Is this Heaven?

No... it's Iowa! (from the movie: Field of Dreams)

We went to Iowa for a long Memorial Day weekend last week. It was a really quick trip, but - as always - worth it.

We headed out Friday and stayed the night at Dennis's grandmother's farm. Within the first five minutes of the drive, Sarah had made up a song..."We're going to the farm. We're going to the farm!" Very cute, but it got old after a half hour. The kids all did amazingly well on the way there. Then with only 30 minutes before we arrived, I was looking for a certain toy for Sarah when I heard a THUD! A poor deer gave up his life to damage our Tahoe. The head hit the front corner and headlight, and the body swung around to the driver's side door. Now that door won't open, so Dennis had a great time crawling over the seats all weekend! Luckily, that was the worst of our luck for the trip.

Saturday we spent the morning at the farm, and then celebrated Dennis's other grandma's 90th birthday that afternoon. It was fun to show off Andrew to everyone and spend the day with the whole extended family.

Sunday, we went to church and played and chatted with all the fam. Our newest niece (10 days younger than Drew) was blessed, so it was wonderful to get to be there for that.

Monday, we went to the park where Sarah and Emma got to ride the merry-go-round and some other kiddie rides. Sarah loved it as long as Emma was with her. If we tried to have her go on a ride alone, she would start to panic. So silly! There was also a great playground and lots of grass, so we played frisbee, baseball, and bocce ball.

Sadly, Tuesday it was time to head home. Fortunately, we didn't have anything eventful happen. We arrived safely home (after a few temper tantrums...and some chocolate to keep kids happy)!

Five years... and eternity to go!

Five years ago today, Dennis and I were sealed in the Logan LDS temple. It was one of the most amazing days of my life (along with the days each of our children were born). I remember knowing then - as I do now - that he is who I want to stand with throughout all eternity.

The top 5 reasons I love Dennis:

1. He is my best friend. Growing up, I always wanted to be married to my best friend. That's what my parents always said they had. I am sooo happy to say that is exactly what I have. Whenever one of the kids does something new, or I have exciting news, or even when something sad has happened, Dennis is the first one I want to share it with. I found a quote that I love: "A happy marriage is a long conversation that always seems too short." This is exactly how I feel. I always wish we had more time to talk.

2. He is very fun to be around. It doesn't matter how sad or discouraged I am, Dennis can make me smile. When he is relentlessly teasing me, he says, "You'd be bored without me!" He is 100% right! Eternity is a long time if you don't have someone by your side to make you smile.

3. He'll give the shirt off his back... and he has literally. A couple of years ago, Dennis and I went to the temple together. It was in the winter, so he was wearing a wool dress coat over his white shirt and tie. As we met going out, I realized I couldn't see his shirt collar under the coat. When we got to the car, I asked him about it. In usual Dennis fashion, he avoided my curiosity until I dragged it out of him. He noticed another guy there whose shirt was getting pretty ragged, so Dennis gave him his and zipped his coat up tight!

4. He is a hard worker. Dennis grew up on a farm, and loved it! To me that shows what a hard worker he is. You can't love farming if you can't work with the best of them. He always puts his heart into whatever he's doing, and I'm so grateful that he supports our family so that I can be a mom.

5. He is an absolutely wonderful father. When Dennis first visited me in Utah, I realized how good he was with kids. I added that to my growing list of qualities he had that I admired. He hasn't disappointed as we've had kids either! It's obvious that Sarah and Emma adore him, and it's only a matter of time before Andrew becomes his little shadow. Dennis can make the girls laugh like I only wish I could.

I wish it were our ten year anniversary because I could list so many more reasons why I love this guy.

Happy Anniversary to us!

Let's Go Swimming!

It's getting pretty warm around here, so Dennis broke out the pool for the girls on Saturday as he was mowing the lawn. You'll see him in the background of some of the shots.

And here is my very favorite of all. Candid shots are the best because they truly catch the moment and personality of the subject!

The Spittin' Image

For those of you who don't believe me that Andrew looks just like his daddy... here is the proof. They were cuddling the other night, and I couldn't resist snapping this picture.

Funny story: I took Drew into his 2 month check-up last week, and the doctor said jokingly, "Well... I guess we don't need a paternity test, do we?" Speaking of Drew's check-up, he weighed in at 12 lbs. 8 oz.! He's in the 75th percentile in weight, 50th in height (yeah right...), and 95th percentile in head circumference. It's so fun to find out how he's growing. He also had three shots - the poor guy sure wasn't himself for a few days, but is now as good as new!

All About Andrew

Andrew hit the two-month mark this Sunday! He is changing so fast... it's fun to see him react more to us and be aware of his world. We can get him to smile, especially right after he's eaten. His favorite thing, though, is to just lay under a ceiling fan and watch it spin. He can be entertained for hours (okay... minutes)!

Smiling at the fan... and mommy when she stood on the chair (to get the picture) and hit her head on the fan!

Hanging out with Mom and Dad

Our Family

This is something that I don't want to forget, so I thought I'd blog about it. About six or seven months ago (when Sarah started to understand about Andrew) she began doing this cute little thing where she gave each finger on her hand a name. She points the the thumb and says, "That's Baby Andrew," the pointer finger... "That's Sarah," and so on. I don't know where she learned this, but I think it's the cutest!

Fun in the Sun

Today it's rainy, so I thought I would post some of our fun pictures from last week. It was so sunny and gorgeous! We met up with some friends at the park and played and played until Sarah was begging to go home. Usually I can't pull her off the slides and swings, but she really wore herself out.

Emma's mischievous little grin

Sarah's friend and she took turns pushing each other on the swing. Nice break for me!

Emma has loved the swings since she was tiny. She just giggles and giggles the whole time.

Zoo day

Sarah, Andrew, and I were able to go to the zoo again this Saturday with some friends. Emma stayed home with Dennis to get some things done around the house. It was a perfect day... in the mid 60's and sunny. Sarah really loved playing with her new friend, Madison. And I loved just getting out and having some (almost) one on one time with Sarah. It made me realize how fun it is to be able to focus on her! I sure do love that little girl.

It's hard to tell in this picture, but they've got lion cubs at the zoo. They came right up to the window for us.

Sarah by the kangaroo... does anyone know if male kangaroos have pouches too? I was wondering.

Just the two of us

Andrew's reaction the the days events. Or maybe he was telling us what the lion says?

Feet, feet, feet!

I hate feet. I think they're ugly. I think they're gross. I can't stand for someone's feet to touch me. BUT... I love baby feet. Aren't they the cutest things ever? Before they've been contaminated by walking or anything productive. All they've ever done is kick their mommy's tummy!


I love to have Andrew barefoot and just look at his little feet. They are sooo precious!

Mohawk or Miss Cutie?

Okay... I don't want anyone to patronize me. I need the cold, hard truth. What do you think of Emma's hair like this? Is it a mohawk, or does it look cute curled up like that?

I've run out of ideas for her hair. It's getting longer but is still too short for much of anything. It's sooo frustrating that at least once a week she gets called a boy by a stranger. Ugh!

Any ideas? Please be brutally honest. If she looks weird like this then I need to know!