May

Oh me oh my do I hate getting behind in blogging.  What a wonderful month May has been.  So brace yourself for an overwhelming amount of photos.

 For family fun night we took the girls up to Porcupine Dam to go kayaking and have a cook out.  They haven't stopped talking about this adventure all month.  We had the most wonderful time just the four of us out in nature and we truly were over come with gratitude for all of God's creations.

 My parents got "bummer lambs" yet again this year.  Bummer lambs essentially have a death sentence if the mom has twins and can't care for both or if the mother has died herself.  So it's taken a lot of care from my parents and the girls to keep these lambs bottle fed and cared for.  Emma spends almost every spare second with them.  She reads them stories, sings to them, and tucks them into bed when she can.  My dad and Bundy had the fun task of castrating them and snipping off their tails.

I was dying my hair one afternoon and won a "whoa" from Bundy when we saw me walking around like that.  Our poor husbands and the unpretty sides they get to see of us.  So I had Ry snap a photo.  Then I needed to redeem myself and have him snap another photo once I was ready for the day.

For my sister Sara's birthday her husband got her a hotel and Sara invited myself and her BFF Tiffany to go to SLC.  We had the BEST time shopping, eating out, and just having girl talk.  Then the next day my mom put on a party down by the river with the family.  I just love my sister and am so glad that I have one sister left who doesn't live in Washington.

My brave mom took Emma and her two cousins for an adventure in Yellow Stone, just for fun.

 They had the BEST time staying at hotels, eating out, exploring, and of course visiting Bear World.

While Annie had Emma we left Lydia with the Jensens so we could have an adventure of our own.  We have never really spent too much time exploring all that Salt Lake has to offer so we went up Little Cotton Wood Canyon for the first time and were blown away with how beautiful it is. THESE are the Rocky Mountains. 

 We had the most charming stay at the Snow Bird Inn.  I LOVED having a real wood burning fireplace in our room and sleeping with the porch door open so we could hear the river.  I hope with all my hope that we make this a tradition.

We got a great deal on a package this time of year and enjoyed a delicious all expense paid breakfast with beautiful views.  We pretty much had the whole resort to ourselves.

We loved seeing actual sites where the pioneers took the stone for the Salt Lake Temple.  

So then we went to see that beautiful stone from the Canyon put to good use.  We also got massages from the school, serious shopping at both new malls, and met our friends the Tippings for Thaiphoon.  This has to be the best weekend I've had all year!

Sara broke her iPhone so Bundy decided to give it a go to fix her screen.  This is just a sample of how intricate the phones are and what replacing a screen entails.  Bundy lives for this kind of stuff.

Emma finished up with gymnastics for the school year.  I have LOVED the program at the Sports Academy and can't wait for her to keep on growing and learning come fall time.

Ry and I volunteered to help with Emma's school field trip to the Willow Park Zoo.  It's been so much fun knowing each of the kids in Emma's class.

We drove over Avon and met our favorite neighbors ever, the Litchfields, for dinner at Eats of Eden.  Fantastic company and the best bread pudding ever!!

 On our drive back over Avon we found three kittens abandoned by the side of the road.  What else could we do besides take them home?  We bottle fed them through a syringe through the night and took them to the shelter the next morning.  It was a short lived adventure in being a pet owner.  Notice how Lydia put her kitty down to pose for a photo.  Little Hammy Ham.

We have tried to enjoy the RZR on every nice day there is.  We headed up Millville Canyon one night and were just blown away by the views.  These photos don't do it justice.  I can't say enough how much I LOVE UTAH!!

For Memorial weekend we had a progressive dinner with my Logan Family.  We ended at Lee's house to have dessert and celebrate Jake's graduation.  Nothing beats family!

Memorial Day morning my uncle Gary hosted a breakfast for the whole famdamily.  We opened with the Pledge of Allegiance....

 ....and then Emma topped it off with reciting the Preamble to the Constitution.  Always a hit :)

This little baby Rafe Densely just couldn't be more adorable.  Bundy is all sorts of baby hungry, and this little guy just pushed him over the edge.

 We brought Emma's lemonade stand that my dad made for her and let her have a practice run for this summer.  The family was very generous in donating to her cause.  The juice was free but she had jokes and songs would perform in exchange for some coins :)

Below is the first and last day of Kindergarten for Emma.  What a WONDERFUL year this has been for her.

My Aunt Carol was Emma's teacher for the last five months of school and it has been so wonderful to spend so much time with her.  I've always thought highly of my aunt, but seeing her and all the effort she gives to these children just sky rockets my admiration for her.  We saw a huge difference when Emma transferred to Carol's class in her reading and math skills.  This was definitely worth the hour and twenty minute drive each day just so she could be in Mrs. Searles class.  A big thanks to Principal Jenkins (who Emma adores and is in a photo below) for making a boundary exception.

 One thing I just adore about Carol's class is that she has a piano in the class room and is a great pianist.  She has taught the kids some darling songs about self confidence and it's been a great learning tool as well.  Emma had a little boyfriend this year.  Kaio.  She was practically consumed with him.  They would hold hands, exchange daily gifts of home made drawings and other trinkets.  I never made a stink about it because I think this phase will run it's course by second grade....or at least I hope it will. 

For the end of the school year celebration Emma got to have her first ever slumber party with Addi Malmberg, her best friend from Ogden.  We don't really do slumber parties, but there's an exception to every rule :)

Happy Mother's Day

 I can't help but give a special tribute to my mom on Mother's Day.  She is my best friend, my confidant, and my advisor.  I look to her for answers and counsel on the things that matter most in life and she never lets me down.  I have loved falling as the youngest in our family because it has given me so much more time alone with her.  My current favorite quality of my mom is what an adoring, doting grandmother she is.  I know that I can completely trust her to give my daughters the support, encouragement and adoration that they need and deserve.  Sometimes I think they're in better hands with her then they are with me!!!

My mom HATES cats, HATES them!!  And yet, she bought one because she knew the grandkids would love it....aaaaand because it would eat mice.  Sadly, instead it got eaten itself.  But boy howdy did those kids love on this kitty before it met it's untimely death.

This photo below is when my mom flew herself out to Oklahoma so she could drive 18 hours in the car with me and my girls and make sure we were safe and made a really great adventure out of it.  We stopped every couple hours for a treat or a new prize.  I don't even think we listened to music.  I believe we just talked the entire time.  Definitely one of my favorite memories.

At this age in life, she deserves to have some little sports car.  Small, easy to drive, great gas mileage, but nope, not for her.  Instead Annie bought Sanity, a car big enough to fit all of her Utah grandkids so that she could keep us close as a family and take the kids on many adventures.  It had all the perks so that the adults and kids could have a wonderful time together and keep their sanity :)

Also, I can think of very few women in their sixties who can keep such great pace and go on so many hikes and athletic adventures.  I love that my mom and dad are game for a new exploration, especially if it involves wearing their hiking shoes.

 So here's to a wonderful Mother, Grandmother, and friend.  My life wouldn't be the same without you.  Thank you for all you do to keep us close as a family and to help us live the happiest life we can.  I love you mom.  Happy Mother's Day!

April

So far 2012 has been filled with a lot of choices for us. We've had our struggles with spending too much time looking back.  However, we're moving on and only looking forward.  These next few months are going to be pretty crazy, but we're thankful to have so many options in front of us and we just hope and pray that we do right by our girls.

 The girls loved Easter and all that it entails.  We had fun coloring Easter eggs and Ryan won the contest for best egg.  He cut up some of his silk ties, wrapped them around the egg, boiled them in water, and voila!!  A magical print that not even an artist could recreate.

 We had our Easter picnic down by the river with my parents.  We enjoyed a bon fire and throwing rocks in the river.  I can't believe how brown the beginning of the month was compared to the end.

Emma has learned how to ride a bike without training wheels and is so proud of herself.  Ryan tried a new little trick and boy did it work.  

 For the first time in my life I saw the end of the rainbow.  If ever anyone needed a pot of gold, it would be us.  However, the experience and awe we shared with our girls is treasure enough.

Below are some random photos taken with my phone.  1.  The sunset is a hike Emma and I did one night.  She is in such great shape and a fabulous hiking partner.  2.  We had a family hike up Logan canyon where we let the girls play in the river at the end of it. 3. Ryan and our little cheezer mcgeezer Lydia.  4.  Emma must have got my phone and took a photo of Lydia playing dolls. 5.  I love the creativity that Emma shows and that she used play dough to leave me little messages.

 THIS is my parent's home.  Can you say BE-YOU-TEE-FULL!!  It's been a long winter stuck up in the mountains with little to do.....but this spring and summer will make up for it.

 I took the girls to SLC to check out the new City Creek Mall.  It was sooooo divine!!  The girls have been saving their money to buy whatever they wanted from the Disney Store.  I love teaching them the value of a dollar.  We then had a picnic and played in the fountain at the Gateway, followed by a tour of the Temple Square flowers.  Having two little girls is everything I always hoped it would be.

This is the Jensen family.  These cousins are 7-15 years younger than me, and they're my closest cousins.  They go above and beyond their title of great aunt and uncle and second cousins to my little girls.  Our time here in Cache Valley wouldn't be the same without them.
My cousin Kylee an her husband Brody, who have been our besties for years now, came for a visit and we were thrilled to be invited to spend the weekend with the family.

Jake and Cam are soooo good to my girls, especially Emma.  I'm fully aware that teenage boys have better things to do than entertain a little 6 year-old girl, but it means so much to me how sweet they are to her.  You might be thinking, "Hey, isn't that photo in the bottom left corner taken during church?  I thought photos are frowned upon in church."  Well, yes, yes that is a photo taken in church.  But guess what, it was a sweet moment, and I wanted a photo, that's just how I roll.

My foot hasn't quite recovered from my surgery, but at least Bundy was able to join them for a hike.  Lydia has been talking about Salomon for the last few months, finally she got her fill of him.  

We had a delicious dinner followed by a late night of games and treats.

Sunday we all headed to the park for an adult recess, it.was.awesome.

I am sooo happy inside my heart that Spring is here!!  April has been my favorite month of the whole year.  I don't anticipate another month this great until July, but who knows what will happen.  I can't wait to see what's in store.