A walk in the park

I am not pretending that all these small events are necessarily worth reading for anyone who reads this. But this blog is basically my journal, and for me, even a day at the park with my sister and her fam is noteworthy enough for me to remember and blog about. So I will. Hailey got a bike for her birthday, and Myah got skates...so a day in the park was definitely needed. Kam and Kyle also had a great time swinging! It was so fun to just chill and watch the kids play, and of course take some pictures!

Days like this were extra fun I thought. Of course I miss Michelle for the big days and events, but what I really love? Just chatting. Being there for everyday events, like going to the park. Good old quality time is all I want.

Taking a dip

As you have probably gathered by now my lil' fam LOVES the pool. So we had to go swimming while the Browns were here. We decided to go to the Scera pool...mostly because of its amazing proximity to Summer Sno, another must do. We had a blast! Myah couldn't get enough of the slides, Aaron loved the fountains, and Kams, Hailey, Kyle and I enjoyed wading around and tempting the tipping flower fountain. Then we headed to a picnic and to grab some snow cones. Just about the ideal summer night.

 This is Kyle's personal boat he enjoys floating around in. It is actually hilarious to watch. Love him.

 The ladies after a trip down the slide.

 Aaron livin it up!

Thanksgiving Point

One evening we all (minus the parentals) went to Thanksgiving Point's farmland area. I had never been before and it was actually quite entertaining. The kids took pony rides (even Kyle!) and we went on a little hay ride. We also enjoyed all the lil' farm animals.

 Cousins minus the three little boys.

 Zane and Kyle

 First pony ride! He was QUITE pleased about the whole thing until the pony started moving...then he got nervous and I rescued him. 

 Same pic different backgrounds essentially? The one below is capturing the hay ride...

Whit and Zane on the ride.

Christmas in July {camping}

So this post marks the beginning of the posts documenting the Brown's stay. We had SO much fun and I definitely want to journal it all and rather then one long marathon post I think I would rather break it up just for organizational purposes. They were here for 3 weeks and we tried to make the most of every day. I will start with the family camping trip. I don't remember the last time my entire family went camping together. I don't think it has happened since we moved from St. Louis. We were LONG over due. We went up Spanish Fork canyon and just stayed one night. It was so great to have everyone there. When a chunk of your family lives on the other side of the world you learn to cherish these rare times of togetherness. So great to have the Aussies back! So what did we do? Let me show you.

 Hailey and I snuggled a bit

 Kyle enjoyed every second as usual

 We enjoyed Ryan taking the day off to be able to come along!

 We had fun watching my parents be with ALL their grand kids at once.

 We celebrated my mom's birthday! If you haven't tried the cooler with dry ice to enable delicious ice cream while camping...you should.

 Ryan found a way to chill our melon before dinner. Yum.

 Rhett liked the river

 We cheated and grilled our hot dogs. Yum again.

 We laughed A LOT.

 Aaron was in heaven with the water spout. 

 Girl cousin bonding.

 Hiking happened.

 Holly was basically a professional roaster. Best mallows I have ever seen.

Erik whipped up an AMAZING dutch over breakfast.

We soaked up every second of having THEM here!

And as Dad would say, a good time was had by all.

7 months

Kyle had his 7 monthiversary last week. Blows my mind really. I know people always say "they grow up fast" but it really is true. Since I am with him every day I don't really notice until I think back or look at old pictures how big he is getting. It is really fun hitting all the milestones and watching him learn to do more and more. Very exciting really. I keep thinking he is at my most favorite stage, and then he tops himself. So, what happened this month?

• He sealed the deal on hating pacifiers. He wants nothing to do with them. Ever.
• He officially cut his third tooth...and 6 more are bulging and visible.
• He got his first sickness, which was only a mild runny nose.
• His hair is pretty visible in person now.
• He mastered plank position.
• He gets up on his knees and rocks likes mad.
• He can crawl backwards.
• He is SO active. No snuggling allowed unless he is already asleep. He likes to be free to move about.
• He is obsessed with toys and other things to play with. He always has to be chewing or otherwise exploring at all times.
• He had his first friend sleep over (cousin Jack).
• He LOVES 7 peaks. Can't kick and splash enough.
• He is a champ at camping. Sleeps in the tent perfectly.
• He got his first bug bites.
• His feet finally grew big enough to ditch the 0-3 month shoes.
• He thinks real and pretend sneezes are hilarious.
• He loves to be tickled.
• He looooves his daddy. Sometimes life isn't fair.
• He officially met all his cousins, and is a HUGE fan of the attention they bring.
• He says dada, though has no idea that it means something.
• He insists on holding his own bottle.
• He loves squash.
• He is so very pleasant. Always has a smile or giggle, anytime, anywhere.
• He doesn't like napping much, but is still a champ at night so no complaints.
• He no longer enjoys his car seat, again, he needs to be free.
• He likes to jump and climb when being held.
• I can no longer wear dangling earrings. Learned the hard way.
• His eyes are some of the bluest around.
• He loves big beds and sleeping on his side and tummy.
• He likes being tossed in the air.
• He loves music.
• He is all business when playing. So focused, no smiles, just a busy little man.
• He gives a courtesy half smile to most strangers.

Happy 3 years...a little late

I

I was going to post this for our anniversary just for fun but couldn't figure out how. I got some help from my talented sister in law Kate, who actually is responsible for making this video. As much as I love looking at wedding pictures, there is something about watching actual footage that always makes me happy. This is just the cheesy couple portion that I love. So why not? Over three years later I still love everything about that fabulous wedding day. No regrets, although it is funny how fast weddings look dated. Such a great day. 

4th of July

No creativity in that title eh? Well we had a fabulous 4th this year. It is definitely one of my favorite holidays. We started out the weekend with a trip to 7 Peaks, then filled the rest with fireworks, balloon lift offs (HAD to see the Vader balloon cause we are nerds like that), a Taylor family breakfast, a Lundgreen family bbq, and topped it off with a trip to the air port to pick up my favorite lil' Aussie family! Couldn't have asked for a better time! So why not just show you the details through pictures?

 waiting for fireworks

 still waiting (Chris and Mare joined us.)

 Very early in the morning at the launch.

 Kyle was impressed.

 Ryan facing Vader.

 K with cousin Brynn at the breakfast.

 Patriotic baby.

 The Lundgreen babies in their plaid.

 A few Lundgreens awaiting the bbq.

 Traditional cake.

 K all ready to go to the airport. (Their last name is Brown btw).

 Cross word puzzled kept us all entertained.

Sadly the pics of when they actually got here are not on my camera, so I will include them in another post since I know you are dying to see the sweet banner I made. It was a fantastic holiday, hope yours was too!