Visit with old friends

I was recently able to get together with some very dear friends of mine that I grew up with.  Most of us live here in Utah, except Summer.  She lives in Virginia while her husband is in school.  Even though most of us are in Utah we still never see each other.  It's kind of ridiculous really.  Summer came to Utah for a family reunion and so we decided to take advantage and we all got together for a picnic in the park one evening.

Jenn (Wilde), Summer (Zierenberg) Kellogg, Emily (Benton) Beeson, me, Heidi (Mock) Christensen

Our 10 Year Anniversary

We recently celebrated our 10 year anniversary.  Holy smokes!! I can't believe its been that long.  I'm old...just kiddin.  I am still so in love with my honey.  He is such an amazing person, father and husband, who is always putting our needs in front of his own.  He works his tail off and rarely (hehe) complains about it.  He has a strong unwaivering testimony.  I love to watch him be a dad.  

For our anniversary he planned a very nice relaxing weekend getaway.  A total suprise to me. And it was awesome.



Johnson's Mill Midway, Utah



Swans

Beautiful scenery

In suite massages.  Ala BJ

Snacks



Delish breakfast



A cute boy!



And.....hellllo! A huge topaz and diamond ring. Beautiful and a COMPLETE suprise!



Heat + water = FUN!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the summer time. Anything to do with water is fun for me. I guess I'll always be a California girl at heart. Weather its sprinklers, a splash pad, or a pool.  You can never have too much fun in the summer as long as water is involved.

 

Talking with Hannah...

I absolutely love to talk to my little Hannah.  There is just something about that little voice and the funny way she says things.  She thinks she is so big.  This evening we were holding hands while walking outside.  (I was holding her right hand.)  She says to me, "Mommy, this hand (her left hand) is naughty."  "oh, why?"  I ask.  "Because, it hits people." she says.  I told her, "oh, well you should tell you hand to not hit people."  "I can't.  It just does it by itself.  But not our family...it likes our family!"  Haha.  I wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. 

Another favorite of mine is when we are getting fast food and she asks for a "hanguber and lemalade".  I say hanguber so much now that sometimes I have to think for a second about what it is really called.

I love you hanners.  I hope you never change.

Happy Birthday Brooklyn!

Well kiddo, you are seven years old today!  Holy smokes where does time go?  You are such a beautiful little girl.  Brooklyn, you have taught me so much.  I've learned a deeper richer meaning to love.  From the first time I laid my eyes on you I loved you so much that it hurt.  I had never felt a love like that before. Words can't quite describe what it is like to love a child, a sweet little innocent angel from heaven.  I knew then and I know even more now that I would and will do anything for you.  You light up my life.  You make me laugh out loud and sometimes cause me to stop and think.  You are so smart and curious about life.  Always asking questions and wanting to learn more.  You are a very compassionate little girl.  You watch people and genuinely care for them and their happiness.  You are an awesome big sister.  I can rely on you so much and trust you that you will choose the right and help your little sister to do the same.  You have brought so much happiness to my life.  I have found my greatest joy in life to be seeing you happy and succeed.  Thank you for being my sweet little lovey!

For your birthday this year we decided to surprise you by going horse back riding.  You love horses and always ask, "when I'm 18, can I have my own horse?"  I always say, yes!  Because, well, when you're 18 you can do whatever you want. As long as you pay for it.  So anyways, we let you invite 1 friend and we took you horse back riding.  You chose Mona Olson.  Your zero best friend, as you say.  She loves animals too.  We had a great time.  You were able to walk your horse and brush her hair.  We went on a two mile ride!  We got to ride the horses into a stream and constantly had to pull them out of weeds that they kept eating.  Then we were able to watch your horse do some tricks.  And you stood on your horses back.

Once we got home we opened presents and had cake and ice cream.  You wanted a real American Girl doll.  You got Kanani! She's hawaiian with long beautiful hair.  You also requested a horse cake.  I'm not that creative so instead I put little plastic horses on your cake. 7 of them to be exact.  We all had a wonderful time.  I love to see you so happy.  You are growing up too fast.

CREATIVITY!?

I love to see my kids being creative and using their imagination.  This moment was just too funny to pass up.  Brooklyn made homemade drums.

4th & 24th of July with RSL

BJ and I are huge fans of RSL.  We get season tickets every year and never miss a game! Ocassionally we like to bring our girls to the games with us and enjoy in some of the fun.  We all dress up in our jerseys, pig out on cotton candy and popcorn, cheer as loud as we can and just enjoy these opportunities we have as a family. 
This year we took the girls to the 4th of July game.  There were fireworks afterwards which just topped the night off.

High fives with Leo the Lion