Back yard fun...

We had the Bateman clan (Mark, Shelly, Jace, Mark's dad, Connie, and Mark's brother, Shawn - Mark's mom, Gail was out of town) over for a BBQ one afternoon after the guys had played in a golf tournament. The kid's (big and small) played in the pool/sprinkler in the back yard. Paige and Jace had a blast running around, getting wet, playing in the playhouse, and tackling Mark. It was fun to watch them playing and laughing so much...we laughed to, especially when they tackled Mark and wanted to have 'horsey rides' on his stomach, which was after dinner and a few beers!

I can shuffle!

I loaded some of Paige's music on the iPod shuffle....and she really likes to listen to it...she thinks it's pretty fun to hear her songs on these little earphones!

Stepping up and riding on...

Paige is getting so big and her hair has really been growing...so we have been doing pig-tails everyday! Daddy has not yet mastered the art of little girl pig-tails, but he soon will!

Paige likes to 'walk' up and down (versus crawling/climbing) the stairs now, while holding onto our hand and the rail...









Paige takes a break from walking up the stairs for a 'photo' opp...





Paige got a tricycle and loves to ride it around on the back patio! Right now she it better at going backwards, but with time I am sure she'll figure out the forward motion.

Playhouse visitors?

Last week Uncle Tom (Kurt's dad's brother) and Aunt Pat were in town on their way to Salt Lake City. We had a family dinner over at Kurt's mom's house one night. Then the next night, Kurt's mom brought then our house for dinner (that was on Thursday, so Kurt and Lance were at golf league...nope not even relatives will make one miss golf league!. Paige waned to show them her playhouse out back. She even convinced them to go into her playhouse (or at a time of course, as the play house is pretty small - unless you are Paige's size). Paige then played her whistle/flute for them and Grandma Porter.

Trip to the midwest...

The last week of July Paige and I went with my mom (aka Grammie) to Des Moines, Iowa. My mom's brother, Bob, and his wife, Shirley, live in Des Moines and her other brother, Tom, was going to be in town too. Bob & Tom were riding motorcycles to an air show in Oshkosh (http://www.airventure.org/), but we were able to visit with them briefly. Then it was time for the real fun to start! Grammie gave Paige and I person tour of Des Moines (I know what you're thinking...that it's pretty exciting!), but it was neat to go back by the houses where my mom grew up, the schools she went too, and the places her parents worked at. We even managed to have some fun...a the Zoo, the Living History Farm, shopping and a water park!

Me, Paige, Uncle Tom, my mom, and Uncle Bob




Paige and Grammie check out the gazebo in the back yard at Uncle Bob & Aunt Shirley's


Paige rocks in a rocking chair (on of her favorite things to do!) at Uncle Bob & Aunt Shirley's

Paige pets Uncle Bob & Aunt Shirley's kitty cat

At the Living History Farm - Paige sees a calf

Paige up in the back of a hay filled wagon

Paige and I at the Living History Farm

Paige at the zoo...check out all these Koi fish!

Paige and I in front of the train, which had taken a ride on around the zoo

At the Science Center of Iowa- Paige digs for 'dinosaur bones'

Paige and I blow bubbles with this big wand

Paige and I do some ' fishing'

Paige and Grammie check out a big snake..yikes!

Then we cool off at a local water park!

July - Playhouses, road trip, and friends

Wow..the whole month of July has already passed without an update...guess we are busy chasing a little girl! We started and ended the month building a playhouse for Paige. It took us this long, because we received 2 wrong parts, so had to wait for the right ones to be sent. During which time we also took a road trip to North Powder,OR for Taylor Dalton's birthday party. In July we enjoyed cooling off in the water, playing with friends, Kurt took a trip to Houston for work (during which time our A/C broke, so Paige and I rounded up all the fans we could to keep cool), and the last week of July Paige and I went to Iowa (look for a future post on this trip!) - so we were pretty busy.

Playhouse assembly...




...and finally done!

Paige is happy she can go in and check it out!



Paige plays in the sprinkler/pool while we work on the playhouse assembly.

Jace and Shane...heading back for more water balloons!

Paige is soaked from running in the sprinklers.

Jace and Taylor wet from the sprinklers...


Jace has a water balloon and is ready to launch it!









Taylor opens gifts.













Paige shows Daddy a water balloon!

















Paige looks at the horses through the gate at Aunt Heidi & Uncle Doug's in North Powder.
The girl's in North Powder...me & Paige, Shelly & Jace, Terri & Shane, Heidi & Taylor (birthday girl) & Ashlyn (who slept through our photo shoot).