Summer Fun!

So, one month down, one and a half to go! Summer has been very nice and relaxed for the Rasmussens thus far. I love the lazy, somewhat slower pace that summer seems to take on. The kids have swim team/lessons every evening, but other than that we are just free to play and enjoy our HOT summer days. Here are some things we have done to entertain the troops:

Sleepovers with siblings - isn't that what summer is all about?!?

Sadie and Abbie at their summer dance recital with famed dance instructor Caitlin McGrath.

Swimming with cousins, or really anyone that shows up in our back yard.

Drex got an expander put on about a week and a half ago. This is our first experience with orthodontia. We have to turn the key twice a day and I was pretty worried that it would hurt him a lot, but he's been really good about it. They said we would notice a big gap between his two front teeth after awhile. Sure enough. . . . Now he's twins with his mom!

Building forts. This has been a favorite pass-time, but this one the kids built with cousins Jake and Trevor was pretty much the mother-load. It came complete with a master suite, two guest bedrooms, a living room, family room and bathroom. The kids slept in it for a couple of nights until mom (I'm such a meanie) insisited that they clean it up before Sunday.

Pretty much just being silly. Also a favorite pass-time.

Teaching baby sister how to eat popsicles. Okay, so I'm not just a mean mom, I'm a bad mom!

Making edible play-dough. The kids loved this, and the best part was, we had lunch already made that day!

The Grandma Ras Retreat

First off, how can I possibly follow up such a fantastic post as the previous one?

So, our kids have some pretty cool grandparents. Every year Grandpa Rasmussen takes all of his sons/sons-in-laws/grandsons on the Grandpa Ras Rendevous. They go camping, hiking, do service projects, have flag ceremonies decked out in full scout uniform, etc. My boys have a ball every year. So, this year, Grandma Rasmussen decided that it was about time the girls got to play, too. Thus, the Grandma Ras Retreat. Only, for us, there was no camping or scout uniforms involved. Only a whole lot of pink, purple, princess, ballerina, barbie, frill and foof.

We got to stay at the Desert Oasis Resort in Scottsdale for two days and dress up like princesses and ballerinas, paint fingernails and toenails, make crowns, bracelets and necklaces, decorate picture frames, color, play with paper dolls, picnic, swim and dance to the infamous Hannah Montana. The girls got goodie bags filled with stickers, bracelets, pencils, lipgloss, candy, you name it. They each also got a tutu that Grandma Ras and Aunt Angie made for them. Needless to say, these little girls had a blast! At one point, Abbie said, "Mom, this is the best party I've ever been to!" We are very grateful to Grandma and Grandpa (resident photographer and pizza delivery boy) Ras for all of the hard work and love they put into this. Check out these cute girls:

All 4 Princesses














Atlie










Sadie










Ballerinas Jo and Abbie














Ballerina Jo Picking A Winner

The Little Stuff

Sometimes it's just to be grateful for the little stuff. And it's even better when it's 2-Ply. Who's with me on that one?

The Last 3 Months Of Our Lives

So most of the last 3 months of our lives has been at the ballpark for Little League games. With 3 different kids on 3 different teams with 2 or 3 different games a week at 3 different times, it got crazy. But well worth the time. We had a blast going to the games to watch Drex in Minors (DBacks), Braden in Coach Pitch(Cardinals) and Sadie in T-ball (Angels). And I think there were only 2 games that did not have parental representation, so that's not bad. So enjoy some pictures from our last 3 months.

Jo with candy











Braden











Sadie and Caitlin











Drex after winning the championship











Sadie on the Angels











Sadie with cousin Halle











Some of the regulars











Amy, Bomb and Atlie










Abbie in the middle with cousin Emmie
(left) and friend Emma (right)

Who needs pictures?

So would I totally be embarssing myself if I admitted that the reason I haven't posted anything on here is because I don't know how to download pictures off our new camera? I'm sure I could figure it out if I really tried, but who's got the time? So crazy rain day, huh? I thought it was fabulous. Matt also loves it, but it reminds him of Provo and he now wants to move to Utah again. He said I can come if I want.

Me and the girls spent a good part of the afternoon outside emjoying the weather, and Abbie and her friend found a little snail. They played with that thing for a good hour, finally concluding that it was hungry and needed a concoction composed of ketchup, mustard and fake berries picked from my door wreath. Yummy. It's still out on our front porch if anybody needs a midnight snack.

So, last day of school - Hooray!?!? The kid's reactions were varied: Drex - comes home, throws his backpack in the middle of the floor and asks, "Can I play computer?" Braden - comes home, throws his backpack in the middle of the floor and asks, "Can I play Play Station?" Sadie - comes home bawling, tears flowing down her sweet cheeks, throws her backpack in the middle of the floor and proceeds to tell me about how her teacher was crying, she was crying, all her friends were crying, quite an emotional time for a kindergartner. There's little boys for you, there's little girls for you.

Atlie also had quite a day, rolling over a good three times by herself. That and just being too cute for words pretty much exhausted her by bedtime.

And the news on Jo? Well, she only escaped naked outside twice today . . .

Drexy - The Closer

So last night in Drex's little league game (he plays in Minors this year, coached by the great Clint McGrath and assisted by the great Kyle Thornton), the team was up by about 7 runs going into the bottom of the last inning. The relief pitcher they brought in struggled a bit and walked 6 straight batters. So, Drex came in to pitch, something he enjoys doing but hasn't done much of this year. He's better at 1st base. But he came in with the bases loaded and no outs., and we were only up by 5 now.

After a strikeout, a few walks and a groundout, not to mention a few passed balls, we were up by 1 with 2 outs and the game-tying run at 3rd base. The runner on third kept taking a big lead off of third, trying to taunt Drex into throwing it to third, but smartly, he kept going back to the mound after getting the ball from the catcher, ensuring there wouldn't be an overthrow at 3rd and letting the tying run come in easily. But until the pitcher is on the mound, the game is still live.

After a pitch and getting the ball back from the pitcher, Drex started to walk back to the mound. Before getting there, though, the runner on third tried to be sneaky and ran for home without Drex looking. The stands erupted, yelling for Drex to turn around. Instantly, he turned around, saw the runner almost home, and threw a perfect strike to the catcher, who made a great catch and tag at the plate just before the ruuner's sliding foot hit home plate. 3 outs. The good guys win by 1.

The fans went crazy in celebration, and the team threw gloves and hats in celebration. The victory essentially guaranteed them the #1 seed in the tournament starting next week. They gave the other team a cheer, shook hands, had a quick team meeting, and then were thrilled as always to get their treats, the most important part of the game, really.

On the way home, I heard Drex use the words "lucky" and "miracle", but we're very proud of him and the progress he has made this year. He's solid at the plate batting left and becoming a pretty good fielder. Let's hope they keep it up for the tourney next week! And thanks to Mary for the pic!

Why Ames is AWESOME!!!!!

So, I normally am up and out the door for work before Amy and the kids even get up. No, they're not lazy, I just have to get up earlier to deal with my 30-40 minute carpool commute. So, my breakfast situation is usually not the best. I don't like to get up extra early to make my own breakfast because in my mind eating that early before the sun comes up (or is barely coming up) isn't ideal for me. Ya, I'm probably making excuses. So, I usually skip breakfast or something gets picked up on the way. Both of which are not good or healthy options.

But this morning, something beautiful happened. After i showered and dressed for the day, I stepped into the bedroom to kiss Amy good-bye as she sleeps, but she is nowhere to be found. She must be feeding the baby. I walk down the hall and Atlie's door is shut. No Amy there. And then it hits me...this beautiful scent of cooking food downstairs. Not just any food, but French Toast.

Now we have some great friends, the Krummenachers, who own 2 Krazy Sub sandwich shops here in town. We highly recommend them (both the Krummenachers and Krazy Sub.) One is on Power and Main St, and a new shop across from MCC on Southern and Dobson. Great sandwiches. The Torpedo is my favorite, partly because of the taste and mostly because of the name. Anyways, they sometimes bring us some bags of their day-old bread, that is still great for family use, but not up to the standards of the shop. And no, no one is allowed to start asking for the bread. They are doing a great job bringing it to our house.

Anyways, with all of that as background, Amy this morning had made the most beautiful French Toast with thick cut Krazy Sub bread, drizzled with butter and syrup, and with a tall glass of cold orange juice. The day could not have started out better. I even left a little syrup right on the side of my lip to remind me of the morning that was. And it was lights out! Love you, Ames! Can't wait til tomorrow morning. Hee Hee.