Last year we bought 2 Empress Splendor trees. They have amazing qualities (IF they make it through the winter!), but after our winter, we thought they had gone on to tree heaven. Then last week when Rick was cutting the grass, he saw them! I have even named them...tee hee! I sure hope they don't die this winter, or else they will be OUT of there! Fingers crossed....

This is Auntie Em

And this is Miss Priss

Do you get their names?!?!? ;)

I'll have to go take more pics, because they are both 3-4 times that size since I took these pics 2 weeks ago!!! :D

http://www.worldtreetech.com/splendor/

Last night, while waiting (patiently) for Ella to brush her teeth, Max and I sat side-by-side on her bed. He asked me for something, and I told him I'd do it for a kiss. Without hesitation, he lifted his little lips and kissed mine. Ahhh...nothing so sweet as your three-year old boys little pink lips. Then afterwards he told me that we had to kiss again because HE wanted to make the noise! (!) So, I reluctantly (as if!) kissed him again, making sure he made the bigger noise. Then he had to do it again, and again and again...

Needless to say, I was in heaven. He is just sooooo adorably cute I can't possibly put it into words.

:)

My little dancer Zoe decided it was time to take her little dancing gig on the road, and showed all of her aunts and uncles, cousins and Grandma Jennie and Grandpa Joe. They were all impressed. It was completely adorable to see her swinging her hips/head/arms...pretty much her entire self when any tiny song could be heard. She really got going when I would start to sing: "Go Zoe, go Zoe, go, go, go Zoe!!" She is so easily amused! ;) (Lucky for me eh?) LOL!

Speaking of kissing, she has turned into quite the little kissy-face herself. All you need to ask is: "Zoe can Mommy have a kiss?" and she puckers up her tiny little pink mouth. Ooooh, I tell you there is simply nothing better. I LOVE my kids kisses!!!!

...

Ella went and grew up on me. Not sure when that happened, but she is just like a little friend for me. She helps with the little kids, cleans up, cooks (when I let her - closely supervised!!) and just loves helping me do any little project that I have to do. AND, she likes to shop with me. I am a self-proclaimed shopaholic, but trying desperately to NOT be. BUT there are times when a girl simply needs to get out to the stores and shop! That was Saturday. And since the little ones were sleeping at Nana's, I got to take Ella-Bells. She told me if she liked the shoes I picked out, and even made me try on ones I would never wear in a million years...(how do they DO that?) Then helped me pick out a new shirt for my cousin Jacqueline's wedding. So helpful, and all she bought that day? A pink crown hairband. That's all my princess needs... ;)

At the same time, she scrubbed her knee and elbow and Grandma and Grandpa's, it's ME she wanted to hold and console her while she cried. So she's not entirely grown up yet. (Yeah!)

I am so lucky...how did I get so lucky?

I had today off - I've had all the Fridays off pretty much since I've been back to work, and I'm LOVING IT!! But once July starts, I have to start working Fridays again (everyone now...) Awwwww......!!!! Poo Poo Me!

BUT enough of that - I DID have today, and it was FAB-U-LOUS!! I took the kids to the splash pad today, and Nana met us there. Oh what fun! Max isn't quite as much as a water baby like Ella and Zoe, so he got changed quickly back into his dry clothes (which ended up almost being more wet than his bathing suit!!)

Afterwards I left Max and Zoe at Mom's so Ella and I could do some shopping. I got myself TWO new pairs of shoes, a TONNE of stuff for them all at Bonnie Togs (DARN that place!) and even a new pretty shirt for my cousin's wedding in a week! (Plus a few other things pour moi! Tee hee!) It was fun, Ella is so much fun - as a little girl now! And so easy to take places. Gosh my kids are fun!

I took just a *few* pics of them today at the splash pad... ;)



Here is Max patiently waiting at the side for Ella...


Then he THROWS the water at her! They both love it! :D


My Baby Z...


Nana and snacktime!


Cute little chubby legs...I just want to squeeze them!



My darling Maxwell, with his new swim shirt on! (AFTER the splash pad - for next time I guess!)


Here Baby Z is helping Nana with her clothes pins...!


Doesn't she look like an actual 'doll' here?


Princess Zoe adoring her grandparents


The princess is ready to go HOME!

This past week when we were on vaca at my Gram's, my mom got a couple pics of the kidlets...so I'm stealing her photos and POSTING them...(Yes...again!)

Looooooooooooooooooove Gymboree bubbles!!!!! :D
Isn't this sweet?!?!? :)

Ok, so we didn't actually see the Ocean, it was more like a river - the St. Clair River, but to Max - it was the OCEAN. ;)

Tuesday the kids and I picked up Nana and headed off to GG's for a visit in Corunna. They were really excited, and would do ANYTHING I wanted, because I reminded them we were heading to see GG this week. Awesome. (Except - now what am I going to use as leverage?)

We arrived Tuesday before lunch at GG's, and all the kids immediately recognized and hugged GG happily. Funny how - no matter how big the gap in time between visits is - kids know their grandparents. We had a lunch, then Auntie Auntie Auntie Auntie Auntie Auntie Gail came for a visit (her lunch hour) with her friend Gwen, my cousin Lindsay (who works at Gail's dental office!) and even my cousin Jace dropped in. Oh what fun! While they were there, I casually mentioned that I was in need of a teeth cleaning (nothing is casual when you are talking my Aunt Gail and teeth...she is a dental hygienist), but she said she was booked all afternoon. No biggie.
Then after they left we got a phone call - Aunt Gail had an opening! LOL! So Ella and I scooted down to her office and we both got cleanings (and even had Dr. Bedard come take a look! Now I'm good for another 6 mons!!). It was fun. Yes, going to see the dentist was fun...I swear! :)

We walked downtown Corunna later and bought new (little) pools for the kidlets. They simply NEEDED to play in water in this heat!! So for the rest of the afternoon the kids played in the pools. It was FAB fun I tell you.

Gail and Jeany came over after supper and we played in the pools more, and gabbed, and gabbed. I'm so jealous that my mom has so many sisters. Not that my brother isn't fab himself, don't get me wrong...!!!! I love hanging with them and imagining that they could be MY sisters (instead of my aunts). I'm glad my girls will have each other. :)

Later we watched tv- a few different shows at once, with Gail and her INSANE remote clicking, it was bedtime. Ahhh...and once my head hit the pillow, it was lights out!

The next day was more water fun, and a discovery of mosquito bites. Max had approx 12 on his back, Ella had about 3, and Zoe - none. So weird! So I bought some citronella candles, and tried to keep the kids away from the grass.

In the morning while Zoe was sleeping, I took Ella and Max for a walk around town. We headed to the river and put our feet in the freeeeezing water. We threw tiny stones in the river, and watched boats crossing. It was so fun. No agenda, we just did as we pleased. Then we found a nice bench in a shady spot and just sat. I bought some popsicles and we ate them in our shady spot again, then ventured for a quick "Hello" to Aunt Gail at work. At one point Max needed to pee, so I found a tree, and away he went!! Later Max was talking to Daddy on the phone, and he looked at me and asked: "Can I tell Daddy that we saw the ocean and I peed on a tree?" After my nod, Max then said in the phone: "Daddy! We saw the ocean and I peed on a tree!!"
LOL!!! It was just sooo cute!!
We made it home (with Max on my back) and vegged in GG's freezing basement. THAT was nice...!
We had a dinner with Aunt Rudy and Carey. A late night talk full of fun. Deeeeep, stimulating conversation. Awesome. ;)

Today, again, we played. Gosh the kids are fun. Here are a few pics. I didn't get many, as we were having a bit too much fun. ;)


Zoe, enjoying her first chocolate covered ice cream treat! She ate it ALL!




CHECK out the chubbin's legs!!!!! ;)




Awww...GG and Baby Z! So cute!






Around 3am the first night, Max slipped into GG's room, and she invited him in. There he slept until the morning! They were so happy - both of them!! :D

Zoe, loving up one of her fav peeps.
Funny how these pics take you back. Here I am at home - reliving my visit. Really, I have such happy thoughts about going to visit my Grandma. Always...now I'm sad that we aren't with her now. WHY does she have to live so far away? Oh well, makes it better when we DO get there right?

What a beautiful day today. Even as I sit here on the computer (what?!?) the window right beside me is open, and a beautiful breeze is floating my way. Ahhh....the house is quiet with sleep, and I'm enjoying the last few moments before they are all awake, and life starts again.
For now, here I am.
We took the kids to the Woodstock parade this morning. It was really fun - and the kids were great. Zoe danced through the ENTIRE parade (it was very entertaining to everyone sitting around us!), and held her snack in her little sweaty palm almost the entire time. I'm sure by the end she thought: "Oh yeah! I have a granola bar 'bit' in my hand to eat! Duh!" ;)

Yesterday the kids played in the water table again. I really need to buy a little pool (our last one bit the dust, and Rick says we don't need another one, but I disagree - so one *might* get bought when I go visit my Gram this week! ;) Tee hee...)

Zoe, very cautiously attempts to step up on the ledge...
This pic cracks me up - she saw Max sit on the ledge, so she decided she should too. And it took her approx. 10 min to figure it out - it was hilarious! Then I went and asked for a kiss (which I do all the time now, it's her new trick...) so she immediately comes over with her tiny little puckered lips, then proceeds back to her ledge, for another 10 min episode of "How to sit like your brother". Classic Zoe. LOVE IT. :D

((hmm...after reading my post I realized that maybe my title was confusing...what I meant was that Ella is #4 (her shirt) on her soccer team this year, PEOPLE!))

Ella played her first soccer game of the season last week (Uh...yeah, little late on the pics!), and I took approx 400 photos...basically until my fingers turned numb from the cold! Love it! :D

I was completely amazed at how well she did - she was right in there kicking the ball like crazy, and this week she even scored (or closely assisted) a goal!!! I had no idea that a kid of mine could be that good...and it's only been 2 weeks!!!! She simply MUST have some of her Aunt Deb and Dianne's gene's in there... ;)
Hard to see, but Ella's actually kicking the ball here!!

With a new year also comes the "Fab Four". 2 little girls that are in Ella's class (Chloe and Halle) plus Halle's friend, makes up the Fab group...it's really quite cute!! (When they aren't playing...LOL!)
The Fab Four hugging, awwwwwww!!!
Ella and her BFF Chloe holding hands!