Bonding

Can you see what they're watching? Logan requested it, Ali snuggled up with him, and Jason was one happy dad.

Korrali's Blessing

We just love that JD and Lianna live close to us now, not the least because of sweet Korrali. We were so grateful to get the be there the day JD blessed her in church. We love the priesthood and families!

Grandpa

Grandpa came for Korrali's blessing, and the good news about that is that we got to see him a lot too! Come again soon, Grandpa!

Grill Assistant

Little Mister decided to help Daddy grill one Saturday recently. He looks pleased with himself, doesn't he?

Pretty Flowers

I wondered what the green things growing by our porch would end up being, and so enjoyed the appearance of these beautiful flowers-Tiger Lily?-a few weeks ago. Logan excitedly told me one morning, "Mom! Good news! Some buds opened last night! Our flowers are blooming!" Wow, he must have enjoyed their plant unit at school more than I thought he did!

My-cycle

Eli worked very hard this summer at learning to pedal his my-cycle, and has gotten very good at it!

Aaagh!

Good Memory!

Eli is talking like crazy lately. I love to hear all the things he says and they way he says them. He surprised me the other day by getting these Winnie the Pooh guys and saying, "This was on my cake, and this was on my cake, and THIS was on my cake!" I can't believe he can remember that far back to his two-year-old birthday cake so clearly!

Through their Eyes

Ali has her own camera, and occasionally the pictures the kids take are kind of amazing.

Eli's Vacation Memories

Eli was so excited to go to a baseball game on the 4th of July. And even more amazing, he actually liked it while we were there too-the only one of our kids who did. He loved to dance to the music, watch the boys hit and throw the balls, and snuggle on our laps.

He also loved his job helping Daddy pump gas at every station we stopped at on our trip.

Logan's Vacation memories

Logan has two things about our vacation that he will always remember, even though they had nothing to do with the beach, the cousins, or any planned activities. First, he lost his tooth at Myrtle Beach. He had two teeth get knocked out last summer, but this was the first tooth we noticed was loose, then wiggled, and then noticed when it fell out. The Tooth Fairy somehow knew how to find us on vacation, and from then on Logan couldn't wait to go home to take his money to the Dollar Store and buy something!

Next was this random building in Downtown Winston-Salem. We were driving to a baseball game on the 4th of July when Logan spotted this building. In his excited voice (high-pitched, fast, and loud), he exclaimed, "Look at that! That is the most amazing building in the whole world!" When we got out of the car we had to snap a picture in honor of the coolest building ever with the cutest five-year-old boy ever!

Happy Birthday, Jason!

We got to celebrate Jason's birthday in North Carolina. Todd and Janell spoiled us with a Southern birthday complete with a BBQ dinner (including hush puppies) and a pink lemonade birthday cake!

I sure love my husband. He is such a good man, sweetheart, and dad. He is such a support to me, and there is no one I'd rather be on this ride of life with! Love you, sweetheart!

North Carolina

After the beach, we had a fun few days at the cousins' house. The kids were pretty well loved while we were there.

Us at the Beach

Oh, how I loved being at the beach with my family!

Logan at the Beach

Logan loved the beach too. He was kind of in between Ali and Eli; he took to the waves at a slower pace than Ali did, but was out there in the water from the first day on.

But his favorite thing to do was to run along the surf. I had to keep a close eye on him because at any second the urge to run would hit and he'd be a couple hundred yards down the beach before I knew it.

 And as he ran he had this happy smile on his face. So content.

Here he is braving the rain that kept trying to ruin our vacation. We didn't let it, but that rain sure gave a valiant effort, raining several times every day!

Eli at the Beach

These pictures show the progression of Eli's comfort level at the beach. At first, he didn't want to be anywhere near the water.

Then he found some wade pools that were just his speed: no waves.

Then he wanted to be out in the water with the big kids, but he would only do it being held. And he held on for dear life.

 But then he wanted down, as long as we held his hand.

And by the last day, he had instinctively figured out how to take a wide stance and bend his knees, and loved to stand all by himself. Well done, Eli!

Ali at the Beach

When asked what her favorite part of vacation was, without hesitation Ali exclaimed, "The BEACH!" She was brave in the waves from the first moment and never got tired of them.

Myrtle Beach

For our summer vacation this year we decided to go see Jason's brother Todd and his family in North Carolina. When I first mentioned this idea to my sister-in-law Janell, she asked if we wanted to go to the beach while we visited. Is that a trick question? Yes! Always yes when it comes to the beach!

Our kids had never been to the beach and I was excited to see their reactions. We got there late afternoon and after finding our condo and eating dinner there wasn't much time to play, so we headed over to the beach in our clothes for a quick look. Eli saw the sand on the boardwalk and thought that was the beach! He happily crouched down to shovel sand into his pail and would not be convinced to come along and see the rest for at least a few minutes!

Ali and Logan were excited to collect shells and were thrilled to see how many there were; that surprised me--I had no idea this beach would covered with them!

From the first moment Ali loved the waves. She would wade into the water and then run away shrieking in joy.

Eli was more than a little concerned about the waves. He kept saying, "The waves get me!" and wanted nothing to do with the water for the first day.

Jason and Todd:

Eli was so tired after two days of driving and no real naps, but he didn't want to leave anymore than the rest of us. Luckily we still had part of three days to enjoy the waves and beach. More (many more) pictures to come.

Cousins

We had JD, Lianna, and Korrali over for dinner while Grandma was here (it was interesting having to share her on her visit!). As always, Ali demanded more than her fair share of time holding her little cousin, not even minding if Korrali cried; Ali just made faces to help cheer her up:)

But this time, Eli wanted to hold his cousin too! He was happier about it than this picture makes him appear! It melted my heart seeing my baby hold this little baby.