Father's Day

It is always nice to spend Father's Day with your Dad. This picture was taken just before church. I never thought that Brad and Kent looked alike but now, uh, I do.

Silly Papa Kent with Brad, David, and William

Some smiles from baby Will

Can't help getting one more cute shot...

Kent and Noelene gave talks in church today. It was nice to be there and listen to them in that kind of setting espeically since we aren't normally able to do that. The boys did well at chruch minus what is becoming the usual nursery meltdown that we can't quite kick.

Brad you've really surpassed all the lofty expecations for the kind of father I wanted my children to have. Thank you. I know I don't always give you enough credit. Thanks to the three Dads in my life for being there and being wonderful grandparents to my children.

Walnut Canyon

I'll admit to having a bit of "cabin fever" I told Brad I had to get out of dodge this weekend. We headed up to cooler weather in Flagstaff. I was armed with the latest issue of Arizona Highways but absolutley no idea what we were going to do. After arriving and buying lunch at Safeway we decided on Walnut Canyon. It was getintonationalparksfree weekend AND we found they let you borrow hiking backpacks for free too. Good thing. We couldn't have done it without David being tied up.

The view was amazing and the weather was PERFECT. It is funny how you are different as a parent. It was pretty steep and I was scared that I'd fall and William would get hurt. My knees kept locking up and my legs were a little wobbly. I felt like an idiot because this has never been a problem before. Luckily I only did a small superficial stumble at the end that bruised my ego more than anything.

Brad and David inside and Sinagua Indian dwelling--very fascianting. We spotted them all the way down.

Family Photo Op

They way back up was steep....but there were stairs. David would say "hi" to everyone that walked past us going down. It was pretty funny.

Glad no one fell too hard on the way up!

Picnic lunch after we got out of the canyon. It rained for a minute but the temperature never got too cold.

It was the perfect day trip for us. The ride back didn't go as smooth as the ride up did but what can you expect with two little guys in the car? I felt bad when I noticed that we were all a little sunburnt even with suncreen.

Big Shoes to Fill

One of the advantages of living with Grandma and Grandpa is that there are all sorts of new and interesting things to get into. Today it was Papa's boots. Do you think he had help getting them on or what?

Those are definitely some pretty big shoes to fill!

Molly and Her Toys

We were able to visit with the Van Tienderen's tonight. Dan and Brad grew up together. Since both Brad and Dan have Fridays off we started early so the kids could be to bed at a decent hour. We were sure excited to see their new home--four bedrooms and fabulously decorated by Sussie. We enjoyed Barros pizza and some good conversation.

David loved playing with Molly and espeically liked all of her toys. His favorite was the toy that popped balls out of the top. Molly didn't like it when her Mom held William though. :)

David and Molly June 2009

David and Molly June 2008

They've done some growing!

Bless You Will

We were thrilled to have William's blessing here in Phoenix. Our parents and some siblings live here along with my cousin Steve and his wife Cara. My Dad, my Grandma and Grandpa Lyon, and Brad's Grandparents Cammack traveled down to participate. It was a lovely weekend--we just went from one family event to the next.

Three Month Old William

Mom, Kent, Noelene, and Grandpa Lyon chatting

Kim, Brooke, Danielle, and I

Sisters!

The McLain Family ( just grown ups--David was asleep)

Danielley with William

William and I

And Amy thank you for photographing! It was nice to just relax and not worry about getting pictures.

A little gift from Grandma

I like little milestones like blessings. They give you a chance to pause and reflect (even in the midst of all the activities!) After William's blessing I just looked at him and thought of how he makes me want to be better.

I didn't get many pictures of my Dad or Brad's grandparents but we loved spending time with them too. We were glad to know that all the travelers got home safe and sound. After losing Grandma Duffy just before David's blessing we were just a little worried!

Montezuma's Castle

My Dad came down for William's blessing. Since he was here and Brad has Fridays off (yess!) we decided to go up to Montezuma's castle. It isn't far from Phoenix. David loved climbing all over everything and playing with the rocks while we were there. Grandpa Duffy thought David was pretty funny.

David and Grandpa Jack

Brad and William (obviously William didn't like the sun)

Montezuma's Castle

Not so sure I'd have liked climbing up there on ladders but it was pretty fascinating!

David in the Junior Ranger outfit his grandpa bought for him.

Everyone fell asleep on the way back. Brad was so tired he had to pull over and ask me to drive. Normally he won't relunquish the wheel because he thinks I get too close to the people in front. He must have been desperate. It was a short but fun little outing--perfect for us and our kids.

Swimming Lessons

Since we are here in sunny Arizona with extreme temperatures we thought we'd better take the opportunity to get David involved in swimming lessons. At six months old he loved splashing around in the pool but after we moved to Boston he didn't get the chance to swim again.

Brad and David waiting to get in

Trying to float on his tummy

Not too sure about the water

This first lesson was so-so. I honestly thought he'd be a rock star but he was kind of whiney. Oh well. Brad had fun being one of the few Dads in the pool. :) Hopefully he'll get something out of this two week session!