Summer Days

and

A Story or Two

These are just a few of the things that we have been up to this summer

Thank goodness for friends, (Leah Meacham and her little kiddos) I don't know what we would be doing if we didn't have these little friends to play with everyday and if I didn't have my faithful gym partner and frozen yogurt buddy to hang out and laugh with day in and day out.

Here are all the kids (except Linford and Avery) playing on the army tank at the park

Hewitts Birthday at the zoo

The boys at the park

Harper, Linford, Jace, Hewitt, Avery and Brody

We were at a splash park and somehow they all ended up on the table

All the kids again

Harper, Linford, Brody and Hewitt

Hewitt and Harper taking a little break

Love these two, they were SO hot at the park

My three little dudes, LOVE them!

Avery and Linny

Day at the zoo

A Story or Two

Well here are a few stories of my adventures here in Oklahoma.

SO there are a ton of pools out here in Oklahoma and we had been trying to find a good one for the kids. Leah (my friend) had trusted me to find a good pool. So I gave her the name and address of the pool and then we decided just to meet there because my kids were still taking their naps. Well I loaded my kids in the car and we drove for a while, which seemed like forever and as I am arriving to this pool the surroundings are nothing like what I expected. I look in the pool and see Leah and her sister and her three blondies and amongst probably at least 40 other people they were the O N L Y white people at the pool. I began to take notice of my surroundings and begin to realize we are in borderline ghetto. The pool had barbwire lining the entire pool and it was free to get in. I am sure everyone was looking at us thinking, "what are those white folks doing here?" I am not racist at all, I just could tell we did not fit in. I walked in and apologized to Leah and she just responded, "well I don't care I am not too picky" so we stayed and we had a great time...Later after talking to some family that I have who live in OKC they informed me that "white" people DO NOT swim at that pool and next time I want to go swimming I should probably ask them a good place to go. HAHAHAHA, You live and learn right? Hey at least we had fun!

So one day me and my friend Taryn were at a random sprayground and were wanting to go grab a smoothie somewhere. So I googled "smoothie" in my phone and BAM found a place called "Cafe Oasis" and we were off. We drove a ways and as we arrived something was a little off, but we're not from here so nothing really feels familiar. Well, we walk into this place and everyone is Asian, I didn't think much of it, then I realize nothing is written in English and no one speaks English either. We made due and ordered and the smoothies were actually really good. WELL I had all three of my kids with me and they Hewitt and Linford were sitting on these TALL stools and I had Harper on my lap. Well Linford being the 2 year old that he is was wiggling all over and he fell off the tall stool onto the concrete floor and hit his head really hard. SO quickly I put Harper on the other stool and grab Linford holding him, making sure he is okay. Meantime Harper falls!! Hits his head and EACH time the ENTIRE place, full of Asian people G A S P as each child falls, everyone staring and judging, speaking their language. All eyes on me. I was so humiliated, felt like the worst mom. I gathered my kids and left. Luckily they were okay and no bad injuries occurred.

The next day I was at my Uncles house and I told them my horrific story. As soon as I was done they asked, "where were you at???" I told them the coordinates and they started to laugh...they said, "Ashley, that is the "Asian District"...."ahhaha, they were probably wondering what you were doing there!" I just had to laugh at myself. I never knew there were so many different "designated areas" for different cultures and races. I didn't know there were places I should and shouldn't go...gosh!!!!

Hewitt

Well this little stud just turned 5!!!!

Wow he is so old. I will try to do a special birthday post for him.

His baby pictures are so sweet and I love looking at them.

Hewitt is my little genious and I am so proud of that.

He is so smart and so passionate for life.

Hewitt loves to wrestle and play football

He is really into super hero's still, and he loves playing with friends and his brothers.

We will give Hewitt the option to do whatever he wants and

he will choose wrestle with mom or dad 99.9% of the time.

Hewitt is SO obedient.

Hewitt is the best helper.

He loves his family so much and is very protective of us.

Hewitt is very tough but has a huge huge heart. I will tell him something like,

"if someone hits you, you can hit them back"

and he will say,

"but mom, I don't want to hurt anyone"

Hewitt LOVES animals. He loves the zoo, the farm, anything to do with creatures and nature.

He is getting so big and I love him so much!!!

Hewitt's birthday...we tried to make it as special as possible, he had a wonderful day.

He kept saying, "mom I don't want my birthday to end"

Hewitt wearing some of his birthday stuff.

Hewitt doing his mean face, I don't know what his obsession is with making these faces..

again

The Zoo

being cute

Hewitt loves BYU

There was this sweet Army Tanker that the kids were able to climb on and pretend they were in the army. They had so much fun.

Hewitt and his friend Jace

Hewitt and Linford

Beimg tough

I have so much to update still:

Funny stories

Family outings

New fun friends

Hewitt's birthday

fun times with my Aunt Susan and Uncle Brent and my cousins

I am hoping to get all these done soon!

Linny

Linford is such a blast to have around the house and just to be around PERIOD.

He is A L W A Y S happy.

He will be turning 3 next month and I don't know where the time went.

He is besties with BOTH Hewitt AND Harper.

Linford is getting so smart and is physically amazing at any sport he tries or wants to do.

He is so determined at everything he puts his mind to, and it always pays off. I love that he can see the rewards of hard work (in some form) at such an early age.

Linford is my candy lover and sweet tooth child.

He is my most tan child by far

He is my most mischevious, no question...so far atleast.

Linford gets along with everyone, I love this about him.

Linford is a little big for the sink, but he wanted a try...so why not.

This is his kissy face, I absolutely LOVE it too. I make him give me millions of kisses, I can't resist this face.

Linford absolutely A D OR E S this cute little princess. Her name is Avery and he calls her his "girlfriend"....talks about her all the time. He follows her all over the place when we go anywhere with them. I have found them multiple times just hiding somewhere and histaricly laughing.

Linford loves to be silly and tries to laugh off anything that might be remotely serious. Anytime I get mad or he is in trouble

he R U N S

he H I D E S

and when you find him he tries to laugh or smile

or pretend like he has no idea what you are talking about.

SprayGround

His "mean" face

(if he could ever be "mean")

Right after his "mean" face...how could he ever be serious?

MMMMMMUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!

We have been in Oklahoma now for a month now and its beautiful here. We love it. It is really HUMID

but we have been having fun.

I have lots more pictures to come and some funny stories.

We will be back in Utah in October and after that will be super busy with vacations and fun times with family and friends. We are looking forward to seeing everyone. We miss our families and friends SO BAD. I knew it would be hard...but thinking it and feeling it are totally different. It has totally made me realize how much I love mine and Brandons families both. As well as our amazing friends and our dog too.

BUT we have also grown so much closer to eachother and I have become a lot more of an independent mom. I can do things by myself with 3 kids under 5 that I never thought I could do.

SO MUCH

SO SO SO MUCH

Well, yes....I have slacked.

I have so much to update...

A lot has happened that I need to blog about.

So here is an attempt to catch up.

Here are some updates on Harper.

He is talking up a storm, too many words to count or name.

He is getting so big and so smart.

He L O V E S his Daddy

He sleeps from 8:30pm to 8:30 or 9am...

Makes every funny face in the book

Loves to be thrown around

Loves books

Loves slides and letting the ducks eat bread from out of his hand

He is 17 months old (Linford was this age when Harper was born)

He is such a little fireball and we love him so so so much.

Fishy Face

Spray Grounds are all over out here in Oklahoma. This is one of our daily or weekly activities. Harper is obsessed, he LOVES them. He is my little fish. He loves the water and getting completely soaked. Neither of my other kids were ever this way.

Pout lip

He would spend all day at the drinking fountain. It gets REALLY hot here.

Pucker up!
He loves giving kisses....Especially to Brandon. He will kiss Brandon over and over and over....one right after the other. It is so cute.

Loves the play ground.

He will get out of the car, RUN to the playground and won't be done till I grab him and drag him to the car. It is scorching hot and humid and still,,,,,he doesn't want to be done.

Loves getting in the sink and playing with a cup. This is what he does while I clean the kitchen...is that weird??? Oh, love this face by the way...

Messy Eater...He has to eat ALL BY HIMSELF... so this is what I get to clean up!

Just being cute as usual

This picture is blurry but tells a lot about Harpers darling personality. He has his own style and way of doing things and I love it. I love how you can see it at such a young age. He is so funny, and sweet and every good word I could think of.

I will be doing an update on Linford and Hewitt and then our family as a whole...bare with me!

A Day in The Life....

I think I have posted something like this before...

B U T

I can't get enough of being a mom to these little dudes.

Y E S

Our lives are NOT perfect.

My kids are NOT perfect.

I definitely am NOT perfect.

There is a LOT more I could do better at...

A LOT more I could improve on...

But when I choose to live in the

M O M E N T

with these precious boys,

I find myself completely WRAPPED up in

P U R E J O Y

Harper Update:

He says SO MANY WORDS!!!

Here are a few I can think of off the T O P of my head:

Yummy

Mom (not mommy)

Dad (not daddy)

Please

shoes

yay (while clapping)

Bat-bet-bow (basketball)

foo-bow (football)

ball

Thanks

Uh-oh

I wan-sum (I want some)

E-mo (elmo)

Ewwww (when he sees a bug or dirty diaper)

No

Wow

Ya

Bug

Bubbles

Whooooaaaa

airpane

Bird-E (Birdie)

Vroom (when he plays with the cars)

Cow

kitty

Doggy

Hi (with a wave)

Bye (with a wave)

eyes (while pointing to his eye)

Tub

He does the sounds of:

Doggy Barking

Cow Mooing

Duck Quacking

Gorilla pounding his chest

bird tweeting

Dinosaur and other roaring animals Roaring

kitty meowing

ACTIONS: Puts a finger up and says, Uh-uh...Uh-uh

Blows kisses

Gives kisses

tackles and wrestles (he's the one who starts it)

Boxes with Boxing gloves

SINGS: do as I'm doing, itsy bitsy spider, and no more monkeys jumping on the bed

(ALL WITH ACTIONS)

He just got a bunch of teeth. The two next to his top front teeth and the two next to his bottom front teeth and also MOLARS!

He is very responsive.

He will take things to people or bring things to you if you tell him to.

He will go to the tub when I tell him its tub-time.

He will cry when I tell him its bed time.

He will go get his shoes when I say "lets go"

He will go to his highchair when I tell him its time to eat.

Will get a book when I tell him I will read to him.

Make the fishy face or smile if I tell him to.

He weighs 25 pounds (my thinest child yet)

He is 15 months old

Harper does this "fishy" face. I have been trying to get a picture of it for sometime now and finally I was able to snap a shot

I walked in my room and this is what I found.

I loved how Linford has on Brandons socks too.

I love that they love eachother so much

Here are some funny videos.

Yes I encourage this.

I know alot of people think I am crazy, but I want my kids to be

"ALL BOY"

and that includes being

T O U G H and B R A V E.

(mainly for: Grammy & Popps AND Grandma & Grandpa McBride)

Many Many Many

Videos in El Paso

Okay Grammy and Popps

I know you used to see these kids everyday and you keep asking for videos....

so here are a few

They are totally candid so bare with me on this

I hope you enjoy watching them as much as we did.

Special Day

Happy Fathers Day Brandon!!!

I have really noticed my kids need for there father over the past few months.

With him having to work so much we don't get to see him as often as we used to.

They miss him.

I miss him.

BUT

when he has his days off

WE

l o v e to l o v e him...

and I love it.

Here are a few

c a n d i d

videos of how they feel about their Daddy-

really cute and kind of funny

We Love you Brandon!

YUMMMMMM

Well Harper is getting to the point where he won't let me "feed" him anymore.

He wants to do it all by himself.

Which he is very capable of....

-T H I S-

Is the result...

This is mainly for Grammy and Popps

I know they are missing being able to see this little guy grow

So here is a little tid-bit of Harper...