Such a busy Summer!

I am a detail oriented person. When I blog, I like to include details about things. How else would you be able thoroughly experience what I am trying to express? Unfortunately, and fortunately at the same time, I have had such a busy fun summer that I haven't had time to blog at all. So now that things are winding down, I find myself putting off the recording of my memories because there are too many now, and I don't have the time or patience to do any of them justice through blogging. I have finally come to the conclusion now however that It's better to at least jot down the highlights, and get on with my life. So please understand how painful it is for me to only post a few pictures of each thing, and hardly any detail. I promise in the future I will try not to be so boring!
Now, where to begin...?

Fathers Day

My sweet boys made Sam these beautiful ties for Father's day. He was such a good sport and actually wore them to church. The best part was that they asked him to help pass the sacrament, so the whole ward got a good look at them. I love him.


Sam's parents came to see us in the end of june.

We went to Chimney Rock state park, film site of last of the mohicans. Beautiful.



20 Minutes away was the Biltmore house. The Nations largest estate, where you can take a tour of the house and the expansive gardens.

My favorite part was when Nicholas found this water fountain and exclaimed "Look mom! A potty mouth!".


4th of July

We went to the Children's Parade in Durham. They had a bunch of scrap materials and you got to pick through them and decorate your ride. Nick was adorable. He waved at everyone watching and said "Happy fourth of July!". They had a fire truck there for the children to explore and after the parade they got out the hose and sprayed it out on the grass for the children to run through. My boys loved it!




My parents came to visit.

When my parents came we went out to Washington DC. Sam and I went there last summer with my sister's family, so when we went with my parents we saw a lot of the same things, except this time we scheduled a tour of the Capitol and we saw a lot more Abe Lincoln sites because my Mom is a huge Lincoln fan . You have to book this several months in advance with your senator. An intern from his office gives you a personal tour. Sam even found a statue of his great great grandfather Philo T. Farnsworth-Inventor of the Television! Since we had done all that planning were really looking forward to our tour, you can imagine our disappointment when we were in the rotunda room- the dome of the capital, when suddenly some people started chaining themselves to each other, ripping off their shirts to expose black shirts with bright pink writing, and shouted "CLEAN NEEDLES SAVE LIVES! CLEAN NEEDLES SAVE LIVES!" Over and over. The whole building had to be shut down and all the tours canceled. Let me tell you, after that, I REALLY wanted to support their cause!





Since my Dad has a knack for finding 'hidden treasures', he found us a gem stone mine to go to as well. He saw a special on it on the travel channel. You can go and sleuth for real gem stones. It was RIDICULOUS to find, but my boys had a blast searching for shiny rocks, so I guess it was worth it!





My Cousin Dezra and Aunt Eva came to visit

Sam had to go to a conference in California, so Dezra and her Mom came to hang out with me so I wouldn't be lonely. I finally got to meet Dezra's little Levi (who Christian kept calling 'Levite'). He's a super cute baby and my boys had tons of fun playing with him. We went Blueberry picking-a NC must! We also had "girls night" every night that Sam was gone. We watched chick flicks, ate ice cream and brownies and peanut M&M's. It was a blast!





Nicholas' 5th Birthday Party

We had a pool party for Nick's 5th birthday. He had tons of fun swimming with his friends. He got a Lightning McQueen cake, which turned out to be a bit of a problem. Note to all parents: Avoid cakes with BLACK frosting on them!





Last but Definitely not Least!

When Sam got home from California, he brought me a REAL-not black market but REAL COACH PURSE! He knows I've always wanted one. I love him sooooo much, (and my new purse too!)