Dirty Dog Days Of Summer

 i'm not exactly sure why i try to keep these two clean, 

it seems futile

and honestly a waste of time and energy.

 there are no words to adequately describe how fast these kids attract dirt.

gabe is literally a dirt magnet, and since mac wants to do whatever gabe does, he's right behind him picking up any dust that may have missed gabe.

i'm expecting someone from the city to show up any day now to check if we have a water leak somewhere. 

and i'll just have to explain that the reason our water bill has doubled is because i have to bathe my children TWICE per day. 

he wont believe me if he catches a glimpse of one of them.

but what does he care as long as we pay the dang water bill.  

hopefully the dirt will make them look a little less pasty white, tan even??

hahaha, yeah right! 

so if you wanna see my kids clean, come on over during one of their two bath times. 

thats the only chance you'll get.

Bear Lake 2013: part 1

Sometimes during the long winter months that is Utah, i forget how much i LOVE bear lake, i mean i know i love it, but i forget that i love love love it. 

However, with these two little "angels" its a bit more work then play these days.  

Gabe LOVES being at the cabin.

his cousins, the lake, the four wheeler rides, the treats, the late nights and naps that sometimes get away from us as we are soaking up the sun and splashing in the water.
its all pretty much just one big mind boggling week of fun and exhaustion.

Not to mentions a whole week of daddy-o. which excites both the boys and me. 

they love having him around 24/7 because, lets face it, he's way cooler then mom, 

once dad's around i'm old news. 

and i love having him around all day to help run the circus. 

however, the most exciting part for me is the fact that arron gets up with the boys almost every morning and i get to sleep in. {he's taken ladies, back off}

its ridiculous to think back to the days, before kids, when we would wake up before the sun, so we could wakeboard the best water of the day at the butt crack of dawn.

and then fight over who got to jump in that freezing water first.

Now SLEEP is what i look forward to most while on vacation.

can you say....PATHETIC?!?!?!

This little buddy had his first real experience at bear lake this year. 

seeing as the last time he was there he was a month old.

this kid however did not let a nap get away from him.

all that sun and sand and splashing and carrying around those thighs and being fetching cute will wear a kid right out. 

he fought it of course, put on a good show, pretending he wanted to stay awake and take it all in,

but the sand man always found him.

even though he couldn't stop being cute while he slept, he did his best to get some rest. 

I feel so blessed to have this place to come and "relax" and get away from the daily routine, even though that daily routine is what keeps me somewhat sane and the only way i can handle these two crazies.

and although its seems like more work then its worth sometimes to pack up what feels like the whole house and brush aside sleep schedules and everything else that makes the day run as smoothly as possible. this place is beautiful and full of memories waiting to be made.

the boys are going to look forward to coming here every year.

i'm guessing the "season" for vacations to be all about me and arron has come to a close,

but watching the two littles discover new things and have new experiences and get excited and come to love a place that has given me more then my fair share of amazing memories 

makes the next "season"... their "season" just as exciting.

a little more work, but just as exciting. 

Home of the FREE because of the BRAVE

i've always loved the 4th of July. 

not because of family traditions like sleeping outside to secure a spot for the local parade like a crazy person. 

or even staying up late to watch the fireworks. 

because in truth i think i went to like 2 parades my entire childhood, and a handful of firework shows.

{ i know my parents should be turned in for negligence }

but i love summer and i love snow cones and i love to see flag lined streets in a proud show of patriotism provided by the poor eagle scout and his dad who realize at 5 am that they chose the wrong project.

i love BBQ's and swimming and being on the lake.

and the 4th of July pretty much encompass's all of those things.

However,

 i've always believed that parades were a poor excuse to get out of bed at the crack of dawn and sit in the blistering sun or rain to see a couple floats, horses and firetrucks drive by while dodging copious amounts of stale taffy.

my darling niece Alix dancing with her lancell team mates in the layton parade.

BUT.... THINGS ARE A CHANGIN'!!!

 These two little's have opened my eyes and reminded me that life is what you make it. 

they've helped me appreciate the unicycler and local high school marching bands that provide the prefect music for you to show off your best moves.

the horse people that paint their horses to look like the american flag. 

or the people who walk the entire length of the parade on stilts mesmerizing little minds that cant believe someone is that tall. 

the elbows thrown and tears shed all for a piece of that magical parade taffy. 

YES, my little family will be frequenting parades.

the look on their little faces as a giant blow up tooth floats by advertising the newest dentist in town is reason enough to get my butt out of bed in the morning and honestly after the taffy has been held onto like a vice grip in grubby dirty little hands...it softens and its not so bad. 

and the fact that i want my boys to grow up and appreciate the country that they live in and know the freedoms that we enjoy came at a price and should not be taken for granted. 

 Happy birthday America

we will be celebrating right along with you from now on.

Mac a Moo Moo

Mac is a little lover

 i could just eat him right up. he is the sweetest, smiliest, giggliest little one year old around. 

HOWEVER!!

he can turn on you in a second. 

he can go from laughing to screaming bloody murder in .02 seconds and vice versa!

he spent the first 6 months of his life being tortured by me, literally. he had some serious issues with my milk, and although i talked to my doctor, a lactation nurse, changed my diet, cut everything worth eating out of my diet.... HE WAS MISERABLE!

so at 6 months i called it quits and i am not kidding you

3 days later he was a different baby! i felt horrible, but as luck would have it, he's not going to remember, so... se la vie!

his smile and eyes and mile long lashes light up his whole face and an entire room and we got to see so much more of that once he wasn't spending the majority of his life screaming, grunting and crying.

weight: 23.5 lbs 45%

length: 33 in >100%

little facts about the little nugget:

he LOVES mickey mouse clubhouse, if he hears it from anywhere in the house

you beta watch yo self, cuz he will mole you over on his way to the TV.

baby einstein keeps him mesmerized for the full 37 minutes and is my go to movie when i have got to get something done!

he is pretty much the fastest crawler on the planet, seriously he could be in the olympics if he was but a little older, and of course if it was an event. 

gabe can make him laugh more then anyone else, he just see's his big ol brother and starts laughing, riiiiiiight up until he starts crying, also curtesy of gabers!

he loves pee's, yep pee's, only in there true little round ball finger food form. 

try and give them to him in baby food form and you better be fast on your feet or you'll be wearing them. 

he drinks through a straw but not so great with a normal sippy.

he says mama, dada, nana, papa, baba, and i'm pretty sure he has no idea what he is saying!

he loves playing in the water, swimming pools, lakes, bath tubs, toilets, he's not picky, if he can splash he's all about it. 

when he cries he sounds like he is injured or in debilitating pain, but thats his cry and it has taken some getting used to, let me tell ya!

we can not imaging what our lives would be like with out this little dude.

in his dad's words "he is so cool" 

we love you little buddy

happy 1st birthday,

heres to many many more!

3 P's for the big 3

PETER PAN * PIZZA * PRESENTS

Gabe, Gabe, Gabe,

where exactly do i began?  

his favorite word is "why", his favorite color is..all of them, his favorite food is pizza with dip(ranch) his favorite drink is chocolate milk, his favorite past time is playing with/torturing Mac a moo moo. He loves riding his wiggle car, swimming, playing on his swing set, watching shows, wrestling, playing monster trucks, getting dirty, playing make believe with his pirate dolls, singing, talking, doing puzzles, coloring .... the list goes on and he wants to do all those things at the same time, right now!!!    

he challenges my patience every day!! he must have done some research before joining our family and found out that patience is NOT my strong suit, and then made it his life mission to teach me the in's and out's of the quality. 

i'm not a quick study but I like to think i'm doing much better. 

he finds pure joy in everything he does, its like his face literally lights up and he gets so giddy when he is excited, its hard to be frustrated for too long.

do you need a close up of this amazing cake? 

I thought so!

 my talented mom made it for Gabes birthday. Up until a week before the big day Gabe was dead set on having a MONSTER TRUCK cake!!! but of course he changed his mind after i had diligently pined numerous monster truck cake options on my "birthday party pin board"

Luckily my MOM came to the rescue!!..... as always.

 Weight: 45 lbs 100%

  Height: 41.5 in 100%

 this crazy little dude helps me remember all the things that growing up has made me forget and what i will need to learn with 3 little boys, like: 

farts, burps or any other bodily sound is funny, if you want to eat ramen noodles with your hands...thats ok, use your finger INSTEAD of a french fry to get the goodness that is ketchup into your mouth...go ahead, forks and spoons are for the weak. getting dirty for no other reason then the fun of it is sometimes the goal, chocolate milk is good at every meal, you can be a superhero everyday if you wanna, there might actually be gold up your nose so you better check once in awhile, dancing around is a great way to pass the time until you can fit going to the bathroom into your busy schedule.

and on and on...again another never ending list, but you get the idea, i have a lot to learn and a lot of opportunities to practice my new "patience" skills.

but most importantly... 

 in the last 3 years he's taught me so much more then the importance of being patient.

 he's taught me what unconditional no holds bar through myself in front of a bus for you love is.

  this little human has made me love harder and fiercer then i ever thought possible,

and has shown me the actual definition of what "mama bear" really means for anyone who threatens my little cub.  

as he continues to grow i'm sure the lessons he teaches me will out number the ones i teach him

but i look forward to every "inch" of his life, the good, the bad and the dirty.

 i love you my little Gabe. 

Happy Birthday!