July 2007: Ice Cream Smiles

I am definitely of the opinion that ice cream fixes about everything. I think my boys would agree. Here Owen and Eyan are with happy smiles- its all about the ice cream.

July 2007: Baby Juliet is Born

My brother Lucas and his wife Kelli just had their second baby, Juliet Rose, the first granddaughter in the Dix family. Vanessa and I left our boys with our husbands and went down to visit our new little niece. She is very precious. She's going to have to be tough though, being surrounded by all these boys.

July 2007: Favorite Images of July

Fourth of July. I love Eyan's groovy beach hat. You can't really tell in this photo, but there is about just as much sand as there are chips on his plate.

• Fourth of July. The boys created their own little pool and were practicing kicking. I love the water splashing in this photo.

• Canyon Hills Pool. Eyan loved jumping off the side of the pool to Grandma. "Again" was the favorite word of the day. There's that hat again.

Eyan loves wearing Owen's shoes. He walks around in them all the time. After he falls asleep at night I have to take them off.

Visit from G.G. We received a visit from great-grandma Layton. She loves holding Tate and has a special touch.

My 3 silly boys. Tate has definitely realized that he has 2 silly older brothers. He loves watching them. They can always make him smile. The boys seem to always want to be right next to Tate. We're working on personal space issues.

Time with Grandpa. I love that my Dad always makes time to hold Tate. He loves holding him and it makes me so happy. Tate loves it too.

July 2007: Tate's Blessing

The first Sunday in July, Michael blessed our little Tate. In our religion, children are not baptized until they are 8, but a special prayer is offered in which the one giving the blessing- usually the father-gives the baby his chosen name and pronounces special blessings upon the baby as directed by the Spirit of God. The words of the blessing that Michael gave were beautiful. Some of my favorite words of the blessing were "I bless you with a kind disposition, that you will feel love and kinship with your brothers; that you will be an example to them and learn from their good examples." It was a time of reflection and joy for our family. We were happy to have my Dad's brother Mark, sister Sherrie, and their families join us. The absense of all Mike's family was definitely felt though. Our family friend, Cheryl, was there once again to take photos of the occasion. I am grateful to her.

June 2007: Favorite Images of June

Here are some favorite shots of our June: Tate at my cousin Shelise's house; Owen "pinky promise"ing with good friend Cheryl (also Owen's church Primary teacher); Eyan in his Newsies cap; Tate and I; Owen in his "watching TV" pose; Eyan on bike in cousin Davis' backyard; Luke in full leg cast (injury sustained during Church basketball) attempting to play volleyball

May 2007: Owen turns 5!

I can't believe it, Owen turned 5 on May 29th! We had a fun little party for him. Eyan was excited to help blow out Owen's candles. Here Owen is wearing his special Chinese Wisdom cap Grandma Dix got him in Chinatown, San Francisco. Owen starts Kindergarten in August and he is very excited. I am very nervous, but I know it will be so great for him. Its truly "reflection time" as a mother in thinking if you have done all you can to send your child out on their own. I am sure plenty of surprises await.

May 2007: Favorite Images of May

May really flew by. Yes, we actually made it out of the house a few times. I hope that as I get better at being a Mom of 3, my blog entries might be full of more detail. Keep up those comments.

May 2007: Mother's Day

Today on Mother's Day our family was able to speak with my brother Jesse on the phone who is on a mission for our church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, teaching Christ's gospel in Spanish in San Antonio, Texas. I miss my "little" Bub. He sounds so very happy in the service of our Heavenly Father. He will return home in September. My mom & dad returned from their trip to Hawaii celebrating their 30th Anniversary. Yeah Mom & Dad!!! Mom presented us girls with sweet smelling leis. Jesse wanted me to post a photo, so here you go Bub. He gets to check my blog once a month. It is definitely true sibling love when you are willing to post a horrible photo of yourself for practically anyone to see, just for your brother. So, just for fun, I am posting pre-mission photos of my brother. See how cute he is, don't we look so much alike :-) Surprise Bub!

May 2007: Tate's 1st Beach Trip

My first outing as a mother of 3 was to the beach of course. I drove down to my brother Luke & wife Kelli's darling new beach home in Cardiff. We walked down to the beach with all our stuff and the boys had a great time with their cousin Davis. I had a couple of points of near breakdown, but with Luke & Kelli's help, catastrophe was avoided. The soothing sounds of the waves, sweet smell and gentle breeze of the ocean was great therapy for a tattered new mom of 3. Tate slept most of the time, but sand still managed to dot him and his carseat. If you ask Eyan about the beach he will tell you "ocean cold", yes the water was a little chilly but it felt great. Outing #1 a success overall.

May 2007: Awake time

Tate has been settling in to a little better of a schedule, sleeping some longer stretches at night and more happy awake time during the day. I love this shot of Owen and Tate. Tate is about 3 1/2 weeks old here.