Backyardigans

  Kabree is still very much in love with Backyardigan.  She has to sleep with her stuffed Pablo and Tasha that she got for her birthday every night as well as one of her Backyardigan books.  Yes she still calls the show "Pablo" and refers to the Backyardigan books as her "Pablo books".  Well for her birthday I tried and tried to find Backyardigan toys and only found stuffed ones as well as the Big Top Circus for sell on e-bay, I even tried bidding on some of them.  However, the Big Top Circus sets went for $75, way more then I was willing to pay for a 2 year olds birthday gift.  The stuffed ones for $35-40, still more then I could justify.  So as you can imagine Zach and I were pretty excited when we found the whole set of stuffed Backyardigans (new at that) for $6 at Once Upon a Child.  But I was pretty disappointed we couldn't find any plastic figures for the cake but my Mom by far made up for that with her amazing clay figures.  However, as those who have read earlier post clay figures and a busy 2 year old are not the best combination.  

 So, you can imagine my excitement when my brother Troy called me up and asked me causally about the Backyardigan figures.  He says "wasn't there some circus tent you were wanting with those Backyardigan characters", so I reminded him of the whole e-bay search and bidding disappointment.  He then says "oh, dang never mind, so you're telling me the set I just got her for $6 I could get $75 out of", then he started laughing.  I was floored as he proceeded to tell me how he found them and had Cayleb pick them up.  He even brought them down to our house while we were gone.  When Kabree woke up the next morning and found them on our table she was so excited.  She kept smiling and singing along with the music as she kept saying "look Pablo, look horsey, look Tyrone, wow!"

 Needless to say Kabree is one very lucky girl to have such a great family that loves her so much!  Thank you Troy!

Summer Fun

 This past week Kabree and I stayed with my parents to enjoy some summer fun with cousins out on the farm.  Kabree was in heaven.  Uncle Shawn took us to play with Shay's sheep everyday, we got to go and pet the horses everyday while helping feed and water them, we got to ride horses, play in the sand pile, ride the tractor, run through the sprinkler and of coarse have lot's of fun with cousins.

Day 1

 Kabree driving the jeep

 Kabree running through the sprinkler

w/Jessica and Wyatt

 Wyatt sitting like a big boy in his lawn chair

 Wyatt showing Hank some love

 Kabree loves her cowgirl boots

 Grandma JoAnn & Kabree

going to catch horses

 Kabree loves riding

 Wyatt enjoying the scenery

 How Kabree felt about getting off Cactus

JoAnn, Kabree and Makenna

  The first day we were out in Arbon was lots of fun, Kabree and I went on a walk up to the barn with Jessica, Wyatt and Makenna.  We played with the Shay's sheep, pet the horses, ran through the sprinkler at Larin and Jessica's and got to ride Cactus.  Kabree was very excited when I told her it was time to go catch Cactus.  She ran and grabbed her cowgirl boots and started hurrying to put them on.  Then she needed her hat too because cowgirls wear boots and hats is what she told Grandma and I : )!  When we got down to the horses she was a little upset at first when she realized we were not riding Pal, but once Captain Jack came up to her she was wanting to ride him.  We finally convinced her that Cactus is who she should ride, she wasn't so sure until she got on him, then she was hugging him and saying "Oh, Cactus, come on boy, yee haw".  Kabree loved riding and was very sad when it was time to get off.  Then the rest of the week she wanted to wear her cowgirl boots, even with her shorts : )!

Day 2

 Running through the sprinkler in our clothes

 Mattie

Morgan

  The second day we were out in Arbon we rode the tractor with Grandpa Vance for a few hours.  In the afternoon we went out and played in the sand pile while Grandma did horse 4h.  We got very dirty so Kabree pulled her pants off and ran through the sprinkler the second we hit Grandpa and Grandma's lawn.  She thought it was the funnest thing ever to run in the water with her shirt on.  One funny thing was Kabree wanted to wear shorts in the morning and I told her she needed to wear pants because it was cold.  Well when she went with Shawn to feed the sheep she found mud and was laughing as she got completely covered in mud, thus getting changed into her shorts when we got back to the house.  She smiled and said "Shawn look, shorts", to which Shawn replied "Kabree looks like you one and got to wear shorts after all", she started laughing.  Some days I feel they all conspire against me ; ).

Saturday

 Libby showing the little ones

how to go down the slide

 Justice did NOT enjoy the slide at ALL!

All the kids inspecting the water slide

 Kooper

 Libby helping Kabree go down

 Chase and Justice

 Justice and Libby

giving fists

 Wyatt and Kabree

 Larin and Wyatt

Wyatt standing!!!

He wanted to see the slide too!

 Wyatt checking the slide out

 Hanna and Mattie

 Katie and Libby

 Chase

 Shay

 

 Justice loved the water guns

Ethan

Kabree and Justice

Defending their play house

  Heather and I came back out Saturday for some more Arbon fun.  We did a PB&J's and Kool-Aid picnic and played in the water all afternoon.  Both our Aunt Lauries came down to visit and hang out in the shade and watch the kids play.  Dad and Mom had their pool and sprinklers going and Jessica brought over her water slide and squirt guns.  The kids had a blast!  At first all the kids kind of thought the water was too cold, except Kabree she was the first one to run through the sprinkler and didn't stop until we drug her in to bath that night.  Justice did not enjoy the water very much until Jessica pulled out the squirt guns, then he thought it was pretty funny squirting everyone.  Wyatt wanted to check out the slide, he crawled over to it and tried crawling down it (Larin was right there with him so it wasn't bad).  It was such a nice day and fun to watch the kids have a blast, and just enjoy the sun while us ladies visited.

2011 Family Party

Katie checking out the finger nail polish

Yes, I know I have a ton

Whitney and Mattie

Yes, she also has a ton

Hanna and Heather

JoAnn and Grandma Evelyn

Jessi and Grandma Evelyn

JoAnn painting Katies face

Libby and Mattie

Heather and Hanna

Morgan

Carter and Holli

Jessi and Kabree

Shay

Even Vance got his face painted

  We got to have Jessi's family party this weekend, Jessica always laughs that we all refuse to call it a family reunion and insist we are too cool for reunions so we have "family parties" :  ).  Because Eric is leaving on his mission and Whitney just graduated from high school we decided to celebrate the two events together, we figured they already share a brithday why not a party.  The guys started off the day with a game of paintball, some of us girls have gave it a try but most of us have tried it once and decided once was a enough, Tiffany is the only one of us to still sticks it out and joins in the game.  The rest of us ladies hung out back at the house for some crafts, painting kids nails and face painting.  Ok, so my Mom is an artist and even a couple of my siblings have quietly inherited this amazing talent, I however, did not at all so when I was attempting to paint a "fishy" as Kabree requested on her check my Mom glanced over and kindly took over so that it would be a cute one : ).  When my Dad got back from paintballing he even let Heather paint his face, the kids thought that was pretty funny.  As you can see in some of the pics I think Whit and I might have a bit of an obsession with all things nails!

 Eric and Whitney

 Shawn and Kabree

 Zach and JT

grilling us up some hotdogs

 Shay and Libby

Katie

She always get's called a runt and HATES IT

When Shay and I saw this shirt we had to get it for her

 Kooper showing off his bull

 Heather, Eric and Jessi

 Jessi, Whitney and Heather

 Jessi and Whit

The one thing we do not have in common lol

Whitney does not like to be hugged!

 Troy and Whitney

 Larin and Wyatt

 Jessi and Troy

Jessi and Jessica

 Carter, Mason and Holli

  After the guys got back from paintballing we had a BBQ, it was starting to get a bit cold but still nice enough for us to enjoy lunch outside.  Zach and always was on grill duty and cooked us all up some hot dogs.  I was so busy taking pictures and teasing Eric and Whitney who are probably the only two in our family that hates pictures and being hugged, lol my family is such a hugging, say I love you family I do not know how these two have made it this long, anyways when I went to get Kabree a plate my brother Shawn had already dished her a plate and she was sitting down eating : ).  No wonder he is her favorite person.

 Whitney painting nails

 Jessi, Laurie and Tiffany

  After the BBQ it was the guys turn to take over the kids and us ladies headed over to Larin and Jessica's to do our nails.  Whitney and I have by far got way more nail supplies then one person could ever need.  It was a lot of fun to get to visit and for everyone to let Whit and I try out our new ideas.  So after spending 3 hours visiting and doing nails I will admit I was a little bit dreading walking back over to start dinner.  But I was quickly reminded when I walked in the door what a great guy I married.  Zach had already started making the hamburgers.

 Zach making his hamburgers

My family loves Zach's burgers

 JT, Larin and Mattie

Getting their bottle rocket ready

 Troy, Justice, Hanna and Morgan

 Zach grilling in the rain

 Vance showing his Father's Day card

I think next year I will buy the card

  While us ladies got to enjoy our free time Larin did bottle rockets with the kids and they had a blast!  I think Larin had just as much fun as the kids.  It started to rain so dinner had to be inside which with as big as our family has gotten it was a bit crazy.  Poor Zach had to grill in the rain but he was a great sport about it.  We had a lot of fun and I love my family so much!  Congratulations Whitney and Eric, we are so proud of both of you!!!
  I have to show a few of our nail jobs : )