We have been doing a lot of projects with cardboard and this house was one of the most fun for the kids to create.  We used a box from a freezer for the ice cream truck.  Big boxes are the best!  They really took their job seriously and worked so hard to paint every last spot on that house inside and out.  As you can see, they had great fun too.  They may or may not still have paint stuck in their scalp...

snippets from Roxy's birthday

Roxy is 4

I realized I never hit publish for this birthday post for my sweet girl...

Roxy is 4 years old!  Wow, time really has been going by fast.  This 4 year old only wanted 2 things for her birthday - a sunflower cake and a trip to the zoo.

We totally made that happen.

I found the idea for her cake on pinterest and it was very simple.  I felt intimidated by doing crazy frosting decorating so this was perfect.  Its a double layered vanilla cake with chocolate frosting.  The Peeps are in a circle around the edge to make the petals and mini chocolate chips in the center of the flower as the seeds.  When she saw it in the morning I had to take it out of the fridge at least 10 times so she could just stare at it.  I think she liked it.

Nanny, Pa, and Dah gave Roxy a year family pass to Lowry Park Zoo for her birthday!  We were able to rent a car and spend the day at the zoo with family and friends without having to break the bank.  I LOVE the gift of experiences instead things.

Since Roxy is such an animal lover(her favorites are bugs, birds, and cats) we got her a pair of binoculars, a regional bird guide, and an adventure vest so she can learn more about her favorite birds and even find some new ones.

The day was fuller than I normally like birthdays to be but it all worked out in the end.  Exhausted from her busy day, as I was tucking her in, she said "This was the best day. Ever".

progress

Bryan and I aren't the best truck painters in the world but here you have it.  It looks great from a distance! Sanded, primed, and looking pretty for its custom paint job.  It's been gone for 2 weeks now and we aren't sure how much longer its going to take.  We haven't gotten even a glimpse of the painting progress and we are so anxious to see how it looks.  Amazing I'm sure!

After the paint job we are looking at putting in the flooring, the music box, and finally ordering some ice cream for this baby!

My 2 little ones at the magical Children's Garden with their 2 little buddies.  I love little friendships.

We took a road trip across the state to pick up this super awesome 1966 Chevy Step Van.  We are making it into an ice cream truck!  Its a family effort with everyone pitching in to help.  Things are going a bit slower than we had anticipated building it out and getting things ready to go but really we would rather do it right and nice than rush.

I didn't get any before pictures of the shelves that were in it.  They were sledge hammered out by Bryan because the carpenter that had the truck before us made them almost indestructible   What you see in these pictures is the new plywood walls going up, the deck for the freezers, cute little helpers, and the serving area being put in!

Our trip to Hillsborough River State Park was a lot of fun!  It takes some work to go camping with kids, especially 3 kids. I think we get better each time, bring less, and organize more.  The kids were filthy and in nature heaven.  We easily had the best camping spot in the place(and were even told so by the park ranger). Behind our camp was a deep gully with cypress trees, a creek, and lots of uprooted trees to play on.  We had a little foot bridge to play on and plenty of room for the kids to ride their bikes.  We went on a canoe adventure and spotted a dead deer and a dead pig in the water(the highlight of the boys trip).  Oh, the smell was the most terrible thing ever.  We roasted marshmallows, popped pop corn, make chicken kabobs, hot dogs, pb and j,...YUM!

The kids just walked by and saw these pictures of our trip and they started the "remember when...." stories.  That's what its all about...memories!

Roxy:  "Remember when Kaiden dropped his hat in the mucky river and he had to drag it out with a giant stick, standing on the tree over the river, and he had to hose it out and let it dry?  It was SO GROSS!"

Fenix:  "Remember when we saw the dead deer?"

Kaiden:  "Remember when I had to sleep on the floor of the car?  That was ridiculous."

Mom:  "Remember when all 5 of us were sleeping in the bus?  With the space heater on?  And we could still see our breath in the morning and were FREEZING all night long?  That was fun."

Roxy:  "Remember when I almost pet a vulture?"

Fenix:  "Remember that dead pig?"

Kaiden:  "Remember when our car broke?  Again?"

Then we all agreed its time for another camping trip.