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?