A visit to Lanesboro

 Chris, Mira, Amelia, and I visited Mom and Dad in Lanesboro in mid-June. It was so fun to see them and we were able to get out to town where Mom and I did some shopping, and Chris took the girls on the trail. Amelia rode her bike, and Mira took her roller blades out for a spin. They had a great time, saw some people canoeing and tubing on the river, and even saw a deer! We'll have to do that again we when are visiting in August.

 On the way home, we stopped to visit Grandma Lindell. Mira tried on her hat. I think she looks great in country-wear!

Father's Day at the lake

 We went to Chris's dad's house on the lake to spend Father's Day with him. We had a wonderful lunch and the girls loved swimming in the lake! Chris went golfing with his dad that morning, so he was able to do something he loved!

 

Summer fun!

 This summer we've been spending a lot of time at the pool! The girls love to swim and have been getting better and better at it. Amelia is even swimming the length of the pool now and doing flips in the water! They are having a blast!

 Chris enjoys it too!

Girl Scout Picnic

Mira's Girl Scout troop had a picnic this past weekend. It was to celebrate the end of a successful year (and Mira's first year!) in the troop. They had lawn games for the kids, and had a cake made for the troop. All the scouts did a short presentation on how they will be good leaders and helpers this summer. Mira said she was going to be a good example and help her sister, the other kids at daycare, and the kids in the neighborhood. Then they sang a song and did their pledge for the parents. It was great to see Mira so engaged in this troop. She's excited to be a part of it next year!

The entire troop and their leaders:

 Saying their oath:

 Mira is reading her pledge for the summer:

 Putting her pledge in the box:

 Receiving her final badge of the year:

 Her last triangle badge:

 Singing a song about a polar bear!

 The cake. Delicious!

 My other sweet pea:

 Frosting face!

Master bathroom update

Chris and I tackled another small project recently. Well, Chris tackled it, I just bought all the stuff and asked him to hang and install! We took down the huge mirror and replaced it with two smaller framed mirrors (HomeGoods, $40 each!). Then Chris added just three inches of tile around the sink area ($15 total). Those two small changes made a world of difference, I think!

Before:

 And after!

 

 

Now, what should our next project be?

New house numbers

Chris and I have been doing small improvements around the house lately (see previous post on the bathroom update). I found some beautiful porcelain tiles on Etsy.com and asked the woman to paint our house numbers on them. We had plain black plastic numbers before and I thought this would dress up the front a little.

They came yesterday and Chris installed them today. They look gorgeous! I love how they stand out on the house.

Mira's 8th birthday slumber party

Mira asked to have a slumber party for her 8th birthday friend party. She invited 4 girls over from her grade and they slept over Friday night, then we took them bowling Saturday morning. Mira had lots of fun and is a little tired today!

Dinner on the deck:

 Opening presents:

 Cake!

 Slumber party and popcorn:

 Bowling!

 Sweet sisters about to get their bowling on!

 Amelia and Mama:

 Mira celebrating a good frame:

Vocabulary Parade!

Mira's school does a vocabulary parade every year. All the students pick a word and create a costume of that word. This year, Mira chose "weather" as her word. She put together a sunny/rainy/cloudy costume and wore it proudly for the school and their parents to see! It was great seeing so many creative costumes, and the weather was beautiful for an outdoor parade.

Here is her friend Kassidy:

 I thought this costume with the four girls was really cute!

 Mira as "weather" and her friend Megan in front of her as "hurricane."

Rolling in the grass

Mira and Amelia took advantage of a gorgeous evening to play in the backyard. 

 

 

 

 

Happy Memorial Day!

Wishing all our friends and family a very happy Memorial Day! Yesterday we had a wonderful day on the beach at my father-in-laws house in Buffalo. The girls LOVE going there, especially in the summer. Randy loves that they are making memories at his house and I have so many photos to prove it!

This was an especially nice year because my girls are at a wonderful age for all the beach activities. Amelia can officially swim, which takes a bit of stress off when down with her at the beach. And she could try new activities this year, like riding in the Ski Doo. Both Mira and Amelia had a blast yesterday!

Loving sisters:

 Amelia taking a jump off the dock:

 Mira and cousin Cara getting ready for a Ski Doo ride:

 Mira going down the slide off the dock:

 Sweet Amelia:

 Amelia and Katherine (family friend) on the Ski Doo:

 Mira waiting to be picked up after her ride:

 Randy bringing the pontoon home:

We hope you all have a safe and fun Memorial Day! A shout out to my dad on this day, who served in the Navy. I love you, Dad!

Lovin' 8!

Happy 8th birthday, Mira! Yesterday was Mira's birthday! Mira got some guppy fish and a tank for her birthday, and Amelia gave her a pink kitty. She loved it!

 Here is a photo of her taken at exactly 5:16 pm, the time she was born! Her friend Megan was invited to go to Mira's choice restaurant, Olive Garden, with us. It was a lovely evening, followed by ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery.

We love you, Mira! You are officially 8, but have been going on 13 for quite some time! We know you'll have a wonderful year.