Summer time!!!!!

Ice cream, tomato plants, green grass, kiddie pool - this picture says it all: Summer is finally here!!!
Ryanna is a pro side-walk chalk artist. Gotta love her shiny sunscreen legs. This girl would spend all day outside if she could. 
Eating the blanket is a favorite hobby during tummy time. He doesn't scream bloody murder like Ryanna did but he also isn't too adventurous yet- mostly just rests his head and chills out. 
Like this! 
We had a super quick trip to and from Utah County on Saturday. We did make a pit stop at the Baker's since we hadn't seen them since before Sydney was born. It was great to see them and let the girls play. If only we lived closer!!!!

Ryanna enjoying Los Hermanos. We've missed decent mexican food so we decided to splurge and enjoy. 

All the playing outside in our yard, at the park, and swimming at Kenna's house has made for a very sleepy girl after lunchtime. For the first time she will just suddenly fall asleep wherever she may be when the mood strikes. About 20 seconds before this picture was taken we were having a conversation about when dad would be home. 

Our favorite park! If you look close you can see Ryanna on the slide - her favorite thing there. 

Loving it. 

We're lucky our friends enjoy getting out during the day too. Ryanna loves seeing "the boys" and her friend Kenna. 

This cracked us up. Ryanna was supposed to be in bed but came to the top of the stairs. We told her she couldn't come down until she had a nap. Well a few minutes later I went to help her get back in bed thinking she was just playing upstairs and this is what I saw. She was out cold with her feet hanging over the top stair - hilarious!

Ryanna was so excited about going to the park this day that after breakfast she ran upstairs and came back down with this outfit. She said "Get ready Mom!" They might not match but she was being such a big helper I was just put them on her and got us out the door that much faster. :)

Settling into life

Ryanna continues to adore her little brother and prides herself in helping give him baths, put in his binky, or running to check on him if she hears him make a sound. Quinten continues to grow grow grow. He has started to cry now like a normal baby but not too often. He recently decided he enjoys sleeping all afternoon and evening so he can party from about the time mom wants to go to bed until about 3am. That's been a bit rough but we'll figure it out. Brian continues to be overworked but still manages to spend time with us each day and is honestly a huge help. He put in the extra effort to make mother's day special taking Ryanna shopping to get me flowers and even picked out a new shirt for me. In a nutshell we are doing great and feeling blessed. :)

And the best that I could ever hope to be, is as wonderful as my Mother

I have a couple minutes while Ryanna is reading a book and Quinten is happy in the swing. I'm not sure I can get it all in before one or both of them have a melt down but here goes. I have the best mother in the world. Simply put I only know how to be a mother because of her. I only know how to rock my babies, tell them stories, sing them silly songs, and give them unusual but adoring nicknames because of her. When I was about 12 or 13 I started hearing all the time "you look just like your mother!" At the time I wasn't sure I appreciated that. Yes, I was a bit of a brat, especially to my mother. The older I became the more often I heard how much I looked like my mother and the less it bothered me. Then I left for college. I didn't miss home much but with each week I began to realize all the things my mom had done for me and after the initial first party weeks I began to rely on those semi weekly sometimes daily calls to my mom. I called to ask things like "hey mom how do I make top ramen in a microwave?" or "hey mom guess what happened today?" She was always there practically any time of day and I knew she would have time for me. She is still there for me and I have gone from a 12 year old bugged by the observation of my likeness to my mother to a 25 year old that just hopes I can be 1/10th of the woman my mom is.

Mom - Do you remember this song? I wish I could sing it to you myself and I really mean that the best I could ever hope to be is as wonderful as you are. Thank you for being my example and friend. I love you.

-Your Beally Princess

She by Cherie Call

She is not the picture on the magazine
She's the woman just behind you at the checkout stand
She may appear to be common but she mystifies
In all the ways the wisest men and children understand
'Cause she has eyes that sparkle with her love
And she has a smile that's as gentle as a dove
And no woman from a movie or an ad could ever hope to be
As beautiful as she

She is not a highly honored diplomat
Held responsible to lead the world to peace
But what she does is every bit as serious
Amidst the turmoil everywhere that will never cease
'Cause she has hands that wipe the tears away
And she has a voice that makes everything O.K.
And no woman from the papers or T.V. could ever hope to be
As indispensable as she

And it breaks my heart every time I see her wonder
If she means anything in this world that pulls her under
And she doesn't always see the way that Heaven smiles above her
That's the reason I try to always tell her that I love her

'Cause she may not be known for giving millions
To the charities and auctions on the news
But I believe she's given more than anyone
In all the times she's ever had to choose
To give up sleep to rock her children every night
And give her heart to always hold their dreams so tight
And the best that you or I could ever hope to be
Is as wonderful as she
And the best that you or I could ever hope to be
Is as wonderful as she

Under two weeks until THREE OH!

Ladies and Gentlemen who share my fate of turning 30 this year, my #1 goal from here on out is to wear sunscreen! The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, plus I don't want cancer.

Following are the rest of my 30 goals to shoot for starting on my 30th:
(a big thanks to Baz Luhrmann for inspiring me to make these 30 goals to live up to):

#2, I will enjoy the power and beauty of my youth; In 20 years I’ll look back at photos of myself and recall in a way I can’t grasp now how much possibility laid before me and how fabulous I really looked….

#3 I will realize I am not as fate as I imagine, though I will start eating healthier.

#4 I will not worry about the future; but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in my life are apt to be things that never crossed my worried mind; the kind that’ll blindside me at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

#5 I will do one thing everyday that scares me.

#6 I will Sing

#7 I won’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, AND I won’t put up with
people who are reckless with mine.

#8 I will floss

#9 I won’t waste my time on jealousy; sometimes I’ll be ahead, sometimes
I’ll be behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with myself anyway.

#10 I will remember the compliments I receive, forget the insults; if I
succeed in doing this, I’ll write a book.

#11 I will keep my old love letters and throw away my old bank statements.

#12 I will stretch

#13 I won’t feel guilty if I don’t know what I want to do with my
life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they
wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year
olds I know still don’t.

#14 I’ll get plenty of calcium.

#15 I’ll be kind to your knees, I’ll miss them when they’re gone.

#16 Maybe I’ll have more kids, maybe I won’t, maybe I’ll lose my job at 40 or maybe I’ll do this forever… maybe I’ll do the funky chicken at my 75th wedding anniversary.. what ever I do, I won’t congratulate myself too much or berate myself either.
#17 I’ll Enjoy my body, use it every way I can… I won’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument I’ll ever
own..

#18 I’ll dance…even if I have nowhere to do it but in my own living room.


#19 I’ll read the directions, even if I don’t follow them.


#20 I will NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make me feel ugly.


#21 I’ll get to know my parents, I never know when they’ll be gone for
good.

#22 I’ll be nice to my siblings; they are the best link to my past and the
people most likely to stick with me in the future.

#23 I’ll Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few I
should hold on. I’ll work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and
lifestyle because the older I get, the more I need the people I knew when I was young.

#24 I want to Live in New York City once, but I’ll leave before it makes me hard.

#25 I want to live in Northern California once, but I’ll leave before it makes me soft.

#26 I’ll travel

#27 I”ll Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will
philander, I too will get old, and when I do I’ll fantasize that when I was young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

#28 I’ll Respect my elders.

#29 I won’t expect anyone else to support me. Maybe I’ll end up with a trust fund, maybe my spouses family will strike it big; but I never know when either one might run out.

#30 I’ll be careful whose advice I buy, but, be patient with those who
supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of
fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the
ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

But once again back to #1, I will wear sunscreen.

Baz Luhrmann's song 'Everybody's Free' helped to inspire this. Its all good advice and you will find consistent similarities to the song. These are truly my goals, wish me luck!

4 Weeks!