instafriend

My friend and birthdate twin came to visit for a few days.

{Somehow, I could only get my phone to take a full picture of my own head.}

Isn't it the best catching up with someone face to face?

Especially when that someone is an old friend whose face you haven't seen in quite some time.

Are you on instagram yet? Tell me, I wanna follow you!

better than new

Please note that Grant's faux hawk is back as well as the fact that he is still wearing basketball clothes. AND I really need to hang some drapes in our front room...

It is Grand Central Station around here today.

There are like, 1,000 repairs being done on our house.

The main warrantee is up next month, and the builders like to get this stuff in (along with my signature which will protect them legally down the road, I presume). Considering we are the first and only owners of the house to date, you wouldn't think there would be much to do. We had a professional inspection done - pretty standard procedure - which revealed quite a list of mostly minor things.

They are all getting fixed, hurray!

Our new doorbell has been ringing all morning.

Also, today is my 31st birthday.

Cori got party blowers for the kids and told them to follow me around all day blowing them.

They've done a good job.

He felt sorry that all this house work was being done today.

There are worse things than watching a slew of workers make our house better than it was on the day we bought it. And on someone else's dime too. I feel like I've had such a productive day without really doing anything.

Plus, he gave me a fatty gift certificate to MCP Actions.

And the kids gave me Michael Jackson The Experience for the Wii we will own someday.

AND we have a date night ahead which I think will involve some wizardry.

I'm feeling a little better than new myself.

blessings

This happened last night at dinner. All of our plates ended up around Grace as she had the appetite to clean them all. I am so grateful for our healthy, happy kiddos. Grace and Grant dashed to our post box with me a couple of afternoons ago. It is down by the park at the end of our street. Grace ran the whole way home with Grant clipping at her heals with his bike. They were laughing and happy in the hot sunshine. I was amazed watching their little healthy bodies work and work. This week I am also grateful for:

• The Gospel of Jesus Christ especially in times of trial and sorrow. We have several friends dealing with sudden and unexpected losses in their families. Our hearts break for them. I am certain of the promises made through the atonement of the Savior. The blessings of resurrection and eternal families are realities, and these blessings are the only shining ray of hope and comfort in times like these. As we try to do what little we can, I am so grateful that these families are being watched over and cared for by a loving Father who knows their needs and questions, and who is caring for their departed loved ones.
• Computers and all the good that can be done with them. I am glad that I got this blog going several years back thanks to the example and inspiration of friends. I just wrote a super-sized post on our recent trip. It took me all week- Blogger was being super finicky with me as I tried to load pictures, and I didn't have much computer time to spare. I finally got it up and somehow, three hours later, it was gone. The title and labels are still there, but the content of the post is empty. I may have sworn very loudly in my head at this discovery. It is still quite frustrating to imagine doing that work all over again. But I look back over posts written these last 5 years or so, and I am so grateful for this medium that has made it (relatively) easy for me to document and share our little adventures.
• My birthday is this week, hurray! Celebrations started early this year as I was given some cute socks and a candy bar in YW. Sweet!
• A backyard pool. This summer has been SO much more tolerable than last summer. It has been a little cooler. And I'm not enormously preggers. But swimming away the hottest part of the day has really helped.
• This conversation that made me laugh all yesterday afternoon. I normally wouldn't include it in this post, only I don't know how soon I'll get around to posting it somewhere else as I have some re-catching up to do now:

Grace: talking about the Habitat for Humanity service project I had just returned home from Oh, so the young men were there too?

Me: Yep.

Grant: Wow! A MAN was there? I've never seen a man before...

Me: Looking at Cori for his reaction. He is calmly preparing food.

Grace: Uh, Daddy is a man.

Grant: I mean, I've never seen a REAL man before.

Me: Laughing, I mean, looking at Cori for his reaction. He is a bit more affected.

Cori: HEY!

Grant: Knows he is busted and the wheels begin turning... I mean, I've never seen a real man... who is a genie!

Everyone else: ?

Grant: I've only seen Genie Pete. You know, from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse... I've never seen a real man genie before.

Everyone else: ?

Me: Nice recovery, bud.

Grant: smiles the smile of one who has narrowly escaped impending doom

the big fat 4th of july post: 2011

This post will be rebooted soon. I'm still so mad about it!

kiddos- coach ashlee- medals

Kids these days

So, I haven't been blogging much lately. I'm blaming it on the weather. Most time and energy these days get spent keeping little people around here busy, comfy, and entertained while it is 110* outside. Cartoons are the constant temptation. But we are leaving the TV off most of the day. We go swimming, like, twice a day. Our two weeks of swim camp are done. We are spending this week prepping for our 4th of July trip to Utah with Cori's family. Did you know that 2/3 of Phoenix evacuate for this holiday? (And I'm pretty sure half of that crowd goes to Utah.) We are pretty excited.

Here is some news from the ninos regarding their summer so far:

• Grace did really well in her swim lessons. She was swimming solo across the pool after week one (a great relief to her mama). Last week we had a swim play date at our house. There were a lot of kids. It was a bit crazy. She was insistant that she didn't need her floaties. She swam for three hours all over the pool. I kept asking her to take a little break, or to take the kick board out. But she was off. She was also asleep in about 10 seconds flat that night.
• She has been going to movie club with her friend, Kolby. The nearby theater does a little summer program where for $7 a person, you can go to a pre-released movie every week for 10 weeks. You have to choose a day of the week, and the showings are in the morning. I didn't want to interrupt Eden's morning nap (those naps are sacred around here) so I wasn't going to sign us up. But Grace got invited to go along with her buddie's family. It has been a big highlight.
• Girlfriend is up with the sun. Well, not really. The sun is up before 5. Grace is usually up around 6:15. :( At least we will be in the groove when school starts again. She knows not to come knocking and helps herself to some library books or cartoons until we open our doors.
• Speaking of books, her current favorite is a book she received years ago from her Aunt Sara titled, The Girls' Book: How to be Good at Everything. It is above her reading level, but she pours over its pages, guessing at what they are saying. She has it nearby at all times and anytime there is something to be done, she knows just the place to find out how to do it.

• Grant also did really well at swim camp. The swim program they did teaches kids to swim face down and then flip over and float on their backs when they need a rest and a breath. The motion is not only life saving, but it is beneficial to learning strokes down the road. Anyway, once he learned how to get his body floating he gained a lot more confidence about venturing around floaty free. My little heart got squeezed to pieces watching him in the first few days of his lessons. He was sad but bravely fought back a lot of tears. I actually saw him force himself to smile- very uncharacteristic. He was just so glad that it was finally his turn to be in lessons for something!
• He had me sign a letter to a grandmother with the following salutation: "Love me, because I like you. Grant."
• He wants to wear his "basketball clothes" everyday. Bball clothes consist of his BYU basketball jersey, or his BYU basketball t-shirt and some adidas shorts. His little nerf basketball standard is hanging on the hallway closet door where it sees A LOT of action throughout the day.
• Grant wants us to send him to break dance school. We have been talking lots about Grace starting ballet in August. And we have been watching So You Think You Can Dance. The kids get up and dance with every song and ask lots of questions about the different styles. Grant has decided that he is a b-boy. Sadly, they don't offer that at the rec. center.
• He draws maps for every outing. His life is a pirate treasure hunt.

• Oh, she is so scrumptious. Despite my most diligent efforts, Grace and Grant have strong tan lines. Not Edes. She is still a creamy white marshmallow of a baby.
• She is moving around like a regular biped along couches and coffee tables.
• Eden has become a great compatriot to her brother and sister. She happily follows behind or around whatever they are doing. I'm lucky to have a good little mommy in Gracie. She keeps Eden out of a lot of trouble.
• But not out of all the trouble. Eden leaves cute heaps of destruction in her wake- a little cabinet emptied here, a little pile of toilet paper there. She is curious and active. This girl can move across a floor. And she knows what she is doing. She responds and looks at me every time I say her name except when she is doing something she shouldn't.

summer so far

Teething, poor child

In our swim suits almost all day, nearly every day

at the park, Grace learned the hard way that bare legs + plastic slides = bad idea

Decorating projects

We bought a suite of office shelves/desk/cabinets off craigslist, repainted the office and finally got it all set up. We also painted out our front room in a deeper color. AND, after 7 years of looking and talking about it, we finally ordered some bedroom furniture. I'm eyeing a back splash for the kitchen next.

Girls' camp

Our ladies on kp capers. It was so great to spend those days with them.

Smiles {and a few Grant tears} at swim lessons

It has been a bit demanding on the schedule (lessons are mon-fri for two weeks) but worth it. Grace is loving being floaty-free and Grant is spending more and more time without his as well.

Fun gatherings

a baby shower for a friend. Don't you love the chandelier? I didn't make it, but it looks easy enough- it is made of strung paper doilies. We kinda wanted to keep it there in our kitchen.

Summer reading

the kids are working their way through the library summer reading program

I have read only 1 book this YEAR (for shame!) thanks to our many diverting magazine subscriptions I'm trying to keep up on. Travel and Leisure, Food and Wine, NatGeo Travel, Time, Bon Appetit, Outdoor Photographer, and of course, the Friend and Ensign to name a few.

Summer hair cuts

Ripening tomatoes

The birds peck them to pieces the very second they are ripe though... :[

Swim suits and sun hats at the zoo

Grant's monkey face at the new orangutan exhibit

splash pad fun

love this blue-eyed girl!

Tiki torches and night-time swims

Indoor campouts

They slept in their little igloo for nearly two weeks before tiring of it.