Life at the Spa...and a Little Swimmin'

"Mom...when can I go back to Lisa?" This question is often asked around our house.  Last year Ava had her first haircut...I waited so long to do it because I wanted to grow her hair out...and she loved the pampering "Spa" like atmosphere.  Today while Isaiah was napping I took her to Salon 101 in Huxley for a shampoo, trim, style, and pedicure.  This kind of thing is right up her alley and she loves it!  She felt so grown up today.

Lisa shampooing Ava's hair...wish it was me getting all this done...but today was all about my Bootles!

Beginning the 1 inch trim

Time for some stylin'

One happy girl!

Now...on to the pedicure...she picked out this pink OPI polish to match the dress she will be wearing for the 4th of July parade.

Spa Day...fun times! Next time we might create a spa at home and use some of the ideas from her Fancy Nancy story The Ooooh La La Beauty Salon.  They give recipes for face masks, things to moisturize your hair with, and how to do manicures and pedicures.  We'll save this for the next rainy day!

Off to the Slater pool...we left around 6:00, went swimming, ate hotdogs for dinner there, and went swimming some more. 

Ava as she was getting into the pool.  My friend Hollie recommended these Puddle Jumpers as an alternative to life jackets.  They are coast guard approved so you can not only wear them in pools but if you go boating they work too.  They are much more "swimmer friendly" for kids.  They allow more movement and really help them transition into swimming.

This guy is fearless!  The first time we came to the pool a while back he clung to us almost the whole time.  Now he likes to walk down the gradually sloping ramp that leads into the pool, swims to the other side, and then gets out...he continued this over and over!

My little swimmer!

One of our teaching colleagues, Kelli, was at the pool with her sons Trent and Nolan.  The kids LOVE Kelli...who doesn't.  Ava and Isaiah enjoyed playing catch with Trent.  In this picture you see Ava, Kelli, and Trent.

Kelli and Trent...I'm lucky that I get to have this little guy in my class next year!

Daddy and Miss Ava

Kelli, Trent, and Isaiah



What a day!  That's what I love about summer...you get to do so many things that you don't normally get to do during the school year.  We're taking advantage of the flexible schedule and awesome weather!  Happy Summer!

My Three Happy's:

1) Salon Day with my little girl...I'm so happy that that I have a daughter to do these fun things with.  What's in store for the future...facials, manicures, pedicures, shopping sprees, make-overs...who knows...Daddy doesn't need to know how much all this costs...just that we're going to have fun!

2) Watching the kids LOVE the water...and are becoming great at "attempting to swim"...no heads under water yet, but that will come!

3) Cleaning the kitchen!  A MAJOR accomplishment...I give it 2 days until it's messy again!

Almost Finished!

Wow!  Believe it or not, the patio project is almost done!  Just a few edgers to put in place which will help hold the pavers in place, add the stone bench, and that special sand that you add on top to fill in those spaces between each paver.  Andy started digging last Thursday and is about finished.  My parents came down today for about 7 hours to help out...I know Andy appreciated the extra hands.

Yesterday I took a few pictures when the landscaping company delivered the sand and stones.  My Mom was here dropping by one of my Dad's mallets and happened to be here almost exactly when the trucks came.  I spread a picnic blanket out on the front lawn, grabbed some popsicles, and Ava and Isaiah were happy watching...especially Isaiah!  He really has an interest for trucks!

The skid loader traveling up our driveway delivering the first pallet of pavers.

Ava attempting to crawl to the top of the sand pile that was just dumped.

Isaiah proud he made it to the top

A picture of some of the pavers we ordered...so you can get an idea of color

Someone loves to climb!

Yesterday Andy started to level off the 1 inch of sand that is needed before laying the pavers.  While he did most of this the kids and I went on a bike ride and then went up to my school to play on the equipment.

Ava shoveling sand into her wheelbarrow...she has a skirt on...you always have to look fashionable!

This picture was from today when my Dad and Andy were laying pavers together. 

Jackson looks like he's enjoying a nice cold beverage...he just happened to sit right there.

The pavers wrap around our already existing stairs from the deck.  Isaiah was helping Daddy fill in the new part with sand...he's wearing swimming trunks and knee/elbow bike pads.  He calls them his "worker pads" so he can be like Daddy!

Ava taking a picture of herself with Grandma...she thought it was funny to try on my Mom's glasses.

We have this robin that comes back every year to the same nest...this year it blew down during a storm and two days later a new one was up again.  Notice the white fuzz...courtesy of Jackson's toy he tore apart.  There are baby birds in the nest right now!

Isaiah and Grandpa heading up front to get another load of sand.  Lately he's been wanting me to do everything for him but this time he insisted "I want Grandpa to put me in."

I'll try to take a better picture later but this gives you a glance of what this additional border is like.  It wraps around the deck stairs.   So what you see continues around the deck to the left and blends into the patio.  We will be adding some landscaping around the patio later.

Lovin' the kneepads!

Ava didn't nap today and stayed up with Grandma to watch Snow White for "quiet time."  Isaiah joined them after he woke up.  How cozy!

I can't tell you how much I appreciate how hard Andy's worked on this patio.  He is very determined once he starts something.  It looks absolutely beautiful!  Let's see...now we just need some new furniture to put on it...I wonder who will be in charge of that?

My Three Happy's:

1) Spending the day with my family...although my Dad and Andy did most of the work...I did carry TONS of stones from the front yard to the back today.  I'm glad I could contribute in some way!

2) Casey's Pizza for dinner...they have the best Taco!

3) I'm looking out our family room window and love the new view...instead of a muddy mess I see a great transformation!  DIY here we come!  (If you're not familiar with what that means it's a renovation network called Do It Yourself.)

Tickets for Sale

Our 4th of July princess is selling raffle tickets that not only enter you to win some neat prizes but each ticket also represents your vote in helping Ava and her queen partner Stephanie to be crowned the Slater 4th of July Queen and Princess. 

Many of you have already purchased tickets already but I thought some friends or relatives that live out of the area would be interested in possibly contributing too.  It's simple...

-You can purchase one ticket for $1.00 or a pack of 6 tickets for $5.00
-If you are interested in purchasing any you can e-mail me at     andyandamyrichardson@huxcomm.net
...this is our summer e-mail address when we are out of school
-I will then fill out as many tickets as you purchase and you can either send me a check/money for the amount you purchase or you can just pay me the next time we see each other.
-You don't need to be present to win the prizes...but here is what you have the chance of winning...
       51" Samsung Plasma TV
       CharBroil Gas/Charcoal Grill
       $25.00 Sam's Club Gift card
       Nook Color
        iPad
        20x30 Portrait by Dick Shook (a local photographer)
       Ballard Golf and Country Club Gift Certificate
      Artwork by Shawn Palek (local artist)
       ...and other prizes that may have been donated since this last notification

If you'd be interested in purchasing any tickets just let us know and we will take care of it for you!  Thanks for supporting our Little Princess!

Ava holding up one of the signs we made that will go on one side of the convertible she's riding in.  We have the exact same sign for the other side of the car and another one that advertises the Slater Birthday Club that's sponsoring Ava and Stephanie.  Along with these signs will be lots of hot pink and lime green balloons.  They should be a cute looking pair in the parade!

My Three Happy's:

1) It was actually very nice outside today...it's been wet and rainy lately...the kids and I took a bike ride on the bike trails and went to play at a park after lunch.

2) Andy's been hard at work...we're ready for the sand and stones to come tomorrow...everything has been dug, leveled out, and filled with the rocks.

3) FINALLY catching up on laundry...I didn't say it's all put away...but it's washed and folded!  



Splishin', Splashin', Slidin', and a Swingin'

...it's been said that a person learns something new everyday.  How sad is it that I've lived in Iowa my entire life and have never heard of Jester Park and what it contains?  Crazy!  Julie called me up this morning and said she was going to take Isabelle to this nature play area of the park that is especially designed for kids.  Andy needed some time this morning to work on the patio and order the materials so it worked out nice for the kids and I to go.  It's easy to find, but there are so many winding roads throughout this park...beautiful scenery!

Ava was very proud that she could climb this little rock wall.  It's great that she can pretty much do everything independently now.

Isaiah happily going down this tunnel slide

Both of the kids really liked this rope wall.

I was hesitant of Isaiah doing this by himself.  It's much more steep than it looks.  But he kept saying, "I can do it myself Mommy."  And he did!

Isaiah swinging with Miss Isabelle

They had this neat little pond with water that is meant to crawl around in.  The kids all got pretty wet but loved exploring the different water features and the rocks at the bottom.

They even had an area with bison and elk. 

Isaiah peeking through a stone feature

These randomly placed logs led down to a pretty big sand area.

More water for Miss Ava Lynn

Many of the rocks had pictures carved in them.  Ava liked this crescent moon and wanted me to get a picture of her feet standing next to it.

Soaring into the water

Ava and Isaiah entering the sand

They had this huge hollow log you could crawl through.  Isaiah was going through and peeked out a hole at me.  He thought he was pretty funny!

Cousins experimenting with the water coming out of the stone. 

There was also this little trail area that was like a maze.

Isabelle following her big cousin Ava

This huge spider nestled in it's web was the entrance to the play area.

The kids really had fun there.  Next time we'd like to find some bike trails for the kids to ride their bikes on and there are so many shelters and places to eat lunch...a picnic would be a good idea for next time...and who knows...camping might even be an option too.

I love this pictures...this was actually taken a few days ago and I forgot to post it.  I love when Ava reads to Isaiah.  Of course she's making up the story as she goes...but you should hear the expression in her voice.  Isaiah LOVES listening to her and always asks her to read more.

Part 2 of the Patio Project...adding 4 inches of rock.

When we were gone at Jester Park, Andy headed to KCI Landscape Supply in Ames to order the stones and materials.  The truck came a little after one this afternoon to dump off the rock that we needed to lay...when I say we...just assume that I mean Andy.  :-)  The stones come on Monday.

Kids are fascinated by trucks and things like this...free entertainment for an hour!

Ava...in her pajamas as usual...shoveling the stone into a container.

Love the boots!  Isaiah sliding down the rock pile.

Isaiah's goal...try to scoop the rocks and toss as many as you can into the container.

I wish I could say "We're done!" but this is actually a picture I took out of the magazine we have to show you what type of stone Andy bought.  It will be this random design and color and we will be building a wall on one side to use for seating or whatever...it won't be as curvy or big as this one...but at least it gives you an idea.  Can't wait!

Isaiah fell asleep for about 20 minutes on the way home from Jester Park and would not nap.  I tried...really I did.  It just figures that Ava slept for almost 2 1/2 hours and during that time Isaiah was wide awake.  When I was getting dinner ready the kids came in to watch an episode of Jake and the Neverland Pirates...their favorite Disney show right now...and Ava walked into the kitchen and whispered, "Mom...come here.  Isaiah's asleep."  So cute!

My Three Happy's:

1) Andy's hard work ALL DAY on the patio!

2) Seeing Julie and Miss Isabelle...I love that little girl...you too Julie!

3) This sudden burst of energy I've had lately.  I'm a coffee drinker in the morning...can't function without it...and need one pop around noon...but for some reason I feel really energized.  It's after 11:00 right now and I feel wide awake!