Orlando Day 1 & 2

Anton had a conference in Orlando, so we decided to make a family trip out of it! We were super excited to go somewhere we hadn't taken the girls before, and were looking forward to having a little time away. The girls were really excited...not just for Disney World, but for everything! 

I always have a blast with my little family, and love the time spent and the memories made on family vacations. With that being said, I can say I prefer DisneyLand over DisneyWorld. It wasn't all I hoped for, but I am still glad we went. We made memories I will never forget, and for that, all the chaos and money spent was well worth it! The first few days we stayed at a really nice hotel that had a great swimming pool for the kids, and free shuttle to the parks. Then we moved hotels to a less nice hotel, but we actually preferred because of its location. Funny how that plays such a big role in making or breaking a vacation! 

We got to Orlando on late Saturday night, so the trip didn't really begin until Sunday. Sunday was a pretty mellow day and we let the girls swim for a while, and then later that afternoon and evening we went to Downtown Disney and it was INSANE. I was shocked at how busy it was. But, we came to realize that there are a ton of hotels around, but not a lot of restaurants and things except for in Downtown Disney. So, that explained a lot of the crowds. Still, it was a fun night! The next morning, while Anton went to meetings, the girls and I went to the Animal Kingdom. Disney always makes things so amazing. The girls absolutely loved Animal Kingdom. They loved taking pictures of all the animals, and there was a really fun ride that Lilly loved. There were only a couple or three rides, one of which Claire couldn't go on which was a disappointment, but it was a fun day. And, Claire got to see a Cheetah on our Safari which was the most exciting thing for her...I loved seeing her so excited!!

Fall Soccer

Little Clairey loves soccer. I don't know if it is her "thing" yet, but so far it seems to be her favorite. Soccer at this age is so funny because I think every other parent is yelling at some point to tell their kid to "focus!!". Claire didn't really focus and isn't very aggressive, but she had a great time. It was so fun to watch her and see how much fun she was having! It was a fun season, and we will see if she wants to do spring soccer. Proud of my little Claire Bear! 

October continued

Like I said earlier, we have had quite a few Friday's off. So, this last time we met up with Anna and her kids at Wheeler farm. It was decorated so darling, and the kiddos had such a great time together. Grateful for their friendships and hope they last a lifetime! We saw a family there that had older kids - jr. high and high school age - and we laughed that we will still be making our kids go on outings with us even when they are "old"! I hope that is the case!

Conference morning I made a Quiche. I had never made one before, and had been craving it for a while so I figured conference was the perfect time to make one. Of course no one in my family wanted it, but I made it anyway! It turned out delicious!! The girls were great during conference this year. Their cute primary teacher dropped off conference packets that had coloring pages and what not, and that kept them busy and occupied. I am glad she did that, because I didn't get around to printing anything in time. I love how low key conference morning is.

My mom made these darling skirts last year for the girls, so I was so glad when they put them on and they still fit! Little cuties.

I have to get to work about 15 to 20 minutes before school starts. The girls always come with me, and they color and write me notes for my desk before school starts. Lilly is constantly writing me sweet notes, and leaves them on my keyboard for me to find. This one in particular was my favorite...

October

Since Lilly turned 8 in April, she was old enough to go to the General Women's Conference. I thought it would be fun for her to join me, my mom and my sisters for the conference. Her cousin Ellie came too! We met up for dinner beforehand where my parents treated us to a nice dinner (Lilly loved going to a fancy restraunt!), and then we went to my ward and watch the conference. It was the best women's conference I can remember. I loved it, and I loved being there with Lilly! I know it wasn't the most exciting for her, but I know she loved the "girls night" we had. Hopefully she will look forward to it & that it turns into a special tradition. I am so blessed to be her Mom. She is such a sweet little person.

Claire got to go out on a date with Anton that night. He let her choose where they went to dinner, and she chose Sweet Tomatoes (no surprise there!) and then they went shopping. Anton said that she was so cute and just talked and talked. I am sure Claire loved the one on one time with her Daddy. We have the cutest little girls...so grateful & so blessed!

Claire has the most angelic little face when she sleeps. I sneak into her room often and take pictures of her. Such a mom thing! I also love her face when she just wakes up - makes me smile every time!

The girls do NOT like to get in trouble with Anton. It doesn't happen too often, so when Anton gets mad, it doesn't go over very well. Much to their dislike, this note made us laugh so hard! 

Every once in a while I find things that remind me that I still have a really little person in the house. I opened up Claire's sock drawer, and saw this new drawing in there. She also signed Lilly's wall just the other day. And last week she put stickers on her window. It's ok by me because I know someday I will really miss finding things like that! 

Catch up

We had Nicole & Jeremy in town for Labor Day, and went to the zoo with the kids. We ran into his brother and his family there too! It was fun for the kids to hang out with each other, and the zoo is always a hit with the kids! I can't believe how old the kids are looking. When I pull up pictures from the past few years, I can't believe how quickly they are growing up. Each stage brings a new and fun adventure, but I just wish time would slow down a little bit! 

We also had Elizabeth & Jurgen in town the following weekend! I didn't get any pictures of the girls with them, and I should have. They are the sweetest people, and are truly like our girls "Montana Grandma & Grandpa". We went to the State Fair on Saturday, and that is always an adventure! The creepy men at the games gave Lilly the creeps so bad, she was trying to not cry!! The hit of the day were the piglets. They were the cutest little things I have ever seen! The girls couldn't get enough! It was such a fun weekend!

One thing I was nervous about when I took my job was if I was going to have enough time to still volunteer in the girls classes. Thankfully, it is working out. The kids in Lilly's class had been learning about supermarkets, so one day her class walked to the store which is just down the street from the school. They got to see how a grocery store runs, and what goes on behind the scenes. It was really interesting actually! Afterward, the kids each got a balloon and a treat. It was a fun little outing, and I am so glad I got to go!

Claire has fallen in love with my bright red lipgloss. It is funny because she doesn't seem like the type that would love lipstick, but she does! And, with her coloring it looks so pretty on her. Cute little thing.

We had a couple of Friday's off in September, so we took advantage and went on some outings and did some cooking! The girls wanted to do caramel apples, which was the perfect fall treat.We did them "gourmet", and they turned out SO good! It was so much fun!!

Flower Girls

The girls babysitter, and Robert & Rene's daughter got married a few weeks ago and had asked the girls to be flower girls at her ring ceremony. I thought it was so sweet of Haylie and Chandler to have the girls be apart of their special day! Haylie was a stunning bride - no surprise there - and the girls looked so beautiful in their dresses. It was a fun night, and one I am sure the girls will never forget!

I am reminded at times like these, how grateful we are for the many people in our lives that are so good to us, and whom we love so dearly. We have been so blessed by friends who are like family, and for the family members who are some of our very best friends. We are lucky people to be surrounded by so many good people!

Mt. Olympus

The weekend of Labor Day, the Leonards came into town and Anton had in mind he wanted to do a larger hike with them. He wanted to go all the way to the saddle of Mt. Olympus! Unfortunately we weren't able to get Jeremy to come - he was on babysitting duty - which turned out to be a good move because we were up there longer than Anton anticipated. It was a tough hike, but beautiful. I didn't have much for breakfast, so I ran out of steam quick - but once I had my goldfish pretzels, we were good to go! The view once we got to the top was so unbelievably beautiful. It was rewarding to see it, and I was so glad I pushed through and did the hike. We laughed - at the expense of others of course - and talked and had a great time with each other. The hardest part for me was going down. My legs were tired, but my feet were in so much pain. I can't do long distance in those shoes again, because there isn't enough cushion. If it weren't for my feet, it would have been perfect! I was sore for a few days, but recovered faster than I thought. It was a great morning, and I am so glad we did it!