It's About Time

Well, it's about time that I get around to blogging again.  Our summer break is more than halfway done, and it has been more than a month since I shared what we've been doing.

We have been spending a lot of time playing outside and enjoying the sunshine. In addition to the trampoline and water table, we've had a little Drivers Ed course going on...

I bought the "Princess" version of the Cozy Coupe thinking of Ellie, but Tommy immediately claimed this car as his and hasn't let her near it.  I tell myself it's because the blue matches his eyes so well.

Ellie has been happy to putter along in the standard version.  Just this morning I saw her screaming at Tommy, "No! This one mine!  MY car, MY car!" when he tried to get in it.

Tommy and Ellie had their first ice cream at The Merry-Go-Round.  Pictures are a bit blurry because I captured them with my cell phone...

Mmmm... Superman!

I think he looks a little "Johnny Depp" with his new facial decorations.

That little adventure went so well that they've been screaming for ice cream ever since.  Just a week later, on National Ice Cream Day (July 21st) we celebrated by giving them their first ice cream cones.

At first, Tommy has trouble figuring out how to get the ice cream out below the cone line.

But with a little tutorial from his papa, he figures out how to get down there, and whoever said ignorance is bliss wasn't talking about how to eat ice cream cones.

Ellie figured it out all by herself, which is how she likes to do most things these days.

She is a girl after her Mama's ice cream lovin' heart.

Last week we took advantage of a break in the heat and rain to kidnap Grandpa and Grandma Selvage and take them to one of our favorite places...

 

First time with extra passengers.  It is so nice to have this option available now!

 

We went to Rolling Ridge Animal Park, AGAIN. 
We love that place!



This was the first time we got to see their camel up close and personal.

The llamas and alpacas came running for lunch too.

So soft and friendly.  The kiddos enjoyed petting and feeding these guys.

 



And Tommy got a turn driving the wagon, with a little help, of course.



Tom drove that day and he is far more observant than I am and found a crack or two on my windshield.
This friendly guy came right to our house and fixed it for us. :)
(And yes, Yaya, I think he thought I was crazy to ask for a picture.)

My friend Stacy from Crawford Clan Weekly gave me a Liebster Award this week.

The Liebster Award is a fun and popular award among bloggers.  It is a way for fellow bloggers to acknowledge each other and encourage us to share information about ourselves and to promote our blogs.  It is given to bloggers with a small set of followers.  The word Liebster is German and means dearest, or sweetheart.  It is kind of like a chain letter, and generally the "rules" go something like this:

• The awarder (who has been a recipient too) passes the reward and a list of questions to the recipient.
• The recipient answers those questions on his/her blog.

Then the fun starts over -

• Create a list of questions for the people YOU want to award.
• Select YOUR recipients and link them in your post.
• Go to their page and tell them.
• No tag backs!

Various websites give different amounts for the number of questions asked (I've seen 10 or 11 as the most common), the number recipients chosen (1, 10, or any number that you want to pick), and the number of followers that the recipient has (I've seen this range from 200-3000.  Personally, I would call those numbers large, not small.)

Here are the questions that Stacy passed to me:

1. What was your first job and did you enjoy it?
   I did a lot of babysitting in my teenage years, and I enjoyed most of it.  But it seems like most people aren't counting babysitting, so my first job that came with an official paycheck and tax withholding was as an assistant secretary at a small architectural firm.  My specialty was copying blueprints on a giant machine that processed using ammonia.  I remember that the secretary I worked for was having a very tough time learning to use a word processor, and didn't see how there would ever really be a use for a computer rather than her good old IBM Selectric.  As jobs for high school kids go, I think it was a pretty posh one even with the stinky smells.
2. Do you have a collection....what is it?
   Of collectibles, no... of dust bunnies, yes.  And my toy boxes overfloweth with trucks and blocks nowadays. 
3. What is your  default  "too lazy to cook" meal?
   If I'm also too lazy to go pick up the pizza from Papa Johns, then it is frequently cheese and crackers with fruit, my kiddos favorite meal.  Tom always manages to scrounge himself up something different, usually much better results on those days.
4. What is your favorite thing to wear that you always feel fantastic in?
   I am always at my best in denim.
5. Summer? Fall? Winter? Spring?
   Fall, absolutely.  I love "sweater weather".  Cool days great for walking through crinkly leaves, or cuddling under blankets.
6. What is your favorite moment in history?
   I think I would have to say the birth of Jesus.  Every time I read or sing about the angels singing in heaven at his birth, I feel a tug at my heart and a very strong sensation that I was there singing along.  Hopefully not as off key as I do it now. :)
7. What is the one song that without a doubt always puts you in a good mood?
   "If You're Happy and You Know It".  It also seems to work for Ellie, and can often pull her out of a tantrum to clap and stomp her feet. Hooray!
8. If you had to pick one, would it be the Beatles....or the Rolling Stones. 
   Beatles.  Love them.  Never liked the Rolling Stones.
9. Do you have any hidden talents or abilities for anything in particular?
   Apparently if I do, they remain hidden from me as well as the rest of the world.  I do like to solve a good logic or math puzzle occasionally.
10. What was a favorite vacation?
    Tom and I took a couple of weeks to explore the west.  I particularly loved San Diego and their perfect weather.

Now for the people that I would like to pass this award to.  I am choosing three people:

Tracy, at The Blackwelder Tribe.  Tracy is a mother of 10 and a lover of adventures, big and small.  Her blog posts sometimes amuse me with the antics of her little ones, and sometimes amaze me with her strength in dealing with their illnesses.  A profound thinker who has a way with words, Tracy is a woman every person will want to get to know.

Christina, at Eichhorn Nut House.  Christina and I were newlyweds together.  Well, not together, together, but kind of at the same time.  She and her husband got married just a month before Tom and I did, and now I am following her into motherhood, watching her to see some of the best ways to approach that job.

And Melissa, at My Journey to Joy.  Melissa's blog is personal and introspective, following her spiritual journey through life, and inspiring me to look at my own relationship with the Savior.

To pass on the fun, the questions that you ladies will need to answer are:

1. What was the best job (paid or unpaid) that you ever had and why was it the best?
2. What is your favorite type of cookie?
3. What is your favorite thing to teach a child?
4. What is your favorite book and why?
5. If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
6. If there is a nickname that your family uses for you, what is it and how did you get it?
7. What is the one song that without a doubt always puts you in a good mood?
8. What was your favorite vacation?
9. Excluding Jesus, who is your favorite historical figure and why?
10. What is your favorite characteristic in your spouse?

 I hope each of you finds the time to share your answers.  I know I want to know your answers, and I bet your other readers do too!