Fred

Yup, this is Fred. This crazy furry beast is the newest addition to our family. He's an 11 month old English Sheepdog/Picardy Collie mix.

I'm not really sure what brought on this sudden need for another dog but here we are. Crazy...

yes definitely crazy! But how can you resist that face. He is a crack up! We drove up to Salt Lake to pick him up on Saturday. Ava just started laughing the minute she saw him. He loves the kids and the kids love him. He and our good old Duce hit it off pretty well. Not only was he free but he also came with his own rawhide bone (which Duce later ate) and pillow (which Duce later ripped to shreds). Poor Fred. It is definitely an adjustment for us all. Jeremy calls me a "worry wort" (sound familiar Mom ;)) I just worry that he's happy here. That Duce isn't jealous. That he will get along with other dogs. That the neighbors don't notice a little extra barking and the sad low howl coming from the garage at bedtime. Most especially I'm worried about leaving them this weekend. Aahhhhh. I am a worry wort. We'll see how it all goes down. Here's to the crazy life I make for myself.

My Secret Beauty

Last night our little family had the chance to go to the Draper Temple open house. It was beautiful! Especially at night, seeing how it glowed up on the hillside. As we walked out of the Celestial room it hit me how it probably wouldn't be until missions and weddings that we all would be together again in that special room. I tried really hard to burn into my memory their sweet little faces as they looked around, so that in 15 or so years from now I will be able to look back and remember that moment. It is amazing how being there together really did make all the stress of life fade away. The big picture is so easy to see when your mind is clear. I'm so thankful that our family can be together forever.

Oh and about "my secret beauty" as we drove home that night we sang "I Love to See The Temple". Both Ava and Luke can belt out every word to that song...well except for the very end when it says "this is my sacred duty". That gets replaced with "this is my secret beauty". They are so sweet. We love the Temple!

Ava wanted me to add in how fun riding on the bus was from the parking lot to the temple and how good the cookies were after. :)

Same Same

Ava is really into finding things that look alike. When she finds something that she thinks matches she says "Same, same!" It can be pretty entertaining to see the kinds of things she notices. Speaking of "same same" you would not believe the number of times people have told me how much Ava looks like Michelle from the show Full House. I couldn't seem to find the greatest pictures but they do look a little bit "same, same" to me. What do you think?

...and if she somehow ends up looking at all like them when she's older, I wouldn't have a problem with that at all! ;)

Oh yeah, I also get told occasionally that she has a Wallace smile! Now that one is a definite "same same"! :)