Pioneer Day

For years my mom has been in charge of the Deseret News 5K Pioneer day race. Our family planned to visit Utah for a few weeks this summer and we were looking forward to finally being able to participate in the race with the rest of the family. This is a picture of the kids after they finished the race and found their biggest supporter. This was my mom's first outing since being held hostage in the hospital for five weeks. We are so glad she made it!

About half way through the race, the course follows along the parade route. For some people, the cheering from the crowd motivates them to go faster.... not so much for others - check out the little guys face!

Luckily for these little runners, Uncle Brandon was close by to help them find the finish line! Notice the change in facial expressions...

The kids loved the bagels and Jamba Juice samples at the end...

Palmyra

Our kids loved the Hill Cumorah Pageant! It was truly an amazing experience, I was so proud of how well the kids paid attention to the stories ~ I was a little worried, because they are pretty young... But, they really did surprise me. They were so excited when they recognized some of their favorite scripture stories from The Book of Mormon.

The next day we visited the Sacred Grove. We had visited a year ago, but didn't get to spend as much time there as we would have liked... so this year we took our time. I think the kids got a little bored. Pay special attention to the conversation between our littlest rugrats!

They are good kids... they keep us laughing!

Niagara Falls

We took our kids to Niagara Falls the first weekend in July.

We didn't have time before the trip to get passports, so we didn't see the falls from the Canadian side... but we did make it onto the Maid of the Mist boat tour - which was definitely a family favorite!

We took this picture and video through the complimentary blue poncho ~

Next time we need to be sure to get passports, Canada has the most delicious Mackintosh Toffee!

Preschool Graduation

Look who graduated from preschool...

Although he looks super happy in this picture, it didn't start out that way. He was a little bit nervous about being on the stage... he told us all week long that he didn't want to do it. With only a few minor setbacks we made it through! Watch out Kindergarten... he is on his way!

I love these two pictures!

I love the way she is looking at him in the first picture and how he is looking at her in the next.

5K

We ran in our very first 5K race last weekend.

It was a super hilly course and it was pouring rain!

The good news is the next race can't be worse!

Bridging to a Brownie...

Last night our little lady attended her last girl scout meeting as a Daisy scout. She has had so much fun these last two years with her amazing leaders and this darling group of girls. She is so excited that she is now a brownie. They had a fun little ceremony in the park where the girls bridged from daisies to brownies.

Here she is taking off her daisy smock and crossing the bridge. As they cross the bridge they pick up a handful of wishing dust and make a wish for the upcoming year.

Our new little brownie troop!

In April we attended a Mother/Daughter tea party at an Etiquette school with her daisy troop. It was so much fun to get dressed up and visit an incredibly beautiful home (mansion) in the area. We learned proper etiquette and had delicious treats!

At the end of May, the girls marched in the Memorial Day parade downtown. It was an incredibly hot and humid day, but the girls were troopers and did their best!

We are so happy that she is excited for another year of girl scouts!

A visit

The kids got a surprise from my dad last weekend.

This is just one of the reasons why I love it when Grandpa visits!

End of the Year Recital Solo

Picture day for Dance ~

Such a fun costume, and the dance is pretty fun to watch too!

This is my favorite costume!

Click here to watch her practice her ballet dance.

She loves her Jazz dance. Click here to see her practice!

Weekend in NYC

Last weekend I met my parents and my three sisters in New York City.

We planned to pack as much as we could into the two days we were there, but the weather did not cooperate... at all! It rained nearly the entire time!

We were still able to do a few of the things we had planned.

I love the Manhattan Temple!

I love that the peace and reverence you feel in the temple is instant... as soon as you close the doors behind you - which is pretty crazy in Manhattan, it's loud in the city!

We were also able to see a broadway show. One of our favorite places to go after a show is Ellen's Stardust diner! It is such a fun place... and the food is good too! Our cute waitress sang to my dad - which made it even more fun!

Obviously, my dad really wanted someone to capture a picture!

Preschool Fish Release

He had so much fun last week with his preschool class.

They released about 20,000 trout into a local lake.

At first he was a little hesitant, but by the third or fourth bucket... he was a pro!

Girl Scout Jamboree

A few weeks ago, we attended our local Girl Scout Jamboree.

The theme was ~ Vocation, Vacation ~

The girls were able to learn about possible future careers.

She told me she wants to be a dentist!

The cello concert ~

The choral concert

Happy Birthday ~

We celebrated a birthday today.

The kids wanted to help make the cake.

They did a pretty good job!

It was delicious... and just what Dad wanted.

Happy Birthday!!