Kevin sent me this JibJab card that I found absolutely hilarious and definitely worth sharing! (There is one not so great word.) We hope you're all enjoying the presidential election! Get properly informed, get involved and keep believing in this great country. We believe!
The food we eat around here is really getting pathetic! Cereal or frozen waffles for breakfast EVERYDAY - hard boiled eggs or cold turkey slices with cottage cheese for lunch and for dinner - well let's just say I'M SICK OF NACHOS!!! On top of that we're consuming so much sugar free KoolAid that I'm seriously contemplating buying stock in Splenda.
For all my pals out there who love to spend time in the kitchen - HELP!!! I'm beyond desperate for some great summmer food ideas. (I'll even consider recipes that have slightly more than 5 ingredients.) Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner - Snacks - I'll take anything you've got!
I'd love to have your suggestions in the comments section so everyone can share. If you don't have a gmail account it's easy and FREE to get one. Just go to http://www.google.com/ and then click on mail to create an account.
Our little buddy turned three on the 29th of June but it seems like we've been celebrating for months. We started early with the Parke side of the family at a swim party/Father's Day BBQ. Then on the 28th we celebrated at a Jarrett family reunion and also sang Happy Birthday to Grandpa Jarrett who turned 87 this year. On the actual day of Max's birthday we went to church and ate cake and ice cream with Grandma and Grandpa Geilmann. (Max was super tired and cranky and he cried the whole day.)
Kevin, the kids and I decided to give Max a present he can use for a long time and we built him a VERY LARGE sandbox. He's already had some great times digging, scooping, loading and, with the help of his big brother, making water volcanoes and rivers. (Pictures to follow. We left the camera out in Herriman at my Grandparent's house.)
Maxwell is a natural born comedian and constantly makes us laugh. My favorite moments with this wild three year old include early morning smiles and "good morning mommy" followed by strong, tackle hugs - the never forgotten "thank you" that comes from his gleefully happy lips with every sippy cup of chocolate milk - reading the "Dinotrain" again - trips to Target where amazingly everything is new everytime -swishing our hands in the washing machine as it fills with water and our everyday discussions about why it's not too hard to fold our arms when we pray. Happy birthday buddy! Enjoy being three!
The kids and I have a really great evening/bedtime rhythm and routine when Kevin isn't home. (Tonight he's up at Brighton Camp with all our fabulous Beehives and their leaders.) After dinner, the kids ride their bikes around the block a few times so they'll get nice and worn out while I clean up the dinner dishes. When they're finally parched and exhausted, we begin the "get-ready-for-bed" portion of our day. Why this has to take HOURS to accomplish is beyond me, but it does. I start the bath water for Max and put Mia in her jumper thing in the doorway of the boys bedroom. I call Jackson and Kacie upstairs and have them start their "personal reading time" in their respective bedrooms. I get Maxwell's pj's and unders and ask him to sing the ABC Song. He always obliges and then yells for me to sing with him. Jackson's new book interest is a series called "The Bailey School Kids" and he LOVES to sit on his bunkbed and read. Kacie always complains that she doesn't know how to read and why is she so picked on anyway. I always reply that she can in fact, say the names and sounds of all the letters and she'll never learn how to read if she doesn't try. We continue on in this fashion until finally, everyone is clean, has their teeth brushed and has read for at least 20 minutes. Well, tonight I was putting away some laundry while all of this was going on, and I heard Kacie reading "Hop On Pop." At first I didn't think much of it and chalked it up to a great memory. BUT THEN......I heard her sounding out some of the words. SURE ENOUGH my little preschool girl was READING!!!! I quickly showered her with praise and kisses and walked out into the hall to see Mia's perfect grin and hear her say "MAMA." First books and first words......life just doesn't get any sweeter!!
Father's Day is an opportunity to reflect on how truly blessed I am for the life, crazy as it is, that I have. I have four amazing children, each unique in his or her own way, who light up my life with smiles and hugs and kisses. A beautiful, intelligent wife who has always made me want to be much more than I am. I have a kind, caring father who sacrificed much while I was growing up so that I could have a great childhood filled with many wonderful memories.
Father's Day also makes me keenly aware of many who are suffering on this day of celebration. My heart goes out to those who have lost a father. Those who are separated or estranged from their children or parents. Those who should be celebrating a very first Father's Day but instead are mourning the loss of a child.
Thoughts of those who are suffering make me want to hug my own kids a little tighter, kiss my wife a little longer, tell my dad how grateful I am for the sacrifices he made and the example that he has always been and thank my Heavenly Father for all of the wonderful blessings that he has given me.
Kevin
Liitle Miss Mia Evelyn, (or Mia Pia as Maxwell calls her), is already seven months old. Time is flying by for us. She can roll over, sit up, chatter up a storm, smile in a way that makes her Daddy and her Papa pick her up no matter what they're already doing and she LOVES listening to music and riding in the car. She still doesn't have any hair, but hey, I think it just makes her beautiful blue eyes stand out even more!
