happy birthday sweet boy.

Happy Birthday to sweet, shy, snuggly, cute-cheeked, toddling, beautiful-eyed, raspy-voiced, truck-loving Trevan! Thanks for being in our lives and letting us see you grow!

o.

so deep in thought and sensitive, our owen is always the first to nuzzle into us like a puppy. he has a quiet, passive way; always observing and taking note of everything...there is nothing that he misses. such an angel.

rosebud.

the day grace was born my grandmother (whom grace looks like) said her lips were like rosebuds and the name stuck. every so often my grandma will bring over a miniature rosebud from her garden for grace's room.

all packed up.

instead of suitcases this trip i decided to just pack each person's clothes in our grocery bags so that everything would fit nicely. the kids are so excited...we always make "surprise bags" for the trip full of new books, 1 video, snacks, and 1 new toy (trading cards for the boys and a new doll for Grace) and place them and their pillow and blanket in their seat. all we need now is a good night's sleep for the long drive tomorrow!

Happy Birthday to the BEST MOM!!

My Miracle Mother

Mom, I look at you and see a walking miracle.

Your unfailing love without limit,

your ability to soothe my every hurt,

the way you are on duty, unselfishly,every hour, every day,

makes me so grateful that I am yours, and you are mine.

With open arms and open heart,

with enduring patience and inner strength,

you gave so much for me,sometimes at your expense.

You are my teacher,my comforter, my encourager,

appreciating all, forgiving all.

I know that everything I am today relates to you

and your loving care.

I gaze in wonder

as I watch you being you—my miracle, my mother.
By Joanna Fuchs

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

wyatt.

wyatt is such a neat little boy...he is so happy and easy going. he is so interested and so interesting. i am so lucky he is mine!

cake attack

we were invited to come play and swim at our friends house today and they were nice enough to share cupcakes too. um...grace liked hers can you tell!

balloons for anna.

all my children love balloons...be it when they are 2 years old or 8...they just are special to them. i am sure anna loves them too...if you ever see some pink balloons rising you will know they are for her from the ones that love her here. if you have a spare balloon please send it to her !

anna we wish we were meeting you this week! blowing you kisses!

love, your family

after YEARS of waiting and begging....

todd finally gave into letting me get a REAL camera. i mean come on, seriously i take 100 pictures a week on my little powershot elph (which i still will always love)...it is definitely time for a big girl camera! it should be here tomorrow so i will post all the great shots once i take them. i am SO excited!!!!!! big kisses to my awesome hubby!!

ordered up my car magnet

well i guess i need to jump off my hillary train and jump on the obama ride. today i ordered a $5 car magnet and a obama t-shirt. after my LOVE for al gore, it makes me nervous to get excited. i have yet to vote for a candidate and actualy have them win. hopefully this will be the first year todd and i vote the same...we always cancel out each others votes. i guess i should not PRESUME his vote yet...i still have a few months to work on him :)

leaving monday!

we leave for our summer trip monday---first stop six flags as chosen by wyatt and owen. has anyone ever visited? there is a thomas the train area,a bugs bunny area, and lots and LOTS of rides. road trip here we come!

a morning of "free" play.

can't beat a summer morning going to a free showing of alvin in the chipmunks with all our friends and then over to the petstore. "please can we get a puppy", "please can we get a bunny", "please can we get a fish...it is only 88 cents?" then we came home to see mabel and todd had taken her to work with him...guess we will have to go outside to find a lizard or something!!

power lab

hadley, wyatt, and owen got to stay out til 8:45 last night at First Christian! that is late for our group! they got to do art, games, and have snack. the highlight: seeing their old preschool teacher and the exciting announcement that they will be putting a pie in the leader's face at the end of the week! guess we are a go for friday too :)

missing anna.

Mabel's "Sister"

we absolutely are not getting another dog but it is fun to look. this is mabel's sister for sale from the breeder we got her from when she was just a pup...so if anyone is looking to get a puppy like our sweet, precious, 63-lb-was-supposed-to-be-40-lb. mabel then here you go!

boys makes a splash

i love the boys being at school together. they are so flexible there--the teacher went over and grabbed wyatt to come swim with his little brother during his lesson!

owen is such a fish this summer! this was a video from last month's swim lesson. wish we had a pool!! today we went swimming and he was cannonballing in---such a boy!

summer blankets

My boys just LOVE blankets...they drag them up and down the stairs and through the house everyday. I am so excited these are on sale for $39.99 at pottery barn kids. I can't wait to get them and snuggle up!!

free photo editor

from this one of Grace and Wyatt...

Try picnik out to edit photos. Here we used the 1960s styling to change a photo of Todd's bus.

won't take your memories

Since my grandmother suffered from Alzheimer's, we are always eager to use products that will not contribute to our genetic link to the disease in my family. I was shocked to find that deodorant ingredients can lead to the disease, so my sister and I went on a hunt to find a aluminum free brand. My friend turned us onto this one and the roll on seems to be working fine. Guess summer is not the best time to switch, but I guess the benefits out way the negatives in this case! Found it at Walgreen's!

Handprints on the Wall

I LOVE these colorful canvases from Red Envelope. The kids had a great time making them and they match my kitchen perfectly! Hopefully we will hang them today--right side up of course :)

Hot History

Wyatt and Owen are enjoying the week with their friends at Living History camp in the great HOT outdoors--complete with a chuck wagon jamboree and leather branding. The highlight according to them was hide and seek in a "spooky" 100 year old house. They even made the evening news.

what's in a name?

It was easy for me to start thinking of a name for my blog. As always I just look to my children. "Why Grow" both encompasses my children's names:

Why--Wyatt

Gr--Grace

Ow--Owen

and the forever question of the reasons each day to get up, to be happy, to grow. Oh and also on the other hand, I can view "Why Grow" as of course Why Grow Up...let's all stay young!