Sunday Best!

Leah loves Sundays. I think part of it is because she gets to wear a pretty dress. She loves to put on her pretty shoes and brush her hair. Then she helps Mommy carry the "Sunday bag" to the car. Breakfast is whatever we can eat carefully in the car without a mess.
Dillan, on the other hand, rolls out of bed, usually grumpy that Mommy woke him up and reluctantly puts on his clothes, including his tie, which normally doesn't remain on his neck through the end of Primary.
Once there we find Daddy and help set up the Primary room. We are always greeted warmly by Brother H who, without fail, insists upon shaking Dillan's hand and telling him how handsome he looks and how he looks like a missionary.
Then the kids start looking out for friends and teachers. We always end up close to Dillan's buddy Brogan and Leah's nursery leaders.
Dillan's spirits are finally lifted at that point, and we enjoy the rest of our meetings.

Leah insisted upon a picture this morning. Quick PopTarts to eat on the way out and we're on our way!

OUCH! Mom! I think I'm too big to take pictures right here!

Legoland

I bought tickets back in May for Legoland thinking I would take Dillan for his birthday. None of us had ever been, so we thought we'd try something new. We finally got to use them last week for Daddy's birthday.
It was the best day ever! -Dillan

The lines weren't terrible, and there was so much to do! I couldn't believe how big that park was. Leah was free, but she was tall enough to go on all the kiddie rides! Really, she only missed out on the roller coasters. But...(drumroll)...DILLAN actually braved the roller coaster!!! As we walked toward it, I thought there was NO WAY he would do it. I guess Chris had been talking with him and somehow got him to agree to do it. But there was about a 45 minute wait. I was sure that in those 45 minutes, he would change his mind after hearing the rumblings of the cars on the track and hearing the screams. But that didn't happen.

Leah and I waited in the line with the boys, and she assured me she did NOT want to go on the ride. She doesn't look afraid very often, but she definitely was this time.
Dillan and Chris jumped aboard and Leah and I waited by the exit. I was nervous the whole time. I thought for sure he'd be in tears, never trust his Daddy again, and just want to go home.
But:
TA-DA!

HE DID IT! He did it and LOVED IT! Hopefully this will mean good things for future amusement parks..

We had so much fun, and plan to return. In fact, for $30 more or $10 per ticket, we were able to add on the brand new Legoland Waterpark! We'll be there this week. The water park entrance is in the park, so we get another day at the park as well!

Dillan and Leah both loved driving the cars in the driving test track. They were told by the operators that if they drove carefully and didn't bump other cars, they would receive their drivers' license. Dillan took that very serious. He was careful not to cross the double yellow line and slowed down to avoid crashing. It too all the effort Leah had to turn her wheel and push her pedal at the same time. At the end of their "test" all the operators and spectators applause all the kids. Both kids got a license, although Dillan remarked that Leah didn't so great. I reminded her that she's only 2! Dillan bought himself a souvenir driver's license, complete with photo. He's thrilled.



Oh and not to leave Mommy out of the fun. I did ride a few rides, but not the rides that I didn't NEED to ride. I did drive a boat with Dillan. The boats. It looked so fun while we were waiting. Just maneuver the boat through the water, around a few curves. We watched some people get turned around, but eventually straighten out. Piece of cake, I thought. Dillan and I started out fine. I pushed the pedal while he steered. Now these boats weren't on a track or anything. They are "free-range." We got turned around. We are going the wrong way. I try to fix us, we get more stuck. We are "blocking traffic" and eventually get jammed. I blame the older lady who wedged us. The operator came over, got us unstuck and we continued on. A little while later, same thing happened. This one ended up being a 4 boat pile-up. All we can do is look at each other, unsure of what to do. The poor operator kid has to put on waders and boots over his pants and jump in the water to get us apart. I was humiliated. Chris (who had already exited the ride "forever ago") was laughing up a storm and taking pictures. Poor Dillan thinks his Mommy is the worst boat driver ever! He says next time he's going with Daddy and NOT getting a yellow boat! Sheesh.



All in all, a great day. We can't wait to go back!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

He's 29!!! 29! 29.
Nope. No matter how many times I say it, it still doesn't sound OLD!



My 29 favorites of Chris:
1. His spirit
2. His strength
3. His humor
4. His love
5. His playfulness
6. His work ethic
7. His patience
8. His temperament
9. His smile
10. His affection
11. His perseverance
12. His sensitivity
13. His athletic ability
14. His singing voice
15. His love for his kids
16. His loyalty
17. His neverendingsometimestoomuch compliments he gives me
18. How un-picky he is
19. How particular he is about his clothing and hair (more than me)
20. How he never gets cold
21. How he always wants to be better
22. His ambition
23. His leadership
24. How he takes such good care of our family
25. His competitive side
26. His laugh
27. His birthmark
28. He's romantic
29. He's mine for eternity

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!
WE LOVE YOU!

29 wishes

Dear Chris,
It is your special day, and I have to tell you how much I love you and am so grateful for you. Last year you didn't have much of a birthday since I had surgery and was sick! Hopefully this year will overshadow last year. Here are my 29 wishes for you today and throughout the year in somewhat of an order:

1. A new job
2. A new home
3. A third child
4. A haircut
5. An A in your final class
6. A shave
7. A message
8. A relaxing vacation
9. Your favorite meal
10. Your favorite dessert
11. An ice-cold beverage
12. Your favorite candybar
13. A new baseball glove
14. New shoes
15. New boardshorts
16. A big kiss and squeeze from Leah
17. That the Jazz get some amazing new players
18. That more french will be spoken in our family
19. A trip to a BYU football game
20. That you can beat Dillan at MarioKart
21. That you can beat me at MarioKart
22. That I can learn to prepare your favorite meal
23. A new bed
24. That you will be able to share a Book of Mormon with someone
25. And that person will get baptized
26. That you will get to see Detta
27. That you can take a fishing trip with Dillan and your Dad
28. That you can go to bed at night without too much stress
29. That I will be able to do all I can do to make all of YOUR wishes come true

Some may be wishful thinking, others are a piece of cake. Some require a little work. I hope to be able to do my part in making your wishes (and mine) come true.
I love you Chris!

Kim

4th of July

Park #1: breakfast of eggs, sausage and made-to-order funnel cakes with blueberry, cherry, and apple toppings shared with a big group of friends who share your same beliefs and appreciation for your freedoms.

Park#2: $5 flag T-shirts for the whole family. Razor scooters. Park toys. Soccer. Glow Necklaces. Sub Sandwiches. Soda. Cookies. Finale: awesome fireworks show.

Dillan has never liked the loud noise of fireworks. He cuddled under a blanket with me and kept his hands close to his ears, but ooohhhed and ahhhed and made comments about the fireworks.
At one point he said, "I'm the only kid who doesn't like the sound of fireworks." To which I assured him was not true.



We talked a little about Independence Day and why it's important. Talking about the flag, he said. "Oh you mean like we did at school? I gen-ti-ly hold the American Flag, with stars, and I get a car, and I drive to the airport, to go to Tenesseee, to see Roxy. Please sit."

I don't know if they learned the Pledge of Allegiance, but maybe.
Anyway, that's the part he remembers!

Yep, another perfect weekend!

Beach Day!

I love where I live.

Our goal is to get to the beach every week when we are not on vacation. It's just too easy to go!
It was a little cool, but honestly perfect.



The kids didn't seem to feel any kind of cold on their skin, they were even splashing in the water. Leah was even filling up her "shower" (water can) and sprinkling herself over her head! At least she's loosing some of her fear.
Some friends from church showed up and we had a fun-filled day.
We'll be back soon!

Last Day of Swim

This morning the kids had their last swim lesson of the session. We did the morning to get it out of the way and to give us the rest of the day for whatever. Dillan got out of bed every morning and put his suit on without issues. Leah was different. She must have changed her suit at least once every morning. Sometimes to a different suit, sometimes back to PJs. Once we got to the pool, however, she was fine and would stay in her class. The last couple days she insisted she had to use the bathroom more than once during her class. I saw right through it, but the teacher's aide would obediently bring her to me each time. Little Staynker!



So I was looking forward to the end of lessons, just for a break!

On the last day the teachers give out cards with a checklist of all the skills they worked on during the 2 week session. They then give their recommendation for what level to sign up for next (the same or move up). I didn't look at the cards until we got home. Leah's was what I expected, since she's only 2, although she did have a check by all the skills on her card. I expected Dillan to stay in Level 1, since the other kids had been older and seemed to have more coordination. I was surprised to read that his teacher bumped him up to Level 2! He had done all his skills and done them well. Even backstroke! He seems to really like swimming on his back, even though he can't swim in a straight line (Must get that from me. It's totally overrated anyway), but that could come later.



I think he caught onto my excitement when I was reading his card because he says he wants to sign up again! He said he was sad it was his last day and wants to do more! So now the dilemma is do I sign both of them up again? I'd have to push Leah to get there, and work the system to get her into the class again because of her age. But if I didn't sign her up and she had to sit next to me on the deck and WATCH, would that be agony for the both of us?

Plus I was pretty honest in my parent evaluation, although I'm glad my kids learned some things and it was an overall great experience. BUT one of the instructors had her Starbucks cup in the pool with her while she was teaching her class! More than once! She wasn't my kids' teacher, but if she had been? Oh I definitely would have said something OUT LOUD and not just on paper. My other complaint was the lifeguards who were on duty. One played with her cell phone during lessons and another I'm positive had fallen asleep more than once.