Our 4th of July!

Well, I'm a little late on posting this, but wanted to share some pictures from the 4th of July weekend. Since it was raining Friday morning, we decided to go and get Ashley's pictures taken. I'll post those as soon as we get them back.

For all of you that know Thad, he loves fireworks! Even though we didn't have any big plans, he insisted on buying a bunch of fireworks (mostly bottle rockets and firecrackers, although he got some other things too).

Here is a picture of Ashley as Thad set off the first set of firecrackers...

Then she chased bubbles...

That evening we went to a BBQ with a bunch of the other students. The kids played and the husbands played even more. Thad brought all his fireworks. All the guys lit off the fireworks, which I think the husbands enjoyed more than the kids. When we were done we went downtown to watch the fireworks and do sparklers. Ashley enjoyed watching the fireworks, but enjoyed playing with her glow-light bracelets even more. :)

On Saturday it was nice weather so we went to Eagle Creek Park to ride bikes, play at the lake, and eat a picnic with the ducks (Ashley calls all birds "ducks" even if they're not). :)

Here's a picture of Ashley helping us to get the bikes ready...

Ashley and Thad taking a break from biking.

Playing with the ducks....

Throwing rocks...

Saturday night we went up to Connor Prairie and enjoyed watching the Star Spangle Celebration; which is put on by the Indianapolis Symphony. This was fabulous! We had such a good time. It's the absolute perfect thing to take children to. You bring chairs and blankets and a picnic and just sit and enjoy the music (and fireworks). It's really nice because it is so low key. Ashley enjoyed dancing to the music, climbing all over us, and helping us to eat our dinner. :)

...And she played peek-a-boo!

A Typical Conversation with a Toddler!

The other day we were driving in the car and Ashley and I had a conversation that went something like this:

Ashley: "Juice, please. Juice, please mommy!"

Me: "Ashley, we're going to be home in a few minutes. Let's just wait." (Just because I didn't want to reach behind the seat and dig it out of the diaper bag.)

Ashley: "Nnooooo! Juice, pleeeassse!"

Me: "Ashley, you can wait for a few minutes. You're not dyin', are you?"

Ashley: "Dyin' mommy!" (So dramatic!)

I think it was too cute. Needless to say she got her juice and was quite happy!

Thad's Trip to Brazil

So we thought that we would post some pictures from Thad's trip. He had a fabulous time, but was very happy to be back home and sleeping in his own bed!

Thad in front of the Clinic. They were at the clinic for about 10 hours everyday.

Thad working with patients.

The group from IU.

The whole group.

This is a picture of the LDS temple in Curitiba. This temple was dedicated just a couple weeks before Thad arrived in Brazil. Thad and Justin poked their heads in the front door and one of the temple workers came over and talked to them. He took them on a tour of the temple grounds and told them the story behind the temple being built in that location. About a year ago President Hinkley came down to choose between three sites to be the final location. This land was the most expensive land (and is actually one of the most expensive pieces of land that the church has ever bought). President Hinkley knelt down behind a tree and when he was done praying turned and announced that as the location. The temple now sits in front of the tree where President Hinkley prayed and at his request all of the trees were left in their current places.

There is a Brazilian word for these animals, but I have no clue how to spell it. They are basically big rats! Gross, huh?!

The bed where Thad slept while staying at one of the student's homes. Aww... how cute!

Thad and Dave. In the background the skyline of Curitiba.

We're so Glad When Daddy Comes Home!

Well, Thad made it home safe and sound from Brazil. Ashley was so glad to see her daddy (we both were)! She gave him a huge bear hug and didn't want to let go. It was so cute! Since that time she's been very sure that she always knows where Daddy is and waits for him to get home!

While Thad was gone, my mom came out and stayed with us. We had a lot of fun going to the zoo, shopping, and going to the pool. While my mom was here Ashley discovered a new talent for singing and loves to sing along with the Enchanted Soundtrack and the High School Musical 1 & 2 Soundtracks!