"Just keep on swimming...."

 Wow, is it really almost August? So much has happened this summer and I still have yet to know where May and June have gone. Our sweet Tate is growing so much and he has gone from his very small weight of 4.1 to a newborn weight of 7.9! Tate is now 9 weeks NEW and is so stinking cute I just want to kiss those adorable cheeks off! Tate is holding his head up, smiling and looking around and I will keep my fingers crossed, but I am pretty sure we have his nights and days turned around so he sleeps at night now! This boy is a mama's boy! He loves to snuggle and he gets his cute little feet tucked up right underneath him, sticks his bum in the air and goes to sleep on my shoulder. I just love this TATERBUG!

 Then there is Ella....this girl has too grown up! I swear that she use to seem so tiny until you bring a premature baby home and then she doesn't look so small anymore. This crazy hair and devious smile should about sum up Ella. She really has been a good girl while all this craziness has been going on with Tate being a premi, but she still likes to stir the pot every now and then just to make sure we remember she is there! Ella is officially, not just PARTIALLY but OFFICIALLY potty trained and it only took a few tears and LOTS of treats. I think potty training may have rotted the teeth right out of her mouth, but hey....no more diapers. I think it's a fair trade!

 This just gives you an idea how tiny Tate was when he first came home (yes that is Jake's football and yes he loves this photo). He has gone from 18" to 20.5" and his little cheeks are definetly the fullest part on his body. As tiny as he may be that boy has the biggest bluest eyes I have ever seen on a baby and a very powerful spirit to go with it. Tate came into this world 8 weeks early but I think it is because this boy has big plans for the future and wasn't going to be still for any longer! Jake and I both agree that there is something different about this baby and even though he may be little there is something about him that radiates spiritual power and determination. Whatever it may be, so far he has impressed me with the milestones he has overcome.

 This summer we got to go to the Patch Family Reunion! It has been a tradition since 1980 and is still going strong. Estimated amount of people there is about 90 people and it is held on my grandparents big yard in Midway, UT. The memories I have growing up with the family reunion has now been passed down to MY children and I love watching Ella play the same games and traditional fun that I had growing up. The Patch family now has 38 grandchildren and 21 greatgrandchildren (Tate included). Relay races, competition (big in our family) and lots of fun food and company makes this two day excursion worth the time and the heat that we faced. Tate came along for awhile and this is him chilling on his daddy's leg. Such a sweet boy!

 Okay...so typical Ella! A tongue stained in purple from a popcicle and her forhead stained in pollen from smelling a flower too closely. I swear that stuff does NOT come off. I was really surprised when even a bath only smeared it and lightened it just enough so it looks like she got into the fake tanning cream. This girl is such a handful but so funny.Yesterday she said to me "why is my ear talking to me?"  I had no idea what she was talking about until I realized she was referring to the fact that her ears were plugged!

 This is just the sweetest photo of daddy giving Tater a kiss. Tate is such a good baby!

 I love this photo. Ella got home from playing at a friends house for a sleep over and was so exhausted that she found her "baby bruder" and curled up right next to him. When she got home from the sleepover she didn't even say anything to me, she just walked right passed me and when I found her she was already asleep. Ella is really a good big sister to Tater. Every now and then she gets a little rough when she is giving him kisses or a hug, but for the most part this girl is such a big helper. It is absolutely priceless because now when Tate hears her in the room his blue eyes pop open and he starts looking around for her and then he can't take his eyes off of her. Every now and then he will look up at her and smile and grunt his happy grunt!

 I had a friend drop off her cat that wanted to go on the family vacation to Yellowstone but ended up getting "kitty-sat" by us. I am not much for cats but Ella just loved that thing. She named the kitten Max and mauled it all day long.

 For Father's Day I made a tie=shirt for Tate to wear in honor of daddys! Jake asked where I learned to make it and just like every other bright idea I have had lately I had to answer honestly and tell him..... "Pinterest!"

 Ella and her little cousing Grant are about the same age and they ran around the whole time together at the reunion. I have never seen Ella so happy with a friend for so long. Those two kids ran from game to game and chased each other, danced on the dance floor and ate lots of sweets together. Seriously was so great to see Ella play with someone and not beat them up.

Our lives have been crazy between a premature baby, I had a kidney infection for weeks, potty training Ella and trying to stay afloat at Jake's work! I just hope that now things will start to slow down and no more trips to the hospital :) This little guy has been the miracle in our family that we have been praying to meet for a LONG time. Now that Tate is here, life seems complete and my hope is that things can slow down for our family and we can just enjoy the moments. Thank you to so many people that have prayed and helped out our family. I believe it take a village to raise a baby and prayers to make it happen. Thank you so much!