What do you do when...

you stumble upon a perfect day,

in a perfect setting,

with the perfect outfits,

the perfect children,

the perfect lighting,

and you just happen to have your perfect camera? I submit that you take pictures.

Lots and lots of pictures.

Two Year Old Awesomeness

Today we were driving home from lunch at the school with Luke when both of my girls promptly feel asleep in their car seats. After about 10 minutes of complete silence in the car, I slammed on the breaks when I got cut off by another car, and Aubrey awoke suddenly with the biggest eyes and screamed,

"I don't want to share!!
Where's Daddy? Oh, nooooo!
We should have popsicles!"

And then she instantly closed her eyes and fell back asleep.

I almost got in an accident I was laughing so hard.
Oh, the things that go on inside a two year old's head.

When Life Gives You...

pebbles,

throw them in the pond.
When life gives you a Farmer's Market,
eat a whole bag of Kettle Korn.

When life (or a really short-sighted mom) gives you a paintbrush,
Paint.
(Quickly - before she takes it away)

When life gives you a tunnel,
Run through it while screaming.

And when life gives you a rainstorm in summer,
Dance in it with your dad.

The Awkward, the Even More Awkward, and the Truly Wonderful

This week's episode of "The Good..." is a tribute to my loving and devoted husband on our 4th Anniversary. I never knew four years could fly by so fast and yet seem like such a lifetime ago.

Girls, you know how you fantasize about your wedding your whole life (you did. you know you did.) and then it's over in only a few short hours? Well, here are the awkward, the even more awkward, and the truly wonderful moments of mine.

The Awkward
My brother, Brad was our "DJ" - if standing on the stage and trying to look cool counts as being a DJ. (Just kidding, Brad.)
Well, right as we were wrapping things up and preparing to make a run for it, my brother announces that everyone should head outside if they want to see us off, and then says,
"Congratulations Adam and Ashley!!!....
and....
Luke."
(Adam was my long-time boyfriend all through high school.)

Classic.

The Even More Awkward
My amazing bridesmaids were so thoughtful and decorated our honeymoon suite with flowers, chocolates, and certain other things that shall remain nameless. Right before I left, my sister mentioned what number our hotel room was. But, when we went to check in that night the hotel gave us a different room number. Very concerned, I explained that the other room had been decorated especially for us and that there was some mistake. She told us that that room was registered to a "Mr. and Mrs. Lynn Webb" (who happen to be Luke's parents!!!)

Now that would have been awkward....

The Truly Wonderful
Despite the blisters on my feet, the corset that almost broke one of my ribs, the earrings that took three people to get them in, the fact that we arrived an hour late to our own luncheon, and having to make Brittany hold my dress for me while I went pee, it was one of the most magical days of my life, and more than anything else, I remember being truly happy.
I mean genuinely, I-can't-possibly-smile-any-bigger-than-this, out of my mind, happy.

Happy Anniversary, Luke.
I love you.

Tragedy

There has been a recent death in our family, and I am devastated.
Sadly, today at 2:08 our beloved Naptime died of natural causes.
Naptime was a loyal and selfless member of our family and will be missed by all (except my children). Naptime changed my life for the better and I will miss it every single day. I cannot imagine living without it, but the precious memories of Naptime will live on in my heart.
We love you, Naptime.
Rest in peace.

In correlation with the recent death, I was unable to produce the promised "surprise" for today. Maybe if Naptime ever visits us again...

Well, don't count on it.
Sorry.
It really was going to be awesome.
Maybe instead I will grace you with last nights adventures. It all started with me chasing down some punk little kids that thought it would be funny to bang on my glass sliding door at 10:30 at night (where are these kid's parents?!?) and then hide behind a dumpster. After I calmly walk out to tell them that we have kids sleeping in our house and if they wake them up, so help me...
they run away.
So I run after them. Barefoot.
Then I realize that I'm in my pajamas running down the street barefoot after a few 8 year olds and I turn around to go home. But not so fast - some nasty man in a car from 1972 pulls up beside me and the following conversation ensues:
Him: "Hi there."
Me: "Hi."
Him: "Do you know where JC lives?"
Me: "No, sorry."
Him: "Well, have you lived here long?"
Me: "No, not really."
Him: "I'm Juan."
Me: "Hi."
Him: "How long have you lived here... (pausing to see if I will fill in my name)"
Me: "We've been here for almost a year."
(At this point I am walking away from the car trying to give him the hint that he is wierd and I'm not interested.)
Him: "WE?!?!"
(He puts his car in reverse and starts following me as I'm walking away!)
Me: "Yes. Me and my (huge, scary, beefy, weight-lifting) husband."
Him: "Why are all the pretty girls always taken?"
Me: "I don't know. Have a great night."
Him: "So do you think we could get together sometime?"

Are you serious?
I went home and vowed to never leave my house alone after 9 pm again.

The Good, The Bad, and the Truly Unfortunate

I'm going to try something new.

Every Wednesday (well, some Wednesdays...) I am going to pass on my precious wisdom to you, my faithful readers, and let you all in on a few of my most profound findings.

Thrilling, I know.

Now, before we begin I must remind you that I am no expert - and you are reading this blog by your own free will and choice. Therefore, you may not sue me, stone me, or shun me if you do not like what I have to say.

If you do not agree to the above mentioned terms, please stop reading now.

For everyone else, "The Good, The Bad, and Truly Unfortunate - Volume 1" will be featuring restaurant foods.

THE GOOD
Do you really not know what would be #1 on my list?
That's right, people: Cafe Rio, my first love.
The Pork Burrito will change your life. Seriously.
If you have been ordering anything besides the pork (although all the menu items are still above par), you have been wasting your life. And I am ashamed of you.

THE BAD
You may be surprised by my choice of "the Bad," but please, let me explain. I have awarded the Johnny Carino's Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo the title because it is bad comparatively.
I spent 3 1/2 years of my life eating the fettuccine alfredo and I must admit, I was blissful in my ignorance. Then one night, our lovely waitress politely told us that we were missing out and insisted we try something else. A little annoyed, we ordered the Grilled Chicken Bowtie Festival.
It was love at first bite.
Fettuccine Alfredo: never again.
Oh, and the Italian Wedge Salad.
Um... yes.


THE TRULY UNFORTUNATE
Today I ran to Michael's which happens to be right next to Taco Bell. It was around lunch time and I asked Brooklyn if she would like to eat Taco Bell. She looked at me like I was crazy and said in alarm, "Mom, you can't eat Tinker Bell!!"
Anyway, we ordered a few volcano tacos since they were cheap and came home to eat them.
Volcano is the perfect name for them. Aubrey took one bite and started crying; Brooklyn started scratching at her tongue and begging for water. Even after drinking a full glass of ice water, Brooklyn looked at me sadly and said, "My mouth feels yucky."
We ended the meal with an Otter Pop.
Yum.
Congratulations, Volcano Taco.
Now blow yourself up and turn into ash.

Happy eating, everyone!!

I just thought...

that this was beautiful.

And I thought you might think so to.

P.S. I have a special treat for Friday.
Stay tuned.

The Golden Summer Awards

Hello, and welcome to this years'

Golden Summer Awards Show

We, the Academy, have several awards to get to and I know you are as anxious as I am to open the envelopes and reveal this year's big winners.

First, the "Biggest Blog Slacker Award" goes to me.
I would like to thank my family and friends for keeping me so busy that I just plain had no time. I would also like to thank the dial-up internet in Grandpa's cabin for not allowing me to even consider uploading photos.

The "Best Dressed" was awarded to Brooklyn and Aubrey for their tasteful, yet elegant choice in evening wear. They would like to thank Aunt Brittany for her amazing eye for fashion.


This year's "Most Delicious Breakfast Pastry I Have Ever Eaten Award" goes to the Mrs. Powell's cinnamon roll that I ate in about 30 seconds flat. It was as big as my head and I wanted seconds. The 5 extra pounds on my hips would especially like to thank you. So much.

The "Biggest Waster of $2 Award" unanimously goes to Aubrey for her performance as the sobbing, screaming, wailing, snot-dripping toddler who was afraid of the train that went 1 mile an hour.
We're so proud.

The "Multiple Personality Award" is bestowed upon Brooklyn for being afraid of the fireworks, then liking the fireworks, then being afraid of the fireworks, and then LOVING the fireworks.(this is the "not so much loving it" personality)

The "Most Photogenic" is lovingly awarded to my mother. No one deserves this more than her. This picture makes my stomach hurt from laughter.

(OK, now I feel bad, so here's a good picture of my mom - she's beautiful.)

This year's coveted "MVP" goes to both Aubrey and Brooklyn for a well-played (and very lucky) round of bowling.
They beat me.
But that's not saying much.

The "Parade Princesses" is a three way tie between Brooklyn, Aubrey and Carly. Cuter cousins don't exist. These three make me want triplets. Almost.

The "Most Ginormous Wedgie Award" is all Brooklyn's. No one else ever stood a chance.

The "Fabulous Fifty Award" goes out to my Dad for surviving half a century. Happy Birthday, Dad. I hope it was "uge." :)

The "Perseverance Award" was a tough decision this year. But in the end, we awarded it to Jake for his unyielding determination to ride the water slides even when his head was bouncing along the bottom of the slides like a raft over rapids. You're an inspiration Jake.

(I'm sorry Brittany - I couldn't help myself. I tried really hard)

The famous "Glee Award" is given to McKyla for making my children laugh harder than I thought was possible. Oh, how they love that girl.
And since I'm just handing out awards, I award Rick and Jenny Runyan with the "BFF's for Life Award."
I miss them every day.
It's pathetic.

The "Oops, I Forgot I'm Not in High School Anymore Award" goes to me for my momentary lapse in judgment. I was diving it up. It was shameful.
The "Hey, Look At That!! Award" was earned by Brooklyn who felt the need to point out every possible detail of the 4th of July parade to her #1 fan.

(This is just a random picture because I think my daughter is beautiful.)
Back to the awards...

The "Most Awesome Childhood Friend Reunion" goes out to Jeremy and Stephanie Lovelace. They beat us in Pounce, Balderdash, and a push-up contest and we still like them. That's when you know they must be really cool.

The "Oh My Gosh, Who's That Hotty?" Award was earned by this dude:
That's right, folks... that's my brother.
Any single ladies - call me and I'll hook you up.
(In a year; when he turns 16.)

The "I Still Like You Mom, But I Kind of Wish Brittany Was My Mom" Award goes to...
you guessed it --- Brittany.
My kids want her to live with us.
They started asking for her within 3 minutes of driving back home.

And lastly, the "Best Summer of Our Lives" Award goes lovingly out to 2009.
It's been awesome.

We've been a tad bit busy...

-playing at the pool
-playing at the Science Center
-playing at the zoo
-playing at the library
-playing at the park
-playing at the mall
-and working at Olive Garden

Can you find the one that doesn't fit?

Question: What was I thinking when I thought it would be a good idea to get a job in the summer?
Answer: I wasn't thinking at all.

While I have been slaving away under 20 lb. trays of Italian food, walking/running/standing for 7 hours at a time, being treated like I'm a complete idiot, and single-handedly screwing up an entire restaurant, I'm happy to report that Luke and the girls are having the summer of their lives. And as bad as it sounds, the extra money doesn't hurt and I'm kind of, slightly, maybe starting to enjoy it. A little. In fact, in some ways my job has been perfect because it forces us to take advantage of the free time that I do have and so far this summer has been one of the best on record.

This week we discovered "Jumping Jacks". Or should I say, we discovered heaven on earth.

5,000 sq. ft. of blow-up bouncy houses with no lines, no people, and no where else we had to be.
Running, jumping, pushing, rolling, screaming, squealing, crawling, and falling for as long as you little heart desires in an air-conditioned building while mommy and daddy sit on a bench and talk? I think yes.
Oh, and did I mention that Tuesdays are 2 for 1? Does it get any better than this?
Brooklyn climbed this entire wall by herself and almost died several times in the process. But she made it! I was thoroughly impressed.
Aubrey spent a large portion of the time just opening and shutting this window. Fun, I know.

Along with all the fun things we've been doing this summer, we've also been working on a goal of reading about a million books each. Aubrey has even caught on and starting reading books to herself every morning. We're still working on Brooklyn.
Luke's stack of books

My stack of books


ALSO...
we leave this week for our vacation!!!
Things I'm looking forward to:
-Dinner at Cafe Rio
-Seeing everyone with the last name Webb, Campbell, and Smith
-Swimming at the big house
-The Brooklyn, Aubrey and McKyla reunion
-Ms. Powell's cinnamon rolls
-BBQing with long-lost friends, the Lovelaces
-Idaho Fall's 4th of July Happenings
-Playing Sequence, Pounce, and Scum until all hours of the night
-Not seeing Olive Garden for a whole 2 weeks!!

Introducing our new family member...

Mr. Bear.
He's sweet and cuddly.
He's covered in a least 3 different beverages, dirt, crumbs, and markers, and he smells. really. bad.

He gets more hugs and kisses than the Bachelorette (and he's twice as cute).

And if you think for one second that there is a teddy bear on this planet that is more loved than he is,
you are wrong.
(Is it just me, or does it look like he's kind of smiling in this picture?)

In other news, Ashley has learned to be careful what you wish for.
(post on this will be forthcoming...)
Luke has learned that playing Mr. Mom is more work than actual play,
and Brooklyn has learned that if you try to steal Mr. Bear (if Aubrey ever releases him from her death-grip)....

well, just don't steal Mr. Bear.
(It happened; and it wasn't pretty.)