Our last 1/2 of September

We have certainly been busy the last few weeks, mostly keeping occupied with children. We traveled to California for Mason's 3rd Birthday party and this past weekend we watched Scott and Kristy's (Joe's brother and his wife) kids McKaden and Macie for the weekend while they traveled out of town to attend a funeral. It was a compliment that they trusted us and that the kids were happy to spend the weekend and didn't cry to go home. The best thing about kids are the candid pictures you can take that explain it all. Lot's of pictures this post, but hopefully enjoyable!

BACK IN CALIFORNIA

Carter happy to see Munga and Bucca again

Mason not wanting to let Carter enjoy all the attention

Mason taking over the attention...


Bucca telling Mason, "Don't squeeze the Charmain"
( A phrase he tells Mason when he is squeezing on Carter too much)

Mason trying to get one more squeeze in.... He just can't help himself.

Bucca feeding Carter and enjoying his one on one time

Carter is a MOVER and a SHAKER...

He can really move and he was barely 5 months!

Carter has ton's of personality....

You can see it in his eyes! So Dang CUTE

HOLY TOLEDO BATMAN.....IT'S MASONS BATMAN PARTY!

Everyone was getting into the theme...

This is Bruce, not Bruce Wayne...

It is Mason's best friend Tyler's Grandpa

And this is Carter showing off his Batman look...

But it looks a bit more like a KKK member if you ask me?

The party was a riot... The boys had relay races

Here they are in a potato sack race

Tons of gifts! So many fun Batman gifts...

The Batman suit Bucca and Munga gave him

Mason loves to dress up

Showing off his 'muscles' in the new Batman suit

Time to blow out candles...Darling cupcakes!

Munga and Bucca having a 'Batman' moment...

Our McKaden and Macie Weekend

Macie and Mac (McKaden) sitting in the tree house

We played all sorts of things to keep them entertained...

playdough, races, toys, and sidewalk chalk

Then we told stories by the fire after bath time

We even roasted marshmallows (which was a hit)

The next day we took Mac to his soccer game

Which BTW they won!

We headed to McDonald's for takeout and then to a park

And....then to Dinosaur Park in Ogden...

Joe and the kids posing by one of the dinosaurs-

Macie covered her ears alot because they had speakers

that broadcast the growling sounds of the different species

Happy 1st and 3rd

*HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRESLEE AND MASON*
September 15th (today) has been an emotional day since it marks the first anniversary of the day that we welcomed in our sweet baby grand-daughter and grand-son one year ago. While we had to say good bye to our little Ryken the same day, we were able to celebrate the birth of PresLee Kate Denning. Today is bitter sweet however because Josh isn't here to participate in her 1st Birthday. Because Josh and KayCee wanted to start a tradition of releasing balloons on twins birthday to remember Ryken, this year was especially somber since Josh isn't with us now either. Joe unfortunately is out of town on business and couldn't be there, but... Adam, Jessie, Bill, Judeen, and Karen all came with me to release balloons locally. We released a couple of balloons for Josh and then the rest for Ryken and in remembrance of Grandpa Dean who also passed away this year.

We get to celebrate Mason's birthday turning 3 years old one day later on September 16th. It is so special to have both of our children's firstborn children born just a day apart. We love each one of you so much and wish you both the happiest birthday!

Adam taking the balloons to the field

Me and the bouquet of balloons (THANKS Adam and Jessie for getting them!!!)

Just before the launch... (Karen was taking the pic)Josh's launchUp and Away..Ryken's launch...and Remembering DeanOff to Heaven...

The Golf Road Trip

We spent last week driving to California to see the kids, even though Joe used the excuse that we had to go since he had a golf tournament he'd signed up to play in with Zach. Hmmmm... I know better. He uses every opportunity we can to take in the grand kids lol. I love it though. We decided to drive this time to bring down some items that we couldn't fit in a suitcase, Rawley for one...and to deliver Mason's birthday gifts since he is turning 3 next week. One of those gifts was a 'Dora' bike. I know..he is a boy, but he loves the show Dora and he has the DI pink bike at Munga and Bucca's house so he wanted pink. Zach nixed the flower stickers for the bike, but he consented to the Dora the Explorer. We had a great time in California despite the over 100 degree weather the whole time. Joe and Zach had a great time playing the Marine Golf Tournament and even won a few items. (They also played a course in San Diego while we were visiting. You can tell it is an addiction when you ask Mason where Daddy and Bucca are and instead of the reply, "At work" he tells you "They went golfing". Hmmm?! )

Mason on his new bike

Munga feeding Carter, trying to make silly faces to keep him from making a mess

jumping for 'joy' that he has a new bike

Carter happy to be clean after being fed

The ant intrusion that we all woke up to one morning.

Nasty little critters, but the exterminator came and no more ants-

Some one on one time with Carter - lots of laughs

The boy's in bed with us and full of energy

Zach taking in a chance to practice his swing

Sometimes you can't hold one without the other... I LOVE IT

Mason kissing a statue of a man after we bribed him to do it so he can have an ice cream. LOL
Yummy, the ice-cream was good and we got a cheesy pose by the fountain

'It's a Girl' Baby Shower for Jessie

My youngest brother Adam and his wife Jessie are expecting their first baby anytime. Little "Gabriella" or Gabbie as she is otherwise going to be known should be making her grand appearance sometime around mid September. To celebrate the upcoming event; my sister Andrea, my mother Judeen and myself decided to throw a baby shower on August 29th. (However, we can't not mention the help that we also had from Samantha making the yummy cupcakes, and Cynde helping decorate when it was also her birthday that day! Thank you both for your help And... also to Andrea for hosting the shower in your wonderful backyard!) For those of you who don't know, Jessie is very fond (OK..maybe a little obsessed) with polka-dots. So if you can't tell by the pic's we decorated with polka dots and she even received a bunch of polka dot baby items. We had fun eating lunch, playing games and watching Jessie open gifts. We even had a special guest attend...the soon to be Daddy, Adam.

OK- Seriously...Does it not look like she is hiding a watermelon

or basketball under that shirt instead of a baby?

The darling cupcake cake and cupcakes

that Samantha made. They were YUMMY!

Our special guest...Adam...aka Daddy Adam

Dragonflies

Those of you close to me have heard my story about how I have had dragonflies all around me since Josh died. I know it is a sign from our sweet son, you may say I am crazy (maybe so?) but we cannot deny those things we experience. I see them everywhere, including dragonfly merchandise at stores.

There is a legend about Dragonflies; the story is that they appear after someone close to you has just passed. The dragonfly is said to symbolize the soul of a lost loved one and that they represent that your loved one is still near you as they live on in immortality. I am not sure why or where that legend began, but I can only share what experiences I have personally had happen to me.

I was lucky enough to capture some of them on my cell phone camera, and I've had several times where they've LANDED on me! Actually flown to me and landed on my finger!!! (Even Joe was shocked when he saw it, and took a picture) This is not a coincidence...The funny thing is that they are now my new friends! This weekend I've had the chance to hold a few, experience a dozen or so flying near me and taking them in up close. (SEE PIC's BELOW AS PROOF)

Here is the story of the dragonfly that is used to explain death to young children. I had to include it as well, since I have run across it so often recently. I also included a picture of the shed I painted while Joe was out of town last week. While I was painting I seemed to have an abundance of Dragonflies surrounding me.

The Dragonfly
Once, in a little pond, in the muddy water under the lily pads, there lived a little water beetle in a community of water beetles. They lived a simple and comfortable life in the pond with few disturbances and interruptions.
Once in a while, sadness would come to the community when one of their fellow beetles would climb the stem of a lily pad and would never be seen again. They knew when this happened; their friend was dead, gone forever.
Then, one day, one little water beetle felt an irresistible urge to climb up that stem. However, he was determined that he would not leave forever. He would come back and tell his friends what he had found at the top.
When he reached the top and climbed out of the water onto the surface of the lily pad, he was so tired, and the sun felt so warm, that he decided he must take a nap. As he slept, his body changed and when he woke up, he had turned into a beautiful blue-tailed dragonfly with broad wings and a slender body designed for flying.
So, fly he did! And, as he soared he saw the beauty of a whole new world and a far superior way of life to what he had never known existed.
Then he remembered his beetle friends and how they were thinking by now he was dead. He wanted to go back to tell them, and explain to them that he was now more alive than he had ever been before. His life had been fulfilled rather than ended.
But, his new body would not go down into the water. He could not get back to tell his friends the good news. Then he understood that their time would come, when they, too, would know what he now knew. So, he raised his wings and flew off into his joyous new life!
~Author Unknown~

The shed's new look. Taupe and Black instead of cream and tan

A large red dragonfly, this is one that kept watch over me a lot

It just flew to me and landed on my finger...

Joe had time to get his phone to take a pic for me!

Another close-up of my 'red' friend

One of the many other dragonflies that sat outside and watched

And yet another...

My little 'red' friend landed again on my finger and though

I had paint on me he didn't mind. He stayed on me for over 5 min.

I do have my lil' brother Adam and Joe as witness LOL