22 days to go!

Mosquito Magnet

Between the Father & Son Camp-out and playing outside of Grandma's House, Owen managed to attract nearly every hungry mosquito in the area! And this even with a liberal coating of bug spray!

He took it in stride until he discovered how great it felt to scratch the bites until they bled, hence the massive number of band-aids we placed all over his body.

Luckily, he LOVES band-aids!

I weigh 20 pounds!

For Mother's Day, Ava's class hosted a special program complete with lemonade and cookies. Each child presented their mom with a bevy of handmade gifts, and some of my favorites are shared here. The funniest was a "fact sheet" she created about me. I love that in my daughter's eyes I weigh 20 pounds and my favorite place to go is Walmart!

Thank you for a wonderful Mother's Day sweetheart!

Playing Dad

We always keep a baby and a bottle in the car because that's when Owen gets very paternal. I love to sneaks peeks at him as he plays "Dad".

We love you Grandpa Lopez!

On Saturday May 14th we visited the cemetery for my grandpa's one-year anniversary.

We love you grandpa!

Next stop:
The Temple!

Father-Son Camp-OUT

Samuel and Owen had a blast at the ward Father & Son Camp-out up at Rollins Lake. Samuel said there was a good turn-out, lot's of laughs during the Guess-Who Father & Son slide show, and a terrific breakfast. What a great opportunity for the brethren to bond as members of the Priesthood!

Mother-Daughter Camp-IN

Since the boys were off in the wilderness, we girls decided we were going to create some fun of our own. Ava's great idea was for me to take them camping too. Good try Ava! Except mom prefers hotels over tents, and besides, Dad had all the camping gear! Whew!

So we compromised and had a camp-in in the living room. The girls dragged all their blankets and pillows down for the big event. Since Samuel was taking the camera with him, we took some quick shots before they left.

Owen's not too happy here because I was trying to kick him out of the picture. After all, it's GIRLS ONLY! But since he cried, and mom felt horrible, we let him cheese with us.

Since it was still early and plenty hot, I had the girls change into their swimsuits and surprised them with a trip to the Fountains. They had a blast romping through the water, and later they played on the playground.

Afterward we picked up a pizza, and then settled in for a movie. The girls were voting for old movie favorites, and were just getting ready for a serious game of paper-rock-scissors to break the tie (Mom stays out of the voting but Iris always votes twice!), when I surprised them with a movie Sam and I bought especially for that night...BOLT!

The girls were so excited they started screaming like mad people, and it culminated in Ava yelling: "We're having way more fun than Dad and Owen"!

We ate in front of the TV (another treat), and after dinner and dessert--which was peppered with food items we rarely buy (Twinkies, Ding-dongs, & Rootbeer-everyone even got their own can!)--the girls were in a sluggish stupor. They sprawled out on the floor and mom came by (per an earlier promise) to give manicures and pedicures.

The next day we all slept-in and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. It was a happy surprise when Sam and Owen came home early enough to join us at the table!

Here's to a fabulous Mother-Daughter Camp-In!
And yes, I'm still exhausted!

When they were Young: Father-Son Camp-Out

For the Father-Son Camp-out we were asked to provide the youngest photos of both the father and son for an evening slide show presentation. I had a great time picking through my favorites, and finally settled on the ones below.

Samuel said the shot of Owen (on the right), got big laughs!

Here's a brand new Owen:
Just born and on the scale!
He's not one bit happy about it either!

Such is the life of a new baby:
Sleep, sleep, sleep!

And here's my sweetheart at 6 1/2 years old.
He's about the same age as Isabella & Ava!
It's hard to believe that the boy in this picture is all grown up with a wife and 5 children!

And here they are today.
Two of the most influential men in my life. Soon they'll be joined by a third.

I can't wait!

Speed-Racers & Blessings

This is the sight I am fortunate to see every week-day morning! I hate to brag, but my daughters are beautiful! They are intelligent, curious, fun-loving, and FUNNY!

What a blessing to be entrusted with their care!

Packing our Bags

Since I'm 36 weeks now, and my babies usually come at 38 weeks, we decided that for this Monday's Family Home Evening we would pack our bags!

The kids are thrilled because they'll be staying with their cousins; I'm thrilled for my mini-vacation and meet & greet!

With everything thrown in the living room, Owen took a liking to my deodorant and began to "apply" it!

He was super-proud of himself!