living social deal I just bought. it's a need.

My friend showed me a waterproof phone/electronics case thingy and told me I need one for two reasons:
1) I had my phone in a ziplock bag when we went to the beach last week. (see a couple of posts below)
2) My phone got dropped in water twice recently and one phone barely works
so click this link. I did. I bought myself one. https://www.livingsocial.com/deals/677540?ref=conf-jp&rpi=118553260

and if you want to get unlimited data for your pool side enjoyment, then click this link next and switch to really unlimited quality inexpensive cell service too! http://www.solavei.com/tiffanyfeger

(I'm not going to submerge my phone on purpose like this picture, I have a camera for that. but it's good piece of mind knowing I could.)

ugly pictures

why now when I blog from my phone are the pictures so horrid?!
i may switch them out, but i don't know if they'll be better.
Time to upload and work on editing Selene's bridals from last Friday! I'm excited to go through them, so pretty! she wants the pictures just emailed all to her real quickly so she can print 3 4x6s for her shower on Sunday- ha!

Bye bye pier

We have been to the pier a handfull of times. To eat sweet potato fries with ranch on its roof, to have delicious paella at the Columbia, to fish from the sides, to run laps along the water, to get ripped off at the tiny aquarium, to swing dance under the stars, get grossed out by the pelicans, and for photo shoots. We always thought it could be better. There could be more events there, less t-shirt shops, and more fun. Oh well. It will be torn down in 7 days. Seems like a waste. 

We went toJonnie Reno's for dinner. Horrible service. We waited for a hostess. Waited for napkins. Waited a lot. They gave us a free brownie sundae which was scarfed down by greedy boys. 

It took so long the sun was almost down. 

We fed the pelicans for our last time. I love that the kids and Steven like it but will not miss the bird poo smell. 

Clearwater Beach

Last Monday we dropped Dylan and our car pool friend off at school then went to a Publix on the way to a park. While  I was unbuckling Tyler, Isaac informed me that he had no shoes. I was  looking around for the 3 kid carts, not seeing one, wondering how to sling up one kid or what I should do when my phone saved the day. Ashton said her husband got called into work and asked if we all wanted to go to his tower. It was. no brainer! The shoe problem was solved. We went home, got swim suits, and picked her up and went to the beach! 

Tyler fell asleep and randomly I had him in his infant seat, so I pushed him through the sand to free cabana umbrella! Ashton gets to use an umbrella because her husband knows the rental guy.

The kids dug a while then we went to the water. How convenient to just ask the Ashton's husband the life guard to watch Tyler for us! 

He woke up a little before we left. Confused.

He got just enough sandy to need a change. Into his cute swimsuit for the ride home! We went to Publix after getting Malia. Perfect! 

Geography

I want smart kids. So sometimes I do something about it. We learned about the earth.

Continents.

Countries. 

And cities. 

Specifically we listened to Animaniacs songs then repeated the Fifty Nifty United States song all morning. We read about Nairobi the capitol of Kenya in/on Africa.

 Isaac was excited to ask Steven questions about the major religion and official language and other facts to see if he could stump him. We are making the library an every other week habit.

 I get more and more amazed at how my mom home schooled us before there were online resources. It is a full time job doing lesson plans with resources right in front of me! And all of the "new" research on how to teach and what to teach are exactly what my parents already did with us. MAN I was (and am) blessed!!

Tyler and his monkey[s]

 I love this season when our purple tree tosses purple around our yard like a flower girl for a bride.

 My friend Dori gave this blanket to Tyler. My mom gave him the sock monkey. And he has lots of other monkeys from the toy chest.

 He calls them his "ooh ooh"s, you know like "ooh ooh ee ee ah ah."

 He gives his monkeys sips of water.

 And can multitask.

 His default is to receive kisses instead of giving kisses. He lends his cheek. I love how he does it for his monkeys too.

 This one looks like he's using it for a phone. I have a caption contest on my Facebook page if you'd like to comment there/(click here).

 Steven was swimming with the boys after, another reason I love this season!

Dylan's Primary Talk

I gave Dylan two choices of conference talk topics. He chose missionary work. I had him re-watch Neil A. Anderson's most recent talk, It's A Miracle, and take notes. I used those notes and wrote an outline.

He did well, was not nervous, but needed a microphone. 

Here is his talk later that evening. 

I did not prompt him. 

He talked about how conference is where we listen to prophets who teach us about the gospel and Jesus. One talk he liked was about Neil A. Anderson who is one of the 12 apostles. Then Dylan mentioned some things from his notes including the fact that the speaker told us that everybody can be a missionary by "doing what they can do." He talked about one thing that his uncle can do - break dancing, and how his uncle used that skill to do missionary work. Cute little talk:)

Here're some other pictures. Tyler was READY for the day! 

 But I made him wait, for others to get shoes on.
Which reminded him that he wanted his "ooh oohs," blanket, wa-tuh cup, and a granola bar.
And he got sleepy, he has a cold.

 Oh aren't my boys so cute. Dylan is helping Isaac with his tie. Isaac lost his suit coat in the car, it was on when he walked out of the house. His shirt is tucked in though!

Then I cleaned our pool while Tyler looked for june bugs. And Steven washed that sicky blanket of Tyler's. Yuck! Oh, Rose Ann Benson visited our ward today! And one of my young women advisers from when I was like 16 came to visit church too! 

My little pitcher!

Dylan is on a coach pitch team. 

Isaac is on a Tee Ball team. 

Isaac's coach has pitched to the team from day one. 

Dylan's league has a machine that sling shots the balls to the kids. 

They let the kids pitch to one another and chose Dylan to pitch in the last game!! 

We invited Granddad and Dylan's teacher Ms. Wolcott too! They both came! 

Grandma was visiting church ladies. 

 Dylan scored here.

 We cheered like crazy:)

 Here he is! On the mound!

 I took a plastic jar for Tyler. It worked. It kept him from noticing that we were on the field by the parking lot. He collected rocks 'n stuff.

 Dylan's fans.

 Isaac paid attention a little, and took pictures, but not of Dylan:)

 Dylan earned the game ball!
He has two here, not sure why, I should ask him.

We love his teacher!!! I think Isaac should just skip kindergarten and go right to her class next year.