the 4th part one

I LOVE LOVE LOVE everything about the fourth of July. It is the best day of the year next to Christmas Eve. I bought Lucy's fourth of July outfit when I was 3 months pregnant (she had four outfits for the fourth actually, I wanted a few outfit changes if needed) We almost made the biggest mistake of our lives by not going home to Rexburg this year, but my sister and Mom talked me out of it. Thank goodness we went, because the festivities did not disappoint. We started the day by the traditional fireman's breakfast in Archer. We made it through the door at 0859.. one minute to spare before they closed down the griddles. It was fabulous as always... we weren't really that hungry seeing as how Todd and I stopped at Dennys at 2:00 a.m on our way to Idaho, but it was still great. Then we hit up the parade where we never seem to watch any floats. We always ending up making out way down the parade route to see people we haven't seen forever and stopping to chat. This year we made it I think 100 yards in an hour... Todd knows everyone! We grabbed a sno shack with Rhett and this girl he is trying really hard to make his girlfriend and then went to Holmans for a barbecue. Sugar City might just be the cutest little patriotic town in the whole state. Thanks to Todds dad every street in the city is lined with flags. It's a perfect American postcard that little city. 

Lucy 2 months ( a little late )

1 Month

                                                                            2 Months

Dear Lucy-

           Can you believe how you filled out in one month. Look at your cheeks! I love it. The second month with you was even more fun than the first. At seven weeks you started to smile with purpose, you knew you were smiling and it melted our hearts. I possibly spent two hours a day with my phone in your face just waiting for those precious moments when you would flash me a perfect little cheeser. We noticed you have a dimple on your right cheek, and you have this cute little wrinkle by your nose when you smile. We love it. Your grunting got replaced this month with cute coo's. You had quite the month, we went to Idaho three times last month and spent most of the time at the cabin. I tried my very hardest to keep you covered while we played in the sun, but your little face got a tiny bit red. Speaking of red... we are not quite sure but we think you have red hair. We call you our little ginger spice (you'll have to google spice girls when you read this, they were my favorite band when I was in fifth grade and I memorized their whole CD, and Kim and I would spend hours making up dances to their songs.. she always got to be baby spice, and I was Ginger spice). Finally at the end of the month your baby acne went away. (Don't freak out when your child gets this. Apparently it's normal, and apparently there is nothing you can do about. Save yourself time researching what to do about it, I already spent quite a bit of time doing that... just wait.) You still end up in our bed around 5:00 or 6:00. You are still a great sleeper going about five or six hours a night. At eight weeks you grew out of the newborn diapers and made it to size one. Around then you started having your first blow outs. Oh so fun. You especially love to have those at super awesome times... like when we are shopping. You have done that three times now. I hope that isn't your way of telling me you hate shopping, because I can't wait for the day when we walk around the mall together and doll you up. And I look forward to when you are older, you dolling me up. We've got the whole nursing thing down pretty good, now if I could only figure out how to do it when there are people around without having to stick my head under the blanket with you... usually I just bring a bottle along to avoid this. You are going to die when you see how many pictures I have taken of you this month. I blow peoples instagrams up with photos of you all day long. A little over the top? Definitely, but I'm over it who doesn't love at least 500 pictures of you per day?! You continue to make your dad and I the happiest people in the world and we feel so lucky to have such a good natured, adorable, happy, content baby to call our own. We love you our little Lucy in the sky with diamonds. Please stay this good and cute.Love Mom.   

We three

I woke up today with Todds arm around Lucy and I. I grabbed my phone that is always lurking somewhere around my head and snapped a picture of a perfect moment. Lucy doesn't start out sleeping in our bed, but around 6:00 a.m she somehow manages to end up in my arms.Then I somehow manage to end up in Todds. I wish I had the right words to describe how much I love being a family. I love that we are three.

It was a bike riding, fish catching, baby playing, Todd studying, slack lining great kind of day. I miss Todd. He studied all day in Doris... The neighbors cabin. I HATE when he misses stuff, boards are in five days and I can't wait for them to be over. !!!

It's been a good few days.

Lately: by my iPhone

Lockin in Down

We've decided to make our blog private to protect these sweet little cheeks. Leave us your address if you would like to subject yourself to all things Lucy, Todd and Suzy... but mostly just all things Lucy.

One of those nights. Darn it.

Boards, Boats, Babes

We are holed up here at the cabin for a week while Todd studies for boards, and Lucy and I work on our tans. Okay... just me, I'm not a child abuser.The weather has been beautiful and during the week the lake is quiet. We have been loving every second of our stay up here and are feeling depressed that it has to end. But, we are excited because next time we come up here we are bringing six of our favorite couples with us. I'm counting the days until then.

Gone Fishin'

          This week we found ourselves a fun new hobby. Who knew that fishing was fun? I have caught three fish total in my life, until this week. Combined this week we have caught seven fishes! We have had the most success just hanging out on the dock. We put the poles in the little holders and wait. We then see the pole start to bob up and down, and that is the point where I start screaming and reeling it in while Todd maneuvers the fish into the net. One of us is holding the baby, which makes both jobs kind of tricky (unless we are wearing the baby bjorn-that helps). The first night we took our worms that we had dug up and went way back into a corner of the lake where fish were jumping all around us. It was so still and peaceful, we watched the sunset and fished until after dark.The next night we did the same with my parents. It wasn't until Friday we discovered that dock fishing was the best. My mom gutted the first few fish for us, and then I told Todd he probably couldn't call himself a real man if his mother-in-law had to gut his fish for him. So my mom instructed him what to do, and he took it from there. I'm just surprised at how much fun it is when you are actually catching fish. I have another container of worms in the fridge, and as soon as Todd gets through 20 more pages of studies we are hitting the docks again. Oh, the Holmans will be so proud. Wish us luck.

Oh ya know, this is just Lucy trying to claw off her chubby cheek again. Sorry hunny, you're my child, you are stuck with them, embrace it.

My distraction doll

My little distraction doll. Time used to go by so slow when Todd was at school. I would beg him to come home the second school was out because I was always bored to death. I'm never alone anymore. It's maybe my favorite part of being a Mom. 

all 8

We played 

Then crashed

 Everyone came home for the first time in two and half years. It was the best weekend. I have no idea how eight completely different personalities came from the same 2 people. For being two moderately subdued people, they sure created some crazy children. I spent the weekend laughing and wishing that we were able to be together more often. Guy on a buffalo was the running joke of the weekend, Luke told Dad he would give him 20 bucks if he could incorporate the guy on the buffalo into his church talk on Sunday, and he did it.  The first day we met up at Craigos and kicked off the weekend with lunch, the boys then went golfing and the girls went home and tried on dozens of outfits for family pictures. It was so funny to see how different we looked in the exact same clothes. Wait, maybe funny isn't the right word, seeing how at one point I was in tears that my sisters and my mom are a size zero, and I am size... I won't even write it because I may start crying again. It's okay, I will lose the baby weight eventually. 

 We made it up to the cabin at 9:00. We watched the playoffs while munching on junk food for a while and then the you-tube hysteria began. We put you tube up on the big screen and laughed until we were sick over guy on a buffalo, streaking by the quad, and bad lip syncing. I think there was a little Brian Regan in there and a few other ones too, I can't remember. The next day was a FULL day of fun. Luke and Zach tried to fish, the boys wake boarded in the ice cold water (Todd wake boarded fully clothed), we played volleyball, tennis, ping-pong, there may or may not have been a little breaking and entering by Zach and Todd, ate pounds of chocolate, four-wheeled, rode bikes.. You name it we did it. My favorite part was at night we played games. Any game where multiple tuttle and Top Gun references are made, and comments like "the pink panther ate Johnny Depp," "eating hot dogs by moonlight on madison high school" "this shoe is as big as a monkeys face" are acceptable equals a good game in my book. Then we watched Warrior. Saturday we went home and we all went and did sealings in the temple. Pretty cool to have my whole family in the temple together. However, I don't think the sealer thought it was very cool when we all got the giggles during a few sealings. Shoot my ILS strikes again. (inappropriate laughter syndrome). After everyone crashed for a while we all got ready for pictures. I was happy all of the clothes I picked out for everyone worked out and the pictures turned out really cute. I loved my brothers all trying to be serious, and I loved it when Dad was being funny by puffing out his chest and then he tripped on a log and fell backward. Being with my whole family might be my favorite thing in the whole world. I love my brothers and sisters so much and feel so lucky  and honored to be their sister. I sometimes wonder how it all worked out in heaven before we were born, did we pick each other as siblings, did our parents pick us? That's something I want to know someday. However it worked out, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have such a FUN, tight, drama free family. Families like us are rare, and I know I am so blessed to be a part of one.