Independence Day!

Baby is never too far away! And always there to comfort when needed.

Uncle Biff came to visit

No, his real name is not Biff, it's Andrew. It was a nickname he aquired very young(long story) from my older brother. It stuck and that's what he's known by, both family and friends. This is our last visit with him before he is deployed to Iraq for a second time. : ( The worst part is that he'll be in Bagdad the whole time. Riley was so excited to seem him. The first thing he wanted to do was wrestle. The next day as we were in route to see him again, Riley informs me that he needs to wrestle Uncle Biff again, "I haven't gotten to wrestle him enough!"

Dirt

It's so funny how each kid is so different. Riley has always been Mr. Clean. Jeremy on the other hand, takes every opportunity to get dirty. He piles it in his lap, throws it in the air, and rubs it on his cheeks. It's a mothers dream : ) It is pretty cute to watch.

Found a Caterpillar in the Tent

Riley made a home for his caterpillar, which he named Brad. We brought it home and he put it in his bug house. It died 4 days later. When I first told him he said, "nooo, he's just sleeping." Then later when I told him again, he accepted the fact and asked why. So our new rule, he can keep a bug in his bug house for a day or two. Then we have to release it.

A Visit From A Squirel

Yummy Smores!

Our visit to the river while we were camping.

DID IT!

This is the park we frequented while we were camping.

Transition

The last 2 weeks have been great! What started it all? Valane finished his second year of dental school!!!!! YIPEE!!!!!!!! The is the worst year, so now the worst is all behing us. That is a great! The ended it with the White Coat Ceremony, symbolizing the transition to the clinic. He had the next week off to spend with us. We absorbed every minute like a sponge. So if you've been wondering why you haven't heard from me much, that is why.

Jeremy's "Baby"

It all started with satin. All of the sudden, this last winter, Jeremy wouldn't use a blanket that didn't have satin on it. He would rather go without, even at night. So I had to make sure to always have at least one of the two we had clean at all times. One day we were at Grandma, and he found this blanket. Now it's the only one he will use. He calls it "baby." I have tried twice to leave it at my mom's house. We did so successfully, but he always found it when we went back. And now leaving it, is just not an option. He can't sleep without it. It's, well, a security blanket. He reminds me of Linus (from Snoopy) carrying it around all the time.

He loves to rub it on his face!
Especially on his lips!

One day we were at Target, walking through the baby section. They had all these nice blankets. He looks over and exclaims, "BABY!" He wanted me to hand him one. I handed him the blue one. He told me no and kept pointing. I handed him the green one. He told me no and kept pointing and said, "pink!"

Then a few days ago I was at Joann's fabric. He had interest in absolutely nothing there, that is, until we walked by the pink satin. Then he says, "oooooooh!" And reached for it. I handed it to him, and then he started rubbing his face on it. I have tried to interest him in other colors of satin, all attempts have been completely unsuccessful! What can I say, he loves pink satin!

FHE

We always have Family Home Evening on Friday, because that works best for us right now. It's always a highlight in the boys' week. As we were getting ready, I set this picture on the couch. Jeremy picked it up, grinned and then said, "Jesus! (then a pause as he looked at it) Love Jesus!" It was very sweet!

"Where's a super hero when you need one?"....Well at our house of course!

The mask makes it hard to see who it is, Spidey is Jeremy!

sidewalk Fun

After Jeremy’s nap, Riley started collecting “treasures,” using his treasure map of course. The treasure consisted of dirt, rocks, grass, and whatever else he could find in the back yard. Then he insisted on going to the front yard. After all, he had all the treasure from the back yard. After seeing that his gallon size Ziploc bag was almost a third of the way full, I decided to thwart that plan, by suggesting we do sidewalk chalk instead.

I know it's obvious, but let me point out,

this is Riley's treasure map!

In case you didn't know, Grandma and Grandpa Cook, Riley has been writing his name for a while now. He always dots his eyes, and makes his O's, like that!

This kind of work takes a lot of concentration!
Jeremy running back for a new color.
He says he's tired!

INCOGNITO??!!!

What super hero's? I don't see any super hero's! It's not a disguise. It's just Peter Parker (A.K.A.-Ethan) and his partner....what is The flashes cover name anyway(A.K.A-Riley)?