Awesome Dads!

Happy Father's Day!


My sweet husband Blaine--the best Dad ever for the following reasons:
1. He comes up with discipline solutions for the kids by telling them to "Give yourself a spankin".
2. He lets Mommy take naps on Sundays.
3. He makes up silly songs for most any occasion.
4. He has some killer dance moves when we have "dance time".
5. He goes to works everyday and handles complicated legal issues and misses out on the pool, the park, trips etc.--all of which would not be possible without his hard work and support.
6. He keeps us all reading the scriptures and praying.
7. He is fine with "MYO" dinners--("Make Your Own" dinners--something we do too often when mommy doesn't feel like or have time to cook.)
8. He has faith to move mountains.
9. He makes Mommy laugh (a lot) EVERY single day and lets her have her way and what she wants (most) days, and makes her feel cute and appreciated.
10. He's really just a kid himself for many things... i.e. the Wii
11. He is really smart and really strong---should we remind his brothers who won the bench press competition??

We love you Dad!!


Blaine and I have been blessed with 3 Dads that all are so wonderful. Each of you have taught us many things and have been such great Grandpas and we want you to know how much we love you and appreciate all you've done for us. Happy Father's Day!


Grandpa Despain and Cam are really good buds!


Grandpa Blood--He recently came to Lexington to visit and I didn't get many pictures of him--he's usually the picture taker! We had a great time with him when he was here.


Grandpa Bell--always up for a story with the kids!

Blaine's Big Weekend!

Blaine turned 30 on Saturday and also lucked out to have Father's Day the same weekend as his birthday. For his birthday we went to Cameron's TBall game (where Cam was thrilled to earn the game ball for his first time--he had some great plays out in the field) and then we went to a movie (without kids!--thanks Lisa!) and saw the new "Indiana Jones" movie--which we liked. And then, we had a great BBQ last night with some of our great friends and neighbors. So--Blaine is 30 now--he can't tease me about being older anymore. Happy Birthday Blaine!



Blaine got Wii Fit for his bday--its so cool. Come try it out sometime!


The whole family loving our awesome Dad!



Blaine blowing out candles on his birthday "trifle". He's so old now he needed some help from Cam and Kelsey.



This is Drew--we are considering adopting him as our son.

Summer Fun!

We look forward to summer so much and mostly because we go to the pool several times a week! The kids love it and I love it because they just play and have fun and don't fight or get in trouble!
Then they're so tired that night so they sleep really good. Here's some fun pictures of our summer fun!



Cameron is our little fish in the water--he is a great little swimmer and prefers to be under the
water rather than out!


Nothing is cuter than babies (well not so much a baby anymore) in their swimsuits!
Ellie is quite a dare devil when it comes to the pool--she does everything her brother and sister do!


Kelsey is usually pretending to be a mermaid or something while she swims.

Family "Motto"

I wanted to post this quote on our blog because it has become our "family motto" I suppose as we get ready to start a new chapter in our lives with moving to D.C. Many of our friends and family are in the same situation so its good for all to read! (It's a bit long, but well worth it!)

"I have just two things to say to you who are troubled about the future. I say them lovingly and from my heart.
First, we must never let fear and the father of fear (Satan himself) divert us from our faith and faithful living. Every person in every era has had to walk by faith into what has always been some uncertainty. This is the plan. Just be faithful. God is in charge. He knows your name and He knows your need.
Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ--that is the first principle of the gospel. We must go forward. God expects you to have enough faith, determination, and trust in Him to keep moving, keep living, keep rejoicing. He expects you to not simply to face the future; he expects you to embrace and shape the future--to love it, rejoice in it, and delight in your oppurtunities.
God is eagerly waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has. But he can't if you don't pray, and He can't if you don't dream. In short, He can't if you don't believe." --Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, "This the Greatest of all Dispensations" Ensign, July, 2007

This quote just says it all and brings a lot of peace to us as we do have an uncertain future right now. Here we go again... walking by faith to another adventure in D.C! This is our way of "embracing and shaping our future" and we are "delighting in our opportunities"!

Cameron's on to the 1st grade!!

Cameron finished his Kindergarten year! I must admit that makes me sad, because he will only be in Kindergarten once and its just a special year for kids! He has done so well--its been a great year. We are so proud of him. He is such a good reader and its been so fun to see his mind just overflow with all the stuff he's learned. That's what we love the most about Cameron is his natural curiosity and desire for learning! He'll be a great 1st grader in D.C next!! But until then..we are excited and ready for SUMMER!


Cameron with his great teacher, Ms. Oden at the end of the year "Luau" party.


Cameron with some of his friends from class.

Dinosaurs, Fishes, and Animals

We did a lot of FUN things in Utah! Here are just a few pictures. We went to the Dinosaur Museum, the Aquarium, and Hogle Zoo. The kids loved it all. The best part was just being with our wonderful Grandmas and Grandpas and cousins. We miss you guys. Thanks for the great trip and the fun memories!

Slippin' and a Sliding!

Who doesn't love the Slip and Slide?? Our kids sure do and its even more fun with Aunt Sto pulling you down the slip-n-slide and going together with cousins!! Uncle Matt does a pretty impressive slide as well.