Back at Home for the 4th of July

Back to summer in Texas - we got home from our trip in time for our annual neighborhood parade on the 4th of July. The girls rode their bikes, but tears were shed as they complained about the heat. Mia kept saying, "I want to go back to Utah." Neither of our girls are made for hot/humid weather. We will be spending lots of time in the pool to stay cool.

 

 

 

UTAH TRIP - Cousins!!

Ok , to appease meemaw (my mom) we had an afternoon photo session trying to get some good photos of all the grandkids together. That is never an easy task with 6 kids ranging in age from 17 to 2, but we got a few good ones despite the fact that Lily and Hayden were in no mood for smiles.

We love being with the cousins, and miss them so much. What a good-looking groups of kids!!

 

 

 

Mia and Hayden - BFF!!

 

The hardest part of our trip to Utah is saying goodbye to Hayden - he and Mia are such good friends and play so hard together. It was made a little easier this trip since Hayden had the stomach flu our last night there, so we said our goodbyes over the phone. But Mia cried, and she kept telling me she wanted to stay in Utah so she could see him every day. I hope they continue to stay close and are still BFF years from now.

UTAH TRIP - Hiking Adventure

While in Utah we were determined to enjoy the mountains and weather as much as possible! We took the girls on a fun hike and they loved it!! Lily and Mia even ran most of the way up (possible future trail runners?!). We walked through "the jungle" as Lily called it, and crossed over the river with ropes, on logs and little bridges. It was a great adventure, and something we can't do while living in Texas. It was a family adventure we will always remember, and the girls are still talking about.

 

The mountain hiking divas!!

 

 

Both girls loved the cold river water. We kept stopping to skip rocks or splash cold water on our faces. So fun!!

 

The girls and I did attempt this hike a second time with my sister and some of her kids -- that hike was not as fond of a memory. We ended up with several bloody knees and arms from falling on rocks and lots of tears. We'll have to try it again next year. :)

We also spent an evening in the mountains having a campfire and making Mia's favorite treat - s'mores! It was fun to get dressed in sweatshirts and jeans and enjoy the warmth of the campfire. In Texas we have had several s'more nights with our neighbors, but standing over a portable fire pit and sweating to death doesn't make the s'mores taste near as good. Utah s'mores are the best!!

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.

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