Dedication

This summer has been an interesting one for us. Since May, three of our friends have lost their precious sons and it has left me feeling very saddened and depressed. I was able to attend 2 of their viewings and/or funerals and it almost broke my heart. Even though these sweet boys were not my children, I can't help carrying around a heavy heart. As a result, I haven't felt like posting any photos or doing anything this summer. These sweet boys lived their short lives to the fullest and I should learn from their example instead of being so depressed. Therefore, I am dedicating this post to them.

So...here's to Life, Family, Friends and FUN!

In June we had a yard sale. We did one last year too. We asked a few of our neighbors to join us this time and it was a lot of fun...and a lot of work. It feels so good to de-junk and earn a little extra cash! It was fun to see what stuff sold and what stuff just sat there! I jokingly put all my 80's earrings in a box just to see if anyone would touch them and ALL OF THEM WERE GONE after an hour or so! On the other hand, I had some brand new baby stuff (bottles and etc.) and no one bought those until the last 15 minutes! Very interesting...

The 4th of July!

These two received more candy from the parade than anyone else. They stood out of the crowd because they were dressed alike and because everyone thinks they are twins. After a while we had so much stinkin' salt water taffy coming out our ears that Ben finally asked the people not to give them any more. So the moral of the story is...if you want your kids to personally be handed loads of candy at a parade, dress them in identical clothing and tell them you have twins, triplets, etc.!

It was so hot outside that Luke started to overheat a little and had to lay down...but he was still so happy to be at his FIRST parade. It was actually the lamest parade Ben and I have EVER been to...but Luke thought it was the greatest thing and still talks about going to his NEXT parade. The world is so wonderful through a child's eyes.

And what could possibly be more patriotic than an American flag MADE IN CHINA. That's so American! It made us feel so proud. Watch out Ben...you probably have lead poisoning now.

Yeah!!!!!!!!! Ben was unbelievably excited to put on his own fireworks show. The kids weren't sure why Daddy all of a sudden had a case of ADHD.

Ashlynn wasn't a fan of Daddy's fireworks show. Here she is running for her life.

OH Luke pie! This little man always brings a smile to my face that I can feel from my head to my toes. He loves life and thinks it is just one big Halloween party. One day we caught him riding his bike in his Buzz Lightyear costume too. I noticed that his face was bright red and he looked like he was going to pass out any minute. I ripped off his costume and discovered that he was also wearing a long sleeve black shirt and black pants. It was 100 degrees outside!!! Crazy boy!

The many adventures of Luke Pie.

Luke likes to display EXACTNESS in the characters he portrays. He demanded that he have a 'curly' on his forehead just like Superman and he had to try to lift everything in the entire house...including me!

See what I mean about EXACTNESS! Luke asked if he could use the scissors to cut some paper and this was the end result. When my mouth fell open, he assured me that it was 'Okay' because now I was able to sew it back on just like the guy in the movie.

Needless to say, I couldn't be mad at him for very long. That toy is well loved and worth the $20 we paid for it.

Another summer visitor! Yay! This is our friend Stephanie and her cute kiddos. She is the sister of one of my roommates (Valerie) from BYU. It was fun to see her and meet little Hannah for the first time. Stephanie got herself and the kids ready and then made us pancakes ALL before we had church at 9am! She's a Superwoman!