Fourth of July

Ready for the Parade


Going down the slide with Naomi Wyeth


Brailyn sharing snow cone with Naomi Wyeth



We had a fun filled day on Friday. We had the Ward/Neighborhood parade and breakfast at 7 am, then we left straight for the movies (Mr. Magorium's Wonder Imporium). After lunch and a long nap for all of us, we headed to Clint's mom's house for hot dogs, hamburgers, swimming, and a b-day celebration for Clint (it's today). Today Clint is in Houston for his first day at his new job!! We miss him, but we're excited for him too. Can't wait to see him on Friday.

Meeting Grandpa Lindsay

After not talking about him or seeing him for over 23 years, Momma finally was reunited with her biological Daddy, Lindsay Wood. It was quite a miracle in my life, and we were so excited to go and see him and the rest of the Wood family at their family reunion in Utah. You just fell in love with Uncle Joe and Allyson, and loved playing with cousin Deija. And you had fun with Grandpa Lindsay too, of course! It just takes you a little while longer to warm up to grown ups.
We had so much fun. Lagoon, Alpine Slides, Timpanogos Cave, Temple Square.


Riding the Train at Lagoon

Having fun in the fountains

MMMMMM, sugar

Brailyn and Deija seriously rode the boat ride 10 times

At the Christus, Temple Square

Going up the Alpine Slide

I wish I recorded Brailyn's squeals down the slide. She LOVED it!

Daddy's Girl

Happy Father's Day! We're missing Daddy a lot right now. He's been out of town since Wednesday, and we're anxious to have him home tomorrow. But he had a job interview in Houston (which returned an offer we'll hear more about in the next few days, so our lives may be changing here pretty quickly. Stay tuned). Brailyn made Daddy some cute things in nursery and is so excited to go and pick up daddy at the airport and see the airplanes. Anyone who has seen Brailyn with her Daddy knows that she has him wrapped up on her tiny little finger, and he loves it. He is a great dad who can build the best forts, do the best Minnie voice while playing "whadoo", sings the best lullabies at night time (ie: she'll be coming around the mountain is a favorite) and just loves to have fun with his little girl. And of course he's a sucker for a cute face and gives in whenever she wants to watch "Bob" (the sponge) or eat some ice cream or pretty much anything he's eating, even though we just had snack time and Momma would prefer it otherwise:) We love Daddy!

Swimming Lessons

This week we have officially started swimming lessons with our friend Jaxon (of Dave and Ashley Rogers), and we are LOVING it! The first couple of days were hard- both kiddos were crying and wanting Mommy or Daddy. Plus, this atypical weather we're having is not heating the water like we want. So there are a lot of shivers and wrapping up in towels. But yesterday something just clicked, and both Brailyn and Jaxon had so much fun and were happy and swimming so well. They definitely feed off of each other's emotions. Plus it's getting a teensy bit warmer in the water. Hopefully next week it will back to normal bath water temps. Aren't we Arizonans wimps?? Ashley took pics today, so those will come later.

After lessons the kids like to play with the dogs, throwing the ball in the pool and watching Pearl jump in. Today, Brailyn and Momma had a yummy popsicle (all fruit of course). It might have actually been her first one, so we of course took pictures and just had fun getting frozen strawberry goo all over. YUM!!


MMMM, Popsicle


Happy Girls


Sharing with Momma


Almost done!


Strawberry Smile


Brailyn LOVES Bear

Rainy Days at the Museum

Using Chopsticks


Making Sushi


Finished Product


Coloring




Making a Still Life


Desert Landscaping


Today we got to be just like Olivia (the pig) and go to the museum on this rainy day. We went to the Museum for Youth in downtown Mesa, and we had so much fun. We colored and made desert landscapes in the Sonoran exhibit room, we ate sushi and made still lifes, and of course we practiced making things and setting the table in the Table Manners exhibit. Brailyn had the most fun coloring, of course, and she didn't want to leave the sushi table for some reason. Where is she getting this love for all things Asian?? I don't really like Asian food, except for some mild sushi every once in awhile. Maybe it was because the table was low to the ground and just her size. But she was trying very hard to figure out the chopsticks. We also saw her old Nursery teachers from the ward in Queen Creek and their little girl, Broolyn. Lots of kids and lots to do, but she was such a good girl the whole time, just enjoying new things. We ate lunch in the snack area and then headed home for our nap. We'll have to go back when the new exhibits arrive!

New Head Gear

Today Brailyn and I went to Sport Chalet to get her a new bike helmet. She's riding her trike a lot now, and we thought it was time to get something to protect her precious and beautiful head. It's a great helmet, with adjustable fit so it will grow with her for a couple of years. She picked out the color (she liked the bunnies) and wanted to wear it all the time today. Even in the pool. So cute, and don't you just love that cheesy grin??

We also went by Sprouts on the way home for groceries. I brought a PB&J knowing that it would be lunch time when we were there, and we usually have lunch there in the deli. I was hungry too, so got some of the sushi. Well, Brailyn decided she preferred to have more sophisticated fare and ended up eating most of my sushi, so I just had her sandwhich instead. It just made me smile. Who knew??

It Worked, Mostly

Well, Brailyn is officially weened from the paci. It was a rough first night (for Momma- Daddy was staying over at his sisters) and the next nap time, but she doesn't need her paci anymore. We are so proud of our big girl. It's interesting though because now she wants to nap in her bed (before she napped in my bed sometimes while I slept too) and of course wants to rock a lot longer. But that's okay. And she is VERY clingy to Daddy when he is home. He has to rock her and put her to bed. Today though, after about an hour of trying to get her to wind down (fyi: the paci is like an anesthetic to her...just knocks her out asap) I finally just stuck her on her bed, gave her some books, and told her to have quiet time and not come out until I came and got her. After about 10 minutes of reading and jabbering, my sweet baby was fast asleep. Thank goodness, because she really needed a nap today. So hopefully the paci didn't mess her teeth up too much. YAY BRAILYN. SHE'S A BIG GIRL!!

PS: I just discovered today on our walk that she can whistle pretty well.