Lazy days of summer

It has been a nice, relaxing summer so I have no excuse for not keeping up on the blogging. I hope my kids aren't disappointed that we didn't do anything "big" this summer. But there are the little moments I wouldn't trade for anything:

*Trip to Seattle with my mom and the kiddos to visit Aunt Brenda

*Watching Dallin and Emily play together


*playing with friends at the park while Bryce just chills out.



*Dallin reading his first book out loud (a Pokemon book that I didn't want to buy him in the first place!)
*Dallin reading to his sister

*Bryce smiling and giggling




*Emily stripping off her clothes to put on any princess "pretty dress"
*Emily buying a porcelain Cinderella for $1 at a garage sale and not going anywhere without her. (Poor doll was literally loved to death.)

*Many hours singing princess songs
*Many hours doing "math" with Dallin
*Many hours building paper airplanes
*Flying airplanes at the park
*Pulling weeds to help Dallin earn money for his big bike
*Hanging out with my wonderful neighbors in the front yard, in the back yard, wherever


*Going on the boat- always a fun time!


*Dallin's first outdoor soccer practice- he was so excited when he learned a new way to kick the ball in the goal!

*Swimming at the Y with dad

*Dallin trying to come up with any way he can to make money!

We still have many more memories to make and these are just some of our favorites. I will try to post more often, but for now just know I am soaking in these moments with my wonderful children, family and friends!

I've been busy...

...just enjoying this sweet face! Can you blame me?! I really have been trying to take life a little slower and savor each moment. This is not an easy thing for me, and I am not always successful, but I think I have been doing alright. Having 3 kids is not easy for me. I was always late before, now I am just later. :-) I have been trying to do fun things, but maybe not as often. Here are some of our favorite moments:



4th of July- We live in a wonderful neighborhood and our favorite holiday is 4th of July. We have not always been able to participate in this big party due to Lake Powell trips or other plans, so I was looking forward to this one. We all rented one of those huge slides which was a big hit. We had a water balloon launcher and a great potluck barbeque. Suzie and her family even joined us! Lots of fun!! I think the dads enjoy the fireworks show more than the kids!






Camping Trip with friends- Last week we went on a camping trip. I was a little nervous to take a 7 week old, but I decided to give it a try! We planned this trip last year, but then one of the moms was very pregnant sick and I was overscheduled (big shocker) so we cancelled it. I am so glad it worked out this year. We had a fun time boating, roasting marshmellows, swimming, and just relaxing. The baby was great, it was my 2 year old screaming in the middle of the night! Other than that, we had a wonderful time. The kids got along really well, and we even got a late night game of Settlers in!

I have also just been enjoying playing with my kids. We have gone to the free movies, had friends over for fun in the sun, been to Oaks Park with Suzie and the gang, and we also went to Chuck E. Cheese. It is amazing how fast Dallin can blow through tokens playing ski ball!! Lots of fun!!




I love seeing their different personalities emerge. Emily still loves anything princess. (This is actually a 3/6 month onesie she found when I was going through clothes!)


Dallin still loves X box monkey ball and reading books with me. Here is one of his quiet time projects. Can you see his obsession with money?

Bryce is getting cuter and cuter. He is smiling more often, and started really cooing last week. He is still just a pretty happy baby, just don't make him mad. I am so grateful for my baby bjorn. I don't think I could get anything done without it! I will post more about him tomorrow on his 2 month birthday. :-)

The last thing that I have been doing is I am definitely back to running. It is still hard for me, but I love it! Please visit my other blog (Marathon Mommies) and meet these other amazing moms. And if anyone would like to post on that site just let me know!

You know you need a new post when...

...you realize your last post was all about breastfeeding. :-) Sorry about that. Anyway, here is an update of the fun things my new "freedom" has allowed me to do.

1. Go to the park for many hours with good friends. (Does this surprise you?)



We also played a lot in our own front yard. I love that I feel comfortable letting Dallin just ride his bike with the neighbor kids. We live on a great street with many kids. It is so much fun, especially in the summer.

2. Chase a balloon festival with Suzie's daughter Wavy Gravy.



We bought passes to the balloon festival. On Saturday morning at 6am we woke up all the kids and went to see the balloons take off. We were disappointed when the weather kept this from happening. We had an all you can eat pancake breakfast and walked around an empty field. We decided to try again that night for the night glow. Still kind of a disappointment but we had fun listening to "Elvis." Sunday morning at 6am, Dallin, Wavy Gravy and I tried one more time to see the balloons launch, and again they were sidelined by the weather. We were lucky enough to ride in a tethered balloon and it was still cool to see all the balloons. The kids were great sports. I am glad Wavy Gravy could come with us. I have always felt a special kinship with her.

3. Spend time with my sweet, fun daughter Emily.



Dallin was in soccer camp this week at the YMCA, so while he was playing with his 2 good buddies,


Emily and I had some fun. We played at open gym time, went to see Clifford at the free movies, and just played with her friends. I love spending time with just her and enjoying her craziness. She loves to dress herself up(as you can tell) and she is still so sweet with Bryce.


4. Hang out with my cool sister Crystal and her boyfriend Tony while they came to visit for the weekend.




I love when Crystal comes to visit. We always have a fun time together. She is such a great aunt and the kids are always excited to see her. I am glad she was able to meet Bryce. We took the boat out which was a lot of fun. I was a little nervous to see how Bryce would like the life jacket, but he did really well, sleeping most of the time. I guess he has no choice in our boat loving family! We also went to a baseball game and rode the train downtown. It was the happiest I have seen Bryce and he was smiling a lot while Crystal was holding him. Unfortunately we didn't have a camera, so I have still not been able to catch a "real" smile. I will keep trying, I promise! We had a great time playing Settlers(a lot! Thanks guys, I will win sometime) and just relaxing. It was a perfect weekend. We even had visitors today, good friends from home and BYU. Then Suzie and her family came over for games and dessert. Whew! We feel lucky to have such amazing family and friends. Thank you!!



We were also able to have a wonderful Father's Day. I love when we have a chance to honor Jeff. I really do feel truly blessed to have a husband who is not only my best friend, but a great father. The kids love their dad! (Isn't Bryce's outfit adorable?! It was sent to us by my good friend, Angi, who just had a sweet baby girl. (Angi, start a blog so I can see more pics of your cute family!)

The kids picked out a present they could play with their dad. Dallin wanted to buy another video game, but I nixed that idea! So, they picked out rockets. They love playing with their dad.

I also feel grateful to have a great father. Bryce is named after him (middle name) and I can't think of anyone I would rather him strive to be like. He is kind, generous, thoughtful, strong and faithful. He taught me to love and serve everyone. He is my personal cheerleader and I never feel prouder than when I am able to share an accomplishment with him. I love you dad!!

Bryce is a month old and I can't believe how fast it has gone. I hope I am doing a good job and making sure all my kids feel loved. I am glad that we don't have school right now so we can all be together. I love reading books with the kids and watching them learn. Babies are such a miracle, and especially my little Bryce. What a blessing he has been to our family.

Let Freedom Ring...

No, I am not being patriotic, (I will post about that later, I promise), I am talking about the beauty of a bottle fed baby. All three of my babies have been pretty good nursers, and I expected to someday figure out how to nurse in public, but it is just not happening for me. I just don't have the ability to be discreet. First of all, I have never understood how some women can "hook up" the babies without looking. So, I look like a big dork as I put my head under the blanket to try and get the baby to eat. Meanwhile, I am sure part of me is hanging out that no one needs/wants to see. Then, there is always the problem of the baby falling asleep on the job and your milk continuing to accumulate. Oh, the joys of nursing.
So, for Bryce, I am determined to get the pump'n go skillz down. The first time I tried a bottle I nearly drowned my poor baby. So, Suzie gave us some bottles that have slower nipples and voila, we have a happy baby that can be fed on the go. The kids are also very willing to help.



Today was very relaxing. It started off with a nice run with my favorite marathon mommy, and then I spent the morning cleaning and dejunking. Then I went to a little party with said marathon mommy and her darling 8 year old. We then had a cleaning party at home and we all took naps. Our night ended with an exciting family trip to Costco and Target. I love days like this that don't feel crazy. Remind me of this please.