Favorite Things for Summer

I decided to make a list of some of the most used items in the Moyers' house. Some of them have recently been added to the list and others are long-time favorites. I'm sure this list will be ever evolving, as summer hasn't really started. And, this list is the "family list". My personal list is in the works.

Here it is.

1. Stearn's Puddle Jumper
This item is first for a very good reason. My girls lived in these the past 3 summers. They don't need them anymore in our pool, but we went out and bought a brand new one just to have for Caden in the future. These floaties are amazing. My mom actually insisted we try these a few years ago long before they were real popular. She bought the first one and that was all it took. We were sold. The 2 best things about these are that they are USCGA (Coast Gaurd approved) AND they are comfortable. If you have a little one, give these a try. Everyone I know that tries them loves them.

2. Intex Pool
The next item on the list naturally should be the pool. It has been well worth the investment and maintainance. Plus, I have a really hot pool guy! ( I'm referring to my husband. Don't get your panties in a wad!) My husband actually invested in a regular size pool pump, so I may not feel the same if we were still using the little one that came with the pool. I started mowing the yard when we got the pool. That is significant. Ha! I don't mind getting all nasty and sweaty when I have a nice pool to jump into!

3. Swim Diapers
Couldn't live without them. No brand preferance, just swim diapers.

4. Neutrogena Sunscreen
We have tried almost every single sunscreen out there, from sprays to lotions. We do Neutrogena lotion or stick for the face, and spray on the body. It seems to be least oily and just the best in general.

5. Nerf Super Soaker
We actually got our first Super Soaker from Will (Haleigh's best friend). Now we own 2, and an extra water cartridge for each. The girls love them. I highly recommend them. Lots of fun!

6. Baby Pool
The blue plastic kind is my favorite. Super easy to clean, and the kids love it. I usually just put a few inches of water in it, so it warms up fast. Plus it's easy to dump and re-fill through out the day as the grass accumulates in the water.

7. Baking Soda
This one is really weird, but within 3 days of each other Haleigh and Kendall have both been stung by flying insects. What are the chances of that? I really hope this is not a trending pattern for the summer.Haleigh was stung by a yellow jacket and Kendall by a honey bee. My mom used to put baking soda/water paste on my stings, so I kept the tradition alive. Today as I was making the paste for Kendall she asked Haleigh if it really worked. Haleigh replies "yes", so that's all it took... I'm sold on this remedy. Whether it really works or not is irrelavent, if they say it works,  then by gosh it works!

This is where I am leaving the list for now. If you have any family or kids' favorites please share! I hope at least one of these items makes your summer a little more relaxing and fun!

Caden's First Popsicle

Caden was given his first popsicle today. He has had bites of the girls' but he has never had his own popsicle. I think he felt like a big kid. He only dropped it once. Pretty impressive!

The Ol' Sandbox

We decided to drag out the ol' sandbox. I had been contemplating the issue for a couple months but was never convinced that it would be worth the mess. Well, after repeat mud-eating offenses I decided that maybe the sandbox would at least curb the habit. So, off we went to Lowe's for some play sand.

I am so glad we did. Slightly messy? Yes. Happy baby? YES! And that makes it all worth it.

The girls love it too, and that's definately a bonus.

Maybe next time Caden will listen when I tell him not to suck the dried mud out of the pinwheel stick. But, I highly doubt it.

Kendall Rae

When it comes to taking pictures of Kendall, you never know what you are going to get. She is never still long enough to get a shot...even candid shots. She is a busy child.  Sometimes she likes the camera and sometimes she doesn't. So, I just usually snap away; through her busy-ness, fits, and multiple demands for me to put the camera down.

I just love this group of shots from the other day in our backyard.

Bridging Ceremony

This past Saturday we had our first ever bridging ceremony for Girl Scouts. My 1st grade Daisies are graduating to Brownies. As the troop leader, it was a big deal for me too. ( Especially since I found out like 15 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony I was to give a speech. Yikes! ) I had 3 girls that were going to Brownies. One of which was Haleigh. I was so happy that I got to take part in her bridging. After all, I became a leader for her. She is moving on to Brownies and Kendall will become a Daisy in the fall.

A bridging ceremony uses the bridge as a symbol of moving on to the next level of Girl Scouts. It's a traditional Girl Scout ceremony. After I gave my speech, I introduced each one of my girls' individually. I told them how proud I was of them and how much I was going to miss them. We did the Girl Scout handshake, I pinned their rainbow on them, and off to the bridge they went. They were met half way by a brownie who posed to them a question relating to one of the Girl Scout laws. They had to respond by answering how they were going to apply that law in their lives. The ceremony was wrapped up with several Girl Scout songs and a weenie/marshmellow roast.

I am so proud of my girls. They remembered their lines, and performed the songs perfectly. It was such a neat ceremony. It was an awesome way to wrap up my year of girl scouts with them. I am sure going to miss them.

Tool Time

Caden sure does like Daddy's tools!