Highlights

We traveled to Portland this weekend for the Fourth of July. There were a few things that happened, or were said, that are definitely worth remembering. Here are a few.
1. Zoie looked at Uncle Ben's underarm and stated, "You have a beard!"
2. Have you heard the saying, "That's what I'm talking about!"? Well, I was talking with Seth and while meaning to say this phrase, he actually said, "I'm talking about that!" I never laughed so hard.
3. We did a six mile hike in ninety degree weather, whew! Thankfully, we stopped a few times to stick our feet in the water. The girls (except Zoie, who was asleep in the backpack at the time) wanted to wade through the water. Daddy's response, "Only if you are brave and don't act like little girls." My question, "What else are they supposed to act like?" As you can see from the picture, no tears, just smiles, brave girls!
4. Zoie fell INTO the bathtub. One minute she was standing beside me, and the next her feet were in the air and her face in the water. It gave her quite the fright, but for some reason hit me as incredibly funny. (Who falls into a bathtub?)
5. I walked into mom and dad's room and came upon a precious sight. Zoie was sitting on the ground, with guitar in hand, and was singing to Grandpa Lonnie and Kylia. The sun was shining through the window onto her hair, and she looked radiant. Her songs were her own, about Jesus and her family. Then she gave the guitar to Kylia who also made up her own songs. Some about Jesus and one about the riverside. The girls amazed me with their abilities. We may have songwriters in our family!
6. When we arrived at Grandma and Grandpa Himes' house, the girls saw the inflatable water slide, and instantly started stripping down. By the time I made it outside they were all three, naked but for panties, slipping and sliding all over the place. (As you may notice in these pictures, the girls have on swimsuits. These were from a previous day, with a bit more modesty. No panty pictures of my girls!)
7. The girls were given Oreo's during their sliding adventures, and it was an awesome sight to watch. Within seconds, the Oreo's hit their mark, and the girls were singing, dancing, running, and laughing, all quite loudly. (Remember this was all taking place in nothing but panties.) One song was about their love of their belly buttons. Adalie performed a penguin dance, and to end it all they sang, "So long, farewell," from the Sound of Music, complete with the "Cuckoo, Cuckoo".
8. As the performances were ending and the night drawing to a close, my father-in-law leaned over, and with complete sincerity said, "I am so glad you came." It made my day!