Brittney's Top Ten

Brittney's Top Ten Ways You Know You Are Definitely Pregnant:

#10: You suddenly start remembering all the things you forgot about being pregnant.

#9: 40 weeks takes on new meaning.

#8: By 7:oo at night you find yourself unable to keep your eyes open.

#7: Cold cereal becomes the family staple.

#6: You can't brush your teeth without gagging.

#5: Getting through the night with only 2 bathroom trips is a good night.

#4: You can sit and chat for hours with other pregnant women who just 5 minutes before were perfect strangers.

#3: You can't even make it through the grocery store without having something make you tear up.

#2: The fact that you have to start unbuttoning your pants has everything to do with your growing belly and absolutely nothing to do with all the Christmas goodies you've been eating.

#1: You find yourself mesmerized looking at the flashing little heartbeat and teeny little arms and legs actually moving around on the ultrasound at your first Dr.'s appointment.


*Stay tuned for Brittney's Top Ten Ways You Know You Just Had a Baby, coming July 2010.

Holiday Fun

Highlights of some fun Christmas stuff the past little while:

The Young Men and Women of our ward were participants in a live nativity down at the Tuacahn Theater in St. George last week, so we bundled up and headed down. The place was full of lights, and the girls loved it. We took down a neighbor boy of ours who also had a great time. The live nativity was beautiful and had a real donkey, a camel, sheep, and chickens! The youth did a great job. Along with the nativity we got to see Santa (Allie avoided him at all costs), pose as Christmas elves, and ride on the "train" that took us on a mini tour outside of the Tuacahn. On the way home, our 11-year-old neighbor boy who has been taking the missionary discussions said, "I really felt the Spirit, did you?" We had to agree.







Last week we also had our Ward Christmas Party. I just love a good Christmas party! For the program, they had a few musical numbers. I sang "Away in a Manger" for one of them, and the last act of the night was the Primary kids singing some songs. They had a little manger scene set up, and all the Sunbeams wore little sheep hats. Kenna just loved to wear her hat and looked so darn cute! I love to watch her sing with the Primary, my heart just beams. Before we know it, Allie will be joining her! After the program, the kids got to go in and see Santa. Once again, Allie made it very clear she wanted to remain firmly fixed to the back of mom's leg and avoid any eye contact with Santa. We didn't force the issue. Lastly, is a picture of Allie. The picture really does not do justice to the huge fat upper lip she got from falling on the ice earlier in the evening. Mostly all you see is the remains of the chocolate cake from dessert. I had been warning the girls all day to slow down on the snow and ice, and it really just wouldn't be normal to end up without any casualties. The worst part was she had her little hands in her coat pockets and wasn't able to catch herself when she went down face-first! Poor little thing. Her mouth and nose were bleeding, and she had to calm down for a while before she'd let us have a look to assess the damage. Fortunately all teeth remained in place, but she cut her lips and the little piece of skin that goes between your gums and lip. I suppose you live and learn, huh?








I love the words to "Away in a Manger," especially the third verse. It brings Christmas full circle.

Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay
Close by me forever and love me I pray
Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care
And fit us for Heaven to live with Thee there.

Hey Baby Let's Go To Vegas!

Okay, need to start off with our Thanksgiving recap. It was tons of fun, food, and family. On Saturday, the boys on the Otte side went to the BYU/Utah game while the girls got a babysitter and went to see New Moon. We had a ton of fun. The girls and I picked up Jacob after the game was over and headed back home. Before we headed down to the game, we stopped of to say goodbye to the Israelsen fam. The girls really wanted to take a quick ride on Uncle Ross's horse, Holly. Well, to make a long story short, Holly got a branch up her tush and Kenna had a bit of a rodeo experience and ended up getting bucked off! (I was in the house and didn't see any of it, but it's probably best that way). She hurt her arm, and after 4 days of it still being swollen, we took it in to get x-rayed. That was a fun 3 hour fiasco going back and forth from Dr.'s office to hospital for x-ray, and then back to the Dr.'s office. Amid all the arm fiasco, we also discovered Kenna tested positive for strep. She had no fever and had only complained of a sore throat once or twice a few days before. After all was said and done, fortunately, there was no break and the case of strep was very mild. Unfortunately, the Dr.'s office has some major strikes against it in taking two days to get me the results of the x-ray. I think the emotional trauma hopefully won't last too long for the rodeo queen. We tried to help alleviate the fear of horses by putting all the blame on daddy. So now when anyone asks Kenna says, "Well, it was my dad's fault."

This past weekend, Jacob and I traveled down south to Las Vegas for the National Finals Rodeo. We help out a really great couple from California who have some land and animals down here by us and they treated us to some serious spoilage! Oh my goodness we had such a good time. It's been almost a year since Jacob and I have had a night or two alone together, and we loved every minute of it. It was so fun to be with each other. We got lost in all the crazy Vegas traffic, stayed up way too late, laughed tons, ate too much, and lost 90% of our hearing with two nights of awesome seats at the rodeo and a Brooks and Dunn concert. So. Much. Fun. Gotta say, however, two nights of Vegas is plenty. It's a whole other world, that's for sure. I'm not sure if there was more beer or people at the rodeo. We were the anomaly with our bottles of water. Ha! But all that drinkin' sure makes for some good people-watchin'! Aunt Marlene came down to watch the girls. We were SO DARN grateful for her! It was so nice to just go away and not have to worry about things at home. THANKS AGAIN a million times Aunt Marlene for giving up your weekend for us, it meant so much. I hope she can recover soon. :)

Husband looks mighty fine in a cowboy hat. And Wranglers. And boots. Love it.


Jacob LOVES it when I do these reach-your-arm-out-and-hope-you-get-in-the-shot pictures.


Hold on there little buckaroo. These people are seriously nuts.


A lil' Tanya Tucker doing the National Anthem. Drugs really didn't do her voice any favors. Oops, did I really post that?


Get ready for a good concert!


Now really, does it get better than this?


Boot Scootin' Boogie! Such a great concert.


Okay, okay, I know I am pure dork. Jacob laughed when he saw me sneaking a picture of this. This here beer bottle was pretty much in my lap. The guy next to me had two. He informed me that he didn't want to run dry. I gave him a good hearty laugh at that one just to make him feel extra special. He thought he was pretty suave. I really had a hard time not reaching over to take a swig all night. Actually, all the salt-and-pepper chest hair pushing it's way out of his 4 undone buttons kept me at bay.

Thanks Jacob for such a fun weekend full of great memories!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sending out a big HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all. Hope you have a wonderful holiday and are able to reflect on all the wonderful blessings the Lord has given us. I'm keeping a little prayer of gratitude in my own heart for the MANY incredible blessings I have. Thank you Jacob for being my number one. Followed up quickly by 2 and 3 who keep me hoppin' all day long. And to think that's only the beginning of my blessings....

Gosh I love this picture. Blessings indeed.

SMRT

I am so dang smart! I amaze myself. Astounding. Spectacular! Okay, so I'm only a mere lightyear away from the rest of the world, but hey, I'm going to give myself a big pat on the back anyway. As you may have noticed, I changed my blog template. Now, you have to understand what an accomplishment this is. I DID IT BY MYSELF. Yes, it's true. I actually read a tutorial and made my way through all that html code junk. To most of the outside world this is comparable to a toddler putting on their own shoe. Perhaps I'm a technical toddler. Nonetheless, I will rejoice in my triumph! Okay, I'm a dork.

Let's recap last week. The Israelsen family are really the stars of the show this past month. In the past month, all but two of Jacob's siblings have come down to visit. Considering we only missed two out of ten, that's a pretty good chunk of the fam dam! Well, we must also add in that we didn't get to see a brother-in-law and a niece. But still, we got great Israelsen coverage! Last week we topped off the family pilgrimage to Southern Utah with a visit from Mom and Dad Israelsen. Dad I had meetings T-TH down in Mesquite, and Mom I accompanied him down. She stayed with us while dad was being the professional and then he joined us for the rest of the week. I WAS SPOILED. I had a whole week of Grandma Entertainer/Dishwasher Loader/Housecleaner/Counselor. We even got to keep them an extra day because Dad I's work truck broke down and they couldn't get a ride back up north until Saturday. I'm afraid the snow storm on Friday put a major kink into Dad's "get-r-done" schedule and he was stuck inside the whole day. Torture for an Israelsen! But, we enjoyed all our time together. THANK YOU for all your help mom and dad. We really had a great time with you. And I'm not even saying that just to be nice! The girls especially loved all the TLC. Mom I deserves a serious upgrade in heaven for the million times she played Memory and Cooties. Not to mention the 1,259,301 books she read to the little girls. Monday morning I looked at the pile of dishes in my sink and just about called and begged them to come back. Love you!

Well, my little Allie Rae is having some major success with potty training. I am perfectly okay about that! My little two-year-old bundle of joy has also started into some MAJOR tantrums. I have never seen tantrumming like this. Out of control, freak out, send mom to the asylum, kind of tantrums. Fortunately I found a great resource on the internet that is helping whip these freak out sessions right into shape. It's a darn good thing, I was about to sell her to the gypsies. Hmm. Not sure they would have taken her. LOVE YOU ALLIE!

Another Good One

You may have already seen this, but this was so touching to me. What an incredible lesson on what it means to be a parent, and how to take our trials in stride. Great to watch after an afternoon of shopping with the girls who ran around like hoodlums and dropped a juice bottle that broke and spilled all over the floor in Smith's.

Food for Thought

Perhaps right now one of the biggest things going on is the H1N1 deal. I know there are many differing opinions about the flu this year and there has been tons of media coverage. What I have found is that there is quite a bit of research out there, a lot of which is not covered in the media. Now that I am a mom and have to make very important decisions regarding the health of my kiddos, I have been really trying to do research so I can make what I feel is an educated, objective decision. Before simply assuming the best preventative course of action to take, I highly suggest everyone to do their own research to make the best decision for them and their families. An example of many available:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/11/03/What-We-Have-Learned-About-the-Great-Swine-Flu-Pandemic.aspx (This one has some VERY interesting info and especially numbers to consider)

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/11/13/what-is-the-real-cause-of-influenza-epidemics.aspx

http://www.nvic.org// (this one is a non-profit organization therefore has no ties to any one program or company)

Just something to think about. Something I'm learning about myself is I often play the "devil's advocate," if you will, and try to see all sides of the story.

If any of you out there have some other interesting information you would like to share, I would love to hear it!

Weekend Recap

We had such a fun weekend! 5 of Jacob's brothers and sisters came down for the weekend, and we had such a good time. I was spoiled having so many hands to help me out. You sisters are awesome! Who else would be so willing to do all my really gross projects, without me even asking? In fact, I really was hoping they wouldn't find my dirty little secrets. But those busy little bees just can's sit still. Let's go over the list: First, my fridge got cleaned out. No really, it was disgusting. They didn't even request gloves. Amazing. Then, my microwave got cleaned out. Sparkling, delightful. I like to peek into it just to see how nice it looks in there. Let's add to the list that I can now see out of my windows. Those Windex Warriors took care of those in no time flat. True love, however, is cleaning out the area where my washer and dryer have been. I don't think they even threw up after seeing all that soggy sticky dryer lint. Really, I don't live in filth, but having little kids is kind of like having a constant tornado swooping down in every crevice of my house wreaking havoc. Thank you so much for helping me with all those little projects I would just rather forget about!!

Okay, okay, I guess the boys deserve a little credit. After all, they did get our wood split and stacked, hauled washers and dryers up and down stairs, and did all sorts of random farm stuff. And here they thought they were going to have a vacation! Ha!

Saturday afternoon we headed up to do some shooting. The girls both had their first time shooting a gun (and a LOT of talks about how guns are very dangerous) and they both loved it. My little sharpshooters:


After shooting, we drove up to a better spot to start a fire and have a weenie roast. Nothing like gorging yourself on a big fat hot dog and following it up by a big scoop of bean dip, huh? We didn't even have room for s'mores. Aahh, that's the life. And then come home to a clean fridge!

The girls were in heaven with their Aunts and Uncles and I think each one took a turn as the favorite at some point over the weekend. The only down side to the weekend was Uncle Benson wasn't feeling well and stayed home. We missed you Uncle Bens! The ladies were spoiled with lots of love and attention. They especially love to rough house with the Uncles. You make a GREAT horse Uncle Karl!





Thanks so much for a fun weekend everybody! How about next weekend too?

Here's the girls with the first snow storm of the year. Kenna insisted on gearing up to go out and play, so we went on a search to roundup all the snow gear and got them all bundled up. Of course we had to follow it up with some hot chocolate.

And to top off the blog entry, what is better than a good old Halloween carnival put on by the Young Women? Not much! Here are the girls dressed up and ready to party. Fairy Kenna (complete with a hairdo of her own), and Ladybug Allie. Love it!

Mom's Lesson

Being completely frank, little children are a lot of work. A lot. Around the clock, throughout the weekends, and even on holidays- go figure. And to continue with our frank little discussion, it isn't always easy. Stress builds as quickly as my laundry pile does. But then, thank goodness, there are moments that really make it worth it. Like when my girls dance for me when listening to their primary songs, or let out a giggle that seems to come up from their toes. Or especially when I am the one who gets to learn a lesson from my girls. This was the case yesterday. Let me set up the scenario for you:

Jacob's brothers Seth and Daniel came down for the weekend (We had a lot of fun with you! Considering they went with Jacob and the Teachers on an overnighter down the narrows in Zions and we only saw them for just a bit). I wanted to have a nice Sunday lunch and then let them get on their way back up the state. Well, the rolls were raising perfectly on the table and were about ready to go in the oven, when I caught Allie on the table punching them down. She got to about half of them. "ALLLLLIE! NOOOOOO!," I said (rather gruff) and I snatched her off the table. Well, Allie felt bad and started to cry. After all, I can only imagine what a fun little game it must be to punch down roll dough when you're two. In her cute little mind she was probably thinking, "hey mom, look what I can do!" Of course when you are the mommy running around trying to get everything ready and your rolls get pretty much ruined, it's not so much a fun little game. So, in all the commotion, Kenna stands her ground in the kitchen, shakes her finger at me and says with all the bravado of a soon-to-be 4-year-old, "Mom! Jesus tells us that we shouldn't get mad!" She gave me a good stare down. I had to let out a sigh, because really, she's right. I got down on my knees, gave her a hug, and said, "you're right Kenna, thank you for reminding me." It seemed to be a very simple moment, but it was so touching to me. I have really been trying hard lately to work on not getting angry so easy, and to speak softly. I have learned in so many situations that it really makes all the difference when it comes to dealing with people, and I know it especially makes a difference in the home. But back to the 'kids are a lot of work' I started out with, it isn't always easy to keep my cool. In fact, I could often easily get to a pretty good boil! But, thanks to the simple spirit of my little girl, the Lord gave me a very strong reminder. Really, the rolls still tasted good. They were just, well, ugly. In the end, rolls don't mean a whole lot, but the confidence of my two year old does. Sometimes you just have to let it roll. He he, no pun intended. I pray the Lord will continue to guide me in my efforts to as I try to do a little better each day.

Taylie Update

Let's not be mistaken folks, there are MANY good things about the world we live in. Goodness is in the hearts of people, and this past weekend it has been proven tenfold. As you read in my last post, there was a wonderful little fundraiser for sweet little Taylie who is battling cancer. Over the weekend, there were a total of 358 posts in behalf of Taylie. The deal was to double the number of posts and write a check in that amount. Add it all up and that makes $716. The generous donor decided he wanted to "kick it up a notch" and double it again to bring the total to $1432.00. Yes, you read correctly! My heart is smiling. To see people who are so willing to help out a stranger is...well, there really isn't a word to describe it. THAT is what I like to read about in the news. THAT is what is at the heart of America. THAT is what it means to give charity. Not to give, necessarily, but to love. Love as our Savior does. Hopefully it's only a beginning.

Small and Simple Things

As Alma is teaching his son, Helaman, he gives him a beautiful piece of advice: "..by small and simple things are great things brought to pass..." (Alma 36:6). Albeit a short piece of scripture, it has such a beautiful and profound meaning. I have been given an opportunity to turn this scripture into action by serving another, and am passing the same opportunity on to you.

My good friend Kylene has come up with a GREAT idea to help a family with a little girl named Taylie who has cancer. This is a young family with some beautiful little girls (sounds familiar, huh?) and could use some financial help on their medical journey. Here's how it works: all you have to do is post the link to Taylie's website (found here) on your blog, and then go over and let my friend Kylene know by posting a comment on her blog, found here. No blog? No prob! Post a link on your Facebook page. Perhaps you are one who has figured out the whole Twitter thing. Go ahead and post away you little tweets. Just be sure to finish off by letting Kylene know. So where's the money, you ask? A very generous donor will give $2 to Taylie's family for every person who posts Taylie's link. It takes just a brief minute and your "small thing" could end up spreading and helping "great things come to pass." THANK YOU! May God bless us all as we serve Him by serving others.

September from beginning to end

Okay, okay. It's been a while. Combine the fact that September went by entirely too fast and our internet was out for a bit- I just am now updating. But, here is our September update.

A group of 4 of us in my ward are doing a rotating preschool for our little 3-going-on-4-year-olds. I took the first week when we started in September. It went well, and the little kiddos seem to really enjoy it. Let's just say an hour and a half with 4 little kidlets plus Allie is quite the whirlwind! But, so far it's been a success and Kenna really enjoys it. Everybody make the letter A!

Mom and Dad Otte came down for Labor Day weekend and we had a blast! They spoiled us with a trip down to St. George for dinner and then to go see "Aida" at the Tuacahn. The show was great, we loved it. Also many thanks to them for getting me jumpstarted on my peaches and pears. Also a BIG shoutout to another mysterious generous donor of a new outdoor camp cooker I can do my bottling on. You know who you are! THANK YOU! We are so blessed with such loving parents. (Didn't get a picture, darnit)

We headed up to Salt Lake for the State Fair. Always such a fun trip. I had a cold that kept me kind of foggy, but we still loved it. Kenna and Allie both showed a heifer and thought they were on top of the world. We pulled up a trailer full of cedar posts for Dad Israelsen, took the heifers back to Logan, then after unloading filled right back up again with pigs and a horse. The girls and I stayed in Salt Lake with my sister Steph, so Jacob just came by with the LOAD to pick us up.

***This is a little addition to the original post, but I just HAVE to add a little tidbit here. The picture of Kenna is with Aunt Marlene, and I must say that Aunt Marlene is just looking so darn cute! She is such an incredible person and a GREAT Aunt, the girls sure love her. She will make someone a mighty fine catch, I must say. Any single men out there go ahead and line up, but you must know she is prime so only the best of the best will get her! Sorry Mar, couldn't help myself- I just love that picture.





We spent a Saturday up the mountain getting wood for our fireplace. Can't believe it's that time of year again. We'll be stoking up the fireplace before we know it. Kenna and Allie had a great time "hiking" and playing in the dirt.

The other day, Allie decided to take her sweet self outside, let the dogs out, then follow them across the field and over to the neighbors cul-de-sac, all while Jacob and I were in the back of the house talking thinking all was well in Zion. We went out to check on the girls only to find the gate open and Allie missing. Thanks to a good neighbor who captured her and won't be calling us in to child protective services.

Allie's new thing is chewing gum (can I just say I have a GREAT BIG aversion to seeing or touching chewed gum, even my own child's, so this one is borderline for me). Well, while in the grocery store the other day, Allie seemed a bit stuffy. I wasn't sure why until she looked up and I could see a big white unidentifiable chunk up her nose. Far up her nose. I figured I'd have to take care of that when we got home. Well, the little darling took care of it herself when she sneezed and out flew a booger covered wad of gum she had decided to shove up her nose. Happy Halloween y'all. If that doesn't gross you out, nothing will. This child is giving me a whole new adventure, that's for sure.

We headed back up north AGAIN for a quick trip to Logan for Grandpa Floyd's 90th birthday party. It was fun to see most of the Israelsen family and celebrate with Grandpa. It was a quick trip, but worth it. Kenna cuddled right in to Grandpa Floyd and loved it. Allie of course was mostly interested in the goldfish.

Allie has learned to crawl out of her crib (yes, she's part monkey in so many ways), so we've had to switch things up a bit. Kenna's bedroom is now the official bedroom, and Allie's room has been converted into the toy room. I really like having all the toys in one spot and keeping the bedroom for sleeping, but getting the girls to sleep together in the same bed has been a challenge! They talk and giggle, and Allie loves pushing the boundaries on her new found freedom. We have yet to discover exactly how it will turn out. Wish us luck.

And last but not least, what more to life is there than discovering all the really cool things you can do with your feet?

We Love Visitors

We LOVED having you here this weekend Karl and Connie! And for some absurd reason I didn't get a single picture of you here with us. Jacob was in heaven having his brother Karl to help him cut down cedar posts and all sorts of other random projects. I loved having Connie to chat with, and run errands with, and she was so darn helpful in the kitchen. Especially thanks to her I got my first ever batch of strawberry jam made. Thank you so much! Not to mention the girls who got tons of TLC. Please come back soon!

As for the girls, here is what they have been up to recently:

They found some towels and dressed themselves up as Mary and Joseph. Allie was Joseph- I don't think she had a say in the matter.


Here is Kenna introducing me to her little kitty, "Ponka." aka: Allie. Yes, you may recall this isn't the first picture I've posted with Allie attached to a leash. I'll just say she did it willingly.


The girls love to sit on Jacob's legs to play "popcorn." He says "one, two, three, POPCORN!" And on "popcorn" he bounces his legs up and sends them up into the air. They just giggle and love it!

The girls were playing with the scale in the bathroom this morning so I had them both stand on it to see what they weighed. Turns out they both weigh exactly the same. Yep, despite the 20 1/2 months between them, they weigh the same. The only difference? Allie just needs to gain a few more inches and she'll be right on with Kenna. But then again, she already is in the 100th percentile for her height. Crazy! The problem is now I no longer have any hand-me-downs from Kenna for Allie to wear. Who'd a thought.

Night and Day

Here is one little lady who wanted to me to do her hair today to look like Cindy Brady (minus the curls). Yes, I admit, occasionally my 3 1/2 year old loves her a good episode of the "Grady Bunch," as she calls it:


And here is another little girl who would rather have a rat's nest coming out the back of her head and help daddy herd goats out of the trailer- she's pulling her arm back to give it a good swing at the goat:
The other day I caught Kenna and Allie simultaneously holding each other in a choke hold, neither would give in and let go, both were screaming. Now as I type away on my blog, they are happily playing together in the bedroom just best of friends. Go figure. I love it!

Why is it we always want what we can't have?

Tribute to Allie

First off, we must wish our little Allie Rae a very happy 2nd birthday! My baby turned 2 on Saturday. Kenna told her it was her dancing birthday, so they did a little jig for me. We'll just recap the past little while via experiences with Allie:

Earlier in July the girls and I accompanied Jacob up to Salt Lake for a work meeting. While daddy was working, we headed off with Aunt Steph, Claire, and Blake for some fun at the zoo. Allie loves animals. (Okay, this is about Allie but I really have to add Kenna's experience with the giant elephant figurine at the zoo. It looks like a big african wooden elephant thing that plays a silly little song then blows air out it's trunk. Well, Allie thought it was great and went right up to it. Kenna got within ten feet and, based on her scream of sheer terror, seemed certain that if she got any closer the elephant would swoop her up and carry her down to the depths of the underworld. Yep, all eyes on us. She couldn't get away from it fast enough!) At least the zebras are safe. Allie loves to play with cousins and friends. And eat goldfish from the bag.


After Jacob was done with meetings, we just headed up north to spend the rest of the 24th weekend with family. The ride getting up there, however, was a bit wild. Perhaps it was too much excitement earlier at the zoo. Perhaps she was just really tired. Perhaps she is just naturally plain old fiesty. Whatever it was, Allie just did not want to be in the car. So what happens when Allie throws a fit? She screams. No really folks, S-C-R-E-A-M. As in, I am going to make a down payment on a Miracle Ear because I am quite certain that within a short period of time I will need one. So, we were approaching Brigham City when both Jacob and I had HAD IT. We could stand the tantrum no longer. We exited off and found a great little fruit stand that had closed for the night. I found a little cinder block under some shade and sat her little tushy right down and told her to stay there until she was done. We then sat there a ways off in the car and waited for her to get it all out of her system. I admit we had a good laugh at all the experiences we are having with this whole parenting thing. It took her a while, but she got out all her steam and we were able to finish the ride somewhat in peace. Wow that child can drive us to the point of insanity real quick. Especially in a small confined space. Let's give a shout out to the fruit stand for the perfect time-out locale!



We enjoyed a nice afternoon at the Aquatic Center. Allie loves a good swim. I just love the stylish plastic pcover over the swim diaper that hang out under her swimsuit. Wouldn't it be nice to be a carefree kid again? Just like recently when Allie decided that she wanted to get wet out in the backyard so stripped down into nothing. My cute neighbor informed me she looked over just as Allie was whipping of her diaper. What a show! Of course when Allie does it, that means Kenna can join in. So there, within 2 minutes of me not looking, are my two little naked girls just carefree out on the lawn playing in the inverted swimming pool they filled with water. Way to pay attention mom! At least we remained clothed at the pool.



We enjoyed a fun 24th parade in Mendon. Allie loves a good parade. When the loud sirens come, she's not quite so sure so stays close to daddy. Just do as your sister Allie- collect candy in one hand while plugging your ear with the other:



When talents were being handed out in the pre-existence, I must have been sleeping when it came to gardening. In no way, shape, or form do I have a green thumb. I really tried to do some pretty pots and hanging baskets this year but they didn't make it very far into July. Sigh. What remained were some pots full of dirt. So what happens when a curious little toddler comes across a pot of dirt? This:



The picture just does not do justice to my dirt-covered little explorer. It didn't help that it just stuck to her sweaty little face. This was beyond the wet wipe, so we headed straight to the tub.

Happy Birthday our little Allie gal! You sure give us a run for our money but you are such a joy to have in our home and we love you so much. Thanks for adding so much to our family and always making us smile. And plug our ears. And, thanks for being a sweet little two-year-old who is just happy to be alive and could care less that we didn't get around to eating your cake until after 9:30 at night!

Campin'

This weekend we decided to get out of the heat a bit and head up the canyon for a little campout. Jacob wasn't too thrilled about finding a good camp spot out of the way via our car. It was just pure redneck for him to head up the rocky trail in the family sedan. We learned our car really doesn't have good clearance. I am happy to report the underneath portion of our car is still in tact (so far as we know). Hopefully the hunt for a new truck will soon come to a successful end.

Aahh, a great spot.


We went on a little hike. It was sure pretty up there. But this is my favorite scenery right here:


Nothing like a good wrestle in a tent before we call it a night. Allie sure gave Kenna a run for her money! These girls went into hyper mode after we got them in their jammies and in the tent. They loved it! They were giggling and jumping on the air mattress for quite a while.


This is Allie in the morning pretending I'm not asking her to look up at the camera and smile. This is her new trick. When she doesn't want us to talk to her she'll look down and the ground and glare. Our neighbor dubbed her "Allie Attitude." We obviously didn't get the best sleep. Good thing she makes up for it with some great smiles and loves.


Saturday we went to a fun little place that they stock with fish just for kids. The fish were jumping all over and we could even see them swimming in the water, but apparently we aren't very professional in the fishing arena. Not a single catch. Perhaps holding the pole in the water isn't the best form.

Forget the fish, let's just get wet! Let it be noted the attire (or lack thereof) was NOT my doing. I turned around and this is what I found. Did I mention something about redneck previously?....

Thanks girls and daddy for another memorable camp trip.