Family Pictures from Tennessee

 (I made Belle's dress out of some old pajama pant's.  Do you recognize those Meg? They are from Freshman year!)

The Fourth of July

 Ready for the bike parade at the annual ward pancake breakfast.

 Buying fireworks with Daddy

 The girls waiting in the car.

 I think the boys went through about 5 outfits that day.  Including swimsuits for a family water fight in the backyard.

 Our All-American meal: grilled pork chops, homemade onion rings, and diet coke.

 Firework fun....including earplugs to block out the deafening explosions from all of the neighbors' fireworks.

Bug's 5th Birthday Party

The Birthday Boy's Invitations.

The Birthday Boy with his cake.

The Birthday Boy with his buds.

 

The Birthday Boy with his lunch and red velvet cake.

                                                             

The Birthday Boy's Momma and Baby Sis.

 The Birthday Boy with his party spread.

The Birthday Boy playing water games with his guests.

 The Birthday Boy's little bro (aka-Shark) chasing the innocent victims in a game of Shark tag.

The Birthday Boy's FAVORITE part of his party. 

The Birthday Boy's 3 year old brother doing an incredible job keeping up with the big kids.

The Birthday Boy making a wish that every day could be his Birthday.



Belle at 8 months

Belle is a little bundle of sunshine.  She is generally happy and content no matter where we go or what we are doing. 

She has zero teeth and is a Rollie Pollie all over over the place but is not crawling.  I count both of these things as tender mercies (seeing as our house is covered with Lego's and other small toys), but know that in the next month or so things will be different.  She is just starting to be able to sit up alone for bits at a time.  She loves baby food and baby cereal and is a great nurser.

She wants to be where the action is and adores her big brothers.  As soon as she wakes up she is searching for them. She is on the small side and still fits into most of her 3-6 months clothes. 

 We all love this little girl to pieces.  She adds so much joy to our home.

Cilantro Pesto

Per request, here is the recipe I use for cilantro pesto:

2 bunches of cilantro
3/4 cup walnuts
1-2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tsp. ume paste (made from umeboshi plums, the paste may be found in health food market.  If you don't have it, just use salt.)
1 Tbl. garlic

De stem the cilantro. Mix all ingredients in a food processor until it reaches your desired consistency. Serve over noodles, pizza, or french bread.

Dairy Days

Prairie Land Dairy hosts a huge summer tour each year.  We headed out to the country for a great day on the farm.  The kids got their first school bus ride, as we had to park at a High School and were then bused over.  They thought it was a blast. 

 Although the boys are GREAT playmates, I have never seen them hold hands.  They were so excited waiting for the tractor barrel ride that they grabbed hands and chatted to each other about when it would be their turn.

 After a riding tour of the dairy, the boys and Daddy took a ride on a milk truck while I searched for a place to nurse Belle.  After not finding a place anywhere I decided the grass was a good a place as any...seeing as how I was on a milking farm.