Matt is another year older

Matt you are the most amazing man. Every year I get to spend with you in my life is more and more special to me. You have such a kind caring heart and make me feel so lucky that I know you. You are an awesome loving dad who is always there for your girls when they need you. I admire your ability to not sweat the small stuff and hope that one day I can learn that trait. You have such a gift to. Make people laugh and always have a great come back for anything. I hope you have a happy birthday and enjoy the day relaxing watching football. We love you soooo much!!

You can't see him but Matt is enjoying his birthday dinner with good friends!

Boo and her Rainbow's

I try to note the funny things said by my girls and this one is definitely one I want to remember. I was combing through Brooklyn's snarly hair and happened to ask her what was in her hair to make is so snarly. Well here is her response..."There is a rainbow in there" how something so sweet made my laugh out loud. I then asked her how you get the rainbow out and she just said, "I don't know but I don't want them out". Where does she come up with this stuff?? 

Londyn's First Sleepover

Well I finally decided to give in and let Londyn have a sleepover. Londyn and her friend Trinity had a blast. They played and played and finally decided they were going to be rockstars. Here they are all dressed and ready for their concert, which was quite entertaining. I hope Londyn will be able to continue with such a great friendship as Londyn and Trin have been friends since they were three.

Oh yeah...we're ready to rock!

Down south with the Sanchez's

 As a newly started tradition we have decided to spend the Labor Day weekend in St. George seeing a play at Tuachan and enjoying some fun family time together. For the most part the trip was a blast and the Little Mermaid musical was AMAZING. Of course what's a road trip without throw up?? I would say a slightly less exciting trip so we figured we'd better cover all our bases thanks to Boo. We still enjoyed our time down south and even did a little hiking once Brooklyn started to feel better. It truly is a beautiful place down there. 

 

8 People, 1 car...a little cramped but fun still!

Londyn was standing like a mermaid.

Patiently waiting for the show to start and the show was well worth the wait!

We had amazing seats. 

Londyn and Abbie waited in line for what seems like forever but worth the wait they got to see Eric and Ariel. Ariel was beautiful and had an lovely voice. 

I found this sign at Walmart while getting some meds to try and help Brooklyn. Unfortunately it was fitting so I parked there. 

Poor Boo...This is how she spent most of the trip. 

The view from our hotel.

What's a vacation without a pool!

I'm not a big fan of hiking but I read about this short yet beautiful hike and it was well worth it. Even Brooklyn loved it. We hiked down into the Emerald pools which had small waterfalls pouring from the red rocks above. It gave me an appreciation for nature and all of it's beauty.

This tree just popped up right next to the trail.

I feel so accomplished since I am not a good hiker I was proud that I made it and still smiling!

The views were amazing.

Overall it was a great trip with some great friends. I'm already looking forward to next year!

Picnic with Boo

It's not very often that we get to spend time with each child individually so when we get the chance we will take it. Brooklyn's class had a picnic to give the parents a chance to come and enjoy lunch with their kids. It was a short lunch but means the world to Matt and I since we got to have a fun time with Brooklyn getting to see how fun and silly she really is. Brooklyn has such a giggly personality and she loves to be silly. With the fast pace of everyday life sometimes I don't notice that and days like this remind me of how special she is. 

There she is...

As soon as she saw us she came running with an excited smile. What a feeling that is!

We love you Brooklyn! It was a blast having lunch with you!

G & G G

I wanted to take a moment to think back on the fond memories I have of my amazing grandparents. They have taught me some valuable life lessons that I never realized until I had a family of my own. My dear grandpa has an amazing work ethic. He went to work at the brickyard for at least 55 years, most of those years working 6 days a week and I believe most of that were enjoying a bologna sandwich for lunch. I have never heard him complain once about anything which is quite a feat in this day and age. He has incredible patience that I can only hope to learn to have that one day. One of my favorite things about him is his smile. Every time I see him smile or hear him laugh it brings such a warm feeling to my heart. Grandpa, I love you dearly!
My grandma has amazing resilience to bounce back from life's hard struggles. She is always thinking of others and for many many years kept an eye out for a little nick nack or charm that remind her of each one of her family members. She has an AMAZING ability to sew and make christmas stockings, baby blankets, wedding blankets and christmas skirts that are special to each one of us. These are items that will forever be cherished in our home. I love my grandma for her sense of humor and hope I can keep mine throughout my life as she has. I love you more than I can say and I am so thankful for all your love and support throughout the years.

Some of my fondest memories of my grandparents are they stories of the struggles they had to overcome throughout various times in their lives. Those stories have taught me the values of hard work and responsibility to achieve the goals I have in my life. I will forever be grateful for those values. I also hold the memories of Christmas Eve dinner near to my heart as it is one of the most special times in my life. It's the time when we can get together as an entire family and enjoy each others company. Thanks to the hard work of my grandparents which has made this possible for as long as I can remember, and as I understand this dinner has been going on for 57 years. I can't thank you enough for such a special tradition that I hope I can pass on to my children's children. I am truly blessed to have had the chance to really get to know and enjoy such special times with my grandparent. I love you both!

Brooklyn just kills me

As we all know kids at this age can come up with some funny things. I especially love when they get words mixed up with other words. Brooklyn is just starting to get into telling stories and this one was one I needed to remember. There was a storm cloud right above our car on the way to school so it started to sprinkle and here's what she came up with. "So I can hear the under (thunder) and so then the rain comes and we have to get the Cinderella so we don't get soakin wet....Mom don't forget the Cinderella or we get too wet." So I told her it was an umbrella and she said "oh an umbrella." Then right after she said..."Mom get the Cinderella." I couldn't help but just laugh.