Deck of Cards

The other morning Myles slept in... Or so I thought... I heard him talking in his bed around 7:45 which is a typical morning for him. He usually plays for about 10 minutes and then I hear him start yelling "want down" which is my signal that he is about to start "freaking out" as Morgan calls it. This particular morning I was downstairs lying on the couch with Morgan watching Max and Ruby while waiting for the signal, but it didn't come. At around 9:10 I decided it was time for him to get up. When I went to get him this is what I found...

I guess Daddy put him to bed the night before clutching onto a deck of cards for dear life. When he woke up in the morning the cards entertained him for an hour until he fell back asleep. I found bent cards stuffed behind the crib bumper and cards strewn all over the room. It was great. We might put him to bed with cards more often.

Playing in the Rain

We were out playing in the neighbors backyard when all of a sudden it started pouring. I love warm rain so we had to stay out and play a while. Myles was in heaven with all the puddles.

I think Morgan's jeans weighed more than her by the time we went in.

Daddy watched from the garage. I don't think he wanted to get his hair wet...

Boating Adventures

Last night we borrowed Kurt's (aka: Daddy-o or Grandpa depending on whom you ask...) boat and took our friends out for a night of excitement. The kids were bundled in life vests - it was nice that they were safe, but even better that the vests restricted their movement. It was easier to keep them confined to an area with them on. Take a look at this good lookin' family...The Brostroms... Kyle got the party started by doing some slalom skiing.

And here are most of the Naudalds. Well, at least the part we care about... HA - Just kidding Taylor... (Or am I??)

Without Kurt there, Mike got to play the role of captain. I think deep down he likes being the man in charge.

Here is a picture of me after the worst wipe-out I've ever had (and believe me I've had some real hum-dingers). My wakeboard was set up right foot forward and now, after this, I'll never again forget that I'm left foot forward. Once I got up I had this uncontrollable urge to rotate the board and put my other foot in front... When I attempted to do so, I caught the front edge of the board and hit face first with my eyes wide open. For a moment I didn't think I'd ever be able to see the face of my beautiful husband and children again. Luckily the only consequence today of my pathetic attempt to do something way out of my range of capabilities is barely being able to move my neck. Oh well, I think it's a rule somewhere that you have to be sore the day after wakeboarding or you didn't try hard enough...right...

And here is the master of Wakeboarding, Mike, getting serious air. He always puts on an entertaining show.

Taylor also put on quite a show when he surfed right behind the boat on the wakeskate. This man has serious strength - he started out on his knees and while taking a pounding from the wake, managed to not only hold on, but make it to a standing position.

We had such a fun night. The kids lasted on the boat for over 4 hours and only then we left because it was getting dark. Thank you for letting us use your boat Captain Kurt!! We Love You!!!

Quarry Party

The Company who owns the Quarry behind our housing development throws a party every year and invites the surrounding neighborhoods to attend. They have a barbecue, fireworks, and lots of fun things for the kids to do. They put a variety of tractors out on the lawn for the kids to climb in. Morgan was hesitant to climb in the shovel part (I don't know what it's called - I'm not very good with tractor anatomy) of this tractor, but I assured her it wasn't going to lift us up in the air.



Another fun thing they had all over the lawn was blow up slides. This was the tallest slide so of course it had the longest line. Here is Mike and Morgan at the end of the line...again... I'm not sure how many times they went down this slide, but they couldn't get enough.


I would take Myles down and Mike would take Morgan, but this time Mike decided to take both kids alone. There was a nice, cool the night off drizzle for about 20 minutes which made the slide a bit slippery. It made climbing up with two kids tricky, but all the better for the way down.

I think Mike enjoyed the slide more than the kids did. Actually I know he did.

Miraculously Healed

I finally called Morgan's pediatrician about her mystery rash. When I was told to bring her in, I told them I would if they would assure me they wouldn't just say "Watch it for a few days and come back if it gets worse." The nurse said, "Well, just put Neosporin on it for a couple days and call us if it gets worse." After 12 hours and 2 applications of Neosporin the mystery rash is gone. I am still confused about what it was, but I sure am glad I didn't pay for a Doctors visit!

Belly Button Woes

A few days ago I noticed Morgan had a strange red circle around her belly button... I really didn't think much about it at the time, but now that it's been a few days I'm starting to wonder what's going on. It seems to get a little bigger and more irritated each day... Does anyone know what this is???

I'm not one to go to the Doctor for every little thing, but this might need looking at by a professional. Right???

Sunday Bash

This past Sunday we got to celebrate Father's Day and Morgan's 3rd birthday in one big family bash. There was a great spread of food and gifts to show the honorees how much we love them. Morgan was thrilled that she got to blow out candles for a second time.

Grandma has a real knack for picking out fun books for the kids. She gave Morgan "Who Stole the Cookie From the Cookie Jar?" for her Birthday... Already a favorite! Thank you Grandma!

Daddy's Home!!

YEAH - Our man finally came home!! And he came back with a little more facial hair than he left with. The kids were so happy to see him (and me too of course). Morgan just wanted to sit on daddy's lap and rub his cheeks. She loves playing with the back of daddy's hair and thought it was a real treat to have some on his cheeks and chin.

Myles was more interested in wrestling. I think he had a weeks worth of wrestling built up inside and it gave him quite the advantage... Mike came out of the match with a bloody nose. Way to go Myles! That's my boy!

Tuckered Out

So Brooke and I turned around in the car today and this is what we saw...

I guess this explains why they both were complaining about their necks hurting...

Happy Birthday Morgan!!

My baby girl is officially 3. Today she had her birthday party with all her little friends. It was a nice day - perfect for playing in her new sprinkler Cayden gave her for her birthday. The kids ran around and played in the pool and Morgan got to model her new sunglasses.

Morgan was so happy Aubree got to come to her party... Aubree's mom is about to deliver her little brother any day now, so we were hoping she would hold off until after Morgan's party so Aubree could come.

The best part was the kids ate their cupcakes outside. I mean who really cares if frosting gets mashed into the lawn. Well Mike might care since he's the lawn Nazi, but I think he'd agree better the lawn than the carpet.

Cayden the Tease

Ever since Cayden got here he has loved teasing Morgan. And like most girls, Morgan squeals and makes a big deal out of it which in turn makes Cayden tease even harder. Here he is playing with a bag...

and here she is...

For some reason she didn't think it was as funny as we did.

Brooke Visits!

Mike got to go on high adventure this week with the young men of our ward. I haven't heard from him since he left (the longest I've ever gone without talking to him... sad...). I wasn't looking forward to being alone with the kids for a week so Mike suggested that I call my twin sister and invite her out for a visit. Lucky for me her husband was a good sport and said she could come and bring their two kids. We decided to start the vacation strong and hit the zoo.

Morgan found a dirt pile in the gorilla house and got filthy... I mean just look at that bath water...


The kids love having baby Cameron around, but Myles doesn't understand why I won't let him climb in the exersaucer with Cameron. He has tried a few times, but I got to him just before he smashed the poor baby.

Morgan Sporting a Bob

We decided it was time for Morgan to have a new hairdo... so we took her to get a bob...
I love it even though it makes her look older.

At first she didn't like the idea. In fact, when she overhead me tell the lady on the phone that I wanted to make an appointment for a haircut, she started panicking and left the room in tears. I was worried she wouldn't cooperate, but when we got there she sat in the airplane chair and was brave during the whole ordeal. Maybe it was because of the balloon she got at the end, but if you ask her now she says she likes getting her hair cut.

I am thrilled with it. Now if we could only get Myles to stop pulling it...

"Want Dada"

The phrase I hear the most during the day is "want dada"... Poor Mike is stuck with kids hanging on him all night from the second he walks in the door. He can't even have a moment to himself to mow the lawn...

Mike is the bestest, most funest dad ever. (I know those aren't words, but they work.. right) No wonder the kids adore him and want to be with him every second.

When the kids say "want dada" during the day I always reply, "me too"... And it's so true... We look forward all day long to daddy coming home!

The Shaws Come to Ohio - Part 3

I love having a van! We all fit just right for our little outings. The kids were all comfy tucked in their seats...

Maybe a little too comfy...

The Shaws Come to Ohio - Part 2

We started out the Shaw visit with a trip to the zoo. We took Taylor there a few years ago during their last visit and he remembered right where he wanted to go... The Manatees... How many 9 year olds love the manatees?? Seems a little strange to me, but whatever makes him happy...

We looked forward to the zoo so we could get a little break from Myles and Jackson fighting over toys, pushing, and hitting each other. We thought having them strapped in the stroller would eliminate the problem for a while; but no... As he usually does, Myles had his own plan. He was in the back of the stroller and kept kicking the seat and reaching his hand though the opening to pull Jackson hair. Oh well, I'm not complaining. I'm just glad they both survived by the end of the week :)

When we got to the aquarium they had fun things in water for the kids to touch. There were tons of kids there on school field trips so the line was long...

But I think the wait was worth it.
Morgan thought touching a starfish was pretty cool.

The Shaws Come to Ohio - Part 1

Last week was jam packed with fun. The Shaw's came to Ohio for a visit and we had a great time. The guys had a golfing week; they played everyday before heading off to watch The Memorial Tournament. The rest of us spent the week trying to beat the heat.

The splash pad or "bunny park" as Morgan calls it, was a big hit. The kids liked that it kept them cool and we liked that it entertained them for a long time.


Myles was so into the water squirting out of the ground he didn't even notice he was wearing a hat. He usually takes it right off when I put it on, but today he left it on the entire time we were at the park.

Scott's Big Week!

Well Scott has officially been called on a mission. He got his call to Concepcion, Chile. YEAH!! We are so excited for him!! Scott has had plenty of excitement this week; he got his mission call, received the Melchizedek Priesthood, and graduated from high school. NICE WORK SCOTT!!

One of the best parts of witnessing him open his call was watching Shawn's expressions.

I think this was my favorite!





Congratulations Scott!! You'll be a great missionary!!

Dress Shirt

We finally got our little man a button down shirt for church. I usually just put him in a polo, but when I saw these little short sleeve shirts I just had to get him one. I think he looks especially cute in it without pants. (He just woke up from a long Sunday nap and was not in the mood to strike a pose.)

He looks like Mike pulling this face. I think it's his daddy lips...

I love having a boy! And whomever said it's not as fun to dress a little boy as it is a girl was lying!