a few fathers

we enjoyed a lovely fathers day and got to share it with all the fathers on my side of the family which was a treat. each of these men mean the world to me and have really shaped my life in so many ways....although i don't have the time or words to do any of them real justice, i will just say a few....

my dad is the men of all men. he is kind and considerate and compassionate and tops it all off by being handsome and strong and tough! i have adored him since i entered this world. he is the best story teller i know. i came to realize a few years ago the real sacrifices that he made for our family. he is an attorney and had his own private practice when we were kids. as i grew up, i realized that being an attorney is quite a demanding job which included REALLY long hours at the office. i didn't remember my dad putting in those long hours? funny? i remember him coming home from work early often and taking us fishing or body surfing. i remember him being at our rugby and hockey games and most of my swimming galas. i then learned, that my dad would be there for us....and then after we'd go to bed at night, he would work and work late into the night to finish his work and fill his responsibilities. i have always been proud of my dad. i always loved introducing him to my friends, teachers, and coaches....knowing that they would immediately recognize the brilliance behind this man. dad, i love you. you are a true example to me. thank you for being who you are and the sacrifices you didn't hesitate to make for us and for the amazing grandfather that you are to my children every day!


we are so lucky to have my big brother home right now. he has had quite an amazing year. he has joined the military as an 18X-RAY which is the specialized fast-track program for green berets. he has been through extensive training and grueling tests which i cannot even describe to you. watch "3 weeks in hell" on discovery channel and you may get a small taste...but he has passed those tests. he has faced other obstacles along the way that threatened to throw him off track but he has endured them all. the thing that impresses me most, is his positive attitude. when being out in the bush under the most gruelling conditions, he can laugh his head off at the other guys. he takes lead and encourages them and pushes them. out of over 300 men in his one testing period, he had the 5th highest vote in peer review out of any of the other men....and this was after he was removed from his original battalion to do the hardest of tests with men he had never met. i could go on...but what i am trying to say is that he has been my hero since we were tiny kids. i have always felt safe when i was with him. and now, he will be the hero of so many people who he will serve and treat as a medic in the special forces. plus, he is an adorable daddy too.
my little bro, bryn, is also here for the summer painting houses again. bryn has always been a great example to me of being stalwart and faithful. he too is a hard worker. he is steadfast in all that he does. he has his eyes on the prize and goes for it with all his heart. how do you think he ended up with his charming wife? this year, he has studied his heart out and ended his school year with a 4.0 and remarkable results at byu. i am confident that he will do well in anything he sets his heart to. he is a very cute and sweet daddy too.

and then there is this hunk of a man....

and really what can i say? he is my best friend. he is the love of my life. not only is he such a hottie, but he is kind, considerate and compassionate and has a great chest of hair:). he is the b-e-s-t dad that our kids could dream of. he is so fun and exciting and is always up for a fun time and at the same time, gives our children boundaries and structure in their lives. i was talking with one of his co-worker in target the other day and she said, "do you have any idea how much we enjoy your husband? he is so good at what he does and is amazing with the kids that he works with!" all i could do was a agree because i get to see him in action everyday. i cannot think of anyone on this planet who could be better suited to me and my personality. i am so grateful to have an honestly good man at my side and at the head of this family.

happy father's day, all!!!

growing up

i haven't shared my thoughts on my baby lately. and frankly, he's not much of a baby anymore which is taking some getting used to. as of the bedroom move, we made the decision to put away the crib. and so mr. joshie has taken his place in the bottom bunk of the boys room. he thinks he's the bees knees because of it too. sometimes he will get up after i have put him down for bed or a nap and come waltzing into the room. i ask him to go back to bed and he responds, "oh yeah!" as if to say that he didn't realize that's where we wanted him, but "sure!" he'll do it gladly.

along those lines, this boy is a talker and communicator big time! i love the little conversations we frequently have. he is so sweet and 'yes, mamma' and 'thank you, mamma" about everything. whenever there is a lull in the conversation, he'll pick it up again by pointing and saying "wook!!! das punny!" (look! that's funny!) with a little giggle. he is a great entertainer and loves to dance and sing and carry on.

he is also a very determined little boy. he sits at the basketball hoop trying to get the balls in for half an hour at a time. he does the same thing with jumping. he is so determined to jump off the couch like the big kids and he practices and practices. he has the coordination to match his temperament.

mostly, we are just loving him to bits. he is full of life, and joy and it just rubs off on you. so pleased he is a healthy and happy little boy!

awake

there are many things in this world that are overwhelming. some big and often small things can also overwhelm us. i have been spending a lot of time thinking about trials lately. they come in all forms. they come out of nowhere and send you reeling. but one thing i know for sure....everyone has them. i have heard a time or two that people think that blogs portray an unrealistic view of life. well, that may have a little truth to it but i think it is really foolish to begin to think that someone doesn't have trials. they are a guarantee just like death and taxes. my take is that if you think someone has no problems, you just don't know them well enough...

another part of it is that most of the trials we face in our day are deeply personal. they are not what we blab about on our blogs for the whole world to know. and frankly, if my heartaches affected only me, i might just do that. but most woman hold heavy hearts and stories that are not there own to tell.

but this i do know....there is always hope. there may not be a lot of success stories that are broadcast over blogs and pulpits of these deeply personal trials but i am here to tell you that they are there. they are all around you. and we need to know that despite the discouragement that surrounds us, we have a loving heavenly father who is working miracles every day in people's lives. he watches over us. he watches over our children. he knows our sorrows and our hearts. and he will help us triumph if we will believe him when he says he can heal us. he can heal our hearts and our lives. there is nothing in this world that his atonement does not cover. it reaches the farthest corners of the earth into the lowest and deepest places and pulls us to heavenly heights where we can feel his light and love.

if you have a heavy heart today, i want you to know that he is there. he has known you before this world began and he shares in your sorrows and your joys. i read this quote a little while ago, and it has stuck to my heart and mind. over the last week or so, i have watched trials coming to life, families dividing and crumbling all around (literally in my neighborhood). my heart breaks. but i know there is one who watches over all. who protects and allows us to grow.

anyway, here is the quote....

"have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. god is awake." - victor hugo

i know this is true.

renewal

we have been very busy lately...in a good way. on monday, we finally finished out front yard landscaping project. it looks gorgeous....i will be posting pictures soon. i went "shopping" for plants in my mom and dad's spectacular garden and a few of them are still "waking up" from the transplant so i'll post pics when they are all perky. on friday, i got to shoot my first official wedding. it was a nerve-wracking and exciting experience after many many hours of research and study. i am pleased with how it turned out. more on that later.

then, finally saturday arrived and with it came eric's big race day. eric has been determined that when he turned 30, he wanted to be in the best shape of his life. since thanksgiving last year, he has kicked it into high gear. not only is he is awesome shape, he looks AMAZING and is doing amazing things. he just completed his first triathlon. he didn't only finish it, he killed it (this is my unbiased, personal opinion, of course). i am so proud of him. it is so wonderful to be married to such a self-motivated person! he has found a new love in road biking and enjoys the running. the swim was his real challenge. unlike me, who lived in the water for the first 12 years of my life, competitive swim is really new and overwhelming to eric. but he has been working really hard at it. he was dismayed to find that in his lane, he was put with 3 "older" ladies. the swimmers are divided according to their times. but the funny thing was...at the end, he told me that all of those ladies placed in their age divisions so he didn't feel so bad. they were seasoned triathletes. unfortunately, the kiddos and i didn't get to picture the race but caught him right as he crossed the finish line. they are so proud of their dad...

these are eric's coworkers and cheer squad. kristi and janine are the tri and run directors. mark is eric's boss. they all coached him through this experience and worked out with him....

this is one of the ladies eric swam with. she raced with her son and grandson! so cool!


after the race, we came home, packed up and headed for the mountains! just eric and me! it was such a treat. kristi (above) allowed us to use their condo at copper mountain. boy, we had such a great time. we enjoyed the mountain air and beautiful mountain towns. hiking together to wheeler lakes with hours and hours of talking and goofing around uninterrupted by kids. lazing around and watching movies together. it was just what we needed. it felt like we were just married again and all the things that clog up our world fell into the backround and we got to just focus on being together. this is the first time we've ever done anything like this....just the two of us but it definately won't be the last! thanks so much to aury who looked after our babies. such a comfort to know they were so well looked after and with someone they love who loves them back!

mom took the kids for us on monday. we arrived home around 1 o'clock to find that apparently, we weren't supposed to be home yet. mom was in the middle of trying to finish all our laundry (and trust me, that's no small task) and had a sweet girl from the ward coming over to help rearrange the kids rooms. i've been wanting to do this for a few weeks now. we have four bedrooms but the largest we turned into a playroom. needless to say, the kids don't play in their but it is constantly a huge mess. so i have decided to get rid of the playroom and put the boys in the largest room, maryn in the boys room (as hers was really cramped) and turn maryn's old room into a much needed office space and move the toys to the basement. this was to be my project this week. anyway, we arrived home early and mom had this all planned out....so we dived in and helped. we got it all done in a couple of hours...what would have taken me forever by myself! i am thrilled with the results and so are the kids. so maybe i'll paint maryn's room this week instead:) i love my mom...she is so thoughtful and constantly giving of herself to all of us...i should add that mom and dad came helped us on monday with the front yard landscaping....i don't think we would have that finished either if it wasn't for their help!!

so, i am feeling relieved to had so much done and feeling renewed with our couple of nights away and ready to take on the summer with the kids! headed to swimming lessons....

our miracle - a year later

can you remember this little 3 lbs. bundle? she had us all holding our breaths. well, it is now a year later and not only is she one of the most adorable redheads i've ever laid eyes on, she has stolen our hearts with her sweet spirit and personality! can't believe she is a year old today.




to see more of her crib shoot, go here.

sista

so here we go....surprise!!? i'm late getting this post up but i just wanted to take a moment to wish my little (tee hee) sister happy birthday from her BIG sister!

emma is a diva to the core. she loves the latest and the greatest. she is the cooker upper of my awesome hair-do's and is headed for hollywood. (doing hair of course). she has one of the most giving hearts you will ever find and is generous sometimes to a fault. she cries in any soppy movie and doesn't try to hide it. she loves to be in the lime light. she loves my children. joshie says her name and she thinks she won the lottery.


i did this photoshoot last year with her. we laughed our heads off "pretending" like we knew what we were doing shooting photos in a local outdoor mall. she is always good for a laugh!

happy birthday em!!! may this year be the best one yet!