This little Piggy

Went to the market.

The Overland Park Farmers Market.

 The produce is beautiful.

The Freestone Peaches. Pure sugar to your taste buds.

Fudji and Yellow Delicious.

BLT for dinner tonight!
A Perfect hot summer night meal.

It's Offical

Were Melting!

 Have you seen our forecast for the midwest?

BLISTERING.

The west is smoldering with heat as well I know.

But people...

the humidity can kill us.

I'm so grateful for air conditioning in my car and home today.

So, 7-11 has got our backs.

We have helped our local economy quit a bit this week.

Unfortunately, I don't see an end in sight any time soon.

Get the car keys I need a banana strawberry slurpee.

How have you been staying cool???

Under the Sea

Kansas City's new Aquarium is really a fun place.

I was impressed. Really! 

So was   Anna and Easton.

Our favoriteS:

Sea Horses

Clown Sting Rays

&  Star Fish

The Big Easy

Our favorite Sting Ray

Did you know the Clown Fish can change from male to female?

There was a tank where we could hold Star fish.
I never knew until this trip that star fish can
regrow their star parts? Weird.

There were lots of dark cool places for
sneaky children ( Easton and Anna)
to hide.  

Gone West

My two oldest Girls have gone ....

Gone West .

To see friends and visit family.

They have been gone for a week and have one more week away.

I'm  almost beside myself.

I have to admit  it has been very quite.

Can two girls really make that much noise?

Yes, when they are Sydney and Sierra!

In the mean time we will sip some lemonade

and wait for our party planners to return to us.

Miss you      

Sister Christian & Fish Girl

Puppy Diaries

5 Months

Three words.

Lazy Yellow Lab.

He went to boarding and training while we

were in California.

It was worth every penny.

He came back a well behaved, social dog

who even likes to go for walks now.

Yesterday, he even played a good round of fetch.

He is so spoiled and lives a pretty

Lazy life.

I can't decide who is having more fun?

oxoxox

Sweet Madness

Summer Afternoon

We made fun plans for the pool

this past Thurs. We were looking

forward to time with friends and a cool swim.

One hour in to our fun,

and 35 dollars later

the rain and thundering began.

We were a little disappointed.

Until, when we got home I decided

we should play in the rain. ( It is on my 40 before 40 list)

So, I have to say it was much more fun than the pool.

Even, Rosco was caught up in the fun

of our rainy afternoon.

It's our Kansas Tradition to make popcorn

and sit in the trunk of our car and

watch it rain.  Being from Colorado, these

storms are an "event" worth watching.

Gelato Anyone???

We went for a bike ride to get some

yummy Gelato.

It was a great day to eat something sweet

in a cone, of course.

If you know me very well, you know that I love the bottom

half of your ice cream cone

I always hope your too full to finish it, so 

that I can eat "your cone bottom".

For my birthday this past year the kids made me little

cones with the tops cut off and just a scoop

on the bottom of the cone.

Pure Bliss!

We took off our shoes and put our feet in the fountains.

We laid back in the sunshine and counted the days

until we have to go back to school.

I think it's 42!

Flavor Favorite....Irish Salted Carmel.

We hope your enjoying summer.

July in Kansas City

Other than hitting the pool every other day, 

here is our plan for laid back Kansas City fun.

What's your plan?

Country Liv'in it's for Me

Last Stop

The Southam Ranch in Vernal, Ut.

We celebrated my fathers 80th Birthday.

He is one amazing guy.

Have I mentioned the time when I was about

nine and coming through the door from school, when he

surprised me with a big yell and jumped

down from on top of the refrigerator.

Needless to say I was terrified and shocked.

He was always playing jokes and setting up pranks.

I sure do love him. I think his humor and good attitude has kept him young.

We had such a good time seeing cousins.

 Happy Birthday to the best dad ever!

A little piece of Heaven

We wore out our welcome in Provo with our cousins. We managed to freeze everyone's air condition units at least once. I guess that means we needed a new stop on our road trip. So, we decided to hit Montrose for a short visit with friends. Coming into Delta, Co everyone started screaming and cheering again. This time because the mountains are in our blood. We loved seeing our old stomping grounds and our dear friends. Thank you Montrose friends for making time for our family. We had a great time!

A week with Cousins

After the beach in California we spent some time with Cousins in Utah. Did I mention this road trip took us through five states. They all live close to one another so it's nice to see them all. We all had sleep overs every night. We went to movies, played endless games and stayed up really late and slept late too. All the things we never do at home. Candy was the main course for the week and I really don't think any of my kids found their tooth brushes while they were there. I know Easton never wore shoes. T-shirts were optional. Pj's were the trend for the girls. Everyone was happy. As their mother, weeks like this are a little hard for me to let my hair down. But, I'm slowly getting better at it. I can truly tell you that I love all my in-laws. They like life so fun. Uncle Cool really came through this year. He took the kids for a ride in his big truck. he even let them drive! Now you understand how he gets his name.  A special thanks to our Cousin Rachel and all her helpers for watching all of the Wilson gang for four days while Ben and I flew back to Kansas City for my art show. Your nanny skills are impressive. What's your plan next summer???

There is always a favorite cousin...

well, Winston is one of mine.

Winston, lover of all human food, Big or little.

oxoxo Miss you all

See you at the holidays.

Did someone say California??

I have to admit I am completely smitten with the little City on the                 Ocean, Carpinteria.
 My heart beats faster as we hit Fillmore. The kids are screaming and cheering by the time we round Interstate 101 near Ventura. Then, it's all out sweet madness for a good 10 minutes as we follow the ocean and waves to our destination, Carpinteria State Park.  Our kids undress and redress in suits right in the car and parking lot, never to be seen again for hours. The Ocean consumes us for days. We sleep to the sound of it's roar at night. We wake early to roam the beach in the stillness of morning making sure to hit the tide pools. Daily bike rides are a must as well as nightly poker games and s'mores. I really do forget what day it is. It pure fun and relaxation. This was our tenth year to this special place. We make reservations in the cold of November for this site and it's so fun anticipating our fun. This was our funnest trip yet. The kids had access to 12 cousins, three aunts, four uncles and two grandparents. Spoiled!

 The view from our beach property

 Fearless Mr. E

 "Fish". I think she has gills. She only comes out to sleep.

Someday soon she will be a great life guard.

 Cruising to the "Spot". My favorite beach side restaurant for lunch.

The burger ranks number one for me!

 Best of friends.

 Cousins make life better.

Anna lost a tooth at the beach. The

tooth fairy remember her even at the beach.