All I really want is GIRLS!

For the last 9 days I had a house full of girls!

My sister came with her baby girl for a week, and my BFF Jana came with her baby girl for 6 days.

It was so fun, and now my house feels empty!

I loved hanging with them, visiting, shopping, swimming, eating, hiking, and playing with our girls.

Come back again soon girls! I love you both.

Half a year

This sweet girl is 6 months old today!

She eats food, is almost sitting, rolls, and just sprouted her 2 bottom teeth.

I have a special place in my heart for Ada and am grateful that we have had her in our family these last 6 months. We would not be complete without her.

Work it.

I need some suggestions.

I haven't exercised regularly for almost 5 years and thought there is no time like the present to start. Today we joined the gym down the street and the girls survived an hour in the play area. My only problem is that I've never been a gym member, and don't know quite what to do.

My inclination is to just run, or, being realistic, speed walk on the treadmill, but I'm sure there are other possibilities.

Some muscle man trainer is going to give me a free training session tomorrow, but if anyone has other ideas I'd love them!

Oh, and happy tax day.

A hard time

These sweeties take swimming lessons together. They go twice a week for a month. Their first lessons last week were great and they were so brave. But today, my sweeties (with the pink pom poms) had a hard time.  A REALLY hard time. Something had them freaked and they did not want to go in the water. I had to beg. I had to plead. I had to turn into "mean mommy." I had to threaten a...dare I say it...spanking. Finally they got in, but there were tears, reaching arms, whimpers, pleading "mommy"s said over and over for a full 30 minutes.

It was a long 30 minutes.

We have to go back on Thursday and I am scared for what it will hold. I feel bad for the other sweeties, who were brave at first, but then got freaked by my sweeties carrying on. I hope it goes better. I hope that was the low point of swimming lessons.

I hope.

I hope.

I hope.

The Bot

My little brother got home from his mission to Mongolia 18 days ago.

He still misses it. He is making the difficult RM adjustment to real life where you have to think of your self more than you would like to. He is acclimating to the climate and American food.

He is amazing and I so enjoyed the many days we got to spend together in Utah and on his trip back to my house. He has grown up in many ways and is such a great example to me. I literally look up to him (as he is 6'5'') and am grateful for the love, time, and attention that he gave me and my family. It was great to talk to him about Mongolia, the people, his companions, branches, cities, Chinggis Khaan, etc. and get a feel for his mission life. Although he wishes he could go back, I, for one, am grateful he is home!

My favorite day of the year

The day that this wonderful, caring, kind, dedicated, hard-working, faithful, patient, and loving man came into the world. I am forever grateful to his mother for carrying him, to his parents for raising him, and to him for consenting to marry and have a family with me. Happy birthday J. I love you!