Day 124

Another day with no picture!!! But, I stayed up 1/2 the night learning how to create actions on photo shop. I did an action for this picture here - make smaller, sharpen for web, add a border & my watermark. I also learned how to soften the picture, like this one! Church was fine, the kids were very well behaved and all went to their classes fine. After church Lawrence, the foster kids, Lilly & I all took a nap. I was up within about 20 minutes though so I cleaned up the house a bit and fiddle farted around until everyone else got up. It was a nice day.

Day 123

I didn't take a picture today (migraine) so here's one I edited! We went to IF today and got fish food, dog food and a Wii!!! That thing is soooooooo much FUN! Luke rocked the bowling game. Lawrence kicked my trash on bowling, tennis, shooting, cow races, and whatever else my migraine-haze-induced coma can't remember right now. I demand a rematch on account of he played for 3 1/2 hours before I even touched the remote and I couldn't see straight let alone play a game. BRING IT ON BUDDY!

Day 122

What happens when daddy is feeding Lilly and leaves the bowl on her tray? WHAT A MESS!!!! Honestly, I don't think the boys ever got themselves this covered in food. She didn't like it one bit though. She was very happy to get in the shower and clean up. Everyone had a good laugh at her sitting there smearing her oatmeal/sweet potatoes all over her face and hair. Silly Lilly!

Day 121

Our sweet little foster kids got here today. We love when they come visit us! Luke had his soccer game tonight. There he is with Savannah ready to SCORE! Today was the 24th of July and usually we'd go to the Stake celebration but the times overlapped with the game so we didn't get to go. We still appreciate our pioneer heritage though!

Day 120

We had a nice day today lazing around the house. We didn't do a whole lot. It's been nice. We are so glad that daddy is home. Like Luke said before family prayer tonight, "Now our family is complete again".

Day 119

Luke had soccer practice today. Coach says he's doing GREAT and his enthusiasm for the game is growing. They got popsicles after the game, not sure why but Luke's been expecting it for a couple of weeks now. Carson somehow got their refrigerator toy out front on the door. *sigh* It never ends. ;) The rest of the day was spent cleaning up the playroom. Now, having typed that I see it comes across as the playroom being very messy. NOT TRUE! It wasn't bad at ALL. So, why did it take over 8 hours to get it done? That's what I want to know! In the end, most of the toys ended up in a trash bag headed for the DI. Oh, MOM! What a cruel thing to do! Right? WRONG. Luke was overheard whispering to Carson, "Now we don't have to clean up toys anymore." I guess it's best for everyone. On a brighter note DADDY GOT HOME!!! YAY! We missed him soooo much. Welcome home sweetheart! We love you!

Day 118

Our bffae's left today. :( We miss you guys so much already! Since Kimberly & I stayed up until after 3am last night laughing and talking we weren't much fun for the kids. We went to lunch and had popsicles outside today before saying goodbye. I have 3 words for you guys, "MOVE. TO. RIGBY." On a happier note, Lawrence gets back tomorrow! YAY!

Day 117

We headed out to the homestead again today to do a few more shots. I am really happy with what we got! Of course, it helps to have an incredible model that's a total natural in front of the camera. The kids enjoyed the sun and played in the fields and then in the sprinklers when we got home. Very low-key day.

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Day 116

Kimberly & I took all of the kids to the Homestead and met Kimber & AnnaMarie out there to play around with our cameras. It was a lot of fun! The kids swore there were rattle snakes in the grass so & they were determined to find them. They were so cute all filled with purpose. We did get some AWESOME shots, I'm pleased with them anyways. I'm excited to do it again, just wish Kimberly would be able to join us again. I also went to Corine's wedding and reception. It was so nice. I really enjoyed it. I went to the wedding with Jada and then picked up Kimberly & the kids for the reception. Alexis and Luke danced the night away. Carson asked Aislyn to dance but she turned him down, twice. He confessed his love to "Aunt Kimmy" and asked her if he could marry Aislyn. Isn't that the cutest?! We all had a very nice time.

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Day 115

Lilly's started waving. But she does this Heil Hitler wave. It's hilarious. To top that off, when I ask her to sign (more, eat, drink, all done, fish, dog...ANYTHING) she does this. She kills me. Kimberly S & her kids came today to visit us. We love them! We are so excited to be able to spend the weekend with them. Lilly had her 9 month check up today. She's gained a pound (now 17 pounds) and an inch (27 inches) in the last 3 months. She's a shrimpy and we love her!

Day 114

Daddy left today. We miss him sooooo much! Lilly is so funny when daddy talks to her on the phone. She gets the cutest puppy-confused face and turns the phone over and over in her hands looking for daddy. Then she'll smile big and bounce when he starts saying a familiar phrase "I'm gonna EAT her!" "There's my girl, there's my girl, there's my little tiny GIRL!" "Patty Cake..." "This is the way the ladies ride..." etc. So sweet! We had a very busy, fun day. After we took daddy to the shuttle I dropped the boys off at LoLo's and I went to my Children's Mental Health Council meeting. Kimber, her cousin and Angela came this time. After the meeting I cleaned up the house a bit before we headed to Idaho Falls for Baxter's dog food. We ended up getting a toy for him and a few new fish, too. We came home, the boys changed into their suits and we went to the Tower's house for some backyard water fun. Then it was dinner, prayers, visit and bed!

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Day 113

Luke had soccer pictures then practice this morning. He is really getting good at soccer. The best part is how much he LOVES playing. He is really good about listening to his coach and trying his best. After soccer practice the battery was dead in the van so I ran to Aunt Mary's house and borrowed her car & jumper cables. A quick jump got us going & we were back home! We had a fun day playing the rest of the day. The boys ran a loaf of bread over to our neighbor's house and wanted to do it by themselves. When it came to leaving the house they asked me to stand at the mailbox...then the lilac bush - just so somebody wouldn't grab them and run away with them. So they went up by themselves from there. What thoughtful boys to want to bring that over to her.

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Day112

Summer movie (Alvin & The Chipmunks...gag), shopping, dinner at Johnny Carinos & swimming in the backyard...wahoo! And the best part is that daddy came with us! What a great day! Carson gave a great FHE lesson on kindness. He did so well, what a good boy!

Day 111

Luke gave a talk in Primary today. He did great. I'd forgotten he was asked to speak until 1/2 way through Sacrament meeting so I quickly got one put together for him. It was about sharing the gospel. So he spoke about how he loves Scripture stories (and told a couple of them) and how he wants to share them with other people so they can live with Heavenly Father again someday. What a good boy he is.

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Day 110

What says summer more than eating watermelon in the backyard while wearing your swimsuit?! That's the kind of day we had today. Ahhh, I live for summer.

Day 109

Another wonderfully lazy summer day! We just played around the house and enjoyed our day. Here's a picture of Luke. He was so excited to get his "Pirate Pictures" taken. Isn't he the cutest?!

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Day 108

Luke had his first soccer game today. He did AWESOME!!!! He really loved every minute of it. I never knew how much fun it would be to watch my child play sports. I really look forward to it! Even though it was hot and really windy we loved sitting on the sidelines cheering him on.

Day 107

Daddy got us a swimming pool!!! It is so much fun!!! We played in it ALL day! Who could ask for more??? Even Lilly got in on the fun, splashing and kicking. We love it, thank you daddy! After dinner L's brother and his family came over to play. They even brought their dog, Duke, to play with Baxter. We had a nice time visiting, playing and shooting off fireworks (what we had left anyways).

Day 106

What an enjoyable day! Luke had his first soccer practice today. He did GREAT! He was really into it, loving the game. He even made a goal in the scrimmage! GO LUKEY! Daddy trenched the garden today and made a moat of sorts in it so when we got back the boys were in it before I could blink. Naturally, with them as dirty as they were I got a call that Aunt Joyce and Uncle Vince were in Rexburg and can they stop by. So, we rushed to get them cleaned up before they got here. We really enjoyed their visit and we're so glad that they came! After they left we went for a nice walk to the homestead so I could shoot some pics of Lilly. Well, she took the opportunity to devour the all-you-can-eat dirt/stick fest. I couldn't get her hands out of her mouth, wipe her off and shoot a picture for the life of me! Regardless, we got some cute shots. This one was totally blown so I messed with it and I like the artistic flare I ended up with. It's still not perfect in the technical sense, but I like it.

I forgot to mention that last night Luke gave the FHE lesson on Moroni and the golden plates and Joseph Smith. He did a very nice job.

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Day 105

We had a relaxing, lazy day today! We just love summer! Warm weather, long days, plenty to do! The kids and I went to the summer movie today (Veggie Tales: Pirates) and loved the show. Then we did our shopping and looked for a pool several places (can you believe there weren't any left?!). Then we picked up the awesome deal at Johnny Carinos (family night...our whole family ate for $11 and we had leftovers!). YAY!

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Day 104

Our little angel! How I adore this little girl! I substituted in nursery today. Lilly LOVED being with all of the kids. It was fun! Aunt Mary and her daughter Sharon and her husband are coming over for dinner tonight. We love spending time with Aunt Mary and feel so lucky to know her.

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Day 103

Working on shutter speed here. What fun! We did a few with sparklers that turned out awesome, but not what I was wanting. So we tried tonight with glow sticks. We got some fun ones! We had a fun day today, too. Shopping in Idaho Falls for the month. Luke & Carson have been working hard doing chores to earn money and took part of what they've saved to the dollar store to buy themselves a slinky. They are supremely happy with their purchase. What good boys. Not much else to report.

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Day 102

Happy 4th of July!!!!!! We had a great day cleaning house & playing outside. Lilly's been pulling herself up to stand using whatever's near her (couch, her brother's head, etc) then trying to stand on her own. She's gotten really good at falling! She's been able to stay up for a couple of seconds at a time! :) We're so proud of our little girl! We picked up Aunt Mary and we all went to Dairy Queen for dinner then met up with some neighbors (Douglas', Walkers and more filtered in through the night) for fireworks. The kids played with water balloons for a while then the firework show lasted a little over an hour. It was so much FUN!

Luke and Carson were talking about what "beat" means. Luke said it means "win" and Carson replied with, "No, it means the other guy trips and falls and then you run really fast."

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Day 101

We ran over to Alpine, Wyoming today. Along the way we stopped for a picnic lunch at a campsite near the Palisades Reservoir. We got to see a hawk with a fish in his talons flying through a canyon, lots of fuzz from Cottonwood trees and amazingly beautiful scenic views. What a fun day! Of course, we got some fireworks for our 4th of July celebration tomorrow. Lilly went nuts eating chicken tenders at lunch (her first time eating meat). She LOVED it! That girl's taste in foods never ceases to amaze me. The lake was beautiful, I can't wait to go back there! The boys thought it was so cool to walk through the mud...until we ran into some little beetles community, they got all over our feet! A wonderful day all in all!

***DAY 100!!!!!!***

YAY! It's my 100th posting!!!! I wanted to do a good one for such a milestone. So I thought about it all day. This is what I ended on. I had several I tried deciding on, but I love the way the setting sun is landing on little Lilly while she's munching on the grass around her. We had a fun day today. The kids and I went to summer movies (Game Plan) and out to lunch, we went to Petsmart and tested our fish tank's water (it's perfect!) and bought Baxter some more food and 3 more fish (Glass fish, they're really cool! You can see right through them!). Then we played outside a while, had dinner then headed over to a birthday party for a sweet little boy in our ward. The boys (daddy, Luke, Carson and Baxter) went for a walk after and Lilly & I headed out to take pictures.

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Day 99

What a warm, beautiful day! There was more gardening, running in the sprinklers, housework and a LOT of photo editing going on today! Lawrence made a slew of chili and canned it (as well as some butter) so we had a busy kitchen! I forgot to mention yesterday that Lilly started waving! She'd sling her hand up (think Heil Hitler), hold it there for a minute then quick wave a few times. SO CUTE! As if that's not enough for her she's been pulling herself up to standing using whatever's near her (my knee, a chair, the boys head). What a big girl! Needless to say, she's been flopping herself around quite enough (laying, rolling/scooting around then sitting herself up). The boys squeal and give me constant updates as to her goings on moment by moment. We love Lilly!