After the 4th

After the weekend with Chris' family, Chris flew home Monday morning to work for the week while the kids and I stayed in Utah to spend time with my family. We had fun with Grandpa and Grandma--going on a picnic and tubing down a little creek at the park on Monday, then going to the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point on Tuesday with lots of cousins. We loved our time with friends and cousins all week long--lots of fun play time! My kids were in heaven. I also took the kids to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house which was so great. Chris flew back to SLC on Friday night, and we drove all the way home on Saturday. It was a long day of driving, but the kids did well, and we were grateful for our time with family. I took hardly any pictures, but here are a few with some of the cousins.

Annie and Kara, still in their dance clothes from the little ballet "class" I had with them

Jacob and Josh, talking Star Wars or Legos most likely

Our little monkey, Seth
Annie and Kara

The 4th

Last time I posted, we were enjoying our little baby birds. Well we've been doing a little more than birdwatching this past month. It has been super busy but LOTS of fun. We left for Utah on July 2nd and arrived in Enoch around midnight to stay the night with my sister's family before heading all the way up to Utah County on Friday the 3rd. We enjoyed our short time with them and are grateful that Hotel Brown always has a room for us. Friday we drove to Provo, and after a couple of errands there and a quick stop at the Provo Bakery, we headed to Lehi where we had a vacation rental for the weekend. We had a great weekend just relaxing with three of Chris' brothers and their families who also stayed there with us. We didn't take many pictures because we were just enjoying our time together. Wish we were able to get together more often!

On Saturday the 4th we got up early to get to Provo for the Freedom Run that Chris and his brother Mike ran. Way to go guys! The kids and I had a great time cheering them on, despite the chilly and early morning. We loved seeing the hot air balloons also! I love Provo on the 4th!

Here's Blake just taking it easy

Special thanks to Annie for the photography--unfortunately the battery died just as she was getting the hang of it.


Love the balloons!

Thanks Mike & Liz, Bob & Kristin, and Mark for a great weekend!

Birdwatching

I've been distracted the past several days by these cute baby birds on our porch. Really distracted! We first noticed the nest a few weeks ago and watched the mother bird come and go quite a bit. We couldn't see any eggs in the nest because of it's location, but last week we were surprised by four new fluffy little gray baby birds. I've never seen new baby birds before, and I just couldn't get enough of them. They are so fascinating!

As shown in the pictures above, we can see the nest through our front door windows. Every time I walk by our front door (about a million times a day), I simply can't resist peeking through the window to check on the birds. If we open the door to get a better look, the mother bird flies away, and the babies duck down and hide. A few times we actually watched the mother feed them as they turned their beaks to the sky, opened wide and chirping for food. I kept thinking of my four little ones when they get hungry--one mom trying to feed these hungry and demanding kids--I can never be fast enough for them! One time the mother didn't have any food, and the begging babies just eventually quieted down.

We've spent a lot of time in our entryway the past few days watching this little bird family. It's ridiculous how obsessed and how attached I've become to them. My kids too. Some days I would pull up a chair and just watch them. Not that I didn't have anything better to do--I've had endless to-do lists, but I find myself just putting everything on hold to watch my little birds. I don't want to miss anything!

After just a few days the little birds were growing so quickly. The nest was getting crowded (I can relate to that as well), and yesterday they were trying out their wings but hadn't left the nest yet. We could tell they were getting really close though.

This morning I was so disappointed to wake up not four, but just one baby bird left in the nest. I was hoping to witness them flying off, but we missed it! So all day today there has been one lonely baby left. Or maybe I am lonely for it. I think this one hatched later than the others and is just a bit behind. I was missing the sweet little bird family all day long and feeling so sad for that last baby bird. I didn't even see the mother bird come back at all today. Is it an orphan now? Did I mention how ridiculously attached I've become to this family of birds? I don't even know what kind of birds they are--sparrows maybe?

This has been such a fun experience for our family and although a simple thing, I'm sure it will be one of the highlights of our summer!

Blake at 8

"Hi there! I'm 8 months old now. Aren't I a cutie? That's what everyone tells me, but I'm trying not to let it go to my head.

"My daddy styled my hair today. What do you think, does it work for me? I learned how to crawl, and I really like to climb up and over anything in my path. I am a smiley kid, but a little stingy with my laughs. If you tickle me, I might give you a little giggle. I love my fruit and veggies and Cheerios. I especially like eating Cheerios that I find while crawling through the house. One time I tried saving some Cheerios in my pocket, but my mommy found them and took them out. Can't get anything by her! I don't have any teeth yet, but I'm working on it. I am really good at wiggling and squirming, especially if you try to change my diaper or get me dressed. I can even say 'Dad' and "Dada," but I'm not sure what that means. My brothers and sister like to carry me around the house and hold me. My brother calls me Super Baby and flies me through the house. I hope I make it to my first birthday. I just spit up all over my Daddy (and right into his mouth, hee, hee). Smushed up garden vegetables, bananas with apples and strawberries, and chewed up Cheerios. I guess I ate a little too much. Spitting up is one of my talents--I've been practicing for a long time now. I don't think my daddy liked that, but I know he'll forgive me. Look at this face--can't stay mad at me too long!

"Life is pretty good!"

Mac 'n Cheese

While I was trying to decide what to make for dinner the other night, Annie didn't hesitate to let me know what she wanted . . . .

"My tummy needs macaroni and cheese."

I tried talking her out of it.

"Jesus wants me to have macaroni and cheese."

How do you argue with that?