New Addition

These three U.S. Citizens would like to welcome . . .


This fine young husband and father into the United States of America as a fellow citizen, and no longer a stranger, foreigner, and Canadian.

Two rare things happened on June 23. My girls and I got to witness our husband's/father's naturalization and a flag was flown at the United States Capitol in honor of the blessed day (thanks to our awesome friends who happen to have sweet jobs/connections:).

Although the waiting for the ceremony seemed long and brutal with two little girls (when we arrived, John had to go wait in a separate area while I waited in the same room, but couldn't cross an invisible line with two active girls, during what happened to be their nap time), it wasn't as long as the poor man who sat next to John who had waited 15 years to become a citizen.

Sadly, I didn't quite get good pictures of John being sworn in . . . my hands were a little full. But we did get a family shot after the blessed event.

Anya was thrilled that Daddy got her a flag! That was an expensive flag . . .

This year, we can all celebrate Independence Day as Citizens!

Marta Moment #14

My Marta Mouse is back. Marty's alive! He's alive!

For a year and a half I have been mourning his departure to that heavenly mouseville where the streets are paved with cheese and no human shoe can enter.

His friendship was cherished weekly while I waited for the Marta trains back in 2007. It just hasn't been the same since that black Monday in October when I found him curled up on stair number nine, paper thin in height...

But miracles do happen every day.

Just recently, I was overjoyed to see him running around the Marta station near a garbage can, but this time, quite a distance away from the stair case.... (Hey, we all learn at different rates...)



His life needs to be recorded. His story needs to be told. And if not by me, who? So, I whipped out my new cell phone which takes video and took some live actions shots. (My previous phone only took pictures.)

Now, when his ticket comes up again and that Marta train pulls up to (or on top of) him, to take him to mouseville once more, his memory will stay with us. (Or at least in the Google cloud...)



Welcome back, Marty! Eat anything but the Varsity garbage. That stuff will kill ya.

I Drew an "A" on My Head! (And Other Things From the Mouth of Anya)

Anya: "Today is my birthday!"
Me: "It is? Oh, okay, what should we do?"
Anya: "Have a strawberry cake and candles!"
She says this about every other morning :)


Anya, holding up a broken slinky: "I danced so hard, I broke my slinky!"


Anya, looking down at her legs: "Where is my other leg?"
Me: "Well, it couldn't have gone far."
Looking around, "Oh, there it is!"


Me: "Anya, are you honest?"
Anya: "No." Then a pause. "I'm Anya Salmon."


Anya, while I'm putting in my contacts one morning: "Mommy, are you putting on your eyelashes so you can see?"

Anya trying to find her shoes: "Where are my shoes?" Still looking, sometimes they get covered by John's shoes. "Oh there they are! They were playing hide n' seek!"


Anya: "I want a cupcake."
Me: "After dinner you can have one."
Anya: "I want to eat dinner right now." It was 10 am.


And one of my favorites, whenever she wants you to pick her up, Anya says: "I want to hold you!"

Lyrics

Anya loves music--well, specific music--HER music. Here are a few things I have heard her singing in the last little while:

. . . I can do and say, Happy Birthday, for I know Heavenly Father loves me.

The rains came down and the flowers came up . . .

. . . to feel the Holy Spirit, to listen and to play . . .

Setting Records

In the month of May, we really outdid ourselves in certain areas.

1. We went to Florida, not once, but twice in the month of May.
2. Trip #1 lasted approximately 30 hours, including the 13-14 hours of driving and the 8 or so hours of sleeping and one glorious hour at the beach. Enough said about trip #1. We did not even take a single picture.
3. Now onto Trip #2. We took the least amount of pictures of any vacation of our lives. And half of the pictures that were taken, were taken by Lisa. So sadly, I don't have a visual for each record.
4. We didn't get sunburned. Thanks, Spencer, for providing a visual reminder to apply sunscreen often. Which leads me to #5.
5. Spencer got the record for most sunburned body part, which happened to be his back. Nathan got the best tan. He can now qualify for interesting scholarships and surveys because he doesn't look Caucasian anymore. Sara spread the coldest aloe (freezer temperature) ever used on Spencer's back.
6. We had the most generations in the lazy river, thanks to the help of Grandpa.

7. John ate a hot-dog.
8. Lisa set the record for being the bravest. She took Ryan AND Anya down to the pool, by HERSELF. Why is that so brave? Anya has a habit of jumping into the first body of water she sees, no matter how deep it is.
9. Shanel made a record for becoming Austria's best friend in the shortest amount of time.

10. Mark and Grandma smashed the competition in the best looking mother/son combination in the ocean.

11. Mark also achieved most energetic. Here he is after swimming half way across the Gulf of Mexico. Seriously. But that is a post all of its own.

12. Loraine made a record in enjoying her meal of crab the longest.
13. Ryan was the most sought after by Anya. She mimicked whatever he did, but also found some time to boss him around a bit. And no, he isn't older than her, he is YOUNGER, but obviously VERY cool. However, Ryan was more interested in playing with Austria than Anya and certainly said, "baby" more than anyone else.
14. Austria ate the most sand, beating the second place consumer by 16000 grains.

15. Anya spent the most time of anyone in the Lazy River. She also ran on the beach the most. So much that I couldn't get a good shot. So here she is, in two pieces.
16. John and I enjoyed the audio to four non-stop hours of Arthur and Caillou on the way and the way back. But this was WAY better than the alternative experience in Trip #1.

Get Well Soon, Grandma!

Anya wanted to sing you a little song to make you feel better, Grandma!



Get Well Soon! We love you!