Wellesley Hoop Rolling, Class of 20??

Here is Emma shakin' it up with the hula hoop. She is actually better than Arturo (which isn't saying much) and it's pretty funny to see her wiggling like there's no tomorrow. Also, the girls are wearing very little clothes in these pictures because after playing with the sand, we had to hose them down before we let them back in the house!

Digging a hole to China

Here is Alexa is playing in a Rubbermaid "Sandbox."

Emma, the budding Magician

We took the girls to see a magic show this morning. Emma was so into it, her hand shot up when the magician asked for a volunteer. She was a little more shy once she got up in front of all the kids and adults, but we think she still had a pretty good time. Here she is helping to make the dog turn colors:

Great Falls Grange

We had a rare low humidity day last Saturday, so we took the girls to Great Falls Grange. They love this park -- Here is Alexa enjoying the slide and Emma jumping off the rock climbing wall.

It's all Good

After scooting around for months, Alexa has finally learned to pedal her trike! She sort of got the hang of it this morning, which is really exciting.

This is how I found Alexa this evening right before we went upstairs for the girls' bath. We had just gotten back from the pool (we ate dinner there tonight), and the girls needed their fruit to end the meal. So I put some dried blueberries in a cup and gave them to Alexa who scurried away. Later, I found her lying in the hallway, feet up in the air, just munching and babbling away. Very cute!

Emma, a true Fashionista

I'm reading Barbara Kingsolver's newest book, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle," and I can't recommend it enough. It's so interesting to read about supporting local farms and buying local, fresh produce. I was so inspired that I went even more overboard than usual this Saturday morning at the Farmer's Market. Here is Emma with a colorful bouquet that we got from the Farmer's Market. (She's going through this weird phase that everytime I take a picture of her, she puts on this weird pose and this odd smile.)

The humidity finally broke, so Arturo took the opportunity to wash the Passat. We've been neglecting it so much recently that even a commercial car wash wasn't going to be a good enough substitute for good old elbow grease. The nice thing is that Emma enjoyed helping out. Alexa did NOT enjoy getting her hands in the soapy foam, she mostly just rode her bike. The second picture is Emma spraying Arturo, which was pretty funny.

Emma, is yes, wearing leather cowgirl boots with her pink ballerina bathing suit. And striking a really odd pose once again. This is her favorite pair of shoes (after her summer flip flops). Even though it is summer, she wears these to school about once a week with her summer dresses and shorts. It's quite a sight! After this picture was taken, she ran across the street to play soccer with Julia -- in a bathing suit and cowgirl boots, of course!

Silly Sunday

It was so hot this past weekend, and Alexa was getting over a cold, so we decided to stay in for the afternoon. We ended up having a lot of fun. The girls helped me make a blueberry pie (which we devoured tonight for dinner, Thanks Martha Stewart!) and then silliness ensued. First Emma had Alexa push her (that's right -- the little sister is pushing her big sister) in the shopping cart. Then the girls and Arturo decided to start a band, which Emma named "The Item."

4H Fair at Frying Pan Farm

Alexa, as she tries to dodge the papparazzi at the Farm:

The girls and I getting ready to ride the train:

We stopped for a mid morning treat:

Emma visiting her favorite animal at the farm -- Jesse the horse:

Alexa: Maid/Firefighter/Princess

I was sweeping the kitchen floor after dinner one night, and Alexa - dressed up in her Belle Princess shoes and firefighter helmet - decided to pick up her own broom and help me. Now, if I can only get her to help every night!

Dinner and a Show

After dinner one night, the girls decided to put on a show for us. Here they are on their "stage" (aka favorite blanket) and dancing for us!

Alexa learns to Jump

Finally, Alexa has learned to jump. She has been trying so hard over the last few months, and she finally mastered it a week or so ago. Now she pretty much jumps non-stop, especially when she is on our bed. Here she is, showing off her new skills.

Helping Dad Paint the Dining Room

These pictures got lost in the OBX shuffle. The day before we left for the beach, Arturo took the day off to paint our dining room -- apparently bright orange is not a "neutral" color and won't be appealing to potential buyers (once we put house on the market that is...). Here are the girls helping their dad paint the room. They had a really great time painting all over the walls and by the end of it, they had paint ALL over their bodies. It was not fun getting it out of Kiki's hair.