Life Recently

I love having a cell phone camera. That sounds so dumb, but it's true. I capture so many day to day moments that I never want to forget. Life is so sweet, and I couldn't be happier with my little family. They bring so much joy to my life! So, here are some pictures I have snapped over the past month or so...moments I don't want to forget.

This particular day, Claire didn't want to get out of her jammies. So, I let her stay in them most of the day. I walked downstairs and she was lying in the sun with the puppies.

Lilly had her usual crew over after school, and they found this costume which Claire wore when she was like 6 months old. Only Claire would think to put it on! It was SO dang funny. We all laughed and laughed over it. 

Lilly is in that stage of loosing teeth! She has lost two of her bottom, and in this picture she lost her first front tooth! We were on our way to church, and she came up to tell me her tooth fell out. Yes, it fell out because she doesn't want anyone to pull on them. She wants them to get so loose, that they just fall out. It drives me crazy! I pulled a crazy mom, and got a little teary eyed looking at that gap in her mouth. I wish they would stop growing up!!

We had one week of cold and winter like weather. They girls woke up on Saturday morning, and it had snowed about an inch, so they had to get out all their gear and go play! We have had insanely warm weather. It doesn't even feel like winter. It was 66 degrees last week, and 58 degrees yesterday. It has been great because the kids can play outside, our yard work is all done, we can go on walks, etc....but I am hoping we get some snow for Christmas. I know the girls are anxious for snow!

 

I just snapped this picture because I love looking down the hall and seeing Clairey playing. She has such a huge imagination and I love listening to her play, it is so darling.

A couple of Sundays ago, Anton and I were down watching TV. I hadn't seen or heard the girls for a little while, so I went upstairs to see how they were doing. I walked into my bathroom and found this. Claire claims her hair was itching her, so she took matters into her own hands, and cut that hair right off. I was not happy with her...mostly because I don't want her playing with those really sharp scissors she got ahold of. She has pretty thin hair, so I wasn't too upset to cut it short again!

More projects! I am finally getting around to painting some rooms that we didn't get to before we moved in. Some of the rooms didn't bother me when we moved in (mostly because I was SO sick of painting and prepping the house, I just wanted to move in), but now I am enjoying really making the home ours. I finished painting our master bathroom, and now I am working on painting the dining room. I bought a sander, and I am sanding down the heavy textures walls as best I can, and then I am painting the ceiling, walls and trim. It is a big job, but I am looking forward to the new look! Next up: powder room, Claire's room, and possibly the entry way. I love doing the projects, I just wish I had more time to do them!

Halloween 2014

Halloween with little ones is SO fun, but oh so tiring. Getting them ready, making sure costumes are good to go, going to parades, helping in classrooms...all before getting them fed and ready to go out the door is a wee bit tiring. But, I love it. This year Claire wanted to be a Cheetah - and those that know her, were not surprised by that. And, Lilly chose Maleficent. She has loved sleeping beauty since she was a little girl, then when we were on our cruise we saw the new Maleficent movie, and she went crazy for it. She knew that's what she wanted to be as soon as she saw it. The only problem...there were hardly any costumes. So, I had to make her costume. It didn't turn out great, but good enough for one night! We had a fun and busy day with school parades and classroom parties, then I cooked my usual for dinner...chili and cornbread. After dinner we met up with our friends and off we went! We took turns going this year. I went with my friend Brooke, her boys and my girls...then we walked home, and let the guys take them. It was perfect! It was such a gorgeous night, I didn't even need a jacket. The girls loaded up on candy, and had a blast going from door to door!! It was certainly a successful and fun Halloween!!

Disneyland Trip

Oh Disneyland. There is no place quite like you in the world! The kids were so excited to get to Disneyland and California "Venture". We decided to spend three days there - one day at California Adventure and two days at Disneyland. The first day we spent at California Adventure. It was a great day, and not too terribly busy. We were really excited for this trip because Claire was finally tall enough to go on the majority of the rides. She kept talking a big game about how she wanted to go on Tower of Terror and how she wasn't afraid at all. I have NEVER seen her that afraid. Ever. Her face was literally shaking. But, to her credit, she did it! She didn't want to get off early, but she certainly didn't want to go on it again! Lilly's highlight of the day was getting to meet Doc McStuffins. It was really cute to see her get so excited! Lilly watches Doc every single morning, sleeps with a stuffed Doc, has Doc jammies, toys....you get the point. It was fabulous seeing her! It was a really fun day, and the favorite rides for the girls were Radiator Springs (Claire's favorite), and Soaring over California and California Screamin (Lilly's favorite)!!

Our next two days were spent at Disneyland. It was a little disheartening about how busy it was. But, even though it was busy, we were able to get on every ride we wanted to. It was just a little overwhelming to have such big crowds in the middle of the week. Thank goodness for the Fast Pass system though, that really saved us. One thing that stood out to me this time is how scary some of the rides are. They were of course a little more spooky this time because it was near Halloween, but it was still kind of surprising. Lilly likes spooky and crazy rides, but Claire...not so much. Because of nerves and fear, Claire chewed her fingernails like crazy. She chewed them so much they were bleeding. Poor little thing. She refused to go on Pirates a second time because of how scary she thought it was! The favorite rides from Disneyland were Haunted Mansion and Splash Mountain (Claire's favorites), and Space Mountain and Splash Mountain (Lilly's Favorites). Speaking of the Haunted Mansion...holy smokes it is darling at Halloween!! We love Nightmare Before Christmas, so we thought that was absolutely darling! We love Disneyland, but I think we are going to take a few years off. 

The parks were fun, but the highlight was being with family. We loved every minute of being with them! The girls really missed their cousins once we got home. They have so much fun with them, and we feel so lucky that our girls have such sweet, darling little cousins. I've said time and time before, I am so thankful for the friendship we have with Nicole & Jeremy. We are lucky to call them Family!!

Beach time!

The week before Halloween, we surprised the girls and took them to California. The thing they were most excited for was to be with cousins. We had planned a trip with Anton's sister Nicole and her little family. It was SO fun! Crazy to think that this was the first family trip I have been on with Anton's family, and we have been married for almost 9 years. We loved being with them and can't wait for the next trip we go on with them! 

One of our girls very favorite things is the beach. They could play in the sand and waves for hours. Claire is a little more timid (no surprise!) when it comes down to getting in the water. She likes it when the waves start coming....she screams, runs and giggles as the water gets her legs and feet! Lilly loves the waves. She is just like her daddy - loves to splash and swim in the ocean. It is fun for me to see Anton in his element. Growing up right on the beach, you can tell that is where he is the most comfortable. I love watching my family at the beach. There is no electronics, no fighting...just memories being made. I love it. The kids kept wanting me to bury them, and I was more than happy to! I figured it won't be too many years until they won't be interested in that. Love all these little kiddos!! 

Fall Fun

We have had the most unbelievably beautiful fall I can remember. It has been so warm and sunny during the day, with crisp evenings. I hate winter, so I will take all the beautiful warm weather we can get! We did lots of fun fall activities this month. We ended up buying a Lagoon season pass this year, but bought it a little later than we usually do, so we tried to go this fall as often as we could. It was really fun, and the kids had a blast every time we went. We laugh at how ghetto Lagoon can be, but the rides are actually really fun and more importantly it is a fun thing for our little family to go do. We hope that the girls will look back and remember the fun memories of us going there. Claire is finally getting to the age where she can go on some of the big rides, so that makes it fun. And, Lilly loves to go on everything. She is a total adrenaline junkie! Anton and I feel like we are getting so old, because now all the crazy rides make us super queazy. I am not sure if we will get a pass for next year, but we sure did have fun this year!

Over fall break we met up with my mom, sister and her kids for a couple of outings. The first one we went to was Gardner Village. It was darling, but busy. The kids had fun doing the witch scavenger hunt, and had the most fun being with cousins. The next outing was to the Pumpkin Patch. I have gone to this particular pumpkin patch with the girls preschool class for the last several years, and I love it. This particular day was the most perfect fall day. We stayed there for a couple of hours. We loaded up on pumpkins, and the kids went through the corn maze at least a dozen times. It was so fun. I always have such a fun time with my mom and sister. We have the same sense of humor and always laugh when we are together. I am so grateful for them, and for the fun memories we are creating with our little ones. It has certainly been one beautiful and fun fall!

Claire

Oh, Clairey. If I could keep her at this age forever, I would. I can't handle her cuteness. Truly, I snuggle on her all day long. I think she gets tired of me always asking for hugs and kisses. She makes us laugh every single day, and has such a unique and funny personality. Everyone adores Claire, and thinks she is so funny. She doesn't really understand why people always laugh at her, and I told her it is only because she is so cute. I think Lilly sums it up best, "I am so glad Claire is in our family. She is so cute and funny". Well said Lilly, well said. This is what Claire is up to at 4 1/2:
*She changes day to day about liking Batman to liking Disney Princess dolls...you never know what she is going to like!
*She loves school, and strangely loves the homework she comes home with. I think it is because she likes doing what Lilly does.
*She still sucks her thumb...even though she isn't supposed to!
*Her favorite friends are her cousins. But her very best friend is Lilly.
*She lives off of Chicken Nuggets, Pizza, Mac-N-Cheese...and as of recent, Bean Burrito from Cafe Rio!
*She is super random. She says and does the most random things that always make us laugh!
*She loves to take bubble baths in the morning. She could stay in them for an hour.
* She is a wild woman on her bike. She goes so fast down our driveway, it scares me.
* She is a scaredy cat. Anything somewhat spooky throws her over the edge. She is always hesitant to try things, but once she does it she generally loves it. For example: water slides, rides at lagoon, etc.
* She HATES going to the store. I have to bribe with candy or something fun in order to get her to go with me. I kind of don't blame her for that!
* She is starting to read. The books are really simple, but the important thing is that she has a desire to read and thinks it is fun. I am really proud of her!

Lilly

I can't really put my finger on it, but it seems like Lilly has grown up over night. I don't know if it is being at 1st grade, her age or all the above. I am so proud of her in so many ways. She is so helpful around the house, she is so sweet to Claire, and is doing so well in school. We had her first parent teacher conference, and we were so pleased with how she is doing. For my records, here is all about Lilly at 6 1/2 years old!:

*Her favorite TV show is Strawberry Shortcake & Doc McStuffins

*Her favorite books are the Junie B. Jones books.

*She is loving her ice skating lessons still. 

*She and Claire could play for hours together. I am so happy they have one another.

*She is always up for a good time, and so easy going. Anton and I adore this about her. 

*Even though she is always up for doing something fun, she would prefer it was at home. She is SUCH a homebody. 

*She loves to play soccer with Dad in the backyard.

*Wants to help with anything I am doing...cooking, yard work, cleaning.

*She loves to do puzzles with me. 

*She loves to get tickled, and asks almost every night for me or "daddy" to tickle her.

She is such a little sweetheart. I couldn't love her more...my heart would burst! 

Arizona

We were invited by our friends (and Anton's co-worker) for a weekend in Scottsdale to see their new home. It was SO FUN!! Us and their next door neighbors were invited. We had never travelled with either couple, so we were a little curious how we would do. You know how you can have great friends, and then friends you can also travel with? Turns out, they are both! We had a blast. I don't remember the last time I have laughed that hard. Anton and I walked away saying that Christopher is easily one of the funniest guys we have ever met. He had us laughing the entire weekend! Bob and Rene's house was stunning, and it was so kind of them to invite us. We went golfing (yes, Anton golfed - a little!), played games, put Anton to work on projects (so funny), went swimming, went to a movie, ate food that was beyond delicious, and relaxed. It was so fun to be with Anton. We love our girls to pieces, but it was nice to have some time away. It had been a long time since Anton and I had spent several days away, and it was so great. We had a ball, and we are hoping it becomes a tradition!!

(This picture makes me laugh because we put Anton to work killing hornets, taking care of the bat problem, killing bugs, fixing door handles etc.)

Claire's 1st day of school

Oh Clairey...I can't handle your cuteness!! If she would let me, I could snuggle her all day long! She was so excited to go back to Miss Lories. Every night when we would tuck her in, she would ask how many more sleeps until she got to go to school. So, when the day came, she was ready! She was a little bit nervous about a particular "mean girl" being in her class again, but she was lucky and this little girl wasn't in her class this year, so it has changed her whole perspective about school. She enjoys it so much more this year. So far, every time a school day rolls around, she is super happy to go. She has a little homework folder she brings home (practicing her letters) and she loves doing it. I think she feels like such a big girl since she has a backpack, a homework folder AND homework to go with it!! Claire is funny because she is so random, says funny things, and seems so little, but she is SMART. I can't believe how quickly she picks up on things. She loves reading, doing her letter homework, her numbers...the only thing that's a little hard for her is her shapes. But, that will come! I can't even tell you how much I love this little squirt. She is pure Joy. As Lilly puts it, "Life is so great with Claire"! Well said Lilly, well said!!

Lilly's 1st day of school

I can't believe I have a 1st grader! 1st Grade!! Where has the time gone? I think I had more anxiety about her starting than she did. I was a little nervous about switching schools, but it has turned out to be so great. It is a great school, and I couldn't be happier with the move. A couple weeks before school started, we got a darling note in the mail from her teacher that got Lilly really excited. Along with the note was an invitation for us to come and meet the teacher, and do a scavenger hunt around the school so she could get a little familiar with the school before the first day of school. I thought that was such a cute idea. That was my first of many "I really like this school" moments!

The actual day of school was full of excitement, anxiety and a little bit of fear too! Lilly was the most nervous I have ever seen her. She was making herself sick she was so nervous. Therefore, it was making it really hard on me. She never once said that she didn't want to go, but she just kept saying "Mama, I am so nervous". Little sweet heart. She wanted me to pack her a lunch in her new lunch box Anton bought her, and I slipped a little note in it for her - which she loved. 

It was fun for her to get to school and see all her friends from the ward and neighborhood (which all happen to be in her class!!). As soon as I pulled into the parking lot, I was trying my very hardest to hold back the tears. We walked up to her line, snapped some pictures, and then she was off!! And, I was a wreck! I thought about her all day long. I wondered what she was doing, if she liked her lunch and the note, wondered who she was playing with at recess, etc. 

3:20 rolled around and I was there to see her when she came out, and it was a moment forever etched in my memory. She was beaming!! She loved her first day, and has loved school ever since. She is reading amazing, loving her teacher and classmates, and is so happy. Couldn't ask for anything more!!

Disney Cruise

Our cruise...SO much fun!! And, I can say with certainty, seeing Alaska was incredible!!! I had always wanted to go to Alaska, and it certainly didn't disappoint. I couldn't get over how stunning it was. We loved it!! For Christmas my dad surprised us with it, and it seemed forever away. We had been anticipating and planning it for months, so it when the time finally arrived for us to leave, we were really anxious for the trip to begin! First things first, the ship was amazing!! Disney always goes above and beyond, and they didn't skimp in regards to their ship. And, apparently we were on an older ship, but you wouldn't have ever guessed it. We were also on one of their smaller ones, and when cruising Alaska, I really liked that. It seemed like we could get really close to the glaciers. The first few days were sailing days. They had two movie theaters on the ship, and so we saw a couple movies the first few days...Frozen, Malificent, and Captain America. At night, they also had Disney broadway style shows - they were darling. The girls had so much fun at the Kids Club that the ship had. There were two different ones...one for smaller kids, The Club, and one for a little older, The Lab. They LOVED them!! The lab and club were open all day, so they could just come and go anytime they wanted - we just had to check them in and out. It was really nice because once the kids finished their dinner, and Mickey desserts, they all went up to the kids clubs while the parents finished dinner. Score! Our first "port day" was called Tracy Arm. It was probably one of, if not my favorite port. Strange enough, you didn't get off the boat - which I thought would drive me crazy, but I loved it. The water was the most beautiful turquoise green with the most unbelievable mountain side all around. It was a little rainy, which made it that much more Alaska-like. I loved it!! We just sat outside and watched the scenery while sipping hot chocolate and the girls had ice cream cones - makes perfect sense! Then after their ice cream cones, they decided to go swimming. Also, makes a lot of sense!!

Our next port was the charming little town, Skagway. Our day was really fun, and we had perfect weather. We met up with my sister Anna and her family. We walked about 2 miles to a gold mining cemetery and waterfall. The cemetery was really cool - I love things like that. And, the waterfall was beautiful. The weather is funny in Alaska. When the sun comes out, you get really hot, and as soon as it hides behind the clouds it cools off by quite a bit. We had a mixture of both that day. After we got back from the cemetery and waterfall, we were ready for an early dinner - late lunch. We found this little Thai restaurant, and it was so so so so SO good!! It was a really fun day!

Our next port, which was day 5, was in Juneau. Juneau was certainly a much bigger city, but had a lot of charm to it. I could see why people would live in Juneau...it was gorgeous. My dad had arranged a couple of vans to pick us up at the cruise ship, and take us to Menenhall Glacier. Our taxi driver was showing us some pictures on his phone of a bear that was on his back porch that very morning. He said they see bears ALL the time. Crazy!! Mendehall Glacier was stunning. The park itself was really well done. There was a really neat pathway of sorts that went over the river, and we could sit and watch salmon swimming upstream. It was really cool to see that! As we got closer to the glacier, there was the most amazingly huge waterfall. The whole setting was something out of a movie. It was so beautiful that it is hard to put it into words. After the glacier, we all split up and went into town for dinner/lunch. It was a great day! I loved it there!

Our next port, day 6, was Ketchikan. It was POURING rain. I have never seen rain like that. They got six inches of rain that day we were there. It was insane. Because of the rain, we didn't spend much time in the town, and some of my families excursions were canceled. Anton and I decided to leave the girls on the boat, per their request, and we went into town. We walked around for a little while, went to a museum, watched the seals in the river, then went to lunch. I am not kidding when I say, I had the best fish and chips I have ever had in my life. They were made with fresh halibut..and were simply delicious. See, they must have been amazing, I am still talking about them!! By the time we finished lunch and headed back to the boat, we were dripping wet. We decided to spend the rest of the afternoon, and evening on the boat. I wish it wouldn't have rained as hard as it did, because I would have loved to have seen more of it. My sister Anna did an an excursion, which Anton and I debated about going on, and she saw several families of grizzly bears, reindeer and eagles...needless to say we were a wee bit bummed we didn't go on it! I don't have any pictures of Ketchikan, because it was too rainy to get any decent pictures.

The boat, Disney Magic, was amazing. Like I mentioned before, Disney just does it right. We had such a memorable and great time. It was truly a trip of a lifetime, and it is a vacation I will never forget!! On our last cruising day, I got a little emotional while talking with Anton. I had so much fun watching our girls - there were times where it was just magical watching them. The girls had an absolute BALL. They still talk about it almost everyday, and tell everyone who lends an ear about their Disney Cruise!

Family Fun

Have I mentioned how fun our summer has been?!?! What's made it so fun is the time we have spent with cousins and family! Anton's family came into town, and we had the best time with them. My girls were in heaven having Truman, Prentice, Carden and Chambers at our house. They play so cute together, and they are all so nice to each other. They came up over the 24th of July, so it was fun to do fireworks with them. I think the kids asked us 5,000 times when we were going to light fireworks. They could hardly wait! Nicole and Jeremy were nice enough to supply the fireworks. Anton's mom and sister Monique came up a few days later. That was the icing on the cake. We did some fun things together including the Zoo, Lagoon, Wheeler Farm, and Cowabunga Bay (so fun!!). We always love having his family in town...it is always filled with lots of laughs! But, it always has to end...and that is never fun. The girls always take it hard. It is usually Lilly who has a hard time, but this year Claire took it really hard (well, they both took it hard - I was just surprised by Claire). As Grandma drove away, she tried really hard to be strong, but finally couldn't hold it in. She cried and cried. It broke my heart. We always look forward to their next visit - hoping it is sooner rather than later!

Summer Outings

I have mentioned this before, but we love our cousin outings in the summer! We weren't able to get as many in this year, due to lots of traveling, but we enjoyed the few we did. We made sure we did our "favorites", which are Temple Square, and This is the Place. One of the things we love so much about summer is the time spent with cousins. Very rarely do we go to the swimming pool alone, and same goes with outings. I dread the day the kids are too old to go on outings, but I hope that when I am grandma that the tradition will continue. 

This summer has seemed to go faster than any other summer I can remember. I am sure it was in part of all the traveling we did. It was a busy summer, but we were busy making memories! Even though summer is over, we hope to still fit in a camping trip, more nights at Lagoon, and hopefully a date night :)

Montana

With Anton working so much in Montana, we decided it would be a fun tradition to start spending some time in the summer up there. I was kind of anxious about going because I love my summer months in Salt Lake so much, but in the end, it was so much fun. It was so great to get away from obligations at home, and really spend quality time with my little family. I am really sad because my phone broke, and there was no way to turn it back on and retrieve all the pictures I took. We had so much fun going to splash pads, hikes, swimming, spending time at their amazing library, kayaking, horse back riding, and best of all...4th of July celebrations! We went to the fair grounds and listened to the symphony and watched the firework display. It was the first time my girls have ever been to a big firework show, and they LOVED it! Lilly kept oohing, ahhing and clapping! It was so darling! Another favorite thing we did was put the girls in Riding Lessons. Lilly wasn't great about listening to the teacher, and surprisingly crazy Claire was the opposite. She did amazing! She really listened, and did everything that the teacher asked of them. It was so cute to see them carry the saddles and brush and feed the horses....they looked so little carrying those heavy things around! We will absolutely be putting them in the Horse Camp next summer. We were so impressed with the lady that runs it, and the girls had a great time. Montana seems like it is a much slower pace than Salt Lake, which was a nice change. I am really looking forward to spending more time there!  

Pictures from May & June

It feels so good to get all the photos off my phone and camera, and start editing them. It has been weighing on me to get it done, or else it gets overwhelming. We have been so busy lately, busier than I can even remember, so thank goodness our crazy schedule is now winding down!  

We went to visit Gramps on Memorial Day. It was hard - I didn't like being there really. It made it so "real". Both Anton and I cried - life is just not that same without our sweet Gramps! We miss him!

This particular day I took Lilly out to lunch. I told her we could go where ever she wanted to go, and she chose Taco Time. Yuck. Anyway, she was so darling and it was so fun to be with just her. Love that little squirt! How about those freckles?! 

We have ripped out several trees in our yard. It has been fun to make the yard "ours". For some reason when we work in the yard, it makes the house feel more like ours. Anton does such an amazing job, and works so hard. We love it here!

On my Mother's Day card, Claire said "I love Mommy because she takes me to the swimming pool"! So, here we are, at the swimming pool. Couldn't help but snap a pic of her in her awesome foggy goggles.

Father's Day. I can't being to express the love I have for these three. We are blessed beyond words to have Anton. We is so adored. 

Mother's Day. Oh how I love my little family.

Claire's rad hiding spot. Lilly and I still laugh about that.

Willow Creek Swimming!! Is there anything better about summer than swimming at Willow Creek?! I think not. We love love love it there!

We have been tossing around the idea about putting Lilly into riding lessons. And, it just so happens that my darling co-worker owns and shows arabian horses so she invited us out to see the stables and ride her horses. It was so much fun. My girls were in heaven!! Particularly Lilly. Claire is still too young. She doesn't weigh enough, so her horse was acting a little funny. It could feel something on its back, but couldn't feel her legs. So, now we know we will need to wait a few years until we put her in lessons. It was such a fun night. We went with Anna and her kids, my mom, and cousin Annie!