Solids

Rook had his first taste of solids on the 20th. He did pretty good with the rice cereal.

He turned 4 months on the 23rd. Here are a few of his latest pictures.

 How you doin'?

Evie

I took Evie to get pictures a couple of weeks ago.

This picture isn't the best but it shows her sucking on her tongue. Ever since she was little, Evie has used her tongue as a pacifier. Whenever she is tired or nervous or just shy her tongue comes out and she sucks on it.

Evie is just starting to say a few words, but she has no problem communicating. She can absolutely let you know what she wants. She is a firecracker and we love her dearly.

Tempe Beach Park

Last week it was a little cooler and the Dreschers invited us to meet them at Tempe Beach Park. It was overcast and nice and the kids loved it!!!

Swim School...

We put the kids in swim school again and started Addy with them this year. They only meet once a week and we didn't start them until June and Addy has already passed off the first level. She took to it like a fish. She will just stick her head in the water and swim. She can already swim across our pool by herself. When they pass a level they get to ring a bell. Here she is with her teacher, Chelsea, whom she loves!

Addy's 4!!!

Addy started her birthday opening her presents. We kept asking her what she wanted and all she would tell us is a Barbie cake. So she got that and some new clothes, a new scooter, a book I made her, and clip on earrings which she loved.

Emmy had spent days making her presents. This green basket was full of books and drawings and puppets that she had made her.

This is a picture in one of Emmy's books of them crossing the monkey bars.

 And this is them in the shower.

After the presents we had breakfast. Addy chose cold cereal. One of Addy's quirks is her eating habits. She does not like milk in her cereal. She will drink milk while she is eating cereal but she does not want it in her bowl. She will also not eat potatoes of any kind - mashed, bakes, french fries... nothing. Her favorite thing is meat, she will eat almost any kind of meat I put in front of her.

Then she helped me bake a her cake.

 Her and the finished product.

After we got her cake started we went to swim lessons, then we met dad at his work for lunch and then went and saw Despicable Me2 with Nana and the Dreschers. When dad got home that night we went swimming and then had cake and ice cream. So it was a fun filled day.

Happy Birthday Addy!! We hope all your dreams come true.

Organ Stop

Addy had a week of partying for her birthday. It started in Taylor with presents from cousins and Grammy and Papa and getting to go get ice cream by herself with Grammy and Papa Then when we got back in town she had another 2 days of partying. We started Monday night with the Espersons at Organ Stop. Addy got to pick where we ate and she wanted to go where "The kitties danced." Here are the kids dancing. The picture of her isn't great but it shows her boots. Nana and Poppy got those for her and she LOVES them!! She wears them everywhere.

Eating pizza, opening presents, and just enjoying the night.

This is her trying not to smile. Addy is a very happy kid. And she loves life. The easiest way to help her get over something is to try and get her to smile. She can't help herself. Life is just really fun to her and I absolutely love that about her.

The real cake was coming the next day on her birthday, so she made due with a giant cookie.

Going Home...

When Jamie asked my dad if he could marry me, one of the things my dad advised him to do was to bring me home often and the longer I live, the more I appreciate that advice. Going home does something for my spirit that nothing else does. And going home on the 4th of July is one of my favorite things. I love the 4th of July in Taylor. Wacey had told the little kids he would take them around to follow the anvil. I wasn't planning on going, but Rook woke up to eat about 4:20 so I thought I might as well and I was so glad I did. The kids waiting for the anvil to go off.

The anvil ready to be lit, the picture is pretty grainy but it was still pretty dark outside.

The anvil going off. Next time I am taking ear plugs because trying to take pictures without plugging your ears, is not very fun.

After the anvil, me and Emmy ran our race, then we went back and got showered and then me and Jamie went to lunch at Trappers and then we took the oldest 2 kids to the rodeo, and then we went over to Shawn and Lindsay's to watch the fireworks.

Whenever we go anywhere I always ask the kids what their favorite part was. So on the way home Jamie asked me what my favorite part of the weekend was. I enjoyed it all. I loved watching the anvil go off. It brought back memories of us decorating our bikes and following it when I was a little kid. I loved watching Emmy run the race. She worked so hard and was so excited to win. I loved going to lunch with Jamie and enjoying my favorite place in Taylor to eat. I loved watching the rodeo with all its tradition and patriotism and I loved watching the fireworks. I am grateful for the town that I grew up in. I am grateful for the opportunities it provided to me. I am grateful for the connection to it that I feel and I worry that my kids won't ever have the sense of belonging somewhere. I am grateful to have a husband who will take me home because without him, nowhere is truly home.