I've fallen behind on my blogging. I guess that's summer for you. We are busy, busy, busy. There is so much I want to do and so little time to get it all done, especially with just two free days a week.

June is always a particularly busy month for us. There are birthdays and Father's Day and weddings and end-of-year celebrations. I meant to post individual stories about these various events but alas, I just haven't the time. So instead, here is one long post with lots of silly pictures and a few words for context.

First on my list--Stephen's birthday. Henry totally planned it. When I got home from work that evening, Henry whispered in my ear that he wanted to make Dad tacos for his birthday. He told Stephen that we having soup to ensure his dinner was a surprise. Then Henry accompanied me to the store for, in his own words, the taco recipes.

As we getting in the car, Henry suggested we stop by Target first to buy Stephen a gift. I assured him Fred Meyer had toys and we could find something there (I knew Henry had a water gun in mind). We talked about birthday surprises and gifts all the way to the store. Once there, Henry picked out a red NERF something or other because 1) red is Stephen’s favorite color, and 2) Henry is familiar with NERF brand guns and they are now his preference.

Henry’s plan was to give Stephen the gun when we returned home with the caveat that it stay in the box until after dessert because that is how birthday parties work. However, Stephen promptly removed the gun from the box after Henry gave it to him. When I asked Henry about his plan, he responded that is was Dad’s birthday after all and he could do what he wanted.



















My birthday follows Stephen's by less than 24 hours. I planned my own birthday celebration. To no one's surprise, I requested a big slab of meat. We also picked up a half pound of morel mushrooms at the Saturday market to make it extra special. And to make it extra, extra special, Stephen cooked the boys mac'n'cheese and put them to bed at 7pm. And they actually fell asleep--Happy Birthday, Hannah!















We also celebrated Father's Day in Twin Falls, with our fathers. And of course, we ate a lot. The boys helped make the potato salad. Grandma and Grandpa joined us for dinner (although I'd put the camera away by then). We Skyped Uncle Jack. Dylan and Stephen cooked breakfast. On Sunday, we took a little family excursion to the Falls (but that's probably gonna be it's own post, at some point).













This June we also celebrated the life and passing of a long time family friend. We stayed with Grandma and Grandpa while we were in 2T. Everyone had lots of fun playing in the backyard.