Firecrackers

This look never gets old. Makes me laugh every single time."Woooooo, what the heck are those things spitting fire and making so much noise?"Then the really noisy ones went off... haha...
Rachel loved the sparklers. You should have seen what happened when it was time to go back inside and go to bed... whew! It wasn't a pretty sight, but we ended up cuddling and having a little girl talk. She is one amazing little girl.
Maggie learned to like the sparklers...

They stayed up way past their bedtime...

Happy 4th of July!!! God Bless AmericaLand of the Free, Home of the Brave.

Baby Sisters

shhhhhh!!! Big sister doesn't know I'm wearing her boots... 

Happy Girls

These two stinkers did not want to get out of the tub! Even after all the water had drained, they still stayed and and kept playing.

They giggled and giggled and giggled some more...

I can't say it enough! I love being a Mom. I love being a Mom. I love being a Mom.It is the best job. Hands down. Period. Exclamation mark!And I have proof...

Am I dreaming? Is this real? Someone punch me. Quick! How did I get this lucky?Look at these two turkeys! They can't stop giggling!

"Everybody knows that the sweetest thing that you'll ever see in the whole wide world is a happy girl."-Martina Mcbride

Houston Aquarium

We decided to give the Houston Aquarium a try this summer. I hadn't been there since high school and I had no doubt that the girls would enjoy seeing the fish. It's nothing in comparison to the Georgia Aquarium, but it was just right for a morning trip.

I love following my kiddos around and watching their reactions, especially in places like this.

Look, a Dori fish!

Rachel going to and from all the different tanks...

blurry, but I love this face...

hehe... I wonder what was going through her head at this moment... I think she may be under the sea looking for mermaids. Because that's totally what Rachel would be doing under the sea.

Maggie favorite was by far the bonnet shark/sting ray tank! Mostly because she got to splash!
And this is what happened when we had to leave...

Rachel: (whining) "I wanna go back and see this fish again!"Me: (laughing) "The fishes have to eat lunch too! We'll have to see them again another time."Repeat about 20 timesPriceless...

Little Rachel's Special Date

We left Miss Maggie at home with Pop so that Rachel, Nana, and I went to the movies! A new princess calls for a girl's day out don't ya think?  

Oh these two... I can just see it now- Rachel calling up my Mom, "Nana my Mom is driving me crazy! She won't let me ______ or she does this ______ or she told me this_______." We weren't dead set on naming our little girl Rachel, but the spirit told us otherwise. She was definitely meant to be a Rachel. These two are like two pees in a pod. Rachel is lucky to have this amazing woman in her corner...

Let's make this a real date... candy anyone? Rachel was so pumped!!! Candy?! I forgot to sneak a bunch in my purse so we splurged on some peanut M&Ms...

I'm going to pass a piece of advice on... Do not show up on time. After 20 minutes of previews Rachel was yelling, "I want to get out of here! I want to go home!" Goodness gracious. (in a very stern voice while forcing her onto my lap and whispering in her ear-) "You have two choices, we can go sit in your hot carseat or you can stay in here and watch the movie."Reluctantly she muttered, "I'll watch the movie."Good choice.haha! Next time we'll just show up after the previews. Once the movie got started it was all good, so I'd say it was a success. And the movie was great; Disney never disappoints. ;) 

After Supper

Have I mentioned that I love summertime? Because I do. We turned on the sprinklers after supper one night. The girls enjoyed it.Especially Miss Rachel...


AAAAAAAAAA!!!!! She has mastered the little girl squeal recently- it goes straight to through your ears and hits a sensitive spot deep down in your brain causing you to yell "Quit Squealing!".  Geese Louise, I tell her about a million times a day to stop squealing in the house! But outside in the sprinklers... I guess that's okay. ;)

Every once in a while the sunshine will hit Maggie just right and she'll look like a little redhead. I hope the little bit of strawberry she has stays for a while...
still squealing... haha...

She is growing up so fast...

My favorite picture of the day! Gotta love those tootsies...

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

I needed a temple trip, and I needed one bad. I was planning on meeting my cousin for a session and then grabbing a bite to eat afterwards. I left early and played pretty music the whole way there. I even brought my camera and thought I'd take a few shots before heading in. It was about the time I got out my camera and took this shot when I realized I had left my wallet at home... driver's license, debit card, and of course my beloved temple recommend. ARGH!!! Seriously Jessica!? Your cousin is driving from across town, leaving his sick wife at home to meet you at the temple, and you forget your recommend??? Nice going.

I'm going to derail and tell ya'll a quick story. It's quite a pathetic, funny little story.

 I yelled at a bunch of old ladies. Yep, you heard me, I yelled at a bunch of old ladies. Let me explain... One morning last week I asked my Mom to watch the kiddos so I could hit the gym and swim some laps. I really wanted to see if I could swim a whole mile without stopping and after my last "swimming in a lake" experience, I needed to get in the water.

 

Anyway, I get in and about 15 minutes later I hear this old lady saying something to me. I can tell she's the water aerobics instructor. I decide to ignore her and keep swimming. I'm trying to swim without stopping here folks! It begins to become obvious that this lady isn't going to leave me alone. I stop and she proceeds to tell me that her class is starting and that I have to get out of the pool. 

Something came over me that I'm not proud of. Anger. Mad dog anger.

 I yell from across the pool, "There are only 5 of you! Do you really need the entire pool? Can't you let me have this far lane?" 

Don't let this old lady fool you, she was fiesty and not very nice. 

"I'm sorry ma'am, I have to ask you to leave. This is my class and if you have a problem you can see the gym manager." 

I continue to boil. 

"This is absolutely ridiculous! You don't need the whole pool! Please let me keep swimming." 

"I'm sorry ma'am, you must leave or join my class." 

And then comes the ultimate shame. I pulled out the sympathy card. I heard my head say, don't do it, don't do it. But I did it anyway. 

"My husband is in freaking Afghanistan, I actually have a babysitter, and I need to practice so I don't drown in my next race! You aren't even going to use the whole pool!" 

She walks up to me and says, "I'm sorry your husband is in Afghanistan, but this is my pool and I'm asking you to leave." 

I am embarrassed that I've been yelling at these ladies, that I've used my sympathy card, and now I'm livid that it didn't work! 

"Don't tell me your sorry lady, you have no idea." 

Then I walk out trying not blink for as soon as I do I know tears will begin to spill out of my eyes.

Good grief. This isn't me. Jessica's just don't act that way. I immediately wanted to go home and squeeze and kiss my babies. They know how I feel. They know what I'm going through. And they certainly understand throwing the occasional temper tantrum. 

I have a perpetual "suck it up" attitude. Sometimes I feel like a rock- a stone cold rock. Where's my compassion? I'm certainly not the only one who has bad days. And I'm certainly not the only one who forgets their temple recommend. Luckily my bishop was able to vouch for me and I made the session with about one minute to spare. I made it! I felt so relieved and just sank into my chair as the lights began to dim. Trials have the tendency to bring out the good, bad, and ugly in all of us. I'm so grateful to have a Father in Heaven who not only says, "suck it up Jess" but who also gives me peace and courage to do the things I know I'm supposed to do. 

My hometown Temple... it has always made me so giddy that the stained glass are my two favorite colors, orange and yellow. :) 

I made it! That's all that matters. Let's try not to yell at any old ladies this week okay Jess? haha!