family pics and sand dunes

this past weekend i talked a friend into helping me get some family pics. i've had a spot picked out for almost a year and it finally came together for me. i got quite a few really good ones of the children as well. we had a lot of fun and are planning a return trip to the pic site to look for toads and bugs; fun! fun!





we also went to the sand dunes last saturday and had a great time with my side of the family. it's wesley's little slice of heaven because he can dig where ever he wants and no one (mostly mom) is telling him to stop or NOT THERE! Fiona and Ian had a great time playing in the sand as well. Fiona is still learning to share with her cousin Malachi (and Milo and brothers and almost everyone else for that matter) but she really enjoyed all the yummy treats that were brought. She is quite the candy fanatic if we aren't watchful. Ian and I tried to hunt for lizards but the little critters were faster than lightning after having warmed up all morning in the sun. Lydia loved it because she was almost constantly held by someone and that is truly her idea of a good time. Mick turned out to be an amazing bug finder as well. He found an antlion, a mole cricket and lots of grubs. I was so excited about the antlion, I've never seen one alive before. so we brought it home and i'm hoping to keep it alive long enough for it to pupate; wish me luck.

joy

these are the beautiful flowers that my boys gave me for mother's day. i am so happy being a mother and feel so LOVED!
I have been so blessed by the wonderful examples of motherhood and womanhood that my mom and mother-in-law are for me. I am excited for the day when my own daughters are able to experience this great joy of motherhood for themselves and i hope that i am a good example for them to look back on. as daughters of God we have such great potential and he has given us the choicest responsibilities. motherhood is joy.

vaulting

we enrolled ian in a vaulting class and he is loving it. he just started a few weeks ago, but has really caught on fast. i am so impressed with his upper body strength, he can pull himself up unassisted onto this towering horse. i couldn't do that. that boy's got muscles!!

hello tooth fairy

wesley has lost his first tooth!! i just can't believe he's getting old enough to lose teeth, sometimes it feels like just last year when he was getting them in. he was pretty excited about it, he tells everyone he pulled it out. we sprinkled the coins from the tooth fairy with 'fairy dust', but he was just excited about the money and that he gets to pay tithing now.