Youngest Survivor

For the third year in a row, Bronwyn was honored as the youngest survivor at Relay for Life. I have to admit, it was pretty exciting the first year this happened. She was only 2 years old, the cutest thing ever in her huge purple, survivor t-shirt and pink sunglasses. As the mother of the youngest survivor you get alot of attention as well. This year all that attention was bittersweet. Who wants to be the youngest survivor? All it means is that you were the first one to get cancer. Hopefully someday Bronwyn can be the oldest survivor. Being a survivor at any age is truly something to celebrate, but I would much rather be celebrating decades of being cancer free!

The first lap of the evening is the Survivor Lap. It is always moving to see all the survivors out there together.

Our good friends, the Tuellers. Aubrey is a cancer survivor herself! I think I have convinced her to registering as a survivor next year...

With Todd's parents and my mom, always there to support us!

These are the people who raised over $1,000! So a big "THANK YOU" to all of you who helped Bronwyn reach her fundraising goal. As you can see, it is a very small and elite group!

Since Bronwyn raised over $1000, she got to ride in the golf cart for some of her laps. I was glad they let Magsy go in as well, as she was starting to feel a little outshined. This year I even bought her a little medal to wear so she didn't feel left out. Both girls thought riding around the track was great, and definately made them feel special.

All 5 of us walking the track. We truly love supporting Relay for Life! It is a wonderful fundraiser for a hugely important cause.

4 months and fireworks!

Yep, this little guy is already 4 months old. I can't believe it, and feel like it is happening way too fast. The other night Todd put Ty in the exersaucer, and I almost cried. He can't be big enough for that already, can he?! I am trying to be better about tummy time since his huge head is starting to get flat. Doesn't he look like he just wants to take off crawling and start getting into trouble? :)

Having a baby brother has brought out such a sweet side of Bronwyn. As many of you know, she can be pretty moody, so it is nice to see her handling this life transition so beautifully. She loves holding baby Ty, and LOVES playing with him. She is always asking me to stop holding him so that he can be on the floor playing with her. And he almost always greets her with a huge, gummy smile. Mags is a big fan of Ty as well, but is a little too "in your face" for him. Love her Madonna pose though!

We had an all American 4th of July, and it was such a fun day! We started out at the parade, which honestly, was a HUGE disappointment. You'd think the state capitol could put together something a lot better. There wasn't a single marching band! But the kids thought it was great, so it was still worth it.

Even Ty guy sat on my lap and watched the whole thing. Isnt' he the cutest thing ever?!

After naps, we headed over to Scott and Carol's for a BBQ. The girls were thrilled to find water guns and other fun toys waiting for them. They were the only kids there, and liked being the center of attention. It was so much fun!

And what's the 4th of July without watermelon? Ty got to suck on a few pieces, and was pretty excited about it. I love this age, when you get to see them try all sorts of new things. It is a small consolation prize to having to deal with him growing up too fast. Still not happy about that.

Here are Todd's parents and cousin playing with Ty while we waited for the fireworks to start. All the kids did great! I am still such a little kid when it comes to watching fireworks. I love it! For three years now we have gone downtown and watched the fireworks at the park. It is such a fun tradition, and I look forward to doing it every year with my family. I love traditions!

Celebrate. Remember. Fight back!

CELEBRATE! 3 1/2 years, cancer free! (Photo courtesy of oohlalaphoto.com)

REMEMBER. My dad, gone too soon.

FIGHT BACK! Attend your local Relay for Life event, or donate today!

Relay For Life is my favorite fundraiser for cancer awareness, prevention, and research. Each year I am reignited in my fight against the horrible disease. It also gives me a night to truly celebrate my daughter's health, and cry openly about missing my dad with others who feel the exact same way I do.

Each year, Bronwyn is an honored survivor. Click here to see her personal webpage. And if you live nearby, come walk with us next Friday, July 10th at Borah High School.

Cheers to great dads!

Since I grew up with one of the greatest dads in the world, I understand what a huge impact a dad can have on his children. And even though I lost my dad decades too early, his influence still effects me daily. Father's Day is now a bittersweet day of missing him, and celebrating my husband. No matter how grown up I get, a girl still needs her daddy.

It is wonderful being married to a great dad. The girls are always so excited when they hear Todd getting home from work. Suddenly the house is filled with squeals and laughter, and there is always time for a round or two of Hide and go Seek.

This year the kids and I got Todd a tent and sleeping bags. I know, I know. Most of you can hardly believe that we didn't already own these, and spend our free time camping. The kids can't wait to have "campouts" in the backyard.

Hard to believe this little guy will someday be a daddy. He has a great example to follow. Love you Todd!

Friends, snuggles, and some more ballet...

Tonight we met some of our closests friends for ice cream, and had such a great time! We have discovered that going to the McDonalds with the outside playland is so relaxing. There isn't the stress of the open park, but it somehow seems cleaner than an indoor playland. It probably isn't, but I still want to think that it is. Here we are, each of us holding our newest addition. We sure are doing our parts when it comes to multiplying and replenishing the earth!


Getting some serious snugglage from my little chubster! Best part of the day.



The girls had their second ballet class. They were both so excited and comfortable, that I decided to take Ty on a stroller ride during the first half of class. I got back just in time to see Magdalen pee her pants! (Or should I say tights?) Then Bronwyn kept pretending to fall, which was really her way of not wanting to try something that was hard for her to do. She looks right at me in this video, and you can tell that she knows I am not pleased with her behavior. Hilary always laughs when I give my girls a "you better behave" look, and I'm sure this one would have left her rolling on the dance floor!




It is hard to believe that I am actually letting the girls skip naptime every now and then. We are just so busy with our summer activities. And since it takes forever to get out of the house with Ty and his nap schedule, I often have little girls falling asleep right before dinner. UG! A few days ago we didn't nap, and I gave the girls a bath around 4:30. I was braiding Magsy's hair afterward, and she couldn't hold her head up. The same thing happened a couple weeks ago with Bronwyn, and I ended up supporting her head with my knee. Very tiring! This time Todd was home, so he got a funny video of Magsy struggling to support her head. I quickly gave up and sent her to the couch.

Stage Mom

I have always said that I will let my children choose their own interests, and not push my own on them. Since they are only 3 and 4, the line between mine and theirs is somewhat blurred.... and I just started them in ballet classes. Today was their first class. It was pretty surreal sitting there and watching them. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was the one wearing the dancing shoes with my mom waiting in the wings. (Here come the tears!) The girls loved it, and kept looking at me and would shout "This is fun, mommy!". About half way through the class I couldn't hold the tears in anymore, and I indulged myself in a proud mommy cry!

So while they are free to choose whichever path they like as they get older, it was still exciting to hear their teacher (who was fabulous, by the way!) say things like "Magdalen has such a perfect arch", and "Bronwyn's leg are so long and pretty". For this summer at least, we will be dreaming of toe shoes and tutus!




And no post is complete without an update of Baby Ty. Here he is laughing with daddy.

The purple balloon

A few months ago we ate dinner at Red Robin, and our girls were so excited to get helium balloons. Most children learn the hard way that you must hold on tightly to a helium balloon, and Bronwyn is no exception. As soon as we reached our car, her purple balloon was floating up into space. She was of course, quite upset. To calm her down I told her that the balloon would float to heaven and get to Grandpa Ingoldsby. She spoke about that for days, and would tell me how much fun Grandpa was having with her purple balloon.

This sparked an idea inside me.... To write messages on helium balloons to our lost loved ones, and send them to heaven. So that is exactly what we did this memorial day. We gathered at the cemetary with Todd's family, and sent off a dozen balloons. The kids LOVED it, and I must admit, I was pretty proud of myself. :) But even the adults got into it. And though I don't think my balloon quite made it to my dad's mailbox, I still found myself getting emotional as I wrote him a quick note. It was just nice to get those feelings out there.


The send off!