New years eve?

Took me long time to realize that this morning. Today is more significant than just saturday morning. And the chicklets have no idea. We are on our third time of watching cars 2.... It's almost eleven. Awesome. Hope you are less lame than I am!

The Girls

Meet the girls. They are a pair of tri-color king Charles spaniels. And they will steal your heart in 2.9 seconds. Lucy and Lizzy came to my parents home a couple months ago. The parents are now totally empty nesters, and Mamacita needed some company. And the girls certainly fulfill that role well. They are full of snuggles, loves, and are as good as could ever be expected with my littles. Can't wait to see them again soon!

Did you know?

I absolutely hate having my picture taken. Choc chip cookies are my weakness. For not being a stellar cook/baker, I make really good creme brûlée. My parents are the best, and my dad is the easiest person to talk to. I don't like drinking water. Unless really cold, with ice, no straw. Lemon when available. Joe and I both knew baby E is a girl, and didn't tell the other that we knew til Christmas. (punk.) I can't decide how to spell baby's name. Vacuuming is my favorite chore, and I like being able to see how much junk got sucked up off the floor. (gross, I know) I love surprises, and always ruin them for myself, sometimes on purpose. I hate knowing a surprise is coming. My body is a strange thing. I have double jointed elbows, a shoulder blade and thumb. One leg is longer than the other. And short limbs. It's great.... I don't mind doing laundry. Putting it away when it's clean is a whole other story. Sorry mom. I have middle child syndrome. I don't know all my cousins. I haven't even met them all. But I do have cousins with grand kids. This was random. But I am avoiding putting away laundry, so, it was productive. Right?

just a few

we squeezed in a quick photo session with an old friend in CA over thanksgiving. we got there much later than anticipated, so lighting was kinda out the window, and the kids were a little stir crazy. which means, less than super stellar photos. but im glad we have them! the last group shots we did were after claire was born, and although the family continually changes, im way glad we got these in. finally seeing these pics after all the fam left after christmas festivities for the night (and being sad joe had to work) finished off a pretty wonderful day for me.

so much to be grateful for. i cannot even begin to list it all. its almost disgusting to think how much i have when so many don't have some of what i consider basics. i use an electric toothbrush to brush my teeth for crying out loud! i can straighten my already straight hair into something silky! i get to drive a car around, and park it in a garage and not scrape off ice. i can drink bottled water when i want. i can have diapers shipped to my front door. i can throw diapers away and not have to wash them! virtually any book i could ever want in my hands, as fast as i can think of them. i can talk to my mom 50 times in a day after pressing some buttons. food is so readily accessible, i dont even think about throwing away leftovers i might not eat. my clothes and dishes are washed AND dried for me. 

and on and on. i was thinking all this while i brushed my teeth, that lots of money was spent on to straighten. to STRAIGHTEN. (they werent even that bad to begin with.) and none of that even matters- i would give it up for my family. for my husband and kids. my wonderful parents, siblings, extended family, in-laws, any of them. for my constantly nudging baby GIRL in my tummy. 

and none of them would even mean that much to me if it werent for my Savior. no matter how much i would give up, it wouldnt amount to anything next to His sacrifice. 

and there i go crying.

perhaps i am not as stone-cold-hearted as it seems. 

welp. i love my husband. my family in its entirety. it was a christmas to remember, with some miracles mixed in. wouldnt be christmas without them, huh? 

one little miracle, and then good night: my parents drove here from houston, and got stuck in roswell, NM for 24 hours while they waited for the roads to become drive-able. my dad grew up in roswell, and went 55 years without a white christmas, and just happens to drive through it and get stuck there 2 days before christmas. how RANDOM is that? they dd make it late on christmas eve to provo, thank goodness! but really, of all the places?!?!?! just happy the made it safely :)

I wish I could explain how happy my chicklets make me. I am bubbling over inside with happiness and joy thinking about what is coming their way tomorrow (my parents and their puppies) and the following days. I went shopping for the last time for a while- such relief to be done with that part. Snuggling, wrapping, baking and eating, and more snuggles starts now! A most merry Christmas to you and yours!

meet the asian

susan is a roomie from my freshman year in the dorms.

susan is a rock star for so many reasons. 

she is asian. 

she is the only member of our church in her family, and is such a good example.

she finished her nursing degree, after having a baby.

she has the fattest asian baby ever. (it takes everything i have not to eat her)

she has some sweet dance skills.

she likes HP more than i do.

she is kind, sweet, smart, funny, and lets me watch her fat baby.

i love staying connected with this girl. we see each other regularly. i watched her kid while she went to school. but we got the husbands to watch kids, went out to lunch and lost track of time talking. i love having a friend that i can do that with. in fact, i saw her three times that day, and we still had things to talk about. how? and how did we end up living just on other sides of the freeway, and we dont manage to see each other more?

and she is an incredibly good cook. legit asian food- i still drool thinking about her chow mein feasts she cooked up for us. and anything she bakes. i couldnt resist saying yes to some of her cookies last night, after we already went out and had ice cream.

gotta love a good friend. 

christmas spirit

this, lovely readers, is what christmas spirit looks like.

they were on a bit of a sugar high- making sugar cookies.

regardless, i hope to be this joyful with them for the rest of the year, and then forever. but at least through the new year.

so, you all have been warned: for the next three weeks, if you are not deliriously happy when you enter my home, you will be blasted with christmas spirit. if it fails to brighten your day, you will be asked to vacate the premises. because i will not have anyone ruining my fun with the children. 

thanks in advance. 

and thanks for stopping by linds. the kids sure do love you. 

(and everyone who comes to the door. they attack the door like puppies every. time. someone. knocks. it gets old after the first time they try to escape into the cold with no shoes on.)

almost done with christmas shopping. are you?

birthday girl

remember how it was the big girl's birthday, like a month and a half ago? oh yeah.....

claire loves being 3. pretty much the best thing ever. i had already planned on doughnuts for her birthday, and then lindsay showed up before work with the sweet UGE doughnut just for the girl. it was fitting, because we always got the UGE doughnuts from across the street when we lived in CA. she loved it, duh! everything that day was pink, balloons, cupcakes, decorations, so it was great. love this girl.

we also had a mommy-daughter date for some fro-yo, because thats what i was craving. she hated it until we got to the toppings, and she could pick what she wanted. so funny. she keeps me on my toes that one, pushing the limits. i can just imagine the fun, years from now. we'll just think about how much fun she is at the moment :)

back it up.

turns out, i have been taking more pictures that i thought. 

we'll start with some of our CA trip. my family lived in ca for many years. we lived all over ca. and then we moved, and no one is there anymore. we went there for thanksgiving, with my family to warm up all the idaho and utah kids. joe had only ever flown through LAX, so this was especially exciting  we stayed in carlsbad, which is not one of the places we lived, but is still gorgeous. its close-ish to san diego, so lindsay, joe, marshall and i all went and did a session in the san diego temple, while my mom graciously babysat the kiddos.

i think i had just punched joe in the stomach. 

if you really know me, you know this was the temple i ALWAYS wanted to get married in. but being the easy going middle child, i graciously let my husband decide on the nauvoo temple. not a choice i regret, (it was a pretty perfect day) but i think he now finally understands WHY i always had that little desire. it. is. GORGEOUS.

 aw, sisters. 

thanksgiving meal. we managed to make the whole dinner in the little kitchen, including a turkey! and everything was delish. i took the picture- proof we were all there!

maybe i'll find some more pics another time.... i forgot i even had these!

HUGE thank you to my parents for putting us all up for the week. it was so fun to all be together, keeping the tradition of not having thanksgiving at home :) and especially for getting up and occupying kiddos so we could sleep. amazing.

we loved getting to see the beach, the awesome hot tub, legoland, gorgeous condo, and just hanging out together. such a rarity, and so wonderful. 

these pics are from today after church. i seriously LOVE my kids. i think they really are hilarious. im sure everyone thinks that about their kids, and its probably true, but i cant stop laughing at them constantly, even all through church....

 bubba-licious decided to finally start folding his arms for prayers today. we've been working on that one for a while, but he started doing it during prayers at church today, and claps for himself every time. so stinkin' cute! 

 sorry, but i really do think he is rather handsome. thanks husband, since he is your mini-me, it really is true!

and you can barely tell that claire has a mullet here! she really loves her bro.

my mom made her that adorable little dress. so sweet!

side note: claire started going to sunbeams in primary the last couple weeks.... hopefully she'll adjust because she still loves nursery so much! 

funniest boy. ever.

failing

miserably. at

blogging

making dinner

keeping my house at least inhabitable

dishes

RS

getting out of sweats/pjs everyday

and so much more.

priorities. thats where i'm at. basics. its all i can handle.

but. i think my kids are mostly happy. i know they love each other, and they usually love me. 

and i am pretty sure hubs loves me. at least kinda. 

coming home from an amazing vacation with the family is so hard. back to schedules, jobs, reality. lets just all go back there and stay. please? a beautiful pool, the beach, great shopping, and oh yeah, we were all there together? eating meals together? that was really nice. we didnt even use the clean up crews or room service- wasnt necessary in the slightest. remember the uge hot tub we all fit in? that was heavenly. even though it was 'cold' in the 60's all week, i would take that over the temps here any day. every day. 

i havent seen my husband since sunday. i dont count sleeping. having spent endless hours in the car with him last week makes me miss him that much more. and reminds me why i cant get enough of him. we were planning on having all day tomorrow together, but we are already scheduled away til at least noon. argh. we've got eternity, right?

ive been somewhat of an emotional wreck the last, oh, three months at least. anything and everything. thanks baby! and life! i watch other people's kids. im happy to, really. hard, some days, absolutely. but also kinda easy? sometimes. after everyone is gone for the day, my kids seem like angels. they have their moments for sure, but they play remarkably well together, and make each other laugh over just about everything. i love them. they are a dynamic little duo. mischief makers in training.

oh so much more to blog. no more pictures because im lame. maybe soon. i hope i sleep tonight? i spent last night throwing up. i had nothing to throw up, so that was fun. i did lose 4 pounds, so hopefully doc next week won't flip out over the feast we had on thanksgiving? now how to keep that off....

and its still not decided on whether or not we are finding out baby's gender. it was supposed to be tomorrow, but we now have til friday. i may have to take my friend susan's advice and flip a coin. (don't worry, i am like 22 weeks or something. i'm awesome and on top of things :)

refusing

i refuse to be sick any longer. too much to do! my doc's nurse (im not her biggest fan at the moment) told me to call today if i was still sick. im ignoring that, and im done being sick. done. i win.

i would love to post pictures of claire's hack job on her hair, but, its a no go. too much to do! but head to lindsay's blog for some. she is mucho better at documenting than i am. i was too close to tears the whole time! i wish you all could take a peek at her room- the first thing you see straight ahead is a shrine, dedicated to the little miss. she sure does love that crazy bumkin. love ya linds!

i love my fam. what, five days til we are all reunited finally? so stinkin' excited!

i never thought i'd be this person, but we are on a strict schedule these days. i've always had a pretty set schedule for naps, eating, more naps, more eating, but kept it flexible, left it open for moody babies. i decided we will never function normally again with all the kids running around unless a set schedule happens. and so far, sweet success. bubba was ready for his nap promptly at 11:25, falling asleep in my lap. ahhhhhh its glorious. little to no crying from everyone. we'll keep this up.

the kiddos are bathing right now, and when caleb laughs, it is so funny. he laughs like an old man. chuckles, belly laughs, giggles, everything. i can't get over it. love him to pieces. now to go clean up some water!!!!

its late. this is life.

his hair was long. i thought it was so funny to put little piggies in, and he didnt care. i thought he looked like claire, so i left them in and he went to sleep with them.

and then i made joe cut it the next day. and almost cried. my baby is gone. just gone. now hes my little boy. 

kids are sick. i am sick. joe is sick of his back hurting.

i have babies and chicklets and kids running around my house most of the day, except for the now mandatory nap time/quiet time. i get to sit down, but constantly have to get back up.

i am pregnant, and while i may be snoring, i dont think i am actually sleeping. not a lot to be done about it at this point. i think i have what i call pregnancy induced sleep apnea. the circles are getting darker under my eyes, and i don't know what to do for energy since i ate all the kids halloween candy.

my doctors appointment today: doc walks in and started to get upset he hadnt seen me in ten weeks and hadnt had my ultrasound. then when he figured out the nurse screwed up big time, he had to do some educating on how to add 4 weeks to 14 weeks. it doesnt equal 24, i'll tell you that much. then we chatted about going to the beach.... can't wait! and finally told me he couldnt believe this was baby number three. he said i looked like i was 12. ummmmmm

again with my age. inconsistent on every side. no one in RS believed i was 23 on sunday during my lesson.they all thought i was older.

nope. 23. i'll be 24 by the time baby comes though..... so michelle duggar has me way past beat. 

the other ladies in my relief society presidency could either by my mom, or my grandma. HA.im not sure if this is worse than the young women possibly being my sisters.....

claire got her nursery leader fired on sunday....... for eating play doh. i tried to explain to her leader several months ago that she should just not play with it in nursery anymore.... and look where that got her. what do i need to do to be released???? (just kidding mom!)

by the way, i am severely failing at the whole relief society thing. big time. i don't know anything. my head is constantly spinning. and no one tells me things, or corrects me when i just start doing things, soooooo its been interesting. 

my little world is reallllly small. connections, friends, they are everywhere. especially in my ward. yikes.

i miss seeing my husband everyday. its a good thing we will have hour upon hour in the car together in just over a week. can't wait. babies have no idea whats going to hit them.

and with that, i will hopefully crash in bed, with tissues stuffed up my nose so the boogers don't drip down my face. i was doing good with getting a blog up every so often, and then blogger decided to stop working on the ipod, and i watch five kids plus my own, and i got pregnant and tired, and my husband keeps working, and i have to be nice to everyone at church, especially everyone because for some reason i agreed to it. 

by the way, this was not a complaint. one day i will look back and go- i had things sooooo easy. this is just what life is at the moment. yay for vacations!!!!

blubber

he melts my heart. literally, every time he smiles. 

he has several smiles, by the way.

laughing. smirking. mouth open wide. shy. grin. 

mommy's 

daddy's

he smiles, most of the day. which means yes, i am melting most of the day. combine that with the best little boy giggle and we have a heart breaker.

and my absolute fave is a combo of everything. i wish i could get a picture of it- eyes squinty, open wide but lips kinda curled, nose scrunched.  pretty much the funniest thing ever. 

this picture makes me laugh because his mouth is closed- a pretty rare occurrence for him, considering he is always smiling, laughing, babbling, growling, grunting, or eating- which is his fave. 

preview

hey pretty girl.

you truly are my sunshine. you are getting waaaay too big, and its killing me. there is no baby in your tummy, but there is one in mine, and i can't wait for you to be such a big helper with the baby.

you turn three (what???) in two short weeks, and you are so excited. you want PINK for your birthday, whatever that means. we will probably have lots of pink balloons, and pink cupcakes.

you have a hard time sitting still. i knew you would, from the moment you were born, you were quiet, but holding your head up to figure out the world. i sometimes think the little spirit inside you is vibrating constantly, just waiting until you are big enough to do so many great things. the only time it rests is when you sleep, and even then you wake up and instantly, you are ready to tackle the world. or at least all the furniture. you started walking super early, a clear indicator of the kind of kid you are. you have things to do in this life, and i can't wait to see them happen.

you are everyone's friend. strangers do not exist in your world. you are concerned about everyone's happiness. you are (usually) so great with your little brother. now that he is big enough to, er, fight back, you guys can get a little rough. but you still love him to pieces, and always feel bad after you get rough. you are currently teaching him some of your mad dance skillz, and i couldn't be happier.

baby girl, i love you so much. you might drive your nursery leaders crazy, make a mess with just about anything that you find, and get into all the things you shouldn't, but you light up the world of everyone around you, especially mine. i couldn't trade you for anything.

love, mom.



picture by claire's aunt lindsay. she is not a professed photog, but she does good work with my kids, considering that they don't. sit. still. ever. 

real pictures. what?

doing what i can to embrace fall. definitely some slacking, but i'm trying. the last monthish.  

 claire looking cute with her headband. headband lasted 2.9 seconds. we try. 

take that back. i try. she doesn't.

 model man. and screeching katelyn in the background. but cute bubbers.

 i live like 2.9 seconds from here. GORGEOUS this time of year. and this isn't even super pretty yet. (this was a couple weeks ago.)

 stink bug changed her mind about pictures.and headband.

shifting gears.

family time. thats all five sibs together. missed mom and dad! and happy bday sarah bear. FINALLY 18. that took forever. 

 shifting again.

hee haw farms. i gotta know- are all pumpkin patch/hay ride/corn mazes this ghetto? i was expecting a little more..... either way. both kids had a BLAST. like, giggling most of the time.

 as soon as claire saw this dumb animal train she wanted to skip the pony ride (which was LAME.) and hop into the pig asap. silly girl. joe got in on the action though, so that was kinda fun.

 probably her fave thing after the corn box.

 pig touching. can you spot my little blondie? that was fun for her too.

 corn box. i decided this should be what playgrounds have instead of sand or wood chips. i'm sure it was dirty, but way less dirty than sand and no splinters. no sand in the eyes. awesome.

 sweet hair dude. he was unsure at first, but got into it when he saw claire going to town.

we even did this twice the kids loved it so much.

good times for everyone! we even ran into some friends and picked out pumpkins with them. the kids were kinda done by then, and claire kept getting frustrated she couldn't carry any, but so fun anyways. yay for family time! 

and yay for non-phone or ipod pics! thats a miracle, huh?

back to the byu game. i should probably not watch those. they make me physically ill, i get that into them. probably send me into labor. 

band aid babe

Pretty girl.
Joe and I love figuring out what personality and character traits each of the children have, and who they got it from. Claire's genes are a perfect storm, you could say.... A lot of great things, but combined and it's a constant storm watch. Like, Joe was very much into 'getting into' things growing up, liked to climb a lot. And I had an absurd knack for monkey bars. Claire has both. And playgrounds are her forte. So we are constantly on guard, inside the house and out. But some things we like to think came from other extended family members, so we aren't totally to blame for everything.
Take the above picture. That band aid is making her eye feel all better. She gets the affinity for those special magical bits from her auntie Sarah. she was known for emptying boxes of them and stickin' 'em up and down her arms, and not always for actual owies, but somtimes just being itchy.
So funny how kids turn out, huh? And how each one is so, so different.
By the way, Claire tells everyone she knows there is a baby in HER tummy. I cant convince her otherwise. (stubborn thing.... Another auntie trait she inherited???) Her baby is a girl. mine is a boy, but it is still her sister. For bubba man's sake, I hope it's another girl. He adores all the girls I watch. And starting in a couple weeks, there will be a total of five EXTRA girls I watch, not including Claire. Not all at once though, thank goodness. Most are only a few hours per week. It's funny to me that it's only girls. The only boys ive watched never work out. Maybe bubba should be a ladie's man for Halloween...

Stink bug. Loves and hates pictures. Life is so good. I can't seem to remember that. I have this weight that feels like something really hard is coming (grad school) so I should be gearing myself up for it. Crazy. We still have no idea at this point where we will be next year. Here, Virginia, Nevada, arizona, Texas... No clue. Starting to seriously freak me out. But everyday I've been trying to find something to be really happy about. Making cookies. A pasta roller. Bubba dancing. Claire being so sweet and telling me everyone she loves. Joe getting to spend a few extra minutes with us. Making dinner, with everyone home, AND eating it. Dancing with Claire in a bee costume and roller-skates. Little things, you know? Last night Sarah showed up from Idaho to spend some time with the sibs. She and Lindsay came over as we were putting kids in jammies and getting ready for bed. Then linds tricked me into letting Claire have a sleepover.... Yeah I didn't want to let her go to a grown up sleepover! I can't stop thinking what they did all night. But I love how much that girl adores her aunts. And all of her family. She has some incredible people to look up to, and when I think of it that way, I don't mind for a minute that she wants to hang out with them.

i realize i talk about the girl a LOT here. 

bubba monster is pretty great too, though. he's a semi-snuggle bug, super ticklish, and a total sweetie.

he LOVES his stuffed animals, and his three blue bears are his fave. he is really smart, like knows where things are, and what they are, but doesn't use words at all. he has a giggle that is better than anyone's, and it makes me so happy. when he does "talk" he moves his head like a muppet- its not just the jaw, but his whole head moves and it makes me laugh. 

he is tough. he is now just as strong as his sister, and usually wins their tug-of-war fights over a toy. but he is also so sensitive. and has some sweet dance moves to rival his sister. i love him.

thinking about these two makes me so happy, especially when i think there is another crazy monkey coming to join them. oh what a party that will be! bubba loves, loves, loves little babies. he can't get enough. loves to rock them, give hugs and kisses, and "tickle" them. just can't wait.

love little bubba monster. (that is a hint for his halloween costume. excited for this year!)

i had a whole long post on how awesome this girl is. and now its gone?

no matter. head over to lindsay's blog. she's got a great pic of the little stink. she's killing me with awesomeness right now.

and i just have to share this- bubba has the started doing the best trick- he has decided he now likes to have his diaper changed, and will lay down right in front of you if you say the word diaper. my son is a dog. 

Sunday thoughts

Really long, never ending week. Sick junk raged in our house and just lots of yuck. Lots of decisions, some hard, and by Saturday I just wasn't sure how much more i could take at the time. But luckily, and by lucky I mean seriously blessed, i got to go to the relief society broadcast and be surrounded by wonderful women, and have my perspective re-adjusted. A quick chat with a friend afterwards reallllly made me reflect and made me so, so grateful for the 2.5 little ones I've got. So, so grateful for such a wonderful husband. So grateful for my entire family, especially this week for a sister who saves the day watching kids, brings a cherry-limeade, and quietly listens to me bawl over the phone for an entire conversation. all those pregnancy hormones haven't helped a dang thing, but family, and the gospel that binds us together, really does. Seriously, not sure where I'd be without either. And now, because baby craves and mommy caves, I will make apple pie to go with the tacos we had for linner. It's better than the sprinkle cupcakes Claire keeps asking for, right?

something new

for the last, four months or so, the camera has been at my parents house. with my parents moving, the camera did not reappear in my hands until a couple weeks ago. i thought, sweet! i will have all these great new pictures to post! eh, not so much. i had four. and these are all of them.

coincidentally, they are all from the time we went strawberry picking when we were visiting my parents in st. louis. coincidentally, because claire recently started talking about that adventure and riding on the school bus that took us to the fields. at least a couple times every day. and every time we see a school bus. that was one HOT day. 

now that we have a camera back in action, i hope there will be more picture taking. because the whole one picture posts from the phone/ipod is reeeeeally getting old. 

and hopefully i will start feeling better so that i will want to take those pictures. because i have been feeling yucky, pretty much since the day we stepped off the plane back in utah. because, yep, 

BABY #3 is making an appearance in 6 1/2 months! 

quite honestly, it was a bit of a surprise, but one we are totally THRILLED about. can't wait to meet her!

yes i think its a girl. i already know her name. BUT we are not finding out gender, until she is born! we did it twice, we got one of each, and since i've always wanted to, i am doing it this time. my choice, so thats how it is. i can wait that long, right????? 

What a joy

this kid is going to be the goofiest kid in school. it's like, three years away, but seriously, she is going to rock at school. little miss independent. Mischievous. Sweet as honey. A pistol. And a never ending source of energy. and still OCD. But only selectively. It's kind of fun guessing she will be picky about. Love her.

tuckered out.

me too kiddo. i could kiss those cheeks all day.

i do kiss those cheeks all day,

and i love every second of it.

and those lips. his kissy lips. just for all those sweet girls in his life. there are a few, but he loves them all!

me the most though. its definitely me. i feel so lucky. 

remember that, kid! i was the first lady.

just can't get enough

princess claire with bestie adi

i just love her. and claire loves her buddy adi. our house is diagonal from hers, and seriously the second adi is outside claire spots her and goes wild until they are together. its especially funny, because they play together, but they also play separately. they start together, and then they end up doing whatever they want, but when its time to go, they can't let go of each other. so cute. whenever claire talks about nursery, she always talks about playing with adi, and dance was always about adi, and when she wants to go outside, its so that she and adi can play. i hope they can always be such good friends!

Anyone out there?

Not sure if anyone reads this anymore?

Here's a quick shot of Claire after her dance recital last night. She was being a stink, but danced her little heart out when it came time. Cute little bug. Thanks for coming to watch linds!

Oh and my younger brother is here. Pretty happy right mow.

One

Bubbalicious turned one at the beach. Poor guy was suffering from his first ear infections, and other illness and spent that night screaming and throwing up. He did have some fun at the beach that day, and a great little party with the fam that evening. This guy is all about being on the move and what he can figure out how to get into next. He's brought so much joy into our home that I wouldn't trade for anything. He doesn't try words ver often, but is constantly giggling and laughing, and making grunts and blubs when he wants something. He loves cuddling, and is a pretty good sleeper and eater. And has more teeth than any kid his age, with more trying to pop through.

Love this guy. Love him to pieces.

And Joe. Love him too. Four years today for us. Keeping it low key, which is how we like it.

Since I'm talking love today, love Claire too. What a crazy little chick she is.

Beach.

This picture sums up a lot of our trip: just having a good time, doing whatever the heck we wanted. Its been a blast being with everyone. So great to finally introduce Caleb to everyone. Meeting the newest niece for the first time. Getting more sand in more places than I care to admit. Oh how I miss the ocean. Both kids absolutely loved it, didn't mind the water when it was colder one day. Heading back to Utah Monday and am really sad to leave everyone. The hospitality of southern people is so comforting. Gonna miss it.

love this little giggle

oh how i love this boy! he, like any baby, does not appreciate having his diaper changed. this was today's distraction.

12 hours til we leave for north carolina! time to start packing i guess?

why do i always wait til the last minute to pack? i don't like packing. but packing shorts and swim suits might be motivation today. although this red eye flight is looking like not such a good idea the more i think about it. oh well. to the beach we go! 

fabio to the rescue!

gosh i love my dad. see that little orange circle with the 76 in the middle? my dad is in oil, and through the years companies have merged, sold, bought, whatever with each other, but he started out sporting the 76 for quite a while. so, whenever we spot a little 76 memorabilia it brings a smile to our faces. this gem was found around the corner at the local sandwich shop.

anyways. reason #834839487 why my dad is a superhero, is because when i was having a meltdown about leaking water and my mom couldn't solve the problem (not that she can't, but dad is better at this stuff) he actually left a meeting to take my call. i know sometimes i probably don't give him enough credit because he puts a lot of work into what he does (and does WAY better at it than he gives himself credit), and sometimes that takes away from family time. BUT. when it really matters, he is there 100%. always.

anyways. i'm bawling now just thinking about what an incredible man he really is. love my dad.

blerg....way too much going on right now. just pile it on why dontcha! 

and. can't wait to see joe's dad, and the rest of his family so soon! right now in a week we will be on our way to the beach. can you tell i'm excited yet? i keep wanting to start packing in hopes that we can just go ahead and go, but i think that would only create a bigger mess than the one i'm trying to clean right now. 

recap

girls camp-a smashing success, if i do say so myself!

but really, after doing so much and stressing about it all, everything came together and fell into place, even at the last minute. and i think the girls enjoyed it. at least thats what they said...so worth it. although i feel kind of like i would if i had just planned the weddings of all the girls, and that feeling you get when you plan all that for that one day and then its all just over. but hopefully, like the marriage, those feelings, impressions, and relationships last, and the things they learned will stick. at least until next year!

i'm feeling a little heavy tonight, even though that weight of planning and planning is gone. maybe sadness? the week honestly flew by. the girls never stayed up past 1130, so i really got as much sleep as i normally do. i took an air mattress with me so i was comfortable, and mostly warm. i'll admit, beyond dealing with the demon spiders, endless mosquitoes and flies, and food going bad, i got pretty attached to most of the girls, and learned a lot from them. some jokingly called me "mom" by the end, and i thought "if i have teenagers like this, life will be pretty great." they are a small but wonderful set of girls, with little to no drama between them, and most of them have testimonies that shine brighter than they realize. i missed the kids, and joe especially, but it really was a treat to be among them for four days.

this week and next will be full of anticipation! i tried to not let myself get too excited about whats coming up until after camp was over, and now that i'm on the other side, things are going to be pretty great for us! beach trip with joe's fam starting next friday. pretty stoked for that one. and then marshy marsh gets home from brasil! the blessings from him being gone for so long far outweigh the sadness of not seeing him, but him being back is pretty great too.

and those sheep? the sheep i almost ran over as we were driving back from camp. came out of nowhere, around a sharp corner, absolutely no warning. i didn't take a camera, so i will be stealing pictures from everyone else this week :)