Sweet girls

Jannica has been working on her Faith in God book for church and has to work through some goals and activities. One of the challenges is that the girl is supposed to give the prayer in Sacrament meeting or FHE and then talk to a leader or parent about it. So, Jac, who is never shy about praying in public had no problem with the first part. She is not a big sharer of private info (or maybe I am not and so we don't talk enough). So, I asked her about prayer and how she felt about it and how praying makes her feel. She told me that she knows when she prays, Heavenly Father is listening. I asked her how she knew and she told me that on days when she is feeling lonely or wondering why she is here with us, she says a prayer in her heart and can feel a warm happy feeling all over her body, like she is being hugged and she knows this is where she is supposed to be.
MY JAC ROCKS!
Ryan and I were planting the garden and we were talking about how seeds grow. She was planting them and talking to them like they were her babies. She was quiet for a minute and then asked if Heavenly Father put her in my tummy. I said "no, he sent your spirit to earth and gave you a big hug and said good luck sweet heart, kissed you on the forhead and sent you to me." She smiled and then said, "Mom, I feel like he is doing that to me right now."
MY RYAN ROCKS!
Man, my girls are so sweet! I am so lucky to have girls that love each other and love their Father in Heaven so much. I know he loves them too, cause his spirit is with them so often.

Just not when they are freaking out over getting in trouble or telling each other they are going to "punch you in the face".

But that is rare, I got it pretty good.

And then came Cameron.......

Redneck Sledding

Living in the South, we really don't have a sled waiting around for us to use. But there are a few days every once in a while where it would be very useful. So we grabbed a slim piece of wood, added two laundry baskets, piled the kids in, and threw it down the driveway. Pretty? No. But it worked. That was until Cameron decided to get out and face planted into the ice. After two stitches, he was fine and back sledding again.

Taco Bell $1 Menu Challenge

Yesterday, Mike (a guy I work with) and I decided to take the Taco Bell $1 Menu Challenge. It consists of everything on the $1 menu including, Cheesy Nachos (280 calories), Cinnamon Twists (180) , a Soft Taco (210), a Hard Taco (170), a Crispy Potato Soft Taco (280), a Cheese Roll-Up (200), a Caramel Apple Empanada (310), a Grilled Chicken Burrito (430), and a 20 ounce Mountain Dew (280). 2400 calories of pure Taco Bell goodness.
I'm happy to say, that I took it down no problem. Now, was it a smart idea? Probably not. Especially if you are a co-worker.

If Cameron dies.......

Yes, this is included in many a conversation with Ryan lately. I am beginning to worry.

Ryan: Can we get a new cat?

Me: No, we kill cats, remember? No more cats for us.

Ryan: Well, can we get a dog?

Me: No, we are not getting any more pets.

Ryan: Hey! I know! When Cameron dies, we can get a new cat!

Me: (Trying not laugh and not be horrified) Cameron is not going to die, we are not getting any more pets.

In tonight's bath...

Ryan: What is a mummy anyway?

Me: A mummy is when the Egyptians wrapped up dead people in cloths.

Ryan: So, when Cameron dies, we can wrap him up?

Me: Cameron is not going to die! And people don't do that anymore.

Ryan: Oh...

Ryan LOVES Cameron, but I think this whole cat thing was a little more traumatic than I thought.

BTW those sweet cats left fleas in my house. Any suggestions?

Since we are on the subject of bugs... Jannica came home and told me she thinks our house is "invested" with ants.

Turns out it was. Fun Friday night of killing ants and emptying the pantry.

Spot

Jaimee found two little abandoned kittens at her work about a month ago. One of the kittens Whitie (because he was all black) was not doing real well. We spent a night trying to help the kitten recover, but we were not successful.

The other kitten Spot (because of a small white patch on its paw) came to live with us. Ryan loved to play with this little ball of joy. It was so much fun to have around the house and it loved to cuddle with me in bed when it was trying to get away from the kids. It had a love/hate relationship with Cameron. It loved to have his every attention, but hated to be strangled. Cameron was only 11 months old after all. Here is a video of Ryan doing Eenie Meenie Miny Moe with Spot.

Unfortunately, Spot did not get to stay with us long. After a few weeks on an afternoon golf cart ride, Spot jumped from the golf cart never to be seen again. Well, I saw him again, but it was to take him out to the backyard with the shovel to bury him. He was only with us for just under a month, but it was a fun, happy month. He will be missed.

Cameron's Birthday

I can't believe it, but Cameron is now 1 year old. It seems just like yesterday that we were in the hospital bringing him home. He has grown so much this last year. It is just amazing. He is walking and almost running. He claps when we do and he loves it. He climbs up and down the stairs on the own and it scares the death out of me. He says Daddy a lot. Not really sure if he is saying it because it is my name or if it is just his noises. But I like to think that he is saying my name. He is just such a cute kid and I love him very much. My little boy has a special place in my heart. Not that I don't love the girls, but there is something special about the boy.

Aruba

Kelly took me to Aruba for my birthday and Father's Day. It was a blast! I could not bear to leave the kids for a week. I also wanted to be able to do fun stuff with Kelly. The solution: bring a babysitter.

It was the best vacation we have been on in a long time.