Tulip Festival in OC (Friday)

I always said that I would never get into the "Dutch" thing....but I think I am more into it than my 100% Dutch husband now that I have kiddos! I don't know how I feel about it when I contemplate it, but I do know that I love getting the girlies dressed up and just participating in the community activities that they have going on. You feel such a part of it when you are all dressed up and it is so interesting and intriguing to me to think that this is really how ppl used to live and dress.

Anyway, Tulip Festival this year was GREAT! We made so many memories, ate some great food, hung out with some great people and enjoyed some wonderful weather! We were really only around for Friday and Saturday's events, which is probably also why I love it b/c we take it in in moderation ;) And I did end up getting costumes lined up for everyone so we scrubbed the streets together on Friday, took naps, got to hang out with my friend Heidi a little and then went up in the evening to watch Vande Fear--a youth event that Daddy helps plan kind of like a "Fear Factor" type deal. It really was a GREAT day and the girls had a lot of fun!The girls in their costumes, brooms in hand and ready to go!Gracie LOVED dressing up last year, and liked it this year for one day, but it was so warm and she was over it by the end of the parade route. They were both such troopers though and walked the entire way smiling and waving!Such a cute picture of a blonde haired, blue eyed, Dutch girl ;)Addy was approaching nap time...Ran into my friend Wendy Marlow Visser and her family! So fun to see her, Josh and the kiddos ;)Daddy and his girls ready to get the streets clean for the parade!Addyson was not feeling the hat at allKarys and Addyson love to hug! Karys is the only one who can squish and squeeze Addy and most of the time she never complains!We lost Rob once the parade got under way...he was off with the other men to carry the buckets and make sure we had enough water ;)He was taking his job pretty seriously....I was missing him a little while it was just me and the ladies, and a stroller, and two brooms that didn't last long in their little hands...but we made due ;)Walked most of the route with my BEAUTIFUL friend Ang and little lady BaileyHad to try to grab a family picture quick, despite Addyson being out cold!Bailey was just walking independently and ventured off down the sidewalk while Ang and I were talking...loved this picture!Precious...what a hot a tired little ladyThe girls ended up handing me their brooms and carrying their skirts the entire way so that they wouldn't get wet! So cute!They ran into Breanna, she was marching in the band and the band is the first group to go through...they thought her cymbals and outfit were pretty cool!She always makes them smile!Had to get a picture of us in our garb before Rob stripped down right then and there ;)Me with the ladies...they were definitely over it at this point!Grabbed some more pictures of Addyson in her costume when she woke up...

The girls all sitting together before Vande FearAddyson kept wanting to run out in the street to Daddy...so he did hold her for a little while before it got started. She is such a Daddy's girl ;)

Karys' Last Day of Preschool

Karys was so bummed when preschool came to a close, but Gracie had been out since the week before and what kid isn't excited for it to be summer time! She had such a GREAT year! Two teachers and 9 kiddos = some great fun and just the chance to learn a lot! We were grateful for a good first experience for her...so hard to believe she is just a year behind Gracie and will be headed off to 4 year old preschool next year!Karys and her teachers Mrs. Golhoffer and Mrs. RoghairOne last picture with some of her friends...Maya, Kierra, Karys, Zach and TyesonJust the girlsPlaying a little follow the leader before the other parents came...Karys will surely be a leader with her strong will and spunk...look out world!
Love this picture for so many reasons...Karys is so far in front, all the kiddos up on the bench, and the stereotypical picture of BEAUTIFUL Jesus in the background!

Spinach Smoothies and Whole Wheat Pizza

Every mom always has the best intentions of making purely healthy creations for their kiddos. Summer always seems like a good time to do that. You are all home together, you are off schedule and looking for things to involve them, and your kids are not the only ones who have extra time on their hands some days. So that being said, one day I was going to make us smoothies. The girls were busy doing something else, so I go them ready on my own....in my own way. I had been reading so many good things on other moms blogs lately about how healthy spinach is for you and your kiddos and how great it tastes in fruit smoothies. So I decided to try it when they weren't looking. I used some berry yogurt, spinach, and blueberries and smashed it in the Magic Bullet and blended away!The color wasn't that bad, and I was convinced I had it in the bag. The girls came in and started drinking them while I was finishing up the rest of lunch. "Mom, these are go good!" Gracie said....but it wasn't even a full minute later and I heard, "Do these have lettuce in them?" WHAT?!?! How could they possibly know? Then I looked at the counter and I saw I left the spinach sitting out after I made them. Are you kidding me?!?! So I was honest and just tried to play it off..."Yeah they do, aren't they great!" "No...I am not drinking this b/c I do not like lettuce." Fail....

Needless to say she wouldn't drink it, Karys did a little but then couldn't keep doing something Gracie had deemed unacceptable ;) HOWEVER, next time I made them I cleaned up after myself before they came into the kitchen to drink them and they never knew the difference and actually said, "These are the best smoothies ever" a couple of times! SUCCESS!We also tried some whole wheat pizza using a new type of wrap called Flatbreads. They are AMAZING! especially with peanut butter and bananas :) But today we used spaghetti sauce and pizza blend cheese, heated them on the stove and enjoyed!These were an easy win!YUM!

A Birthday Scavenger Hunt

I still wanted to do something special for Gracie to celebrate her birthday once we were home, so the morning after her birthday we hid some small presents around the house and played hot/cold and gave clues as to where she would find them at. She thought it was so much fun and it was just really encouraging to me to continue to come up with special activities and events that celebrate our girls on their birthdays!Gracie before the hunt all wrapped up in her blanket and still dressed from yesterday! She fell asleep in the van on our way home from Grandma Great's house in Monroe!Let the fun begin! We have one excited little girl ;)Karys was ready and waiting to help with the clues and to cheer her on. She found her first gift under the footstool. Gracie really needed undies and the days of the week undies were on sale. I was pretty excited about them, but Rob was quick to point out to me that I better be ready to do laundry and keep close track of them. "She is my daughter..." he said implying that she would want to wear the correct day of the week pair, every day of the week!The next gift was a Fancy Nancy book hidden behind the TVThe girls love to read about Nancy, her quirky behaviours, unique sense of style and her extravagant vocabulary!Next came the most exciting gift....a purse she had been wanting! Hidden discretely behind the pillow on the couch!Looks GREAT on you babe!There could be something behind that mattress...I think you are getting hotter!A glittery, glow in the dark, Fancy Nancy puzzle!!!Gracie had Karys hold all of her gifts while she continued on the hunt!Then in the bag on the bed she found a RING POP! A favorite snack for sure!
And lastly, under her pillow, one last Fancy Nancy book about a great sleepover! It was so fun and I think Gracie really enjoyed the hunt...she and Karys played the hot and cold game off and on for the rest of the day!