Your opinion is wanted

What do you all think about this? Should I get it? I think it's gorgeous and I love it but do I spend the money?

Leaving Indiana

We had lots of fun in Grandma's pool.

With Grandma and Grandpa

Last of the vacation pictures tomorrow!

The Coolest Playground in the World

Before we hit the fair one night, my sister took all of us to a new playground at one of the elementary schools in town. We were in heaven. I have never seen so many cool things to do at a playground. And it was HUGE. For the Utah readers, imagine the kindergarten playground at the elementary school near the 85th ward. Now multiply that by six and that's about how big this thing was. Then there was a separate kindergarten playground, spinning chairs, multiple see-saw like toys, swing sets, those spring/rocking toys (see below), and a few adult porch swings. I don't know who had more fun - the kids or their dad!
A giant rope jungle gym. I wanted to climb too but I had a baby to watch.

My camera was running low on batteries so I was trying to conserve. So this is the best picture I could get of the playground. This doesn't even begin to illustrate how ENORMOUS this place was. And it certainly doesn't show any detail, but at least you can get an idea. Behind this picture is a smaller structure made just for tiny tots. You can see a corner of it in the picture below.

One Year Old!

Handsome Face had his first birthday while we were in Indiana. It was so fun to be at Grandma and Grandpa's for it. Here he's opening presents. He got lots of cool toys and clothes. I think the favorites are the Lil People Car Garage from Mom and Dad and the Ball Poppin' Train from Aunt Abby.

Our birthday cakes. I made a cute fire engine for him but the coloring turned the icing bitter. So Grandpa saved the day and picked up a cupcake cake.
He really liked those cupcakes!

Spoiled by the Aunt

Look at what cute things our Aunt Abby brought us from NYC. Who doesn't love Mickey?

Look what I found!

Ok, I'm a day late. But here's my beautiful new table from Craig's List. It's solid wood, only two years old, has very little scratches to the finish, and only cost me $200. I love when I find something that perfectly fits my vision for my home and is also within budget. The color is just so pretty and the inlay on top is beautiful. I love it!

This table sits under the chandelier in the "library." Next I want to get two wing back chairs to sit behind it and there will be shelves under the windows and up the wall.

We went to...

this place. The largest children's museum in the world. I just love this place. I hadn't been back since I was a child, but they still have the water clock and the carousel and theIndy car. So fun. My kids were in heaven (their dad too). I was amazed at how much there was to do, even for the little guy. We could have stayed forever.
I know it's a lot of pictures, but there were a TON more. I promise, I cut it down substantially.

They're playing XBOX 360. Go figure.

In the Indy car
Guess who! (It's the elevator man from Curious George!)

I do so love my baby dinosaur.

Help!!!

I need to know all the best design blogs/websites, where you shop online for totally awesome home accessories, and what stores you've bought your favorite furniture. I'm about to tackle decorating the room that is to be Handsome Face's. Oh, and I'm still finishing Cute Girl's. I just can't find a bed I like and I'm trying to hunt up an old kitchen hutch to repurpose. But anyway, send me all your hints and tips. I need them. And tune in tomorrow for my latest Craig's List purchase. Gorgeous!

The 4th of July

We arrived in Indiana late on the second of July, just in time for the 4th, but since my dad was working that day (firefighter) and it was rainy, we postponed our festivities until Sunday. We took the kids up to my grandparents' farm after naps to visit. There Great-grandpa Shoaf showed us a baby deer he was caring for. It got separated from its mother due to the floods. Cute Girl still talks about it and reminds us that it was pooing. Of all things to remember.
Then the Rocket Scientist took over the grill when we got home and we had some yummy food. Once it was dark, the Rocket Scientist and my brother, Chase, turned into pyros and put on a nice lil' fireworks show. Handsome Face was already in bed and Cute Girl didn't care for it too much. She stayed until the end but she wasn't too excited about it. It took some coaxing but Cute Girl finally started playing with sparklers.

And not until I downloaded all of my photos did I discover this. The boys had the bright idea to put together multiple bottle rockets. I pretend I don't know them.

We're Back!

Two weeks of vacation and now we're home. Sweet and bitter all at the same time. We left 5pm July 2nd and returned just before 6am on July 15th. Oh, how I never want to get in my car again!
I have well over 100 photos and videos, and since life at home is pretty dull, I'll probably be posting vacation photos over the next two weeks. If you get bored, I'm sorry.
One of our main reasons for going back to Indiana at this time was so that we could attend the Bartholomew County 4-H Fair. I hadn't been in six years and the rest of my family had never been. Growing up there wasn't a year that we didn't go, and most years we practically lived there. Last year was the first time my parents hadn't gone (Handsome Face was conveniently born that week). The Rocket Scientist was impressed - most of the fairs and festivals we'd attended in Utah just don't come anywhere close to being as cool as THE Fair.
Our first night there Cute Girl spied a jumping booth two doors down from my dad's booth (he owns a roofing business and was there for advertisement). Two dollars got her (and her daddy) all the jumps they could want.


(She got scared here and wouldn't go down for a little while.)
Handsome Face with Grandma

We put Handsome Face on the side of the jumping castle to watch his sister and he decided to join in. Here he's with my sister Abby.

Ummm, When Did I Get Old?

We're on vacation. The Rocket Scientist and I are about to check out of our hotel room (we left the kids for a few days with my parents) and I decided to post while I still had high-speed. I just can't brave the dial-up.
We went to Paramount's Kings Island yesterday. We wanted to do something that we couldn't readily do with our kids and we love amusement parks. I hadn't been there in ten years and I just remembered how awesome it was as a teenager. They have fourteen roller coasters for cryin' out loud! How can that not be the best thing in the world?! Well, we rode the Vortex and that was pretty cool. Then the Backlot Stunt Coaster which was awesome. Then we rode the Beast. The longest wooden coaster in the world with 4 minutes, 50 seconds of ride time. I thought I'd died. We got thrown around like rag dolls. My head was pounding the whole time and I just wanted off. And after that almost every coaster was the same. Some were better than others, and I might have enjoyed them if I didn't have a splitting headache. I just couldn't understand. The last time I was there I rode the Beast twice! And some coasters we would ride and then jump right back on again! But not this time. There was no way I was getting on the Son of Beast. And the Rocket Scientist did Invertigo by himself. I just wasn't up to it. I did agree to go on the kiddie coasters but even those hurt my head. I swear, I wasn't this old yesterday. And how on earth did my mother go on all those rides with us? I think I've determined that my kids may never go to an amusement park.

Swimming

These pictures are from last week, but we're getting ready to drive cross-country again today and I have no other pictures to post nor time to write about our adventures of the past few days. So enjoy these at least.

Scenes of a Morning Last Week

Cute Kid Burritos

Stealing breakfast from Daddy

Oh, and floofy hair.