God Bless America

On July 3rd our wonderful neighbors invited us over for a BBQ and fireworks. It's so fun and relaxing to be able to just go hang out next door. Darek loved running around with all of the other kids and did not want Blayne and I embarassing him by checking on him. However, he gave us a run for our money before we left our house. He had wanted to put on two shirts followed by a zip-up sweater followed by a zip up sweatshirt and then one more shirt earlier in the day. Keep in mind that it is July and so I wanted him to take it all off before we went to the neighbors. He did not want to. You may notice that he also has on two hats and two pairs of sunglasses at his neck. It is his daily uniform to wear a hat, watch, and sunglasses (but only at his neck). He's a hoot!
 


On July 4th, Blayne's cousins came and stayed with us and we had a ball hanging out with them. Did we enjoy fireworks that night? No. We put our kids in bed by 9pm and watched Dateline. I absolutely love fireworks on July 4th, but I'm a pansy about dealing with an over-tired 2 year old.

 
Darek and his 2nd cousin Maxwell

I love July 4th and I really am Proud to be an American. Sure we've got our problems, but what a great day to show gratitude for our freedoms, for our countrymen, and for the blessing it is to live in a country where we can believe as we choose and have hope for the future.

 

 
 

Forget the dirty laundry, dirty dishes, unorganized everything...these babies need to play.

The second I saw this video, I thought, "This is totally going to be Bryan Andersen and Baby Alex in a few years."

This Week

Mia's been rolling over for a couple weeks now. Every single time I set her down, she rolls onto her stomach. Even in her play chair-it's not working out too well for her.


We've had rain just about every single day for 2 1/2 weeks now. Summer has definitely not come to Idaho yet. But somehow Blayne and I are able to find some time almost everyday between showers to pull our lawn chairs outside and watch Darek play. We live in a wonderful neighborhood where there are always other kids and parents outside for Darek to play with and for Blayne and I to chat with. We LOVE it. Alayna is Darek's friend who lives two doors down. He's given her a ride around the church on the back of his Power Wheels more than once. What a stud...



And of course, Happy Fathers' Day to all of the wonderful Fathers in our lives. My kids are so blessed to have Blayne as their dad. I think even he is surprised by how hard he has fallen in love with his two babies.

Darek

Darek has turned into the most pleasant little man over these last few weeks. He's had a big jump in his speech which I think has helped him to be less frustrated and throw fewer fits now that he can talk more. He's still a two year old, but a much happier one. He's been a Daddy's Boy for awhile, but it has reached a whole new level lately. He copies Blayne's every move whether it's mowing the lawn or lifting weights (and Blayne loves it). He still loves to hold Mia while he watches tv and he always holds her hand when they're both in their car seats in the car. Today after church she was playing on the floor and Darek brought me two bows. One for Mia and one for him. Then he got two toys - one for Mia and one for him -and he laid down on the floor next to her. She got fussy, so we rolled her onto her back and gave her a pacifier, so he insisted that we roll him onto his back and give him a pacifier.


Lately I have felt so grateful that Blayne has a job that allows him to be there when Darek wakes up in the morning, play with him every afternoon, sit next to him at dinner, and put him to bed at night. For a little guy who lives in complete adoration of his dad, life could not be better. I realize that it may not always be this way, but it sure is a blessing.

Home from Iowa and I have to say it was a wonderful break from the daily grind. It wasn't until I was away from Darek that I realized what a constant vigil having a two year old is. I'm so in love with that boy, but it was a nice vacation. And Blayne has never been so happy to have me come home. I've already been home for two days and he still keeps telling me how happy he is that I'm back - I love it.

We had a great time at Grace's graduation party, I got to see my brother Dan and his girlfriend Amanda, I stayed up all night (literally) talking with my sister Ashley, and spent a ton of time at the mall - it couldn't have been better.

I'm so happy for Grace and excited that she'll be going to BYU - Idaho in the fall. And I have to add that I'm so blessed to have Ashley as my sister-in-law. It's amazing how some of my best friends have come into my life through marriage, and in this case, my brother's marriage.

Joe and Ashley's baby, Reese, and baby Mia. I'll admit that I'm totally jealous that their kids are born with full heads of hair.

Glad to be back?

We got home on Monday from a week and a half in California and I can't say we were thrilled to be home. We went down for Blayne's cousin's (Loral) wedding. It was beautiful and Loral was the most beautiful bride. We got to see a lot of Blayne's family and just enjoy the day.

On top of that, Blayne and I stayed in Santa Barbara for an extra night (with Mia), and his parents took Darek home to Bakersfield with them. Now that was a treat. Once we got back to Bakersfield we were able to just relax, enjoy time by the pool, and hang out with Blayne's family. Did I miss the Idaho wind? Not for one second.

The thorn in my side is that the charger for my camera doesn't work and I haven't been able to take pictures for a month - I hate it.

On Friday I leave again for my sister Grace's high school graduation. It's just Mia and me. That's right, Blayne and Darek are going to be home alone from Friday to Tuesday. This is gonna be good :)