Box Elder County Parade/Fair/Rodeo

Wednesday as soon as Matt got home from work we headed to Tremonton for our annual tradition of going to the fair and the parade. Unlike other years the weather was perfect. It was overcast and probably mid 70's really the best weather we have ever had for the parade. We got there just in time for the parade to start. Lucky for us Matt's mom had saved a big space for us, Chris & Krissy, and since Nick & Brit decided to join us this year we had a full space. 

Here is the whole crew

 They handed out several(too many) popsicle in many forms. Most of them melted before they ever got eaten although the kids got to eat a few of them. Hallie wasn't feeling 100% and had a pretty good fever on and off most of the day but she acted fine for most of the time just hanging out and waiting for the candy.

 After the parade we were planning on going out to the fair for dinner and to the bulls only rodeo but the weather was looking pretty threatening. So we decided to head over to Matt's mom and dads and grab some dinner while we waited to see what the weather was going to do. While we got dinner going the kids jumped on the tramp...all of them!! Luckily they had Krissy there to make sure they were being safe.

Just as we got dinner dished up the weather showed its true colors and started to blow and rain so hard. With it pouring we passed on the fair and rodeo it wasn't worth getting soaked. The adults sat and tried to visit but some of the kids made it hard trying to "put on a play." Poor Gracie got hit with a broom and ended up with some pretty good bruising below her cheek. After that we decided to call it a night. We were so bummed that we didn't go to the fair for some "fair" food and I was so bummed I didn't get to go the the shopping booth that I love....oh well maybe next year. All in all it was a fun night spent with our little family.

A Fun Family Filled Weekend....Grandma & Papa Come to Visit

 My mom and dad came to visit so my mom could attend her 35th high school reunion. They got here Thursday night just in time to tuck the kids into bed. The girls were so excited my parents could hear them squealing through the door. We missed having Maddi and Sophie but were thrilled to see mom and dad. After a good nights rest we got up and going for the day and then decided to load up and head for Tremonton to visit family. We stopped at grandma Harris's house first. Growing up I remember Nate sitting on this same deer at grandma's house in Preston now its Gracie's turn. Why all kids think plastic deer are so cool to sit on is beyond me.

 After seeing all the changes grandma had made to her yard and house, feeding the ducks, and swinging in the tire swing we went to grab some lunch at Golden Spike Burger. The food was really good and we had great company to visit with. After lunch we went to visit Aunt Jeanette, My cousin Linnie, and Uncle Kelly's house lucky for us everyone was around since Katelyn was graduating from BYU nursing school. Its always fun to catch up with our extended family we spent so much time together growing up it brings me back to the comforting place of being surrounded by family. After some short visits we decided to take the kids to the park and the splash pad to get all our wiggles out. The city has made some great improvements to the park.

 The kids had a ball swinging, sliding, and splashing all in their clothes..lol luckily we had new clothes for each of them for when they were done.

 After we were worn out from the fun in the sun we headed back to grandma's for a snack before heading for home in time for Matt and I to head out on our date night and mom and dad headed to moms class reunion. At the last minute our babysitter bailed on us. Nic was so sweet and offered to keep our kids at our house while we went out! Seriously awesome sister I tell ya. So once we made a quick stop at Kents to get Tremonton corn we headed back to Ogden. Once we got home and got the kids settled Matt and I headed out for our date night. We grabbed some dinner and went to look at prospective building lots before we headed back home for the night. The next morning we took it easy while Matt went to take his final and we waited for mom and dad to come back from Tremonton. The girls seem to find creative ways to watch tv. I guess Gracie sitting on top of Hallie could be comfortable right??/

While we waited we tried our dragon fruit we pick out of the exotic food section the day before. It is a  pretty cool fruit but somewhat lacking in flavor but it was worth getting to try at least once.

After everyone arrived home we loaded up the boat and headed for East Canyon. We got there about lunch time so once we got on the water we made lunch and of coarse had a swim break! Only this time they got to swim with papa.

 Our boating days are definitely numbered the water is getting lower and the days and water are getting cooler. The water was cooler than it has been but it was still refreshing from the warm sun. One thing that can be a bit tricky is although the water is lower and there is less boating space but just as many people trying to boat it makes it dangerous when you get people that have no idea what the rules are we had a few tension moments when we wanted to throw things at a few people. About dusk we loaded up and headed for home so we could get dinner going and mom could go try on her new wedding ring(she had picked out a new ring setting that morning). We BBQ'd on the grill while the boys finished resurfacing the boat. After we ate dinner we decided to make a Jake's over the top milkshake run. Gracie loved her milkshake if you can't tell from the picture.

 She was even willing to share

It was a great end to a fun weekend. Sunday morning mom and dad headed for home when we headed for church. Only a couple more weeks and we will be together again. 

Riding without Training Wheels

After Hallie's 1st Day at kindergarten we decided to go for a walk Hallie and I have been talking about trying to take off her training wheels but just haven't done it. Matt said why not tonight so we headed over to the neighboring parking lot and gave it a shot. Hallie was nervous/excited she kept laughing and giggling. It was pretty cute. She was pretty unstable and wobbly at first

 Gracie kept herself entertained by climbing the light pole 

 And riding her scooter while Hallie practiced

 After a few tries she got the hang of it. Now we are just working on steering and balancing her weight when she does it. We need to get in more practice before the winter takes over. I was very impressed at how Hallie handled wrecking multiple times. She would get up laugh it off and try again. Im so proud of her and her determination to learn and try something new. Now to shop for a new bike so Gracie can have what has been Hallie's bike.

Why do Kids have to Grow Up? Hallie's 1st Day at Kindergarten

This week has been a rough one! A roller coaster of emotions and Im not even sure where to begin with them. Hallie starts kindergarten tomorrow. She is so excited and I have been so excited for her until tonight when it hit me that our baby our sweet and beautiful baby girl is no longer my baby. And for that I am struggling. Hallie is the sweetest, most loving, considerate, and lovable little girl. She always has hugs, kisses, and smiles for me when I'm feeling down. She is my big helper. But she is growing up so fast. I have loved every stage of her life and each new stage I'm reminded that every stage is so special and will go to quickly for any of our liking. Although I have been very emotional about this I have also found joy in this due to the fact that Hallie is so excited. She is so ready for this and has been talking about it since getting out of preschool in the spring. It makes my heart happy to see her so excited and when she comes home she is so excited to tell me about everything she did while she was away. She is attending Bravo Arts Academy. She goes Mon-Thurs for 2 hours and 15 minutes. She only has 7 other kids in her class so I think she will be getting plenty of attention as well. Im excited to see her learn and grow this school year but it will always be bittersweet to see my baby grow up. Here are the pictures from her 1st day.

 Gracie also wanted her 1st day picture taken. This is Gracie at 2 1/2 years.

 Sitting on the bench waiting to head in

 Our 1st Kindergartner!!!

 Her silly pic

I Love to See the Temple--Ogden Open House

 When we found out when the open house was scheduled we knew we wanted to go. I was hoping we could go with my family since we had such a great time going to the Brigham temple open house previously. But shortly after they announced the dates Kimber and Ez moved to Vegas so I was thrilled when Nic said they would love to go with us! I got on as soon as tickets were available but the website was so swamped it wasn't working correctly I thought I could just wait a few hours but when I logged on a few hours later all of the weekends and evening tickets were gone so we picked a time about lunch and Matt was able to take his "lunch break" to meet us for the open house. We even arrived early enough to get some pictures before heading inside. Here is our little group all ready to go inside the temple. Hallie and Rigs were so excited to get to go inside since we have been talking about the temple a lot and watching as they have built it over the last couple of years.

 This is seriously the cutest picture of Nic and the kids. We were sad Kyle couldn't join us but he had to work. Rigs was so funny just as we went to walk in he said, This isn't Jesus's house its Moroni's....see him on top?"

 And my eternal family....love them

The temple was beautiful and one of the most modern looking I have seen. There was a lot of dark wood, silver, and creams. The grounds will be something I think that will draw people in they did a great job. The kids did pretty well at listening and staying close. We decided to make it a game and see how many pictures of Jesus we could find in the temple. Although I don't think we kept exact track it kept the kids focused and watching. Now this little one below was great while we were on the move but as soon as we stopped she wanted out and on the move by herself.

 After we got out of the temple the kids couldn't get to the fountain fast enough we let them put there hands in which seemed to suffice although Rigs asked if he could swim in the pool.

Afterwards Nic and the kids came over for lunch while Matt went back to work. After we ate Nic and I visited while the kids played in the backyard. Then Nic headed home so everyone could nap in their own beds. It was a great way to spend our day. I love the temple, what it stands for, and the meaning behind it all. I hope our girls will one day have the desire to go to the temple for themselves. Im so grateful for my forever family

East Canyon Camping/Boating Weekend

 After Matt's BBQ Friday we headed up to East Canyon Resort to do some camping and boating with the Turner's. They have a membership and we finally found a weekend we could both go. We got there about 5pm, found a spot, and got out camp site set up. It was more difficult that I had imagined to find a spot most of them were smashed behind the trailer spots with no fire pit or even space to put up our camp chairs. When we finally found a spot it was a small space total dirt big enough for both of our tents with a picnic table and a fire pit one down fall is that we were only about 5 foot from tents on both sides of us. It worked for the one night we were there but I would prefer to try somewhere else next time. Once we got camp set up  the kids couldn't wait to go play at the play ground. They ran, swung, and slide. 

Then we decided to head to the pool to both warm up and cool down. The kids were disappointed they couldn't get in the hot tub but had a great time swimming in the kid and regular pool.

Then we showered and headed back to cook our dinner. We had pre made tinfoil dinners so we got a fire going, changed into pjs, and cooked dinner then we ate by head lamp and fire light.

After we ate dinner we cooked some smores and pop some popcorn. 

Then we called it a night. It was nice sleeping. I love when it can be hot during the day and cool sleeping at night and that was just how it was. Gracie woke up once to go potty but otherwise it was a pretty quiet night. The next morning we all slept til about 8-8:30 before rolling out of bed to make breakfast. The boys did most of the cooking while Steph and I started breaking down camp so we could head for the lake.

We had eggs, sausage, bacon, and hash browns. It was a great way to start the morning.

Then off to the lake. When we got there we had to wait in line to put the boat in the water but luckily it went pretty quickly. I have really struggled to keep my anxiety in check while boating I worry about everything I am working on it and hopefully I will get more used to it and get over it. Hallie quickly made herself at home relaxing and enjoying the day.

We went to find a spot to call home for the day. We set up the sun shade and unload the cooler. While we did that the kids played in the water.

Then we went to pick up Uncle Chris who had also come to join us for the day. The girls took no time to find a spot with him. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a great uncle like him.

And the silly face

 Just as Matt got in to wakeboard it started to rain first just a handful of drops then to pour. But no lightening so we continued to boat. It was slightly crazy. It only rained for 5-10 minutes before it passed and the sun was back out.

 While Matt wakeboarded I drove so the girls cuddled with Chris it didn't take long and Gracie was out. They were both so tired from our adventure.

 By that point we were all ready for naps and decided to call it a day. We loaded up the boat and headed for home. On the way home Matt and I drove around a little looking for lots to build on in or near Morgan. Hopefully one day we will find one we feel is right but mean while its slightly frustrating. Once we got home I unloaded the boat while Matt ran to grab dinner. We ate our Cafe Rio and finished unpacking and doing laundry. It was an fun but exhausting weekend. Having the boat is one of the best things ever we have so much fun.

Sure Steel BBQ

Friday was a fun day for us after the girls and I got the boat packed and ready to go we headed to South Weber for our 1st Sure Steel BBQ. This is something they do often so that everyone has a chance to interact and get to know each other. We started with lunch it was really good. We had chicken, steak, hot dogs, beans, rolls, cakes, creamies, and drinks. 

 After we filled our bellies they brought out the pinata held by a fork lift! The construction guy and this guy was built tough. 

The girls each got 2 turns they started the line with the smallest and went to the biggest. The kids hit him with the giant wrench on Gracie's hands.

  They made it 2 times through the line before some of the adults took the wrench to him and spread candy everywhere. I was glad to see that all the kids shared and all the kids got plenty of candy.

 And of coarse we can't forget the bounce houses there were 2 of them and the girls got plenty of use out of both of them. They had a ball!!

They also gave away some awesome prizes but we didn't win anything this time...hopefully better luck next time. It was nice to get to meet a bunch of Matt's coworkers...hopefully I can remember most of them and their families. I think initially the thought of it being like a family seemed kinda clique but after now attending it seems very real. There is a genuine family vibe like friends just getting together for a fun afternoon. On the way home Matt said, "Babes I think we are in a really good place." I hope and think he is right.