Location:Blogging woes

Love these pictures....

I haven't taken the time to learn how to really "edit" pictures. And i don't know if i ever will. It is just too time consuming for me. I just want to take pictures of my kids and have them in some sort of book. But these are some of my most favorite pictures from the last week that i think look great, even without editing.

Ashleys iPad

Gotta love Photo Booth!!!

more summer pictures

First Weeks of Summer

Jody and Michelle and me. I'm so glad we got to see them.
rock climbing. Brooke really did have a good time, although it doesn't look like it in the picture.
Loving the frozen yogurt. Too bad the air was broken inteh store and it was blistering hot.

Livy is fearless. Except at actual swim lessons where i have to run after her to put her in the pool.
Ben is always the fun guy in the pool
I'm so glad these three got to at least go to school together the last month.
Jumping for joy for summer
Last Day of School
We have had a fun filled summer already and it has been less than two weeks. Monday evening we had a wiffle ball game with some friends in the church parking lot to kick off summer with a fun FHE. Tuesday was Brooke's last day of school. My old coach called and we met up with him and his family at the park and had a picnic and then got frozen yogurt. It was so fun to see Brooke be such good friends with Kaja right off the bat. And it was especially awesome to catch up with Jody and Michelle. They were such an integral part of my growing years at college. Jody shaped a lot of who I am through volleyball practices and competitions and work (I worked for him in the summers and then was hired as his assistant my first year out of college.) he challenged me in every aspect of life. And his wife is just amazing. She is one of the main reasons I aspired to get a master's degree. So it was such a blast to see them. And see Jody in a father role. He is so good with his son. We met up again on Wednesday and went rock climbing and to lunch. Again brooke and kaja were best buds right off the bat.
We went swimming again. It is so awesome to have such good friends that you can just call to go swimming with!

Thursday was beach day! Man I love the beach especially rio del mar with lots of friends because my heart is overwhelmed with joyful memories that brought so many families together when we were growing up. As a kid, Tuesday's were beach day. No matter what, if it was Tuesday we were at the beach with about six other families. And I still have such a lasting bond with those friends. So I love the beach. It also makes me feel like such a good mom because my kids are outside in the fresh air all day long. There is minimum whining, lots of playing and socializing and lots of time for me to hold my kids wrapped in towels an watch the waves together or find sand crabs or build sand castles...I love it.
Friday we had a fun day at home with Calvin and little forrest. We watched them all weekend. Saturday was graduation parties, farmers market, biking in the church parking lot and keeping five kids happy and then stake conference and dinner with friends after.
Sunday we got to have ben's cousin Kate and her husband Kyle for dinner. It always so fun to have family over. Kate taught me piano when we were at BYU and she took my volleyball class. So it was especially fun to catch up,
Monday was the waterpark with friends. And I got up enough guts to take all five kids. They had so much fun. But it made me feel for all those people with twins. Man alive, it is hard. Jackson and little Forrest are only 3 weeks apart and they kept me on my toes. And then dinner at the pool and swimming with the McCoys.
Tuesday was swim lessons and a swim party with dinner at the pool again. It was SO hot. When we left sour house at 4 in the afternoon, the temperature in our house was 90 degrees. Wowzers.
Wednesday was a fun baby shower here at the house, so the day was spent cleaning and decorating. Thankfully my neighbor took Livy and Brooke to the dollar movie with her and her girls and I was able to get a ton done, so it wasn't as stressful as it has been in the past trying to get the house ready. It was such a fun evening, we had it outside on the patio! It again showed me how incredibly supportive and loving our ward is. People are so generous and truly care for one another. And the older women and the young moms mingle, it truly doesn't matter your age, we all get along.
Thursday we had a BLAST at cull canyon. Kate and Haley came with us. It was treat to have older kids to help lug everything to and from the car. And everyone had a great time. We went to the Minor league giants game that evening as well. There were four families that all sat together. The kids absolutely loved it. It was so much fun. And they had a great fireworks show after. Although we paid for the late night the next day with lots of whining, but it was well worth it.
Friday was a low key day at home and Saturday was just perfect with lots of chores and getting things done around the house. A bike ride and park outing with ben and the girls and then an afternoon and evening on a date! Love those kind of weekends.

It has definitely been a great summer already This week is already planned with lots of fun things from swim lessons to the beach and lots of packing to get ready for our trips. I love summer!

LIttle things...

I just love watching the three kids "run an errand" for me. Like this morning, returning a plate to a neighbor, i just watched from the doorway as Brooke was the little mother hen guiding waddling Jackson to the otherside of the street making sure he was well taken care of. And Livy, and all her spunk, skipping an djumping alongside. For some reason lately, i always watch the kids do things outside trying to soak up all those memories and remember how cute it is when they all play together.

Double Trouble

We got to watch Amber and JT's kids - Calvin and Forrest - this past weekend. It is so fun to watch Jackson and Little Forrest tromp around together. They get super excited to see each other, start squealing, and then run off to cause trouble. It's awesome! They are only 3 weeks apart, and it seems like they have their own little lingo like twins.

Anyways, here's a video from a few months back when we were celebrating Jackson 1st birthday. Gotta love these little guys!

Just for Punka

Punka,

Happy Father's Day! We love you and can't wait to see you in exactly two weeks! Here are some fun little videos to wish you a Happy Father's Day!









Love you DAD!

Little Loves

Jackson:
-absolutely loves getting his blanket wrapped around his shoulders and snuggling.
-loves watching Leap Frog letter Factory. Lately when he wakes up he goes immediately to the TV and wants you to turn it on.
-loves drawing chalk.
-loves getting oil rubbed on his feet and put in his ear. (at first i thought maybe he was getting an ear infection because he kept pointing to the eye dropper and then to his ear, then i realized he just liked it)
-loves playing with babies and pushing baby strollers.
-loves his Daddy! Definitely a daddy's boy.

Livia:
-loves, loves, loves riding her two wheeler. (She asks at least 10 times a day, can you play outside with me, which means: can we go ride bikes together in the backyard.)
-loves all bugs. Her and Jackson are always going in the front yard to find rolly-pollies, ants and spiders. She usually names the ants Annie. And, as of yesterday, ants are her favorite bug right now becasue they don't tickle when they crawl all over you.
-loves trying to pick up any kid/baby that is smaller than her.
-loves "writing" letters and coloring, and especially loves it when she can show Brooke that she has done something just like her.
-absolutely loves her gymnastics class.
-loves to be held. A typical conversation is, "Livy, why are you crying." answered, "I dust want someone to hold me!"
-loves to end every sentence with "wight, mom." translated: right, mom.

Brooke:
-loves school.
-loves to read.
-loves holding Jackson, even if Jackson doesn't really want her to hold him.
-loves to wear hats. And she looks absolutely adorable in all of them, too.
-loves to be complimented on how well she is doing things.
-loves to have her back scratched when going to bed. (A definite Eyre trait.)
-loves helping me cut vegetables, even if she doesn't like to eat them yet.

Riding a Bike

Livy is riding a bike today! She just picked up one o the small bikes at my mom's house and asked my mom to come watch her play and she stated riding the bike! We have been trying to get her to ride the srider bike around for months and she didn't want anything to do with it. So we returned it to my mom's a week ago, and now she is riding! 3 and a half and riding a two wheeler! Awesome!

Brooke's Dance Recital

It was a fun weekend of dance recitals. Brooke and Emma were in the same class, along with Nia. They performed a cute dance to the music "The Codfish Ball". Miss Gentry was her teacher this year. She has been there for over 40 years. She got sick at teh end of the year and was unable to come to classes and the recital at the end. She was still teaching dance at 88 years old.
It is always fun to watch Brooke at her dance recitals. It brings back memories of the excitement for dance recitals and getting all dressed up with the glitter and glitz.

Sayings

Brooke had been laying in her bed this evening to go to sleep for over half an hour when she came out and told us we forgot to finish her Star of the Week poster. So glad she remembered. It could have been a very hard morning tomorrow had she not reminded us. I got a big kick out of her when she said to us, "A TV show? that's something you watch on TV, right?" We had to give her a few examples of things she watches at my moms to jog her memory. It made me realize how sheltered she is without having regular television to watch.

My favorite saying from Livy the last few weeks is when she gets a little frustrated with something Brooke does, or when Brooke corrects her on her c's sounding like t's, she responds, "I just have a little pwoblem with my talking, Bwook!" It is so cute. I kind of hope she never grows out of it. Ahh i love that girl, but she sure has a mind of her own.

Jackson tried to say three words today. Drink: kaka. Mama. And poop: bub. Wow three in one day! It makes me so happy. I didn't think he could get any cuter, but man he is so dang cute and every day i feel like i want to squeeze his unbelievably squishy cheeks even more.