Sunglasses

 

Dad

I don't know what it is about dads that make me get really sentimental and teary, but they are pretty awesome. I am so blessed to have an amazing father. He is patient, understanding, blunt, loyal, and kind. He taught me how to work hard--really hard. He taught me the value of accountability and responsibility. He taught me to be dependable. He taught me to love my spouse unconditionally. He taught me to nurture my testimony. Dave Lee is one of the greatest men I know.

I am also very blessed to have an amazing father-in-law who taught my husband how to be a wonderful husband and dad. He makes me feel so accepted and loved. Steve Carter is one of those special men who I am lucky to know personally.

And then there is the man of my dreams.
Blaine, thank you for helping to make us a family. You've made me a mother and wife and I've never been happier. Thank you for loving me and our children more than anything or anyone else. Thank you for working hard and providing for us. Thank you for honoring your priesthood. Thank you for being so patient. And thank you for playing with the kids. There's something to said for a dad who pretends to me a horse, who builds forts, who builds train-track masterpieces, and who creates Lego works of art. I'm sure the day will come soon when you'll be having tea parties and playing with dolls and Barbies too. I can't wait. You're a wonderful man and the best I know.

Sarah Lately

I've been "sitting on" this post since Sarah's birthday. Yikes. I suck. Anyway... This little girl is pretty special, and despite her new-found flair for the dramatic, we really, really like her.

Here she is chillin' in the backyard a few weeks back.

A few Sarah-isms:

Jake still calls her, "Saiya". I love it so much and will be so sad when we can actually pronounce her name.

She still digs baby food. It's weird.

She is completely weened. {And has been for several weeks now.}

She can scream like a shrieking eel.

She loves her flower blanket and her dolly. She cuddles them close to her face and makes the sweetest sighing sounds.

She is still thinking about walking. I think she just hasn't decided to do it yet.

She loves attention.

She loves to dance. She does a great shimmy.

She tries very hard to be a big kid. She isn't afraid to get in there with Jake and her cousins.

She loves to swing. I will put her in the swing at the park and push her for an hour. I'm not kidding.

She is a climber. She loves the stairs. We are trying to teach her to go down them without falling.

She has learned how to cry and get her brother in trouble... even when he doesn't deserve it.

She says "Dada", "Mama", and "banana"-- even though I wasn't there to really hear it, she said "banana" to my mom up in WA.

Despite her limited vocabulary, she's actually a great communicator. She grunts and points and knows how to follow instructions.

She's really beginning to love books. She'll pull them down from the shelves and "read" them. Sometimes she'll even pretend and say "dadadadadada" like she's reading out loud.

She is more into little tricks than Jakey was. She loves to show off her skills and will clap, blow kisses, "whoop-whoop!", "so big", wave, play patty-cake and peek-a-boo.

She loves to sing like her brother. It's pretty cute.

She loves to play in the trash. It drives me nuts.

She does this funny thing where she blows through her nose and grits her teeth. We love it.

She's really perfecting her fine-motor skills. She gets a hold of Jake's sticker stash and peels them off one by one.

Still not a lot of hair :( but it is coming in pretty blonde.

Her eyes are really cool. They look dark brown, but they've got some green in them too. 

She looks just like her daddy.

She's a Momma's girl.

Sunday at Molly's

One of my favorite things about the Carters coming to town in the Spring is the Sunday afternoon spent at Grandma Molly's house in Lindon. The yard is amazing and the company is great. There is something about sitting in the shade while the kids run amok that I just love.

This is Carly's little girl, Molly. She is named after Steve's mom, Molly {Carly's grandma}.

Molly and Sarah "sharing" toys.

We were pretty entertained by this.

Jake loves the sandbox.

Teaching Sarah to jump.

Awe.

I have no idea what this tennis ball is doing in this tree, but I think it's so cool that the tree is growing around it.

I'll bet we took at least 20 pictures of the family {sans Sean} and this is the best we have. Hilarious. If I was less vain, I would post all of them.

Blaine's fam.

Brent's fam.

Doug's fam.

Again, not a single "good" picture... but these are too cute not to share.

We were attempting a picture of Steve and Chris's kids with Wes and Molly.

We are all laughing because we took about ten before we realized Christopher was "bombing" our picture the whole time. I love this kid.
{But who's the gorilla in the black and white stripes?}

More trampoline.

Jakey getting a haircut from Aunt Jen.

And Sarah dreaming of the day she'll actually need a haircut too.