Summer Fun

Utah has a lot of fun things to do in the summer...for free. We've enjoyed going to the splash pad. Carter is so funny when he's there. He walks straight into the sprinklers and soaks his face. He doesn't mind at all but it takes him a second to recover. We recently got to go to the picnic in the park. The kids have really had a lot of fun and it's been nice to have so many fun things to do.

Cole's filled his time by making custom bamboo longboards. He has all sorts of boards, wheels, trucks, and graphics to choose from. People can also come up with their own graphics and he can put them on for them. He is really good at it and has a lot of fun making them. The kids love riding the one he made for himself. Lexi wants him to make her one that is pink with sparkles and has stripped wheels. She wants princesses, McQueen, and Mickey Mouse for her graphics.

We have lived in our house for one year this month. I finally have things on the walls and have changed the color scheme from red to blue.

7 Years

We celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary July 14th. My parents offered to watch the kids for a few hours while we celebrated. We went to Biaggi's in Salt Lake. It was our first time going to that one. We used to go to one in Illinois and it was fun to reminisce about our time spent there. After our delicious dinner we rode up to Park City and rode the Apline Slide. It was so much fun! I hadn't been on it since I was little and Cole had never been on it. We loved it and want to do it again soon. On the way home we got a Cold Stone and enjoyed our dessert after we picked up the kids and put them to bed. It was a really fun evening. I can't believe we've been married 7 years. A lot has happened: 7 moves, 3 states, 2 children,10 jobs (6 Cole 4 Michelle), trials and joys came with it all and we've grown in so many ways. I am so glad I have Cole to go through it with. He is such a hard worker and is always willing to try to do better. He does so much to make me happy and is a wonderful father. I love you Cole!

Best Buds

Lexi and Carter love to play with each other. Carter follows Lexi everywhere (even to time out). They love to play on the train together and I love hearing them laugh together.

4th of July

I love the 4th of July! We always have a family party and it is one of my favorite things we do each year. We enjoyed a delicious dinner. The kids got to swim and the adults played volleyball and visited. Amanda bought the kids glow necklaces and bracelets so the kids put on a show when it got dark since fireworks weren't allowed. It was really cute and Lexi is still talking about doing another one (but next time she wants to be the leader).

Carnival

Lexi was so excited to go to the carnival with her cousins. She counted down the days and when we got there she was jumping up and down with excitement. She was brave and rode all the rides she was tall enough for but didn't like the caterpillar one. She loved being able to drive the cars and her favorite ride was the carousel. She got excited on it because she got to be taller than me. Carter rode on it too but didn't like it and spent most of the time in his stroller people watching. He would wave at Lexi on the rides and say Hi. After the carnival Grandma took us to McDonald's for a treat and Lexi and Carter had fun playing in the playplace. It was really fun to see my kids so happy and enjoying time with their cousins. We can't wait to go again next year.

Carter

Carter is now a toddler! He is starting to grow a little more and is up to the 6% in height instead of the 1%. He is 19.5 lbs. He is still the most social boy ever (even the doctor was impressed with how friendly and playful he is). He waves at people and smiles until someone pays attention to him. Then he plays peek a boo with them and flirts. Thus, he gets a lot of attention from everyone he meets. He has such a special gift to bring joy to anyone he comes in contact with. It is amazing and I feel so blessed to get to watch it happen. His social personality has helped Lexi become more friendly too. Carter loves to tease people, especially Lexi. He likes to pull her hair and sit on her. She is too nice to hit him or be mean back and usually just screams for help. Carter recently soaked through his diaper while we were running errands so I changed him and put him in the car without pants on. He fell asleep so when we got home I put him in his crib without his pants on. When he woke up I was cleaning the bathroom so I left him in there while I finished because he was being good. When I got in there I could smell poop and then remembered he didn't have pants on. Then my worst nightmare came true. He'd take off his diaper and had a got poop in his toes and hands. He didn't like it and wanted me to get it off. It was one of those moments when I thought to myself, "I am now truly a Mother." He has 10 teeth (4 molars). Carter loves to talk but doesn't say a lot of words yet. He signs more and says Mama, Dada, bye, Hi, ought ou, and night night. He still loves to suck his thumb and hold my hair. He gives open mouth kisses. He has started climbing a lot and likes to find things he can climb on and sit on. He is getting busier and busier. He is a fun boy and we love him.

Lexi

Lexi is at such a fun stage. She has decided she is a superhero. She saved her money to go buy some goggles from "her store" (the dollar store) and when she puts on her goggles she becomes a superhero. She also likes to wear her princess dress and glow sticks around her ankles and waist as part of her superhero costume. She asked me if there are really superheroes in this world that can fly. I didn't quite know what to say. She is really into Lightning McQueen and Nemo right now. Since being introduced to Nemo she has had a lot of questions about death which has brought on a lot of interesting conversations. She still wants to be all grown up and the other day she told me to never call her a little girl again. She is really sweet and always tells me I'm her favorite mommy and that Cole is her favorite daddy. She also tells me I'm her best friend and we are going to be best friends when she grows up and I go to her house. If only this stage could last forever. She still takes a nap and if she doesn't get one she falls asleep anyway. After church she usually falls asleep while eating because she misses her nap. She is very curious about the world around her and is always trying to make sense of the things she sees around her. She asks a lot of questions. The other day we were in the car and the song "time after time" came on and she started singing it. I was surprised because she's probably only heard it two or three times. She got really excited and said, "this is the time out song." She then kept singing and said, "Time out t-time." I laughed so hard. She still loves to snuggle and every morning she comes and snuggles with me in bed and watches a show until Carter wakes up. She is really excited to go to pre-school and just finished learning all of her capitol letters. She loves to identify letters in the world around her. She has gotten good at drawing people and likes to draw her family. She is very helpful and obedient and we love having her in our home.