trying to Beat the Heat

it's HOT here! and i am not complaining. we go swimming at grandma and grandpa's pool once, if not twice a day. we wait as long as we possibly can to head over to their house in the morning. that means we are usually there between 9:30 and 10 :) so to pass the time in the mornings, here are a couple of the kiddlets activities of choice:

TEA PARTIES

ellie pulls out a box of diapers, covers it with a blanket (sometimes several) and then sets up dishes from their play kitchen. they both really enjoy this activity.

SUPER HEROS

ok, these pictures do not in any way depict their super hero abilities, or picture taking abilities for that matter. but they both enjoy wearing one of jack's super hero shirts and running around the house yelling "save the day!" repeatedly. this picture of jack made me laugh pretty hard!

i guess all heros have to eat lunch

i LOVE that they play together now... not that they dont fight regularly still, but its fun to watch when they can play together!

ICE CREAM

ok, we dont get ice cream every morning to pass the time, but it has been something we've done for the past few family home evening activities. we really enjoy this little ice cream shop on old 41 (hence the bars across the windows) called "for heaven shakes", isnt that such a clever name haha. i love it!

why cant kids pass up superman ice cream? does it really look THAT good?

check out the determination on that kids face! holy cow!

this week has been finals week for chris. i used to really hate taking finals when i was in school. but now i realize it was nothing compared to being at home with two little people who want to spend time with daddy. i think i might actually enjoy being the one to take the finals! ok not really, but we are all VERY excited to have chris home for a week!!!

while i was gone

i missed these guys.

especially this one

its great to be back!

the kids were golden brown when i got home. they had so much fun with grandma janie here! they went on the boat, went miniature golfing, played games, swam, and jack went on a special date with grandma to the movies to see "oceans". the kids each received new books and they keep telling me knew things that they did with grandma.

and i thought i had fun!

thank you grandma janie! we love you! i know a lot of people claim that they have the best in-laws, but i really do have the best!

jack loves reaching over the sea wall and finding snails. grandma linda told jack about pets the other week. she mentioned that the owner of the pet is called his master. jack loved that idea and now keeps anything and calls it his pet. (he even had a marble that he called his pet and kept in an empty 2 liter bottle and said he was the "marble master") so when we are playing in the sand, he catches the snails and puts them in a container until he has 15-20 of them. then he either throws them back in the water or has races. jack is the snail master. i like little boys.

i wish this picture was a close-up. ellies cheeks are just too cute!

some how she always ends up snuggling with grandma when she is soaking wet. and grandma doesnt mind... even when she jumps on her lap without a towel.

what happens in vegas....

i went to las vegas this past weekend!

thats right.... 4 whole days by myself... no kids... talk about a great mother's day gift! (thank you thank you thank you to janie and chris!!!)

all the shopping and slot machines a mom could ever hope for!

alright, there wasnt any

shopping or gambling going on.

i went to vegas for this special lady:

isnt she gorgeous!!!!

carrie miller is no longer carrie miller...

she's mrs. carrie SMITH!!!!!

carrie and i met our first semester at byu-i, which was the summer of 2003. we were instantly buddies and have been the best of friends since. she and chris have become very good friends too, which makes me extremely happy! she was at our wedding in 2004, and we went to the temple with her before her mission to brazil in 2006. she has been to florida twice since being back from her mission and my kids LOVE "tarrie miller". i couldnt be happier for her and she picked herself an amazing guy! it was great getting to know cameron. he takes care of carrie and that makes me smile.

it was so much fun being able to spend a few days with CARRIE, her husband (i just like to say that!) cameron, and KERSEY too!

words cannot express how much i love this little gentleman.

elliott stole my heart for the weekend. by the way, i need that back elliott.

i could just eat up those sweet chunky cheeks!

we spent a few (HAHA) hours working on the reception set-up. i wish my pictures could have done it justice. it was stunning! we put in a ceiling of tulle, lights, and lanterns. oh, and see those pretty chair covers? kerz and i tied all 80 of them, then had to take them off and put them on 80 different chairs... because they were padded... thanks cameron :)

my favorite part of the reception was meeting carrie's friend andrew. i have heard stories about andrew since i met carrie and have always wanted to meet him. carrie babysat andrew, who has down syndrome, for several years growing up. he is quite the character! he truly loves carrie and im sure he will come to love cameron just as much.... as long as he can stop referring to them as beauty and the beast!

amazingly, we gals were able to spend a lot of time together! there was quite a bit of late night chats, eating out at restaurants, and a TON of laughing!

i am so glad that i was able to spend time with carrie and kersey. they fill me up with so much happiness. what amazing friends they have always been to me. i love them as much as sisters. i truly believe that one of the greatest blessings that can come from the church are the friends you meet. i am so happy for carrie to have been married in the temple to someone as amazing as cameron! congratulations guys!!! and have fun in san diego this week!

i miss...

i miss the springtime out west. especially provo. when the air is filled with the scent of honeysuckle and its the perfect temperature for long walks. mmmm, i loved those days.

i was just looking through our photos from way back when and saw these from when jack was just a tater tot and it brought back a flood of memories. you know the kind of memories that when you close your eyes, you can smell the smells and hear the sounds? yeah, they were memories like that. oh, and of course, no season in provo would be complete with out the tastes of jdawgs in my memories as well!

one of the best parts of a springtime walk is a nap. WOW thats a full diaper! i promise i dont let my children's diapers get that full. oops, i had my fingers crossed :)

why?

why is it so easy to waste your time when you should be doing something more important... like sleeping, for example? i watched a bunch of christopher walken's snl skits tonight while chris worked on a paper. not the smartest thing i could be doing, but i enjoyed it immensely!

speaking of "why"-

it has begun. "why" is now jack's favorite word. the first couple times i thought it was cute to see him so curious... not so much anymore...

i just keep telling myself "it's a phase, just answer it" over and over and over and over :)