed and paddle boated it up.

This sweet guy was so tuckered out.

How come having fun is so much work? I was so tired Monday night I woke up in the middle of the night on the couch. I definitely fell asleep in bed and have no recollection of how I got on the couch.

The weekend was that good. 

August, the month, not the baby

I can't believe summer is over, and all the school kids are back to the daily grind! Man, summer went by way too fast! I like to call August the "month of cakes", also hailing this month practically non-existent. Where the crap did this month go?!

So, we started off the month with my grandpa's 90th birthday party.

He requested German chocolate, the ugliest of ugly of cakes. I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out how in the world to make a German chocolate cake not look like a flaming pile of poo. I think it was a success.

I had to sneak this one in from the party. He's becoming such a little man. *tear* Happy 14 months, dude!

In between Grandpa's party and my next adventure (read: 1st wedding cake ever) came Girls' Camp! I thought once I turned 18 I wouldn't make another camp banner...totally wrong.

I was only able to spend a day, but I had so much fun! I could have easily stayed all week and wish I could have.

The day after camp August spiked a fever. 102.7°. Good thing I didn't stay. Poor guy wouldn't sleep all day, and of course I had to bake enough cake for over 250 people for said upcoming wedding cake. I'd put him down to sleep, go mix batter, bake, he'd wake up still tired, put him back down, wake up in time to take cakes out, cry crazy hard when I would leave him on the floor to take cakes out, rinse and repeat ALL DAY. Then, he wouldn't go to bed. This was our solution:

By morning the fever broke and August was more like August. Thank heavens! Although he is the best cuddler :)

I was a huge ball of stress the rest of the week until I birthed this...

That middle tier took 2 hours to pipe! I am so glad I didn't watch them serve the cake!

This madness would not have been possible without chinese takeout (seriously, I ain't cookin) and an awesome friend who helped me out Friday night.

Cake #3 was for Sterling's birthday! The inside looked like this. 

Cake #4 I didn't even take a picture of. But I am sure you're as sick of cake as I am! I made a sugar free cake for my mom's birthday, rounding out a complete month of cakes!

The chaos is over.

*sigh*

Father's Day

Yeah, yeah.

I'm a little late.

But this is my blog, so there.

For Father's Day I took some pictures of the kiddos for Michael and for the Grandpas. (Grandpa idea totally stolen, from Bethany.) Oh, man. That was one crazy half hour! But it was kind of like giving birth. You remember that it was HORRIBLE, but you look at the end result and then it seems a little more worth all that trouble. This is what you realize weeks later, when the sting of it all has kind of worn off.

Anywho, onto my adorable kids...

Me the whole half hour, "Hey! Scarlett! Yoohoo! Scarlett! Look at me!" *Raspberries* "Hey! August!" 

Both looking! Hallelujah! (Pff! Not! totally fake...)

Notice the same face on Scarlett? The picture above was totally doctored. I could never get both of them to look at the same time! So, I gave August a new head :)

August is clapping because I started giving them treats to stay on the bed! He was a fan!

Now for a few out takes. Since, really, this is what 90% of the pictures looked like anyway.

I swear he thinks he's a dog. Or maybe just an efficient thinker? This is how he carries things when he crawls.

The End.

Cousins (Mass picture dump! You're welcome, Jared.)

 Back in June my brother came to visit and Scarlett got to play with her cousins! August did too, he was just slightly apathetic about the whole thing.

We went to the splash pad, which A was not a huge fan. It was nap time, and he's not a fish.

"What are those things?!"

I'm pretty sure Jacob stood here for a good 15 minutes. 

"Iz cold! Oh, I'm good!"

This is my favorite! Lucas loved the water!

"Oooo...where'd it go?" 

"Victory!" 

A giving Lucas loves at Grandma's. 

Then, it was horsey riding time after our awesome steak dinner. 

August thought it was hilarious to crawl under. 

The End!