{creepy neighbor lady}

I am that creepy neighbor who takes pictures

from my upstairs bedroom belcony.

(FYI: my first born rascal & husband are down their too.

does that make me less creepy?)

----

Our neighborhhod is straight out of my youth. Kids riding bikes & parents on front lawns mingeling while the sun sets after a day of work or child wrangeling. I grew up in a neighborhood like this in New Hampshire. I really enjoy the hometown feel this little neighborhood offers us though we find ourselves as city dwellers these days. The skies here turn orange to pink to a deep purple at night & it is a beautiful combination with the sound of kids laughing & neighbors talking. Tre looks out the window after dinner waiting for the first camping chair & skooter to make their way to the culdesac. & When that happens he is running for his bike & husteling down the hill. Im feeling pretty blessed to call this place home. My family is happy here & that makes me happy too.

{playroom}

just some pictures of the sclater playing in their playroom wednesday morning.
jammies.
bedhead.
toys.







& after a day of this I went out for my first texas style GNO.


--------------
I stumbled accross some pictures from back in cold & snowy February, so sad that we wont be having school cancelations & cute fuzzy winter hats in these parts, but I am sure we will enjoy playing in the yard year round.

{freckle face}

Britton is my freckled face boy.

I just love freckles!

I like to smother these freckles with kisses.

{goodmorning}

My parents bought the boys a fun gift for their new backyard.

1,000 bug bites later the trampoline was ready to go! every itch is worth it!

As soon as the sun was up the kids were out jumping. even while the temperature climbed.

I had to bribe them with popsicles to get them in.

Now they have multicolored tungues & rosey cheeks.

Thank you Omah & Opah!

we plan on some evening jumps too!

****

Ill ge back to posting full images again someday.

summer is just too much fun.

{undercover}

who doesnt eat their meals in disguise?
----

The little boys scared another sitter away last night.

Me-o-my!

But I love them anyways!

{eight is great}

It is difficult to see clearly what you need in a husband when you are still in your teens (besides the fact that I never anticipated meeting my husbnad while a teen.) I had a list. I wanted a man who was determined, loving, generous, spiritual...Hott. But I truly did not begin to recognize what characteristics I needed in a husband until I had one.I thought I knew him when we knelt accross from one another, me crying, him dried eyed & serious. I did not understand that it was the things I did not yet know about him that would see us through 6 1/2 years of parenthood, illnesses, health, disagreements, dinners out with lots of kids, chaios, the months after the biggest challenge of our marriage, medical school, his constant travels, my succeses, his many succeses, our church responsibilities, our hobbies, many firsts, holidays, dates, trips by sea, air & car--oy the car rides, family get togethers-the good, the bad & the ugly, making big descions, making small descions, late nights worrying, odd jobs, service.
I did not know that how he would respond to these situations would be in exactly the way I would need to be okay, to heal, to thrive, to be happy.
Fast forward 8 years after we walked out of the temple holding hands, me in white still crying & you in a rediculous wool tux in July in our nations humid capitol with wool socks on I might add, I feel like we have grown up together. We arent done yet, but these past 2 months in particular I see us acting more like adults. & We are doing it together. (yay us!)
You taught me to drive, & just as you taught me to drive you have taught me that I married a man who is more mature than I, funnier than me, smarter than me, more spiritualy grounded than me, more patient, more giving, more sacraficing, a better speller than me, more driven than me, better at impersanations, more christ like than me, more well rounded, better pancake flipper, more focused on eternity than me, more wonderful than me. If I had not married someone better than myself I would not be challenged, encouraged & eager to be better. Rod, you are my perfect counterpart. You give me more than I could ever return. & to think this is still just the start. I feel humbled that I am your Mrs.

Happy 8th anniversary to us my darling.
As we say-I love you forever & 3 days.

I adore you. always will.

ps: I love that you kept the wool socks so that our boys wont get "cold feet" on their big day either. nice!

****

I just remembered this post & went back to read it.

what a tear jerker!

{Monday}

My heart is heavy today.
Presley's room is bright & quickly becoming saturated with pink, but it once was the room of a handsome little boy who just recently lost his life while swimming. I imagine his mother picking up his clothes & making his bed each day in that room. I feel deeply saddened for her, her husband & their other sons. I often find myself taking moments for granted or worrying about the unimportant details of life. I need to not do that. I am truly blessed that my babes are all here with me & well & safe. I have a heart full of friends who are dealing with loss of a child or fighting to keep their children alive. I love them & am deeply touched and encouraged by their strength & testimonies. We can & will be with our loved ones for eternity. I know this to be true.
find out more here

{date night with 2}

Now that T has his own room (have I mentioned how much I COMPLETLY regret that plan?!) He & Britt dont get much time just the two of them. Tre is always asking for Britt to sleepover with him & do things in his room...I am sure part of it is because 2 year old brothers can be pests, but I like to think its mostly because they are good little buddies who like to play together. I decided a few weeks back that I wanted to take my two big guys out to a movie & dinner. Last night we made it happen. We put the babes to bed, left Rod with a yummy treat & headed out the door to a movie theatre that is just up the street. The neat part is the theatre serves dinner & dessert & all theatre treats you can think of. T & Britt ordered pizzas, milkshakes, candy, lemondaes--can you say full belly? The big dudes had a blast, except for the part where I kept trying to cuddle them in public--they were not too keen on that.