Magei’s been doing this thing lately where she draws real-life things on paper, cuts them out and pretends that they are real. On this particular day, she drew a remote control…and then fell asleep pretending to watch t.v.

As most of you know, Nate headed off to California with the kids right after graduation and stayed for two weeks. Despite both he and Magei being sick, they had a great time! We don’t get to see Nate’s siblings very often, so it was fun to catch up and give the kids a chance to play with their cousins. I was really nervous about Nate being alone with the kids…not because he couldn’t handle it, but for other reasons. For example, I was really nervous about Nate doing the laundry. I was super scared that he would ruin all the kids’ clothes. Those who know me well know that I am a super-freak about laundry. I’m happy to report that nothing came home ruined…probably partly due to the fact that I called Nate almost every day to tell him exactly how it should be done. And I’m not embarrassed to say that I also sent him a follow up email of step-by-step instructions. I was also nervous about things like making sure Sam’s diaper was changed, that the kids didn’t spend the entire day in their pajamas, that they took regular baths, and that they went to bed at a decent time. Nate did a great job!

Proof that Nate flew with both kids by himself.

Magei’s birdhouse.

Sam could not be happier eating a popsicle for lunch.

Grandpa Borgia’s famous sourdough pancakes.

Magei and her cousin.

Nate did a great job taking care of the kids…although, I never said he was perfect!

For two years we have been meeting our good friends the Geyers on the first Tuesday of every month at Qdoba for dinner.  Kid’s meals are free on Tuesdays and so it made for an inexpensive family night out.  After dinner, we would cross the parking lot and head over to Krispy Kreme for dessert.  What a wonderful tradition!  We miss you guys and our monthly date night!

Nate, Tennille, and I were just discussing our top 5 travel destinations yesterday. We had a hard time narrowing it down to just five, so we had to break it up into two different categories: US Travel and World Travel.

We’ve already crossed many things off our US Travel list, so here is my updated top 5:

US Travel

1. Grand Canyon hike

2. Mount Rushmore

3. Denali (Alaska)

4. Stone Mountain laser light show in Atlanta

5. Punxsutawney, PA on Ground Hog’s Day

We’ve also been able to cross a few places off our top 5 World Travel list, so here is my current one:

World Travel

1. Africa

2. Cebu

3. Turkey

4. China

5. Iceland

Nate’s got a head start on me, having already been to Africa. He took a trip with his Grandpa Farley and cousin, Matt, before we got married.

A conversation I had with my boss, Don, this morning:

Laura:  I have some bad news.

Don:  You’re pregnant.

Actually, I am not at all pregnant, nor do I plan on becoming pregnant any time soon.  I was actually going to tell him about some totally business related news (imagine that!) that I knew wasn’t going to be what he wanted to hear.  I just found it amusing that he thought I would announce a pregnancy by starting out, “I have some bad news…”  I don’t mean to portray him as on of THOSE kinds of bosses, because he’s totally not.  Hmm…maybe its just a man thing!

I couldn’t resist…I’m too excited to have everyone home again!

I’ll be picking them up around midnight tonight. Nate has been such a trooper to fly to California and back by himself with both kids. Not to mention the fact that he spent the last two weeks being a single parent - OK, that’s not entirely true. He had plenty of help from his parents and sister AND I flew out last weekend. But still - he’s a champ! And I’m prepared with gifts for when they get here since I did such a lousy job at Father’s Day this year: Jeff Corwin DVDs for Magei and Sam and and awesome European travel book for Nate.

I sure did miss you guys!

He made it! Graduation was Sunday and Nate is an official DDS. Sam was not invited to graduation, but we did take a picture with him before we left.

This is Nate’s hooding, which I guess is what makes you a doctor. Notice the ropes and medal - I’ll take this opportunity to brag about my husband and let you know that he graduated with honors.

Congratulations, Nate! Now, lets get ready to do this again in just three short years!

We finally made it to Kirtland after living only 2 hours away for the past four years. We drove up there with Nate’s parents over the weekend. We stopped at Steak n Shake for lunch, which Sam loved!

The Kirtland Temple.

As you can see, we were if full OSU mode all weekend long in honor of Nate’s graduation. We donned our Buckeye best for the trek to Northern Ohio.

Magei especially loved the School of the Prophets.

Of course we went to the annual Memorial Day breakfast with our ward. Magei and Sam both cared more about playing then they did about eating.

We also got to go a birthday party for the littlest Beazer who turned one on Memorial Day.  Magei got in on some of the action.