Daddy Daughter

Is there ANYTHING better than watching a daddy with his daughter? You can tell Ava already adores him so much! 

Dimples

As much as Ava cries and as little as she sleeps...now that she is smiling and I get peeks at her dimples...I seem to forget how tired I am and I just want to snuggle her all day long! It's so fun that she got dimples and Ryler loves that they share this feature :) 

Mesa High Pool

We had so much fun at Mesa High Pool for Family Home Evening with the Phelps family!  We've been out of town the past 2 summers when they have done this, so it was fun to go to the new Mesa High Pool finally and the kids all had a great time and Aunt Susie cooked hot dogs for everyone and it was great to be together. 

Potty Training

 
While it might seem crazy to attempt potty training with a newborn around, I figured if we were stuck at home and not going to be out and about a lot, it was probably a good time to try. At first I was ready to give up, as she would scream when I even tried to get her to sit on the toilet. We bought her a little toilet, which I've never done with any of my kids, but she seemed less intimidated by it. I downloaded an app that set a timer and when the music started, she would get excited for "potty time" and run in and "try" and then get to play a short little game on my phone. It helped her get used to the idea, but she wouldn't actually go! BUT...she wasn't having accidents either, so I was happy. She would literally hold it until her naptime and I would put a diaper on her and then she would wake up from her naps really wet! Well...after a few days, she actually went and realized it wasn't so bad and has done great since! She tells us when she needs to go and hasn't really had any accidents. #2 on the other hand....is a work in progress! It still scares her and she tries to wait until she has a diaper on and then will go, so we need to figure that one out??? Carden did this same thing and he didn't go

#2 in the toilet for almost a year! Let's hike Jaynie is a little less stubborn and figures it out in the next couple of weeks! 

Lots of Love

Ava is not lacking in the attention department! She has 4 siblings who love and adore her and are usually VERY close to her and loving on her throughout the day!

Ava and Kimball

My cousin Holly Phelps had a BOY!! She has had 4 sweet little girls, 2 of which went straight to heaven and 2 that are here on earth and are as cute as can be! So I was so excited to find out she would be having a boy and we were due just a month apart! Kimball and Ava...3 weeks apart and loving life. Sadly, Holly is in Yuma for a couple years or we would get these babies together more often! This particular night, Holly brought me dinner!!!! Yes...dinner, when she has her own newborn AND lives in Yuma and was only in town for a visit! She is always thinking of others and I'm grateful for her example and her willingness to serve. 

First Smiles

5 weeks old and it's fun to catch some smiles and spot those dimples! It makes the sleepless nights seem worth it! We sure do love her! 

Cooking Class

Kylie told me about this cooking class she put Mia in and we decide to sign Ryler up with her too. These two are the best of friends and both love to cook/bake! It's a former Homec teacher that takes them through 2 weeks of cooking classes, 3 hours a day! I've been so impressed with all of th skills they are learning and they come out with huge smiles every day! It's been fun for them to go together and learn new things to cook. Ry has tried several new things too, that I know he wouldn't try if I made them! He comes home wanted to share his recipes and things he made every day!

Back to Church

Do I look as tired as I feel? Back to church after a month and teaching Sharing Time! Both of my counselors were out of town, so it was time to jump back in! And of course, Matt was teaching Gospel Doctrine too, so we juggled Ava and then he came and took her 3rd hour and she cried most of the time. Hopefully she gets used to the whole church thing soon! 

Ava's First Swim

She actually seemed to like swimming for her first time! It helps that the water is as warm S. bath!

Matt's Birthday at Top Golf

We went out for my brother Matt's birthday tonight to Top Golf. We ate first in the restaurant since it was so hot and then headed out for a game! It was fun to get together with just the adults and we all had a great time. It was good to get out of the house and Ava did great. We ended the night at Frost for some Gelato and I was happy they had a dairy free option!

Ava Mei

Ava is 1 month old! She has her days and nights mixed up and does not like to sleep when mom wants to sleep. She has been pretty fussy, so we are trying to figure it out. I just quit eating Dairy to see if that helps and last week I took her to the chiropractor to have her adjusted, since I have heard that can help. We love her to pieces, whether she sleeps or not! The kids are really helpful and being good sports about not going anywhere this summer, since we have a new baby. 

4th of July

We doubled up with 4th of July for Carden's Birthday Party...which really just meant we brought a cake to the 4th of July BBQ at my mom's house! He wanted a Candyland Cake, since he loves Candy, so we found one online and copied it as best we could. All of the kids helped decorate it, I barely had to help and it turned out great. My Aunt Donna and Loni were also in town from Utah, so it was so fun to get together and see them!  We swam and visited and ate delicious food and then the boys set off fireworks in the backyard. Well, the last one ended up spraying far and high and caught a palm tree on fire near the pool. Luckily everyone acted quickly and got a hose and put it out before it spread. It made for quite an exciting end to our night! I'm so thankful for this beautiful country we live in and the freedoms we have! 

Carden's Birthday

Carden turned 6 and is the HAPPIEST BOY around! Some things I want to remember from his birthday are that he chose his favorite for breakfast- French Toast and Wings Express for dinner! Grandma Brinton and Rob and Julie and their kids met us for dinner and we had a great time. After we met up with Matt and Amy and their kids at a new pool, Mesquite Groves. It was such a fun pool and wasn't crowded at all. They enjoyed playing, while I snuggled Ava(who turned 1 month today)! We stopped by Bosa Donuts on the way home and when we got home, the Hubers had dropped off a gift for him(and a late birthday gift for Jaynie) and they were both so excited and went to bed so happy! It was a great end to a fun day! 

Something funny I want to remember...

My brother Rob said to Carden 

"Carden, you look so much bigger now that you are 6!" Carden looked at him like he was crazy and said, "No I'm not! I'm the same size as I was when I was 4!" Haha...he may be small, but he makes up for it with a BIG PERSONALITY!