Scenic Sunday--Grafton, Utah

Joe and I started taking Sunday drives again. Last Sunday, however, I not only forgot to take any pictures but we "winged it" and ended up taking what we thought was a loop for two hours before turning around! That was a LONG drive.

Today, we decided to go out to an old LDS ghost town about 45 minutes from St. George. It was a pretty drive and had some interesting buildings. It would be fun to shoot family pictures out there sometime. Some polygamists actually showed up while we were there which made it feel like This is the Place National Monument in Salt Lake. You can see them if you blow up this next picture...

(Okay they are really tiny. But there are two women just above and to the left of the picket fence.)

Jay was just happy to be out of the car.

You couldn't go inside these buildings but you could look in through the windows. There had to be a million dead flies on the schoolhouse floor.

Fun day. Even with the heat, I still love this place.

"Stay Little"

Joe and I are lucky enough that our Moms' birthdays are only two days apart. It makes remembering super easy. This year Mom Brady requested pictures of all her grandkids. Since we all live within 45 minutes of each other this was also super easy. We got together one night here in St. George and had a photo shoot. It was really fun. Here are the pictures we actually printed out and gave to her:

Group Shot
(I love Jay's little legs in this one!) Ailee Maya Jay

And Gage
(This is the cousin that Jay says "needs" him so much) And I just knew how much my mom would like this next picture so I printed one off for her birthday too.

The rest of these get honorable mention...
(Love this one!) (Ignore how Jay has a blue shirt on and everyone else has white... bad timing.)

What cute kids huh? I can't imagine living in a time when you couldn't capture these moments in photos. We're so blessed to live close to Joe's brothers and to have two of the greatest Moms ever. Happy Birthday Mom!... (That means both of you.)

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day Joe! Jay and I (and baby brother) are so lucky to have you in our lives. Thanks so much for working so hard. You really are a great Dad and I love watching how you are with Jay. I can't wait to see what adding another little boy will do to our family. You're the best. I love you!

Oh and in case anyone (ahem... Mom Brady) wants to see what we gave Joe today, we made him a video. I uploaded it to Youtube so that you could see it. It's my first time using Youtube so hopefully it works. Anyhow, here's the link:

Happy Father's Day Joe

Secret Keeping

FAIL! I gave Joe his Father's Day present last night. (Sorry about the terrible picture. It was dark.) I have yet to not ruin a holiday or birthday surprise for Joe. I just can't help myself. I get so excited about whatever I got him that I either give it to him early or tell him what it is or give him dozens of hints until he guesses. What is wrong with me?! I know that if I could just wait 24-48 hours (okay sometimes a whole week) until the actual holiday, it would mean sooo much more. But I can't. I'm simply not capable of doing it.

Anyhow, I decided I would post about it in case anyone was struggling for an idea for their husband or Dad. This was actually quite the adventure since the craft store only had unpainted letters in this size. It was already almost 100 degrees outside so I ran home, left the car running with Jay inside, spray painted the letters on a box on my driveway, and then threw them in the trunk to dry on the way to the park. We managed not to ruin any clothing in the process. I call that a success.

It was hard to choose which pictures should go in the frame. Jay is just too cute...

Fanks and Bonedozers

Jay has been saying such funny things lately and I don't want to forget them. (Some of these I posted on facebook.)

He calls Bulldozers "Bonedozers".

Jay really loves his cousin, Gage, who lives here in St. George. Whenever we leave Gage's house Jay says, "We have to go back. Gage needs me!" (A little prideful and dramatic... but thoughtful.)

The other day, Jay refused to eat his lunch. So I told him that he could either eat his lunch or take a nap. He said he wanted to take a nap. (Not the way I thought that would go!) He must have seen my disappointment because then he looked at me so sincerely and asked, "Mommy, are my choices not happy?"

He calls bungee cords "Hookers" because of the hooks on each end. This was a little awkward but last time he called one a "Corder" and I made sure to laugh really loud. (Usually the more I react, the more he says something!)

The other day, he told me that hugs and kisses make little boys happy.

In church a few weeks ago, he stood up during the passing of the sacrament and yelled, "I ate all my toenails!"

During prayer one night, Jay corrected Joe's English:
Joe: "Help us to sleep good."
Jay: "Help us to sleep well."
Then when prayers were over, Jay asked, "Is Jesus happy now?"

He can't say some of his letters and sounds. My favorite, though, is the word "Thanks".

Anytime I say, "I love you Jay" or "You're such a good boy" he will just look so happy and say, "Fanks, Mom!"

He will randomly stand up, turn around, and say, "Watch me shake my bum" as he wiggles his hips. (Not sure where he got this one... Maybe from watching too much "Full House" with Joe? Little Michelle does that sometimes... minus the announcement!)

Anyhow, Jay's a lot of fun and we love having him around!

Twins!

Okay, I just now realized that titling this post "Twins!" when I'm pregnant is mean. Sorry... I'm not having twins. Jay and Joe just dressed alike today and I took a picture. That's all. Sorry if that disappoints anyone.

Shampoo Paint

So thanks to my friend Sharlee, I discovered a wonderful little site called Pinterest. It's a way cool social media site that allows you to "pin" awesome things that you find on the internet onto different boards. I've only pinned once but I love looking through and seeing what amazing things other people find.

There are a ton of ideas for everything from cooking to fashion. I love all the ideas for kids though and that is where I got this one: It's shampoo paint! (Found here.) 6 Tbs. Shampoo
2 Tbs. Water
(Mix with electric mixer until thick like shaving cream)
Add food coloring.

I let Jay "paint" on the sliding glass door and then hosed it off and tossed him in the tub.

Next time I'll set up the kiddie pool and put him in swim trunks. Oh and the glasses are because he was splashing the soap all over the place and I used adult shampoo. I was imagining the fit that would occur if he got any in his eyes!