b.da.bomb's wedding

my bff tied the knot at the beginning of the month and i am so happy for her!! b.da.bomb (aka brittany) and i have been friends since high school and though she knew that she would never, ever get married...i knew that someone would prove her wrong!! ;) 

she and russ got hitched in a darling red barn--decked out in country everything! it suits them so well!

// the kids had it about 30 minutes before the reception started! it would have been nice to stay, but i think it was best that we didn't. //

// danny & brittany have a love/hate relationship. haha! maybe that explains the face?! //

britt, thanks for letting us be a part of your big day! so glad we were able to make it (though my kids may not have been the best behaved...)

we wish you and russ all the best!

xoxo

demolition derby 2013

some of our best friends live in lehi and most of them had never been to a demolition derby before! since it's basically our favorite thing to do in nephi, we invited them down for a cultural experience :) the kids had a blast (until the second to last round...then they wanted to go home!) and the adults enjoyed it even more! thanks to the hortons and the shields for coming all the way down to nephi!! we love you all!

until next year!

they are big kids now.

About a month before we decided to get bunk beds, the kids were coming into our room every single night. That gets old. (In case you didn't know!) Trying to cram four people in a queen size bed is just not right. After talking to a lot of people, and using my own intuition, we thought it might be time to get them into some "big kid beds." The thought was a little terrifying, but we took the plunge and haven't looked back since! (It hasn't all been rosy since we set them up...they still sneak into our room plenty. But the last four nights they have stayed in their beds all night (knock on wood!!) and I'm guessing it's due to the fact that our lives are slowly returning to normal. (It has been a crazy summer!)

//Before. Such a mess!!//

Thankfully, we were able to get hand-me-down bed frames from my parents & aunt which I love. We purchased some twin mattresses from Costco while they were on sale so we were able to save a good chunk of change. My mom also lent me bedding until I decide on the direction I want to take their shared room. (Thanks mom!)

For now, we decided to set them up side by side. We thought we'd slowly ease them into it. Plus, we still need to buy something to keep Max from rolling off the bed. That could be disastrous :) But the kids don't know any different yet and they are smitten with their new beds.

Can't believe they are old enough for this!!

the darndest things // part 3

Right now, this is the best form of documentation I've got for the little ones. Soon I'd like to put together individual scrapbooks/blogs books...but that time is not now :) Until then, these posts will suffice. (Except that I wrote down a bunch of things they had said, and now I can't find the paper! Oh well, this is what I've got for now.)

Max

Oh, Max! Where do I begin?? You are filled with so much life! I can't imagine our family without you. You are constantly going, unless of course you get zoned in to some kind of activity (puzzles, coloring/cutting, and stories are your favorites). You are determined and dedicated, and you love your little sister like crazy. You know the words to more primary songs than you let off, and you can say some of the sweetest prayers ever. You've got a hot temper and can get really frustrated with Ave if she's "messing up" your things. You are a collector and would save every last paper if I let you. You are my little healthy eater and can still eat two plates of salad in one sitting (as long as you have plenty of dressing!) You've got an incredible memory and you are much more observant than any other kid I know. We love you Maxwellio!!

He prayed for weeks leading up to his (finally!) successful dentist appointment that he could get "A baseball, and baseball bat, and baseball "mint", and a baseball helmet, and soccer cleats, and a soccer uniform, and, and, and..." We couldn't grant all of his requests, but after getting SIX cavities filled, he was treated to a new soccer outfit, and baseball ball/mitt/bat. 

On our way down to St. George, Danny pointed out that the mountains were changing colors:

D: "Max! Do you see those mountains? What color are they?"

M: "Pink!"

D: "Yeah! Who made the mountains?"

M: "Jesus!! And he made us too!"

D: "You're right!"

M: "He built us and tons and tons of people on the Earth."

 

"Did that salad we grow??" (Talking about the spinach from our garden! We were all very pleased.)

"My mustachio dropped on the floor!" (He is obsessed with pistachios. Ask my parents!)



"I'm looking for the patterns. Where are the patterns for the table?" (After a few minutes, we realized he was trying to find the place mats! He knows how grandma likes her table set for dinner! :)



While on a walk, Max exclaimed: "Oh! It's an owl!!" (It was actually a gray kitten, which looked quite like an owl...in his defense!)



Max and Avery were looking through past blog books (which we love!!) and Max turned to Ave and said, "Do you remember that Ave?? Sweet pea?" #heartmelting



"Can I have a sticker?" (This was repeated over, and over, and over again.) Finally, I said, "We don't have any stickers." To which he replied, "No mom! A chocolate sticker!" (He was talking about snickers!)

Ave

Miss Avery! Our family is so much more complete with you in it. You are happy 90% of the time (except when you are arguing with Max) and you have such a sweet temperament. You are definitely a girl and you love your accessories. Almost everywhere we go, people comment on how mature you are for your age. You can talk just about as well as Max and you know some big words! (And you're potty trained!) You have always loved music and it makes me so happy to see your eyes light up when a beautiful song is played. You know the words to many primary songs and you love to sing them around the house. You are much messier than your older brother but I suppose the two of you balance each other out :) You love playing with your play kitchen and almost always make me "pancakes." You are Max's sidekick and we wouldn't have you any other way. We love you Avery Mae!!

 

"Don't you cry...I will keep you safe...Don't you cry." Ave singing in the car to Idaho

"Can I have more punch juice?" Ave to Grandma Nell (who always has juice on hand for Miss. Avery!)

 

"My back hurts. I need to take a little break." 

(After playing with Aunt Cami's littlest pet shops under the kitchen table.)

 

The two of you together are quite the team and it's rare to find you each doing separate things (unless Max is watching a movie. Avery isn't very fond of movies yet...)

//free slurpies in the park//

//cutting out our homemade fruit snacks...which sadly did not turn out//

//white trash at it's finest. sno cones on the front porch. topless. complete with large bellies!//

//enjoying the nephi pool//

//fun with uncle caleb//

//littlest pet shop under grandma's table//

Life is good.