From the Mouth of Braden

Dad: "Who's da man?" (hoping it is dad)
Braden: "Jesus"

Braden: (running into the girls room with a shirt and diaper on) "Hey guys, I'm naked."
Don't worry he loves to say this when he has even less on too.

Braden: "Slug bug blue one, I got that."
Kelsey: "No I got that one."
Braden (the parrot): "No I got that one."
Kelsey: "No I got that one."
Braden: "No I got that one."
Kelsey: "I got it."
Braden: "I got it."
Kelsey: (in tears now) "I got it."
Mom: "Kelsey, Braden is just copying everything you say. It is how he learns to talk and communicate. Just stop saying anything and know that you got it."
Kelsey: "Braden, I got that one."
Braden (still the parrot): "I got that one."

I call the game up above "Let's annoy mom in the car" game. I am now really sorry I put my parents through this game. After five minutes in the car I am ready to pull my hair out. The worst part is there are no clear rules except the Queen of Hearts knows all the rules (aka Macy). This means Kelsey will end up crying every trip.
Here are some of the rules that I believe I have picked up on before I start to shout and tell them they are playing the game separately.

1. They have no added "bingo" to the beginning.
2. You must shout.
3. There isn't just slug bugs anymore. They have added other types of cars such as: tahoes, suburbans (unless you are Braden then it is a burbon), Stef's car, buses, dad's car and jeep's.
4. You must also say whether it has a top or not (a convertible) and the color.
5. You must end with "I got that".
6. You must include everything to get a point. For example: "Bingo, jeep, black one, top on, I got that." 
7. I believe if you finish saying everything at the same time then you have to share points.
8. If you forget a part then Macy gets the point.
9. Macy will always get 2 points to Kelsey's 1 point. She will always win.

At least no one has told them about the slugging part. If anyone does, you better watch your back.

Braden has peed four times in the toilet. This has nothing to do with talking but I wanted others to share in the celebration. But alas, this mother is not ready for toilet training a two year old that still can't pull down or pull up his own pants. So I will let it be and encourage him when he wants to sit on the toilet himself. I have my fingers crossed he will be like his sisters and one day he will magically be potty trained.

Another note about Braden. He is for sure two and very much like Macy. He is stubborn and independent. There are fits about doing it himself in nearly every aspect of life. I pray for patience.

A Piece of Advice

Just in case you were wondering, I did find that missing sock. My still stands at 1.000. Do you want to know where it was? Someone mysteriously put it in the whites. I blamed the owner and the owner blamed Braden. Who knows and who cares.
Again we have been busy doing summer things like swimming lessons, trips to the pool, one glorious boating trip (hopefully more to come), two hikes with the yahoos, a visit with AZ/BYU friends, a preschool reunion party (Ms. Patti is such and amazing teacher) and Fourth of July celebrations that included a little parade and some wonderful fireworks. Oh yes and one over due library book that I found today that I had no idea we still had. I am sure that is not all we did but I don't want to be boring. It has been the good life. The girls have even remembered how to play with one another. If I am not around they play for hours. If I am in ear shot then there is screaming and crying from Kelsey every five minutes. But Macy is not the only culprit. Kelsey likes to make things known through her lungs and Macy keeps it under her breath with a little pinch or squeeze.

So after all this I have one piece of advice. Walking to the grocery with your kids is a great way to incorporate physical activity into everyday living. However, going to the grocery store to get a watermelon because you think it will fit under the stroller is not a smart idea. Mainly because it won't fit under the stroller like you envisioned which means you will be caring the watermelon in your jumbo reusable Costco bag you luckily grabbed for the other few items you picked up. I at least grabbed the bag with the big long straps so I could at least carry it on my shoulder leaving red marks that lasted a couple of days. My advice use the car to get the watermelon.

The only way to hike to Donut falls, as long as you are on top.

The closest we could get to Donut falls because of all the water this year.

Yo, Peace out. Which is what we said when we tried to hike to Lake Mary on July 2! There was too much snow for the kids to make it.