USA! USA! USA!

Our favorite moment so far was the 400 relay!!! We were jumping up and down screaming in the living room! The thrill of victory! This was even better than the super bowl! Was that not amazing?

I'm so excited for our cute "All American" gymnasts! After watching them for a while , Nathan told me, "Hey mom, I think I just might be able to do that." Then he did a somersault. We gave him a 10!Our friend has a great tradition that she does with her family for the Olympics. Throughout the games they take turns picking a country and enjoy the food from that country as well as learning a little bit about their culture. So far we picked Sweden and had Ableskivers and Swedish meatballs. Although it probably wasn't authentic, it sure was fun!

The Parker Angels!

Justin's brother and his family came up to spend the week! If my kids turn out to be even half as good as these kids are, I will be SO happy! Seriously, these kids are the sweetest, most unselfish kids I have ever met.

One tiny example: We were swimming at Grandma and Grandpa's pool when all of the sudden the wind started riping around and the temperature dropped. I'm talkin chilly! Especially for August. For some reason only two towels ended up at the pool. The Parker kids run home in the freezing cold with no towels and I answer the door to greet three Popsicles covered in chicken skin and blue lips! When I asked where their towels were they said while their teeth chattered, "we just wanted to make sure everyone else stayed warm".

I LOVE these kids! Please, Please rub of on Nathan!
My niece, Larissa and nephews Brandon, Logan, and Jonah going for a little ride on the choo-choo with Nathan and Kendall.

Munchkin!

The little squish turned 10 months old! Despite having to live through "Nathan hugs," being smothered by blankets and pillows, and premature awakenings by big brother, he remains alive! Some days, that is all we can ask for!

You Know You Had Fun When....

you start thinking about these boys and get a lump in your throat because they had to go home- far, far away. Memories made: Popsicles in the backyard, feeding the ducks, fat-free fried ice cream:), reading books in the tent, playing killer bunnies, Tanner's birthday party, caprese salad, Alvin and the Chipmunks at Bowles Crossing, finding amazing deals at JC Pennies, Gymboree , Gap, and Children's Place, Apples to Apples, Surprises from GG, splashing in the pool, Nathan "hugs"- sorry guys:), photo shoots, wadding in the creek,watering the garden, making butter for pioneer day, dinosaur capsules, visiting the fire station, Cindi sandwiches, riding the carousel,Apron history, picking peas and zucchini from the garden, Kendall crawling, the spray grounds, playing on the giant octopus with mammy,picnics at the park, playing bunny town aka: Smart A., purple play dough, marshmallow-less Lucky Charms ,running through papa's old fashioned sprinkler, reading books, Jakey's sprint accompanied by his dimples, treats and chats, the dollar store, free chicken strips at Chick-fil-a, and my very favorite:LAUGHING!

FHE with the Fire Fighters!

A HUGE shout out to the fire fighters over on Ken Caryl Ranch! The boys made chocolate chip zucchini muffins to deliver to them for family home evening. These men were AWESOME!!! Right in the middle of their dinner they said they would love to make time for their biggest fans.


I think they made a dream for Nathan and Tanner come true. Not only did they show them the fire truck and all sorts of compartments, hats and uniforms, the ladder and hose, but they let them sit in the fire truck and steer the wheel!
They were so mesmerized by the whole experience that they both had to color their stuff they got before they could go to bed. I've never seen such high quality work before. When you get stuff from the fire fighters, it's very serious business! A great BIG thanks to these guys for keeping us safe!

The Boys are Back in Town!

I think I have a crush! Sorry Justin, but this little guy is pure yumminess!
Okay, Is this Doug or am I seeing things? HOLY COW!!!
Nice, this is what I get when I tell Nathan, "Your best smile, please." He will not be featured for awhile:).
I think this is one of my absolute favorites of Tanner. He is PURE SUNSHINE with a killer personality- shown above. I love these boys! The only thing I would change about these boys is the fact that they don't live close enough!!!

Best Buds!

I think one of my favorite things about cousins is the fact that you have a "built in best friend!" I have always loved hangin' out with all of my cousins and hope that this new generation will love it as much as I did. It' s been so fun to have all these boys around the same age. Nathan is 6 months older than Tanner and Jake is 6 months older than Kendall. You would have think we planned it this way... wink, wink.

The Spray Grounds!

Forget the stream that flows around the park, or the massive jungle gym, or the wadding pools with fountains cascading from the middle, or the giant fountains plunging up from the ground. It's serious business when there is a little lady bug to be observed!
I think this is one of my most favorite parks to play at here. The best part is all the water is pre-treated so you don't have to worry about anything too gross getting on your little ones.
I love this picture of Mammy. She is always this much fun!
Kendall LOVES water. He would strap on scuba gear and float through the coral reefs if I would let him!

BAM! Seven Years!

Here we are seven years ago at 7:00 am on our way to the St George Temple. We had to be there so early because we had our pictures taken before we actually got married. Poor Justin, I think he got barbecued anyways.

Sara is here with the boyz and she and Mammy offered to watch the kids so that we could go and do something fun for the evening. Justin took me to this new restaurant here called the Grand Lux Cafe. He was going for some type of theme because it is based off the Venetian hotel in Vegas and that is where we spent part of our honeymoon. After, we went for a drive to one of our most favorite makeout spots- I mean views in Colorado and spent most of the evening talking about how we will be spending the next seven years. Yes, we are cheesy and just may give you dork feelings, sorry about that:).

When we arrived home, Mammy and Sara had a candle lite dessert all set up in the back yard. Not to mention all the boys were bathed, smelling so good, and in their jammies. AHHH. This is nice:).

I Think I May Have a Problem!

I'm trying really hard to exercise and eat better. I've been doing that interval training but I've noticed that it doesn't do much if you can't control the sleeve of English Tea Cookies plunging to their death in the bottom of my stomach. I am in denial NO LONGER!

Plus, when in the heck do people have time to exercise hard with kids? I'm not talking a leisurely walk here and there I'm talking some major sweat bead, on the forehead, smell so bad you need a shower workout. I would love to get up at 6:00 am but when I'm up tons all night, it's the last thing I want to do. Oh, this might be therapeutic. I just realized this instant while writing this my problem: Too many excuses!

A girl gave me a few good tips on eating better. She said that immediately when you get home from the grocery store, start soaking your fruits and veggies in the sink. Then cut up carrots, celery, bell peppers, or whatever and put them in clear containers in your fridge so that when you open it you will see these delicious colorful snacks. I think I just might try it!