Don't Blink

How can signs of your baby getting older be so much fun and sad at the same time? I love to watch Camden master knew things; recently we offered him play-doh and he played so good with no attempts to eat it. That is so nice for me, but it also means that he is not much of a baby. For the last 14 months I have freely disposed of the baby paraphernalia as he reached the new milestones without ever thinking twice. But it hit me the other day that I may not fully appreciate the time that our baby has been a baby. (Please do not read this wrong, I don't want any more babies, I just want to savor time while it lasts.) For that matter, my other kids are growing too fast too! So I am trying harder to enjoy each of my children before they are gone, grown, etc. (At Time Out For Women, Hilary Weeks said "I will know my children for all of eternity as adults, what a sacred privilege it is to know them as children.").  Yet I have discovered that even when you know they will only be children for a short time there is no way to make time slow down or remember all the things you think you will never forget.

Like the way Camden gives the best darn baby hugs of any kid I have ever known. Seriously, he can hang by your neck with his own strength because he squeezes so hard. And he walks around the house like he owns the place with his bull-legged cowboy strut. Likewise I wish I could put Carter's personality into words, he is so funny. The other morning he caught me working out and  he was so upset he wanted me to stop because he was afraid I was going to get stronger than dad! Then Kennedy is so sincere and generous and helpful. She writes the most thoughtful notes and can't wait for you to find them so she reads them to you. (I know I am going to wish that she still did that when she is a teenager!) I guess I will just have to takes lots of pictures and force myself to blog so I don't forget everything, what else can you do?

I just love sleepy pictures!

Carter's Eternal Family

Several times this year I have substituted for Carter's primary class. Last week we were talking about the temple and how families can live together forever. One of the activities we did involved connecting members of the kids families together. I really wanted the kids to have a square for each person in their family. As we were choosing the people to go in Carter's family he insisted on including Maren, our German exchange student who has been his sister all year. Then he wanted to connect the family together to make a crown (nice symbolism I never would have thought of that). So there you have it, this is Carter's Eternal Family crown.

Eat Mor Chikin

We love Chick-Fil-A! Friday the 13th Chick-Fil-A hosted a dress-like-a-cow-eat-free-chicken event. It was really fun. I still can't believe that they gave free chicken meals to anyone in a cow costume!  I was really impressed by the creativity and costumes people wore. I know Chick-Fil-A can be a little expensive but their quality is unmatched, nobody makes better chicken. Plus, the people are great, the company boldy defends family values and they are closed on Sunday; all of that is worth a few extra dollars to me.

This is it. I am going to do it, I am going to blog. Since I have missed so much I will move from today forward and do lots of flashbacks. I have lots to catch-up on, we have had a baby and a foreign exchange student since I posted last. It may take me a while, but I have determined to try and not get overwhelmed.
I figure the best place to start is today!
Today is the 4th of July, my absolute favorite holiday. To me it is best of summer wrapped-up in one day: swimming, sunshine, friends, popsicles, bar-b-q, patriotic music and fireworks. Plus, I love history and I am so grateful to live in a free, prosperous country. Being raised in the Air Force helps me appreciate the great men and women who serve and protect our country.

Ironically this July 4th has been soaked with rain! Don't worry we are loving it. It has been so long since it rained my kids are thrilled. We have taken lots of pictures this morning of the kids playing in the rain. ( Have you ever noticed that you can always spot someone from Arizona when it rains? It's like we just don't know what to do with ourselves. The kids can't stay out of it and their parents don't know how to drive in it.) Plus we enjoyed a bike-ride/walk before the rain set in. This cool day in the middle of summer is a welcomed treat. So happy 4th!