Adventurous

Adventurous: the word to discover Ruthie.

Yesterday, I dropped the kids off at the gym's babysitting. When I returned, one of the babysitters said, "Ruth is sure adventurous". I had never thought of that before, but as I observed her today, I think that "adventurous" is the perfect description. This child seems to have no fear of anything: at the pool, she spends the entire time trying to put her face in the water; at the beach, she screams when the waves leave and laughs when they splash around her; she is on the constant prowl for the dog so that she can sit on him; she will be picked up by any stranger (in our ward) and hug them; and yesterday, I found her outside the gate in the front yard. To top it all off, no matter how many times she gets wacked by James, she still spends much of her time in pursuit of his beloved "monkey".

This is a new thing for me. Though the boys have oodles of energy, they have always been very cautious... James especially.

Look out world, here comes Ruth!

Siblings

I think that one of the best gifts you can give to a child is a sibling...

Lately, James and David have been inseparable. It has been so fun to listen to them as they play in their imaginary world. Sometimes they try to challenge my authority, and it is much tougher when it's two against one.

Usually when I say or do something they don't agree with, David says, "Mom, that's a NO NO....right James?" (turning to James for backup)

Then James chimes in, "yes, that's a no no, MOM!"

Nothing like getting chewed out by your children. Sometimes I find it funny, and other times someone ends up on timeout! :)

Truthfully, I don't mind being the bad guy sometimes as long as they are loving to each other, because deep down, I know that they love me too.

Happy Birthday David!

David is officially 6 years old! We celebrated by a trip to the lego store, hamburgers and lemonade (by request), and chocolate birthday cake! David is such a special boy. He is so helpful around the house and a friend to everyone... I mean, EVERYONE. I think that the first of any family is a brave spirit, so I am grateful that we have David to train us how to be parents. He is a true delight! We feel so blessed to have him in our family.

The two boys in the middle of David and James are some friends we had over for cake. I asked David who he wanted to have over for cake and he chose Joseph and Daniel. When they arrived, nonstop silliness commenced and it was LOUD! I am glad they had fun.

In case you didn't notice, David's birthday wish was legos. He built these all by himself (minus the few gliches that I had to help fix).

Happy Birthday Ruth!

We celebrated Ruth's 1st birthday on July 29th. I can't believe that she is already one year old. We are so delighted to have this little angel in our family. She is such a people person and will smile at or hug almost anyone. She especially loves Daddy, and he, of course, can't bear to hear her cry, so she's extra dramatic when he's around. Though she is quite feminine, she manages to hold her own with the boys.

Our day was quite average until about 6:00 when the party started. We had the usual crowd of grandparents and cousins show up. Ruthie was given plenty of kisses and had more than enough help with opening her presents. By 7:00 she was exhausted and relieved to see her bed.

Nothing beats a pink cupcake!

Hard to believe that she was once this tiny:

Grandma Larsen gave her this cute car. She loves it! If James dares to sit on it, she gets really angry. So far, she really loves her new baby dolls too! It is so nice to have a few traces of femininity around the house!

Happy Birthday Joseph

32 Candles!!

Gone in one blow!

We had an enjoyable party... with Joseph's sister, parents, and lots of cousins!

Eight Years Ago...

Lately

After a solid week of no naps, this boys is finally asleep. What's important to James? Monkey, blankie, and Lightning McQueen.

First family bike-ride of the summer!

Ruthie cried the whole time! Maybe she was afraid of being in such tight quarters with the 2 year old (I would be nervous too!)

David's request: bumble bee rocks (to remind us of Gordon B Hinckley's 6 Bs)

I am feeling a bit sad today as I've contemplated the future effects of the gay-lesbian history teaching law that passed in California yesterday. Looks like I've got one more thing to navigate my kids around in this morally confused world. I am so amazed at how scarce virtue has become... it's almost scary! Anyone want to move to Iceland?!