Father's Day

I have always claimed that I have the best dad EVER! It's true. He's everything a little girl could ask for in her daddy. He's always been my ROCK. He's got the best laid back personality and yet has a way of expecting great things of his children. He's kind, caring, compassionate, fun, patient, adventurous, spontaneous, helpful, hard-working, strong, sensitive, and loves me unconditionally. I've always known that. When it comes to a father, he's simply the complete package.....and over the years as our relationship has changed and evolved he's gotten even BETTER! We still have the best, enlightening conversations and he still teaches me a ton! I love to watch him with my own children now as the GRANDPA, because I can see the same admiration for him that I had as a child. It's like having a 2nd childhood watching my kids with my parents. Needless to say, I love my dad. Now that we live far away we truly treasure our visits together, and so do my boys. Happy Father's Day dad! Sure love ya!

We love you grandpa!

I always said that if I could ever find anyone like my dad to marry I'd be a lucky girl. Well, I'm one lucky girl! Jeff is the best husband and father to our children and I'm pretty sure our kids feel the same way about their dad that I do about mine.
To celebrate him this year we gave him a long-awaited Whalen fire pit for the backyard. We all gathered 'round it for a fire.... and s'mores, of course!

See, they want to be just like daddy!
The boys picked out some new SPECIAL running socks, shoes, and water belt for Jeff to support his new hobby of running. (His first race will be the Freedom Run over the 4th of July.)
We also made him a poem with hand prints for his work office.The s'mores were pretty good too, just ask Q! My mom got to join us this year for an early father's day celebration because she helped us drive to AZ the next day for Cousins Camp, which Jeff was unable to attend.
I'd say I've got some pretty special men in my life... and hopefully with all of their help we'll raise some pretty amazing sons!
Happy Father's Day to all of you dads and fatherly figures!

Boys Night Out

Now that the BYU football season is over (which ended with an amazing win against Utah, BTW) Jeff scored some sweet 4th row BYU basketball tickets for a home game last week. He and Corbin decided to make it a guys night out and attended the game with Cole and Ty. They had a blast. When Corbin got home he raved about the game, the cheerleaders, and the treats. Such a boy!

Looks like BYU has a pretty good team this year.

Mr. Cheesy himself...so excited to go to any sporting event with his dad.... and uncle and cousin.

Cole and Ty enjoying the game.

Cousins.

Let's face it, boys love their Boys Nights Out just as much as the girls do. Corbin is still talking about it.

Our "ordinary" life

Well, the last few weeks have been a blur. Feels like we haven't done much, yet we've been really busy and all of a sudden Deagan is almost 6 weeks old! He is really starting to fill out. He got a little cold this week and at the Dr. he weighed in at 10.5 lbs already! He's just like his brothers in that department... a chunk! He's starting to sleep longer at night and is awake longer in the day. He is very strong and holds his head up very well, does tummy-time happily, and even tries sitting up on his own sometimes. He also has started smiling AT US rather than gassy smiles and he coos and talks too. So adorable. I love this stage!

Corbin is still enthralled with Deagan and is such a good helper. He sings to him, holds him, and is quick to help bath and change him. Such a good big brother.

This little boy loves his hands above his head. He has to sleep with socks on his hands at night so that they stay warm!We have kept busy with preschool, library story time, play-group, play-school, and play-dates! We're lucky to have so many friends nearby.

It's been fun (for the boys AND mom) to have daddy home. There's been lots of wrestling, fort-building, car racing, "sword" fighting, and "shoot-outs" in the last 3 weeks.

Deagan is either really lucky or has no chance with these two as big brothers.

Quinton keeps us all entertained with his crazy dance moves.

We're very excited that Q gets to attend nursery next month... already 18 months old!
Quinton has also started to express an interest in potty-training thanks to the example of his big brother. It would be awesome if he picks up this habit quickly so we can avoid having 2 boys in diapers for too long!
AND...Winter is here, as manifest by our first snow 3 weeks ago. I'm really not a fan of the snow and cold, but I will admit that it's very pretty to watch snow falling when I'm curled up on the couch with a warm blanket and my newborn, drinking hot chocolate and listening to Christmas music. However I did miss the 80* temperatures of Arizona on Thanksgiving day.

These are the ages and stages that make up our ordinary life. Blissful isn't it? Jeff is still job-searching and has several possibilities and "balls in the air" but nothing has turned official yet. I have really enjoyed having him home and count this whole ordeal as a blessing in disguise. He is really great at being Mr. Mom and the boys have loved having daddy around all day everyday. I think he's spoiled us all and when he does go back to work... it'll be yet another transition for us all.

Father's Day

How appropriate that the first official day of summer is Father's Day!

To me, dad's and summer both mean fun!
We have so many dads in our life that are special to us, here's a small tribute.

Life LessonsYou may have thought I didn't see,
Or that I hadn't heard,
Life lessons that you taught to me,
But I got every word.Perhaps you thought I missed it all,
And that we'd grow apart,
But Dad, I picked up everything,
It's written on my heart.Without you, Dad, I wouldn't be
The (woman)(man) I am today;
You built a strong foundation
No one can take away.I've grown up with your values,
And I'm very glad I did;
So here's to you, dear father,
From your forever grateful kid.By Joanna Fuchs
My dad, Scott is not only the best dad a girl could ask for but a great grandpa as well. As I looked through trying to find pictures of him there were only pictures of him teaching or playing with my boys. This is the last picture of he and Corbin before we left AZ. My parents gifted my boys with their own mini-hammers and here my dad sat in the backyard teaching Corbin how to pound a nail in to wood and then take it out again. Basics. We miss you dad/grandpa! Happy Father's Day!

Then there is Royd, Jeff's dad. Jeff has so many fond memories of summers with his dad: sitting in his truck, visiting the Hill Air Force Base, and hunting. He made a special trip to AZ when we got married and again when we just moved back to Utah. He helped us pack, load, drove our moving truck, helped me keep the boys entertained on the long drive, and then helped us move it all into our storage unit. He is the fun grandpa with the big truck and waterfall in his backyard. We love dad/Grandpa! Happy Father's Day!

When I first learned that Jeff had had 3 fathers in his life I asked him if he felt jipped. He explained to me that it was just the opposite.... what other kid gets 3 dads in their life? He viewed it as lucky to have 3 dads to learn from and bond with. Dick has been his step-dad for almost 20 years. Jeff has enjoyed golfing, hunting, and talking law-enforcement with Dick. Currently we are lucky to be living with grandpa-Dick, and Corbin and Quinton have learned he is the fun grandpa with a motorcycle and a bike. We love you Dick/Grandpa! Happy Father's Day!

Finally, the father of our family Jeff. He has the biggest heart and completely adores his boys! He hates leaving them in the morning and loves coming home to hear about their day. Jeff is not only the fun daddy that is willing to drop anything and play with his kids, but he also understands the value of hard work and loves to teach Corbin and Quinton new things. When Jeff has work to do around the house, you can be his 2 shadows (Corbin and Quinton) will be following close behind trying to "help." Jeff is so patient and understanding with them and sometimes I think he's more excited to see them than he is to see me. There is certainly a special father-son bond between Jeff and his boys. I'm lucky to have such a good partner in raising boys.
SLC Bees game

Fun in the AZ sun

flying kites on Utah Lake

Hero DadYou are my hero, Dad
You're my secure foundation.
When I think of you, I'm filled with love
And fond appreciation.You make me feel protected;
I'm sheltered by your care.
You're always my true friend;
When I need you, you're always there.You have a place of honor
Deep within my heart.
You've been my superhero, Dad,
Right from the very start.By Joanna Fuchs
Hope you all pamper your father's today! They work so hard for us and yet seem to always be accused of playing. It's a hard balancing act they juggle. Happy Father's Day to all you dads!