Twinkle, twinkle little sparkler.

This 4th of July we started out by going to the parade. McKenna loves parades and is always sure to have a bag for all the candy that they throw out. I was sad that Dave had to work this year but what can you do. However, it was really cool when the helicopter flew over the parade on their way out to call, at least he stopped by, right?



Reeve even had fun. The people would give him papers, otter pops, and McKenna shared some of her candy with him. He especially liked the police cars and firetrucks (he is such a boy).


Later that night we planned to go to the big fireworks show with our friends. The only problem was that we were have one of the worst storms Pocatello has seen in ages... well besides for the one on my birthday. When I met up with them we got reports that our street was flooding again. I decided it was time to go home and check everything out and just call it a day. Our house was not flooded, the water had just come up to the front of our driveway (sigh of relief). The only thing was the hail had ruined all the plants we had just planted the day before. I tried to get some pictures of it.



After the water had receded we decided to light off the pack of fireworks I had gotten. The kids loved them. I sometimes forget that just small, simple things can make them happy. McKenna of course loved the pop-its and sparklers. Reeve was just happy to watch all the different colors.



After our little fireworks show I decided to take the kids and watch the big show just down the road from our house. It had gotten fairly cold by that time so we decided to stay in the van. Well that was...challenging. With McKenna rolling down the window and trying to hang out of it which in turn made Reeve want to do the same thing. I am trying to hold on to him, he then pushes down the horn which everyone hears. Then they hear me yelling at McKenna to get back in the van. I just had to laugh and shrug my shoulders. All I have to say is Dave better not work on the 4th next year. You know what though, it really was a fun day and I'm glad the kids got have such a good time even if it was a little hard on me. Isn't that what it's all about?

I'm 29 for real!

Okay, I have to say after being told my whole life that I look younger than I am this year is a first. It was my birthday on the 2nd and when someone would ask, "how old are you?" I would say, "29". Then they would say, "again", or "really?" because everyone thinks it's a joke when you turn 29. I'm thinking how old do I look, right? I'm now contemplating Botox or a face lift! Okay, 29 isn't that old but I remember being 16 and thinking it was. My twenties have been great, what a difference 10 years can make. I got married (21), had my first baby (23), bought a mini van (27), bought our first house (28), had my second baby (28), and will have my third baby (29). (It was a goal of mine to have all my children before I turn 30. Snuck this last one in just in time.) A little bit older and wiser too...

I had a really nice birthday (in between the bouts of pregnancy crying because... well I'm turning 29). Dave got this delicious cake from Costco and we had some friends over to share it with. Sidenote... that week (being a little depressed) I ate most of that cake and went in for my doctor's appointment and had gained 5 pounds! (That is almost a third of what I have gained the whole pregnancy. The nurse asked me if I had been eating differently and I told her I turned 29. She understood and nothing else needed to be said.) Here are some pictures of me with my yummy cake.


Lastly, it was a beautiful day around 80 something and later that night it started to pour rain. When I say pour I mean it! It actually flooded our street (not our house thank goodness). McKenna put her bathing suit on and ran around in it (how sanitary that is, I don't know but Dave seemed to be okay with it so I figured she would be fine.) Our friends even got out their canoe and Dave, McKenna, and their son Parker went boating in the street. Such crazy weather we have been having!

Father's Day

I first have to start out by saying what a wonderful father Dave is. McKenna and Reeve love him so very much. For a while there if Dave was around Reeve didn't even want me to hold him. I remember when McKenna was young and Dave would get home from work she would grab him and take him to her room to read stories or play and I would try to come join them and she would tell me that she wanted to just play with him. (This of course sometimes hurt my feelings but also made me so happy that she has a daddy that she loves so much.) If McKenna gets hurt the first thing she wants to do is call or show daddy. If a diaper needs changing he will just change it instead of just handing me the baby.

I love that when he gets home from work he doesn't just kick off his shoes and turn on sports or something. He sits down and plays with the kids and takes a real interest in everything they are doing. I remember my mother-in-law saying once that her husband was gone a lot being in the military but when he was home, he was home. I know that Dave got this very wonderful quality from him and am so thankful. Speaking of Grandpa, McKenna has always had such a sweet bond with him as well. She loves to have alone time with her favorite people and Fred always takes advantage of that time with her reading books and playing. She just adores her Grandpa and just like his own kids is very excited when she makes him proud. I am so glad we have Father's Day. In a world that so many kids don't have a father in their lives I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful one in my life for my kids to celebrate.

Thank you Dave, for being such a wonderful father and husband, we are so lucky to have you!

For Father's Day this year. McKenna and I got up early and made Dave breakfast (sausage-egg-muffins) which we all enjoyed.


Then the kids gave him their cards.



I made him a little plaque that says "We cannot control the winds but, we can adjust our sails." It was a fun little project that McKenna helped me with. It was a really nice day. We went to church and had Hawaiian haystacks (Dave's favorite) for dinner. All in all it was a great Father's Day.

Biker Baby

Okay, I know she is not a baby anymore especially if she is riding a bike all by herself. This day was once again an emotional one for me. It all started when we went to the park and McKenna saw her very good friend Makenna (yes same name) riding a bike with no training wheels. She was so impressed and told me on the way home that she wanted to take her training wheels off. So the next day before Dave went to work he took them off and after maybe two tries she was off and going. I was so proud of her! Yes, that is a dress she is wearing on top of jeans, she insisted on wearing it, she is such a girly girl sometimes.

Here is a video of her going down the street!

On a sad note we had our first bike accident today. She was in the park on the path and as she puts it "I went wibbily wobbily and then went down." She has small scrapes on her knee, elbow, and cheek. For a first timer accident it really isn't too bad. She is a pretty tough little one. I was really proud that when it was time to go home she just jumped on her bike and wasn't scared at all to ride it.

Cabinet Diving

As I have said before Reeve loves to get into the cabinets and pull what he can out. He still gets very upset with those stinking child locks but we love them. One thing that sometimes happens is he will crawl to the back of the cabinet and gets stuck. Of course Dave and I being such great parents have to laugh for a little while before we pull him out. Here is a video of him getting stuck on the Lazy Susan.

He is getting so big and doing so much. It is really easy to know what he wants he just points at an object or a direction. He also wave hello and bye bye. So cute! One night he woke up and he knows exactly how to get himself out of bed. He just says in the most miserable voice "ma ma ma ma ma" and of course I come running. So I go into get him on night and he looks at his crib and waves "bye bye" to it and then points at his door so I know the direction to take him. He just cracks me up. For the most part he is a very good sleeper and I am very lucky. He always wakes up in such a good mood. The other morning I went into get him and he was just reaching his little arms out to me and I scooped him up. He then gave me a big kiss on my cheek. What a little love bug! We just love this little guy. If he is playing on the floor and you just look at him, he will give you the biggest smile. It just melts my heart. Everywhere we go people are always stopping us and talking and playing with him. He loves it as long as they don't get to close. He is really shy and there is still a select few he will even let hold him. He likes to stay close to mom and dad and his big sister he likes to call "enna". Which she has told me is her new name and would like to be called that instead of McKenna. She was asking Dave the other day how to spell it. I just love my kids!

Pre-school Graduation

The past year McKenna had gone to a pre-school at Randy's Tumbling. She has absolutely loved it. She went three days a week and on Thursday's they would do tumbling. It was a very emotional day for me. Okay, I'm pregnant and my baby is going to go to elementary school in August. I just feels like yesterday she was born! It was a cute little program. McKenna was the one who welcomed everyone and started the graduation. They sang songs, played instruments, and showed us some of the things they had learned that year. The teacher had asked the kids some cute questions and read them during the program and then gave them their "diploma". Here are some of McKenna's answers.
The last part of the program was a gymnastics program. It was so cute to watch her show off all she has learned!
At the end of the gymnastics program they all got gold metals. We then had some drinks and cookies and the kids played. McKenna wanted to make sure to get a picture with some of her good friends (Jenna and Emily) and her teacher Mrs. Bybee. I can not believe that she is so big! How the time flies. She is very excited to start Kindergarten (which I know will be another emotional day for mommy). I know she'll love it though.

Memorial Day

We were all in Washington DC the week before Memorial Day and I was still thinking a lot about all those who had lost their lives for our country when Memorial Day rolled around this year. I am glad that we take a day to honor them. Usually on Memorial Day I'm thinking of BBQ's and camping or being able to wear white again. I am very thankful to those that serve our country and grateful for the freedoms we have because of those that have come before us. One thing we did this year while Reeve was taking his nap was make a flag cake.

Pocatello Zoo

One of the last field trips McKenna took with her pre-school class was to the Pocatello Zoo. I had never been there so I decided to go with them to help out. It's not very big but for $4 it's fun for the kids. It was so cute all of them had a little buddy that they had to stay with.

Here is McKenna with her class and teacher. She misses them and is sad that they won't be coming to Kindergarten with her.

One of the things the kids liked the best was this huge playground they had there. As you can see McKenna was having a blast.

They were able to go to the petting zoo and feed and brush the animals which I think the animals liked as much as the children. What a life, to have people come and feed and brush you all day.



It was a fun little day trip and I was happy that I was able to spend that time with her.