Brothers

Liam's never been mean to his brother Max...a little needy at times, but mostly he's just sort of pretended like he wasn't here. Well, he has finally started to acknowledge his existence & more than that, he's been having a lot of fun with Max. Liam tries to hold his hand or pry it open to give him a toy and he loves tickling him, shoving his pacifier into his face, or poking him in the eye to let everyone know he knows what an eye is & that Max has one. Here's some pictures I caught one morning when these brothers were being so cute together. (I love Max's stoic look.)

Chad's b-day

Happy 35 Chad! It was a fun day.
Jet skiing at Stockton lake while my family watched the boys.
Cake & ice cream with gift opening.
A marathon nap.
Movies- Brave (we had originally talked about Batman, but in light of the Colorado theatre massacre, we figured we'd play it safe with a nice disney flic).
The minute Liam saw the cake he began pointing & repeating "Eat". He wouldn't leave the cake's side until he got a piece. And yes, he had to help blow out the candles. Before I mention the hat- I must say I love Chad's smile in these pictures. I fell in love with that smile...okay enough of the sappiness haha :) I like to joke that I got Chad hair for his birthday. We'd been eyeing this visor for about a year for a good gag gift when the right occasion presented itself. Well, I found the right occasion. I couldn't resist! Did I mention that we saw a man wearing this same type of visor at Disney World...except it was more of a brunette shade with blonde tips. Oh, and he was not wearing it as a joke. And my last commentary- My decor for Chad's birthday was nothing brag worthy, but, the keyword is decor. I'm from a family that didn't get all fancy smancy for birthdays & it is so easy for me to fall into that same pattern. But I wanna change. I wanna make the day special by any means I can...even if it is a bunch of homemade signs hung with masking tape around the house, a cheap banner, cake & balloons from walmart purchased the night before & recycled gift bags. Next year I'll do better. But, yay me!  I'm making progress!

Kansas City temple

Just a few pictures I took while I waited outside in 105 degree weather with my two babies while Chad was taking his turn in the temple (which I might add took 1 hour & 40 minutes instead of the expected 50-60 minutes. Thank you working ac & nap time. You were my lifesaver!).

Kansas City temple you are beautiful...outside & inside! We were long overdue in coming to see you. We will see you again soon...sooner than last time. :)

Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Trifle

Someone wanted Shannon to see this.  I bet you know who made it (No, not me).  Are you jealous Shannon? Hungry maybe? Didn't think of including the recipe but have had a few requests, so if you're interested, here is the link to the website we got the recipe from.

4th of July in Arizona

BEWARE- marathon post!
Liam has this new thing for planes ("anes" in Liamese). You can imagine his fascination at the airports.
We stayed with my grandfather & Alba while in Mesa. All four of us shared a bed. Ironically the smallest members of the family took up the most room in the bed. We got to watch the parade in front of our old house. It was fun...but I have to admit- just not the same. My mom, Max & my old young woman's leader Sister Gleeve. So good to see her! In hindsight, I wish I would've put away my camera & chatted more. More of my sleeping babies. Nelson Resevior & our rental car- probably the sportiest thing you'll find us in for awhile. You know you're done for when you begin to comment on how good looking different minivans are. The dome. This is where all our high school sporting events took place. For me that meant burning lungs & double the laps for the events I ran in track. Shannon took us here. It was a neat little museum & beautiful landscape. Little known fact, I worked for the Apache-Sitgraves forest service for three summers while in college. I worked with my sister & cousin for two of those summers. We worked primarily up near Big Lake. Last year there was a forest fire that wiped out much of my forest. It was unbelievable & sad to see with my own eyes. ...and this is the visitor center that I worked at. We (my cousin, sister & I) always got a kick out of people thinking we were "real" forest rangers. (I was just some random girl studying home economics at BYU, my cousin a city girl from downtown Kansas City & my sister a recent high school graduate). Little kids would look at us in awe & men would ask us for fishing advice. If only they knew who they were asking. But I do look at my time there as a gift from the Lord. The job opened up for the first time when I just happened to be needing work for the summer. Then later when I no longer needed the summer work, the forest service budget dried up & this job was eliminated. I'll forever remember the good times with my sister, cousin & others of the forest service, the summer rain storms, & my cheesy night programs (they were on bears & plants if you were wondering). Near the trailhead for Mt. Baldy. See any resemblance? I personally don't see it, but the majority of people seeing Max say they see my dad. My dad took us on the ice cave hike in Lakeside. Liam LOVED this cave! Major tantrum getting him to leave it. Driving down to Mesa again through the Salt River Canyon. I'm not sure what Liam was dreaming about...or Max, for that matter, but he somehow ended up asleep with his thumb in Max's mouth. Liam also won the award of best bed head. Max's first time swimming. We went with my cousin Brooke & her family. We actually tricked them into hanging out with us the majority of the day. Fun times. Wish we lived closer. My grandfather & Alba. They just got married in May. I just adore Alba. I used to work with her & just always loved her. It's fun to get to know her even better now. She loves the Lord & it radiates in her countenance. She's taking good care of my grandfather and took good care of us while we stayed with them. I'm still craving the crepes she made us!