We had a clean the Jeep party. It was a great way to cool off. I couldn't resist the photo op.


Kyle, my big helper.


Blake couldn't resist eating the bubbles.


They didn't taste as good as he thought they would.


He had more fun rubbing them on his belly.

Vacation

We have never left the kids overnight before. It was time. Brian's mom came up early Monday morning and we hit the trail to Wyoming. It was so fun! We camped at cottonwood and spend two days fishing. In some ways we weren't exactly roughing it. We had a nice air mattress and a DVD player to watch a movie. But I did forget the bug spray. I ended up with 31 mosquito bites on my arms, Brian had maybe 1. I caught so many fish at the Grays River I lost track. And there were some called Brook trout. Believe it or not, they were cute! They were purple, with green and pink polka dots. Wouldn't have believed that if I hadn't seen it myself.
It was hard sometimes; crossing the river was a little scary. We were almost waist deep in thawed snow water. The water was so swift it pulled me downstream a little. Brian was really patient with me. He had to untagle my line a few times. But I didn't lose one lure. And I got most of my own fish off my hook and back into the water.
I was excited to go home, imagining Blake, really missing me, running to me saying "mama mama!" But he was busy playing and hardly even noticed me. Oh well. At least they were good while we were gone. I think we will sneak away from the kids again next summer. By then maybe these mosquito bites will have stopped itching.

As Blake gets closer to the 2 year mark, he is getting a stronger will. This show of independence sometimes results in strong words from mom and dad. The last time he blissfully threw food on the floor, dad firmly said "No No!" Blake responded by squeezing his eyes shut and smiling. Apparently, if he can't see us, he is no longer in trouble.
Unfortunately this didn't work for me. I didn't do the dishes one night. Alas, they were still there in the morning.
But what about the spiritual part of our lives? Maybe we should be more like Blake. Pay attention to the good, the blessings, the funny things in life. I am not advocating turning a blind eye to our problems. But certainly we shouldn't dwell on the negative. That was one of President Hinckley's greatest qualities. Focusing on the good, and being thankful.
In the mean time, Blake disappears into his own world when things take a turn for the worst. And instead of scolding him, I just have to laugh.

4th of July with Dad

It's been 3 years since I last saw my dad. He came to visit at a great time of year. With the car show, cruise in and fireworks there was always something fun. The boys really had fun too. We had a little extra time together since his flight home was changed. So we went to lunch and the aquarium.

It was a great visit! I really miss him and wish he lived closer. But I am glad the boys got to see him. They will remember this visit.
He got Kyle a new reving monster truck. He got Blake a tricycle, which Blake loves. (I love it because I can steer it with a handle on the back.) And of course we played rummikub. He won this round. We need a rematch.

Aquarium

We made use of our one year pass to the aquarium today. Although Blake has been before, this is the first time he really understood what he was seeing. He was so happy he was squealing. He kept saying "nemo," and my favorite, "oooh wow."


Kyle touched a sting ray, saw Dory, sharks, jellyfish and the octopus. It was so fun to watch the boys. Grandma Bonnie came. It is always nice to have an extra person to help me wrangle the boys. Especially when they want to run in different directions. She also spoiled Kyle. She bought him a huge stuffed animal. It was a fun day.

Crazy, simple, wonderful life

As fairly new homeowners we are still learning all the odd things that need attention. Time consuming yard work, remodeling the bathroom (which hopefully will be done soon), finishing the fence and battling the rock chucks who keep eating my onions. Animal control is NO HELP at all, yet we are not allowed to deal with them ourselves. Whole other story. Anyway, now we have birds pulling off the soffit under the roof. Good thing Brian is handy.


Not fully deterred by the crazy gas prices, we took the kids on a Jeep ride this weekend. It was fun to let them play in the water at the lake. Here is Kyle wearing his beloved Cars shirt.


Blake had fun too. He does really good in the Jeep. He took a little nap even. With how loud that thing is that's pretty amazing. While at the lake we had to make sure he didn't get completely soaked. He loves to play in the water. Isn't Brian hot! I love him.

The best things in life are free

Blake thinks-
His hair makes a great napkin
Lamb+Blankie+Bottle = the trifecta
Nemo is the end all be all of life

Kyle thinks-
When using time in a sentence, one week and one hour are interchangeable
Broken toys go to heaven with President Hinckley
Daddys Jeep is the coolest toy ever

The boys

These two little guys really do like each other. They just giggle and play. Blake is so lucky to have such a great big brother.

I couldn't believe I was able to snap this picture, both of them smiling and looking at me. Who says there are no more miracles!

Meorial Day Weekend

This was a busy weekend for us. I weeded, and gardended, and planted. My front yard looks so much better and my garden is actually taking shape! Yeah! I am a beginner at all of this so I am trying not to expect too much. Brian got the trampoline together with a minimum use of obscenity. And we had some family come visit. It was fun. However, I spent Sunday in the ER with Blake. He has had a cold and was having trouble breathing. He had wheezing in and out, breathing fast and had retraction. So the nurse told me to go straight to the ER. No fun, but the breathing treatment helped immediately. Blake was not a happy kid, though. It was basically a 3 hours marathon of things to make him scream. But finally we got home and he has been pretty much his happy self.

Mom visited

My mom came to visit! It was really fun. We went up Millville Canyon in the Jeep, went out to eat and had a bbq picnic. On her way home we headed to Salt Lake together but unfortunately my mom got so sick that she had to stop in Centerville overnight. :( But she felt better after a day and went on her way to see Zions National Park. The boys both really loved playing with Grandma Pam and Kyle was so sad that she didn't get to come with us to SLC. But we sure had fun while she was here.