Fouth of July

Summer recap....(pics out of order, can't get them moved!)
Chris, Ken and Ryan - the "official "pyrotechs!


The cousins waving their allegiance!

My patriotic fruit pizza, gluten free of course!

We had a great weekend with Chris' family. We went to the Freedom Festival on Friday and had a blast! Then Saturday we met at one of our favorite spots, Thanksgiving Point Gardens and cruised around in the golf cart. Then we met up at Ken and Kirsti's for dinner and the firework show.

Manthy at the Freedom Festival with her oversized bow I made....she'll grow into it!

Alex with her two favorite things...a poor innocent flower she plucked from someone's garden and a balloon!

We LOVE this place

Thanksgiving Point Gardens. The Secret Garden. It's Utah's biggest secret, nobody is ever there when we go. It's amazing, my kids love going there and so do Chris and I!

Cutest cousins ever or what?



It's been a year full of the Gardens, the Farm, Dinosaur Museum and more. Our pass runs out next week and we are SO sad...maybe Santa will renew it for us! (hint hint J)

Glitz and Glamour

Glitter Toes. Love 'em!! My sister Joanna just started a new blog for her business click here to check it out.

She does a whole host of things like facials, waxing, pedicures and yes, glitter toes! If you'd like to book an appointment or glitter toe party contact her thru her blog.

I love to see....

...the temple. Or as Alex says "Our Temple". We are so lucky to live so close to this majestic building. We had the priviledge to help with the open house, Chris sang in the choir for the dedication (you might have seen him on t.v) and now he is a temple worker. To learn more about how your family can live together forever, click here.

Keeping up with the Kirkland's

I saw this poster in a second hand store in the most quaint surf town this summer. I was bummed I didn't buy it until I looked on Etsy and found them way cheaper.

This is my new mantra. As if I needed a Queen to tell me to keep calm!

Anywho...I told myself that I was back blogging Sept one. So.....I'm back.
I'm here to record my family events (big and small) and to carry on!

xo

Birthday Tea Party

Alexandra turned 3 this month and we had an all out tea party with 11 of her little friends.

Alex and her cousin Bentley waiting for the other guests to arrive. Each little girl got a tea hat to wear along with some jewelry.

Making sure the Birthday Girl looks just right!

I had so much fun decorating my dining room for the party that I think I am going to have a tea party of my own!

The goods.

Sister Samantha in her tea party best!

I think all the little girls had a splendid time.

Like I said, I had fun decorating and went a little buck wild!

Sippin' some pink lemonade.

On Mother's Day we celebrated Alex's birthday at our park with our families. Alex is such a sweet and kind little girl with a ton of spunk! She likes to act silly and get attention. She has a serious crush on the neighbor boy who is 9!! (hope she grows out of that!) She loves her baby sis, she loves her cousins and her greemas and grandpas! She loves to clean up and put things away, she is pretty obedient. We think she's an absolute doll inside and out! We love you Al!

Easter

Easter Weekend....many festivites, too much candy and a broken camera on Easter Sunday hence no dress pictures! Argh!

We started off the weekend with a neighborhood egg hunt on friday. Alex with her little friends, Avery, Mayet and Ava rollin' in the wagon.

Alex wanting to find more than her share of eggs!

Saturday morning we had the Andrus (Chris' family) egg hunt and luncheon...Grandma Delfa and my MIL Julia are amazing at pulling this off for everyone, thank you Grandmas and Grandpas!

Manthy and I around the campfire.

Feels kinda like Halloween. (What up with her face?)

After Chris' parents house, we made our way to the Hinckley's egg hunt...missed the egg hunt and the food but it was good to see neighbors and friends and of course play on this awesome tree swing!

We did also attend cute Leo Jacobsen's 1st B-day bash but did not get any pics which is just too bad since he is adorable

On Sunday, Chris and I hosted my family at our house for an egg hunt and dinner. I made the most delicious ham (thanks Martha!) and macaroons (thanks again Martha!) and everyone brought yummy food to complement the main course. We played at the park, hunted for eggs (that's when my camera went on the fritz!), ate dinner and hung out. It was a splendid weekend celebrating with our families and seeing the joy in Alex's face while she found eggs!

Chris and Matt pushing Alex and Bentley.

Me and my sisters (except for Lori).

Bentley, Lauren, Alex and Brynn. So lucky to have such great neices!

Sam and Reese eating dirt like good litttle babies!

Samantha Kate

My baby is one! I can't believe how fast the time goes. We had everyone over on Sunday to celebrate, Chris made his Hawaiian pork which is always a crowd pleaser! Sam really made a haul with some fantastic gifts.



Sam loved her cupcakes, she ate two as well as all the cousins...our kitchen was covered in frosting and cupcake! Today we had some friends over (Kelly and Victoria) for lunch and a playdate at the park to continue with the birthday festivities.

Our little "Mantha" as Alex called her just a couple of days old.

Sam at 6 months old, loved by all but especially her big sister!

Nine months old, she still loves to suck on wipees. Samantha walked at 11 1/2 months, just got her 2 front teeth and shows signs of having the "red head" attitude! I'm hoping it's the teething that is causing her tantrums! She is just a delight to have in our family, she is a sweet little girl and loves to give cuddles and smile. We love you Manthy!

Cousins

Alexandra, Samantha, Reese and Bentley

This last week my sister Diana spent a couple of days playing at our house and we loved it! The girls love playing with each other and Alex calls Bentley, "my Bentley". They fight over toys, like any 2 yr olds but then have fun running around the house and bugging their baby sisters!

Conversation with Jesus

Tonight while eating chicken tortilla soup, Alex was playing around on her chair and spilled her soup all over! I of course was a little irritated and told her that I was upset that she couldn't just eat. As I was cleaning it up I hear her over in the family room...

"Jesus, I'm really sorry" as she is looking at the picture of Christ on a table.

She continues..."That's ok Alex, do you want a treat?"

I wish I was that quick to forgive....I gotta work on that one!

Happy Anniversary

It's be a whoppin' four years! It seems like a lot longer. In a good way of course. Yesterday morning as I was showering and Samantha was playing in the bathroom anxiously awaiting me to finish... (you moms know what I am talking about!) I had such a feeling of peace and happiness and contentment. It was awesome! Even though there are so many worrisome things going on in this world that are affecting us and my life isn't perfect. I was happy. I am happy still. I'm so grateful for a fiercely loyal and dedicated husband that works hard to provide for me and our offspring. I love him madly. I'm glad I married you Hon!

Let's go fly a kite

On Saturday we flew our killer dragon kite. The winds were perfect, although a bit chilly!

We have this huge power box across from our house that was perfect for sitting and watching Mr. Dragon climb higher and higher!

I haven't flown a kite for years, I think I was the most excited about it!