Utter.Destruction.

What do you get when you take 2 twenty-something year-old men, give them hammers, crowbars, and send them to work on an ancient porch?











This is the view out of our backdoor. Watch your step...

Here's a little of what's been going on in our lives lately:

Kamden had another Snack Pack and fell asleep while eating it:

If you read about Ethan and his 'Dam Shirt'-we have now officially changed from saying "We're going to the Dam" to "We're going to the Lake". It's kind of a neccessity when your 3 year-old is demanding some "Dam Sunscreen". Which is exactly what he did when Callie and I took the kids to 'The Lake' last week.

I took the boys to Uncle Brian and Aunt Sierra's house to swim today. Thanks for swimming with us, Uncle Brian! I also took the boys to play at a park and there were so many slides I don't think the boys even went down all of them.


Watching and waiting as the fruit on our fruit trees grow. Each day Ethan asks if the fruit is ready yet and he even brought in a tiny green pear and kept it in the fridge for several days, telling us it was 'getting ready' and he'd keep seeing how cold it was getting.









Kamden took a shower and, yes, that is my bathroom rug.

A Great Friend, A Good Idea, And A Ten Dollar Window

I was driving to Albertsons two weeks ago when I passed a yardsale that had old windows lined up against the fence. Remembering Callie's window project, I stopped and bought one. Yesterday Callie and I got together and worked on our windows and here are some pictures of mine. I finished it today and am really happy with how it turned out. Thanks Callie for the great idea!


I think I might Mod Podge the pictures to the glass but has anyone done that? I'm wondering if it works ok with pictures and I'm not sure I want to do something that permanant so I might just end up using tape unless anyone has any ideas?

Snack Pack

Today for a snack the boys had pudding. Kamden chose Butterscotch and Ethan picked Chocolate. Ethan didn't want to finish his so he decided to be a good brother and shared with Kamden. Kamden thought it was hilarious to put the spoon in his mouth and let go of it, holding it out. He also liked squishing the pudding in his hands and smearing it across the tray. And as if he hadn't made a big enough mess, he threw the pudding cups across the dining room for the finishing touch.
The joys of raising boys!

Oh, How They Grow

Yesterday the boys and I went and checked out the garden to see what kind of progress it was making. Since we planted it we have only weeded it once so I wasn't sure what to expect. (I've been busy raising kids and haven't put much effort into raising the vegetables!) Luckily, despite the jungle of weeds, there are still fruits and vegetables growing and we'll have a nice harvest from our little garden. Ethan was excited to see the tiny green tomatoes and the pumpkin plant that has taken over the garden. He was amazed that the corn is taller than he is and can't wait to eat the watermelon.
I've never been terribly talented when it comes to growing anything or keeping plants alive but I guess the seeds know what to do, even if they depend on rainwater to keep them growing because someone forgets to water them. I also can't believe how my boys have grown, though I hopefully do a better job of nurturing them than I did the garden!

Another Trip To The Zoo

You know you've been to the zoo too many times when you can recall the average life span of Panamanian golden frogs. This was our third trip to the zoo this month but the boys always enjoy going and love to see the animals. After the zoo we stopped at a park and cooled off in the water fountain.

My sister Kristen and her four kids are visiting us this week so we all got together at the dam last night for a BBQ. All day Ethan asked when Kristen was going to get there and he dug through the laundry to find his 'Dam shirt' because we went there last week with Callie and he wanted to wear the same shirt as he did that time. Kristen said we should start calling the dam the lake instead so it doesn't sound like Ethan is cursing.
The week will be filled with lots of fun and family time, we'll keep you posted!

Weekend Recap

This weekend we went camping with my parents, two of my brothers, one of Jeff's brothers, a sister-in-law, and several friends. It was our first camping trip of the year and, no matter how much I prepare, I always underestimate how cold it can get in the mountains. The pajamas I packed weren't nearly warm enough and neither was my sleeping bag, it felt like I laid awake all night just waiting for the morning to come! Morning wasn't much warmer and there was frost covering the camping chairs we'd left around the fire, but it didn't take too long to warm up.
After breakfast we packed up camp before driving to where we like to go rafting. Nine of us went in the raft and Ryan took his kyak, I floated through a few of the rapids in my lifejacket along with Jeff and Erin, Brian and Sierra, and Jeff. The water was a little more choppy than I thought it would be but we all made it out. Though I'm not sure how fond of the experience some of the others were.
We got home and unpacked, started laundry, and got ready for Cruise Night-one of the yearly highlights here. The park is filled with classic cars during the day and in the evening they all cruise up and down the street while 50's music plays at the drive-in.
Tonight we're going to a barbeque to visit with my great aunt and uncle who are visiting from California.

Just Relaxing...

Elisa had fun finding rocks...

Brody and Ethan found some old cans and bottles, I'm not sure who had more fun playing in the dirt!

Pictures from the window while driving home...













Throwing rocks in the creek...

Going Camping!

We're off on our first camping trip of the year with family and friends. Ethan has been asking since Monday if it was 'camping day' yet, we're all looking forward to a fun and relaxing weekend!

I'm so thankful for good friends. Today has already been 'one of those days' and I've spent the morning arguing with Ethan about wetting his pants. He's been potty trained for a year now and he's started having accidents again, I think he just gets so busy playing that he forgets to go so if anyone has any advice or suggestions, please pass them along!
Anyway-even though the morning has been hectic and frustrating my day was brightened by a surprise from Callie-my favorite salad from Costa Vida!
I also got a package of vinyl from Shannon and I'm excited to finish the project I'm working on for Ethan's room. So today (and everyday) I'm greatful for wonderful friends!

A Day At The Dam

We spent the afternoon at the reservoir with Callie and Elisa. The boys were so content to play in the sand and water, Callie and I were able to sit and acutally have a conversation! We're going to make it a weekly trip.

Things He Says

Sometimes Ethan says the funniest things, here are a few I wanted to share:

Last year we took the boys to the zoo and there are pictures on the fridge of our trip. Ethan wore a pair of shoes that had a basketball and football on the side of them and he was looking at the pictures. Here is our conversation...
Ethan: Mom, where are my basketball shoes?
Me: I had to put them away in a box.
Ethan: Why?
Me: Because they're too small for you now, they don't fit your feet anymore.
Ethan: Why?
Me: Because your feet grew.
Ethan: Why?
Me: Because your feet grow, just like the rest of your body.
Then he stood there and thought about it for awhile as he looked at the picture. With a shrug of his shoulders he said:
That's dumb.
And then he walked off.

One day Ethan told me I needed to get up and play football. I tried to talk him out of the idea by telling him I didn't know how to play football so he tried to explain to me what happened in the game by saying:
"Boys get girls down."

Sometimes we sing the "Popcorn Popping" song while we drive in the car and when we get to the part about the popcorn popping Ethan holds his hands up to his eyes like he's looking far away and then he gets really excited when he says "I see the popcorn popping, mom!"

Ethan likes to help clean and we had just finished the upstairs bathroom. He tried to pick up 3 different bottles of cleaner and then said "How about you take two and I'll take one?" I told him that sounded like a good idea so we proceeded to pick up the bottles to take them downstairs. Then Ethan continued the conversation by telling me he "didn't have enough arms because he needed more arms". So I asked him where he was going to get more arms and he told me "I'll die and go to Jesus."
I asked him "And then you'll come back with more arms?"
He replied, "Yea." like it was a dumb thing for me to even ask.

I was fixing my hair one morning and Ethan came in and told me I needed to get out, quick. When I asked why, he said it was because he needed to poop and it was going to stink so bad that I might die.

One evening we drove up to the dam because Ethan likes to watch the water go over it and while we were in the car he told Jeff and I to look. When we looked back, Ethan was showing us the hair on his arms and then he told us:
"Someday I'll get big and have hair on my legs and in my armpits."

Last week Ethan came downstairs after 'quiet time' and told me that there were a bunch of scary fish in his room. I asked him where they came from and he told me that he got them out in the yard and that we were going to eat them the next time we went to grandma and grandpa's house.

Today Ethan lost my tiny sewing scissors and, after asking him to find them several times, I asked him where they went. He replied, "They went to Mexico."
I told him they couldn't have gotten very far and they had to be around here somewhere so he told me they were "Still in Mexico."

When Jeff pulls in the driveway after work Ethan gets really excited and says to me "Mom, your Honey is home!"

I'm so thankful for the laughter Ethan brings to our home and the smiles he puts on my face throughout the day!

Weekend Recap

"A day spent with friends is a day well spent."
On Friday I had the opportunity to go to our Stake Girls Camp and it was a great experience to be able to spend the day with all of those young women. I attended rotation classes with them, ate too much candy, and almost stepped on a snake. My favorite part was being able to listen to them sing and attending the Beehive activity that evening. I spent an hour and a half with about sixty 12 and 13 year-old girls and also learned how to throw a rock in a sling like the one David used to slay Goliath.
That night Tyler, Jolynne, Braxton, and Addison came and stayed with us. Ethan was in heaven having his cousins here for the weekend and is sleeping right now because he hasn't had a nap since Wednesday and played, and pLaYeD, and PLAYED. We took the kids to the zoo Saturday morning before attending Lauren's baptism and a dinner afterward. When we told Ethan that Lauren was getting baptized he got upset because he said he was getting baptized first.

Sunday morning we went to church with Wade and Lauren and spent the afternoon with Jeff's family before they left town. That evening we went to my parents' house to celebrate my dad's birthday. It was a nearly sleepless weekend and my neck and shoulders are sunburned, but we had so much fun with family and friends.

HaPpY BiRtHdAy DaD!

Happy 4th of July!

We started off our day with a trip to the Zoo and a picnic lunch. The first animal we saw was a Snow Leopard and Kamden stood right up against the glass watching it. When the leopard noticed Kamden, it went straight toward him and jumped up right next to where he was standing. Even thought I knew the glass was there, it still freaked me out knowing that a wild animal thought my little boy could possibly be his dinner!
Ethan had a great time helping Kamden see all of the animals but he was most concerned about the animals that were alone because he wanted to know where their family was. I wasn't quite sure how to answer that so I told him their family must be in another zoo. He said that they were probably just inside sleeping and we couldn't see them right then.

We walked through a Rose Garden at the park next to the zoo before getting our car. We drove to another park that was closer to where the fireworks would be set off later that night and found a parking space.











We watched the boys run around the playground for awhile and then we waded in the river to cool off before walking to the parade route.

The parade was pretty good and the boys enjoyed it, Kamden fell asleep in the stroller while we were walking there but he woke up just before it started. They each got a little flag and waved them around pretty much the entire time and waved at every float that passed. We walked to The Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner where Kamden got as much or more spaghetti on the table as he did in his mouth. Then it was back to the park where we met Wade, Lauren, and Luis to watch the fireworks. Ethan really liked the fireworks and after it was over he kept asking to see more. Kamden, on the other hand, was really scared and cried during the begining. I held him while covering his ears and he clung to me with his death-grip. Pretty soon he was enjoying himself and clapping as they went off.

It was a fun day and really nice to spend time together as a family, I think the best part was just watching the boys have so much fun. I hope everyone had a happy and safe Fourth!