A day for daddy

A day in the life of the "Best Dad in the world"

Wake to Snackie, cuddle cuddle

Get The O', cuddle cuddle

Tend the garden
Make some breakfast

Wrestle Snackie

Get squeals from O

Empty the dishwasher

Say some prayers

Get some work done (here or there)

Lego break with the Snackie

Dancing time with Little O

Make some lunch, or some dinner

Hone the skill of a pizza maker

Clear the table
Tend the garden

Family swim time

Make a smoothie

Read to Snackie

Cuddle and love time

Tuck the kids in

Kiss goodnight

Get some work done

Read a book (don't watch a movie)

Play a game...kill the bad guys

Brush the teeth

Watch some 'Conie'

Check the doors

Check the kiddos

Plan canoe trips

Plan some zoo trips

Hug the mama

Say Goodnight

We love you Dadda! And we're so grateful and proud of you for all you do, and all that you've accomplished these last few years. Thanks for all the fun and adventures. The Best is yet to come!

Little O's BIG day

It's hard to believe my little St. Patty's day baby is a year old already, but it's true. And since we can't turn back the clock, we decided it was time to celebrate!

It was a great party with great friends, a gorgeous professional grade cake (thanks Kara), good food (thanks Bryce), and plenty of smiling Irish eyes. Check out the pics, and the little video of an adorable Little O, and a little bit of The Snack as well.

(side note: Bryce's 30th B-day was the day after Little O's, so we surprised him with a candle on the cake too) :)

To Kill a Fish

When I was growing up our cats would often show their love for us by leaving lovely little treasures of dead mice or birds on our doorstep. And although we were entirely repulsed by the sight of these gifts, they brought a certain degree of happiness with them in knowing that we really were appreciated. This pretty much describes the way I felt when this beauty showed up on my doorstep, courtesy of a neighbor we do adore. My reaction was a sore sight, according to Bryce, because my son now believes that fish are the cause of all that is evil in the world. And it may well be true! What you're looking at is a real, live, genuine, bottom feeding Texas Catfish -sitting on (what used to be) my lovely cutting board. And I do mean live. Not only was I disgusted by a fish about to be gutted in my kitchen, but I was entirely distressed by the fact that it was still moving...and suffering...however small it's brain is. I begged Bryce to put it out of it's misery quickly - which is the only reason I didn't take the time to set up a gutting station OUTSIDE. I removed Snackie from the room (the tasks of "hunting and gathering" will likely not exist in the LaughAtme household...we simply enjoy our weekly grocery store outings too much, so seeing daddy kill a fish at age 3 would probably only instill fear in the boy), and poor Bryce set to the awful task of killing and gutting the fish. And of course...then eating the fish. I am certain that it will disappoint many of you (ahem...Chewy) to know that I do not enjoy eating fish, but the first and last time I tried catfish I found it similar to slurping pond scum through a straw - something I generally try to avoid doing. So, no, I did not partake. Nor did I partake of the lovely soup our friends offered when they invited us over for dinner later that evening. And just watching as everyone "fished" tiny little bones out of their mouths as they ate, reinforced my decision.

So...just in case y'all were feeling a desire to share some love, just know that I do prefer Chocolate & Toffee cookies over catfish any day.

a little smooch anyone?

Just another reason...

...why we love the Dad-n so much! Bryce will usually take a day or two of the week and whip up a tasty meal for us. Today's meal was worth a post (this one is for you laina).

We're not big on burgers around here, so Bryce bought some burger sized Portabella mushroom tops and fried them up. He added cheese, and bacon on the side. Very tasty! Better than a burger any day honestly, and I'm generally not a huge mushroom fan (even eating this I couldn't really look too closely at it...looks like squid or something!).

Bryce also whipped up his summer time specialty - Pasta Salad. Bryce makes one of the few pasta salads that I actually like. It's a very lite, simple salad - not doused with dressings etc. Vine ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, cucumber, garlic, whole milk mozzarella (fresh is best...hard to get that in Texas!), freshly grated parmesan, olive oil, salt, and a good al dente pasta. Yummers.

Bryce's Day

Daddy, we think you're the best! Thanks for making every day so much fun!

Happy Father's day

We love you!

Hubby tag

All about my Hubby......

Bryce on one of our rare snowboarding outings

What is his name? Bryce

How long have you been married? 3 ½ yrs

How long did you date? About 6 months in our teens and then about 3 years when we returned from our missions.

How old is he? 29, in a couple weeks.

Who said "I love you first"? He did. He wrote a song for me, “...and I’d tell you I love, but I think I’m scared…as the dandruff falls from my hair…and I’d tell you you’re beautiful, that your voice is sweet, of your voluptuous hands and cobalt blue feet…”

Obviously a lot of “insider information” in that song.

Who is taller? Bryce by 7-8 inches

Who eats more sweets? Hard to say. I’m the sweet fanatic, but he can eat a lot more in a sitting than me, so it probably evens out.

Who can sing better? Bryce. If you heard me sing you’d run from the room…either screaming or laughing…but I love to do it anyway!


Who is smarter? No argument…Bryce is a true genius. I’d say I have more common sense type smarts, but Bryce is like unbelievable to me with the things he knows.


Who does the laundry? Me. I’m a control freak.


Who pays the bills? Me, and I do the taxes and anything else that has to be done on a deadline.


Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Bryce, if you’re standing at the foot of the bed. We never plan it that way, it just seems to end up that way.


Who mows the lawn? Presently…neither of us. But I know it would be Bryce…though I have no aversion to it…I mowed the lawn as a kid.


Who cooks dinner? I do…but only because I’m the one at home. Bryce is a waaaayyyy better cook. He just has knack for it.


Who drives? Bryce. I’ve given in to the whole “let the hubby do it” mentality in so many ways (“ohhh this jar just won’t open”). But he’s a very good driver, so it makes sense.


Who is more stubborn? Me for sure.


Who kissed who first? Bryce, way back when we were teens. And then I’d say Bryce again when we hooked up later in life…but he may debate this one.


Who asked who out first? As teenagers Bryce was Mr. Smooth. But after our missions I invited him to the movies - at his sisters urging!


Who proposed? Bryce. I’m traditional. We talked about it all the time, but I just waited “patiently” for him to finally propose. I could never have done that.


Who has more siblings? I guess we’re equal. There are 7 kids in my family, and when you add Bryce’s two step siblings, he has 7 as well.


Now...I tag...all of you! Gotta get the inside scoop any way I can.

Art Show

I'm slow to post, but I gotta say congrats to The Dad-n! Last Wednesday night was the opening reception for Bryce's latest art show. The show went great, good turnout, good art, good food. And you know it's true because The Snack kept saying "great show daddy" which was ever soooooo cute! And of course The Snack is always the hit of the show....The Dad-n's greatest work of art yet!