"A Swinket"

I tell Abby that I'm going to tell her a secret. Then I lean into her little ear and whisper "I love you." Her big blue eyes light up and her mouth opens then she scrunches her face all up like she heard something really special. Then she says, "I'm gunna tell you a swinket."

She leans in to my ear, starts breathing and then says in a whisper, "A swinket." Then she pulls away and scrunches her face and shoulders like she told me the best thing in the world.

She's a little more literal, but I think she means "I love you."

We Finished!

We started at the end of December 2009 and have been reading as a family nearly every night. It took us 20 months, but we did it! We finished the Book of Mormon. We ate lots of treats to sit still. Sometimes kids were laughing and goofing off. Sometimes a baby was squirming or climbing on the table. Sometimes Mom or Dad got frustrated because no one seemed to be listening. Sometimes we read only a little. But most of the time we were learning and we were together. I am amazed actually at the things the girls have learned and the confidence they have gained in the scriptures. We have had so many wonderful (short) discussions. A few months ago we asked the girls what they wanted to do to celebrate when we finished and they wanted to go out to icecream.

We are excited to begin again!

First Day of School

The girls were ready for school to start. They picked their outfits out the night before and carefully laid them out. Their backpacks were packed and ready to go. Sammie is so ready for kindergarten. When she got home I asked her how it was. She replied, "I loved all of it!" There are 5 kindergartens at her school! I can't imagine all of those little kids all over the playground. Her friends from preschool go to her school and also a few kids from church. She told me all the kids she found on the playground yesterday. She was hyper and excited when she got home from the bus. Today she rode the bus to school with Olivia. I can't believe she's old enough to be in school.Olivia was so ready. She was mostly excited about her outfit. She knows a couple of kids in her class, but not many from the previous year. The school is huge. As she and I were talking the other day I found myself looking at her and just realizing how big and grown up she is getting. She's such a beautiful girl. Life happens so fast.

A Mess

Sometimes you just have to let it happen. We haven't gotten the play-doh out in a while. It's messy. It gets everywhere from the floor, to mashed on the bottom of socks, to stuck to your shorts. But sometimes the fun and the hours spent making the mess are worth it. They were doing this for about 4 hours the other day. I'd say it was well worth it.

This is what happens...

when my mom and her 3 sisters get into party planning mode and want to throw their dad an 80th birthday party and invite the posterity. It was beautiful from the little pictures of Grandma and Grandpa scattered about to the pulled pork in a cute yellow pot. It was amazing. Just wanted to share.

Happy Birthday Grandma and Grandpa!

Last weekend we visited family to celebrate my Grandma and Grandpa's birthdays.
(Not to embarass you two because I know you will probably read this at some point) We had a special little celebration because Grandpa turned 80. I am so happy that I grew up close to my grand-parents. They are so comforting...like a warm blanket. Really. They both have this amazing quality to make each of their children, grand-children, and great grand-children feel like they are something special. As we were visiting and sharing photos, I realized that every single one of us cousins, aunts and uncles have special memories and a unique relationship with these two wonderful people. My Grandma always makes me smile. She is just fun and she loves to be where everyone is. Her home has always been a welcoming place. I loved to go to her house as a little girl and she would always teach me something. Either sewing or baking or she would draw a picture for me. I have always been proud to have inherited her red hair. Grandpa was always helping out with building projects. I think every single one of us have something built, painted, or improved by Grandpa. He and Grandma have even made it down here to help paint and fix things several times.

They both have taught me so much about how to live life and how to love others. I hope that I can bring my family as close together as they have. Happy Birthday!

A New Cousin

We ventured up to my parents for another family event that I will post later and we got there just in time for yet another family event this summer. Tyler and Brittany welcomed Brennan Tyler Boyce on August 11. The girls haven't really been all that excited for boy cousins. But now they see how adorable their cousin Noah is so they were excited to see Brennan. Abby has been talking about Brennan for months and gets all excited and tells us how, "He came out! Brennan came out!" She did not want to give him up when she was holding him. She's a natural little mommy. All of the girls had a sweet little moment with their brand new cousin. It was fun to see him at the hospital and it was a special moment too watching the little baby faces and feeling him squirm. A little gift from Heaven.

Ahhh...the beach

I love going to the beach. It's one of the most relaxing places for me even though the sand just seems to find its way all the way home with us. I love that the coast is just a day trip away. We left around 9 in the morning and left the beach at about 7pm. Such a great day. The weather was beautiful with the perfect breeze. Olivia surprised me and got adventurous in the cold water. She even got clobbered by a couple of waves. Sammie built a little sandcastle and collected shells to bring home. Abby dug holes, ran and fell, and ate red vines. I sat and relaxed and Joey got in the water with the girls. Simple. Perfect. I think I'm ready for another day trip.