Family is Everything

... Glad as we can be! The boys are so excited to see Daddy every night when he gets home from work! I came into the room to see the usual wrestling with Daddy, and saw Xander trying to sit on top of Jaren... he was so proud!

Ethan took the boys out to play while I finished feeding Ellie. I looked out and saw Ethan and Xander at the swings and had to grab the camera! So sweet!

Once again, I came in a couple minutes late for our bedtime routine and found the kiddos next to their daddy, reading books. I love my husband! Even Ellie is taking a bit of interest in the book. She's getting quick at reaching for things!

Ellie is leaning forward toward the book. What a cutie-petutie!

These pictures are a bit blurry, but I just had to share! Ellie has figured out how to lean forward in her bouncer (don't worry, she's strapped in). She's grabbing toys and pushing them off the edge and onto the floor, and watching them fall.

As we were coming back from the pool, Xander fell out of the wagon he was riding, while trying to get his ball...

People bring their cars from all over the country to participate in the Woodward Dream Cruise. Old cars cruise the street all day and people just sit and watch them drive by.

We are so glad that Tayson and his mommy could come over and swim in our little pool! Jaren and Xander had a lot of fun playing, and hope to do it again. Thanks Julie!

Ellie had her first taste of rice cereal the other day! She didn't quite like the taste, but kept tasting it. I can't believe how much she has grown!

Miss Ellie is 4 months old! We love her so much!

Jaren is so sweet. I'll often find him lying next to Ellie on the floor with his arm around her, or giving her toys to play with. Ellie now grabs for things in front of her, and loves to be on her tummy.

Ellie smiles so easily!

Simply adorable!

Like his brother, Xander loves to be by Ellie.

Xander thought he was hiding... he was trying to unplug the TV. They think they are so sneaky!

The village had a railroad theme day. Jaren and Luke got to play with trains for a while and make a conductor's hat and conductor's scarf. They enjoyed playing with the trains the most!

We're waiting for the train at the train junction in the village. We lucked out and didn't get very wet when it rained, although our strollers were soaked when we got back!

Jaren and his buddy Luke are watching the man move the roundhouse track around.

Playing dress up in a hot dog bun with all the toppings!

I love this picture! Jaren layed down next to Ellie and ended up falling asleep next to her on the couch.

... in Nursery! Ethan is the Nursery Leader in one of the two nurseries at church. The room looks very "blah". None of the 3 wards have ever really decorated their boards, so Ethan decorated it. It looks great! For his 1st bulletin board work, I must say (as a teacher), that I approve of his work!

We decided to surprise Daddy with a Luau for his birthday on August 3rd. We hung luau decorations and made our own little "grass" skirts our of butcher paper so we could hula dance! The boys really enjoyed decorating their skirts, then I cut them into strips.

We got ready for Daddy a couple minutes before he arrived. Xander didn't enjoy the outfit...

... By the time we got to the door to surprise Daddy, Xander had completely undressed himself of his luau costume. Notice his "grass" skirt is shredded up behind him.

You can't really see it, but Ethan is actually wearing a skirt was made him too. The boys were excited to have a party with Daddy!

We had to get a picture of Ellie celebrating too!

The next couple pictures are of Ethan and his cake:



This was one of the boys' favorite parts of the party. Hmmm... yummy cake!

We've been taking advantage of our community pool this summer. Sweet little Ellie isn't quite sure about the water, so one of us usually hangs out on the steps of the pool with her while the other lets the boys jump to them in the water. We've really enjoyed it!

Here are some recent pictures from family activities in July.


Ellie rolls over and tries to get up on her knees, she is a strong, active baby girl.


Jaren & Xander enjoy going swimming in our pool and jumping into daddy's arms. Their body suits with built in flotation pads help reassure us that we can keep them safe, which is a challenge with such active boys.


The boys helped mommy make a welcome home poster and letter for daddy one evening after daddy had a rough day at work. Daddy was surprised and felt very special!



The letter they made had lots of sweets on it, very clever mommy. Daddy has forgotten about the candy bars since we hid them so the kids won't ask for them. Hopefully we will remember to eat them before they rot, but I think sugar does not go bad so maybe they will be fine.