LOOK MOM!

I'm an F! I'm an F!

father son campout?

Several months ago there was a Stake Fathers & Sons camp out. Rich was excited to be able to take William this year. William was thrilled beyond words to go on a camp out. It's all he could talk about. When the day finally came it was cancelled because it had been pouring buckets of rain for days. William was crushed. (Rich would have been crushed except he had gotten sick... so it actually worked out nicely for him--because he still would have gone.) Rich promised William that they would still go camping. But every weekend it ended up raining. And then we had a new baby. And life happened.
Here's one thing you might not know about William: he's like an elephant--he never (and I mean never) forgets. So he continued to randomly bring up the subject of camping out. Finally Rich found a perfect weekend. With Friday off for the 4th of July, they decided to camp out (in the backyard) on Thursday night. William was so excited. He even got James excited. He couldn't stop talking about sleeping in the tent and having a fire and eating s'mores ("those sandwiches with graham crackers and chocolate and marshmallows").
First thing after work they set up the tent. William loved helping to hammer in the stakes.
And of course our dinner had to be cooked over a "campfire." James was the chef for the night.
(Alex joined in on the fun for a little while too!)
And what camp out would be complete without s'mores? William couldn't wait to eat them... but then he took one bite and said they were gross. So I made him try another bite. Still a no go. Oh well... more for me!
After eating and playing around for a while I took the two little boys inside to sleep while Rich and William stayed outside. They played games and watched movies. William was too keyed up to even think about sleep.
Let me ask you this. Have you ever been to Oklahoma in July? How people lived here before the invention of air conditioning I'll never know. And this summer seems particularly hot. Rich couldn't even think about sleeping in that heat when air conditioning and a soft mattress were right at his fingertips. So around 11:00 he convinced William to sleep in a fort in the living room. William crashed as soon as his head hit the pillow. (Of course, he woke up at about 4 am wanting to go back outside and sleep! We said no. He threw a fit. He went to sleep in his own bed.)
It was a fun night but maybe they'll try this again in October when the weather is a little nicer.

8 weeks

I can hardly believe that Alex joined our family 8 weeks ago! He has changed so much already! He still has lots of hair... and it looks reddish in the sunlight... I hope it stays that way! For starting out as such a little guy he sure is getting big--and growing like a weed! He loves to be on his tummy and is starting to get a little more head control. From the beginning he has been really alert and now he enjoys having something to look at while he lays on his back. He is still such a smiley little guy and loves to talk with his brothers... and it's a good thing because they adore him. I also invested in a sling (comes in handy when I'm shopping). William always asks, "Why does Alexander like to be all squished?" I don't know because he sure liked to stretch out when he was still in my tummy... but he loves to be in that sling. He is such a fun addition to our family... We love this little guy!

we start them early...

I bought these for my brother, Jacob, when he was born. I had just started my sophomore year at BYU. I don't think he wore them much because of his awesomely large feet. When William was born, my mom passed them back to me. Subsequently, each of my boys has had their turn with the cougar socks. Go Cougars!

a sad day...

Yesterday was a sad day. We replaced our little white car.

I don't know why it was so hard for me to part with it. It has been slowly falling apart for some time now. Rich has been driving around in the heat without a reliable air conditioner (it was the last thing to go.) I've rarely driven it in the past several months because Rich has been afraid it would break down on me.

That little car drove Rich up to college and back several times. It's the car we drove while we were dating.... to places like Dairy Keen, temple square, Comedy Sportz (nose hair clipper, Heather?), and the Movies 8. It got us through grad school. It took us to see all the church history sites: Independence, Liberty, Winter Quarters, Adam-ondi-Ahman, Far West, Carthage, and Nauvoo. It took us to Omaha... where somewhere in the middle of Kansas we lost our duct-taped headlight. It drove us to Dallas on numerous occasions. This car was full of memories!

Farewell little Geo!

{flags lining the main road of our little town}

We had a fantastic week. We said the Pledge of Allegiance, colored pictures of flags, ate lots of red, white and blue food, read books like this one:

and made patriotic pinwheels.

We enjoyed getting together with the Burrs on Friday and with friends from the ward on Saturday. I wish I had a pool to take these boys to more often... they are little fishes!

After an afternoon of swimming we went over to Grandma and Grandpa Crane's to play with fireworks. Words cannot describe how much fun these boys had {and how nervous the mom's were!}

On Sunday we had the opportunity to visit a three-quarter size, traveling Vietnam Wall that made it's way for the weekend to our high school football field. It was a great experience... and the perfect weekend to remember the soldiers who fought for us then and now.

We hope you had a happy 4th too!

eight is enough...

Eight things I look forward to...
1. Seeing my family
2. The day when all of my children sleep all through the night...
3. Having every position filled in Young Women's
4. Fitting into my clothes again
5. Not having toys overrun my house
6. Date night
7. Going shopping alone
8. Seeing old friends

Eight things I did yesterday...
1. Went to Walmart... by myself
2. Made a red, white, and blue dessert
3. Drove to Stillwater
4. Hung out with friends (thanks Melissa for having us!)
5. Talked with Rachelle
6. Put the kids to bed
7. Relaxed with Rich
8. Had some popcorn and chocolate milk for a late night snack

Eight things I wish I could do...
1. Sew
2. Be ultra organized like my mom
3. Understand finances and investments
4. Keep my house clean
5. Be a great photographer
6. Travel the world... including exotic places like Utah--so I can see my friends
7. Be a great public speaker
8. Have more patience

Eight shows I watch...
1. LOST (I can't wait for the last season!)
2. The Office
3. Chuck
4. The Biggest Loser
5. 30 Rock
6. Malcolm in the Middle (although we've now finished watching them all... sad day)
7. Everybody Loves Raymond (when there is nothing else on at night)
8. occasionally SNL

Eight friends I'm tagging...
1. Carrie
2. Lori
3. Heather
4. Melissa B
5. Melissa J
6. Janine
7. Amy
8. Elise