4th of July Parade

My family was going to Yellowstone over the 4th of July but I did not want to miss the Kaysville 4th of July parade since it would be our last time living there.  Luckily I talked Mark into the parade and then driving to Yellowstone.  This was probably the hottest parade I have ever been to.  Starting at noon in July is not a good idea for a parade.  Brody thought it was pretty amazing though.  He sat in his little chair and pointed and waved at everyone that came by.  When candy was thrown he would point at it and squawk for us to get it for him.  He was kept trying to eat the taffy but it was pretty messy for such a little guy.  I felt bad that he was so hot and kept pouring water on his hair to cool him off a bit.  

Lukers was lucky enough to ride in the parade this year for Pop's equestrian center.  Sadly, Pops got in a road bike accident and broke his femur so he missed the parade.  Luke still had a blast riding in the truck and waving to everyone.  When he came by us he had a deer in the headlights look on his little face until he spotted us.  His favorite part though was the water fight they had at the end of the parade.  He couldn't stop talking about them dumping water on the horses.  He had such a great time and keeps asking us when he'll be in the next parade.  

First Tri

Luke competed in his first triathlon and loved it.  I hope we can find more for him to do!  Swim Kids, where the boys take swimming lessons, held the triathlon and it was pretty cute!  Luke loved every minute of it and soaked it all in!  

He started out with the swim of course.  I loved watching his tiny little body swim the length of that big pool.  He has worked so hard and I am so proud of what great swimmer he is!  Next, was the bike and it couldn't have been more kid friendly.  They had the little "bike washes" for the kids to ride their bikes through!  I think Luke's favorite part was definitely the run.  They had to do one lap and then slide down the slip-n-slide to finish the tri.  Luke, on the other hand, decided to do the run over and over and over.  I lost count of how many times he ran by.  I yelled at him at one point and told him he was done running and he yelled back, "I know but I can't stop!"  

I love this little kid and had a blast watching him compete.  Had a blast and I hope he can do it more!!!

Lewie's Ride

Uncle Mitch's horse Roxy had her little filly and she is a precious gift!  We hurried down to the pasture to meet her with everyone.  It was so nice to see Uncle Mitch and Aunt Rach happy and excited about their new filly.  They certainly deserved this bundle of joy and she is a good distraction from the worries of the hospital.  Very fittingly her official name is Lewie's Ride and Zoey for short!  Luke and Brody were so excited to see her.  Their daddy gets very nervous around horses so Brody stayed in his arms.  This didn't stop him from squealing and pointing at the horsies!  Luke loved being able to pet Zoey and laughed hysterically when Uncle Mitch would pick her up!  

While we were visiting her our sweet Lewie had a little setback but the doctors were able to get it under control.  He was bleeding in his stomach and they quickly got him the help he needed.  I think it is a tender mercy that Mitch and Rach were distracted for this setback and didn't have to go through it since every setback takes its toll on them emotionally.  I hope that Zoey can bring them some joy!  We are so happy to have Zoey and cannot wait to watch her grow!

Prayers for Lewie

This is our sweet cousin Lewie Hyde Waite.  He was born on Memorial Day and we were so excited but sadly he has some problems with his heart.  We have spent many hours praying for this little bug!  He is a fighter and has already endured open heart surgery.  The recovery hasn't been easy but he has overcome a lot of obstacles.  Every time he has a setback we fast and pray as a family and it's always a miracle what he overcomes.  I am so grateful for sweet Lewie in our lives.  He has taught us so much and I feel like we all have something that we can learn from him.  

I have loved listening to the sweet prayers that Luke offers for him.  It makes him sad that he can't see him but he still cares so much for him.  Luke's prayers are only focused on Lewie now!  I hate watching Mitchell and Rachel have to go through this trial.  It has definitely made me a better person and a better mother.  I have taken motherhood for granted until now.  The first time I went to see Lewie was the day before his surgery and it broke my heart to watch my brother who had only been a father for two days hold his son and sob because he didn't know what tomorrow would bring.  My testimony in fasting has been strengthened and I can testify of it's power.  I have seen many miracle with our sweet Lewie!

Mitchell sends out text updates about once or twice a day and I am always so eager and nervous to get them.  I cannot explain the relief I feel when we receive a positive update.  Whenever I go up to visit Lewie I always take a picture for Luke and he gets so excited to what picture I took that day.  Luke and Brody have loved going to the hospital because it meant they got to play with Uncle Mitch in the Forever Young room!  Mitchell is an amazing uncle and the kids adore him.  He is always playing with them and making them laugh.  It breaks my heart to see him so happy with my boys while I know he is aching for his sweet son.  We love our little Lewie so much and hope he can pull through!  He has amazing parents and family that are all pulling for him!      

Happy Father's Day

This year for Father's Day the boys and I did a craft project at Three Little Monkeys where we go for story time.  Luke did an awesome job with his stepping stone and hardly needed any help while Brody was a different story.  It was a little stressful with Mr. Busy Body.  We tried multiple times to get his handprint in the cement and he would just grab a fist full of cement.  When we went for the footprint he thought it was time to dance.  I finally gave up on the print idea and just started handing him stones to decorate it but he just wanted to keep the stones and got mad when I helped him push them in.  Despite all this, their stepping stones turned out super cute and they were beyond excited to give them to Mark on Father's Day.

When he got home from his church meetings Luke told him it was finally present time!  When Mark opened the stepping stones Luke had me take a million pictures of them.  He was so proud of it!  I got Mark some shirts from Tilly's.  We have only been the store twice and yet when Mark opened his gift Luke said, "I think it's a surprise from Tilly's!"  Our little Luke is such a sponge and his mind is a steel trap.  We are so lucky to Mark for our dad and these gifts don't do him justice.  He works so hard for our family and wants the best for us.  We love you Mark!

Memorial in Mesquite

We thought we were supposed to be moving Memorial Day weekend but sadly our buyers backed out at the last minute.  Since we weren't moving and pretty bummed Mark and I decided we needed a weekend away.  Luckily, no one was using the house in Mesquite so we decided to head down.  

The first day there was a blast.  The weather was hot so we hit the pool and swam all day.  Everything was looking good until later that night.  First, poor Brody tripped on Daddy's foot and crashed into the coffee table leaving him with an ugly black eye.  Next, Lukers started to get a fever and complain that his tummy hurt.  I got Tylenol and Motrin in him and he thought was healed but then the second he would start playing too much he would start to cry about how tired he was.  He couldn't understand why we weren't going swimming at the pool.  We finally compromised and decided to head to St. George and the dinosaur museum.  Luke was so excited.  He napped on the way and was ready to go when we got there.  The dinosaur museum put a smile on his little face! 

I thought that maybe our weekend had been saved but then Brody came down with the same little bug and now he was on a steady diet of Tylenol and Motrin too.  The next day we admitted defeat and decided to just stay home.  It was the right decision because the boys were both feeling much better the next day.  Sadly, it was our last day so we decided to stop in St. George on the way home and play for a minute.  The boys had a blast at the new splash pad and could have stayed all day.  I think that one stop made up for the crappy weekend.  We hit Swig and got some dirty Cokes and sugar cookies for the ride home.  It wasn't the weekend we had anticipated but at least it ended on a good note!