Cookies & Balloon Dragon Slaying

So the other day we had a great time making cookies and cards to take around to different people in our ward. We all had a good time, P & C each took turns handing a plate of cookies to our friends while the other handed to them a card we had made. All the while practically yelling at them- "we bring you COOKIES!" Needless to say they were quite excited about the cookies.

Grandma and Grandpa Dalling were here the last week and the day before grandma went home we went to Busch Gardens theme park (thanks Grandma, we all had a blast!). On the way out of the park Grandma had to get the kids one more thing and as you see here the result is that we are now proud stewards of two sword wielding 3 year old warriors! After numerous battles left the other Hero maimed and crying and since Claire is a self proclaimed Disney Princess it was only logical that we decided this poor balloon was a dragon and that they could take turns "slaying" the dragon while the other watched. Of course my psuedo princess is not going to sit back a be saved like a true princess would but rather she wants all the perks of princessship while matching the thrills of a knight in shinning armor. So she took some mean hacks at that pesky dragon.

Happy Birthday Mom! This is my mom trying her best to keep a straight face as she tries to do her best lifeguard impression! My mom is fun. She knows how to make things special and exciting. When we were growing up she would kick us out of the house on our birthday so she could decorate the house. It always felt like an eternity, but it was worth it when we got to see all that she had done for us.

Here's some other things I love about her.

1. She has high expectations of herself and others. It's one of my driving forces.

2. She is a terrible liar. I always know when she's trying to cover things up to make me feel better.

3. She has stamina. We can't stop her when she gets going, like trying to find a good deal.

4. She is a great multi-tasker, she always made motherhood look easy.

5. She dosen't love talking on the phone, but in person it's another story.

6. She is adventurous and loves to travel, I would go anywhere with her.

7. She is pure, I have never heard her say anything vulgar.

8. She is the best mom in the world!

springfield park

We got a new camera! I am so excited. I'm looking forward to those kodak moments. This is the first time the kids have played outside with their friends for awhile. This is their friends Eli and Braeden. My sister Kim came out to visit us. Then Grandma and Grandpa Dalling came. While they were here Claire got Hand foot mouth disease. It was as bad as the name sounds. The sores were mostly in her mouth. She was miserable and cried almost non-stop for a few days. I felt so bad for her. Medicine didn't seem to help the pain. We were unable to brush her teeth and she developed gingivitis. You could barely see her i-teeth poking out. When the blisters were gone and we began brushing her gums bled and she cried. I am happy to say that after a day or two her gums were back to normal. This really made me think about those children out there who don't have the health benifits we do or the attention from doctors and family. I really am grateful for the health that we usually enjoy. We sure enjoyed our company. Thank you for spoiling us and giving us such a good time.

Claire posing in time-out. Eli, I love the faces you make.

King Neptune

We went to pick up Aunt Kim in Norfolk and decided to go to the annual Neptune Festival in Virginia Beach. It was a lot of fun. There was a parade down Atlantic Blvd, concerts and vendors everywhere, a surfing contest, and a professional and amature sand castle building contest. It was a fun day. I highly recommend it- we will be going back next year.

Temple & Nationals

Well, it seems that it is beginning to become evident that I believe in the two truely divine things found on this earth- the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Baseball. So we went up to the DC Temple the other day and since we were unable to find a friend that could go up with us, Emily and I took turns watching the kids while the other went through a session. The kids were so much fun and the Temple of course is beautiful (please excuse the picture quality, they're from my phone).

We then went over to Nationals Park to catch the last home game of the season and see a high school teammate of mine pitch for the Marlins. But we sat through two and a half hours of rain delay before the game was canceled and our tickets refunded. My family are such good sports!

Sunday Fun

Ok- what grandma wants, grandma gets. The other Sunday the kids wanted daddy to do beads with them so we each made necklaces to define our personalities. Then we had to wear them the rest of the day. This top one is Preston's- it shows his consistency, focus on one thing at a time, and disregard for over indulgence of one thing when he wants it. The middle one is daddy's- this screams loyalty and sticking with something successful (Go Bobcats!). The last one is Claire's/mommy's- They made this one together and it portrays the spice in our family with fun patterns and a little spunk to keep us all having fun.