Insta Friday

phew it has been a week... 
unpacking from vacation
getting the house back in order
filling the fridge and pantry with groceries
laundry
dance recitals and banquets on the same day
figuring out our summer schedule. morgan started morning practice for gym and we now are up and out of the house earlier than the kids normally get up during school. lovely. at least we have our afternoons free but we are all adjusting to the get fed, dressed, lunch packed, and  out of the house by 7:30 am.
needless to say i am way behind on ye ol' blog


i did get some photos this week on my  iphone {have i mentioned that i heart my iphone}
linking up again with jeannett over a life rearranged


here's a little glimpse at our week and i will be getting caught up with vacation photos, etc... this week.

mauryn had her first dance recital last weekend.

she was so excited. she couldn't stop twirling in her costume.

when she saw her little friends in their costumes giggling, hugging, and chasing ensued

they couldn't contain their excitement

mauryn had the sweetest teacher ever.  we loved miss jana.

as soon as the recital was over we had landon's baseball banquet and morgan's gymnastics banquet.

lance, landon, and mauryn went to the baseball banquet while morgan and i went to the gymnastics banquet.

it was a nice celebration of the girls' hard work throughout the year.

they gave each girl awards during the banquet. it was a nice way to showcase their strengths on the team. morgan's awards were most responsible {no surprise there} and excellent form.  

mauryn got up sunday morning and NEEDED her nails done before church

she got out a bag of "po nalish"

she didn't just want one color she wanted 4 because she is four

makes perfect sense

sunday night we had a graduation party to attend

mauryn made sure she was all dolled up in party attire

sun glasses, necklaces, rings

and don't forget some slip sloss {lip gloss}

the kids and i sat down on monday to come up with our summer bucket list

there are so many things to do in our area during the summer and i wanted to make sure we got a list going so we can try to do as many as possible over the summer

it was fun to see what made the top of the kids list 

we seem to keep adding to it

it will be great to check things off and see how many items we can do

what's on your summer bucket list?

the weather has been cold

really unseasonably cold

somehow our strawberries have survived and they are growing like crazy

we pick a bucket full everyday 

they last about 5 minutes

they are so sweet and juicy

love them

what do you do when your kids have friends over to play but its not quite warm enough to do water stuff and they've exhausted bikes, scooters, and the swing set? {and the mean mom is making them play outside because the sun is shining}

make sidewalk paint

the driveway got a great makeover and the kids had a blast

when did she get big enough to ride on a big bike?

 she is now four and a HALF

don't forget the HALF 

or she will remind you every single day

some of our friends are in town for the weekend so we had a little get together for them

8 adults and 9 kids

thankfully the sun was shining so the kids could spend most of their time outside

i made grilled pizzas for dinner. easy peasy.

so yummy...one of my favorite dinners hands down.

when it cools down and the sun is setting so the kids come inside while the parents are still visiting this is what happens to your bonus room

guess what my kids are doing today??

how was your week??

Insta Friday - The California Edition

we spent this past week in northern and central california. 

here's a little peak at our week through iphone pictures.

 there is a stretch of road on our drive to california that is 100 miles of straight road. 

no gas stations. 

no rest stops.

no pretty scenery.

you can only drive 55 miles an hour.

it's painful.

it is during this stretch if the kids ask to watch a movie i say yes. 

then they put on the movie, curl up with their blankets, and that stretch of road is gone in a blur.

 you can see SOMEONE is thrilled with the idea of getting on a trolley.

 an overast afternoon spent browsing in anthropologie... yes thank you.

 the overcast afternoon turned into a full on rain storm as we headed to oakland for a baseball game.

we ate dinner a restaurant in the stadium while watching the rain come down, praying it would stop.

just as the game started the rain stopped.

we grabbed some paper towels from the bathrooms to wipe down our seats and enjoyed an evening at the ball park.

 good morning san francisco!  

sunday morning was glorious... sunshine and clear skies.

 a visit to the aquarium

 a quick stop on the beach so the kids could run their toes through the sand or cover their entire bodies with sand. 

whatever. 

they loved it.

 a lunch in the park with these lovely ladies 

perfect monday afternoon.

 cousins connecting and catching up - the dads

 the girlies,

 and the boys.

these boys are responsible for carrying on the cheney name.

no pressure little men. no pressure.

  vacation {aka maycation} is just not vacation without lots of yummy food

cinnamon rolls

 chocolate chip cookies 

{what, you don't use an iced tea jar as a cookie jar}

s'more egg rolls {divine}

and an ice cream run to millers landing

 to balance all the eating there were daily walks by the lake.

i love looking at all the houses
this one makes me smile at how they saved the tree and built the overhang around the tree

 mauryn's new best friend

he taught her all sorts of tricks

this was her favorite

a trip to california isn't complete without a stop to in and out

why won't in and out move to idaho... so yummy!

Insta Friday

i am linking up again this week with jeannett over at life rearranged for insta friday.

i love looking back at my iphone photos each week.  photos that don't lend themselves to an entire blog post but fun glimpses into this season of life.

our swing set was in desperate need of some love.

saturday morning dawned sunny and warm so lance and the kids started with sanding the swing set.  

oh how they loved the sanding.

once it was sanded the real fun started... the staining.

there were only four paint brushes so i gladly stood by, took pictures, and gave encouragement!

this little bug is constantly in a dress, wearing a crown, and singing.

the clinched teeth on the picture. well she was still singing and didn't want to take time to smile for a picture because i was interrupting her song. priorities!

sunny sunday afternoon, a blanket, a book, and a diet dr. pepper with cherry.

a slice of heaven!

first bonfire of the summer + s'mores = happy kiddos

 she finally could reach the small drinking fountain on her tip toes

she was so proud

for the past month or so we have had this rattling when we run our garbage disposal.

i have dug around in the sink trying to find what might be making the noise and i found nothing

lance tried digging in the sink to find what was making the noise and he found nothing

we started to think it was broken and we needed to get it fixed.

the sink was not draining the other day, stuck my hand in, and found that quarter.

lance and i both stuck our hands in the sink numerous times and felt nothing but then one day appears the quarter.

so thankful we found the source of our problem.

we spent an afternoon at the hospital visiting our friends and their fresh from heaven babe

my little ones were so thrilled to get to hold the new babe

nothing sweeter than loving on a new baby {sigh}

mauryn's dance teacher is cute as a button so this was a perfect end of the year gift for her

idea found here

a stray easter egg hiding in the kids' kitchen

mauryn got her costume for her recital

excitement level was through the roof

the costume is now put safely away until recital day

snacks, movies, treats, sunscreen, lunch supplies

time for road trip 2011

Joys - Week 20 {giveaway winner}

the joys:

* morgan finished school mid week last week so we are officially on SUMMER BREAK. yes!

* lazy mornings

* kids sleeping in... landon didn't get up until 10:30 am on monday

* play dates with friends

* our first year being part of a homeschool co op came to an end with a presentation night. mauryn was so proud to get a certificate for being part of the preschool class.

* morgan completed her third year of piano lessons and had her recital last weekend

* morgan had an extra rehearsal for her dance class on sunday. it was supposed to be a rainy cold day but it turned out to be beautiful. while she was at rehearsal i sat outside on a blanket enjoying the sunshine and my book

* we have the BEST neighbors.  the kids love each other and are great friends who actually act more like siblings most of the time :o). we are so thankful for neighbors who are like family.

* morgan got a gift certificate for a pedicure for her birthday.  she can't have painted nails during competition season so this was the first opportunity she had to use her gift certificate.  she was just giddy with excitement to get a pedicure.  my toes needed a little love as well.  a fun way to spend the afternoon.

* a beautiful summer spring like night so we fired up the neighbors fire pit for the first bonfire of the season.  we definitely weren't prepared for s'mores as we dug through the cupboards to piece together enough supplies. time to add graham crackers, marshmallows, and reeses peanut butter cups to the shopping list.

* we have an elderly couple who lives down the street from us.  as we came home the other day i saw the wife picking weeds in her front yard.  i sent the kids over the help her out and she rewarded them with many kind words and an ice cream treat.

* the two little kids and i were able to go to the hospital to love on this fresh from heaven babe.  oh he is so cute and snuggly.  we were all ready to sneak him home with us!

* only 2 more days until maycation... can't wait for some time to relax!

* my friend janelle introduced me to the app hey tell a few weeks ago.  i love it.  it is basically sending a talking text.  you know how things are funnier when you tell someone the story then writing in a text well this app let's you do just that.  for example when i took the kids to the park the other day and we were getting ready to leave landon asked me a question.  the wind was blowing and my back was to him so i thought he asked me if he could climb the tree before we left the park.  i said yes. i turned around and found him going to the bathroom behind the tree.  good heavens! it was so funny and i wanted to share so i sent janelle a hey tell message. the story was much better told than via text. anyway... big joy is this fun app. if you don't have it get it its free!!!

* a joy for someone else... 

i couldn't figure out how to get a screen shot so i took a picture with my phone so you all know that the contest was fair and square :o)

the winner of the barnes and noble gift card is:

MIDGE

whoop whoop - congratulations and happy reading!