Michigan!

We did it! We made it 20 hours (almost exactly) in the car from Colorado to Michigan. Overall I guess the drive went okay, except for the fact that my normally good car-sleepers did not sleep well. At all. Live and learn!

We did run into a very odd thing - there were looooong strands of white plastic stuff all over the highway for miles and miles. For some reason we were the ONLY car that got it caught all over. We were trailing these things for awhile. We finally stopped at a rest area to take them off and they were sooo long that they wrapped around a tree on the other side of the parking lot! :)

Finally Violet gets to play with "mine cousins" - they have more than lived up to her expectations. There have been many Princess Dance Parties, crafts, swimming, and playing and playing and playing. We even got to go swimming!
Everybody! Ethan, Anna, Leah, Jon, Claire, Violet and Willa and me!
Grandma and Willa

We lucked out and ended up in town during the old 4H fair. I spent MANY MANY years down here showing my horse and it was so fun to take my own girls! I saw a few old 4H friends and they got to pet tons of animals. Here they are checking out the horses:
Willa and some sheep:
And with a very nice cow:
Both cow and Willa looking at me
And some baby pigs
Violet and Anna!

I also got to take my annual trip up to see my horse Max. It was SO good to see him as usual and I feel like I got my "Max Tank" filled back up again for another year! He has the absolute BEST canter! Despite being incredibly overweight and out of shape :)
Happy girl and happy horse

How much can you pack into one week?

Apparently - a LOT! In just seven days we did this:

1) Went to the Buffalo Bill Days Parade:
2) Rode the kiddie ferris wheel

3) Went to the Children's Festival and rode a giant rocking horse4) and a real pony
5) Went to the Dragon Boat Races and made a Panda Fan

6) And got to get up close and personal with a dragon head
7) Got a SUPER COOL new play set - THANKS DADDY for putting it together!

8) Had a tea party
9) Got into trouble while mommy made lunch
10) And played "Show Pony" with our very favorite dog!

Hot, hot, hot!

Heat wave! It's been in the 90's (and 100's) here lately and with no air conditioning it's been HOT!! We've been trying to get out of the house as much as possible - last week when it was a little cooler we went up for a hike in Golden - it was so pretty and Violet is getting so good at doing all of it by herself!


My favorite picture of Violet and I taken by our visitor "Uncle Jon" - our friend from high school!
We also tried out a local pool - it was GREAT! Violet had a great time playing in her floatie Shamu and splashing around with her friends.

Here is a very sweet video of Miss Willa giving me kisses and playing Peek-a-boo. She is just the cutest thing and LOVES giving kisses!

Happy 4th of July!

We celebrated the 4th by driving up to a little mountain town that *gasp* actually has a 4th of July parade. Why doesn't Denver want to have a parade anyway? I don't get it! But I do have to say this is a great little parade. We got there just as it was starting and still found a spot on the curb down the parade route.
The girls had a GREAT time! Violet got tons and tons of candy. Here is Willa demonstrating how she eats it (with the wrappers on).

Willa showing off our stash of candy...Daddy liked it too. Mostly because of the cool old cars and trucks that were in the parade!
Violet thought this guy was Santa Claus.

And she fell fast asleep in the car on the way home with a sucker stick in her mouth. Aww.

Earlier that morning Daddy and Violet snuggled on the couch.So sweet!
Here are our two little princesses. Violet has really been wanting to dress up with Willa lately, and we have a tiny sized Tinkerbell dress. Violet is Barbie, Willa is Tinkerbell. Too cute!!
Here is a little video of Willa (in her Tinkerbell dress) petting and kissing Porter. Such a good dog!

Willa is ONE!!

Happy (belated) Birthday to Sweet Willa Mae! She turned one a few weeks ago and we've had visitors and parties and craft shows galore so I haven't had a chance to update with new pictures!

I have been making a TON of 1st Birthday Sets through Hip Violet lately, so it was pretty fun to make one for my own Willa! I picked out some super special "retro mushrooms" fabric and made her a shirt and bib to match.

We had so much fun on her birthday! Oma was visiting for her big day so we went to the Botanic Gardens where we got this picture:

Later we had a super fun party where she ate her mushroom cupcakes and very much loved her first real sweets!
Out for dinner on her birthday. Cheese Nips! YUM!
All the Denver Cousins at her birthday party! They are all wearing my shirts! LOVE it!We have been really loving being outside and of course I love taking PICTURES outside! Here are some we've gotten over the last few weeks of both girls and of Willa's 1-year pictures:



Whoa! Look at that face! She makes that every time she is crawling with a mission. So funny!A girl and her dog...
Oma and Violet at the Botanic Gardens
Aunt Heather and Violet at the Gardens

Happy Belated Father's Day too! We took a nice walk in the morning on Father's Day. Here is the best daddy we know!
And here is Violet's first Family Portrait. Now people are getting noses, and sometimes arms, legs and hair too! I could watch her draw all day!