Cousin Camp!

The summer was winding down, what better way to send off the hazy lazy days than by celebrating with cousin camp! Lead by my fearless aunt this was the first year of what we all hope to be an annual event. Our fabulous camp leaders not only opened their beautiful lodge for all of the little campers, but held contests, games and provided the campers with a water park and, wild wood bear hunt! If that was not enough the food would bring you back for more! A five star chef provided BBQ and the peach pie was out of this world. Each camper walked away wanting more and confident in their new found skills and friendships strengthened though their experience. In other words a wonderful time was had by all!

Our Favorite Books To Read On A Fall Day

We LOVE read at our house. The girls think books are the best way to to cuddle up and spend an afternoon. I love all books, however children's books have always held a special place in my heart. Here are just some of our favorites:

Frances, books by Russell Hoban and Illustrated by Lillian Hoban. (The language and turn of phrase makes the stories a favorite of kids and parents alike. Paul and I have these at the top of our list!)

Arthur, books by Lillian Hoban. (These are great, I Can Read Books, for beginners)

Little Bear, by Else Holmelund Minarik, Pictures by Maurice Sendak. (A series of gentle and charming stories illustrated by Maurice Sendak, need I say more?)

Amelia Bedelia, by Peggy Parrish. (This is another great series that the kids find quite funny.)

Frog and Toad Are Friends, by Arnold Lobel.

Hot Potato Mealtime Rhymes, by Neil Philip. (A new favorite.)

The Little House Series, by Laura Ingalls Wilder. (We read these again and again and even listen to them in the car; they are much beloved. The girls like to call themselves Mary, Laura and Baby Carrie and my, how those personalities match up!)

All books by Laura Numeroff, If You Give a Pig a Pancake, is my favorite.

Fancy Nancy, by Jane O'Connor, written by a mother of all boys! (These are books that scream: Wear a tutu while you read me! My girls LOVE them.)

How I Became a Pirate, by Melinda Long. (Almost all pirate books are welcome in our house, this one is extra good.)

Happy Birthday My Little Pirate!

Lila celebrated her birthday pirate style! Friends and family joined our crew as we claimed Grandma and Grandpa"s Sandbar as our own pirate island to hunt for real buried treasure and some serious sword fights! Lila was Captain Jack Sparrow, Anya was Elizabeth Swan and Annette was Baby Jones of Baby Jones locker. Although her sisters wanted to dress her up as the kracken. She said "NO! I Baby Jones!" hence her take on the infamous Davey Jones and his locker. And let me tell you she was one tough pirate!

A Summers Worth of Pictures

Here are some of our favorite summer moments, we had a great time swimming, playing with cousins, uncles, aunts, grandmas, and grandpas.

One memorable trip was to Hurricane Ridge for the girls first hike. After FOUR trips to the bathroom, and a picnic lunch followed by another bathroom trip we made the hike. And it was great fun! There were deer, chipmunks, and grouse to be seen and chocolate in our pockets to keep us going, we couldn't have asked for better. We even made it back in time for another bathroom break. It was evidently the girls favorite spot, although Paul and I preferred the views.

As always the summer went way too fast, and we didn't get everything in but it gives us something to look forward to next year.