Family Pics

Tiff is super talented, and she's completely self taught! Check out her photog blog. Thanks for making us looks so great Tiff!

http://reflectionsbytiffany.blogspot.com/2011/07/dave-megan.html

Grandpa, you will be missed.

When I remember Grandpa I will remember his smile and his laugh. He loved to laugh. He loved his family. He loved to farm. I loved to watch him farm. I love you Grandpa. We'll miss you so much!

The Damn Cake.

Okay. Today is a very special day to me. I can't figure out how to write this post without sounding like a bad greeting card. I got married to Dave 6 years ago today. Best darn decision of my life. When I think back on where I could have ended up...*thinking*....*shutter*....I want to jump in there air and do a toe touch. Cause Dave is awesome and he's my best friend. We love each other. And we crack each other up. And when I'm with Dave I'm home. It doesn't matter where that is, he's my home. Okay. I'm getting into the greeting card category.

So I was looking through pictures from our wedding day looking for one to post cause I love looking at how hot and skinny was. :) I mean I love looking at other peoples wedding photos so I thought you might like to look at mine. But I found all these more interesting pictures from the blessed event.

NOTE: I have NOT requested permission to post these pictures from the people who are in them. If that's you, lo siento.

I'm sure I'm saying "flowers"....

Okay, face shot of Mike.

Hmm...father and law and brother-in-law...cuddling?

Another face shot of Mike.

Dave getting ransacked with the "ball and chain." Not me. An actual ball and chain.

See.

Our posse. So cool to see that were still friends with these folks.

Cweepee.

Yet another face shot of Mike.


Baby Chase.

"Oh no you di-ent!"

"You best step off!"

Really Mike?

NOTE: Mike obviously had control of our camera during wedding day as we have like 7 other pictures just like this. Thanks for the wedding present Mike!

My favorite wedding day pic of me and Dave, cause its so real. We have that deliriously happy look in our eyes. Thanks for picking me babe!

Are you wondering about the title of this post? Well here it is:
Any guesses on the family drama that unfolded over this "damn cake"? (as it will always be remembered)

Really, I'd LOVE to hear your guesses...

Funny guy Sol

Sol likes to be funny. But lately he's started saying a lot of things that we find amusing, without trying to be funny....

Riding in the car...Ruby babbling to herself...Sol says "No Ruby! No Gaa Gaa's!"

Today we went to the "carvable" (carnival), and Sol was so excited to ride the "Pen-is Wheel" (Ferris Wheel). Pronounced "Pehn-es". Nice.

In Ruby news, today I asked her if she wanted a bottle (she was sucking on a jar) and her head snapped around and looked at me with big bright eyes and she made a high pitched squeal. She was like YES!!!

A thought for myself...

Wow. its 8:36pm. Both kids are asleep. The house is clean(well, clean enough) and I have nothing to do. And I'm not exhausted. This hasn't happened in sooooo long. Months. It's not that I'm super busy, I'm just at my capacity with what I can manage. I can barely keep up with all that falls under my realm of responsibility right now. That is kids (healthy, fed, dressed, clean, kind), house (relatively clean, organized, yard well kept), church (this doesn't require much), and relationships (being a good wife, friend, sister, daughter, etc.) This doesn't seem like much. Nevertheless, I'm at my max. Most days by this time kids are in bed but the house is a wreck. I spend an hour cleaning up. And then I have about an hour before I need to go to bed. I usually watch TV cause I'm tired and I need an mental escape. And then off to bed. And then it starts all over again....

I'm totally rambling. I don't really have a point to this post. I just wanted to remember tonight. Somehow it all came together the way it should. As a parent, there is nothing better than sleeping children. You can't have any mother guilt while your children are sleeping. You're not neglecting them in any form, you're currently meeting all their needs, and you didn't pawn them off on some poor friend or relative. You are free to have a thought for yourself. Ahhhh. I think my brain just sighed.

silence.

Okay I'm trying to think of what the thought for myself is...my brain automatically goes to kids, family, house, church, car, kids, cheetos, car, STOP! Okay, if I'm going to have a thought for myself what would it be....

I need more thoughts for myself.

You know how when something kind of bad or stressful happens it triggers other bad or stressful things in the universe. "When it rains it pours," that kind of thing. I think we're amidst the rain showers. Not with Dave and Me, luckily we've got one of the few umbrella's to be had, so to speak. But people all around us are facing significant, life changing events. Most have varying degrees of hardship attached to them. I find myself wondering why we're so blessed. I know its so that we can help others bare their burdens. I feel so humbled that Heavenly Father would trust us with that job. We take it willingly. Gosh, I hope this doesn't sound conceited. As I witness all the hurt and despair that so many experience I feel so very grateful for my Savior, that he can help us bare these seemingly unbearable burdens. He heals us. I know with every thing that I am that He will carry our burdens when they seem too heavy to carry, He will heal our hearts more completely and more quickly that we can comprehend. I know this because I have experienced it for myself. Its incredible, a miracle. All we have to do is ask, and be willing to let Him help us. He loves us, He knows us, He knows what we're going through. And He knows what's on the other side. And its good.

I'm grateful for that this Sunday evening. I'm grateful for the blessing of peace and quiet and a clean house so that I could reflect on this incredible gift. Thanks for sharing with me.

A few videos for the Grandparents...

Sol Pulling Ruby



Sol's Floating Catastrophe

Super Sauce turns 3!

Sol turned 3! Wahoo! When you ask him how old he is he says "I'm doing good!" So you have to ask him what number he is... "Free". I love it.

He's so much fun now too! He talks A Lot! He told his nursery leader that for his birthday he was getting a Helicopter cake. Hmmm...this was news to me. I thought he might forget - no such luck. So Dave and I had to figure out to make a Helicopter cake that "went round and round and round." In the end this is what we came up with...



We used an airplane cake pan and then chopped the wings off. Then bought a toy helicopter and used it's propeller. I made the white fondant from a recipe I found here. It went surprisingly well. I really had very low expectations for this cake, especially because we were using fondant, but it was surprisingly easy. Maybe it's because I've spent so many hours watching Ace of Cakes... Anyhow, back to the birthday...

We had a birthday party with just dave's family as they were all in town. Sol was thrilled with the cake, the presents (lots of trains and helicopters!), and the people. It was a lot of fun.

I made Sol a superhero cape from this tutorial. It was really easy. Dave's brother even designed a superhero logo for Sol. He's Super Sauce!!! His comment after putting it on and running around the house was, "Wook, I to da wescue!" Pretty awesome.

I'm loving this stage. He's really hard at times, but so often he's so much fun. He's so funny, he cracks us all up all the time. He loves to laugh and play. He's truly our Sol (sunshine).





Ruby looked so pretty, I thought she belonged on top of the cake. My sister in law took several awesome pictures of her. Here's a few:





I'm so lucky. I have such awesome kids. They give me so much love and joy. We have hard days, hard weeks sometimes. They've completely changed my life and I would never go back.

I don't know anyone more genuinely sweet, happy, funny, loving, or caring as my sweet Solomon. He loves everyone. And everyone loves him. :) Happy 3 buddy!