Brothers...

Just starting to sift through all of our summer pictures. I just couldn't help but do something with this one this morning. The picture was taken in Cache Valley on a walk around the neighborhood with my mom.

One of the things I so wanted for my boys this summer was to get to experience just regular life "in the country" at home...this kind of captures that for me. Don't you love Nathan's boots?!

And I Was a Skeptic...

I've seen these "Bumbos" everywhere and wondered who would actually spend the money for one...until I was given one to try today! I've been trying to figure out how to do the next few months with a currently 4 month old, over 18 pound baby that can't yet sit up. I'm carrying her a lot, and have been debating a new baby carrier to try to help...but at least for today...this has become a total lifesaver! (If I can just keep Nathan from sitting in it or using it as a helmet we'll be golden!)

Jumping Back In...

Our little bathing beauty

Me and My Girl

Nathan--refusing to get out of the water long enough for a picture

Lookin' Good

Ready for some serious fun!

As our summer winds down...I'm anxious to get back to "documenting". But, the sheer quantity of pictures from our "summer memory-making" is pretty overwhelming. So, in order to get back going without getting too bogged down...here are some pictures taken just this last week.

We have a pool in the neighborhood of the condo we're now renting. We've had just totally loved having it...this last month especially. Nathan has become a real swimmer, Joshua has discovered it's at least as fun to make conversation with the people sitting on the chairs as to swim, and Elizabeth has amazed me by thoroughly enjoying the whole experience herself! We're looking forward to school starting, but this is definitely a part of summer we are really going to miss!

Fathers and Sons

This weekend was the highly anticipated Fathers and Sons camp out for our stake. Friday afternoon, when it became apparent that severe thunderstorms were heading out way, the camp out was cancelled. This left two boys and a whole lot of camping gear waiting for some excitement. That night Greg was also helping to move a family in the ward...a "quick move" that ended up lasting four hours...into the late evening.

You know you've got a good dad when at 9:30 p.m. Friday evening, the furniture gets cleared out and the tent goes up in the living room. You know you have an even better dad when you hear stories in the morning of boys up at all hours...scared of the thunder, spending part of the night trying out their own bed upstairs again, running out of flashlight batteries, wetting through their diaper onto the sleeping bag, etc. We had underestimated how "real" the camping experience could be...even in our front room! Thank goodness the memories have already grown fonder after three hour naps for all on Saturday afternoon.

I'm so grateful for a husband that (among so many other things) is willing to make memories for our children...at all costs! =)

Love you Greg! Happy Father's Day!

New Blog "Flavor"

I've realized that "Three Men and a Lady" just doesn't fit our family anymore! So...here's to a new season of life! As part of updating our blog I'm starting a new playlist of music. The first song I've put on there is our new family favorite. I'd never heard it before...until Greg "gave" it to me for Mother's Day. (How magical is that!) Now it's the family theme song. Nathan and Joshua can sing all the words and Greg is learning it on his guitar. It's just so fun that it has such cute words AND it is so totally Greg's style.

Waiting for the Perfect Picture

I've tried to take Elizabeth's picture several times in the past while...waiting for something that totally "captures" her. Nothing I've gotten has done her justice...until this morning. And the next pictures (her first ones I've been able to get with her cute new smile) come close!

Any Ideas for Using Photos?

Week after next we're moving! We've found a place less than a mile from where we are now that will give us a little more space. I'm hoping to do some "art" for our new walls...and am looking for some ideas. My sister has recently purchased a miter saw and box to make her own frames. Ideally I'd love to use some of the candid pictures I've got and make some frames to "sprinkle" on various walls. Any ideas of how to go about this? How to make photos look like they belong together...other options than making them all black and white?

Heritage Festival

A couple weekends ago we went to the "Heritage Festival" at the park near our home. There was a little something there for each of us...
Hoop skirts for me.
A petting zoo for Joshua.
An Army set-up including Jeeps for Nathan.
An old car show for Greg.

For the Love of Bugs!

The other morning Nathan found a large, incredibly creepy bug in our house. I remembered that I've had tucked up in my closet some "bug kits" I found at the dollar store a few months ago (part of a stash I collected as "perks" to have for the early days after Elizabeth was born). What ensued was a fun morning of bug collecting...or at least a great attempt. We packed a snack and headed for the bike trail near our home. I'm not sure that any actual bugs were caught...I'm quite sure that if there were...they were killed with the tweezers before they ever made it to the containers. But, a really good time was had by all!

Sailing...From Start to Finish

Michael's Craft Store has some great building "kits" for $1 each. We've tried several different ones, but our favorite so far has been the sail boat. The kit includes the wood, sandpaper, glue, paint, and paint brush. I was amazed that both boys spent an hour or so working their boats over. Later that evening we took them to the park to try them in the river. It was a magical moment! (If only the boats had been designed to float!)