Bryson's Dino-mite Birthday Party!

The Dinosaur Cake

I have to say that most of the pictures are of me decorating, but Chris did all the baking. Two 10in. rounds, one 12in. round, one 8 in. round and one mountain! He also made all the icing from scratch! Chris makes it taste good and I make it look good so that people will want to eat it. We make a great team!

The Volcano Cake

(Yes, Bryson had 2 cakes for his party. I couldn't decide which one, so we made both! The smoke from dry ice was an awesome touch. The kids loved it!)

My Cup Overfloweth

As the minutes go by and this day comes to an end, my heart is heavy with conflicting emotions.

First, I reflect on this day three years ago. I remember driving through a mountain to get to the hospital, waiting hours for a room, desparately wanting my mother to arrive from the airport, pain like I never could have been prepared for, the oh so precious relief of an epidural and tiny thumping noises from a heart monitor. I remember feeling very excited and terrified at the same time. I knew that Heavenly Father was entrusting one of his choice spirits to our care, a choice spirit who found much enjoyment in kicking his mother's ribs. As I held Bryson's little body close to mine, traced his face with my finger, and stroked his head, I knew that my Heavenly Father loved me very much.

Bryson, you have brought me such joy in these last three years. I love the sound of your giggles and laughter. I love hearing your beautiful voice. I love when we whisper I Love You's to each other. I love seeing you light up as your imagination transforms you into your favorite superhero, animal or object. I love your mature sensitivity towards others and their feelings. I look forward to every day of being your mother. I love you.

~~~~

Today, I also reflect on the memories I have of a dear friend, Amanda Gunter. I recently received the news that she, along with her husband and 2-year-old daughter, was involved in a fatal car crash. Amanda was thrown from the vehicle and suffered injuries that took her life and the life of their unborn child (5 months along). Levin, Amanda's husband, had to be cut from the car and was in critical condition until just recently. Their daughter, Ansley, miraculously came away with little more than a scratch on her head.

I am still digesting this terrible reality, but feel that sharing this will help me as I sort through these emotions. I was priviledged to meet Amanda at BYU Hawaii. She and Levin were newlyweds, very social and outgoing. We attended the same ward at church and lived in the same building on campus. I never remember seeing Amanda in a bad mood and as I read through others' tributes to her, I truly believe that she had a smile on her face even in her sleep. She was genuine, happy, caring, talented, devoted, loving and charitable. I ache to think that her daughter will only remember her goodness through the words written and spoken of her.

My heart goes out to her dear husband and both of their families. Life has stopped for them and I pray that they will feel the love, support and prayers on their behalf. Amanda, as you watch us from above, know that you touched the lives of many people and I am confident that you are finding out right now how proud and pleased our Heavenly Father is with the things you accomplished during your time on earth. We love you.

July in a Nutshell

I know, I know. Our cake is beautiful, but I think 2 months is long enough. Time for an update!

Here is a quick overview of the month of July in the Coburn family.

Beach

Family Home Evening at La Jolla Shores

Potty Training

(Well, kind of... He had 2 good days and then anounced to me that he wasn't going to wear "big boy pant" anymore, "just diapers." At least he doesn't yell at us anymore when we ask him if he wants to go on the toilet.)

Beach

Wiggles Concert

Beach

Justin Home from Mission

Beach

Beach

Beach

So you can see where we spend most of our time in the summer. It started out with just Stan and Debbie (Chris's parents). Now, after 3 or 4 years I think, it is practically a ward activity. We love it. Thank you Stan and Debbie for starting such a wonderful tradition.

Wedding cake *UPDATE*

Don't have time to say much about it right now, but here it is, along with some making of pictures.

*UPDATE* Okay, now that I have some time I'll clarify. It was a three-tier cake (12", 10", 8"). Each tier had three layers of butter cake with raspberry preserves and lemon curd. The frosting was a Swiss meringue buttercream with a hint of lemon. Angele did all of the assembling and the decorating (and didn't it turn out amazing?). I did all the baking and made the frosting and fillings. So you can't really see what I did from the pictures, you had to taste it. We always say that I make things taste great and Angele makes them look great so people will want to taste them.

Insta-garden...just add water

Forget hard work, forget labor, forget Miracle-gro! We've got a real miracle right here. Introducing, for a limited time, the Insta-garden. Here's how it works:

Just build your box following the handy instructions, then add our special, proprietary blend of radioactive - but harmless - soil. Even a child can do it.

Okay, so maybe a little adult supervision is necessary...

Next, add water and before you know it, in the time it would take a 2-year-old to take a nap, you've got a fully-grown garden:

Act now, this amazing product won't be available forever (Stan and Debbie only have a few more potted plants to give away, if any at all)!

'Cause I said I would *UPDATE*

I told Brianna I would post this so here I am. Olivia used to sleep just like this (and she still does, I've been told). Last month I caught Camryn doing it. She hasn't done it since, but I thought it was funny. I couldn't find a picture of Olivia doing it or I would have put it next to this one.

*UPDATE* - Brianna sent me a picture of Olivia.

My girls

These are my girls. I love 'em! They have the best smiles. I love that Camryn is smiling now. It's a whole lot easier to forgive her for the endless screaming when she smiles and looks excited to see me. Though I have to admit, I'm ready for her to grow already. I told Angele that our next kid is going to come out a potty-trained toddler. She told me that if that's the case, then I can go ahead and have the baby myself. Oh well.