SUMMER FUN!

Ansley and Nate hanging out in Nate's room during what we call "Exercising You Brain Time"...aka naptime/quiet time. They are too old to nap, but I need quiet in the house for those who are napping, so they stay quiet by playing games, listening to music, making up dances (yes, Nate too...we have our concerns), or reading. There is no TV, video games or movies allowed, so they are forced to use their brains!




Disgusting bug we found right outside our garage last week. It is some sort of a beetle or something. Kyle, of course, had to catch it, freeze it, examine it, photograph it, and scare the little ones with it.

The boys having all sorts of fun with the hose on a hot day. Yes, Eli is wearing socks...not really sure why.

Cute butt and dead grass. What more can I say?

"As seedlings of God, we barely blossom on earth; we fully flower in heaven."

-Elder Russell M. Nelson

"Blessed is he that is faithful in tribulation...Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation. For after much tribulation come the blessings...wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand." D&C 58:3-4

We have had a very sad day today. We learned this morning that Alan's dad/Kathy's father-in-law/Jared, Jen, Jill & Joni's Grandpa Whiting passed away. We know what a wonderful dad, grandpa, and example he was and will continue to be. We are sorry for your sorrow and pain. We can take comfort in the Plan of Salvation and the knowledge that he was righteous and his family that was bound on earth, is also bound in heaven. Death cannot sever families sealed in the temple. You have wonderful memories of your grandpa and he is now waiting to be reunited with you in heaven! We love you all.

Also, today, a good friend of Kyle's and the Elders' Quorum President in our ward that Kyle serves under, Scott Waite, fell from a ladder while trimming trees and passed away. He has 6 children (age range: 15 years down to 3 years), 4 of which are in Primary. He was a great husband, father, friend and leader. He will be very missed in this community and in our ward. It was a priviledge to get to know him over the past 3 years while Kyle served as his counselor. He was a good friend and a great example to our family. It has come as a great shock and has really made us think about how lucky we are to have each other and how precious and fragile life is. We will miss you, Scott.

"All of us have to deal with death at one time or another, but to have in one's heart a solid conviction concerning the reality of eternal life is to bring a sense of peace in an hour of tragedy that can come from no other source under the heavens." President Gordon B. Hinckley

We are so blessed to have the knowledge of the Gospel. I know that my family is eternal. I love them all so much and after the events of the day, I am going to try my best to show them that love every minute of everyday.

DREAMS DO COME TRUE...


After decades of being a "superfan" to a team who usually didn't deserve him...one of Kyle's San Diego Charger "dreams" has come true. Kyle has always wanted an "authentic" Chargers jersey. He has never bought one because they are VERY expensive, but when the Chargers decided to change their jerseys for the 2007 season, Kyle saw his chance. He was able to purchase one from the 2006 season for very cheap. He is like a kid with a new toy. He tries it on 3 or 4 times a day and just looks at it. Then he takes it off, carefully folds it, and puts it away. He hasn't worn it out yet and the tags are still on it...for Pete's sake. I will assume that this will be his "good" jersey. Since he wears a jersey everyday, I am guessing that this will be the one he reserves for special occasions like Chargers games and our anniversary. I am so glad he finally got his authentic jersey (not that I knew what that even meant a week ago) and hopefully someday, we will hit the jackpot and he will be able to buy an "authentic game worn" jersey. Apparently, those are even better. Love you honey!!! GO BRONCOS!!!



Kyle in his jersey in Nate's "Chargers" room. (Yes, he has been weightlifting again and yes, he is the size of a NFL player.)

*New Photos of Claire*

Sweet Claire.



We bought Claire this seat called a Bumbo. It lets babies sit before they can do it on their own. It is hilarious to see her sitting up and she really likes is for about 10 minutes. It is so funny to see her sitting up big...it makes her look like a doll!


Precious little Claire. She doesn't usually hold still for pictures, but this time she was intrigued by the camera and didn't move a muscle.

We already knew she was an angel...this proves it! (notice the heavenly beam of light resting upon her)

God Bless The USA!

We had a very nice Independence Day, despite the heat (around 120 degrees). The community has a whole day of activities at the fair grounds. There is a sunrise flag ceremony, a pancake breakfast, water games, hot dog eating contest, water fight with the fire department, watermelon bust, sunset dinner, and fireworks. We skipped the breakfast because we are lazy, but we went to the most everything else. It was a lot of fun! The kids "hung out" with friends, I sat in the shade with Claire and Kyle chased Eli. We are so blessed to live in such a wonderful community and in the greatest nation in the world!!








Eli and Josh had a great time at the water games. Ansley and Nate decided they were too old (and too cool!!) for the water games this year. There were several stations set up and the kids rotated every 20 minutes. Eli LOVED the sand pile. He had to be torn away from it. Josh is thinking of a career in plumbing!





The volunteer fire department bring their trucks to the fair grounds and set up across a field from each other and have a huge water fight with all their hoses. Everyone joins in and everyone within 100 yards gets soaked. Eli and Josh ran and ran. They loved it. I also got wet trying to take their picture, but I didn't mind the little cool off. After they had run themselves ragged, they were rewarded with some snow cones. Aaaah!



Josh and the "cool kids" enjoying some refreshing snow cones in the blazing heat. The extra child is, of course, Lauren...Ansley's best friend who lives across the street and pretty much goes with us everywhere.





The kids enjoying the fireworks. (Lauren, Ansley, Josh and Nate)






Claire enoying the fireworks. (notice her glow-in-the-dark bracelet)





Nate looking demonic courtesy of many glowing bracelets. The fact that he has red-eye in this picture is just a bonus!




Kyle and Eli watching the fireworks. Last year, Eli HATED the fireworks and wouldn't even look at them. This year, he LOVED them. Adorable boys!

Famous Last Words...

Let's put it this way...Kyle HATES to paint. Every time we paint, he says he will never paint again. Famous last words. This week, we took on the task of painting the entry, family room, kitchen, dining room, and hallways. Since it is one big, open area, we used only one color..."Lazy Beige"...it sounded like the perfect paint for our family, so we went for it. It took 2 days (with Kyle painting through the night) to get it done and it looks great. Thanks Kyle! He says he will never paint again. Next week, we are taking on Claire's room. Only this time, he will paint and install crown molding. Good husband...good husband.





Eli drove us crazy the whole time we were painting. He was into everything, sneaking around and getting into the pantry while we weren't looking and worst of all...he wouldn't sleep at nap time. We gave in and let him stay up, but a couple of hours later he was watching a movie in Ansley's room and he succumbed to fatigue. Sometimes we like him better like this!

*SPIT Happens!!

Ansley LOVES to take care of Claire and act like her second mom, but she hates the fact that Claire spits up. She is always saying things like, "The only bad thing about Claire is that she spits up" and "I wish Claire didn't puke." The other day while holding Claire, the puke was unleashed on Ansley (and the couch) and instead of anyone helping her and cleaning her up, we grabbed the camera and took pictures. O...the moments of our lives.

Josh & Claire

I would have never guessed before Claire was born who would be the most smitten by a new baby, but by far, it is Josh. He is totally in love with her. He is happy to just sit by her while she is in her bouncer seat or on her boppy. If she is sitting in her boppy, he loves to lay his head on the pillow right next to her. He is so cute with her and she smiles if he comes into sight. I hope they keep this sweet relationship. The other kids love her too! Eli loves to jump over her when she is on the floor (gulp!). Ansley and Nate just love to hold her. She loves all of them too. She smiles from ear to ear when any of them come into sight. Man, I have cute kids!