Mr. Woolly Worm

You might not believe this if you know me now, but as a kid I LOVED bugs. Loved them. I spent many an hour collecting, watching, and doing who knows what with all sorts of bugs.

Somewhere along the lines, I became terrified of them. Terrified!

Which is why it's a good thing my kids have two parents.

Because I never would have caught this, brought it inside, or put it on my daughter.

Even though I held many different woolly worms in my day, I'm now paranoid that they are all poisonous. Paranoid.

He was a fast one. He tried to scramble all over Bryce and in the hubbub, got knocked to the floor. And then he pooped on my floor. Yes, pooped.

Thanks for being a good daddy, Daddy.

That woolly worm made him laugh so hard! Can you see it there on his belly?

Crazy little woolly worm. Don't worry, the above mentioned daddy took him back outside to peace and safety. For both me and the woolly worm.

At least it wasn't the ginormous spider we found hunting the frog in our window well the other night...

July 24th

If you're not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints you probably are not aware, but July 24th is a holiday. Basically, we celebrate our pioneer heritage--all of those beyond amazing people who walked across the plains in awful conditions and settled in Utah. Their strength and faith are inspiring and exemplary.

And so we like to take the time to review their stories and remember and honor them. So, there was a big shin dig with crafts, handcart pulling, and, of course, food. We were super busy getting ready for company, so we only made it in time for a couple crafts and the food.

Good thing we only made it in time for a couple crafts--they were tricky.

This is the grumpy face that goes with not being able to figure out how to make leather bracelets.

Still struggling

So, I took a token photo of our sleeping baby in his favorite position.

And then I stepped in with my superior braiding skills and took care of things. And I put the camera away, never to pull it out again. But it was good time and good people. A night well spent.

Sugar Free!

Ever heard of the Sugar Free Allstars?

Up until recently, we hadn't. But I heard about this free outdoor concert being put on by a kids' band, so we decided to head over and check it out.

That's Jump! and Dr. Rock up on stage. See how much fun all those little kids are having dancing and grooving along?

See how much fun Bryce was having watching all the fun?

See how far away Kayli thought she needed to be to enjoy the show?

Could it get any funner?

Maybe if we add a ring with streamers?

Oh, yeah.

But after I danced along and made a fool of myself for a while, Kayli finally decided these guys might be alright.

Put your hands in the ay-ah!

Daddy was so in to the fun, he could hardly stand it.

Gettin' jiggy wid it!

Look, Ma, I scored a blush sashy thingy!

And then she just went wild and let it all out.

So, did Treyton.

This is the happiest, most excited face I got from this guy the whole night.

And then the show ended and Kayli decided she needed a snow cone of her own.

So, she asked these two where she could get one.

And then her crazy parents got a picture (Bryce refused to be in it) and some signatures on our newly purchased CD.

And we've listened to nothing else since. We're lovin' it!

Three Cheers!

For three months flying by way too fast!

Hug me. Squeeze me. Love me.

We got a little bear from Hallmark that says that. A little bit creepy.

This little cutie is not creepy at all. He is fantastically adorable! It seems like everywhere we go people comment on how big he is. I just laugh. They obviously never saw a baby like Bryce.

This is his three-month pic. That shirt is size 3-6 months. We couldn't button the top button because his neck was so thick.

This is Bryce at just 2 1/2 months. What size diaper is that anyway!? 15? And look at those thighs--yummy!

Aaah--those cheeks! They have their own zip codes!

Back to my current *little* baby.

He can't keep his hands away from his face. And please note the scrawny little thighs. How can anyone call him 'big'? He is exceptionally tall, though. I will grant that.

Success!

Big Brother and Little Brother

Big Brother was face painting earlier in the day. That is not a massive bruise, like the doctor thought.

This is our little guy. He is still Mr. Smiley. I love it! He offers this smile to anyone who comes within his sight. And he is quite the chatterbox too. If I laugh, he giggles right back. He is at a truly adorable and fun stage right now. I just can't get enough of this little sweetheart!!!

Bed & Breakfast

It's my dream to own and operate one of those some day.

And it looks like living here maybe give me some good practice! Some more old friends stopped by on their way across the country the other night. These were friends from New England, so it was good to get caught up on the news of other friends as well.

As expected, the kids LOVED having friends to play with--even though they couldn't really remember them.

Trying to get a photo of the four of them was quite the feat

These two looked so much alike as toddlers--almost like twins!

I love the faces.

I wonder what goes through kids' heads when their picture is being taken? They're thinking, "Why in the world are we supposed to sit still and smile at the little black box? Sit still? Wait, what?"

Trying to mimic *"The Fireman Smile".

It's hard to duplicate the original!

* "The Fireman Smile" is in no way related to Phil The Fireman.

Eggo My Lego!

Blake thought it was time for another trip to the candy store. Because we just don't get enough sweets around here. I know, you probably all have the same problem at your house. This time Daddy picked out candy Legos.

Working on their cool creations

I love chubby little hands hard at work.

I thought my little builder would be more into it, but he seemed to struggle coming up with a creation.

But this one built this tower in no time.

And was very proud of it.

But this is about as far as he ever got.

Then we told them they could eat a few. And that was the end of of the Lego candy.

A Hickey For Every Day

Don't worry, you don't need to flag this for inappropriate content.

This is my bicep. You can learn three very obvious things from this photo:

1. I take good care of my skin (a.k.a. I have no ability to tan, so I don't waste my time or skin health in trying).

2. I still have a lot of work to do at the gym.

3. I have a bruise that looks a lot like a hickey.

That's because it is one. And I received it from a male living in my household. But not the one you might think.

The littlest one.

The one who can't fall asleep without sucking on something, but refuses anything that doesn't involve flesh. When we're home, his own thumb will do the trick. But when we're out, say, at the zoo, or the mall, or anywhere, one of his favorite substitutes is my bicep.

So, this fantastic hickey is not one of a kind. For the past couple weeks, I've had at least one of these constantly. Sometimes I have one on each bicep.

What can I say? I am loved.

Sit. Stay. Roll Over!

I can't remember if I mentioned it, but Blake signed our little Zima up for training classes several weeks ago.

She was definitely the smartest dog in her class. The other dog was just a slow learner. One time we were practicing "lay down". Zima and I had run the drill at least 30 times when I overheard the instructor telling Dozer's owner, "Just try to catch him when he's already laying down at home. Praise him and give him a treat, so he understands what 'lay down' is." Wow. That is really starting from rock bottom.

Anyway, back to our smart pooch--she graduated! Doesn't she look so proud and stoic here?

This is her "I'm too sexy for my certificate" pose

Yay, Zima! And Yay, Blake! He's the one who signed her up and took her to all but one of her sessions. And it seems to have paid off. She hasn't messed with the garden in a couple months; she will sit and stay when we answer the door (as opposed to preventing our guests from entering our home as she enthusiastically greets them at the door); and yes, she can roll over.

We couldn't be more proud.

Wowee!

That's what Kayli's violin instructor says when she's proud of something Kayli did. And you should all be proud of me. I'm finally caught up. Mostly.

It took a lot of daily posts and then finally "forgetting" to bring the camera.

But not before getting a shot of this yellow lady bug. Maybe it's a gentleman bug?

And this was too priceless to not take a picture of

In case you're wondering, it's not from Phil. It's from the sexiest man I know. And it was so exactly what I needed that day.

I have the best husband.

Hot

We interrupt our regular programming for a little side story.

I thought I posted about this a year ago, but I can't find it anywhere. So, here's an entertaining little tale for you.

When we were house hunting, we looked at several homes in our neighborhood. Every time we drove by this one house, we saw the owner outside his home--shirtless. He had a red truck and was fairly muscular, so Blake started calling him "The Fireman".

Blake was thrilled when we moved into the house right around the corner from him. He knows I dated a few very muscular boys back in the day, so he was a little worried I might run off with this chiseled neighbor of ours.

Shortly after we moved into our house last year we were awakened in the middle of the night by the doorbell ringing. It rang several times before it really registered what it was. That was the first time the doorbell rang, so we didn't know what it sounded like.

Until it woke us up in the middle of the night.

I heard it first and woke Blake up. He groggily headed for the door. Fortunately for Blake, I was a little more awake than him and I suggested that he put on a robe, since he doesn't wear much to bed.

Then I took a peek out the front window and saw the individual ringing the doorbell. He was wearing a muscle shirt and had his arms folded across his chest, looking very angry and frightening. I suggested Blake take some sort of weapon, but he didn't take me up on this one.

He went to the door while I prayed that he wouldn't die when he opened it.

And he didn't. It was The Fireman. Phil the Fireman, as Blake learned. It has a nice ring, doesn't it? And he was just being a good neighbor informing us that we'd left our garage door up and he didn't want anyone to steal from our garage while we were sleeping.

Blake thanked him, closed the garage, and came back to bed. All he had to say to me was, "He's not as attractive as you'd expect up close."

And that settled it. I never ran off with him.

But while we were out lighting fireworks, he came out on his deck, dressed in his typical attire. So, I used stealth and my zoom and took a picture.

Because I thought you'd like to see Phil the Fireman. Check out those biceps! Don't worry. He recently put his house up for sale. Blake is safe.

Adorable Disaster

I know Treyton hasn't been featured in many of the photos lately, but that doesn't mean I'm over my obsession with him. Far from it, really. So, this post is dedicated to him and what he's been up to of late.

First, we have this:

A problem and a solution all wrapped up in one adorable photo.

He can put himself to sleep quite wonderfully. But when it comes time to wean him... well, we can't just take away his thumb.

But isn't it so cute?

The next one might only be cute to his mama. Mostly, it's a little weird.

Or, a lot weird.

Meet Baby Spock!

P.S. Don't worry, this was only temporary.