Cousins! And Grandpa! And Aunts and Uncles!

Jace and Lexa have had a busy first week of summer vacation. Their cousins Maveric, Keenan, and Braylon (along with Aunt Alisa) were in town all the way from Colorado! Grandpa Steve decided to join in on the fun and came as well (from Arizona). The whole crew spent a few days at Lake Okoboji and met Uncle Chuck and Aunt Denise (who came all the way from Florida!). Mommy has an excessive amount of pictures so she is splitting the fun into 2 posts. Check out the first installment.

Mommy and Jace heading out for fun. And yes, Mommy is AGAIN in the back seat. Ozzy was not along for this ride but the Diva (a.k.a. Lexa) was and is typically fairly persuasive. Think crying and screaming if her way is not gotten.

The boys wasted no time getting reacquainted and watched a movie on Jace's 2x2 dvd player the first night. Ok, 2x2 may be slight exaggeration but everyone knows Mommy's stories are way better with a little extra umph.

Lexa and Braylon. Who kind of fought like an old married couple by the time their time was done. But it was to be expected....they are 2 weeks apart with very similar personalities. 

Mommy and Aunt Alisa decided to have a birthday party since the cousins are never together on special days. A giant cookie was shared by all with enough candles for each kid's age. This was completely for sentimental value. NOT because the Mommies cannot resist big cookies.

L to R: Spidey, Keenan, and Maveric

The hotel had an indoor waterpark...getting ready to  tackle the fun!

Arnold's Amusement Park. This was before Jace turned green on the spider ride and had to be let off early.....

All the cousins driving a boat.

The log ride! Jace was a trooper and partook in this ride too....twice!

Awww. Lexa and Braylon holding hands as they rode a kiddie train.

There was some....conflict...as to who got to ride in the stroller at any given moment. Finally a compromise was  made as it was discovered they fit in together!

Jace and Keenan at the fish hatchery.  More on that in the next installment with the rest of the pictures. Until then......

It's Summer!

It's summer! Which means no work and no school! 

And right now Jace and Lexa are off to see their cousins from Colorado. Actually the cousins are coming here but whatever. It's likely that fun and chaos will ensue. Check back for updates!

Oh Bean.

Mommy was steam mopping the floors. Yes, you read right. Mommy was cleaning. Anyway, Mommy was cleaning (she had to put that in there one more time) and she comes out of the bathroom to see Lexa like this. On her stool, no pants, and Mr. Potato Head glasses reading her book. A laugh is never far with this one around!

Memorial Day 2012

A trip to Grandma and Grandpa's was on the agenda for Memorial Day weekend 2012. Much fun and little sleep was had by all. Mommy won't get into the details of the non-sleeping because it is still a touchy subject. And she wants this to be a positive post. So, check out the wonderful pictures.....

Looking for bugs.

And she found one! For such a diva she did love finding herself some slimy creatures.

The 1st annual scavenger hunt at the Petersen Plantation was a success. Boys vs. girls (this would be the whole group in case anyone was having trouble differentiating). The boys ended up winning by recovering the 12 items the fastest....however there is some dispute as to how 'honorable' their victory really was. CHEATERS. Ahem.

After the scavenger hunt the crew headed to Ashlan's 2nd birthday party. Complete with a pool and water shooters. Jace even got into the water action!

And who can forget little Mr. Keegan. Not Lexa. Poor kid was given an overabundance of kisses, hugs, and....love taps? throughout the weekend.

Keegan is partial to Jacer.

Lexa reading Keegan a book. And no doubt bossing him around. She may have met her match. Mommy sees some drop down drag out brawls between them in the near future.

And that would be it!! Until next time loyal readers.......


P.S. Because Mommy is such an OVERACHIEVER this week, she has posted two days in a row. So, in the event that you didn't check yesterday, make sure to scroll down to see pics from Jace's preschool graduation last week.

Clover Patch Class of 2012!

It's official. Jace is a preschool graduate. He received his diploma on Friday and is headed for kindergarten in a couple short months! 

The proud parents were able to observe calendar time before the graduation ceremony. 

Jacer receiving his diploma from Ms. Dean.

Jace and 2 of his best buddies, Charlie and Julian.

This literally came out of his mouth.....
Me: Jace you graduated preschool!
Jace: Well, ok but I'm not marrying anybody!

Jace and his Mommy. 

Jace and his Daddy....aka his best buddy.

Jace, Julian, and Lucas. All headed to kindergarten together!

And finally, Jacer and his awesome teacher, Ms. Dean.

THE END!! Congratulations Jace!!

A little Lexa.....

Just a little Lexa to brighten your day!

Mommy could not resist a comment on this particular photo. This would be the remains of a birthday present from Fabulous Aunts Kay and Debbie. Eye Shadow. Left unattended. Disaster. But now empty.

Slightly overdue....

Mommy's apologies for the lag in between blogs. She would like to say it has been so hectic she just hasn't had a smidge of time to blog. Really though, she has just been a little lazy. And honestly the time kind of got away until she realized she hadn't shared pictures in over A WEEK! Oh the horror!! To make up for it...some exceptionally cute photos below.......

Miss Amiya celebrated her 3rd birthday last week. Aren't they sweet? This picture almost is deceiving enough to make it look like Lexa and Amiya are of similar size. Not so. Possibly Jace and Amiya. She is surely either a future basketball star or a model.....

Mother's Day weekend was spent at Grandma and Grandpa's. As Mommy was uploading the pictures she noticed the majority of them involve some sort of eating. Typical.
This particular shot is at 10th Street. Scarfing down the cheese balls. A definite favorite among the little people. And Mommy. 

Lexa with Grandma's flowers. Which probably would have taken her down had she been asked to hold them for another minute. It's tough being pint sized.

Picking mulberries in the back yard. They were a hit...and only 1 pair of shorts was ruined in the taking of this picture.

More stuffing face action.

Sidewalk chalk at the Petersen Plantation.

Wait....what's that you ask? More eating? Why yes. Those would be Grandpa's  exceptional brownies.  Rest assured those rank right up there with the cheese balls.

Lexa and Mommy also got their first manicures together....Lexa was a diva as usual and sat like it was her job. Purple nails with silver sparkles!

The finished product. if you look really close you may see that Lexa's baby even got her toes done.  3rd generation diva.