Colorful!

Brooke's imagination knows no bounds and I love that. She can be anything she wants to be and I don't ever want her to think differently!

I have told you many times that she picks her wardrobe and I intervene on occasion to keep her from looking totally crazy.....here is one I sort of intervened on, it is a dress Nana made last year that is WAY too short....but it does make a cute tunic I suppose:

She was a school teacher inviting me into her classroom.

Posing with Ariel.

I didn't help with the next two outfits. She didn't go out in public with the boots and knee high socks, she wore flip flops instead to cheer practice that day. She woke up wanting to be a cowgirl!

This particular morning she woke up at 7:30. I asked her why on earth she was out of bed before 8 and she said "Momma, last night at bedtime you wouldn't let me sleep in my pantyhose but you said I could put them on when I woke up....that's why I woke up early, to put my pantyhose on." Oh boy.....With her nightgown and tennis shoes of course!

Brooke LOVES being a girl!

A smart girl learns to embrace her girly ways, and learns the appropriate ways to accessorize! Brooke LOVES anything girly. Dresses, Sparkle, Accessories, high heel shoes, painted nails, jewelry, and yes I could just go ON and on. I have always said that I let her dress herself. The only time I fight her on something is if it is horribly mismatched, too busy or not weather appropriate.....which leads to lots of fun for sure.

After a day of swimming, I came in to find this outfit.....swimsuit cover up and of course a scarf to keep her neck warm from her damp hair....

It is nothing new to find her hanging out any time of the day in this swimsuit. I let her pick it off of a Target Clearance rack and she hasn't worn any other suit since. This is her gymnastic practicing, ballet performing, strutting her stuff around the house any ole time swim suit. Look at the pose, the tiara, the leopard shoes.....I rest my case.

Another morning I came in after putting some laundry in the washer to see her watching morning cartoons like this....

I walked inside to freshen up our lemonade glasses and came out to see Daddy looking totally relaxed in the pool......but look closer.

Daddy wasn't the only one chillin'!

And, today.....I DID put my foot down on wearing the leopard print ballet flats with the striped dress AND the flowery cowgirl hat.....

She is definitely embracing all things girly! She is still right under 50 pounds, depending on what she's wearing....ha, and she is already 4 feet tall...talks NON stop, and is definitely in the 'watch me' phase. I am trying not to think about how quickly summer is coming to a close because I am enjoying her SO much.....but shopping for school supplies is already here...ugh! When asked if she was ready for school to start her very diplomatic answer was "I am ready to see my friends!"

Wowza!

I just wanted to share the cute picture Brooke brought home from VBS last night. LOVE IT!

And, a better close up I scanned of it....LOVE this picture. I know I am partial naturally, but I find this picture breath taking! It made me realize I might need to use our better camera more often.....

Hard to breathe!

I will explain one of my reasons for the title of the blog first....then let you enjoy a few pictures.

I want you to REmeet our first born child.....aka1 four legged son, aka2 doesn't know he's not human....Cooper. He really is a spoiled rotten, good for nothing more than causing more work and entertainment (not really, just been a rough week).....insert Monday morning 5:45am, when suddenly the other spoiled dog Macy whined like she needed to go outside (which is SO not like her), so without thinking I got up to let them out. Macy ran out, then ran RIGHT back in growling.....at which time Cooper (protector) went RUNNING out the door barking and growling and before I could even get him to come back in......

He got WAY too close to one of these.....

So, apparently this was our inaugaration into country living?! Cooper was sprayed directly by a skunk....gag. We found some amazing stuff that took all the smell off of him....it however managed to seep into parts of our house, so I have been cleaning, recleaning, spraying, and anything else that supposedly works to get the smell out of our house!

THEN, Monday afternoon another window on Steven's truck broke....not the window itself, but instead the mechanism that holds the window closed....so, he drove to the parts place in 105 degree heat to get the part, then drove home to install it while out in that same heat. I think we were both ready to say let's start this week over.....

Another reason for the title is that we have been a little busier than I expected to be this summer. Over planned maybe?! Too many fun play dates, too many projects, too many things we have been going to?! You know it's been a rougher summer than you think when your really easy going five year old angel begs: "Momma, can we PLEASE not go ANYWHERE?" and yes, she has asked this several times in the last few weeks.....

In all of the playing chaos I have been bad about taking as many pictures, hence the lack of posts....so, I will share the few I did take.

Chilling in OUR pool in the backyard. Brooke and now my own personal favorite thing to do this summer. Friends are great, but it really is nice to not go anywhere. Brooke is right!

We don't get to just 'chill' with Steven as much as we would like to, but we have been managing to squeeze in a little chillin' time with him when we are at our own house instead of at someone else's.....LOVIN' our $40 pool and worth every penny!

These two pictures are just because my mother got on to me today for not sending any pictures lately. So, I took these of Brooke.....just as she has been all day.....tired looking, wild haired, and stamped all over. She has been to several Vacation Bible Schools this summer and she got a cross stamp at the last night of the most recent one.....little did I know she would stamp it all over her. Kind of cult looking don't you think?!

A closer picture to show my Momma how majorly tanned this little girl is. We have been using our "sunscream" regularly and neither one have had a single sunburn....she just gets DARK!

Oh and to answer all the grandparents before they call me. Yes, that's a bandaid on her right knee. She was a little wild last night after VBS and managed to trip in the church parking lot and skin up her knee.

I will TRY to be better about pictures!!! Gotta go swim some more. I know, sheer torture but I will endure it for this angel! ;o)