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Kristen, you've done it again!

Family Home Evening at the Temple

"As we touch the temple, the temple will touch us."

President Thomas S. Monson

he will be missed...

We got sad news that little Patrick passed away recently. Although he was only with us a bit over a year, he will be missed and we will never forget him! He is survived by his mother, Sweetheart. He had an accident while loading into the horse trailer, and it left him brain-damaged and with many cuts on his legs and face. Two vets determined that he would not be sound if he continued to live and it would be better for him to be put to sleep. He died by injection while Olivia's grandpa held him. Olivia is heartbroken, but she knows he is in a better place and is running free without any pain. That makes us all feel a bit better.

Patrick: born March 26, 2008 (here he is on the day of his birth)

Died June 10, 2009 (this is a recent picture from our trip to Utah just days after his accident)

daddy of the year...

I just wanted to give a little shout out to my sweet husband, who is the greatest daddy ever! I am so grateful that I chose HIM, and pretty happy that he puts up with ME. Here are the top ten reasons he is the BEST:

1. He plays with our kids. REALLY plays.

2. He takes ALL of them to "China Town" (tickles them relentlessly) EVERY SINGLE DAY.

3. He is SUPER positive.

4. He reads parenting books and is always trying to better himself as a dad.

5. He thinks that the most important thing that he can do for his kids is to love their mother.

6. He provides for them, so that they can have their mommy stay home to care for them.

7. He brings them silly prizes whenever he returns from a business trip.

8. He takes them on "daddy/kid dates" regularly.

9. He tells them every day how lucky he is to be their dad.

10. He reads the scriptures, prays with them, and cuddles with them every night.

**Photos courtesy of Kristen**

while the cats away..

So, it is the annual "Daddy/Daughter Camp-Out" for our ward this weekend, and Max was soooo sad that he was not invited along for this one! He always wants to be ANYWHERE that Dad is. Molly runs a close second. I, on the other hand, am constantly trying to win him over, to no avail! I stinkin' adore this kid. He just warms my heart with his sweet demeanor, his winning smile, his sensitive spirit. Not that I'm playing favorites, but geez this kid has got a hold on me! And, I know he loves me, he tells me so at least five times a day (he is so sweet!), but he just loves his daddy MORE (to say the least). Anywho, in my efforts to woo him and to make him happy he stayed with me this weekend, I pulled out the BIG GUNS! We went on a TRAIN RIDE! We rode the MAX train (how cool is that?) downtown, got dinner, and then rode it back! He was SO excited all day leading up to this big event. He just kept saying, "I wanna ride the train, the M-A-X spells Max train!". He was so enthusiastic, and the night did not disappoint! He was in heaven. Here are some pics of the outing:

Here's me, trying to prove I was there!

After we got back to the car he announced he wanted ice cream, and of course, his wish was my command. We stopped at Cold Stone on the way home. When we got home, we all got our jammies on. I quickly got a very tired Ian to bed, and asked Max if he'd like to sleep with me tonight ("oh yeah, baby," was his resounding answer). After we brushed our teeth, I read him 11 Dora the Explorer stories. He could not believe that I kept agreeing to "just one more." When he was ready to go to sleep, he rolled over and asked me to sing him some songs. "Which ones?" I asked.

Row your boat, Twinkle twinkle, Child of God (so I sang, and then he added) Hurries down the hill, Doe a dear, and Spoonful of Sugar.

I think Max enjoyed being an only child for the night.

I am soooooo much cooler than dad right now.

a quick recap

Cousins!

Olivia on Sweetheart

Baby Patrick: one year old

The kids at Erin's house

funny boys and funny faces

More to come, I promise...

trip

We had a great trip to Utah for Parker's graduation.   He is awesome and clearly a genius.  He graduated from Seminary, which is HUGE and we are so proud of him for that.  He also graduated from high school with a 3.987 GPA and was VP of the Honor Society, captain of the Golf team, and All State in tennis.  And, what's even more is that he is KIND, sweet and the best big brother EVER! What a gem.  I wish I could take any credit for him!  I will upload pictures of him soon.  I am still beat.  Sorry for no pictures.  My camera was broken. I have a few cute pics to download from Olivia's camera, but I am too lazy to do that right now, so if you want a recap of the end of our trip, you can go to Crystal's blog or Shirline's blog.  And, for some fun family photos, please visit the blog of my ever talented friend, Kristen.  She did a great job with a very un-cooperative group.  Hopefully later this week, I will become motivated to dig a little deeper and post more, but until then...