Has anyone else noticed....

ITS HOT?!? Some things we are doing to keep cool and still have fun

• Playing at Cherry Hill. We practically live there. When Dave is at work I will take the girls and we will hang out in the kids pool for hours. When Dave is home we go and are able to hit the deep pool and the lazy river. I'm lovin it! We have also discovered Ali is a little water monkey.


• Slidin on the Slip and Slide! Emma received a little mermaid slip n slide for her birthday (thanks Jess and B!). At first Em would just run up and down it giggling. I decided to show her how it really works. Hopefully no neighbors were driving by or looking out their windows because I'm not sure how attractive a grown woman barreling down a slip n slide is (we really need to get our backyard up and going). The best part though was little Ali playing in the pool at the end. She giggled and waved (a newly acquired skill that melts my heart) as I slid toward her. Well after the demonstrations (it was more fun then I thought, I had to keep showing her, hehe) Emma would dive on her tummy. She wasn't able to get enough momentum on her own though so I would give her a big shove and off she would go.


• Enjoying cool treats. Shown here is one of our favorites, frozen go-gurt. Other treats we love.....frozen grapes, otter pops and of course the occasional milkshake.

Also, wanted to thank everyone for their children's book recommendations! We went and checked out ones from the lists that we haven't read before at the library. Emma is soooo excited!

My favorite children's books

I am a huge advocate for reading to your child. Research has proven many important benefits come from reading aloud to your child. A few important ones I have found are as follows

• Reading aloud helps to bond the parent and child


• Being read to helps a child to understand the purpose of the printed word.


• Being read to builds a child's vocabulary beyond what he is able to read for himself, and provides the background for a new reader to recognize new words he is decoding because he knows what they mean.


• Being read to helps a young child learn the connection between the written and printed word.


• Being read to entices a child into an exciting world of learning and entertainment
  
• Being read to helps a child absorb great amounts of information about the world and how it works, especially if parents lead children into discussing what is read.
  
• Being read to develops listening skills.


• Reading books aloud gives the family an alternative to the media for entertainment.

Through work and class requirements I have spent many, many hours in preschool and k-3 classes. It is interesting to note that I could usually tell within a few minutes of working with a child if their parents spent one-on-one time with them at home reading or working on homework with them. It makes a difference. It really does. Books are also a great way to work through problems that your child is dealing with. When we had Ali, Emma and I spent a lot of time reading stories about new babies and big sisters. We have also spent time reading stories about potty training, sharing, not hitting, etc.

So now that I have stood on my soap box (whats that mean anyway?) and preached about something I am passionate about I am going to share some of my favorite children's books with you.

This book is entertaining but heart wrenching. It really makes you, as a parent, see things a little different.

Good ol' Dr. Seuss. I love how this book is all about the highs and lows we face in life.

This is my absolute favorite children's book. An essential for any little girl.

I read this book to my kids almost every night. Its a fun way to get wiggles out before bedtime.

These are only a handful of my favorites, I could go on and on but I figured I have bored you long enough. Not to mention Mindy is probably now completely convinced that I am in fact a nerd, hehe. Anyway, if you have any favorites please feel free to share in the comments section.

~Sunny San Diego~

What a vacation!!! We just got back from San Diego. We left Sunday night, reached San Diego Monday morning, spent four glorious days there and then drove home last night. We spent the mornings park hopping and then the rest of the days we spent on the beach. This was my first time seeing the ocean. I instantly fell in love. Here are some highlights from our trip

The Beach

I loved, absolutely loved playing in the warm sand and then wave jumping in the refreshing water. If the kids would have allowed it I think I would have spent all four days from morning until night on the beach. So it was interesting to see Emma and Ali's personalities and temperaments really shine through on how they played. Emma who has a slow-to-warm temperament and hates to be dirty sat on a towel and played and would furiously brush the sand off of her body whenever it got on her. By the fourth day she had warmed up to the idea and was playing in the sand and water and having a grand ol' time. Ali, from the moment we put her down was off crawling, rolling and diving in the sand. She shoved fistful after fistful of sand into her mouth. She was so stinkin cute and happy. What silly girls. It sure is fun to celebrate their differences.

Sea World

Loved, loved, loved Sea World. We actually spent two days at Sea World. While there we hit a whale and a dolphin show that were a ton of fun. We sat in the splash zone both times but seemed to be the only 4 individuals who didn't get wet, at all. Emma and Ali had a blast. I love how all of the exhibits were really interactive. They also had a killer play area!

San Diego Zoo

All I can say is, Wow.

The Wild Animal Park

We actually didn't spend much time here. We went on the safari (which was cool) and that was about it. It was so stinkin' hot, over a hundred and we were all eager to hit the beach and cool off.

Most of our vacations we spend camping so I really felt pampered this trip. We are all dreadfully sunburned ( I SLATHERED us all in sunscreen numerous times a day but still we burned) and soooo tired. That of course must mean that it was a fabulous trip.

Tagged!

I was tagged by: Jen, Krystal and Mindy

Okay here are the rules: You link back to the person who tagged you, Post these rules on your blog, Share six unimportant things about yourself & Tag six random people at the end of your entry. Let the tagged people know by leaving a comment on their blogs. Enjoy the results!

1. I used to be a body wash and loofah girl. Now I am all about Dove bar soap. It makes me feel cleaner AND softer.

2. I can't sing worth a darn.

3. I like to bake for people to offer condolences or congratulations or just for fun. If you ever receive a plate of cookies from me know it is my way of saying, "I'm thinking of you".

4. I love children. I love watching them grow and hit new milestones. I especially love my children, but all children are amazing and unique.

5. When I was five I really thought me and my best friend from across the street, Emily, would marry twin princes and we would all live happily ever after forever and ever.

6. I don't like pumpkin pie but I make it every Thanksgiving.

I tag: Emily, my aunt Michele, Kelli, Tania, Jessica A. and Teddy.

Tour De Cure

First of all, I am tired. I feel a little ridiculous stating that considering that I pretty much just stood around in the beautiful sunshine all day, chased little ones and chatted it up with my mom, sister and sister-in-law. The boys shown above were the ones actually working. Dave, my dad and brother Tyler all rode in the Tour de Cure. It was such a fun event. The picture is taken of the biking trio right before the race started. If you look real close you can see Emma in the background in her biking jersey. If you look even closer you can see her pretty pink bike that she insisted we bring. Boy oh boy did she cry and cry when all the bikers, especially Dave, took off without her. Poor kid, wanted to race so bad. The time will come.

I must say, Dave did awesome! I was a little worried about him because he was ending a 72 hr. work week. We also went to bed late and woke up bright, well not so bright, it was still kind of dark, and early. Our alarm went off at 4:45. Despite his exhaustion he was able to beat his time from the Salt Lake Century by over an hour! He finished 103 miles in 6 hrs. and 15 min. INCREDIBLE! I felt so bad because we were just unloading the kids and walking towards the finish line when I saw him zoom by. I left my kids with Makinley and ran after him. Poor boy, had no one to cheer for him at the end.

My Dad and Tyler finished in just 8 hrs. and 20 minutes. I was so proud of them. After they finished we all hung out and the boys ate some yummy BBQ. They had a raffle going on that we listened to for a bit. The girls were done so we headed to the car. We were on the other side of the football field when we heard them announce a 50 dollar gift certificate for sportsman's warehouse. We paused, because admit it, that is one cool prize. To our surprise they called Dave's number. He started hollering and yelling and took off sprinting across the football field. How he was able to run I have no idea. Anyway, it was a great day. A wonderful, beautiful, bright and sunny day spent with those I love. I'll leave you with one last picture. Its a good one. It shows the girls in their biking jerseys and Emma with her pretty pink bike.

Also, I want to wish Dave a Happy Fathers day. Thanks for being such a hard working, thoughtful and loving husband and father. We love you so much. Also, I want to wish a Happy Fathers day to my dad. My dad is amazing. He is so humble, optimistic, patient and has an inner core of strength and love that amazes me. Thanks Dad, I sure love ya! Happy Fathers day you guys!

A whirlwind of events and possibly my longest post ever.

Whew, what a crazy busy, super fun week! My Uncle Ron, Aunt Michele and two sweet cousins came down from Montana and stayed with us for 5 days. While they were here we...

Went to Tyler (my adorable baby brother) and Makinleys wedding. It was so beautiful and the reception was so much fun! Emma and Ali made the absolute cutest flower girls ever. I was sad I didn't get to see them walk down the isle, I came down the isle quite a bit after them so missed it. At the reception they had dancing, it was so much fun watching Logan and Emma dancing up a storm. Emma danced with Dave (I cried it was so sweet), Tyler and of course Logan, it was heart wrenchingly cute.

Went through the temple with Ron and Michele and then went to their sealing. Words can't even explain the beauty of this day. My heart was burning with happiness for them. I'm so glad they let us be part of their special, special day.

Celebrated Emma's birthday! I do a birthday table for my kids, well and Dave, on their birthdays. So Emma woke up to presents, balloons, and cute odds and ends birthday stuff on the table. We then spent the day at the Gateway. We played in the fountains, spent hours at the children's museum and went to build-a-bear. I decided against a big party this year so we could take Em to build a bear instead. She picked out a puppy (of course). She then dressed it up in U of U football gear even though I kept showing her princess dresses and birthday hats. Nope, she wanted football stuff, Dave was elated. Later that day we had cake and presents at the park.

Birthday bedhead!

Emma's favorite part of the museum was the farm. She especially loved the horse.

Adam and Mindy spent the day with us. What great friends!

Als loved the baby section in the museum!

We all made some birthday hats in the art room. Pretty huh!

Meet Cooper, Emma's new best friend. He loves football and sings Happy Birthday. I loved the build-a-bear experience. Emma was sooo excited. I should devote a whole post just to build-a-bear!

and yes....Emma got her much anticipated blue birthday cake.

We also, hit the zoo! So much stinkin fun I tell ya! Emma's favorite part was the elephants and Ali's was the giraffes.

This last picture was just too cute not to share. We stopped at discovery land in the zoo to let Emma and Logan play for a bit. I leaned down to check on Ali in the stroller, she was just sitting there watching everyone play and sucking her toe happily, little nut! Speaking of Als, she had her first tooth pop through!!!! I discovered it when she bit my finger in church. She also crawled, real live up on her hands and knees. She still army crawls for the most part but shes getting it. Ohhhh, my baby is growing up :(


Well, I know this post totally kills the short and sweet philosophy but thanks for hangin in there. We just had so much fun and I wanted to share it all.

Happy Birthday Emma!

Happy Birthday sweet little Emma. We love you so much. You have enriched our lives in a way we didn't know was possible. We have loved each and every sweet, crazy, tender moment with you. Happy Birthday.