Final Days of Summer

For those of you who also grew up in Sugar City, September isn't exactly Summer anymore. But here in Boise, it's still super hot. While Summer is certainly lingering, my kids are growing up at warp speed. Baby Ty got his first tooth at 5 months old! Two months before the girls. I was so mad at him. Doesn't he understand that he is my baby, and should not age any quicker than his sisters did? Sigh.. So I spent the day trying to catch a shot of him showing off his now two bottom teeth, and this is what a got. Grins with his mouth shut tight!

Luckily, my friend, Emily, got this great shot of Ty and me at the fountain the other day. Added bonus: his chompers are showing!


Our family also recently attended a family-primary activity. The girls had SO much fun! All the activities were designed to strengthen families, and teach the kids the importance of eternal families. While these little rugrats can really ruin a perfectly good Saturday morning, they are mine, and I love them dearly. How lucky we are to be stuck together forever!


Todd's grandma turned 103, and isn't she a beauty?! She used to play the piano at silent movies! Her birthday always brings in family members from out of town. Here we are all trying to fit on our couch. Actually, we fit pretty well!


These little princesses both started preschool this last week, and loved it! They are so excited to show me whatever craft they did that day. I am so proud of their accomplishments.

Here are pictures I took of each girl on their first day of preschool. What cuties!


The girls found the little hat each baby gets at the hospital when they are born, an insisted that Todd put it on Ty. He looks like such a little homie!

We play hard, and every now that then, we crash hard! Isn't it the cutest when a kid just can't stay awake any longer?

BIRTH

It is somewhat comical that I was so reluctant to start a family blog, and here I am posting to let you all know about another blog I am running! What can I say? I love internet hobbies.

Many of you know that another love of mine is childbirth, attending births as a labor support doula, and teaching Music Birth Childbirth Education Classes at St. Als. When people hear about this part of my life they are either intrigued, finding the work I do to be very interesting and important; or they think I am a weirdo/granola! Every now and then there is even a pregnant friend of mine who somehow manages to avoid me during her entire pregnancy, most likely not wanting to hear about all the benefits of natural childbirth because they are quite fond of the epidural. :)

I have spent the past 6 years in this field of work, and have learned that childbirth is a very touchy subject. Every woman views birth differently, prepares for it differently, and dreads it differently! Often, women seek out my advice AFTER they have delivered. It is all too common for a woman to be unhappy with her birth. She then begins researching and looking for answers to what went wrong, and could it have been avoided.

Since it is difficult for many women to reach out and ask for answers before or during their pregnancy, I am trying to do more to help educate women by running a blog dedicated to birth stories. Many of my clients and class members feel the same way I do, and want to share their own success stories to inpsire women to love their births.

Please share this blog with your friends. Let's get the word out that birth is awesome! Even if you are done having kids, I still think you will enjoy reading this blog. Happy reading, and most of all, happy birthing!

musicbirth.blogspot.com

Memory Lane

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of fun, family, and travel. While many of these activities deserve their own blog posting, I am playing catch up today with one long post. Hilary and I had our highly anticipated, 10 year high school reunion last weekend. On the way to Rexburg, we all stopped at Craters of the Moon, which was awesome! Todd and I are already planning to go back when we can stay longer, and when it isn't as hot. I highly recommend taking your kids there. Lots of fun, easy hiking; and some great caves too! Loved it!

Here is the Sugar Salem class of 1999! It was SO fun to see everyone. Everyone was super nice and outgoing, and everyone looked great!

Here are my girls with Joel, my close friend's son. He is so adorable, and probably learned alot of naughty things from his hour with my girls!

For those of you who may not know it, Todd and I pretty much hooked up in a practice room at Ricks. The first time we ever hung out was a 3 hour talk in this very practice room! He impressed me with his piano skills, and I wooed him with my singing; and the rest is history! Todd even proposed to me in this room, so we couldn't pass up the chance to re-enact the proposal with our three crazy kids!

We also took the kids to the Idaho Falls temple so they could see where we were married. Eight years later, I am still crazy about this guy!

We had a nice evening at Temple Square on our way to Orem. Bronwyn especially enjoyed the visitor's center. It is amazing to watch her grow up and start to understand spiritual matters.

Here are Magsy and Ty sitting in Grandpa Lynn's chair. Just had to throw this picture in because it's cute!

Hil's inlaws have a great cabin about 2 hours away from Orem. We all had a great time! Hil was quite the Tomboy growing up, but it still cracked me up to see her all decked out in her fishing attire! Sorry Hil, but I just HAD to post this one!

We obviously aren't on the water in this picture, but we all enjoyed canoeing! It was very peaceful and relaxing, and a beautiful environment.

I hesitated letting the girls on the 4 wheeler since I didn't have their helmets. But I did eventually let uncle C take them on the short ride. They loved it! Bronwyn looks so happy here!

It was Ladies night at the Orem Owls (minor league baseball) game, and my mom's CURVES was the main sponsor. It was a blast to get all the family together, eat junk, and watch a little ball. Hilary threw out the first pitch too! (video coming soon)

The trip ended in Logan, Utah. Todd and I lived there for 5 years before moving to Boise. We love going back and visiting friends, eating at our favorite restaurants, and running around Utah State. Here are are on the "A" where you can become a True Aggie!

I have been looking forward to this trip for a long time. It is hard having Hilary live so far away! I am sad that it is over, but grateful for all the wonderful memories! A huge "thank you" to my mom as well. She watched my crazy girls a ton so I could enjoy some adult time, and it was wonderful.

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!