Can you play wif me?

Can you dance wif me, Daddy?
Put Sophia down and dance wif me, Daddy!

Sweet Sophia

Sophia smiles

Stella smiles-yes, that is dirt on her nose.

Josh caught me driving the Barbie Jeep purchased by Papa Newman. There is a weight limit, but someone has to drive it....okay, I have no excuse.

And Josh can't point fingers

Costa Rican beach

Oh how I miss you, Costa Rican vacation

The subject heading says it all. Stella has had company (my parents, great granny, cousin Brandon, Aunt Carrie, Cousins Hunter and Grant, Mimi & Papa Newman) for the past month and you can tell she has had a LOT of personalized attention. We loved this! However, it has been a tough adjustment this week. "Can you ______wif me?" has been a common phrase. (insert: dance, build, draw, paint, blow bubbles, dance, watch Blue's Clues, take a nap, etc.) This would be fine if our only responsibilities were keeping the toddler happy. Unfortunately, we have other things going on such as: preparing dinner, bathing and feeding younger sister, laundry, dishes, etc. But who can say no to that sweet face? (reference picture above) She has changed so much in the past 6 months. She is stringing together sentences and making up stories. Last night, she serenaded us at dinner with a pretty detailed song about sheep in the mountains, squirrels in the back yard, playing in the water and so on. She tells me about the dinosaurs that visit her in her bedroom. She talks to imaginary friends (one is named Jason and he apparently took her on a boat ride) and comes up with the funniest stories. She is learning to bargain-mostly with food. Well, not so much bargain as tell you what she is going to have. "Stella, you can have two crackers with your dinner." "I will have three crackers, Mommy." I hope Saltine crackers remain like crack to her because I could really rely on them in the future. "Stella, I will give you a cracker if you promise never to drive over the speed limit." Deal. "Stella, you can have a cracker if you and Sophia promise not to have a party while we are gone." Done. "Stella, no crackers until you pass your bar exam." Alrighty then.

Anyway, Josh and I just got back from a glorious (and much needed) vacation to Costa Rica. He was given an award this year and this was his reward for outstanding achievement. We are very proud of him! The trip was amazing and Costa Rica was so beautiful. I had forgotten what it was like to just get out of bed whenever I wanted to, eat hot meals, and RELAX. It was quite an adjustment this week to not get up, put on a bathing suit, find a lounge chair by the pool, and wait for my pina colada to be delivered. Oh yeah-we went zip lining in the Costa Rican jungle! Can you believe that? If you know me at all, you know that I was not a fan of the idea. Josh signed us up for it and I said "Are you crazy?!?!? Wasn't the spa an option?" I am so glad we got to do it, though. I feel pretty sporty now and that takes a lot for me. Love you all-have a great 4th of July! I will post pictures of our weekend adventures asap.