11 Months!

Isabelle turned 11 months old today. I can't believe how fast time has gone! She is so fun right now, always laughing and excited to see you. She says mama, hi, boo, and puppy. I love it when I go in to get her out of her crib and before she can even see me she is saying "Hi." She is trying so hard to walk and that is pretty much all she wants to do. She often puts a death grip on my fingers and tries to scoot herself off my lap so that I will walk her around. She can take a few steps by herself but doesn't do it very often. She loves to play with Justin (when he is being nice to her at least) and has fun trying to crawl faster than he does. We love you Isabelle!
This is Dave's creative way of walking her around so that he doesn't have to lean over. He used her blanket at first but it wasn't quite long enough so now he uses Justin's snake to hold her up and she just walks and walks and walks. If you would like to purchase one of these "baby walkers" you can buy them at Ikea!

What a week! Another Gratitude Post

Wow! This week has really made me take a step back and ponder my life. In this past week I have learned that one of our friends just recently had a Down Syndrome baby (which of course a baby is always a blessing but to think of the challenges they will face for years to come. . . ), a family member has lost his job and now has to find a new one, and then just today our neighbor's 2 year old daughter drowned in the pool. Dave and I drove by right after it happened, the ambulance was gone but the police were still there, and Dave right away said, " Oh no they have a pool." I was praying that this wouldn't be true but when the news trucks showed up a few minutes later I knew it was. It is hard to imagine what the family must be feeling right now. I don't think words could express it. I realized a little later that just on Sunday part of the RS lesson was about losing a child and how you will have the opportunity to raise them again after the ressurection. I left the lesson thinking, "I hope this isn't one of those lessons that I needed to hear for a reason. . ." These events have helped me remember something that I was just talking to a friend about a few months ago. We were sharing our stresses with each other and discussing how we could solve them when she said, "Just remember that as long as you have your family you will be okay." That is what is most important! My family will face some hard times but as long as I have them we will make it through. Justin might be out of control because he is trying not to take naps anymore and Isabelle might be fussy because she is finally getting teeth, and it can be a little frustrating at times, but I have them, they are safe and they are healthy. I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have of the Lord's plan and I am grateful to know that this family has the same knowledge. I can only pray that it will bring them comfort during this incredibly difficult time, a time that no parent wants to go through. These three events have helped me to put things in perspective and be grateful for the blessings that I have. We have so much to be thankful for even when times are rough and it is so important to remember those blessings to help us make it through. I am grateful that I am able to tuck my children into bed each night with a loving husband by my side.

Sorry it's been so long since the last post! Life just seems to move too fast some times. I will try to do better. I hope that everyone is doing well and enjoying their summer!

Bear Lake, Idaho

We just got back from our vacation to Bear Lake. I have to say that it was probably one of my favorite vacations ever! I grew up going to Bear Lake every summer as a child so I was very excited to take my kids there. My grandparents bought a cabin there in 1950 and we are so lucky to be able to go there. It's just a little small town with lots of wide open space. It was so nice to just go and be together. My parents, my brother Mark and his family and my brother Jim and his family also came. We were sad that my brother Greg and his family couldn't make it but hopefully next year! We went out on my parents boat almost every day and the kids loved that (the water was too cold for me!). One day some of us went to Minnetonka cave. I think Justin was a little scared because he wouldn't let us put him down the whole way. It was quite the work out having to hold him because there were 888 stairs to climb and we walked over a mile round trip. Luckily, Dave carried him on the really strenuous parts! On Fourth of July we went to a parade and the kids loved it! Each float threw out candy and the kids were loaded by the end of it. The best part is that we didn't even have to go anywhere to watch fireworks. The cabin two houses up from us put on a huge fireworks show two nights in a row and I don't mean the ones that just stay on the ground. They were just like if you were to go to the display here. Apparently it's some famous ex-football player named Merlin Olson and he does it every year. Lucky for us! One of my favorite parts was going to LeBeaus (the local food place) for raspberry shakes. They are the best and I am really going through withdrawals not being able to get one. The problem is that I now have to lose the weight that I put on while I was up there because I definitely had one too many shakes! I am counting down the days until we can go again next summer!

Justin at the beach

Random shot of the cabin


Justin, Robyn and their cousin Sydney playing at the beach





These two pictures are from inside the cave

The kids in their Fourth of July outfits
Isabelle at the parade