Ten things

Ten things I'm loving right now ...

10. The window boxes we've added to the bottom floor windows across the back of our house. A little birthday project for myself, and a wonderful addition to our backyard. The beautiful blooms and fragrance they add ... euphoric.

9. Sugarland's new song "All I Want to Do." Simply put it's catchy. All four of the kids dance as soon as they hear it and Alysse sings along with the chorus.

8. Flip flops and painted toenails. I think Alena has worn flip flops since she started walking. She's a bit flip-flop obsessed. This summer we've got two little girls flipping and flopping. Plus, they both simply HAVE to have their toenails painted (theirs always look better than my own do).

7. Grilling. I've always preferred a hamburger off the grill, but we've gotten braver with our grilling this summer. Besides delicious food, an added benefit is Alena and Alivia love it too. They'll eat an entire New York strip steak between them when dad's grilled it.

6. Alivia's bird bath/squirrel feeder/bird feeder area. First came the brightly colored bird bath from Jungle Jim's, then a hummingbird feeder, then a regular seed feeder. Add two corn feeders for the squirrels, and Alivia's little nature preserve in the backyard has provided us all with entertainment. Spotted so far: a deer, four mallard ducks at one time, a chipmunk, an entire pack of squirrels and more birds than you can imagine. Jason's waiting to see a rhino. Fun and educational.

5. Our Little Tikes sand and sea play table. I've loved this thing since the first day it made its backyard appearance. Surviving its second summer and going strong, this diversion manages to occupy all four of the kids at once. Not a small feat!

4. Alysse's cute baby tan. I swear the little one gets greased from head to toe with 50 SPF every time we're going to be outside for a period longer than 20 minutes or so. Still, she has managed to acquire the cutest baby tan ever. Slap the stripped swimsuit on her and she looks like she could appear on Baby Baywatch.

3. New utensil users. Trace and Alysse have begun perfecting the use of forks and spoons. They are actually quite efficient at stabbing food and getting to their mouths when they aren't using them as weapons or drumsticks.

2. Water play. The kids love running through the sprinkler, a spray from the hose or rolling around on the sprinkler beach ball that made its way home from Target this summer. The squeals and gasps as the cold water hits them is summer at its best.

1. Alena and Alivia's imaginative play in their play set. The upper part of our play set is a bit "treehousey" and the girls have taken to playing in it like a playhouse. The step from one level to the other makes a perfect seat as one drives the other to Target or the grocery store. Sometime one goes to the doctor or they play house. I love the imaginative play and never dreamt they'd have such fun pretending.