A Wet Independence Day

It was a fabulous and rainy 4th of July!  The 4th of July is always the longest day of the year for our family.  We get up early, participate in every patriotic activity we possibly can, then go to bed late after "boom, ooooh, aaaah."  This year, we didn't let a few million raindrops spoil our growing family tradition.

This year's festivities began with our little scout helping to lead the pledge of allegiance at our church's annual pancake breakfast.  He is so into scouts right now, and doing an awesome job.  The breakfast was fun, and the bike parade was the crowning moment.

Maisy, Wilson, and Daddy spent more than an hour decorating the bikes for the parade.  Those bikes just might have been as red, white, and blue as any bikes have ever been!

Ace wasn't afraid to get a little muddy at the breakfast.

After continuing our busy celebration with a neighborhood lunch party, then another get together with friends in the afternoon, then a Melissa City Hall ribbon cutting ceremony, we grabbed our camping chairs and headed to the City of Melissa Independence Day parade.  The parade was great--all 8 minutes, 44 seconds of it.  Gotta love a small town celebration.

Just as the parade was ending, a torrential downpour drenched the festivities.  We hustled over to Maria's Mexican restaurant for dinner, then headed back to the heart of the city to watch a spectacular fireworks display.  As the clock hit about 10:30, we rolled into the driveway and put our little patriots to bed.  Yes, our family July 4th tradition is alive, and we will never let anything, including the weather, get in our way!

Happy Independence Day from the Gustavesons!

A Little Mommy Time

Okay, so I'm really really REALLY sorry for the lack of posts lately.  We've been very busy, but things are slowing down now and I am recommitting to posting regularly.  So let me flip the calendar back a month or so and fill you in on some fun activities that I have been doing.  First, at the end of April I met my old BYU college roommates for Women's Conference on BYU campus!  Not only did we have a flippin' nostalgic time, but it was a very spiritual experience too.  I was inspired by women that continue to inspire me even today and will probably stick with me forever.  I came home completely rejuvenated.

Oh, yes we DID!!  We stayed in the dorms.  We were giddy little co-eds.  We laid on our beds, ate snacks, chatted about this and that, and...counted our gray hairs (ok, mainly we counted Quincy's gray hairs, ha ha!)

 I adore these women!!  I don't know if I would have survived college without them.  I truly hold them in a special place in my heart.  Love you guys!

 

So, then in May I had the fabulous opportunity to go to the opera in downtown Dallas with yet another kindred spirit of mine, Dianne.  We experienced Madame Butterfly together and agreed how despicable Pinkerton was and how captivating Cio-Cio-San was.  We ooohed, we aaahed--we laughed, we cried.  We stood and shouted "BRAVO!" at the end.  I felt like a high society lady for one night.  I remembered how much I like being me and I have Dianne to thank. Yea for opera!

Finally, I saw Wicked and well it was WICKED!  Really--it totally lives up to all the hype.  The music is addicting and the characters infectious.  It was so fun!  Then my friends and I stayed in a hotel that night for a fun "girls get-a-way."  I'm debating whether or not I should tell about how we almost got kicked out of the hotel.  Oh, well--what the heck!  We almost got kicked out of the hotel!  A disgruntled and power-driven security guard knocked on our door and told us there were several complaints that we were being too loud.  Then we got a letter under our door saying we must quiet down or the police would be called and we would be asked to leave. Crazy, right?  I dunno--we didn't have the TV on or music or anything. We weren't even being that loud (we were laughing a bit.)  So, I guess we couldn't help but be a little wicked on our adventure...he he...

Phew!  So that sums things up for me.  That's enough excitement to keep this stay-at-home-mom satisfied for a little while.  Hooray for good times and HOORAY for my husband who made all these adventures possible.

The Rainbow Connection

We are so proud of our girl Maisy!  She recently performed a sweet bit of ballet to the timeless classic "The Rainbow Connection" in her dance troupe's spring recital.

She was so excited to hit the stage, and when it was her time to perform, she hit every step and gracefully executed every move.  She was mesmerizing to watch!

The most beautiful ballerina we have ever seen . . .

There is never a bad time to curtsy . . .

Taking a break after a long day of practice and preparation . . .

Gracefully chillin' with fellow ballerinas Abby, Lexi, Kamryn, and Tabitha

Maisy, we are so proud of you, and we can't wait to see what you do next!

Wilson

Wilson has had quite a month!  Here's a quick recap:

 

He is doing an awesome job on his baseball team.  The team is doing great, and Wilson is a major contributor as the team's second baseman.  Brett is the coach, and is very proud of Wilson's progress.  The picture above was taken after a game where Wilson made a game-saving catch and was awarded the game ball.  Here are some more action shots:

 

Mighty Wilson at the BAT

 Ready to score another run


Now, not only did Wilson have a great baseball month, he also caught his first unassisted fish under the tutelage of his expert fisherman grandpa.  You might want to click on the picture for a closer view of the bass and Wilson's bass impression.

The most important thing Wilson did this month was make the decision to get baptized.  His grandparents came from Arkansas and Arizona.  His great aunt came from Utah.  His Aunt Kress, Uncle Cam, Cousin Eliot and Olive came from Laredo.  His friend, Carter and family came from San Antonio.  They all wanted to participate in Wilson's baptism.  We are so proud of him, and we had some very special moments with Wilson, family, and friends.

 

Here are a few of the special moments from the baptism:

1. When Maisy sang "When I Am Baptized" with Aunt Di.
2. Aunt Kressyda giving the opening prayer in all her 9 months pregnant glory
3. When Wilson came up out of the water after being baptized, Maisy called out to him in the font, "Wilson!  Do you feel different?"
4. Grampy Ming giving Wilson a compass at the end of his talk which symbolized the Holy Ghost always giving him direction in his life.
5.  Looking around the room and seeing all our family and friends there to support Wilson.
6.  And finally, all of us rushing off to Wilson's baseball game immediately after the baptism.

I have seen a remarkable and very noticeable change in Wilson since his baptism.  He is taking his covenants very seriously and I see the Holy Ghost helping him everyday.  You are an inspiration to us, Wilson.  We love you so much!

Peter Pans

So the most exciting thing that has been happening at our house lately is that Ace figured out how to undo the safety pin on his jammies at night time.  He then proceeds to completely undress himself (diaper and all) which gives us all a heart attack.  Major potential for disaster!

So we decided to cut the bottoms of his jammies off so we could put them on backwards--therefore cutting off access to the ever so intriguing zipper.  After doing so, the little feet part of the jammies looked like slippers and Ace really wanted to wear them.   He pretty much looked like Peter Pan.  So hence we now call his jammies "Peter Pans."

We also finally finished painting our bathroom.  This is the second attempt and it looks so much better than the first attempt.  I LOVE this bathroom now!!

And finally: take a look at the first strawberry of the season!  Straight out of our garden.  It's gorgeous and juicy and delicious.  I can't wait for a summer filled with strawberries and tomatoes.  Hmmmm....

Sea World

We went to San Antonio over spring break, and we got to see our dear friends the Stentzels.  Here are some quick pics and comments!

Here we are with cool Cousin Eliot at the Japanese Tea Gardens on St. Patrick's Day.  We were all wearing green, so no one got pinched . . .

Maisy chose to do a modeling photo shoot near the waterfall.  This was pose #37. Work it Girl.  Beautiful!

Happy Cousins Ace, Eliot, Wilson, Maisy, and Olive.

Sea World was fantastic!  It is a magical place.  We watched, then fed, the dolphins.

 

We fit in as many shows as possible.  Here we are waiting patiently for the *new show*  Azul to begin.  After Brett took this picture, Wilson said, "Did I look like Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes fame)?" 

Finally, this is what happens to a toddler's hair a few minutes after being soaked by Shamu.  We were in the *Soak Zone,*  but none of us got it worse than Ace--and he did not like it!

Thank you again Stentzels for everything!