L'amore della famglia;)

this was taken over that LoNg & hOrRibLe 4th of july weekend when our family was dEniEd seeing the fireworks:( tess was working at the theatre, adam & kt were working an event w/ custom events amusement corporation & west, me, abs & levi were hangin' out together. abs ended up throwing a temper tantrum (just liek when she was 2: 3 temper tantrums/ day lasting 1 hour/temper tantrum for 3 years . . . . . i think this is why she is sSsSoOoOoOo sWeEt nOw;)

anyway, the family made it through the day & the disappointments & still managed to enjoy greasy fast food & slushies together while sharing a few blankets on the grass in the city park listening to the aBnOxioUs rOdeO while waiting for the fireworks that never came . . . sigh

i LoVe this photo! abbie & levi have always had what has come to be known as "the abbie/levi wars". they are my closest children in age (weird that my last two were born the closest together, huh?) since levi's birth, he has gotten a kick out of trying to scare his big (only in age) sister abs, she, in turn, has told him eXactLy what she thought of his tactics: "mama, that, that, that, bOy! pank him! pank him hArD!!!!!" as they have grown, they've begun to express their love & affection for each other in more passive ways: t-shirts. levi has shirts that say: "i'm allergic to my sister" & "i traded my sister for a video game". no one ever questioned wHiCh sister he was referring to & never asked wHiCh video game he picked . . . . abs fought back with her own expressive apparrel: "i'm recycling my brother". again, no one questioned wHiCh brother this was until she attended a family function (cousins' mission homecoming, i think, in idaho) & one of her aunts asked her, "which brother are you recycling today, abbie?" without hesitation she replied, "levi. adam isn't feeling well today." i'm glad they can expresss themselves & still be sSsSoOoOo cLoSe . . . . . what mOrE could a mother ask for?