Little Helper

We bought Audrey a Learning Tower so she can see what's going on in the kitchen and help us too! She was in love with it the second she saw it. I let her help make smoothies, do dishes and today, she helped me make her lunch. She felt so proud to be able to do what I was doing in the kitchen, including sticking the butter knife in the butter and mixing it around. I LOVE letting her do "big girl" things!

Notice the two bitten pieces on the bread. She had to taste it after we buttered it :)

Waiting for her sandwich to cook!

Sunday Summer Afternoon

Last Sunday Audrey's "Grammy" came to visit. She brought crayons and coloring books and Audrey hasn't put the crayons down ever since. We all enjoyed a nice day outside in the warm sun swimming, playing with the water table and drinking smoothies (they are actually a big hit in our house this summer)!

Today's Adventures

Taking a moment to plan out her vision

Diving into her art project

Pudding paint is tasty

Finishing touches

Snacks taste so much better when you sit on the counter

Thinking of things to get as dirty as possible so I can move to two pictures below 

Walking on the outdoor cushions is really fun

AWESOME!!

My mom even lets me take my clothes off and stand in the sink!

There was a little more to our day that I was not able to capture on camera - Walking around the yard and smelling flowers, riding bikes, walking on the sidewalk, and my favorite.....pushing Audrey around in her penguin sled on the grass. Who says you can't sled in the summer? It actually worked really well on the grass and Audrey thought it was funny. I'll post pics next time we sled on the grass. 

Summit County Fair

Yesterday's adventures took Audrey and I along with our best friend Laura (AKA "Fairy God Mommy") to the Summit County Fair. This is actually the second year the three of us went to the fair and I have a feeling this may turn into an annual event for a long time to come. Audrey LOVED the horses. In fact, she loved them so much that she spent a good amount of time last night and today pointing out all of the horses in her books and says "Hssss" when she points to them. Here are some pictures from our trip...

Peninsula Stroller Playdate

The weather was wonderful today and Audrey and I were really itching to get out of the house. We are both just about through a week plus bout of not so fun colds so being outside in the sun and fresh air was exactly what we needed to lift our spirits! We walked along the towpath with friends Eleni and Melina - we ran into some caterpillars crawling to the ground from tall trees, stopped to look and wave to a loud train pass on the bridge above us, had some snacks, and listened to Baby Einstein music on Pandora. Plus the "mommy's" had a great time chatting and catching up.

Post Walk- Melina is full of energy and Audrey is wiped out

Christmas in July

With all the talk I am hearing this year about Christmas in July, I can't help but think about what I did three years ago at this time. Knowing that my step father John wouldn't make it to Christmas that year due to Leukemia that had taken over his body, my family decided we wanted to give John a special experience by celebrating his last Christmas. As part of the celebration, we visited the Christmas Story House in downtown Cleveland. We had lots of laughs walking through the old house from the famous movie and shared a special family experience I will NEVER forget. He was just like a father to me and I still miss him so much.

Akron Zoo

We took a trip to the Akron Zoo today with my friend Eleni and her daughter Melina (AKA Audrey's BFF). It was our first time to this zoo and we were so excited when we realized EVERYTHING was geared for small children! Audrey and Melina had a blast. We started at the Penguin exhibit and made our way through snow leopards, bears, lions, storks, otters, turtles and lemurs. We arrived at the petting zoo/farm area and took a relaxing (but very short) train ride just before we took a stroll through the gorgeous gardens. The day ended with a light lunch to in a cool air conditioned cafe (cafe might be an overstatement but it sounds nice lol). Such a great day and we already have plans to return next week. I think I see a membership pass in our near future!

Yay matching outfits!

Our wiggley babies.....

"Mom, why don't we have these in our yard?"

I like to point at things I like

Learning to be gentle

These two are so cute together!!

"Look Mom! I found this in the flower bed."

"Melina, I think this is a swimming pool. Just follow me."

This little monkey learned to climb the couch after we got home from the zoo!!