Bobbing For Donuts

For family night this past Monday, we talked about the creation (more on that later)... and for family night treats, we bobbed for donuts.  And not just any ol' donuts, Texas donuts (cuz everything is bigger in Texas, right??)  Jono was the only person who could finish his off.  

And this photo was a reality check in the I-Really-Am-Short department.

Such cute boys.

Baking with Mommy

Today I planned to bake some crescent rolls to go along with dinner tonight.  The dough had risen and I was getting ready to roll it all out when I heard a little voice behind me, "Momma, can I help you?"  My first thought was how much easier it would be to just finish on my own, but whenever that thought comes to my mind, so does an article from a class I took at BYU.  The article is called Doing Dishes with Daddy, essentially about a dad who learns how fulfilling it is to work alongside a child... even if the task takes twice as long.  So, Keyan donned his apron and helped me flip the rolls into their crescent shape.  Some rolls look less than perfect, but that just makes them more memorable :)

Kids

I know, what you really want to see is photos of the house. But I've had a miserable day today, so I am going to share something else instead. A lot of you have probably seen the following video, as I have. I keep coming back to it, because it just makes me feel happy inside. The kid is 100% cute, but I also marvel as I often do at the incredible good nature of children. You make a mistake that wrongs an adult, and it's likely to cause hurt or resentment... but wrong a little child and they will forgive you two seconds later. Whether they play the ukelele like nobody's business or they just say, "I love you, Momma" ... kids are the best at saying, "I'm Yours" and reminding you how simple and good life is.

Heads Carolina

Last Monday, we arrived in Florida to begin our month long vacay. And last Saturday, we left on a roadtrip up the East Coast to visit some extended family. Our first stop was Inman, South Carolina, at my Aunt Conni & Uncle Ted's place on Lake Bowen. I have such great memories of visiting here as a kid. Boating, playing in the huge yard, swimming in the lake, and exploring every inch of their garden. It's because of this house that I've always wanted to live on the water.

View of the house from the lake

The dock

Gathering for dinner.

Holy cow, I must have gained 5 lbs from this meal alone. It was quite the spread of truly southern food-- including a dish called low country boil. If you're a meat and potatoes kind of person.... then this dish is for you, because it's nothing but.. well.. meat and potatoes ;)

Look at them teeth!

This is Keyan "fishing"

Sitting on the dock, toes in the water. Yep, I could do this every day.

On the boat! And this boy couldn't get enough.

The photo does not do it justice at all, but this is the house I wanted to live in when I was little. We would pass by it all of the time when we were out on the boat. Now, as an adult... I still wouldn't mind living here ;)

Everyone keeps saying how much Nolan & Jono look alike. Maybe in this photo... a little?

Testing the water...

And it feels good!

Keyan actually jumped off the dock all by himself and swam around without fear. If you knew this kid around water, you'd be impressed too ;)

Ted, Conni, and Keyan

... and Nolan, at the close of our fabulous day.

June: Crazy Days

In Utah, most every city has some kind of summer celebration dubbed by some type of Days. Fiesta Days in Spanish Fork, Strawberry Days in American Fork, Onion (yes, onion) Days in Payson, Lavender Days in Mona, Freedom Days here in Provo... etc, etc. So in keeping with that tradition, I have dubbed June our Crazy Days. Here's a breakdown of the festivities.

June 3- Birthday Celebration.... I turned 28.

June 7- Monster Truck Show... Chevy Silverado vs Hyundai Elantra. In other words, our little car was totaled by a construction truck driver making a wacky (and totally illegal) U-turn.

June 11- Found out Nolan would need surgery to get tubes in his ears.... on.....

June 14- Surgery in the morning... happy, sleeping baby by that evening. I cannot even begin to tell you how nice it is to have the return of Nolan's super sweet disposition. And sleep. Wonderful sleep.

June 16- I looked at a web browser window and what did I see? A house for sale by Zip Realty! In our price range. In the exact (and only) neighborhood we desire to live. So we took a tour that evening.

June 17-21- Lots of daydreaming. And trips to Home Depot for more daydreaming.

June 22- Submitted a bid. Stressed a bit.

June 23- Special performance of Mr. Roger's "Won't You Be My Neighbor"? Okay, so that's just the lame line I delivered to let some people know that we would be moving to their neighborhood. Because, as it turns out, we know two people in the area-- we will have some friends, after all! ;)