the Lazy Days of Summer

Last weekend we took the family camping with Steve's parents ...and it was oh so relaxing. You can imagine how relaxing sitting in a hammock with a 2 1/2 year old and a 4 month old!!

As soon as we stepped out of the truck and he surveyed the campsite, he looked at me and said, "I love this place!" He was dirty from the time that he got out of the truck, to the time we got back in 2 days later to go home and he was in heaven!! As you can see here he also loved that Grandma brought plenty of cans of lemonade and pop. It didn't matter whose can it was, it always ended up in Cooper's hands!

I'm here to pump you up.

I know I know he's huge!
If you ask Cooper to flex his muscles this is what you get. Sometimes it looks like he is doing the Hakka (polynesian war dance). Anyway your kid better not mess with my kid or he might just slap him with his half way to the floor wet diaper or blind them with that mayonaise skin. Either way your kid is toast.

A Fishing Tale

Once upon a time there was a dad who was excited to teach his young son the ways of fishing... The dad was proud of his skill and brought along his mother who used to fish with him as a child, as he now taught his child...
The father taught the son the proper bait to be used to catch the biggest fish in all the pond...worms and corn of course...
The cast was set and the anticipation was contagious as we waited to see what skill and preparation would hook us on the end of the line...
we waited, and waited...
and waited...
And soon the young son grew tired and hungry and began eating the bait himself, the corn not the worms...
Soon, the young mother felt it was her turn to try and catch the fish they had been seeking all day. So with her young sons on her lap she cast the line, posed for a picture, and reeled in the mighty (and only) catch of the day...
With pride and hesitation the young son finally saw the fish...
THE END!!

It was a HAPPY 3rd, 4th, and 5th!!

Ooh it was hot! We brought frozen water bottles and Cooper thought it was so funny that there was ice in the bottle...oh simple pleasures!

Poor Squishy was so hot, but what a trooper!

Here we are!! We were at the end of the parade route, this is Steve's strategy, and it paid off! Everyone was trying to unload their candy before they were done!

Oh the aniticipation!!
This is the infamous, I hear about him at least once a day..."my Kyle"



Thank you Logan City for always celebrating the fourth of July on the third!! It was such a good way to kick off the holiday weekend. We have been anticipating this day since last year... Cooper was very afraid of the fireworks because he's very "sound sensitive" but we overcame our fear and became obsessed with fireworks and we have been watching them on youtube, so we were so excited to see them this year. But wouldn't you know it, he was still afraid and after only a few fireworks blasting off, he was saying he wanted to go home... we will try again next year! We had a great weekend though, and Cooper was in utter bliss having his favorite cousin Kyle here for the whole weekend...and Payton was absolutely loving being held by anyone and everyone all day long! The parade in Hyrum paid off in candy and it was lots of fun.

Hot Pop go BOOM!

Last night I went to get gas for Kelly's car so she could take it today down to Ogden. But, when I sat down in her car I was met with a sticky suprise. At first I was perplexed I didn' know what on earth could have ade such a sticky mess. Fnny enough it smelled like Pepsi, (oh! sweet nector of the gods) but there was nothing sweet about this Pepsi. We had the sticky car straight from Hell. We hadn't used Kelly's car for a couple of day so it had sat in the driveway and heated up a can of unopened Pepsi we had left in there. Sure enough the myth is true, a can of pop if left in a hot car will heat to an unknown temp and go boom. I can imagine the explosion by the looks of the inside of her car. So I guess I will be forking out some dough for a good detailing and shampoo. Think of all the pepsi I could have bought with that money. ( you know what I mean Kenzie)

So today's lesson is...

never leave an unnopened can of Pop in a hot car.

One year ago today...

I had a rough night last night. Payton has a cold and he was so stuffed up that the only way he could sleep was to sleep sitting up, so I was up with him most of the night sitting in a chair, and sucking out his nose with that horrible blue thing they give you at the hospital. This morning while I was rocking him, I felt strangely grateful for the experience. One year ago today, Steve's niece Kadie passed away. As I held my child in my arms I thought of Kelly, Steve's sister, and I wondered what she would give to do what I'm doing right now.
One year ago today, I stood next to Kadie's hospital bed and held her warm hand and said good bye. It was a strange experience because they were keeping her "alive" to harvest her organs, but she technically was dead. Her chest was rising and falling, her heart was beating, and she was pink and warm. I kept wanting to feel in my heart that she was still going to make it, but we all knew she wasn't, so it was time to say good bye. And that's what we all did.
Watching a mother lose her child is the most heart breaking experience I have ever witnessed in my whole life. They let Kelly lay in bed with her daughter for most of the day, so she could say good bye in her own way and the sight was almost more than anyone could bear.
At her viewing a few days later, we were all waiting for the viewing to begin and Steve nudged me to look at what was happening right in front of us... Cooper was laying on his back, giggling, and squirming all over and we just really felt impressed that Kadie was playing with her cousin one last time. She always loved to play with the kids, and was the first one to want to hold the babies!
The first time the Clark family got together after the funeral, I realized how much I really did miss her. I felt so lonely and I realized it was because she wasn't there. I realized then, that we always sat next to each other, and chatted, and ate and it was then that I realized that I didn't just lose a niece, I lost a friend.
My grandma gave me a really good piece of advise the morning of my wedding. My grandpa had been gone for 16 years, and they were truly in love. My grandma said,"your grandpa would come home from work everyday and take off his work boots and leave his lunch pail right in front of the front door everyday and everyday I would yell at him, 'John put your boots and pail away' what I wouldn't give to see those boots and pail in front of the door now, don't let yourself get upset about the small things, because once they are gone, those are the things you miss." Thank you grandma!
So today, hug your kids a little tighter, and give your husbands a kiss that they will remember! Life's too short to not.

As we like to call him...Squishy

Well here is a little blast from the past. This little outfit was originally worn by Steve himself! We think it's a classic! Batter Up!
Brothers hanging out in the morning!

Happy nudey! Oh I wish I could still touch my toes!

Well we hate to brag, but I believe this picture speaks for itself...he's a genius!!
What a cute little bug, he seems to be growing at mock speed! My memory may be fuzzy, but it seemed like Cooper couldn't even stand in this little exerciser until he was like 6 months old. What a happy kid!