Our Dog Buster

After my whole life of wanting a pet, my dream finally came true. On a total spur of the moment thing, we were looking on Craig's List at pets for sale and came across this little guy and his siblings. We made an appointment to meet them, not sure we would bring one home. But once we got there, how could we not take one. But they were all so cute and friendly, so choosing was a little hard. One was roly-poly and had stubby legs and I just loved him, but the owner thought he would make a better lap dog and we wanted a playful one for the kids. Buster was playful but also comfortable around us because he lay down right by us and fell asleep. We just knew he was for us. The kids love having a dog and love to chase him around and play with his toys. They even try to feed him their food at the dinner table.

Fun Project

A woman in my ward just had twin boys and I volunteered to make a meal for her family. I also decided to crochet her some Dino hats. These are one of my favorite crochet projects. They loved them and I am glad a took an opportunity to serve others and get to know someone knew in the ward.

Our Little Clowns are Growing Up

These last two years have been filled with so much joy and laughter with our little clowns in our family. This second year went even faster than the first. Some days I try to remember what it was like before Bella and Tristan were here and I can't think of what it was like. They bring so much energy into our home. I admit, it must have been a lot quieter and more mellow, but I would never want to go back and miss out on the joy of watching my children play together and enjoy each other. They have sibling fights and a little competition that we have to work through, but they also have a lot of love for each other. Bella is still our drama queen and lets you know she isn't happy with a high pitched shriek. She often gets into fights over toys because she wants what others have. Lilly has had a hard time getting along with her for this reason and tends to drift towards Tristan and his more easy going nature. This leads to her trying to leave Bella out and we have had to talk with her about being nice to Bella even when it is hard to. She is little and cries a lot now, but some day she will feel really badly that she is left out, and if Lilly puts the work and patience into getting along with her now, Bella will be happier and they will develop a strong relationship. Bella can also be so sweet and considerate of others when she isn't thinking of herself. She loves to help others to be happy. Tristan is full of energy and giggles. He is adventurous and sweet and loves to sing. He is still my mamma's boy and loves to be near me. I love to tickle him to hear his infectious laugh. He is also a scaredy cat. He is often heard saying "ah, scary". I sometimes growl at him pretending to be a lion, and it scared him pretty badly as he backed away from me. Meanwhile, Bella was in the background laughing at me. Which is funny because Bella is more nervous about climbing and other adventurous things and Tristan is more nervous of sounds and objects. But he loves lightning and thunder. One night when he was sick and couldn't sleep, we stood for a little bit and watched the lightning through the window and he was getting so excited when he heard the thunder. I love these kids so much and I'm so grateful every day for the gift of raising them. Their sweet personalities are so fun to watch develop and evolve. Just knowing I have their unconditional love helps me make it through any tough day. And seeing their faces and expressions lifts my spirits.

They got these bikes for their birthday from us. They didn't arrive until the day after their birthday party, but when they came down the stairs after naps, they were so excited to see and ride them around the house.

Circus Party Bash

We combined Bella and Tristan's party with my 2 nephew's. We did a super fun circus theme and had games, and popcorn & cotton candy and had a photo booth. We invited some of their little friends and they all played and ran around and had fun. We made popcorn cupcakes and cotton candy and pop rock topped ones to look like concession stand items. I thought it all turned out really well. We even did face painting.

Bella wanted to play pin the nose on the clown over and over again. I think I am going to have a photo booth to go with each theme for every party. I think they are so much fun. I just love planning and throwing birthday parties for my kids.

Bella and Tristan Turn 2

On Bella and Tristan's birthday, we took them and a little friend to Jumpin Jacks. They all had a blast bouncing around everywhere all day. They got really good at climbing up and we slid down a million times.

Later, we had a yummy poke cake which they loved. The look on Tristan's face after the candles were blown out is awesome. I was trying to teach them how to blow them out and I don't think he realized the flame was supposed to disappear.

They picked out their own gift and Bella chose a Minnie Mouse toy and Tristan picked out a Spider-man one. He is really into Spider-man right now. They seemed to really enjoy the day and for two weeks now, Tristan goes around singing Happy Birthday to you. It is the cutest thing.

Fourth of July

We had a fun Fourth with family and friends. We had a family dinner and then all went our separate ways to go watch the fireworks. We found a spot in a park and gave the kids some glow sticks. Tristan ended up biting a hole in his and then shaking it around, so it turned into a glow fight. It was a lot of fun.

Beach Day

We also took the kids on their first trip to the beach. We had another great family day with our two families. The kids got so sandy and had a blast. Lilly got braver and braver going into the water, but Bella and Tristan didn't want to touch it.

Sea World

For a little family summer trip, we went to Sea World with my sister and her family. It was such and awesome family time together. We made so many great memories. We saw some fun shows and the kids were all amazed and entertained. We rode rides and Lilly went on her first roller coaster and was so brave and loved it. Clifford now has his very own coaster buddy, as I hate them. We saw Shamu perform and got a little wet while my sister's family was sitting right next to us and got soaked. The kids loved calling his name to come splash us and still go around the house chanting it. Tristan goes around the house saying, "Dolphin splash". I think they liked Sea World.

Meet Our New Ride

We recently bought a new vehicle and sold our Saturn, which we lovingly called Rusty. It was a very faithful car, but the kids were sardined in the back and we felt it was time to become a van family. Though we loved Rusty, we now love our new van. And we found Rusty a good home with someone who knows cars and can fix the transmission we didn't realize was bad. It was a bit hard to stomach at first that instead of getting $4500 from it, we could only sell it for $800. And that is after we got some work done on it and got it detailed. So we basically made almost nothing. But we have come to terms with it and feel the person we sold it to was really in need. The money would have been nice, since we just bought this van, and to help us through student teaching, but you just have to take what life throws at you and make it work.