Justin's First Day of Preschool!

Today was Justin's first day of preschool! I was excited (and a little hesitant!) but for some reason Justin wasn't! It was the weirdest thing. For so long he has been asking to go to "cool" like Robyn and when it was finally time he was all shy and timid. If you know Justin you know that he is usually very excited and happy about everything but not today. He didn't even want to get his picture taken and that's why there is such a lame picture of me holding him because that's all he would let us do. When we got to the house he was still acting weird, but went in without any fuss, so that was good. He was fine when he came out and his teacher said that he didn't cry or anything but that he wasn't very happy until she got the animals out. Another wierd thing, he told the teacher that his name was Peter! I have no idea how he even knows this name, maybe she misunderstood him, I don't know! Hopefully the next time will be better or else Justin might become a preschool drop out! Justin acting shy and not excited!
Justin outside the school, still not excited!
Justin with his teacher, Miss Carrie, still acting shy and not excited!

Happy Birthday Isabelle!

Today is Isabelle's birthday (and my Mom's- Happy Birthday Mom!). We had her birthday party yesterday with all the cousins and she had a blast! I can't believe she is already one! This weekend has brought back so many memories from last year, which was one of the hardest ever for me so I was glad to be able to fill it with good memories this year! She is such a fun, happy girl. She is walking all over the place now and has been for a couple weeks. She is definitely a "Daddy's girl" and it is so cute to see her reaction when Dave comes home. She gets so excited and gets mad if he doesn't come pick her up right away. She loves to play with her brother and sister and loves the animals too! She brings so much joy and laughter to the family! We love you Isabelle! I couldn't pass up this birthday outfit when I saw it. She looked so cute! Notice the big bruise on her forehead, she had a pretty bad fall a couple days ago!
She couldn't decide between the carrot in her hand and the cake for a while. Eventually she used the carrot as a spoon so she could enjoy them both!
She made a big mess!
She loved the ribbon on Grandma's present and has loved playing with all of her presents! Thanks everyone!

Daddy's little girl!

Day Trip to Payson

On Saturday we went up to Payson with Dave's sister Becky and her family. It was nice just to get away from the day and escape the heat for a little bit. We just ate lunch at a nice park in Payson and then let the kids play. Dave, being inspired from watching the Olympics tried to do some of his old gymnastics moves. It was actually quite impressive but unfortunately we didn't get anything on video. He was doing standing back flips and a bunch of other things that I don't know the names of, but the most impressive was when he ran and jumped over a fence, did a front flip and landed on his feet. Unfortunately, for Dave he is still in pain 3 days later! Our final activity was feeding the ducks, or rather the geese. It was really scary to watch the kids feed the geese because the geese were not shy at all! They were eating out of hands and almost attacking us to get the bread. Luckily, no one got bit and the kids had a great time!

Isabelle just chillin'

Dave helping the kids do flips

Feeding the attack geese

you are plum #DDA0DD

Your dominant hues are red and blue. You're confident and like showing people new ideas. You play well with others and can be very influential if you want to be. Your saturation level is low - You stay out of stressful situations and advise others to do the same. You may not be the go-to person when something really needs done, but you know never to blow things out of proportion. Your outlook on life is bright. You see good things in situations where others may not be able to, and it frustrates you to see them get down on everything.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

Well purple is my favorite color so I guess plum works. As for everything else, I'll have to ask Dave if he thinks this sounds like me!

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!