Leah's Birthday

My family spoiled me for my birthday. Saturday night, Mike took me out on a date (long overdue), Sunday we went to the beach, and then Monday (my actual birthday) Lexi made me some cupcakes.

She picked out the decorations herself.

She was very proud of herself for decorating them.

The finished product. Nothing better than something designed by children.

The Beach

The girls LOVE the beach. Not big fans of the water, but they love being outside and playing in the sand.

Mike made Lexi into a Mermaid!

It was a great birthday. Being with my family is my favorite thing to do.

Sleepy girls

Taking a picture of the girls together turns into a bigger project than it should. I can never get them to look at the camera at the same time, let alone smile. So I figured that after bathtime it would be the perfect time to try - since they would be clean and their hair wouldn't be disastrous.

They look way too much alike in this picture.

At last... something at least decent!

Self Expression - Take 2

Another day of Lexi getting herself dressed. This is how she walked out of the room, and we just went along with it!

4th of July in Big Bear

For the 4th of July we went up to Big Bear (a small mountain lake town in the mountains above SoCal) with our good friends. They have a boat and we had an awesome day!

When it was time for fireworks, we all got on the boat and went out onto the lake. The fireworks were right above us. It was amazing!

Allie concentrating really hard on driving the boat.

Thanks Merandi Family! We had a great time!

July 3rd Picnic

Our city did a big 4th of July celebration.. on the 3rd. We invited a bunch of friends to come and celebrate with us.

We started the day off by making cupcakes, and Lexi got to decorate them.

Allie really enjoyed her cupcake

At the park, we brought our rice box (think Sand-Box, except with rice) with hidden treasures. The kids had a blast and this kept them busy for a long time.

Playing with their daddy

Some friends from my MOPS group (Mother's of Preschoolers)

All the kids waiting for the fireworks

Self Expression

Lexi is now in charge of what she gets to wear and how her hair is done. Yes, there are times she doesn't match or just looks plain silly, but who cares if you have sweat pants and a tank top on in 100 degree weather. And doesn't everyone want to go shopping with a tiara on? :)

This is self expression at its best!