'Lil Pumpkin

Emma and Lily have been friends since birth.  It's so fun to see them start this chapter of their lives together.  They're not in the same class, but both have afternoon kindergarten so they get to see each other while coming and going from school.

Emma LOVES going to the dentist.  I have to act like I do too so she'll keep up her enthusiasm.  She has yet to have a cavity, so that may play into her enjoyment, and also she gets to pick out a prize at the end.  The only part I like about going to the dentist is when I do have a cavity, because then I get the gas :)

We had a family hike and came across this tarantula right on the trail!!  This photo was an attempt he gave to hide from us, you should have seen what he looked like while trying to defend himself and look larger than life.

Lydia loves picking strawberries from our little patch.

For our NINTH anniversary Ryan and I had a fantastic day together just the two of us. We took my parent's Ranger RZR over Avon and into Ogden Valley for a delicious lunch at Huntsville BBQ company.

Ogden Valley holds so much sentiment for both of us and we loved spending the day there.  On the way home we were chased by dark storm clouds, but we made it back before getting drenched.

After showering and cleaning up we went out to my favorite restaurant, Elements.  Then we saw a complimentary movie of Contagion, which we both loved.  By complimentary I just asked nicely if they would let us see it for free, and the agreed.  Never hurts to ask.  We had the BEST day together!  Thanks to my mom for keeping the girls all day :)

Sunday we went for a picnic over to Hyrum dam.  The girls loved playing on the beach and the weather was perfect.  I am kicking myself for not doing this more often, but at least we'll be prepared for next year.

                                  

 

                              

Emma LOVES to take photos, even more than I do if you can believe it.  I'm training her to get them just right, and she's actually doing a pretty great job.

Lydia is obsessed with her new pajamas that Annie bought her from Swiss Days.  They're an early Christmas gift, and she couldn't be happier.

We had a long over due taco Wednesday date with our friends the Ferrins.  This is their little girl Scarlet.  They had to put up a good fight to get her to come on down here.  She is sooo precious and it warms my heart to see their family grow.

I had a great photo shoot with my cousin Jake for his Senior pics.  Isn't he such a good looking kid?  He is a strong athlete, has great future goals, lives his standards, and has a fun sense of humor.  He'll be a great catch for any girl, the kicker is that he just isn't interested right now, which makes him even better in my eyes.

Addi came up and spent the two nights with us while we stayed at my parent's house over the weekend.  We absolutely adore Addi and her influence on Emma.  I can't believe this is the only photo I have of the girls, but what can ya do?

I hosted a shower for my sweet cousin Sydney.  It was so fun to try the new things I have discovered on Pinterest and to see my cousins who live out of town.

I'm so excited when anyone has a baby, but especially excited for Sydney.  She is oober talented, has a rockin' marriage, and just as sweet and loving as can be.  She's going to be a great mom who will likely fill me with jealousy when I see all the cute things she'll be doing for her kids.

These are the Smith wives (minus one who couldn't attend.)  Some are blood related, some by marriage.  I adore every single one of them and wish so badly that we lived closer so I could enjoy their awesomeness on a weekly basis.

Soooo, how often do you clean your kid's car seat?  I hardly ever do.  Let me rephrase, I NEVER do, unless vacuuming counts.  This is how my husband does things.  Takes it all apart, puts the cover in the washing machine, and scrubs the plastic in the kitchen sink.  Yep....he's mine...allllllll mine.

This BEAUTY is my neighbor whom I ADORE.  Stunning, isn't she?  I had the best time driving around the valley with her and her parents while we hit up different locations.  I could make a LONG list of why Sami is as pretty on the inside as she is on the outside.  Let's just say, that I am the President of her fan club.

First Day of School

 

 

 My sweetest little Emma started school today.  We spent the morning making apple cupcakes for her teacher that were so delicious.  Then we did her hair and had her favorite breakfast.  She was so excited to go to school and didn't show any signs of anxiety.  I held it together until I got back in the car before I let the tears fall.  What an adventure the last five years have been.  I'm so thankful that as I stumble my way through learning to be a mother, I have a child as easy and good natured as Emma, who I know will help me reach my full potential.

 Ryan has been working like a fool out in our yard.  I love having a man who knows the value of yard work.

 These little girls are just the best of friends.  I LOVE that they play so well together (as long as they have a break somewhere in the day.)

 My mom and I had the ABSOLUTE BEST day together on Friday.  We drive to Midway to attend the Swiss Days Festival.  We talked non stop the entire time.  I can't think of any other person I would rather spend an entire day with.

These are just a few of the treasures I bought from the booths.  Lydia made out like a bandit as well, but that will come in a later post.

 

Then we ended our day with lunch at my favorite hotel, Zermatt.  What is better than a delicious salad and reuben sandwich out on the patio?  Nothing.

 Saturday my family went to Lava Hot Springs.  There were 21 of us in total.  Ryan and I had a blast!  Largely in part b/c the weather was too chilly for my mom, so she kept Lydia by her side so we could actually have some fun.  The river was wild and crazy, just how I like it.  I made it to the second platform but couldn't go any higher to jump.  We had a great time with family, yummy food, and fun water slides.  A must for next summer, but definitely earlier in the year, it was rather chilly.

 This is Tiger.  Our cat for the day.  He randomly showed up one day and made himself right at home in our yard.  We fed him, pet him, and took photos galore.  I like the girls to think we have pets, when in actuality they belong to someone else.  I have no intention of ever owning a pet, so this works great for all of us.  Tiger disappeared the next day and has never returned, but the girls still tell people about their pet cat.

 Monday we had an insanely delicious breakfast at my aunt Lee's.  Then we played some volley ball and had a great little Labor Day hike.  The weather was fantastic!

I LOVE UTAH!!

My favorite Uncle Paul was in town for the weekend and we had fun with him on Monday going to the Gateway. The girls loved the fountain and my mom and I loved the shopping.

We ate at our favorite restaurant, Thaifoon. The weather this time of year can't be beat. I am so thankful for what good girls I have. Every time we go out to eat usually at least one stranger tells us how well behaved our kids are, gotta love that.

My poor little Lydia has crawled out of her crib a couple of times and made herself a little bed on the CEMENT floor at my parent's house. It's rather disturbing when I go in to check on her before bed and I find her in a heap on the floor.

Ryan's dad and brother were passing through town and we had a fabulous time catching up with them over lunch. The little girls love their Grandpa Clay.

My parents took our little family hiking up Black Smith Canyon one night. It was great having the place to ourselves and I enjoyed sleeping in the pop up tent with Lydia and my parents. That's my kind of camping.

Ryan, Emma and my mom went for an adventure up to Old Ephraim's grave. He is a big scary bear that used to roam this area.

I had a great photo shoot with Emma. She is such a little diva.

Up in Paradise where my parents live, their little town hosts something called Trout and Berry Days. It's wonderfully UNDER priced and filled with great activities. One of which is letting the little kids catch their own trout.

In the collage below, the story goes left to right.
Lydia starts by being excited. They drop fish into the water. Lydia practically refuses to get in. I have to catch her fish for her, screaming all the while. Finally catching the fish. Lydia traumatized by the whole experience.

And this collage doesn't shed the best light on me, but what do you do?
Starts with Emma being enthusiastic. Emma tries to catch the fish for all of one minute. She realizes it's hard so she just gives up and stops trying. I give her a finger in the face lecture in front of a whole big crowd over why we don't quit, and she dang well better keep trying, even if she never catches one. Ryan calls me out of the viewing area b/c I'm making an arse of myself. Emma continues to stand there and cry. Some nice volunteer took pity on her and caught the fish for her (which is very nice since I was being so mean, but teaches her that if she quits someone else will pick up the slack) So this was my ugliest moment as a mother, but lesson learned on my end.

The cousins back at my parent's house with their trout they all caught. We enjoyed some of my sister Sara's fantastic cooking and grilled these up for Cabo Tacos.

We had a great little family hike up Cold Creek Canyon. I love family outings, and I love that they are right outside our back door.

We took my parents with us up to Big Cotton Wood Canyon to do some exploring. I can't get over how GORGEOUS this canyon is and all the hikes and adventures it has to offer.

We started with an easy stroll around Silver Lake and then took it up a notch to see Twin Lakes. Truly BE-YOU-TEE-FULL! I LOVE UTAH!