From Our Garden-

Here's what we picked from our garden the other day. I thought it was so pretty I had to take a picture.

Signing Time

Today Ava got excited about something and was moving her arms up & down- when Owen saw her do this he looked at me all excited and said "Mom look Ava doin' Signing Time!"

Adventures-

Last week Matt went to China for work- while he was off working, we had our own adventures-

Owen wanted to go with Dad in his suitcase.

On Monday we went to Toph & Emily Ann's house for a few days. Owen had a blast hanging out with his cousins.


We went to see Steven & Elizabeth's cute new house and then some more cousin play time. Owen still talks about your big & little Buzz Lightyears.
Henry & Owen-

Ava & George-

and of course some treehouse fun-

We came home Wednesday afternoon in time for Ava to see the dr. cause I guess she thought she needed to follow the rule that somebody needs to get hurt or sick while one of the parents are out of town. Turns out- she's a real trooper and had ear infections & a sinus infection.
On Friday I forgot to bring my camera but we had a fun day in P-town. First I got to meet up with Brinna, Callie, Sydney & all their cute kids at the park. It was so fun to catch up & hang out. It had been a long time. Then we went to Becca & Mike's apartment to play. Owen & Michael had fun together and Ava didn't mind Madalyn sprinkling her apple juice all over her head that we didn't notice until she was dripping wet :). We had a yummy dinner out at the river before we came home. Matthew came home Saturday around lunch time. Thanks to everyone that helped make our week so much fun.

4 Spot

4 Jobs I've held
1. Mom
2. Oakwood Elementary Special Ed Teacher
3. USU Admissions office assistant
4. Stokes grocery store cashier & bagger- bagging was my favorite.

4 Movies I Can Watch Over & Over
1. Danny Deckchair
2. Waking Ned Devine
3. Miracle on 34th street
4. One Fine Day

4 Places I Have Lived
1. North Logan
2. Logan
3. Camp K- Salt Lake
4. Riverdale

4 T.V. Shows I Enjoy
1. Wheel of Fortune
2. Jeopardy
3. Biggest Loser
4. The Office

4 Places I have Been on Vacation
1. Florida
2. Yellowstone
3. Boston
4. Mexico

4 Favorite Foods
1. mashed potatoes & gravy
2. grilled cheese sandwiches
3. yogurt, fresh fruit, & granola
4. toffee ice cream bars

4 Websites I visit (pretty much daily)
1. gmail
2. blogspot
3. craigslist
4. amazon

4 Places I Want to Visit
1. Anywhere with family (Michigan hopefully someday soon)
2. Anywhere relaxing
3. Anywhere beautiful or fun
4. Pretty much anywhere- I just need a vacation!

Now I'm supposed to pick 4 other blog buddies to do this!
Hmmmmm....you 4 are supposed to copy this and tag 4 other people!

1. Well, anyone that's reading this that hasn't been tagged already- this is an easy tag to do- so do it!

Owen's Big Day-

Owen is a lucky boy- his 3rd birthday started off with doughnuts for breakfast-

When Dad got done with work, we went birthday shopping where you got to pick out a new bike and some new shoes. Then we went out to eat and home for ice cream & cake.

Owen is most excited about the bell on his bike- and has since been ringing it when he shows his new bike to anyone and to get bad guys out of the way.

On the first ride outside some boys that often ride bikes past our house came by, Owen was so proud of his new bike and helmet and acted all cool while they were around.

Owen's Superhero Cousin Party-

Owen still going through some spoiling withdrawals. He is a lucky boy to have so many people that love him.

Happy Birthday Owen!

Happy Birthday Owen! Only three years ago you came to our family.

Brand new baby Owen-

1 year old-




2 years old

3 years old-

Here are some things that you are enjoying these days:
-Favorite breakfast- puff pancakes
-Owen loves to dance- this morning you heard some music on the computer and said, "Mom, turn it up, I gotta dance!"
-Loves playing outside
- Often says he's going to work in China
-Thinks running is cool- whether it's in basketball or just down the street you think it's cool to run and often turn your head to the side to watch yourself run.
-From watching the olympics you feel inspired to run & race- again you often take a quick run to China.
-Owen is all boy-he loves superheroes, trucks, jeeps, 4-wheelers, cars, explosions, wrestling, etc.
-Loves chips & french fries

You bring a lot of joy to our family. I am happy to be your mom. It's fun to be with you every day. Happy Birthday!

Happy 8 Months Old Ava!

Ava turned 8 months old today. She is growing up so fast.

- She has 4 (3 on the bottom & 1 on the top) teeth already- 2 more are working their way out.
- Ava is good picking things up with her little fingers and has a strong pincher grip
- Starting to give 5's and we think is figuring out how to wave
- Can scoot and roll around like a regular G.I. Jane.
- Loves to bang stuff together
- The other day, Ava was observing her little 1 1/2 month old cousin grunt and figured out a noise that's similar to copy her and now uses it to talk to people with a big smile on her face.
- Loves to smile and interact with people around her. At church today, she went from one person to the next smiling and grunting at them until they look back at her and smile.
- Loves to watch her older brother Owen.
- Loves to splash in the tub.
- She loves her Daddy- she gets really excited when she sees him & hears his voice.

She is a happy little person. We are so happy to have her here in our family.

Camping, Riverdale Resort & Phillips Reunion-

We took the faraway weekend trip all the way up to Riverdale and had a blast. Friday night we camped over at the river. We had tin foil dinners that of course didn't get done till it was almost dark but man were they good. Owen was so happy to be outside at the river. He was so excited- falling asleep in the tent took him a long time- I think Matt & I both fell asleep before he did. It was fun falling asleep listening to the river.

On Saturday morning Owen woke up still so excited and I knew my efforts to get him to lay down just a little longer wouldn't work when he said, "Look Mom! Sunshine's awake- it's morning!" All that he wanted to do was play in the sandbox so I got to enjoy a warm fire & a good book.

Then we ventured to the hot pots.

Ava loved splashing in the water- she was so excited but every once in a while got a look on her face like she couldn't figure out who kept slashing water in her face and wanted them to stop.

And Owen loved walking all around the pool on the sitting bench thing.

It took some convincing but we finally got Owen to try the slide when we told him we got to climb up the big castle. He loved it and wanted to go again & again- it was just as much fun as I remember it being from when I was a kid.

Then we headed to Phillips' reunion lunch thing-

My Dad with all of his brothers-