The Sandbox

On Tuesday I mentioned to Dean that I'd love it if he'd build the boys a sandbox.  Little did I know that by the end of the day we'd have one.  Sometimes when Dean gets something in his head he doesn't stop until it's accomplished.  Sometimes that drives me nuts, but in this case we were all thrilled!  He used these plans I found online and went to work.  It came together in about an hour or so and it's an awesome design that will keep critters and junk out AND provides seats for the boys when they pull the cover back.  I've been hesitant to have a sandbox because of the mess, but lets face it, I have three boys and they find dirt wherever they are.  At least this way it's clean sand that I can control.  Yes, this mom is a bit OCD.  We still need to stain it so it will hold up to the weather but so far it's a hit.

Heart Attacked...

Last night we were surprised by the cute Young Women of our Ward.  They "Heart Attacked" our deck and then brought heart cookies to the door to show their support of our me and our whole family as Dean begins his new calling as Bishop.  It was so sweet and meant so much.  They are such cute girls and we think they're awesome.  They have a brand new Young Women's Presidency and we're already impressed with how they're leading those girls.  We've been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from everyone in our Ward since Dean was called.  We truly are blessed to be able to worship and serve among such wonderful people.

Lunch with Kevin and Point State Park

Friday we drove into Pittsburgh to meet up with Kevin on his lunch hour for a little picnic.  We went to a park and found the perfect little gazebo to eat our KFC in.  Before too long we had to drop him off for his lab that afternoon, but we went and hit up Point State Park on the way home without him.  It's where the land juts out where two of the three rivers that run through Pittsburgh meet.  So you have two different rivers flowing on both sides of you.  They have a huge fountain that shoots the river water up in the air and you can dip your toes and enjoy the river edge.  We saw some ducks and lots of boats too.  It was hot and humid, but lots of fun.

 I told Braddock to "Say Cheese" and this is what I got.  It cracks me up every time.

 Tanner ate so much he felt like he might explode.  Finally all the years of forcing him to eat everything on his plate have paid off and he actually likes to eat!

Braddock was super cute and insisted that his brothers both hold his hands.

Summer has arrived...

It's official, it's HOT outside and the pool is open at Grandma and Grandpa's house. We're pretty happy about it.  Tanner's warmed up fast and is braver than ever.  We brought the kiddie slide over to try at the pool and it's a hit.  We're looking forward to a summer full of swimming and can't wait until we have some cousins to swim with us too!

Dean's been working really hard on those tan lines.  We'll have to post soon to show all the progress we've made in the yard since school got out...

Braddock and I took this picture...

Which immediately reminded me of this picture of Landon and I back in the summer of 2011...

Father's Day 2014

We started Father's Day off with presents and breakfast-in-bed. Dean got spoiled with a frame full of family pictures for the Bishop's office and the Iron Man Trilogy. The boys made him some little things as well.  He got to wear his brand new suit to Church and man did he look good!  I ended up leading the Primary in their musical number during Sacrament meeting and so I handed Braddock off to Dean on the stand while they sang.  He tried to return him to me but Braddock had different plans and darted all across the stand.  Everyone in the congregation found it much more amusing than I did. ;)  After Church we ran to Pittsburgh to pick up Kevin(my youngest brother) who is here for the next 6 weeks for an internship.  We are so excited to have him close.  We ate a delicious dinner at Mom and Dad's, and had a fun day hanging out with Kevin and even catching fireflies before we took him home that night.

The boys sure adore Dean, and I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful man as the father of my children.  Thanks for everything you do to take care of us, spend time with us, and set such an awesome example for the boys to follow.  We love you and Happy Father's Day!

Township Fair

Every year we anxiously await the arrival of our little township fair.  It's kind of the kick-off to summer and we love every minute of it.  This year was especially fun because all three boys were big enough to ride the rides.  Tanner was crazy brave, and even went on the big rides all by himself when his parents felt too old, and sick to spin any more.  Ha!  Braddock struggled to grasp the idea that you have to wait in line and then wait for the ride to begin.  He screamed from the second he saw a ride until he was sitting on it and it began to move.  Then once it was over we had to pry his fingers off, drag him away screaming until he was settled on a new ride and it began all over again.  And of course we couldn't leave before sampling some fair food.  It wouldn't be the same without funnel cakes, lemonade, and cotton candy!

FINALLY Dean's Birthday Dinner

If I thought that the first week of Dean as our new Bishop was a true indication of what the next 7 years will be like I might just call it quits right now.  Every single night was booked with various Bishop responsibilities.  I know it will slow down a bit once his initial training's and things are done, but man it's been baptism by fire so far.  We ended up going to a Bishopric BBQ on his actual birthday at one of his counselor's houses so his birthday dinner got put on hold.  It wasn't until almost a week later that we found a day we could finally squeeze it in.  Saturday night we headed out on the deck to enjoy the beautiful weather and eat his delicious feast.  We had been working hard in the yard all day and poor Tanner was sick so we looked a mess, but we had fun.  We had Rosemary Ranch Chicken, French Peasant Bread, corn on the cob, and fruit cabobs with Chocolate Strawberry Oasis Pie for dessert.  YUM!