UTAH TRIP - Oquirrh Mountain Temple

We just got back from a wonderful 2 week trip to Utah - the weather was perfect!! Besides a rough start of pink eye (in both eyes) for Lily we got off relatively sickness-free, which is unusual for our visits there. We did end with Mia's hand being closed in the car door (thanks to mom), but thankfully nothing was broken.

Here are some photos from our morning at the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house. It was a great opportunity to take the girls through an LDS temple and show teach them a little more about them. It was such a nice experience for our little family. The temple, and scenery around it, was beautiful.

 

After being so good walking through the tour, they had to get their sillies out!

 

 

We miss the mountains so much down in Texas. Nothing beats the image of those mountains against the bright blue sky.

 

Go Dolphins!!

So Mia just finished her first season on the SWIM TEAM and had a blast!! It is amazing to see the difference in her swimming and strokes from the first practive in April until now. She did an amazing job, and tried super hard. She loved her daily practices and weekend meets. It kept her (and us) very busy and kept Mia very hungry - I have never see her eat dinner like she did each night after practice. However, with the full heat of summer now here in Texas, Lily is happy the season is over - she was a trooper sitting for hours in the sun watching Mia swim and not being able to get in the pool and swim with her. Mia just completed her last meet and got ribbons in all of her events - her team was undefeated all season!! Go Dolphins.

 

Go Mia - racing in one of her freestyle events.

 

Big smiles from our little swimmer - who knows she just won the race!!

 

One thing we learned about Mia this season - she is quite a competitor. She met lots of friends and had fun at practice, but once she was on the starting block she is all business and serious about winning.

 

More smiles from a girl who just discovered a sport that she loves!! We cannot wait for next season.

And from all that watching - Lily is now swimming all by herself!! She loves her sissy and wants to do everything she does so I knew it wouldn't take long. She now tells us she wants to go do swim team, too. Maybe next year. :) It has been so fun watching the two sisters play and swim for hours each day in the pool together (while mom relaxes and gets some sun). This is what summer is all about!

Our Little Graduate!

Mia came back from a fun beach trip, and then walked the aisle at preschool as a graduate!! Now she is officially ready for Kindergarten. Her school had the sweetest program to honor the kids leaving for elementary school - Jason thought it was over the top, but I loved it. I cried through the whole thing watching our little girl look so grown up. We are so proud of Mia - she loves school, loves learning and loves socializing with all of her friends. Watch out kindergarten - here she comes!!

 

The graduating class of 2009.

 

Our sweet little graduate.

 

Daddy and his girls.

 

I cannot believe Lily starts preschool in September - and before we know it I'll be posting pictures of her graduation.

Fun in the Sun!

Here are some photos from the SUNNY days at the beach in Florida. We have the opportunity to meet up with friends from high school (and their growing families) each year over Memorial Day, and we spend time catching up and watching our kids play and build friendships together. However, I start to feel really old when I add up in my head the fact that my friend, Melissa, and I used to run and play at the beach together doing the same things our kids do from the time we were little through our senior year of high school...and it all started almost 30 years ago!?! No way.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Grandma Rogers

My dear grandmother passed away many years ago - she was a huge part of my growing up memories, and I still miss her! (My grandfather died before I was born.) So, while exploring beach towns (and avoiding the rain), we went to Titusville and saw where they lived and where my mother grew up. We also visited my grandma and grandpa's gravesite. It was nice tell the girls about the great-grandparents they never met, but would've loved so much. It's a great memory from our Memorial Day trip.

 

 

Lily and my grandmother share the same middle name - so she is showing the A. that matches her name.

 

Putt-Putt Golf in Florida

We just got back from our annual Memorial Day trip to Florida. The girls and I went extra long this year, and stayed for 12 days. We spent the beginning in Orlando, and then moved on to the beach once Jason joined us. However, this year we had lots and lots of rain. It rained for the first 6 days...that puts a damper on a Florida beach vacation. But we did lots of eating and shopping to keep busy. Once we got the beach it was still raining so we went on an adventure to Cocoa Beach because it wasn't raining there. We got to see the ocean and then had our first family game of Minature Golf. Mia loved it! And Lily liked climbing on the rocks and chasing balls. Playing "putt-putt" was one of my favorite things as a kids, so it was fun to take the girls and see them play.

 

 

 

 

Junior Olympics

The girls completed their Junior Olympics at gymnastics -- and were thrilled with the new trophy and t-shirt!! Mia made great strides in her gymnastics this year, and we are excited to see how well she does over the summer. She goes 2 days a week right now, and loves it. Lily just finished her first year and is a huge fan of anything she can hang and swing from. She looks so big now in her class, sitting and waiting her turn and trying to do all the tricks her big sister can do.

 

I now have a huge appreciation for the hours and hours that my mom sat and watched me practice gymnastics, tennis, etc. Thanks mom!!