Layers . . . . . . .

Ava is obsessed with layers. Lots and lots of layers. I don't know why, but she loves it. I may have already mentioned this, but when we took her binky away, she suddenly became enthralled by blankets. Not one at a time. All of them at once. This next picture is a good example of how you can find her many times throughout the day. Granted, I am the one stacking the blankets, but she is giving me the order.


These next few pictures are of what entertained her for a good hour today. The top drawer in her dresser is filled with tights, underwear, and plastic swim pants. Again, with my help, she managed to get the majority of what was in her drawer, on her body. I don't know what it is with layers, but she loves it. Doesn't some ancient proverb say that if you're into layers then you are very smart with deep thoughts and will make lots of money some day? I may have made that last part up. It might just be that she is entertained by odd things. :)

Just had to share . . . . . .

This is a father and son. Turn the music off at the bottom of my blog because this song is beautiful.

4th of July Weekend . . . . . . . A Little Late

We had such a crazy fun fourth of July weekend in Richfield. We had the parade, the rides at the park, bbq and slip n' slide at Grandma and Grandpa's, and fireworks that night. Ava had SOOOOO much fun with her cousins. Randy and I had a good time hanging out with the family too. I'm so grateful to have married into such an awesome family. I just love my brother and sister-in-laws. They're the best.

After the Richfield weekend we went to Nephi for a bbq. My grandparents were there and we played wiffle ball and bacci ball. I have to point out that my team won wiffle ball, and although my mom and I may not have won bacci ball, Alecia and Jared didn't manage to score even one point. Just had to point that out. Here are some pictures. Enjoy!


Watching the Fireworks.

Ava and her cousins watching the parade. My daughter won't look at the camera so Braden took charge! :)

Our little Miss watching the parade.

Ava and Grandpa. What pals!

Playing on the slip n' slide. Ava LOVED it!

Slip n' Slide

Randy IN the little kid blowup maze. Ava got stuck!

Ava crawling through with her cousin Hailey.

Our little trio at the "Hometown 4th of July!"

Google Reader

Have you all heard of this? Coolest thing ever. Do this: Get yourself a gmail account if you don't already have one. Go into the reader section (top left hand corner). Put the web address of all the blogs you read into the subscription part and Voila! You log into that gmail reader and it tells you who has updated! I did it a couple of weeks ago and it is the coolest thing ever! You don't have to go to every single blog to look for updates, it does it for you and saves so much time! Just thought I'd pass that little tidbit of information along! :)

Relax . . . . . .

I've learned A LOT of things since I became a mom. You'd think I would have become more tense, stressed, and wound up. While that may be true at times, the majority of the time I'm actually more laid back and relaxed than I was before. There is so much to do in life. For heaven's sake, I don't even work, and I feel like I can't accomplish everything in a day. Laundry, cooking, taking care of the yard, being a support to my spouse, catching up with family, fulfilling church callings, etc. etc. etc. And oh ya, raising and nurturing a child. What I've learned is that the last bit, the one about raising a child? By far the most important. We all know that the things I mentioned before have to be done, but when it comes right down to it, family and the gospel are the most important thing. My husband and my baby are my life, and they are my focus every day.

I have truly learned it's okay if my daughter is soaking wet and getting muddy because she's playing with the hose. She's much happier than if she was perfectly clean and dressed and you will always remember that smile of pure joy. It's okay to rock her to sleep sometimes even if it throws her sleeping schedule off. She's only little for a very short time. It's okay if your bathroom stays dirty for one more day. You won't remember it in the years to come, but you will remember sitting on the floor putting puzzles together. It's okay if it takes me 2 months to read one book when it used to take a week. My daughter is a child of God and deserves the love and attention that Heavenly Father would give her. That means going to a petting zoo, being outside in the heat, or watching Sesame Street when you'd most certainly rather be doing something else. When it comes right down to it, it's all about her.

I feel lucky because for some reason, I have come to realize early on what the important things are in life. I think it takes a lot of people too much time to come to that realization. Don't get me wrong, my house is typically clean, I cook dinner for my family (most nights), and I tend to get some reading in here and there. But it's just like everything else: Moderation. I want my kids to have a great childhood, and when it comes right down to it, it's all up to the parents. Our kids grow so fast, and I, for one, don't want to miss the ride.