Marv and Aunt Becca return from China

 They spent the last year in China teaching English. This is their report. I love sitting around like this with my family. They told us all sorts of great things and brought a few fun souvenirs home for everyone.

Ute Stampede

 Another year of the Ute Stampede. Steve and Jen and the kids were able to come from Idaho this year to go with us. Always much more fun with everyone. So glad they could. We stopped at the red barn on the way down for ice-cream. It's starting to be a must for me anytime we travel down south. One pic is of Mikes mom and the grand kids. The other is of everyone.

 Ahhh, cute, look at that little hand over his heart.  We are so lucky to have great nieces and nephews, a bit older, to be examples to our boys. We love our boys to spend as much time as possible with them.

 Notice Ivan's the only one clapping? and notice that little smirk on his face? Well every year they have the bathing beauty parade in Nephi. Meaning girls in their swim suits. Then even better, they have them parade around the arena in the back of a pick up truck before the rodeo starts. Yeah I'm serious, they do. Um, it looks like Ivan is all for the bathing beauty's.

And that is the extend of rodeo pictures this year.

Ok, ready to record a few things

It's unfortunate that it takes a passing to really honor someones life. I wish Carson didn't have to go, but his little life has turned out to be such and inspiration to a lot of people. It's been really neat to learn so much about him. I'm sad it has to be under these circumstances. I wish we could just naturally do that with ourselves and the people around us. Really dive in and honor who they are and how they live. I've really tried to honor my boys a little better lately and figure out who they are and what makes them so great. Anyway- like I said two posts ago... In honor of little Carson's life, I need to cherish ours. My way of doing that is blogging.

The summer sure has been a bitter sweet one. We really had a great 4th of July. Tradition is we go up to Midway with all my aunts, uncles and cousins on my mom's side. We eat and swim and enjoy family. This year, instead of fireworks at Jordan High school with my family, we decided to celebrate with the neighbors. Man we had a good time. So good that we wanted a repeat on the 24th.

We ate out on our driveway. Kate did all the picture taking so I pulled most of these from her blog. Thanks Kate :) I'm not very funny tonight so you just get pictures and captions in each of these blog posts. Sorry, boring.

Firework show is starting

Jack, Lucy, Charlie & Ivan

Julie and Linkin, Well really just Linkin

Jack was a little nervous at first

You can see the wild Alpine fires up in the hills in the back ground

A zoomed in version of the fire. Sure did add to our show!


And that was our 4th of July. It was so great. Here's our repeat for the 24th

We set up at the end of the driveway. The men pulled through with some pretty good fireworks. But then Sy came over with some REALLY good ones....

which pushed us up the driveway a bit. A little too close for comfort at times!

hello

Love our country and love Utah. Happy Birthday to both!

If you kids don't shut the door! SO HELP ME!!!

And there's about that many on the other side too! 

The master piece hangs right over our kitchen table. Yes, where we eat our dinner. The best is when one of them little guys has just been stuck, and is still trying to pull its poor self off, and you're just about to put a bite of food in your mouth. Mike asked me the other day, "if you walked into someones house and they had this hanging over their kitchen table would you be totally grossed out?" I totally would! And I won't tell you the story about Maybell reaching up and grabbing the old one..... I had to use goo gone to get the stickiness off of her!

one more random one before we update....

Ok so I'm learning that we take a lot of sleeping pictures around here. I'm not sure what the deal is. But I was looking at them and started to notice a similarity in the boys. These two boys couldn't be more different, however they seem to sleep the same.

They aren't posed I promise. Maybe all people just kinda sleep the same. I mean there are only so many positions to sleep in, but it's just funny that they would be in the same position at the same time.

Well, in honor of Carson's life, we'll update ours

I feel like there are a few summer things I want to record, but before we do that I need to, really quick, post this dang cute picture of little helmet head! I'm not sure what it is? I mean that chubby face is adorable. I love the little dress. I love little fat legs hanging out of onsies and dresses. BUT I'm gonna have to go with the shoes! Yup, I think it's the shoes that make this picture so cute. Kate let me borrow them. They are like the patent leather, little baby doll shoes that should have white ruffle sock poking out around the ankles and so they make this picture seem either old fashioned, like she's a cupie doll or maybe Shirley Temple. I think it's so cute. I'm just so sad her face kinda looks washed out, because I'll tell ya..... that face, it's a cute one!

And I need more pictures of kids standing on fire places. I swear, growing up, all our pictures were take'n standing on the fire place. The big, lava rock fireplace was clearly that era. Both of our parents have one. I must use it more often!

Can you see my shoes? What in the world are they? Clearly not cute patent leather baby doll ones. More like pointy witches shoes. On a 3 yr old? Am I right? I can't tell? I can tell that I'm chubby though. I always thought my babies got their chub from Mike ;) Oh no wait, I think I can see that my feet are kinda tilted up onto their sides so the rubber soles are slightly showing. It kinda looked like a glare on the fireplace, which made them look pointed in the toes. Anyway... I think my dads pack of cigarettes laying there is a nice touch.

Just in time for football season

 Introducing Baby Maybell and her new helmet..... to be worn 23 hrs a day..... for 2 months! Do I like it? You ask. Nope, I really don't. I didn't think it would be that bad, but now that we actually have it, I'm sad for my little sweet heart. She's just squirmy and uncomfortable all day. Her naps are short and her poor little head is so hot in that thing. Not to mention the pressure it puts on that poor right eye.

 I had to show this picture because doesn't she look like a fatty! I mean I know she's a little chub, but this picture looks like a Guiness Book of World Records fat baby.

And here's our little sleeping beauty

The best thing about these sleeping pictures is that you can see I haven't put her sheet back on since last Tuesday.... when Jacey took off her poopy pull up during her nap and got it all over the sheet! I guess the poopy business is more than just talk and pictures around here. :) A week later and I've yet to put another sheet on. It's all I can do to get the milk back in the fridge around here.... it's gonna have to wait!

And this here is just to show you how I've given up all hope of a healthy life style by purchasing that big blue container of sugar water. Just couldn't endure the begging that day. :)

Well, my new favorite part of the day is the hour from 6:00pm to 7:00pm when we get a break from the helmet. I'm pretty sure it's Emery's favorite time too. You can see the relief and freedom she feels during that hour. All the sudden she gets so happy and smiley and wants to move around instead of having me hold her. We love our little baby girl so much!