The Candy factory!!

My friend Heather and her husband Brandon came to visit and while they were here we hit up the Hammond candy factory again!! We love this place and cannot get enough of it!!

Never were there two happier kids!

Before the sugar high!

I almost killed him!!!

It all started two years ago when I got a new sewing machine for my birthday... I was so excited. It was a Singer and exactly what I wanted. A few months later, Preston pushed it off the table and broke it! It was repaired for a price but has never worked quite the same. Then came my Bose sound dock I got for mother's day. He pulled the iPod back and forth in the sound dock until it was completly broken. Once again James came to rescue and had it fixed. Then came my van he opened the back hatch into the garage door and "screech" now I have a big scratch on the back of it. My bike was next, then he pulled all the keys off the laptop and so on! Until yesterday, when I was talking to my Mom about our upcomming trip to New Mexico when I heard a loud boom! Frantically running upstairs I hear a little boy crying and see my mother's day present on the floor. My new TV that James got me (because Dorothy had blown out the speakers on the last one) was shattered! All because Preston was performing gymnastics jumping off my dresser when he knocked it down!! My Mom said after I came back on the phone "it's just stuff" and I have thought about that (since I am busy sitting and thinking without my TV) that if Preston had gotten hurt I would not care about the TV but because he was fine I was FURIOUS!!! Oh, well maybe James will come to the rescue again (hint, hint!)

Sometimes I wonder how someone so cute can cause so much trouble!

I am pretty sure you can't fix that!

After seeing this he said "Oh no! TV" and started crying!

I am actually considering this as his new home!!!

Crazy Faces!

The other night while James was putting the kids down for bed I saw this and thought it was precious! So I grabbed my camera and started taking pictures! Pretty soon it turned into a crazy face photo-shoot!

Reading a bedtime story!

Crazy faces!!

Preston was not sure what to do!

Violet's best 'try' at a crazy face!

Sleeping Beauty Camp!

The second and last princess camp of the summer is over! Sleeping beauty camp was this past week! Dorothy of course loved every moment of it from the nail painting, makeup, crafts, stories and most of all the dance they learned for the recital! Here are a few pictures of it!

Our little princess Dorothy!

Before camp!

With her new "best friends!" She was inviting them to come over and play!

During her recital!


The fan club!

This gets me every time! Good thing it's of royal authenticity!

Her fan club at the recital!

Yum Yum!!!

Little Violet is now old enough to eat baby food!! We had to document her first taste!

She had a hard time figuring out how to swallow not spit!

Someone secretly tried to eat some himself (regression!!)

Visit to Grandma and Papa's!!!

Before heading home, I stopped at my in-laws for some fun! The kids played with cousins all day and had a ball! Then my wonderful mother-in-law drove back with me to help, then flew home. I loved not having to drag three kids in with me every time I needed to use the restroom! Thanks Nancy!

The kids would go to the 'small' pool and warm-up!

Violet cooing and smiling at the kids!

Preston throwing a ball at Papa!

Dorothy barreling down the slip-n-slide!

Little Violet loves being outside and watching the craziness!!

Dorothy took this picture of Violet and I!

After playing all day with cousins Preston crashed in Papa's arms and went to sleep!

President and Sister Mickelsen are HOME!!!

It's hard to say what it is like from a child's perspective when your parents go on a mission. Unlike a parent, the worry of whether or not they can 'handle it' or if they will be OK does not concern you as much. Instead, you worry about whether or not your kids will know them, or if your life is adding stress to an already stressful mission. When my Dad was called as mission president to the Russia Novosibirsk mission, we all laughed and said "I told you so!" He got a little torqued! It was difficult at times to have them away, especially when Violet was born and I was recovering from my C-section without my Mom. Or when my anxiety flared up again and my sounding boards were halfway across the world taking care of other people's children. But I think the hardest and most rewarding thing is when you see those missionaries who LOVE your parents and you are a little jealous that you have to share them and yet happy because someone else gets a little piece of the goodness you were raised with. I was so lucky to be raised by goodly parents who instilled within me a testimony of the gospel. I was so proud to tell people my parents were serving a mission for the church. We missed them and wished they were with us but we knew the Lord was blessing our family because of their sacrifice. They gave extraordinary talks about their mission and what they learned. They gave light and hope to an otherwise hopeless country and saw people change through the power of the atonement. We are glad they are home! Thank you President and Sister Mickelsen for your example and for "Returning with honor!" We love you!!

The kids at 12:00 in the morning (due to Russian flight delays) happily greeting Mom and Dad!!!

My Dad hugging Allison!

My Mom holding Violet for the first time!

Mom and Dad talking to people at the luncheon

Some of the 30 or so missionaries who during sacrament meeting sang "Called to Serve" in Russian and brought everyone to tears!

We had a 'best-friend' reunion while working like dogs to feed the 150 or so people that came to church and the luncheon!

Hanging out at the luncheon!

Aleeya was OBSESSED with baby Violet!!!

ps- We will be having another one of these in year and a half when my cousin Whitney or rather... Sister Morris returns from the Russia, Samara mission.