A Family Effort

After 13 hours, we finally finished staining our deck!

Special thanks to:

Addison for being brave and climbing the ladder, and bringing us yummy treats, and playing with Kaden, and setting the table for dinner, and cleaning up dinner so mommy and daddy could keep staining. You really worked hard!

Kaden for sitting in your chair so happily, and taking really good naps so we could finish.

Jacob for putting up with my perfectionistic self, and for chanting me along until the very end!

This was a big project (much bigger than we anticipated), but it feels sooooo good to be able to walk on our deck and see the fruits of all of our labors!

A few pictures

Here are a few pictures of the kiddos for now. Updates on our summer coming soon :)

Beautiful Addi!
She loves ballet!!!!!!

You are probably wondering what is in Kaden's hair...

A slug!

Addi wanted all of us to hold her slug, including Kaden.

We all laughed a lot :)

Our growing boy!

He loves the outdoors!

Sibling love

One Full Week of Excitement!

Our little Kaden was blessed today by his daddy. Right before the blessing started, Kaden looked up at Jacob in the circle and smiled his biggest smile ever. He was excited to finally be blessed :)

Daddy and Kaden on his blessing day

Kaden on his blessing day

We also took a trip to Palmyra, New York earlier this week.

A dream come true!

This is the view of the temple from the Joseph Smith's house/ Sacred Grove

The window on this side of the temple is made of clear glass. This is because Pres. Hinckley said that without what happened outside that window, we wouldn't have what happens in the temple.

I am so grateful for the temple, it was such a beautiful image to have the Sacred Grove on one side of me and the temple on the other. I know the temple is a House of God, and I am so grateful for it so I can be with my family forever!

Family photo inside Joseph Smith's house.

This is the bed where he would have slept, along with 2 other brothers.

In front of the newer Smith home

Joseph Smith hid the gold plates under these same bricks Pretending to be cows and horses :)

Our family in the Sacred Grove

This was an amazing opportunity for our family,

if you ever have the chance to go, you should!

Kaden had quite the poopy diaper while we were there( as you can see in the background)

So Addi chased Jacob around and tried to throw grass on him.

I love the look on her face...pure joy and happiness!

The kiddos on the temple grounds

On top of the Hill Cumorah

We had a picnic at the top, and I just kept thinking...

"I can't believe I am having a picnic on top of the Hill Cumorah!"

This is the actual place where the gold plates were hidden, to come forth in a time when they could be translated and shared with the entire world! I am extremely grateful for the sacrifice of so many people, so we can have the Book of Mormon today! Book of Mormon statue at the Hill Cumorah Visitors CenterAfter Palmyra, we headed to Niagara Falls.

The kids slept the entire way there :)

We went to the aquarium first...

then to the falls...beautiful!!!

It was so windy that my cheeks were flapping and you had to push against the wind to stand up straight...it was awesome!

WE LOVED OUR NEW YORK TRIP!

Can't wait to go again!

This past weekend we had a bike parade to celebrate the 4th of July!

Can you find Addi?

We ended at the park to play...

and eat watermelon with friends...

and take a lift in the fire truck :)

This has been an exciting week!

I Hope we have more just like it :)

2 months old and a Sunday afternoon

Here is Kaden at 2 months and 1 week

(our camera broke so we didn't get a picture on his real 2 month birthday)

I love how he is starting to get chubby cheeks :)

He now weighs 11 lbs 1oz and is 23 in. long.

We love our little Kado Potato.

He is such a happy little guy :)

What's a Sunday afternoon without twirling in your poofy dress.

Just look at that form :)

Sweet Sweet Girl

Sunday afternoon walk.

Addi noticed this trail at the end of our street, and has been wanting to walk down it for a while now. It was beautiful and Addi kept us entertained with all her silly stories. We love that little girl!

Sweet dreams...

Pictures!

Just us :)

Out Pickin' strawberries.

We picked 7 lbs.

1 pound was probably eaten before we got home. We just opened the windows in the van and let the warm summer breeze blow through our hair, and tossed the tops of strawberries out on the country roads the entire way home... what a life!

Another pound was eaten that night and the rest we made into jam :)

And last, but not least...Addi got her first haircut!

She cried at first and wanted to run out the door, but after she was offered a lollipop, she jumped right in the seat, and was happy the entire time.

(She told me she didn't want to cut her hair until it touched the toilet when she went potty because that would be gross :) I love her little mind)