Nails

Our dear boy Hyrum is a really great kid.  He's obedient and helpful, kind and sensitive with others, and entertaining and super fun.  He's just delightful in so many ways, but he's also got a pesky habit that drives us CRAZY...

He's got such a strong impulse to bite, he even bites his TOE NAILS and has the nerve to try and bite family member's nails. 

We frequently explain to him that the purpose of our nails is to trap germs from entering our body.  So, if we put them in our body, all those yucky germs make us sick.  Even after a nasty bout of the stomach flu (which we of course blamed on the silly habit) he still risks the exposure.

I guess he can't be perfect... just watch out next time you're at our house- you might find a little boy nipping at your fingers.

The Lost Pictures

I SWORE we took pictures of Delia's birthday, but couldn't find them when I posted.  They just turned up magically the other day.  Here they are!

Thanks so much to those who gave her cute clothes, toys, books, and money!  We are so very grateful!

It's Hot Outside

Yep.  Texas is hot.  Very, very hot.  And humid.

Even though it's sweltering outside, there's still fun to be had (I'm trying to be positive here).  If we can get out before 9am it's relatively cool ("cool" around here is high 80s- but don't forget the humidity which makes it feel like high 90s) so we try to make it to the park or ride bikes.  You can usually find us across the street in our neighbor's pool in the afternoon.  By the time we get home, bathe, and eat, we've all exhausted our energy for the day and just relax until bedtime.

My heart condition is much more serious in this weather (I'm not really sure why). I have to battle through constant headaches and super low energy. But, as long as I drink lots, and lots, and lots of fluids and keep up on my medication it's more bearable.



We spent the 4th of July at a friend's beautiful house and pool.  Their daughter captured this sweet picture of Ivy and her freckles.

The kiddos are becoming expert swimmers.  Ivy has even learned to swim without her floaties.



Ivy sneezed the other day and proclaimed "Mom!  I just bless you'd!"



Bryan takes the kids fishing on Saturdays.  I love the peace and quiet, and they love daddy time!

Ivy was too frightened to reel the fish in all the way.  Here's the video:

 



DeeDee is 1!

The best word I can use to describe our little baby girl is DELICIOUS.  I know, that's kind of weird, but it's just what it is. She's so beautiful, and cute, and funny, and cheerful, and sweet, and lovely- such a perfect little gift.


She giggles when we play, sing, read books, when we feed her, when her diaper change is FINALLY over, when we come in to get her after a nap, and when she thinks something is funny and wants everyone else to laugh. The rest of the time, she's usually screaming, which, crazily enough makes her even more lovable. We love our feisty girls in this house.

I had to include a crazy hair collage.

This is Bryan when he was a baby (a little older than one, but he looks so much like Delia in this one, I had to post it.)  Ivy was looking at this picture with Bryan and she asked, "Who is that?"  Bryan replied, "It's me when I was a baby."  Ivy inquired back, "When you were a girl?"

This is me on my first birthday.  (I love the retro high chair)

Here's Hyrum at his first b-day

And Ivy too!

  
Our darling Delia adds such a sweet spirit to our home, we're such a lucky family to have her!

She's such a tiny little thing- she's still in 6 and 9 month clothes and wears SIZE 2 diapers!

Here's another little video... 
I had a super hard time filming Delia singing- I could hardly hold the camera up from laughing so hard.  The weird thing about her singing talent is she'll only bust it out for Daddy- NO ONE else.

Mom's Okay

Last week my poor dad had to rush my mama to the hospital because of unbearable abdominal pain.  At the hospital they found a "mass" in her small intestine and had to life-flight her to a better hospital. 

After many hours of not knowing what in the world was in her body, we finally found out part of her small intestine had died.  Apparently when she had her appendix out at 9 years old some scar tissue from the operation developed a hole for the intestine to sneak into and get stuck.

After surgery to remove the dead tissue and a few days recuperating in the hospital, she's now home and doing well (with 8 less inches of intestine).

There were some super scary moments when we didn't know what the problem was and I allowed myself to think of the very worst.  I can tell you that a life without my mom would be a much lonelier, less loved, and much less joyful world.  I'm so grateful we get to keep her.  I'm so grateful for my dad, brother, and sisters for taking care of her so well.

Time to Privatize

Sadly, my childrens' safety has been nagging at me, so it's time to privatize.  Please get me your email if you'd like to view our blog in the future.

Little Swimmers

We have some AWESOME neighbors who let us use their pool whenever we want.  It's been so amazing to see how the kids have progressed so much with their swimming skills since they practice almost every day. 

Here's a little video:

Pajama Party

We have a serious problem at our house: 

We can't get Hyrum and Ivy to go to bed at a reasonable hour.  They play and play while we make threats, take away "pillow pets" and special blankets, scream our heads off, and finally, one of them ends up on the extra crib mattress in the bathroom.  After five minutes of being separated they both completely zonk out.  Is it too much to expect a 3 and 6 year old to let each other sleep in their own beds?

It's a problem because #1.  They wake up at the same early hour every morning whether they've gotten enough sleep or not.  AND #2.  Bry and I spend those precious hours before our own bedtime fighting with the kiddos instead of spending quality time together.

I don't get it, it's not like they don't get enough play time or aren't completely exhausted by the time we tuck them in.  I also don't understand why this is starting right now.  It's never been a huge problem before.  HELP!

So, last night I decided to use the best card I had, the one I knew couldn't lose- I threatened them with NO OUTSIDE time tomorrow if they didn't go to bed immediately.  Well, my best card ended up biting me in the rear because, since they completely disregarded the threat, I had to actually follow through.  That meant no pool, no park, no bikes, and no other outdoor entertainment to keep them busy and happy enough to forget driving me crazy!

This morning, with the gloom of a day stuck inside hanging over me I decided to make the most of my terrible mistake and have a mommy vacation, so we had our first official "pajama day" of the summer.

My mommy vacation consisted of the following do NOTS: Do NOT make yourself feel guilty for the number of hours the TV is on,  Do NOT clean up every mess (immediately), Do NOT dress the kids or fix their hair (teeth brushing was still mandatory), Do NOT stress about how many fruits and veggies everyone does (or does not) ingest, and do NOT even think about following a strict schedule.

There was lots of toy time

Lunch consisted of popcorn and chocolate milk... in the playroom!  SCANDALOUS! 

Messes stayed messy

All in all, I really enjoyed my mommy vacation, but one day is long enough for now.  Hopefully the kids get to bed tonight so we can enjoy a full and busy day tomorrow!

Welcome

Cookies, brownies, flowers, watermelon, entire meals, supplies, notes...

We've been astonished at the welcome we have received since moving to Texas.  We fervently prayed to live in an area with kind and welcoming neighbors. 

The funny thing we didn't know, was our ward was praying for families to move into the area too.  It's hilarious to have excited conversations where both correspondents have prayed for each other without knowing who in the world the other was until minutes before the exchange began (Yep, that sounds much more confusing than it really is).

The biggest lesson we'll take from this experience is to emulate these wonderful examples.  They took precious time out of their lives to come by and say, "We're glad you're here and we're excited to get to know you more."  It's such a small and simple gesture, but I can't tell you how great it feels! 

So, now I'm super excited to pray for someone else to move into the ward so I can stop by and give them muffins, or breakfast cereal, or asparagus!

Utah

Our Utah Trip was crazy.  First of all it was FREEZING!   We ventured up to my parent's cabin and it actually snowed a few inches... at the end of May people!   We were hoping to go fishing, hiking, and relax by the campfire- instead we were trapped inside.  At least we had lots of family to keep us company!

The girls did puzzles

And the boys watched Star Wars

While the men were constructing walls

I've never roasted marshmallows in the snow before.



Here's a beautiful view of the snow



We made it safely down the canyons through the snow to Grandma Trump's.  The weather was a tad warmer, but we still hid inside.

Video games with the cousins

Movies with cousins

FINALLY the weather was warm enough for a dip!

And swings

And tether ball (Hyrum totally reminded me of Napoleon Dynamite attacking that ball.)

And lounging on soft Utah grass
(If you've ever tried to lounge on Virginia or Texas grass, you know why I say "soft Utah grass") 

And more swings

And uncle loves

And Grandma  snuggles

And tree climbing

Hyrum discovered tree climbing on our trip and judges a tree worthy enough of his praise if it is "climbable".

It was so great to visit with family and friends before we started our new life in Texas.  We love you all! 

Try not to smile when you watch this video- I DARE YOU!