I Need Some Help

So about a month before we had Claire my mother-in-law, Julie, was so kind and gave us her king sized bed. I have always wanted a king bed, and we LOVE it. Honestly we cuddle more now than we ever did before. I think it's because I have the option of getting so far away if I want to. (I love you Shawn!)
The problem comes in where the bedding is concerned. We haven't gotten a king comforter yet because I haven't bothered making the bed for quite a while. I blame that on my cute baby. I have actually started making the bed again and I got the OK from Shawn to spend money and get a new comforter. But I don't know what to get! That is where you people come in. Here are some pictures of what our bedroom looks like:

The look we have had is pretty formal. I really like it but honestly want something a little more casual. I want to keep using these decorations, besides I did NOT get the OK to buy new ones. :)

I really love the colors in the painting above the bed.

These are the mirrors over our dresser. I like them too, but again the are kind of formal. I thinks this picture shows the walls at their truest color.

Oh hey! Where did that cute baby come from? She just recently discovered that she has toes!

So I need advice from all of you. What color of comforter should I go with? Patterned or solid? How can I make the room feel a little more casual while still using these decorations? What kind of pillows would be cool? I anxiously wait to hear for you all! You can be responsible for me blowing lots of cash!

July 24th Fun

Derek and Becca have a cool tradition of holding a watermelon eating contest on July 24. They held it at Grandma Julie's this year and we went to join in the fun. Here are some pictures of the action:

In Memory

My Grandma Lee passed away last year today. I still miss her lots. She is one of the greatest people I know. I hope to be just like her when I am a Grandma. Here are a few pictures that capture Grandma's personality for me:

Sylvia and Carl Lee

With Grandma you never questioned who was in charge.

I loved her orange apron- if she was at home she more than likely had it on

At the old house in Woodland Hills. It had the coolest fuzzy wallpaper and red carpet. I loved to visit Grandma. She always fed us cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Grandpa spent a lot of time in those overalls.

Grandma taught me how to make chocolates. She thought it was really important to include the little ones in anything we were doing. Syd was a regular helper when Grandma came to make chocolates with us. My girls call her "The Chocolate Grandma".

I love Grandma's goofy side. I also love that she knew my girls so well. She loved to play with them-just like when I was little.

At Eric's wedding. Grandma was so silly and fun! Her little hair cap will be very familiar to those who knew her. :)

Once again- with Grandma you never questioned who was in charge- you can tell Mike knows just by the look on his face.

Here is Grandma doing one of the things she loved most- feeding people!

I hope I am making Grandma proud by the way I am living my life. I am trying really hard to keep my fridge clean just for her. I love you Grandma!

That's what I get for disciplining my kids

Syd and Brynn were over at the park yesterday and I could hear them yelling at each other from inside the house. So I made them come home and weed the garden. I remember getting punished the same way and hating it. I thought I was so clever.

While they were weeding I decided to check out how our cherries were coming along. They are getting very close to being ripe. I got out Shawn's trusty ladder. Now mind you, it is a 8-foot folding ladder with four legs, not a orchard ladder with three legs. I should have known better. I was at the very top of the ladder when one of the feet sank into the mud. I am hanging on to the tree with one hand, holding cherries in the other hand, and trying the right this ladder that is quickly twisting it's way out from under me. Then next thing I knew I was on the ground, and my head was hurting because I landed on it.
The girls came running(I don't know how hard they were working on weeding), and hauled me inside. The whole thing scared the crap out of all three of us. I banged an ankle on the way down which hurts (it got me out of running this morning) and I am pretty sure I gave myself a concussion because I really did land on my head. Oh, and I bent Shawn's ladder. Bummer. But I didn't drop the cherries I was holding, and that is what is really important, right?So it got me to thinking: maybe they put these warning labels on ladders for a reason. By the way, that little guy in the picture? I am pretty sure that is what I looked like as I came crashing to the ground.
So the lesson is: if you are thinking about disciplining your kids, don't climb ladders while you do it!

Baby's First Haircut

It is a well known fact that Claire was born with LOTS of hair. I love it! It is so cute and curly and dark. I love that I can do piggy tails with it. What I don't love about her hair is the crazy mullet she had going on in the back. So we decided to get her hair trimmed up. The wonderful girl who does my hair lives right around the corner and offered to cut Claire's hair at her house on Sunday afternoon. So we strolled on over and both got suited up for the big event. I held Claire on my lap and we both got capes because the hair was sure to fly. I held Claire's head while Christie snipped away. It took about 2 seconds before Claire was screaming her head off. Apparently she doesn't like being held down. Baby, pain is the price of beauty, you had better get used to it.
Afterward I think she was just dazed and confused, wondering what in the heck just happened to her. I am now the proud mommy of a mullet-free baby. When we got home I gave her to Shawn and she immediately cuddled into his shoulder and fell asleep. I think she was looking for friendlier territory- someone that wouldn't torture her.
She must have forgiven me, because the next day she was all smiles, sporting her lovely new do. Christie was a pro at working so efficiently. She layered it up all over so everything will grow out even. We even came away with a little baggie full of dark curls. I think the curls might me gone for good (sniff) but my baby looks so pretty!

Doing Our Best to Keep Cool

It was really hot today. So we decided to take a dip in the pool. Claire showed us how much she enjoyed herself by spitting up in the pool. We will be putting new water in the pool tomorrow!

Brynny is Five!

I can hardly believe my little girl is 5! We had a birthday party with all of her friends. It was fun . . . in a ton-of-screaming-kids sort of way.


We had a unicorn pinata. Here is what is left of the poor thing after we were done with it.
We had a small family party for Brynn on her actual birthday (the 24th). Lucky girl to get two parties. She waited very patiently to open her presents.I was really glad that Brynn decided she wanted a princess cake instead of the castle cake she had been contemplating earlier in the week. Much less work involved here. It was still really fun to make this Barbie princess- especially the part where I ripped Barbie's legs off.
Grandma Julie brought balloons for all the kids.
We let the girls man the camera for a while and the following pictures are a result of that. Not too bad really.