So summer finally arrived in full here in Rexburg. Less than a month ago we were still having weird snow flurries, but now we are in the 80s everyday. It is hot, but fun. We are definitely missing our old apartment with the air conditioning. Right now in our apartment it is 84 degrees, that is with the windows open and the fans running 24-7. Oh well though, we'll survive. We have been enjoying the summer sunshine and having lots of fun. There is a program that provides free lunch for kids at a couple of the local parks 5 days a week. So almost every day we either walk or ride the bike to the park for the lunch and to play for a while. At Porter Park there is the splash park that some of you played at with us last summer. The kids love it. There are a lot of different size fountains and a few water slides. Ayana finally got brave and now goes down the water slides on here own. Ayana is still in toddler lab at the University and she enjoys all the different activities they have there. The teachers are very creative and there is always something new to try. Her favorites are playing at the sensory table (usually has water or rice in it), playing outside, and the role play area (mini grocery stores, etc.). Today while Ayana was at class we brought Asher's little push toy that helps him walk and he LOVED having long hallways to walk down instead of crashing into the walls all the time like at home. Our other summer activity is the library reading programs. We go to story time every week and Ayana loves to get stickers in her program book for being read to every day and get her prizes like passes for the carousel at the park, etc. I am in a reading program too and have been able to earn some fun certificates like free ice cream and a swimming pass. We are excited for when Trever is done with school in another month so he can join in more of the fun with us. Other than that we just hang out at home and try not to melt. Last Saturday we went with some friends to some local caves and had fun walking through them. Asher got a little bothered by the dark toward the end, but Ayana loved using a flashlight and did really well walking on the uneven ground and scrambling over the rocks. Anyway, here are some pictures of our latest adventures. Love you all!

Ayana and Asher with their friends at the caves


Splash park fun







Ayana enjoying the country girl lifestyle at a local stores anniversary celebration

Lesson of the day

Today at church a man told a story that really struck me. I though I would share it on here, both so I can remember it for the next time I need reminding and also just in case it help any of you. Here it is:

There was a man who desperately wanted a nice lawn. He spent all his time out in his yard trying to get rid of the weeds that were growing among his grass. Every Saturday he would go to the local nursery and buy another product to try to kill those weeds. When a week passed and he didn't see a noticeable difference he would go back to the nursery again and get another product to try. He did this for a couple months with little success in killing all those weed for good. At the nursery there was an old man who had been a landscaper for many years and was an expert in lawn care. After several months of watch the young man come in and buy weed killers he finally approached him and gave him some advice. He told the young man to forget the weeds and spend his efforts fertilizing and nourishing the grass. Then with only the exception of a few necessary pluckings now and then he would no longer have the weeds. Instead he would have a beautiful lush lawn that kept the weeds from growing in the first place.

The speaker then compared this story to us as parents. How often we spend our energy on the things we see as faults in our children. We put so much effort into plucking out and killing the weeds in their lives that we are out of energy to do the fertilizing. Sometimes we even do the same thing in our own lives. If we focus on encouraging and nurturing the good things we see in our children and ourselves then we will discover that those things will blossom until there is no more room for the bad. So save your plucking for the really big things and otherwise just spend lots of time fertilizing and enjoying the wonderful lawn it produces in our lives.

The Kids' Dance Party

I (Trever) took this video a while back and thought it was a lot of fun to watch the kids get down. Enjoy!

Asher is 1!

So,our little man is growing up, on Tuesday he turned one! He is such a joy to have in our family. His favorite things at the moment are standing up (still holding on though), filling and emptying containers, and anything involving him getting attention from Mommy, Ayana, or Daddy. He finally decided it was okay to crawl on his hands and knees, but still army crawls when he wants to get somewhere fast. He will walk with help and is beginning to cruise along the furniture, but I think it will be a little while before he really walks. No words yet, so maybe he will be a late talker like Ayana, we'll see. He is definitely a Momma's boy, he prefers Mom to anyone else, but will settle for Dad when he has to. I am sure that if Ayana was able to carry him around he would like her best though, he always wants to be where she is and do what she is doing. He is a very happy little boy quick to smile for his family, but a little shy around strangers. He loves to eat cheerios and kix and just about anything else he can get his hands on. He is still my little snatcher who will grab a hold of anything and everything, even when you are sure it is out of his reach. He is a wonderful addition to our family and we feel so blessed to have him!

Here are his one year old stats:

weight: 21 lbs (20th percentile)

height: 28 inches (3rd percentile)

5 teeth

and

The cutest little smile ever seen!

Asher's first picture

Asher at 5 months

Asher at 10 months

Asher as a One Year Old!

So last week we had Weinhard's Root Beer with our dinner. THe kids were enthralled with the bottles. Trever saved the last few sips of his for Asher and gave him the bottle. He couldn't quite figure out how to drink from the bottle, but he sure loved playing with it. So here's some cute pictures of my two crazy kiddos. We are excited for Asher's birthday in a couple of days, and I will be sure to post some pictures of him enjoying his birthday cake.

Ayana trying to play her bottle like a flute

Dad, this bottle is just too tall!

The Mouse House!

So I am finally getting a time when the computer is available and I am awake and the kids are not needing my attention for a moment, it is a miracle! Life around here is jam packed and wonderful as usual.

A couple weeks ago between semesters we went on a whirlwind vacation to Disneyland, or as Ayana likes to call it "The Mouse House." It was a belated 5th anniversary trip and just an opportunity to do something besides the same old same old in Rexburg. After the LONG drive to California we spent the first night at my sister Shannon's house. The kids did amazingly well on the drives. Asher decided to get 2 new teeth just before the trip and had been super fussy so I was worried, but it turned out to be a blessing because he slept much more than he normally does during the drive. Shannon was kind enough to add my two crazy kids to her brood for a couple of days, so the next morning Trever and I (sans kids) left and headed to Anaheim.

We spent two blissful days just he and I and it was fabulous. This is the first time since Ayana was born that we have been on a date longer than about 8 hours and certainly the first nights without any kids around. It sure was a nice break and made me appreciate them more when they came back. We had a ton of fun riding the rides and enjoying all the fun. We enjoyed a number of the rides, but I think our favorites were Indiana Jones and Toy Story Midway Mania where you ride through and play a bunch of midway games in a video game type format. We thought it was a blast. We also went and saw the Aladdin show that is a live musical theater presentation. It was cool to see and made us excited for the day in the future when we can afford and have time to go t regular theater events. We also swam in our hotel pool, ate at some yummy restaurants and I got to sleep for 8 whole hours 2 nights in a row. All in all it was a great two days.

The third day we met up with Shannon to get the kids back and took them with us to Disneyland. It was sure a different place when you experience it with 2 small children. Asher was too young to do much, but I think he still enjoyed himself. Ayana was a little overwhelmed at first, but once we got in the swing of things she really enjoyed herself. She LOVED meeting Mickey Mouse and going through his house. Her favorite ride was Autopia where she got to drive a car around the track with a little help from her Dad. She also always talks about "going on the boat to see sharks" For some reason she loves sharks and remembers vividly the nemo ride where you go on a submarine and see clips from Nemo as well as some underwater scenes. At the time the ride scared her a bit, but now she talks about it constantly. Asher was a great kid who just enjoyed hanging with his mom a lot and the few rides he was able to go on. Now every day Ayana asks "to go to the Mouse House."

It was a wonderful vacation and we had a great time. Now we are counting down till the end of July when we get to go camping in Utah for a week. Vacations are always the best, especially with Trever who can make anything fun and enjoyable.

Other than that, life is the same as always. As you saw, I cut my hair pretty short, I don't think it looks very good in the picture below, but I've figured out some other ways to do it that look better. All in all though, I have now had short hair and know for sure that it is not the look for me. Though short hair is amazingly convenient, and to never have it in your face is great!

My very smart husband finished another semester with straight A's and only has another year and half to go. Now we are beginning to look into Grad school and taking the GRE and all that fun stuff. Right now he is thinking about either MIT or BYU in Provo. We'll see what happens.

Anyway, after all my jabbering here are some pictures from the mouse house...

My Wonderful Life

Today I just feel blessed, I am not sure if it is because of conference reminding me of what's important, or why I feel it so strongly right now, I just know that I do. I have the most amazing husband. He takes such good care of me and the kids. He doesn't fill the traditional breadwinner role right now, but he does so much more. He cooks dinner almost every night and breakfast on the weekends. He is so great with the kiddos, even doing things he doesn't want to (like reading Dora books to Ayana). He is the glue that holds our family together. Whenever I am in a bad mood or something he is always understanding and when there is even the tiniest bit of fault in his corner he is always the first to apologize. My favorite thing about Trever is how he can always make us smile. It is such a blessing in my life to have a fun-loving husband. We don't get to spend more than an hour or so a day together right now, but he always makes it count. We are so looking forward to the time when school is done and I don't work overnight and we can see each other more. He is my greatest blessing and I am so grateful to have his love in my life.

I am also blessed to have two of the cutest kids that ever existed. Ayana is so sweet and is always telling me that she loves me and giving me kisses. It is so much fun to watch her learn and grow, and always exciting to see what she'll come up with next. Asher is so quick to smile and always makes you feel special when you do the littlest things for him.

My life is far from where I dreamed it would be at 28 years old. However, it is more full of happiness and blessings than I ever imagined it could be.

Anyway, just wanted to post my happy thoughts of the day; hope all of you are feeling much the same!