Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries

I am not a fan of summer. I would much rather have snow and cloudy days than sunshine and heat. So I think Heavenly Father has blessed me with peaches, cherries, watermelon, swimming, and gardening to help me get through the summer months.

This morning I woke up and remembered that Jeremy and I picked some cherries at a friend's house Saturday night - and there was a bowl of cherries waiting for me downstairs. I pulled the frosty glass bowl out of the refrigerator and just had to take some pictures.

Whenever I hear the song of a bird or look at the blue, blue sky

Whevever I feel the rain on my face, or the wind as it rushes by

Whenever I touch a velvet rose, or walk by a lilac tree

I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world Heavenly Father created for me.

Yes, I know Heavenly Father loves me!

by Clara W. McMaster

I am feeling especially thankful and blessed today. Not just for delicious cherries, but for all the goodness God has brought to my life. It is going to be a beautiful day!

The Princess is NOT Pleased!

I offered to mow the backyard Saturday if Jeremy would tend Lily. He happily agreed and they came outside to watch Mommy work. The sound of the mower wasn't very appealing to Lily so Daddy covered her ears and this is the look we got:

THE PRINCESS IS NOT PLEASED!

New Camera!

The Fathers' Day camera finally came and naturally Lily was our test subject.

I love how she doesn't look too thrilled in the first two photos.

But I did get a happy face in the end! We're so happy to have a good camera again. No more pixelated pictures. Hooray!

Fathers' Day

This was Jeremy's first Fathers' Day. We had a relaxing Sunday morning. Jeremy was tired after doing a week long Salmon River trip with the boy scouts - so all he wanted was sleep. Jeremy wanted french toast for breakfast. I ordered a new digital camera for his gift, but it didn't come in time. Our little princess gave Daddy a crown that proclaimed him King of the Castle. Lily liked the crown more than Daddy did. After church, we spent the day with Grammy and Grampy Hall and Jeremy's brother Justin's family. Lily loved having so many cousins to play with. Christine made dinner for everyone. Grammy made crowns for all the dads and had the kids write letters and make cards. Jeremy asked for Gunpowder Chicken and Tres Leches Cake. We ate almost everything. Then all the dads took a long afternoon siesta while the kids and moms went to the park. We didn't stay at the park long due to wind and rain. It was great to have a day of family fun. Hopefully that darn camera will get here soon so we can start taking better pictures!

Lily loves her Da Da!

Eight Months

Miss Lily is eight months old. She is the happiest baby ever. She goes to bed easily and sleeps through the night. Her vocabulary has expanded. She is now saying mama, baba, nana, and dada. She also says yeah. The one drawback to talking is...she loves to scream and make loud experimental noises. Some days Mommy needs ear plugs! She is not crawling yet, but she makes progress every day. She can turn herself around and pull herself along the floor with her arms, but she can't get the legs to cooperate. She has started waving, but not on purpose. Akela is her best little (big) buddy. Lily has learned how talking on the phone works and really loves to talk to Puna. She still doesn't have any teeth. Each day she discovers new things about the world around her. It is an absolute joy to be her parents.

She Said Ma Ma!

After much encouragement, Lily said a few ma ma mas for me today! Too bad Jeremy is gone all week with the scouts and won't get to hear it until Saturday. I guess by then Lily will have it perfected and be able to say it without so much insistence from me.

Stinky Face

Miss Lily has started making this funny face. She thinks it is so funny when we do it back. So this afternoon we had a little game of it.

Every Kid Needs a Dog

Akela just can't get enough of Lily. Since Lily was born, Akela has become so much more protective of Mommy, Lily, and the house. She lets Lily do pretty much anything to her - I can't believe how much eye-poking, ear-pulling, and face-slapping this dog will endure in the name of love. They are so cute together.

Garden at one month

The tomatoes, peppers, carrots, and beets are doing well.

All the squashes are thriving along with the beans, but the cucumbers are growing slowly.

The beans and marigolds look great, but only 50% of the peas sprouted.
I need to plant those earlier next year.

Jeremy's corn is almost as high as an elephant's eye!

I'm pleased with how things are looking this year. I finally get this gardening stuff!

Seven Month Photo Shoot

We had these done in Seattle earlier this week. More to come soon. These were taken by Karina Rigtrup. Her studio website is: http://afreshtakephotography.com/

Thanks Karina for the beautiful photos of our beautiful girl!

Sunshine in Seattle

Lily and Mommy left Daddy alone in Boise for the weekend and took a quick trip to Seattle. Puna and Papa had a choir concert on Sunday. It was a lot of fun. Lily had her 6 month (really 7 month) photo shoot. We'll have those pictures soon. On Monday we drove out to see Nona who is one of Lily's living great-grandparents. Lily had a great time. Her sleeping schedule is a little off, but we'll get back on track once we're settled in at home.