Catching up through pictures...

 Lincoln at the library

 Splash pad

 Birthday tie! (It says CTR)

 ChemE service project a few weeks ago

 Temple cake. Shaped cakes are not my specialty.

Happy Father’s Day! What a gift to have righteous fathers in our lives! We are grateful for our heritage. You remind me of 4 Nephi 1:15-16, “And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people….surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.” Our fathers have watched, taught, protected, and provided. Each year my appreciation of fatherhood increases as I watch Wesley’s capacities and discernment increase. He has been trained by so many examples—and he continues to learn so well. He constantly refines his actions to meet the will of the Lord. I love watching him pray because you can see that he truly counsels with our Father in Heaven. So I always know we’re safe. We’ll be okay no matter what happens. What a wonderful, wonderful man I somehow snatched. And what a superb daddy he is.  How is it possible to assume the people we love most as constant fixtures in our lives? Wesley’s calling and work have helped me notice how much he does (simply by being present!) to smooth out the storms, frustrations, and restore peace. He always takes time after work to sit on the couch and listen patiently to the boys report their daily extravaganzas. Usually, he’s in charge of bath time (and the connected splashing and screaming). He teaches them about tools and trucks, prophets and scripture. He keeps up on all of our maintenance issues—and most of those aren’t physical!

Wesley went to conferences in Austin all week, met with fellow researchers, worked on a book chapter he’s been asked to write, practiced presentations, and pretty much ran full speed in everything that is required of him for work. Add people, institute, and family. On Friday he came home for an hour, hurriedly packed, ate, and drove a bunch of teachers and priests out to a campout. That night a profane, somewhat drunken, argument ensued in the campground next to them. It escalated so much that the YM president had to call the cops—and four cars arrived. All of this in miserable, humid heat. The boys were ready to just go home in the morning. They felt better after jumping off a few cliffs into a lake, calling the whole experience a resounding success. He came home to play around with the washing machine so I could keep filling it up (I thought we could go a while, but—aside from the stuff I did Monday and Tuesday—I did laundry most of Thursday, all day Friday, some Saturday, and will have another 6 loads tomorrow!) This afternoon Wesley left for Washington DC where he’ll attend two different conferences. He’ll come home for about 12 hours on Wednesday then fly to Denver for more conferences until Saturday. Whew! I’m hoping he’ll get more sleep while away…

Levi wanted a temple recommend to go with his temple shaped birthday cake—complete with a Lego Moroni with a bugle, as provided by Daddy. We made a little card that he has proudly carried around in his wallet. He even signed it. On Tuesday morning he cracked his door open, giggling. “Today is my birthday!” He ran into me. His next excited phrase: “Now Lincoln can be two and a half!” They both celebrated. Wes worked from home so we could go to the pool together in the morning. No one else was there. The boys loved it (despite the large bugs floating around after a warm night! Ew!) Since we were already wet, I took the boys to a splashpad-type park near us. Levi has carefully observed other kids climb up a huge rock wall tower. That day, he looked at me matter of factly, “I want to climb that.” And so he did. Without any problems. Lincoln tried to stretch his little arms and legs, concluding that “I’m still learning.” I was proud of them both. We were all pretty wiped out at the end of the partying in the heat. Despite all the hype over the cake, Levi told us that it hurt his tummy. After a few bites he stopped eating it and hasn’t eaten any more since. Wow—self control! (He requested trail mix with dried fruit instead! Haha!) Lincoln said his tummy hurt as he shoved enormous portions of cake into his mouth. We froze one layer: Wes and Lincoln took the other two down. Thank you for your sweet gifts and birthday wishes. Isn’t “Happy Birthday to You” such a delightful song? Levi has also discovered the joys of cover sheets and folders. He spent an hour organizing pictures during rest time. He also Swiffered the wood floor all on his own; it looks impressively good.

Lincoln has determined that being a big brother is serious work. When Keller wakes in the morning, he dashes to the crib trying to beat me there so he can climb in. On Monday, he curled up around Keller, whispering, “Good morning, Keller. We are brothers!” One night the big boys had to be in their room while I calmed Keller down. Screaming. More screaming. Lincoln chucked all of the available board books at Levi (granted, this began earlier with Levi as the thrower). Lincoln, Levi, and I all ended up scratched and bruised on the face. Totally awesome. The board books were off limits for a while. We met our friends at a new covered park with a wooden playground—three bridges, five turrets, tube and open slides, monkey bars, the works. It also had a basketball court with a lowered hoop and a soccer field set up at half field with small nets. Loved it! Very tanned. It was 100 degrees by 10 a.m. that day. Blessed SPF 50. Lincoln ran, ran, ran, and sweated. Then didn’t nap. At least he does this pleasantly. I reminded him he can have underpants when he can consistently tell us he needs to use the potty before he goes. We’re on three days running and absolutely no misses. Tomorrow we’ll brave the superhero garb.

Keller officially sits and officially inchworms. Everywhere. He pulls forward with his arms, sticks his bum up high, kicks with his toes, and starts over—until he reaches his goal. He discovered a particular fondness for the spot behind the toilet (you know, next to the scrubber and the plunger). He pulled apart a collapsible laundry basket all on his own. He loves the pool—but it’s not a good idea to put a baby in a public pool. His skin is still recovering. He loves the parks and slides. He loves swinging in the baby swings. He started sitting on the potty very patiently (at his brothers’ request). And he slept through the night then had two long naps. No one quite knew what to do. He moves a lot faster when well rested. I’ll take it! He struggled sitting through church today. He scooted under the bench and tried to eat the young man’s shoelaces in front of us. He eats his big toe. He’s starting to figure out sippy cups—warily. He downs finger foods, grunting in satisfaction as he eats. He lights up when he sees Wes—especially when he can tip backwards off of Daddy’s lap. I subbed again in nursery and he was bombarded by loving hands. He sings. Loudly. No one will need to instruct him on being seen and heard within the brotherhood.

This week I’ve decided I’ve got to be more proactive and just move forward—right out of my square inch I trap myself in. Thankfully, I’ve got a loving Savior on one side and Wesley on the other.