Boys With Dirt

Boys with dirt are happy, happy boys.

{And adorable to boot.}

Multi-tasker of My Heart

No one can ever accuse this guy of not being able to multi-task.

I mean, a S.H.I.E.L.D. episode, a work laptop, AND a game on his phone? All at the same time??

That takes talent, people.

Rare Moment Caught on Tape

It only happens once or twice a year, folks, and when it does, you better believe I go running for the camera to capture it.

Sometimes...very, very rarely...all of my children play together. In the same room. With the same toys. Without the television on. And without fighting. 

It is a golden moment in time, I assure you, one in which I practically hold my breath and go completely silent so as not to disrupt the magic.

Never thought a simple moment like this would ever make my mommy heart so proud. {Until I had four kids, anyway.}

Summer Hits

Oh, wow. I just realized that we are already almost five weeks into our ten-week summer vacation.

By some miracle, I am enjoying this summer much more than I have enjoyed summers past. I have a feeling that this has something to do with the fact that I don't have an itty-bitty baby to take care of right now (though caring for Mr. Spencer does come with its own unique set of challenges. But he's not a newborn or a 1-year-old, and that's saying something.) The fact that Julia and Savanna are both older and more helpful this year is making a difference as well, as is my determination to squeeze all manner of quality time in with little Lex before she leaves the nest and heads to kindergarten in five-and-a-half short weeks. (Gasp.)

The real, true secret though, may actually lay in the treasure that is our own backyard swimming pool, which we have never had the joy of experiencing in eight, blistering, sweltering, unending summers here in the valley of the sun. (And let me tell you, it is a treasure.) We are only out there a couple hours a day, but that little break from routine summer boredom truly makes all the difference in the world.

But thankfully, we've been blessed with other things to keep us busy as well. After all, summer is a great time for...

{eating cereal at every meal}

{enjoying cousins}

{overcoming your fears and graduating from swim lessons}

{road trips}

{visiting the beach}

{hotel sleepovers}

{lunch together}

{indoor roller skating}

{parking in the garage...for the first time in a LONG time!}

{organizing}

{learning to do laundry}

 {swimmer's ear}

{swimmer's hair}

{celebrating the handsome Daddy in our lives}

{Cars. Lot and lots of Cars.}

In between lounging, swimming, and extra applications of deodorant, we are looking forward to one more California trip, and five more weeks of sleeping in, wearing only bathing suits and pajamas all day, staying up late, playdates, sandwiches for dinner, and not doing our hair.

Fan + Zachary Ever After {Part 1}

Last Friday, on Fantasia and Zachary's wedding day, I got a front row seat to the preparations in Fan's hotel room where she was getting ready for the big event. It was a happy, fun, relaxed time, and I was so blessed to be a part of it and catch some shots of the action.

According to Cyndie, the beautiful mother of the beautiful bride, 4:00 is the new coveted wedding time...it allows PLENTY of time for the bride to get her hair and makeup done, and enjoy a Mighty Kids Meal from McD's at a leisurely pace. {And, if the father-of-the-bride realizes, in the middle of getting dressed, that he accidentally left his suit pants back at home...well, there's plenty of time for him to run to the store for some new ones, too.}

{no jitters here. just glowing like gold!}

{hair and makeup mayhem}

{Gorgeous Drina-Bean}

{Would you LOOK at these beautiful women in my life?}

{obligatory selfie}

{amazing friends who made the day with their fabulous hair and makeup skills}

{they could totally be sisters. I mean, seriously.}

{lucky aunt}

{on the way to the temple with her 50-lb. bouquet}

{meeting up with handsome Zachary to walk hand-in-hand into the temple together.}

Stay tuned for part 2: the after-pics and reception!

Man Alive, He's 35!

This man of mine turns 35 today. I have been blessed to know him for 22 of those 35 years, and to have been married to him for the last 12. 

I loved him in junior high and thought about how wonderful it would be to be married to him some day, and make cute babies together, and live happily together forever. Sometimes I still have to pinch myself to believe that those adolescent daydreams have actually become a reality.

Married? Check.

Cute babies? Check, check, check, check.

Living happily? Check.

Forever? We are getting there.

Happy Birthday to my handsome, wonderful honey. Can't believe you get to be mine.

{I Wish They All Could Be} Arizona Girls

We snuck in a trip to the beach while we were in San Diego for Fantasia's wedding this past weekend. (Totally Craig's idea...I was stressed that we wouldn't be able to hit the beach and still have time to eat lunch, shower, sneak in a nap for Spencer, drop me off at Fan's hotel to take pics, and get the girls dressed and their hair done before the ceremony a few hours later. But it worked out, like it always does, despite my temporarily elevated blood pressure.) 

Spencer was enamored with the ocean, as I thought he might be, (Sand + Water makes for a happy toddler, you know) and Lexa was much more excited about the whole beach experience than she has been in times past. 

Since we didn't have a lot of time, the girls only got in for a quick dip (in which a riptide pulled them out and they had to be rescued by Daddy) and the rest of the time was spent gathering shells and attempting to build a sand castle with no sand toys. Grandma Linda was there to offer back-up with the kiddos and we all ended up having a blast even though the weather was gloomy and we were a little rushed. (Turns out, when you live in Phoenix, overcast skies are actually a really nice reprieve!)

I love my little beach bums and my let's-try-to-fit-in-every-thing-we-can-and-pretend-like-this-is-a-family-vacation-even-though-we-are-here-for-a-wedding hubby.

Amazing Day

Our {not-so-little} Little Savanna was baptized was on Saturday. We could not be prouder of her decision or more thrilled with the amazing person that she is striving to become.

She truly is an example of faith, love, and light to all who know her. We are blessed beyond measure to have the privilege of calling her our own. Her sweet spirit radiates through our home and our lives.

Savanna's day was peaceful and perfect. Craig spoke at her baptism and performed the ordinance. Mommy welcomed her into Primary, and her family and friends that were able to come wrote their own testimonies down for her to read and keep. She has said over and over again how thankful she is for the choice that she made. {And we're thankful, too!}

I have no doubt that she is going to do amazing things in her life. 

We love you so much, Vanna girl!

Two. Two. Two.

Whenever Spencer is quiet or missing for any extended number of minutes, it's usually because he's found a little corner of the house in which to showcase his mess-making talents. (And boy is he talented!) The bathrooms and the office are usually his preferred canvases, which is why I wasn't surprised when I found him in the office one morning with all of my paper clips and push pins in a pile on the floor in front of him. 

We cleaned it up and moved on. And when I say "moved on," I mean that we both left the room and then he high-tailed it back there a few minutes later when I was distracted with someone or something else. (I really should learn to close that office door behind behind me, I know.)

Once again I wasn't entirely surprised to find him back in there, having emptied out all my jars of craft supplies onto my desk and the floor. Completely unperturbed at my having found him, he was waving his hands over the pile, pretending to count, saying, "two...two...two.." 

All I could think was, "Yep, you're 2. And this is how you do."

In ten months and ten days he'll be 3. And either his mess-making days will have magically come to a close, or he will have learned how to climb on top of the fridge and plug in the blender by then.

Can you guess which one my money's on?

The Sorting Sort

Is it strange that finding all these Care Bears lined up on the playroom floor in color order made me especially happy? Probably. And odd that sometimes in order to fall asleep at night I imagine cleaning my house? Definitely. Indeed, I'm sure it's also very bizarre that many of the most calming moments of my life have almost always involved some kind of sorting or organization project.

What can I say? When The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room is still your favorite children's book at 35 because of all of the illustrations of a clean, organized room at the end, you know you are probably little more than a weirdo in Mommy's clothing.

Which I am. I'll totally own it.

{This perfect line of Care Bears gives me hope that I've passed some of that lovely weirdness on to my own children,}

P.S. Alexa whispered to me tonight, "You're the best kind of Mommy that someone can have," after I told her we could still do an I-Spy book in the morning despite her ridiculous tantrum tonight. Melts my very heart, that one.