Birthdays and Fun in the Sun

Happy birthday Grandma! We went to lunch with Patrick and Virginia for her birthday today. Afterwards, we decided to beat the heat by playing in the fountains at The Gateway. The boys had a blast! Charlie, of course, followed Elliot everywhere he went. They especially enjoyed being blasted in the bum. Go figure.

First tooth

Lucy cut her first tooth. We're not sure how long it's been there since it's all the way through. But hey, she's the third child. We're just glad we noticed it.

Chubby Thighs

Last night I woke up to Lucy screaming around 1 am. I went in to find one of her chubby thighs was stuck in the slats of the crib. I tried in the dark to softly pull it out. But had no luck. Justin tried as well, but she was seriously stuck. We finally got her leg out by greasing it up with good ol' Target butter. It worked like a charm. This afternoon as I was trying to take a picture of her chubby legs for the blog she decided to pull herself up to her knees in the crib. She also started mini army woman crawling this week. She's growing up so fast!

Thanks to Uncle Clark . . .

Winter is just around the corner. Or at least that's what I've been thinking all day, thanks to Justin's uncle, Clark. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year. It is usually filled with sunshine, swimming and golf (Grandpa Joe plays from dawn to dusk). However, according to Clark it is the most depressing day of the year. Why? Because we're making the turn to shorter and colder days until December 21/22 (the happiest day of the year). So this picture is for you Clark!

8 Months

Lucy is 8 months old today. She is sitting alone. She hasn't figured out how to get out of the sitting position yet. Lucky for her, or maybe not, Charlie frequently knocks her over. She talks baby gibberish most of the day. Elliot thinks she's a chatter box. Lucy is into anything and everything. If she sees something she wants, she rolls around to get it. She is starting to inch herself forward. Which is scary because that means crawling is just around the corner. She loves to swim. She splashes and gets splashed by her brothers. Happy 8 months Lucy!

Riding Bikes

Charlie wanted to take his training wheels off this weekend. So that's just what we did. On Friday, Justin had him riding alone in about a half an hour. They then decided to ride to the store to get a drink. Charlie made it alone to the park (which is about 5 blocks away). On Saturday, after a lot more practice they again rewarded themselves by riding to the store. This time Charlie made almost 1 mile. He's still working on getting himself started. But with each try he's getting better and better. By the end of the week we may never see him again.

Some reasons to love my Dad aka Joe

1. If it is sunny he's probably golfing, or at least thinking about it.
2. He can make your heart stop with a single look.
3. He thinks said "look" is still appropriate to give, even though I'm 31.
4. He's fun to be around.
5. If you're at a Costco or Sam's, look around. He's probably there.
6. He's an awesome barbequer.
7. He helped teach me the only team to cheer for should be wearing red and answer to the name "Utes".
8. His fingernails always look nice.
9. He's smart, kind and funny.
10. He has an awesome ankle sock tan.
11. His truck always looks nice on the outside, but not so much on the inside.
12. He taught me the importance of tithing vs a tv.
13. He was an xcel member of the month.
14. He still goes camping with his friends from high school.
15. He and my mom taught me what a partnership looks like.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day! Justin enjoyed a homemade breakfast made by Elliot. He set the table, poured the juice and poured the Trix. What more could you ask for. After breakfast the kids went on a secret mission in which they got ready for church without Justin knowing. It was very successful. The best part of Father's Day is when the kids get to sing to their dads at church. Elliot had a smile from ear to ear as he sang the song. When it was over he came and gave Justin a big hug! And to top things off everyone behaved during sacrament meeting. Miracles still happen! Happy Father's Day, Justin. We love you.

Rewards ala Grandma

Justin and Daniel left for New Mexico on Monday for a quarterbacks camp. Charlie was pretty mad he was not invited on the trip. I had to send Justin into the airport so I could attempt to buckle Charlie. Five minutes and five bruises later I got him to stay. Charlie then proceeded to cry/scream. Elliot began to cry, "Dad," with his hand on the window over and over again. And not wanting to be left out Lucy cried as well. All three of them wailed until we pulled into Wendy's. It was so fun! So for being so brave, Grandma took them to Target last night and let them pick out a toy. Charlie got Mac from Cars and Elliot got the Flash Flood Super Soaker. Thank goodness for Grandma! The boys are super excited about their new toys!

The 'pencers heart Uncle Deff

We love you and miss you guys!

The graduate

Elliot had his end of year program for preschool at the end of May. He was a star! He said his lines, or at least the gist. During the majority of the songs he was moved by the rythmn and bounced as he sang. The highlight for me was the kite and wind song in which he was the farmer. We are so proud of you Elliot and can't believe you'll be a kindergartner in the fall.

Same as it ever was

I took the kids to 'the club' yesterday for our first day of summer swimming. They had so much fun. Elliot spent most of his time in the big pool diving and floating on noodles. Charlie did about 100
bellyflops into both pools. He wore his goggles for most of the day. And for most of the day they were half full of water. I doubt he could see much. Lucy loved the water. She splashed and enjoyed being passed around from aunt to aunt. We're looking forward to many more days of having fun in the sun.