The Heber Creeper

My sister came to visit last month from North Carolina and while she was here we took our little three year olds to ride the Heeber Creeper. What a beautiful ride. The boys loved it and I loved the peaceful scenary.

Blake turns 7

For Blake's birthday this year he requested an Angry Birds Party and that is what he got. Happy Birthday to my sweet, cute, funny and lovable Blake. I love you!

2011 School Year

Macy - 5th grade

Abby - 3rd grade

Blake - 1st grade

Tyler - Preschool

My kids were excited to go back to school this year. They love learning and exploring new things and I love to see that in them!

Boating on Utah Lake

This summer our friends invited us to join them tubing out on Utah Lake. I have never been on that lake before so I was excited to go. We had a blast. We tubed, laughed and swam in the lake. The kids had a wonderful time and it was nice to enjoy the cool water on a hot day.

AF Canyon

We have some wonderful friends who own a super cool Mini-Winnie and we all went camping together this summer up American Fork Canyon. I'm not much of a camper but this really was a fun trip despite being spooked in the night by what we think was a moose. We made campfire dinners, had smores, and carved our names in the trees.

Hiking the Y

This summer our family made our first trek up the Y together. What an amazing view. When I was a student at BYU I never did the hike and now I wished I had. It was neat to share that with the kids and now when we drive by and see the Y on the mountain they can know they were there.

Mooooo

As always, our family looks forward to the Chick-fil-a tradition. In July they ask customers to dress up as cows and as a reward they give you free food. My kids love it and I love the chicken!

Alaska

Back in July we had the amazing opportunity to go to Alaska with some wonderful friends. It really was the trip of a lifetime. I did so many things that were out of my comfort zone and I loved every minute of it. Alaska was truly breathtaking and my most favorite spot of the trip was Seward, Alaska. It was postcard perfect.

Washington D.C. - Girl Trip

Day One-

We arrived at my parents home and there were gifts already waiting for us. The girls all received matching pj's as did my sisters and I. (I cant believe I didn't get a picture of my sisters, mom and I in our pj's) As well as matching pj's, my parents had been saving all their loose change for sometime and then each girl got a chance to dig through the money and grab as much as their hand would hold. This has been a tradition of my parents for some time. I think I had the winning grab and collected nearly $40 in change!

Day Two-

The Un-Birthday Party. That morning my sisters, mom and I all decorated individual cakes for each girl. Instead of one big cake my mom insisted that each have their own. We all acted silly, wore my dads ties, played games, sang Happy Birthday and each girl received an un-birthday present and an Alice in Wonderland tea cup and plate. We had a very fun time that day!

Day Three-

Beach Day. My dad took us all to a small beach on the Chesapeake. We loved it and enjoyed just relaxing, making sand castles and being together. My mom had given all the girls beach towels, cover-ups, sand buckets and shovels and they all had flip flops and visors they had decorated the day before.

Day Four-

Christmas in July. The night before my mom set up a small Christmas tree, Christmas hats and wreath . Each girl had a Christmas gift to open and we all sang Christmas songs and danced around the tree. As a gift back to my mom she asked each girl to share their talent with her and perform something they had prepared. Macy played the piano and Abby and her cousin Eleni created a dance together that they performed for us all. It really was a special moment.

Also this day we went to Oxen Hill Farm. It was miserably hot but the kids still had fun. They milked a cow, fed the chickens and gave the collected eggs to the pigs. Day Five-

Baby shower for my sister Emily. With my sister due in a few months we thought it would be fun to have a little baby shower for her and her little girl to come. This meant more cake, treats, games and presents.

Day Six-

Fourth of July. To start the day off my sister Diana and I ran in an 8K race which turned into a 9K. The course was marked wrong and it was not a race that I enjoyed. But I did it, I ran 5.5 miles in 50 minutes.

Later that evening we attended a Fourth of July party at my dad's work, The Heritage Foundation. It was held on several floors and then when it got dark we all made our way to the roof for fireworks. You could literally see about 50 different fireworks displays that night. It was incredible. The night was filled with good food, an ice cream cart, face painting, a magician, balloon animals and dancing. We had a blast! Mom had matching fourth of July shirts for all the girls to wear and my sisters and I made bows for the girls to wear.
Day Seven-

I took the girls to do some sightseeing around Washington D.C. It was nice to have some time just the three of us and be able to show them some of my favorite things.

Day Eight-

Going home. My parents really made this a wonderful and memorable trip. We loved our time there and made many memories. It was sad to say goodbye.

Love...

where we live. Enough said.

Stewart Falls

Clint has been wanting to take us on some hikes likely and particularly one he recently discovered. It's by Sundance and it's a beautiful hike up to Stewart Falls. The kids loved the hike and the waterfall at the end. There was still a good amount of snow up there so I would like to go back again with the family later this summer. Loved the area, gorgeous!

My little can collector

Macy has been collecting cans from the neighbors for months now and she finally had a big enough load to turn in. Her total earnings this time = $32.84. She really has been working hard and visiting every neighbor to collect what cans they have. She has told us the money she earns is going to her college fund. So proud of you Macy!

Manti Pageant

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to go to the Manti Pageant with some friends. It was a quick trip, drove there, watched the show and drove home that night. We got there early enough to score great seats and I loved the show. A great experience for the whole family!

Cousin Carlee

The view from Clint's parent's back window, beautiful!

After visiting Idaho for a weekend we brought back with us my niece, Carlee. She stayed with us for three days and the girls enjoyed having her around. So nice to have had family with us for a few days.

While she was here Abby had a dance recital. She looked beautiful and danced so well. Love you Abby and the talent you are developing!