Strokes.

Along with all the fun at the pool, the girls also worked very hard in lessons and really improved their swimming skills.

Presley is trying to put her breathing and her stroke together.

Buns up.

They still prefer to be under the water--all the time. 

Water Girls.

My girls are happiest IN the water.  They could literally stay at the pool/beach/lake all day, everyday.  Heaven help us if we ever move to a place where that would be possible!  We spent the month of July at the pool--4 weeks of swimming lessons, lots of sunscreen, and some cute tanned buns.  Pretty much heaven for all of us!


Look at that form!

We spent lots of time on the diving board and Presley even tried {and LOVES} the high dive.

Always turning everything into a performance.

"Aaahhhh!" Stella looks scared but she loves it.

Making sure we are looking at her while she goes off the board.

That was the face she made--every time!

I am looking forward to next summer already--maybe we can take a mid year trip to someplace warm with water . . . hint, hint.

Portraits 2012.

Who would have thought?!  Krista came to town for a visit and Chris says. "We should do a family photo shoot.". Of course he didn't remember he said that on the night of the shoot--but the pictures turned out great.  Thanks Krista!

This is the one we got for the mantle.

This is the one everyone loved the most.

More Cake.

I have been baking more cakes--this time a bridal shower cake for a friend who was throwing a shower for a new bride.  I was happy to have someone who knew exactly what they wanted!  The wedding colors were yellow and teal so my friend requested lemon cake with a teal row of roses in the middle.

The cake was lemon with a tart lemon glaze and a lemon cream filling.  Despite some hesitation I ended up loving the topper I made--feathers, diamonds, and a little "I Do" sign.  I also added diamonds around the cake in random places.

More cakes coming up--a birthday cake, a red/white/blue cake for the 4th of July, and a baby blessing cake.  So far this year 11 rose cakes!  I love my rose cakes.

Camp.

Presley spent the third week of her summer vacation at ballet camp with her friend Makayla.  The girls spent their afternoons dancing--jazz, hip hop, ballet, lyrical, and some tumbling--and doing a few {messy} but fun crafts.

At the end of the week we had a new pair of tie-dyed socks and a mini-performance showing us the dance moves they had learned.  Love my little ballerina!

She's a BIKER!

It was time and Chris has two weeks in town before his next recruiting trip . . . so I picked up Presley a bike and let her pick out a helmet--and her dad taught her to ride a bike!  No training wheels, not too many bumps and bruises--and she's got it!

Such a patient dad, and a great teacher too!

Presley's serious face, with a little smirk of  "I did it!" thrown in!

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Stella had dun on her scooter while Prelsey got all the bike riding attention.

The bike probably weighs more than she does . . . falling down and getting up are all part of the process.

Presley has really turned into a hard worker when she wants to learn something.  Soon we will be taking family bike rides into town for an ice cream or little rides around our mountain valley!

Maroon Bells.

On the way home from Colorado we stopped in Aspen for a couple of days.  What a great town, kind of like Park City but bigger with a great downtown filled with festivals, restuarants, and parks.

Chris took us on a hike at the base of the Maroon Bells mountains.  The girls enjoyed a hike around a mountain lake, a stream, and a few rocks and bridges.  What beautiful scenery!

I have to say one thing--my girls cannot stop collecting rocks and sticks every where we go and we have a truck bed full to prove it!  Oh, and I am constantly pulling rocks out of the dryer (that can't be good).

Despite a rought first night at the hotel (Stella is sooooo squirmy and couldn't fall alseep despite being so tired) we stayed another day and spent time at the pool and downtown eating at the Red Onion, riding the gondola, and playing at mountain parks.  I think Chris was in heaven!

Endings.

We've been lucky to have Chris's Grandma Jo in our lives for so long.  But we all knew that gandma's time with us was coming to an end soon.  Grandma Jo passed away on Saturday night, June 2nd and we will miss her very much.

Josephine loved bright colors--pink, orange, and yellow.

Her timing was perfect and not only was all the family in town but everyone was able to take a little road trip to bury grandma Jo in Sanford, CO where she grew up.  Grandma Jo was buried next to her son James and only a few spots over from her parents.

As Grandma Jo would have said, "We had an adventure!"---our trip to Colorado was filled with family, memories of grandma, and new adventures together.

Kindergarten is Over.

I can't believe it.  Finishing kindergarten was definitely harder than it was to start--Presley has grown so much, learned so much, and made so many friends.  Presley had an emotional last day of school, she was all tears before we even left for the bus--she is really going to miss school, her teacher, friends, and riding the bus this summer.

This face says it all--eventually we got smiles but I think the transition to summer might be hard.

Presley and her dear friend Makayla--always together, always smiling--inseparable.  I am worried about the fact they won't be in the same class next year.

Stella really wants to be part of the twosome.

What a fabulous teacher Mrs. Kohler was for Presley!


Flowers.

I bought these fun yellow pots at Ikea and filled them with hanging baskets full of petunias.  I hope I can keep them green and flowering . . . the wind sure does its part to undermine my attempts.  Someday I would like to have a greener thumb.

Pretty soon Stella won't be the only one home all day--Presley finishes up her year of kindergarten in a couple weeks!

I can see all of us spending a lot more time out on the deck as the weather warms up.  I am looking forward to breakfast and dinner on the deck!