A little late...

I know that it is late, but I still want to dedicate a post to two very important people in my life. My dad and my husband. :)

My dad is so amazing. It is kind of hard for me to think of all the things he does, and not start to get a little teary. I think that most girls think that their dads are evil while they are growing up. Up intil about my sophomore year, I sure did. But looking back, I have realized just how much he cared about me and loved me.

I can't even begin to list all of the things he has done for me, but I do want to share one thing that he did that I will forever hold in my heart. I bet he doesn't even remember it, but it meant the world to me.

I made the mistake of running track my junior year... what a joke! I wasn't very good, and I had horrible shin splints. I always felt bad about my running because my older sister was so fast and so amazing. At one of our meets in Kemmerer I was forced into running the 2 mile. Are you kidding me? My legs hurt so bad. I knew there was no chance of getting anywhere close to even a decent time.

Well, I was running my race. I was in so much pain. I think a couple of people had even lapped me. I felt horrible. Not even my teammates or coaches were cheering me on. As I ran past the bleachers about the fifth time I heard, "Come on Melanie! You are doing great! Keep Going!" It was my dad. He made it to the meet in the middle of my race. When no one else was there to care, he came. I almost stopped running and turned around to look at him. After that I knew I could finish.

Even now when I am running up the last hill before I get to my house, I think of my dad cheering me on.

He is still like that today. He is there when we need him the most. He is an amazing guy. I am so thankful for my dad. I love him so very, VERY much. :)

P.S. My dad is also the best grandpa in the world. (He had an amazing trainer... his dad, of course!) I just wanted to clear that up in case anyone else thought their dad was the best grandpa...

And for my next victim... My husband, Matthew, is the best! He is such an amazing man. I am so lucky to be married to him. He is such a great father. Parker loves him so much. We are truly blessed to have such an awesome man in our lives. I never have to worry when I leave the two of them together. My house might look like it has exploded when I get home, but Parker is still in one piece and he is safe and happy. :)

I always catch Matt peaking on on Parker while he is sleeping. He just stands there staring and smiling. My favorite thing is when Matt puts him to bed and I go in to check on them and they are both asleep in the rocking chair snuggling. It is just so precious.

I love my little family so much! I am so lucky to have such an amazing hubby. He is the best! :D

Busy, busy, busy!

This last couple of weeks have been crazy. I guess that I will just start things in the order that they happened. Leslie had her little man, Tucker Jackson Howe, on May 23. :) I got up early the next morning and headed down to visit. The second I got on the interstate I began having problems. The brakes on the Trailblazer have been locking up and as it turns out, that is a BAD thing to have happen while the car is in drive with your foot on the gas. I had to take the first exit and turn around. Luckily Matt got it fixed (I love my honey! He is so good with cars, and if he doesn't know how to fix it he learns.) and I was able to make it down for a quick visit a few days later. Tucker is so cute and seems so tiny! It is hard to believe that my little man was that small just one year ago. Here are a few pics.

My mom bought them matching outfits, but neither of them were feeling too photogenic.

Good thing Tucker had on his shades... Mommy tried to burn the house down! :)

Can you believe the difference a year makes?

While up in Boise we received news that my grandpa had passed away. I was so, so sad. But I know that it is a blessing because he was suffering so much. He has been in a nursing home for the past few months. I know that he missed Grandma so much and he is happy to finally be home.

Saturday the 30th was PURE CRAZINESS!

My sister-in-law Carrie and I decided to compete in a triathlon up in Rigby, Idaho. (Would you believe we BOTH forgot our cameras?) I had so much fun! We started out in the Lake for about a 1/2 mile swim. I have to say that it is extremely disorienting to swim and not see be able to see what is up ahead or lane lines when you look down. For this reason it took me quite awhile to be brave enough to put my head in the water. I finally did though, and once I got the hang of it, it wasn't too bad. Next was our 13 mile bike ride! I must say that the special padded bike shorts were well worth the $30 investment... We finished off with a 3.1 mile run. I know that doing all of this back-to-back sounds crazy, but it was a blast! I am looking forward to doing more, hopefully this summer. :) My ultimate goal (I know it wasn't a lofty one) was to finish in under 2 hours. I beat it! I clocked in at 1:48.37. Wow!

After our triathlon we had to hurry home to get ready for Kobe's baptism, Conner's baby blessing, and Heidi and Zach's wedding... We both made it on time and were all cleaned up and presentable. (I don't think anyone would have been impressed if we would have shown up smelling 'lake-fresh' with our numbers pinned on us and written on our arms and legs.) It was a very touching day. Anthony baptised Kobe and Tyler and Matthew both gave talks. What a special day for Kobe. Heidi and Zach both looked very nice. The advice their bishop gave them was amazing and their vows were beautiful.

After all of this we all headed out to George and LaRae's house for a BBQ. The food was yummy and the weather even cooperated. The storm passed us by and we were all able to stay outside and enjoy the day.

It was also Parker's 1st birthday!!! By the time we got to his cake he was pretty tired, so he didn't go to crazy with it, but he was still really cute. I cannot believe that my baby is already 1! This year has been amazing and it has goon by so fast. I love being a mommy. I love my family so much. Matt and I have been blessed with the most beautiful little baby. We really do have it all. Just in case you can't tell, his little cake was a puppy... it was made out of two cupcakes and 15 pounds of frosting. :)
Sunday morning Matt and I headed to Washington for Grandpa's funeral on Monday. It was a very long drive, but Parker really was such a good little boy. Grandpa's funeral was so good. Uncle Scott gave the life sketch and Uncle Tom and Kelly gave talks. It was so nice to learn things about my Grandpa and to hear some stories that I had forgotten about. A few members of the Navy were waiting at the cemetery when we arrived. The service they performed was amazing. My aunt Chandra was right. It felt sacred. These three men had never even met Grandpa, and yet they had so much respect and love for our family. It is something that I will never forget.
While in Washington, Parker came down with a HORRIBLE case of the stomach flu. My poor little man was so sick. I am so thankful for my parents. They were staying in the room next door to us. They came right over when I called them at 3 in the morning and my dad helped Matt give Parker a blessing. Thanks, Mom and Dad! I love you. It took about a week, but Parker finally started feeling better and he is good-as-new.

Well, I guess that is about it. Life is crazy, but what's new?