Happy Birthday America!

I love the 4th of July. It's my favorite holiday. I have a thing for red, white and blue decorations. I love patriotic music and I love to sit and watch fireworks. I don't know if this ever actually happened, but I have this vision of me as a kid watching fireworks in Boulder City and the fireworks exploding over my head and thinking that it was going to land on me! Aw…such sweet memories:) I was reminded of that memory and wonder tonight when Dominic exclaimed, "The fireworks are landing in my mouth and I can taste them!" He was pretty jazzed about the whole thing…and that makes me happy!

Tonight we celebrated at Brad's sister's house. We had perfect seats for the Henderson festivities! The kids had a great time waving their little American flags and playing with their sparklers. As with every get together we had waaay too much food, all good.

I am so grateful for this wonderful country we live in. I am grateful that I get to see and appreciate my kids' little faces in their happy moments.

I am going to throw some pics up here and attempt to update…

Jaders got her ears pierced back in May. She has been asking for quite some time. Brad returned from a week in Laughlin and decided to take her. She was brave and only cried for a minute. Then she went around telling everyone it was "just a little pinch!" We love this girl and her determined little personality. In fact, I wish I had a video camera so I could capture her latest "moves." She's been dancing around singing this song she made up that says, "I'm a rock and roll girrrrl!" TOO. DANG. CUTE!

It's dang hot here. Hotter and hotter every year it seems, even though I've lived here for almost 27 years… We have to find ways to beat the heat and not just stay home and rack up a $400 power bill. So water parks are usually our good cheap fun. This particular park is nice because my kids are the only ones there, like ever. (Everyone else probably has their own swimming pool!) Most of the time it's pretty hard to juggle three kids and my camera, but I am getting better at it.
We also did a session of swimming lessons. These two are attached at the hip. Swimming lessons were so much better with Lukey by Dominic's side! Although I'm ready for a little bit of a challenge. Ring around the rosies is great and all, but I think Dominic would benefit from actually learning how to swim…we will work on that:)
And recently, Brad's parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary! We all chipped in got them tickets to the Lion King and a room at Mandalay Bay. Then the next evening, all the kids and their spouses went to dinner at the Wynn buffet. Brad's brothers and their families drove up from Bakersfield to kind of "surprise" Wendy and Glade, but no secret is safe when Wendy is concerned! It was a fun weekend with family… and what a great accomplishment to have seven children married in the temple and 22 grandkids sealed together!

Birthday Boy

So I'm a little late, but on Monday Dominic turned 4. Seriously, threw me for a little loop. We sang to him on Sunday in primary, and I ain't gonna lie, choked me up a bit. I mean, not to sound sappy, but this guy made me a mother. He is smart, handsome, funny and we love him to pieces. He keeps me on my toes…my tip toes!

He has always been my little OC-D BIG. TIME. He remembers EVERYTHING. I can't get ANYTHING past him. And he is constantly confirming things. It's enough to drive me nuts on a daily basis! He is sweet and watches out for his little brother and sister and cousins. Just tonight he was playing and one of his toys fell out of his pocket and onto Hudson's head. He immediately burst into tears because he felt so bad for Hudders. Today he went to the doctor for his well check and ended up getting 4 shots. The nurse gave him two suckers for being so brave. He put the extra sucker in his pocket and told me he was saving it for Lukey. (Sidenote: He later was caught licking the sucker and told me he was just tasting it for Lukey and he would wrap it back up…I told him to go ahead and finish it off…)

We celebrated by having a Diego party for him. His wonderful mother took zero pictures at the party, so when Grandma Sheila gives me hers, I will post some. He received lots of Diego toys, Buzz toys, clothes, DVDs, etc. that he has been playing with nonstop since yesterday.

He is just slightly obsessed with all things Diego…He recently told me that he wasn't going to wear this shirt I bought him with a monkey on it because "monkeys get humans dirty." He wanted the Easter bunny to bring him stilts so he could climb through tall grass. He wishes his rescue pack turned into a hang-glider. He wishes that his stuffed baby jaguar could really talk and his Diego Halloween costume has to sometimes "disappear" for a few days to get washed. Heck he even has Jade convinced that she wants to be Alicia. Master manipulator.

We love this kid. I love his imagination, quirks and funny little D-isms. I can't remember what it was like to not have him in our life. It certainly wasn't as entertaining!

Dominic's real birth day!

Coming home from the hospital.

First smiles:)

Cute kid with the big head!

Easter bunny

Love you DD!

Egg-cellent times

The kids enjoyed an egg hunt today at the park. Dominic was especially impressed with his pail and shovel that I picked up for him at the dollar store. I love this age when simple things can make my kids so happy and excited.

I am also digging this gorgeous weather. I could do without the windy and weepy eyes, but other than that, I am not complaining!

Swimming lessons part 2

Dominic just completed another session of swimming lessons. He was in the preschool class this time. Thank you City of Henderson for coming to your sense and bringing the preschool class back. He had a boy teacher this time named David. He LOVED lessons. I think he liked having a boy teacher and wanted to do a good job for him. By the second lesson he was putting his head under water and getting more brave about the water in general.

He wanted some goggles to wear to lessons. One night, Sara and I were at Kohl's. So I picked up a pair of goggles for him. They were kids sized and Speedo brand - pretty nice eyewear. I got them home and poor D looked like he was Asian. They were too small. I had to take them back and exchange them for ADULT goggles. The adult one fit perfectly. That kid has one large cranium.

This is why some of my pictures aren't the best. Try taking pics with this one trying hop in the water every two seconds!

Simple things

Sometimes I get little glimpses into my kids' minds and most of the time they totally crack me up.

Today Dominic is changing his clothes for the tenth time while I am taking some pictures of Hudders trying to crawl. D is OBSESSED with wearing swim suits because, hello, it's warm outside and somehow by putting in a swimsuit (and lifejacket and goggles) he thinks it's summer…anyways, he says, "don't take a picture of me, I have my bra on." I am like, "what?" He says, "you know, you can see my bum, crotch and boobs, that's a bra. " I have no idea where that came from.

On a more holy note, yesterday at church, my friend and second counselor got Dominic a Book of Mormon with his name engraved on it. To say that he loves it and treats it like it's gold is the understatement of the year. So last night he tells Brad that he wants to read it when we are getting ready to read the scriptures. Only he really thinks in is smart little head that he is going to open this book and just be able to read. And then the meltdown happens. Because, he can't read. He bawls all through reading the scriptures because he feels bad because he can't read his scriptures. It about broke my heart and made me want to order that "So your baby can read" informercial thing…very sad.

Fast forward tonight. He decides he is going to read along with Brad tonight in his scriptures. So tonight he sits on his bed and proceeds to "read." In his "reading" he recaps his sunbeam lesson from yesterday about being kind to animals, says that President Monson is the prophet. Just basically "reads' everything his little mind can think of about church. Then closes his scriptures and declares that he can now read and it really isn't all that hard, and he finished before Daddy.

But wait…there's more.

Onto Jade aka Cheech. So I let me kids pick out something from the dollar store today because they "cleaned" their room. (Jade really didn't help all that much according to Dominic, but she did pick up three dolls after being threatened to miss out on the dollar store shopping fun, so I called it good.) So we arrive at the Dollar Tree and dodge wide eyes and multiple, "Wow you got your hands full" comments (really people if I had a nickel for every time someone used that line on me, I could own the Dollar Tree - all billion of them.)

Jade has her eyes set on a "barbie." She carries the thing all around the store. Talks to it, trys to take it out of the package, etc. Until, she sees a huge package of "slickerish" as DD calls it. She drops the barbie like a bad date and picks the Red Vines. And if at any time I questioned my lack of DNA in Jade, that act of thinking with her stomach affirmed that she's my girl! What two year old picks Red Vines over a barbie? My Jade, and that's why I love her:)

Jade enjoying her "slickerish"

Even somewhat "skilled" photographers can have a hard time capturing a two year old trying to share her "slickerish"

P.S. In case you were wondering, Brad passed his test…they waited a month to post it, but he passed. 2 down, 2 to go. It was back to the books tonight.

And look at this little guy. He is following in his brother's footsteps or headsize…I think that's a 12 months hat that won't fit on his big 'ol dome. However, we were outside, and my kids are pastey.

And I think he might crawl someday on this dirty floor…ignore the ugly carpet and the popcorn specs…I would say the kids just crushed it into the carpet today…but I would be lying.

What's up?

With me…nothing much. Just the same 'ol. same 'ol. Housework, feeding kids, playing with kids, screaming at kids, reading with kids, paying bills, church stuff, making dinner, REPEAT…like a thousand times over. Love the little buggers:) We have been spending LOTS of time together because Brad has been buried in GLEIM CPA CPA review books (very expensive GLEIM CPA review books, might I add) I am contemplating using the pages and wall papering the computer room when he passes…or just building a huge bonfire and burning the dang things…decisions, decisions…but he took another test today, and for one short little weekend, he is going to be all ours…shared with work, church, etc., but we will take it!

ANYWAYS, I have been doing a lot of this lately into the wee hours of the morning… and in case you are too lazy to click on that hyperlink…

There you go. I am tweeking away, wanting these two to be deliriously happy with their photos. (Sidenote: not very difficult to shoot GORGEOUS people, just saying.)

Ran into a lady in my ward tonight who I love and respect very much. I was borderline complaining about my small-one-bathroom-no-dishwasher-abode-kind-of-feeling-sorry-for-myself-because-my-house-is-old. She was nice enough to tell me that she wished her grown kids would have had to share more space when they were growing up and be around each other more in a smaller house. She reminded me that being poor and having small children and going crazy was normal and a huge blessing. Thanks, it's good to be reminded of that once in a while.

What was I complaining about again? :)