Megan Said

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Weather: 95 degrees (slightly breezy)

Jackson said : "Megan do you want to go outside to play."
Megan said : "Jackson, your crazy. It is way too cold to play outside."

Piercing Scream

A couple of months ago Megan decided she wanted to get her ears pierced, so on Wednesday we finally did it. There was actually no screaming involved, just a little nervousness, anticipation, a little pain, and just a few tears at the end (probably due to relief that it was all over).

Before

During

After

Jackson Said

Jackson: "Mom, If Spike peed on Heavenly Father, that wouldn't be good, right?"

(Spike was our dog that died last year)

Megan's 8th Birthday

Megan decided not to have a party this year (which surprised me, but certainly did not bother me). She told us she wanted to go bowling as a family, so that is just what we did.
First we brought Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and drinks to Megan's class, where a very spirited and noisy version of Happy Birthday was sung to her.

Opening Presents

Bowling is always so much fun. Megan probably did the best she has ever done. I think she scored about 90 points.



Jackson's balls took soooo long to hit the pins. After he would throw his ball, he would stand just like this and wait for it to hit the pins.




We didn't get home from bowling until about 10:30 p.m. Jackson and Sadie both fell asleep on the way home, but we still hadn't sung to Megan or had cake. So we woke them up, sang, had a small piece of cake and went to bed. It was a great day!

SPT

"WATER"

Truth be told, I am somewhat afraid of water. More particularly drowning. I have no desire to ever board a cruise ship, and am even more leery of boating on a lake. My husband and children love it, so I do partake of a ride now and then but I am usually a bit nervous the entire time. I don't have a strong desire to ever live near the ocean. I think I would be slightly paranoid of a Tsunami. From this post I sound a bit irrational, but in reality most of our summer outdoor activities are centered around water. Either in the pool (higher risk of drowning), or playing on the trampoline with the sprinklers (relatively little risk). Here are some pictures I snapped this week in the pool.

At 8

• She refuses to wear dresses or skirts any day but Sunday. They interfere with playing.
• She insists on wearing short socks. If more than an 1/8 of an inch of sock is sticking out of her tennis shoes, they are too long.
• She still loves to play with Jackson.
• She takes great care of Sadie and loves to dress her up.
• She enjoys telling jokes, often followed by "Do you get it."

• She continues to be a messy eater.
• She still plays with toys, but is starting to enjoy more grown up things also. She told me that this year she is really way too old for princess stuff.
• She dives right into new situations. When it comes to getting up in front of people she has no fear.
• She is becoming a great swimmer.
• She is quite athletic, and really enjoys P.E.
• She is doing great in school, bringing home all A's this year.

• She dislikes cleaning her room, and will often spend hours doing it. Truthfully, she does a lot more playing than cleaning.
• She is not very interested in boys, yet. They call her, and give her things at school, but she could care less. Apparently she has already mastered playing hard to get.
• She makes friends wherever she goes. If there is someone close to her age, she will befriend them within minutes.
• She is definitely an oldest child and likes to be the boss. Luckily Jackson is pretty easy going.
• Homework is the first thing she does everyday when coming home from school.
• She eats Apple Jacks every single day for breakfast.

• She is a picky eater. She would be happy eating pizza, chicken nuggets, or spaghetti (without sauce), everyday.
• She helps me out with whatever I need, with relatively little complaining.
• She loves to draw and is really great at it.
• She puts everything in her mouth. And I mean everything. She is definitely orally fixated.
  

Megan is such a wonderful daughter that is impossible not to love.
Happy Birthday Megan!! We love you!!

4th Of July

Yesterday we headed up to St. George to celebrate the 4th of July.

Megan's birthday is on Monday so we were able to celebrate it a little early with my mom. She received new flip-flops, sunglasses, a purse, and a new swimming suit from her grandma and grandpa. She couldn't have been happier. By the way, this is now Jackson's favorite pose in any picture we are taking.

Eric, Sadie (who would not look at the camera), my Mom, Ken, Megan & Jackson.

Later on we went downtown to watch the fireworks. There were booths, games, and some great water features that the kids could play in while we were waiting.

Sadie could not keep her little eyes open a minute longer. It was a very big day for her. It was also her half year birthday so you know she was exhausted from partying so much. It was her first time watching fireworks so I had no idea how she was going to react. To my pleasure, she did great. The noise wasn't too bad and she seemed mesmerized by all of the colors.

While we were watching we were suddenly sprayed with water. It turns out the sprinklers were never turned off, so all of us sitting on the field got a nice cool down about half way into the show. Luckily they were turned off pretty quickly. Truth be told, it was quite funny watching everyone (myself included) gather up all their belongings and run. We had a great time.

Wordless Wednesday

SPT

This month's SPT challenges:
July 1st: Sun
July 8th: Water
July 15th: Shade
July 22nd: Grass
July 29th: Ice Cream

So our first installment is SUN. Here in Las Vegas we have over 320 days of sunshine. If you ever watch the weather you will see days and days of little suns. In fact, I hardly ever watch the weather because I know that in the summer it will be sunny and hot, the winter will be sunny and cool, and the spring and fall will be sunny and perfect. Unless we are doing some sort of water activity, we probably spend more time indoors during the summer than any other season because it is so HOT. I bet I gain more weight during the summer months than any other time, since I am less active. I love almost everything about the summer and the sun. My only drawbacks are, having to put massive amounts of sunscreen on the kids daily, and finding an attractive summer wardrobe that I am comfortable in!!

The Next Best Thing To Having A Pool...

Having friends with pools. Even though we do not have a pool, we get plenty of opportunities to swim during the summer, thanks to having good friends that share. Jackson, Sadie, and I went swimming today. Megan is still in school and Eric was at work so they have been missing out on a lot of the fun so far this summer. Here are a few pictures from our day.

Since I was holding Sadie the entire time, Jackson spent most of the day in the shallow area. He doesn't like to swim without Eric or I holding onto him, but luckily he is content to just hang out.

The kids and I. Obviously.

My little Sade. She is very content in the water, but you won't catch her smiling. She tends to be quite serious minded.

SPT

"Stars And/Or Stripes Forever"

This is my favorite picture of my son Jackson and I. It was taken about 2 years ago. He is wearing his stars and stripes swimming suit, which he still enjoys wearing, even though it is now quite small on him.

I am also including a picture of my Converse All Star sneakers. I have had these for about 15 years. Before these, I had many other pair that have since been laid to rest. However, I have held onto these (my last pair) for some reason. I never wear them, but whenever I clean out my closet they somehow manage to stay. Maybe I instinctively knew I would eventually need them for this SPT assignment.

Two Of Us

It all started with the two of us.

Jackson said: "Mom, it really all started with Jesus, right?"

HELLGA

We watch a show called American Gladiators. My kids love it. And truthfully so do Eric and I. Jackson doesn't like to watch a lot of T.V. but along with Tom & Jerry it is the one show he watches from beginning to end. We all have our favorite Gladiators, but I think Jackson's choice of favorite Gladiator is interesting. When she comes on screen he always proclaims, "She's my favorite." He has also been know to say, "She is so cute", and "She is really pretty." And her name is:

HELLGA

Do you find this to be an "interesting" choice?

SPT

"Home Sweet Home"

When my husband and I got married we were pretty poor. I had stopped working after I had my first daughter so we were trying to live on one income that at the time was not very much. We lived in Salt Lake City in an old, run-down apartment complex next to a refinery. I remember my Dad saying that sometime soon he thought we would be getting a house, and I thought he was crazy. Not too long after, my husband got a job offer in Las Vegas and we decided to move. A few months later we moved into our home, and we are still in it 6 years later. At the time we had one child and plenty of room. As more children have come, our house has seemed to shrink, but I truly could not be more grateful for it. As a child, we moved around a lot. Mostly within the same town, but from apartment to apartment. I did not mind it much, but now having lived in one place for a few years, I realize how nice it is. But looking back to the early years of our marriage I find that I was truly just as happy then as I am now. Granted, I prefer where I am living now, but my heart was just as full.

Father's Day

Before I met Eric I hadn't really given much thought to having kids. To me, children were an abstract concept that I wasn't sure would be a part of my life. That all changed when I met Eric. I instantly knew he would be an amazing Dad, because he was a truly amazing man. I remember thinking, I can't believe there are men out there like this. I knew he would be an amazing father, and I was right. He takes care of our family in every possible aspect. I would like to share a few of my favorite things about Eric as a father.

• He can answer all of the kids questions, no matter what they may be. I often say the words, "I'm not sure. Let's ask Dad when he gets home."
• He will walk Sadie (and Megan and Jackson when they were babies) around the house for hours, if needed, until she falls asleep.
• He has the patience to listen to 48 jokes in a row concerning bunnies. I am not exaggerating. Megan brought a book of bunny riddles home last week and Eric listened to each and every one.

• He cleans up bodily fluids. He knows I hate this, so if he is home he takes on bathroom duties.
• Kid noise (yelling, roughhousing, whining) do not seem to bother him. He lets our kids be kids.
• He takes the time to explain things to them, and to teach them the things they need or want to know. He always has time for them.

• He will play cars, build tracks, read books, and play games endlessly with the kids.
• When he comes home from work, he is always so happy and excited to see them. When he is home, his time is our time.
• And lastly, and what makes my heart the happiest, is that my kids will grow up knowing their Dad loves everything about them. Really, what could be better.

Eric, we love you and thank you for being everything a father can be.