Today was a pretty lousy day. I know we all have them from time to time, and I won't go into all of the details, but I wasn't a happy camper today (and the pregnancy hormones don't help). The culminating moment came when, trying to salvage the morning, I took the girls out back to play (though poor Abby had to just sit there with her broken leg...another topic for another post, and a contributor to my lousy day, though not at all Abby's fault). A few minutes later, Brynn ran to me screaming and flailing: she had stepped barefoot in cat poop and somehow spread it all over her clothes, her hands, her face, her hair (I'm pretty sure even a bit went in the mouth by mistake). I testify that cleaning off cat poop is 10 times worse than cleaning off kid poop! Poor Brynn...she was a trooper and was excited to have a second bath. I, on the other hand, had had it.

I'm allergic to cats, I'm not all that fond of them anyway, yet some neighborhood cats have decided this year that my yard is the yard of choice. I have found many "gifts" the past few weeks that I have had to clean up, even though I don't own, and will never own, a cat!! It really irks me that my girls can't even play in their own FENCED backyard without fear of encountering these "gifts". So, if anyone knows of any methods to discourage cats from my yard, your opinions would be welcome. We'll start with humane suggestions, since I'm hopefully not that unfeeling. =)

I just have to reiterate how much I love girls! (I'd better, since we're soon going to have 3 of them!) Abby and Brynn just love to give each other hugs. It's so cute (and almost makes up for the times they don't get along quite so well...)

We now have Sacrament Meeting last, and James and I have decided to "divide and conquer" to be able to actually navigate the halls AND get a seat in the chapel (if we're lucky). Anyway, Brynn and I got to the chapel first today, and Brynn got the longest face and said, "But, where's Abby?" I thought she said "daddy", but no, she missed her sister (sorry, James...I'm sure she missed you, too.) Her face lit up when James and Abby arrived and she nearly knocked her over with her hugs. These are the moments I need to remember more often.

At temple square with Grandma and Grandpa...

How close can we get to the fountain without actually getting in?

The cute kids!

So, my sister and her kids came to visit in July, and I'm finally posting some pictures! Better late than never, I guess...We had such a fun time. Since they live in Texas, we don't see them nearly as often as we'd like. But, we make the most of the time that we do have together.

A cousins sleepover! Abby stayed awake the longest (is that a positive thing?!)

Fun in the backyard

Feeding the babies at the Church History Museum (our girls are growing up too fast!)

(Ok, so I'm only 3 weeks late on this update...at least she's STILL 4 as I'm writing this!) Abby just turned 4 and had her very first friend birthday party. I don't know who was more excited/nervous, Abby or me! It turned out to be a lot of fun, and we had a great time having Abby's preschool friends all here together again. Happy Birthday, my sweet Abby!