4th of july

I'm really behind on my record-keeping. So, here are the pictures from the 4th. We somehow didn't take any on the actual 4th of July. But, here are some from the big thing they do down on Center Street. Elsa was hard to pull away from the reptiles, she didn't want to jump on any of the bouncy things as long as there were snakes and turtles to pet.

We had a great 4th. I loved that it rained a little in the morning so it wasn't miserably hot for the parade. We had a barbeque with Brandon's family and walked over to watch the fireworks by the Marriott Center. Grandma Cynthia provided more glowsticks than my kids had ever seen in one place. And, the fireworks were great, as always.

june is the month of brandon

So, I have been terribly remiss in not posting sooner about Brandon month. There are many Brandon celebrations in June. June 11th was our 10th anniversary. I am so glad I married Brandon. He is still my best friend, and my favorite person to be around. Even when we were dating, being around Brandon somehow always felt like being home. I don't know how else to explain it.

To celebrate our anniversary, we stayed up at Sundance for a night. We gorged ourselves on delicious food, sat out on our deck overlooking the trees and river, and hiked to Stewart Falls, almost getting stuck up on the mountain when the chair lift closed down because of an impending thunderstorm. It was amazing.

Next, Brandon turned 32! We had to call off the planned kickball game because of rain, but we had a good time anyway with some of Brandon's friends coming over for dessert.

The next day, Brandon got to celebrate Father's Day. Probably his best gift is that he won't have to sit by the kids in church for a long time. It was his first Sunday having to sit on the stand (he's 2nd counselor in the bishopric now.)

I'm so grateful for Brandon--that he was born, that I married him, and that he gets to be my kids' dad. He makes life so much more fun, and I just wouldn't feel complete without him.

william big boy is 3!

Will turned three on June 5th. He's pretty sure he's just as big as Henry and Elsa. In fact, anytime someone asks his name he answers either "William Big Boy" or just "Big Boy." Brandon likes to have this conversation with him:

Brandon: Are you a little sweetie?
Will: No. I a big sweetie.
Brandon: Are you a big sweetie?
Will: No. I a BIG BOY!

He is full of life and love and energy and humor (and sometimes rage). Now that it's summer break, Henry and Elsa and I all look forward to his naptime. But, we all love him dearly. He's a very dichotomous boy. He seems like he couldn't ever sit still, but he can sit and do 24-piece jigsaw puzzles for a long time. He has a very short temper, but he is very patient about figuring things out and working until he accomplishes what he's trying to do. He spends a lot of the day either hurting or hugging his siblings. He is the child most likely to make me furious and most likely to make me laugh.

Here are some favorite Will moments from this last week:

I was reading a book to him, and I pointed to the sheep and said, "What animal is that?"
Will: A camel.
Me: That's not a camel, you goof. What animal is that?
Will: A camel.
Me: OK. What animal is that? (pointing to the chicken)
Will: A camel.
Me: No it's not. It's a chicken. What animal is that? (pointing to the cow)
Will: A camel.
Me: What does it say?
Will: Beep beep.
We were both laughing pretty hard at that point. I guess that's what I get for asking him obvious questions.

Brandon: Will, can you stretch?
Will: No. I can punch.

Pointing to the picture of the Emperor covered in his black cloak on the Emperor Strikes Back case, he asked, "Is that married?"

Here are some pictures from his birthday. (Henry is so excited in the background of a couple of these.)







He wanted a Buzz Lightyear on his cake. I did my best, but it was pretty pathetic. Also, the only thing he would say he wanted for his birthday was a Buzz Lightyear toy. Buzz did not leave his side until church a day later. Buzz is definitely too noisy for church (as is Will, but we can't really leave him at home). When we walked in the door after church Will exclaimed, "Buzz! I missed you!"

Happy Birthday, little Will! I mean, William Big Boy! We sure love you.

william dynamite

About a month ago, Will went through a phase where he would only wear his moon boots. He has shoe issues, so I didn't fight it too much. But, one day he went in the backyard and was playing tether ball in this outfit, and it just cracked me up how much he resembled Napoleon Dynamite. I didn't get the camera out fast enough to capture the tether ball moment, but here he is sporting his ensemble.

elsa lost her first tooth

She was very proud. This was back in April. (Sorry. I have some catching up to do.)

making people happy

This is long overdue, but in April when the flowers started blooming Elsa told me, "From now on, I'm going to pick flowers for people to make them happy." True to her commitment, I don't think a day has gone by that Elsa hasn't picked me some "flowers." She also enjoys leaving them on Ruth's doorstep next door. Over Easter, Brandon took the kids hiking up Rock Canyon with their cousins. They climbed up to a cave and discovered that someone was living there. The cave-dweller had stepped out for the moment, thankfully. But, Elsa decided that she needed to leave the flowers she had picked for whoever lived there.




This week, Elsa decided she wanted to give me a surprise party. She spent an afternoon taping streamers to the walls and hauling balloons into the living room. Then she decided she needed to make me a cake. So I let her do most of the work to make an angel food cake. While I was at meetings tonight, Henry and Elsa made some blue whipped cream to put on the the cake with the strawberries. And Elsa made me go out of the living room and not come back until she counted one, two, three. The kids all yelled surprise and then Elsa gave me numerous hugs and kisses because, "Lots and lots of love is your present. And, the biggest hug and kiss ever." She really does make me very very happy.

freezer paper fun

So, I had a little fun with freezer paper about a month ago, and this was the result. I have plans to do a lot more, but other projects are a little more pressing right now. I let the kids choose what to put on them, and now they would wear these shirts every day if I let them. Here are some pictures of the threesome modeling their new duds. I tried to take some of them smiling and then I gave up and told them to act tough. Those kids crack me up. (Note Elsa's lovely black eye from flipping off the teeter-totter.)