Enjoying a Summer's Eve

Taking a stroll
Sharing the stroller
Rayna's smelling the flowers
Man and best friend
Snugglin with Mom

Although the days are starting to shorten, we are still getting a decent amount of sunlight at night. So, tonight we went for a walk in our neighborhood, and enjoyed Flagstaff's cool evening. It was a family affair with Dad, Taylin and her stroller, Rayna, Mom, and even the dog! Chase finally got out on a walk!

Little Pools

Lilah, Rayna, and Taylin enjoying the pool
"Look Mom, I dumped water on my head!"
"I love the water!"
Lilah was shivering and turning blue, so she was ready to get out.
My opposites!

Kids are always so entertained by the littlest things! The girls can have just as much fun swimming in our little tiny pool in the backyard as they can when we go to the big pool at the club. Today the water was pretty cold, but Lilah and Rayna dove right in! Taylin got in, but only to her calves and would never sit down. She enjoyed dumping water on her head and everyone elses too!

Heaven Sent Rain

We have been blessed the last few weeks with lots of rain. I have not watered my plants until tonight. As I was watering, I was amazed at how much the plants have grown! I came to the conclusion that when I water my plants, I'm simply keeping them alive, but when God waters my plants, they flourish! Then I started thinking (because I like allegories), that I guess that is how it is with us. We can keep ourselves afloat by just going through the motions, but we don't really flourish until we're spending time with God and in His Word. That seems to be me right now. I think today was the first day in a long time that I actually sat down this morning with my Bible. And the surprising thing (my sacrasm), I handled today so much better! It's amazing how God works things out! -Kelly

Moments of tickling on Mom and Dad's bed in the morning!

Jammies! Ready for bed!

What does God look like?

The other night we rented the "Bucket List" with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nickleson. Taylin did not watch the movie with us, but had the cover in her had and was staring at it. After a while she asked me,"Mom, is that God?" pointing to Morgan Freeman. I first told her no, but I had to smile to myself in amazment, because I knew why she was asking me. Probably well over a year ago, we watched "Bruce Almighty," and that's right, Morgan Freeman was God. I didn't really think Taylin was paying attention to the movie at the time, but I do remember her asking me questions about him. It's incredible the things they catch and the things they remember! It's kind of scary!

Flowers in Bloom

I love July! All my flowers start to bloom and I have a beautiful flower garden. I wish that it would last the whole year, or even just the whole summer, but a month will have to do! The girls love the flowers just as much as mom, but they'd rather pick them all then just look at them!

Rayna's Friend

Rayna has a lot of little friends that are boys, but she doesn't have really any friends that are girls who are the same age as her. So, its always fun to watch Rayna when she gets to play with Lilah, our little girl who lives downstairs. Their very cute in their natural mothering ways.

Potty Training!

One day, Rayna, will absolutely kill me, but this was just to cute to pass up. So, we are in the process of potty training our littlest one, and she is definetely not all the way there, but she's starting to get it. She tickles me pink, so I thought I would share with you the fun! So, here's the star of the show!

Pool Day!

Hannah and Taylin
Rayna and Isaac



The pool was great today. It was nice and warm outside which made the water refreshing. We met up with our friends, the Finney's, and had lots of fun. Taylin loves her Hannah and Rayna loves her Isaac.

Soccer!

Taylin with her soccer ball.

Taylin kicking off. She takes her time.
She likes running behind the group! Saying their cheer at the end of the game.

Yesterday, Taylin had her second soccer game! I never would have thought a for 4 year old soccer team would be so entertaining! They crack us up! Daniel got to fill in as the back up coach yesterday, so that made things a little bit more entertaining. The game yesterday was a little bit lopsided due to the fact that the other teams' girls didn't want to play! It is suppose to be 3 on 3, but at times it ended up being 3 on 1! 4 year old girls with their shyness, and attitudes makes for an interesting mix on the soccer field! Taylin is an interesting one to watch. She is not aggressive to get in there and get the ball, actually I think she tries to stay away from it, but she runs the whole time back and forth with a big smile on her face!

Camping at Knoll Lake

So, this weekend after the 4th, we went camping on the Mogollian Rim at a little lake called Knoll Lake. We had a ton of fun playing in the water, collecting rocks, playing house in the tent, roasting marshmellows and making smores, going for hikes in the rain, and just enjoying the outdoors with each other. We got to know each other a little better and what we are all like when we're roughen it. Taylin learned some facts about mom (ME). Taylin asks me, "Mom, why do you have poka dots under your arm?" "Poka dots?" I ask her confused. "Yeah," she says. So, I look under my arm and I ask her, "You mean black poka dots?" "Yeah," she says. Laughing, "Oh, mommy just hasn't used her razor!" It amazing how observant she has become!

4th of July!

We had a great 4th of July, with the traditional celebrations. We started out by going to the parade downtown, where we met up with some friends and enjoyed watching the almost 2 hour parade and all the loot and candy that came with it! Its amazing what kind of stuff they give away at a parade these days! They sure never handed stuff out like that when I was little. The girls both walked away with stuffed animals, coloring books, flags, pom-poms, cups, vitamin water, water bottles, and of course tons of candy! Anyways, it was lots of fun. We then went down to Grandma Troups house and attempted to go swimming, but the monsoons pulled us out of the pool! After the rain we met up with the rest of the family for a BBQ and watched a great fireworks show! It was definitely a very full day!

A 2 Year Old's Picture of God

Last night as I was putting the girls to bed, I asked Taylin if she wanted to pray. She said, "No mom, I want you to pray." So, I asked Rayna if she wanted to pray. She said, "Yeah, I pray!" This was her first time at volunteering, so I said "okay, Rayna go ahead." She immediately says, "Hi, Lord!" Then she looks at me like, is that okay? Oh, only if we all could come to our Father, our Dad with the enthusiam of a two year old!