Heaven is Here

I just read this book and it is AMAZING. I'm sure many of you have heard of this woman, Stephanie Nielson, the Mormon woman whose body was 80% burned from a plane crash. She is the author of nieniedialogues.com and has become like a Mormon celebrity. I've kept up with her blog here and there and was excited to read the book. I believe that every woman should read this book. If you think your life is hard, this book will put things in perspective. She inspires me to be more faithful and to be a better wife & mother. Her story teaches me to cherish every moment of life - to love and appreciate every detail of my children; and to bask in their love & innocence. I want to hold my children longer and memorize every inch of their faces. She is a strong woman and an inspiration. 

(And I like her even more now because I just learned that she loves Alison Krauss!)

BUY THIS BOOK & READ IT....NOW.

VIRGINIA

OMG - Where do I begin?!! The kids and I went to Virginia for almost 4 weeks this summer while Jason was traveling for work and it was HEAVEN!! My parents live on 65 acres in the beautiful green Virginia mountains - 15 miles from the closest grocery store. It's the perfect escape from the cares of life. We hardly had a day of rest because we played so hard every day. My kids practically fell into bed every night because they were so tired from the fun all day.

Here is a SHORT list of the things we did along with just a few photos.

A visit from my dear college friend, Jessica and her 3 kids. She also has a set of twins so between the two of us, we have 6 kids, 3 years & younger. 

We went to the Floyd Country Store for some good bluegrass music!

The 3 babies

 We took a few days to chill at my parents' timeshare near Charlottesville. The place is called Shenandoah Crossing and we stayed in cabins and played from sun-up to sun-down. Cousins always have the BEST time together! Some of the things we did there....
 

Mini-golf

Horse back riding

Pontoon Ride

Another pic on the pontoon ride

Courtney Doolittle & I

We went swimming every day!

Golf Carting all over the place!

Other things we did while visiting my parents' house...

Sandbox-ing

Body painting with watercolors

Visiting Uncle Joel's sugar cane field

 

and feeding Uncle Joel's goats (potato chips!!)

Fishing at Kenny & Dixie's house. The boys and I also took a wild inner-tube ride on the lake, 60MPH, SO FUN!

We visited several family cemeteries and were able to clean some very important tombstones

Baby Miles with the tombstone of his Civil War Soldier ancestor (the Confederacy, of course!)

Playing in the creek at Camp Alta Mons

LOTS & LOTS of go-karting, all day, every day...

and more go-karting...

We went the Floyd Country Store again for more bluegrass

A visit to Krispy Kreme after a big day at the waterpark

Miles was along for the ride the whole time....next year he will be running wild with the rest of the cousins

Tractor rides

 More activities we did that were not documented with photos...
A visit from Cherish Davis & her 2 adorable children
Riding bikes with cousins in the basement & back porch
Playing in the toy room for hours
Swimming at the pool & the waterpark
Birthday party for cousin Addie
Hot dog & smores roasting over an open fire
Picnics
Milkshakes at McDonalds
Shopping with the women
Ice Cream cones EVERY night before bed
Popcorn parties
Zumba classes with my sister

Love Those Boys!

A quick update on my 3 little guys....

                                                                  MILES: 
He's a little more than 3 months old now and growing LIKE A WEED. At his 2 month check he weighed 13lbs, so I imagine he has gained a few more pounds since then. He's officially in 6 month clothes (which is weird to me because the twins were so tiny for their age.) He smiles and laughs often. He can roll from his stomach to his back. He is SO STRONG. He loves tummy time and works hard to push up on his knees....uh oh. Miles LOVES his big brothers so much and they love to smother him with love. He uses a binkie, but has recently been sucking his thumb. Most nights he will sleep 7 hours straight and then another 3-4 hours and has started sleeping on his belly now. He HATES having covers on his legs and kicks them off immediately.  Miles is such a joy to have in our home.

Miles LOVES LOVES LOVES water. Whether it's the bathtub or the pool, he's a fan.

JOSIAH: 
He initiates learning and is always looking to learn new skills. He can buckle his carseat 100% by himself. He rides a "big boy bike" with training wheels and always wants to do what the big kids are doing. He likes structure and I think he'll really enjoy school. (when the time comes.) Josiah likes to dress himself and comes up with some interesting "outfits" (as shown in the photos).

                              ARLO:
"The Enforcer" - Rules apply to everyone except him!!
Mischevious
Wild
Accident-Prone
Charismatic
Charming
Energetic
Happy
Social

His most recent accident - wrestling with his brother and he hit the floor hard! poor baby.

2 MONTHS OLD

Happy 2 months to my sweet little Miles!!

We have loved EVERY minute with him since he was born. He is PERFECT.

 Miles is such a chill baby and he just "goes with the flow." Seriously, the ONLY time he cries is when he is hungry. Miles is an extrovert because he loves being around people; the louder, the better. If you put him in a quiet room, he will wake up and cry for someone to come get him. Sometimes I have to turn the TV on at night, just to help him fall asleep. He absolutely adores Arlo & Josiah. Miles smiles often and is beginning to make laughing noises...melts.my.heart.

It makes me sad to think how fast these 2 months have flown. I LOVE the newborn age. His spirit has just come from heaven and I feel so close to the veil when I hold him. I look into his eyes and it seems like he knows eternal truths that we forget as we grow older. He reminds me to be innocent, kind and forgiving. When I hold him, we talk, but not aloud. Our spirits communicate to each other and time stands still. I wouldn't trade those moments for the world.

His first time in the bumbo. He was concentrating SO hard to keep his head up.

MONSTER BASH!

On Saturday we officially celebrated the boys' birthday with a MONSTER PARTY! 

We had a great time at the playground with 16 adults & 25 kids.

The much anticipated cake that I found on Pinterest...the boys' have been so excited for it!

The Table

Aunt Susan & baby Miles

Matt & the bean bag toss

The crazy birthday boys & daddy

Josiah playing "Pin the Eye on the Monster"

Daddy with Josiah & Cline

Arlo was our bar tender and was OBSESSED with it.

Josiah & cousin Cline

Arlo & cousin Matt

Arlo & daddy

The "Goody Bag Bar"