Happy Birthday T.J.!

So my "handsome" T.J. turned 3 on July 9th. As you can see, I'm a little behind with my blogging, but I definitely wanted to share these pictures. He is just too cute!

I'm not sure how we got to our fourth kid before anyone ever got a stick horse, but he had his heart set on one (I think thanks to cousins Dallin and Landon - our resident "cowboys" who recently moved here from Arizona). He loves the "horsey" and calls it "Rusty." He also picked out a fun little remote control tractor at Toys R Us that we got for him, and he loves that too. He goes outside to our massive collection of rocks and moves them around into little piles with his tractor. It is so cute and he works on it for such a long time. One of these days I'll get a picture of one of the little "mountains" (as he calls them) before he runs the tractor over it and demolishes the pile. I've got to be a little quicker with the camera apparently.


That evening, we met Dave at Pioneer Park (in Provo) for a picnic, fun on the playground, and cupcakes - all T.J.'s idea. It was a nice cool evening, and the kids played till it got dark.

T.J. is our resident "baby" and we're having a little trouble letting him grow up. He is just too cute just the way he is! He loves to be held and cuddle, and he gives the best hugs and kisses. He talks so cute, and tries so hard to keep up with the other kids. They are so good to include him and spend a lot of time pushing him on the swings and jumping "soft" on the trampoline so he can play too. He has always loved me to hold him and will sit on my lap all day if I let him. I actually love it, but I suppose I don't get much done that way. He won't be little forever, so I'm enjoying holding him all I can, and believe me I have plenty of chances to "enjoy" it. He will still fall asleep in my arms and sleep for hours, and I love that. It is so fun to have a "snuggler."

He still sneaks into our room at night and tells me, "I need my daddy." It just melts my heart, and apparently Dave's too because most mornings I wake up and there he is hogging Dave's whole side of the bed, all spread out like he owns the place. Of course he gets away with it ... because he's "handsome."


T.J. brings so much joy to our family. He is happy and smiley and so much fun. His little voice is just too cute, and he shows us all so much love. It is really fun to watch him learning and growing and discovering new things every day. We love you "Handsome." Happy Birthday!

Didn't Love It

WARNING - Possible spoiler ahead (and definitely a lot of complaining).
Continue on at your own risk.

Okay, so I realize this may make me a bit of a loser and maybe even an outcast, but I borderline HATED the new Batman movie, and now I'm just trying to figure out how I got so off track from the rest of the free world and pretty much everyone I know. Hmmmm. So, really the only thing that convinced me to see this movie was the fact that Christian Bale is in it, and he has a very cool voice (it is like a Sean Connery sort of thing). Well, much to my dismay, his voice is disguised through pretty much the whole movie. So there goes that ...

So I admit I'm a little uptight when it comes to movies. Mostly because I don't really like science fiction or fantasy, and I strongly dislike nonstop violence from opening scene to ending credits, and that is pretty much what Dark Knight was for me. I think the violence started about 4 minutes into the movie and went on for 2 and a half hours!!! Actually it felt much closer to four hours, but that is a whole different complaint .... moving on. So either they were talking about violence either past or present (via the disgusting way-too-creepy-for-me joker) or there was actual violence being committed. ENOUGH ALREADY! It was dark and creepy and disturbing, and I couldn't sleep when I got home. How annoying.

So I've got to figure out this movie thing because I swear I haven't seen a decent movie in such a long time. We actually got desperate enough a few weeks ago to rent Citizen Kane because we had finally reached the point where we were checking the AFI Top 100 Movies List for some ideas. Scary. Citizen Kane was odd and kind of stupid, but the disc set we rented from Hollywood contained a second disk with a documentary on it called The Battle Over Citizen Kane, and that was really really interesting. Maybe its because I'm a nerd (i.e., history buff), but I really enjoyed how it explained the whole story behind the movie and the history of William Randolph Hearst and Orson Welles. Very interesting. Maybe I should just forget movies and stick with documentaries .... well, let's not get hasty here.

Dave and I couldn't possibly have more different taste in movies. He will pretty much watch anything, unless we slip into Jane Austen kind of stuff, and then he gets a little cranky. He is usually pretty patient with my chick flicks and slow dramas and historical type stuff because he knows that we switch off with movies (i.e., he picks one, I pick one). Which, speaking of that, he granted me five of my picks in a row for not throwing up in the theater or walking out of Dark Knight. So my perseverance paid off after all. He likes pretty much anything fantasy, comedy, action, adventure, or sports related (i.e., Lord of the Rings, Rocky, anything about a super hero, Star Wars, anything about sports, etc.). Actually, we do mostly agree on sports movies (except for boxing, which is lame). We like stuff like Remember the Titans, Rudy, The Rookie, etc. Actually, I can probably count on one hand the movies Dave has not liked since we have known each other. He is slightly "less fussy" than me about most things, apparently including movies.

I prefer drama, comedy, romance, inspirational, sports movies, romantic comedies, anything historical, movies WITHOUT superheroes (although Iron Man was actually pretty good), movies that are NOT FANTASY, movies with little to no "action," and of course, movies with an actual PLOT. Is that too much to ask? So I guess things like National Treasure, A River Runs Through It, Gone With the Wind, Tommy Boy, The Notebook, movies about baseball (really most sports movies - except for boxing), Big Daddy, Hope Floats, Ghost, Pride and Prejudice (the new one), The Devil Wears Prada, Newsies, and a few others. I don't like main characters getting killed off one at a time in slow and gruesome fashion. I don't like long battle or fight scenes that go on for half an hour. What I do like is a meaningful or at least very funny story about a realistic character or maybe an actual event. Imagine that.

So maybe I'm a dork. I'm not too sure. All I know is Dark Knight was definitely not my thing.

Happy 4th of July!

So, I'm thinking that next to Christmas, the 4th of July is probably my favorite holiday. I love the summer and the heat and everything about it. The food is amazing (homemade ice cream, corn on the cob, BBQ hamburgers - yum!). It is the only time of year we can play with matches, light things on fire, and watch them explode into tiny little sparkling flames. Very cool. I have a long and complicated history with fireworks (thanks to a possessed little flower-like firework that chased me as a kid - very scary), but I have grown to really enjoy them and love watching the kids have fun with them. T.J. is not really amused by fireworks yet. It is something about the smell. He watches them with his hand over his nose. He is not too big on the noise yet either. Give him time.

We are definitely a parade-going family. I love the Freedom Festival parade in Provo and we've been trying to go every year or at least every couple of years. I love everything about it. The kids love the floats and the soldiers, and I love for them to see the veterans drive by in their old-fashioned military vehicles and can only hope that they understand what amazing men and women these people are. I was so proud to see my kids stand for all the soldiers and their families and clap and wave to them. They get so excited to see soldiers, and I hope they understand the sacrifice that is made daily for the sake of our freedom. I actually got a little choked up to see all my kids with their hand over their heart when the American Flag came by.

T.J. really loved the huge balloon of Curious George, and he made a point of waving to all the pretty girls that came by on their fancy floats. My dad came with us, and he loves the bagpipes - he always has. That sound will always remind me of my dad. They had a jet fly-over of course, but then quite a few older planes were also flying overhead all during the parade and even some from the flight school Dave works for. Dave was captivated for sure. All the marching bands, the governor, and even Glenn Beck this year - how can you you not love this parade? I don't even mind the crowd. It is an honor to celebrate our country with an enormous patriotic crowd of proud Americans.

Mostly I am grateful for the 4th because I am so grateful for this country. I was raised in a home that highly valued freedom and patriotism and was taught early to have respect for soldiers and veterans and to show them my gratitude for their sacrifice. My Grandpa Morton was a sailor in the United States Navy and had it not been for one last available deferment that he took, he may have been at Pearl Harbor on that fateful day in 1941. My dad also served in the Army Reserves, and I always knew as a kid that he loved his country and was proud of it and honored to serve it. My cousin Justin is a United States Marine and is currently deployed defending our freedom. Way to go Justin!

It is so important to me that my kids understand what an amazing place we live in. I just think of all the places on the earth where we might be right now, and I am so grateful that we are in the land of the free and the home of the brave. I think that is probably a good cause to "count your blessings."

Despite anything our country is going through or may go through in the future, there is absolutely reason to hope and dream and go on and be happy. There is no cause to despair and definitely no reason for the endless complaining and whining that is so prevalent right now. We're doing just fine. Look around us for heaven's sake!! We have everything here. I can't believe how blessed we are. Americans have been tried and tested before and have come out soaring above those dark clouds, and we will do it again. All of this doomsday stuff floating around in the media (and everywhere else) is so tiring. There are so many good things happening and good people out there trying to do what is right and help their neighbor and defend their country. We have so much to be grateful for, and that is why I love the 4th of July.

Silver Lake

Last weekend, we went up to Silver Lake (up Big Cottonwood Canyon) with Dave's family. I have never been there before. It is a beautiful place! We had a nice picnic and then walked the boardwalk around the lake. It was a nice relaxing stroll, and we had a great time. It was a perfect "hike" for the kids - not too long or strenuous. They just walked along and played with their cousins along the way. There were a lot of little critters around (still not sure if they were chipmunks or squirrels or what they were), and they had fun "hunting" them, which consisting of waiting for them to come out of their holes and then watching them run for their lives when they saw a dozen kids waiting for them with sticks. Yikes. It was nice and cool, and the lake was beautiful. I'm glad someone had that great idea. We really enjoyed our afternoon at Silver Lake.

Jackson's Baptism

Jackson was baptized this past Saturday. He was ready and excited, and so were we. The program was very nice, and we had a lot of family and friends around to share our day with. Jackson asked Austin to give a talk at his baptism program, and Austin agreed. Austin did a great job. When Bro. Stephenson was conducting, he accidentally omitted the musical number and announced that Austin's talk would be next on the program. Austin got a little nervous, and when Sister Harmon (our primary president) corrected Bro. Stephenson, Austin let out such a loud sigh of relief that the whole room heard it and laughed. He had a few more minutes to relax and then he was up. He did a great job, and I'm proud of him for working hard on his talk and teaching us about the Holy Ghost.

Mika Finau got baptized along with Jackson, and Mika's family was so nice to include Jackson in their traditions and presented him with a couple of candy-filled leis. He was so excited!

We are so proud of Jackson and the decision he made to get baptized. He is working hard to set a good example and make good choices. This was such an important day for him, and I hope he can remember how he felt.

Kayden congratulated Jackson with a big bear hug after the baptism. I had to be quick to get this one on film. How cute is that!

We enjoyed a nice day visiting with family after the baptism. Dave and I gave Jackson his first set of nice scriptures with a case, and we had his name put on them. We thought he knew they were coming, but he acted surprised and very excited. I like that. Jackson got his own monogrammed hymn book from Grandma and Grandpa Morton that he put to good use on Sunday. He has been wanting one of those for a while, so thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Grandma and Grandpa Leatherwood gave him scripture stickers which he is very excited about. They also gave him some CD's of the Scripture Scouts. If you are as old as I am, you might remember they used to have them around when we were kids. There are three little kids and a dog that talks, and they all hang out in a treehouse. They sing songs and tell stories about the scriptures. They are really cute and fun, and my kids loved them! They listened to them all Sunday morning. It was a little nostalgic for me. I remember watching the little Scripture Scout show they used to have downstairs at the visitors' center at Temple Square. I'm glad they are back. They are so good to teach kids lessons about the scriptures, and the songs are fun and catchy and they stick with you (trust me - I couldn't get them out of my head).

Anyway, we are so proud of Jackson and happy for him on this special day. We love you Jacks!

Dog For a Week

So we had a dog for one week. Everyone who knows me realizes how improbable this was. It is kind of a long story, but it pretty much went like this: Dave went up to Sandy one night to help his brother move here from Arizona, and he came home with a dog, Riley. Since it was only for a week, and since my kids (and Dave) have been begging for a dog for years, I relented. They agreed to clean up after Riley and feed her and all of that. I'm not a dog person. Actually, lest you think I'm prejudiced against dogs, you should know that I really don't like any animals at all. I'm just not an animal person. I don't like to touch them or play with them or anything. I have smell issues and hygiene issues with animals, and then there is the whole poop thing ... I like to look at animals at zoos and take pictures and all that, but once they start to get close, I just don't like it. Sorry animals.

Anyway, as far as dogs go, Riley was really good. She hardly barked at all, and she always pooped in the same place, so it was easy to find for the boys to clean up. The kids and Dave had fun playing with her. London took the responsibility of keeping Riley's food and water full very seriously. T.J. loved her the most I think and really mauled her. Riley was very patient with T.J. The boys dutifully picked up the poop every day (almost), but after only three days announced that dogs were a lot of work and started grumbling about picking up the poop. It looks like my devious plan worked out after all ....

Our week as dog owners did not go without incident. T.J. came in one day covered up to his elbows in "mud" and proudly announced, "Look mom, I played in the mud." Unfortunately the "mud" had a very strong aroma and was quickly discovered to not be mud at all. And off Riley went back to John and Angie. Now we get to visit her at Grandma and Grandpa Leatherwood's house. Works for me. The kids really had a lot of fun with Riley, and I did enjoy seeing how cute the kids were with her.

Off to Kindergarten!

London graduated from preschool on May 29th. She has been attending preschool with Jen Diaz for the past two years and has loved it. We have been so impressed by all she has learned and happy to see her progress and growth. Jen has been great for her and has taught her so much. London really loves her teacher and we still get a lot of "My teacher says .... " around here. We don't mind. Their graduation program was so cute, and all the kids got a speaking part. Big stuff. They have learned so many cute little songs and did so many fun projects at preschool. Jen takes the kids on a field trip about once a month which is really fun. We got to go to the pet store, the park, Cold Stone for a tour, Smiths, the fire station, etc. We're grateful for Jen and all she has done for London these past two years.

London and Samantha. I couldn't pass up on this picture with Samantha's expression. It's almost like she saw me with the camera or something ....

London with her teacher, Jen Diaz. London will miss her and her "little school" as she calls it, but she is so ready for the big time ... Kindergarten here we come!