Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

Today is my dad's birthday. I love my dad so much! There are so many things in my life that I treasure because of him. He developed my love for baseball. Some of my fondest childhood memories involve America's favorite pastime. Whether it was playing in the cool night air during one of his softball games, being cheered on as I went up to bat, or attending at least a hundred Mariner's games, my dad was always there. To me he was our big, strong protector, always on watch to fight away the evil, bad guys that lurked in the shadows. He's a big, tough guy that melts down metal, the real Man of Steel. And yet, he would do anything for anybody. My mom calls him a "Burnt Marshmallow"; crusty on the outside and gooey on the inside. Even if you can't pronounce marshmallow correctly (Dad), you've got to admit,

they're the best kind. Just like my dad!


I love you, Dad!

Cousins

My mom, sisters and niece came to stay at our house this weekend. Here's some pictures of our fun weekend.

The Coolest Brothers Ever...

Kristen took some great pictures of Matthew and James. Thanks, Kristen!
Here is just a small sampling of her work.

Matthew loves to make funny faces for the camera. Luckily, he would forget this until a few pictures had already been snapped. He even tried out a few new variations. He was pleased with himself. Also, his new favorite word is "coolest." So don't even try to tell him he's handsome because he isn't. He is the coolest. And today was James' turn to not want many photos taken, so that's why there are only a few. Enjoy our "coolest" little boys show!

I couldn't get Matthew to pose just by himself.

I know, I'm just as shocked as you are.

Poor James, he didn't have a choice.

One...Two...Three...

Okay, so it's super hard to get a picture when both of them are smiling.

So I go through a bunch until I get a good one.

Unfortunately, when I do get a good one,

it's blurry.

Row, Row, Row Your Boat...

We had a great day in Prescott. It was nice to get out of

our heat for a few hours. We even saw a little bit of rain.

Our budding photographer took this picture.
We were in good hands on this trip.

We had the most experienced captain ever.
It was just too much for one of our passengers.