Summer is Here

Nothing says summer like a slip 'n slide. It's feels like the 4th of July marked the beginning of summer....it took awhile to get here, but now it's officially HOT!
Take no prisoners
Spencer's favorite cousin. Could this girl get any cuter?
Mataya is 4 weeks old and already sporting the double chin.....love it!
We had a dutch oven cook-off. Madison loves to dutch oven and she was willing to help out. It was really good food.
When we asked Spencer who he thought won the dutch oven cook-off his only response was this: "There was dutch oven food? I wouldn't know because I ate 9 otter pops for dinner!"

Mom and Dad

Two beautiful ladies!

This is my incredibly amazing mother. She came and stayed with us recently and it was a real treat. She came up the day before Mataya was born and was able to be with us for a whole week. It was so comforting to know that Grandma was taking care of the boys while I was in the hospital. She cooked, cleaned, and took care of us, it was sooooo nice. Cory remarked how clean the kitchen was when she was here. He then said, "This is nice we might need to hire a maid." I said, "I'm okay with that."

So today is my parents 37th wedding anniversary.....pretty awesome! My parents are the most amazing people that I know. They have taught me so much about living the gospel and putting family first. Having my mom stay with us reminded me how much she LOVES being a mom (and grandma). She is so kind and compassionate and has taught me what it means to be a great mom.

Mom, I love you so much! Thanks for everything you have taught me in my life and thanks for always being there when I need your help and advice.

And Dad, you are pretty great too:-) I've always thought you were the coolest and most fun dad. Thanks for your example of hard work it has helped me throughout my life.

Happy Anniversary....you're the best!

Parker's observation

When Cory got home from work last night he turned on the news to many stories and images of Michael Jackson. Parker walked in the room and the conversation went something like this:

Parker - "Who's that Mom?"

Me - "It's Michael Jackson, he's a famous person and he died today."

Parker - "Oh.....she looks like a vampire is she a vampire?"

Me - "Uh...wow...I did not see that coming. No, bud, it's a he and he's not a vampire as far as I know."

Fun in the Sun

Recently, my sister and her family moved from Salt Lake to South Ogden....yeah! We love having our cousins so close. We went and visited them at their house and then we went to this park and splash pad that was only a few blocks away. Parker had no problem running out there like a maniac getting wet and having fun. Spencer, on the other hand, was a little more cautious and had to watch all the kids for a bit before he decided to join in. Waiting for the water to dump on his head........
Lexi was joining in on the water fun (with the help of her mom).
Thankfully G.G. came and held Mataya most of the time and hung out in the shade. That made it possible for me to be with the boys, thanks Grandma! She slept the whole time, which is nice for now. We just pack her up with us and she doesn't seem to mind a bit. She woke up once for a diaper change and to eat.
Spencer was my little shadow the whole time we were there. He got a little wet....not my his choice a little girl totally sprayed him and that ended his efforts in the water area.
It's days like this that remind me how great it is to be a mom. I love being a stay-at-home mom as well because I always get to be with my kids and do fun stuff. It's a lot of work to go places (and even more so with 3 kids:-), but it's always worth the effort of seeing them have fun.

All dressed up and no place to go

I was so excited for Sunday because we were all going to go to church together....finally! We went to Mataya's 2 week doctor appointment and he told us to stay away from church, family reunions, and try to limit taking her to the store. He told us he sees 2 patients a day with the Swine Flu! Great! What ever happened to, "Oh I had a baby in the summer, no worries about illness and germs."? He told us to treat the summer like you would the winter with hand washing and limiting exposure where possible. So IF we had gone to church today this is what she would have worn.

Parker playing T-ball

Parker started t-ball and he is really excited about it. This was taken after he got home from his first practice. He was most excited about his hat. They practice in the tennis courts. I don't think they will play an actual game until the end, but so far they are just working on the fundamentals. So parents have to be with their child to help at each station where they practice batting, catching, and running the bases. Me, Mataya, and Spencer made it to a practice to watch. Parker is really good....he likes this a lot better than soccer!

Goodbye Old Friend

It was 2 weeks ago today that I last drank a diet coke. I decided once I had Mataya that I should try to stop drinking soda and so far so good. It's been a little tough with the headaches and crankiness, but I think I'm past all of that now. It did become a bit of an addiction when I was pregnant.....so I decided I better slow the pace for the baby's sake. I think it would be great to never drink it again. Whenever I give the boys a bath Spencer likes to fill a cup with water and tell me it's his diet coke. That's not good! So for now I'm on the wagon.....hope it stays that way.