In.His.

Defense.

He is 2.

And can proudly join the ranks of other 2 year olds past, present, and future...

Who use their considerable charm to weasel their way out of "flour footprint" messes...

And HE does have the adorable factor in HIS favor...

And HE DID lend his assistance in the clean-up efforts.

Remote Control Boats and Parks

We are back...home from a last minute Memorial Day weekend drive to the hottest place on the planet (well, almost). Actually, this time of year Nevada is quite pleasant. We spent a lot of time hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Jeff. We swam in the neighbor's swimming pool. My father-in-law claims the best of both worlds when it comes to this pool. He (and his family) can swim in it whenever, but he does not have to clean it. Emma and Nathan splashed to their hearts' content. We did a few other of our favorite things too. We ran remote control boats on a little lake. I soaked my feet in the lake every time one of the boats tipped over since I was the only one brave enough to wade into the mossy green water. We tried to feed the ducks, but they were reluctant to accept our popcorn and bread crumbs. We threw our crumbs in anyway. We played at a splash park and got dizzy on a merry-go-round.We ate some hot dogs and corn on the cob, watched some movies, read some books, went for walks to the park, played with "prizes" from grandma (she always has fun surprises for the kids), went garage sale shopping (Dave and his mom did anyway), and had a great time.

Impatience

I was genuinely excited to check on my garden today after being away for three days. I knew there would be weeds to pull, but mostly I couldn't wait to see which seeds had sprouted. I get giddy over sprouting seeds this time of year. For some reason my pumpkin patch was only green from weeds rather than the small green pumpkin leaves I expected. Suddenly I became impatient. Where are my seedlings? I knelt down and gently started brushing away dirt from my little pumpkin mounds. Still no plants, so I brushed harder. Soon I was down to the bottom of one mound and in frustration I wiped a little too hard, uprooting a small, but healthy little pumpkin sprout. I tried to replant it, but the tender roots probably won't survive my mishandling. I started thinking about life in general. I hope I'm not the only one that sometimes gets so impatient waiting for good things to happen that I "uproot" the start of something worthwhile. I vow to be more patient - to wait for good things and enjoy the anticipation of watching for the first "little sprout to stick it's head out of the dirt." It is always worthwhile.

A Tootie Tot and other Graduation Highlights

Emma did it - she graduated from Preschool!! She also sang "A Tootie Tot" with such cuteness that she made her momma proud.Graduation featured some singing, some nose picking and some solo speaking parts. Emma did a great job with her part. The whole graduation was very cute and quite delightful for those in attendance who love these little sweethearts.

Emma fully enjoyed her teachers, her friends and all the fun things she got to do this year, but we're on to bigger things now. She can't wait to ride the school bus and have recess!

Rain Walk

Quote from Emma: "I love it when the rain is hot." I do too! Sooo, we went for a walk, complete with puddle jumping, in the hot spring rain a couple days ago.

Shhh, Dont Tell

Shhhh, don't tell the picky eater in my house that there were pureed carrots in today's delicious CHEESY WORMS. Snack time was extra fun today. When the timer went off to tell us bake time was over I heard four little feet running....that's right running to get their snacks. One said "mmm, yummy worms" and the other one said "delish." Sadly, daddy won't get to eat any cheesy worms when he gets home because they were devoured.

Birthmother's Day

Today is Birthmother's Day. Every year on the day before Mother's Day we celebrate the love and sacrifice of birth mothers. In particular our family honors two beautiful young women on this day. We remember and honor our children's birth mothers. My heart is so full when I think of these two women. Each of them is amazing. They mean so much to us. I feel blessed to have them in our lives. Being a mother is my greatest joy on this earth and I am only able to be a mother because of these two women. I am so grateful that my children can always know that they are in our family because of the deep love that their birth mothers have for them. We love you so much J and C!!!

Two Years Ago on This Day

Two years ago today Dave and I witnessed the entrance of this perfect little son of our Heavenly Father into the world. While the birth of every child is a miracle, being able to be there for the birth of this one was more than miraculous for me. It was beautiful.












Now Nathan is a pancake eating, CARS movie loving, tantrum throwing, scooter riding, mommy and daddy helping, monkey face making, camouflage bandaide wearing, ball tossing, dishwasher starting, big sister teasing, full-fledge 2-YEAR OLD....and TODAY WE CELEBRATED. Happy Birthday, Nathan!