Jumpin' June

The biggest news of this month, is that I am officially unemployed!!  I am excited to be at home now, though I may have to remind myself of that at time...  With baby #3 coming, I will have more than just my 2 hands full, and it is time for me to be with my family full time.

But here are some things that kept us busy this month:

The Air Show at Hill Air Force Base

This could not have kept our boys more entertained!  It was hot, and we didn't take any chairs/blankets.  Next year we will be there early, and way more prepared.

The whole Goates family was in town, and then we left to go stay at Bear Lake.  We ventured down in to the Minnetonka Cave.  You can see how thrilled Jack was by the end!

What's a family trip without competition?  There was also ping-pong and basketball.  Even Josh and Jack got in on the air hockey action.

With some new toys to keep the boys entertained, the theme of the week was 'doctors.'

This was just a cute picture from our final lunch together at Cafe Rio.  Josh may not give his aunts real kisses, but eskimo ones will do.

And for a quick little blag, here is one of the Father's Day gifts that Dan whipped up on his sewing machine.  This specific pillow, with accessory pockets (for glasses, remotes, etc) was for his stepdad.  The other 2 were also monogrammed to personalize it to each "boppa."

Good Job Dan!!

Frozen Brilliance!

It is popsicle season, especially when you live in Utah with a swamp cooler and 2 busy boys who love being outside.  I found THE BEST popsicles for little kids, and I told Dan that if I ever meet their creator I was going to french-kiss them!!  

These little frozen goody-pops measure about 2.5 inches, are soft enough to bite, but seriously don't melt.  Well, in the 3 minutes it took for them to disappear they never melted.  But it was hot outside.  The box comes with 24, so it's not like you pay a bunch for a dozen tiny treats. 

TOTALLY WORTH IT!!!  

(no false advertising on this box)

Catching Up

We love going to Sugar House park.  So far, we have visited 4 other of our favorite parks and it's a fun way to welcome ourselves back to this area.  

Jack and Josh love to feed the birds: geese, ducks, and seagulls.  

This goose, however, invaded Josh's personal space, which is not okay with him.  It actually walked right up to Josh and grabbed that entire 1/2 roll out of his hand.  That's when Josh was done, and ran back to the stroller.  We actually haven't fed them since!

Josh loves to swing, and doesn't get nervous about how high he gets now, even though he tells you, "no too high, please."

Jack will totally fight you as he gets put in to the swing, but always ends up giggling as he starts to swing!  He's funny.

The boys love to play on the piano.  Josh is so observant though, and will never just play without having something in front to look at - just like mom and her music.  

The Result...

GIRL! GIRL! GIRL!

Gifts for Moms

Happy Mother's Day!

Last week, I came home to a great surprise.  Dan had been watching and waiting for the perfect deal on a piano for 3 months, and this was it.  The quick history of it is that it was a gift from a father to a daughter 50 years ago, moved around the country, and never played.  The couple selling were desperate to sell it before an overseas move, and Dan only paid $200!!  

Thank you Dan.  I LOVE IT!!

For my mom's gift, Jason and Thomas had the great idea to plant her veggie garden while she went out of town.  My boys and I decided to help.  

After the big boys did all the heavy labor, and the shopping, Josh and I went to work putting the plants in the ground.  He was so careful with each plant as he lowered it in to the hole.  The he would yell, "next one!"

It only took a few minutes for Josh to get over getting his hands dirty.  As we finished up, we could barely get him out from sitting in the middle of the garden.

Of course, there were lots of worms.  Jack doesn't mind holding bugs, (yet) and we took advantage of that!

I love this picture!!  No fear, Jack.

VOILA!!  Fresh salsa, anyone?

P.S.  The boys do have the cutes gifts for their grandmas, but they are not quite ready.  When they are, they will be so cute and I will post the results.

We are still working on getting things picture-worthy in the new place, but here are some fun things to keep everyone entertained. Dan put the boys' bunk bed together, and Jack spent his 1st night out of a crib. HE LOVED IT! The loud laughter that we usually hear coming from the room for at least an hour only lasted about 20 minutes. He even slept longer the next morning. And for those wondering about Josh's success on the top, he loves it, and NO, he did not fall off. He can't since he's basically sleeping in a box.

Josh is our little singer, and loves using the different instruments he can find. This new interest of his really came to life when I found a little microphone that has an echo effect. 

Again, Josh makes us laugh with his wiggle-butt dance!!

No Matter What

I have had a humbling lesson this week with our move. Our main reason for the move was to keep our family close, literally. Dan is loving his tiny, 15-min commute. But, I am learning what it really means to make my family my circle of support. As the boys and I finally made it to the grocery store yesterday, I realized that we were unknown in this area. (which feels odd since I have only been gone for 5 years) But, we wouldn't run in to any neighbor or see any familiar face while out, as we would have just a week ago. Yes, we will meet our neighbors and ward-members soon, but it was just like being in a place and looking in from the outside... 

So, Josh and Jack are my little buddies. They have put up with A LOT this week, from juggling houses and bed times to unpacking boxes. I admire their ability to wake up each day as if the drama and frustration from the day before never happened. If only I could better myself in that area.

I really do have good boys. We have had some fun and silly times despite the piles of boxes and nights of unpacking/organizing that lie ahead. Josh has also been showing lots of maturity and knows he is the oldest. He has taken on the role of being the screen door holder for little-legged, and slower Jack every time we get to our "new home." (Josh won't call it just "home" yet) 

We went to the zoo this morning, where they found their favorite attraction... on the way out! After toddling around the majority of the zoo, sharing an ice cream cone, and playing in the park, Josh and Jack completed the trip by playing in the water at the base of the black globe. 

Animals, slides, ice cream, and water fun. We bought a season pass so we can do this perfect, all-around field trip more often!

I am blessed to be a mom, with boys who teach me a ton without using any particular language. Yes we have this new adventure in front of us, but we get to experience it together. My family really is my circle. I wouldn't have it any other way.