Independence!

I love the 4th of July! It's right up there with Christmas as one of my favorite holidays. We have always been in Malad for the Fourth. I don't think that will ever change. I was wanting to stay in Logan this year but, I'm glad we kept to tradition. We always get to see a lot of family and have good times! Plus, the population of Malad doubles.

My hometown  parade is the best for many reasons. It's just long enough, the kids get tons of candy and I always see a handful of people I know. 

 Waiting for the parade to start.

Luke is feeling the excitement!

 Just lovin' my baby.

Candy Chaos!

Porter and Cameron totally loving it.

John is protecting Luke's ears from the fire engine siren. IT. WAS. LOUD!!

We had a great time. Due to all the excitement and commotion of the day, Luke got about 2 hours of sleep. He conked out right before the fireworks started and slept 10 hours that night!  

Hooray for the 4th and our freedom!

These Boys...

...Are my everything. They drive me crazy, make me laugh (sometimes cry), give me the greatest joy and an equal amount of angst.  I love that I have a house of boys!

Father's Day 2012

It's been awhile....

What is that I hear? Nothing. Quiet? Yes, sweet quiet! A miracle occurred and ALL my boys are napping! At the same time! I may just bake a cake to celebrate! I kid.

I really can't believe it's been two months since I posted. Summer was not supposed to be crazy. The only thing on the calendar was Michelle's wedding. That's it. But, somehow, we ended up being pretty busy.

Things that have happened in past two months:

Father's Day. Hooray for daddy!
Michelle's bridal shower
We celebrated our ten year anniversary. Ten years!
A fishing trip with Grandpa Stayner
A surprise appendectomy for me. Boo!
Michelle's wedding in Rexburg
The return of book club. Hallelujah!
Luke turned 4 months old.

Porter starts 1st grade in less than two weeks. I may have shed a tear over this a few days ago. He's excited. I'm excited for him. But, he's also growing up too fast. He's going to be seven the day after school starts. Oy!

Well, there's your quick update. I will expound on some of the previous events soon. And I do mean soon. Not in another two months.

Attempting to Overcome

 I think  there is a fine line between confidence and cockiness. How do you portray confidence without seeming stuck up?

That is where my whole problem with self love began. In high school, I didn't want to become one of those people who thought they were better than everyone else. Who treated others like crap because they believed so.  I despised that and I still do. And I took it too far. I wouldn't allow myself to believe that I was good at anything. That I was anything special or worth while. And it stuck.

I've been trying to change my way of thinking and man, it's hard! Especially on days when it seems I fail at everything. I know comparison is the thief of joy. I'm trying to stop it. Try, try, try and try again.

But, there are some things I will say I'm good at:

1. Exercise. I love it. I don't let a physical challenge stop me from trying something new.  It may intimidate me but I know, with practice, I get stronger. Being physically strong makes me happy.

2. Baking. I make really good desserts. And it's a good thing I enjoy doing what is mentioned above.

3. I try hard to get a home cooked meal on the table every night.

4. I'm loyal.

And that's all I've got folks. Someday, I may see more in myself but, like Bob said, "Baby steps."

A Joyous Occasion

We had Luke blessed on June 10th in Malad. We decided on our home town because it was most convenient for everyone.

I was determined to have at least one child that did not cry during their blessing. Porter screamed bloody murder. I didn't hear one word of his blessing and, to this day, it still makes me sad. Cameron didn't start crying until the end of his. Luckily, I could still hear what was being said. So, with Luke, I did something that would probably get me in trouble with a pediatrician. I put a couple drops of agave nectar on Luke's binky. It totally worked! Sometimes, you just have to break the rules.

                                                   He looked so handsome in his outfit!

Pictures with mom and dad.

Our family

It was a perfect day! I'm so thankful for my boys, my loving husband and that they are mine forever.

Blackmail

Oh, Cameron! This picture will be going in his wedding video. I'm such a good mom. ; )

Catch Up

Man. I miss blogging! You think I would be able to find the time. I mean, all I did was have another kid. ;)

I wrote the above over a week ago. See what I mean.

It's so nice to have Porter out of school! He, however, does not feel the same. He doesn't say it, but I can tell he gets pretty bored . We've been doing a reading rewards system and he has loved that. He gets to pick out a prize next time we go to the store for filling up his jar with beans.

The laundry is never ending! Before Luke arrived, I did laundry once a week. It worked. I can no longer get away with that. Three times a week is now the average and something I didn't used to mind has turned into a dreaded task. 

I don't think it will actually hit me until the day of that my sister, Michelle, is getting married. It still seems so weird to me!

Porter lost his first tooth a few weeks ago. He was so excited!

 My Grandpa Stayner, with Luke, on Mother's Day. My Grandpa loves babies and is so good them. And I just love this picture!

Is this not the cutest pout?

Well, that's all for now. I hope to be on here more often. Life with three boys is a whole lot of crazy!