Father's Day Photo Shoot

Ike was a little freaked out by his first picture session, but we got one good one of him to give to Daddy. Nora was our little star, as always!

Father's Day

We were lucky enough to have my dad and mom and brother join us for Father's Day weekend. It was a very eventful three days: Dad and Logan tirelessly applied three coats of pink paint to Nora's bedroom - thank you!!! - meanwhile I locked my mom, the kids, myself and my purse out of our car at the mall and the guys were too absorbed in their painting to pick up their phones. I had to call my friend to drop by our house to get their attention. They didn't even hear the knocking or door bell so Tera volunteered to go on a special ops mission through our jungle of a backyard to wrap on their window - Thanks Tera!!!

We all went to see Toy Story 3 - just "ehh" compared to the others I thought - and then Logan opened his mission call with us and all the other sisters on speakerphone. He's headed to the Peru Arequipa mission - I'm so excited for him! And how cool that he'll actually be learning a useful language. Not that Dutch isn't cool and all... :)

Then on Sunday the guys had to undergo an ice cream taste test with Branden emerging as the clear??? winner.

And that was followed up by the customary Sunday snooze for some of us.

In Loving Memory of Kristie Lynn

Last week we drove out to Utah for the burial of my sister-in-law Kristie, Branden's brother's wife. She lost her two year battle with cancer the week before, leaving behind her a devoted husband and three beautiful children ages three to seven. I cried all the way through the service (poor Branden had to give a talk!) but at the end I had a great feeling of peace come over me as I knew Kristie was in a better place and the Lord would take care of her family for her. I'm so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the doctrine of eternal families that provides that peace!

And although the occasion was sad, it gave us the chance to have the family reunion we've been hoping for for a long time. Everyone on B's side was there and it was wonderful to see Nora immersed in a sea of cousins.

Immediately after a tasty lunch, most of us headed over to the new Payson swim park for some fun. Not quite your typical post-funeral activity, but hey...

We made the trip over the course of six days, only two and a half of which we were in Utah. We drove until 1 am Saturday night, hotelled in Vegas, drove most of Sunday getting in at around 2 pm. Burial was Monday, shopped Tuesday and had dinner with my grandparents and aunts and Uncles that evening and took off again for Vegas after dessert.

The second time through we stayed at Circus Circus and let Nora have some fun on the rides.

It was a quick trip with lots of driving, but on the whole Nora and Ike did great, with only a few meltdowns to mention.

And on a lighter note...

This is the first time Nora has really learned about death, and in the process of trying to understand it she has said some really morbid but funny things. For instance:

In trying to explain what we would do in Utah, I told her that Aunt Kristie's spirit was in heaven but her body would be in a box. In Utah we would get to see her box and then it would be lowered in a hole in the ground and be covered up with dirt. At this point, in a very excited voice, Nora says "I need to get a shovel!"

Also, Nora is -alas- a frequent nose picker, and dare I say it -booger eater. We try to get her to stop by telling her that picking her nose will make her sick. So...one day as I was watching a little collage of photos of my late sister-in-law put together by her hubby, Nora hops in my lap and I point out her aunt Kristie.

"The one who died?"she says.

"Yep."

"Why did she die?"

"Her body got very sick."

She looks at me with a very serious expression. "Did she pick her nose?"

And then of course there have been the "burying" games where she wants to put her dolls in boxes and "bury" them in our big old-fashioned trunks.

I hope no one dies again anytime soon. I think my little girl needs some time to digest the death concept better. :)

Trouble's Brewing

I turn my back on Nora for one second and...

Ike will hate me later for posting these pictures, I'm sure. :) These kids are going to be trouble together. I can already tell. I see it in Ike's eyes - he just can't wait to start getting into mischief with Nora. The good news about that is that I'm also sure they will be great friends. Ike already thinks Nora is hilarious and vice versa. They have giggle fests together - like in the tub splashing water on each other (okay, Ike just kicks his feet and it ends up splashing her, but she thinks he's trying to have a water fight) or when she picks him up and does log rolls with him. Yikes! He can't get enough of his crazy, fun big sister. And I can only imagine the kinds of trouble they'll find once he is mobile!

Sewing Success!

I got some really cute fabric for Nora a month ago and have just been looking at it for weeks wondering what to do with it. I am not a skilled seamstress so I knew it would have to be simple. I found this peasant's blouse pattern and direction online and it actually turned out pretty well! It only took me about an hour and a half (would have been less if it weren't for having to undo mistakes!) but now she's got a great little summer shirt to play in. I think with my half-off coupon at Jo-Ann's the whole shirt cost came to about $5. Yay! I have another piece of pink flower fabric and I think I'll use this same pattern but extend it into a dress. Wish me luck! :)

Morro Bay for Memorial Day

We joined some friends for a weekend on the coast. We camped just a few bushes away from the beach at Morro Strand State Beach. Nora was in heaven running around with other girls and playing in the sand. B and I were sick with a nasty cold for the first day and a half that kept us from enjoying ourselves. But after that we felt much better and were finally glad we came. :)

We decided that camping is a lot more fun as a kid when you have no responsibilities and don't have to try to pack a car full of gear. I guess we've just gotten soft in our old age, but next time I think we'll just rent a condo! :) That said, I LOVE morro bay and its perfect beaches and lovely weather. I would not mind making several day trips there this summer. Anyone want to meet me there? :)
Nora's BayWatch Tryout








Ike's first taste of rocks - he couldn't get enough of 'em!

I don't think He even eats cookies!

Driving around town the other day, we were playing the "Who Stole the Cookies from the Cookie Jar" game. You know it - it goes like this:

Nora stole the cookies from the cookie jar?

Who me?

Yes you.

Couldn't be.

Then who?

Daddy stole the cookies from the cookie jar.

Nora was getting a real kick out it.We went through all our family members, including grammas and papas with each of us taking a turn pretending to be an extended family member. Then Nora started naming her favorite fictional characters like Dora the explorer, Little Einsteins, etc.

The game ended abruptly when we asked, Then Who? and Nora answered, Jesus stole the cookies!

Hmm...I'm glad she thought to include him in our game, but I guess we need to teach her a little more about the attributes of deity! :)