Kristen comes for a visit!

The past week has been such a blast. My sister Kristen came with her family for a visit to Utah. They live in Sacramento. I've been so excited to see her, and her darling kids. Kate and Kirk have loved playing with their cousins. Kate always asks if she can go to California to see Caroline. We've done so many fun things , I'll try to list them. Kristen, Dain, Caroline, William and Kimball pulled into town on Friday night. So we saw her on Saturday. Saturday evening she blessed her baby. my nephew Kimall is such an adorable little baby. He is actually six months old. He was born while his daddy (Dain) was serving in Afghanistan. The blessing turned out really well, and it was neat to be able to see my nephew's blessing. Sunday we had dinner at my Parent's house. And afterward Dain did a special family home evening on some of the experiences he had over in Afghanistan. It was so humbling to see pictures of the people. The children have so little, and yet they were always smiling in the photos. I'm so grateful for all of those in the armed forces fighting in the war. They are making tremendous sacrifices for our freedom. Then after the presentation Dain gave out little souvenirs for the kids. You can see in the picture, that they were a big hit. Kate loves her Afghanistan scarf, and loves to dress up in it. Then on Monday we went to the fun zone, and the kids had a blast jumping around in the bounce toys. Then afterwards we sent the kids home and my sisters, my mom, and I all went for a girls night out. We went shopping, ate dinner, and saw a movie. I haven't gotten out in a while so it was a real treat Then Tuesday we went to Lagoon. The kids loved it. Kate loved the Ody sea ride. Kirk also loved the rides. I've never seen him laugh so hard. The next night we went out to visit my Grandma Black. She is 97 years old and still going strong. We've nicked named her the energizer bunny. She just keeps going inspite of health complications. Last thanksgiving she broke her hip. She had it replaced went through rehab and is now back at home, getting around well. She is still independent and lives n her own. Her yard is beautiful. It has enourmous trees, which provides plenty of shade. She also has a big grassy hill. We took a slip'n slide out and the kids had fun running through the water. We ate fried chicken and salad. On the 24th of Juyl we went to breakfast at my mom's. It was the best breakfast ever. I'll have to give ya'll the recipe for her famous pecan blueberry french toast. I swear I had like three helpings. The kids played all morning and finally it was time for Kristen and Dain to hit the road. They drove down to Montecello Ut, that's were Dain's family lives. Later that day we all went to a pool party at Dan's parent's house. The kids swam, ate, and made ice cream. It was alot of fun. Well it's been an incredibly busy week, but so much fun. I just wish Kristen lived closer. Ever time she comes out it's bitter sweet. I love being able to see her, but I also miss her so much when she goes. One thing I do know is that your sisters are always there for you, no matter what!

These are the same steps we used to eat on when we were kids. My sweet grandma holding Kimball 6 mo. old. Kate standing next to her 3 yr. old.

Hanging around at gymnastics

I can't believe how fast this week as flown by! I swear it feels like time is in warp speed. This week has been alot of fun. Monday I took the kids to gymnastics. Like always they had a great time. Kirk is starting to catch on to the class. He is doing all of the obstacles very well, and even took his turn on the trampoline. Of course having Alexandra and Justus there makes is 100% more fun. Tuesday I buckled down and did house work. Wednesday we went to the classic fun center. It's perfect for the kids. They get to burn off some energy, and I get to stay where it's air conditioned. Thursday we went to story time at the library. Kirk's attention span has grown immensely. He sat and listened to most of the stories. Even the Librarian noticed the improvement! Friday we went to a swim party at Dan's parents home. The kids had a blast. Kate really loves the water, and even put her face in to blow bubbles, that's huge for her! Today I spent the morning at a girls camp meeting. I'm getting more excited for it, at first I was alittle nervous about being on a stake committee. I felt like I was so young and inexperienced. Now that I know what in the heck I'm doing, I've become more excited for it. I feel like it's going to give me a real spiritual boost as well. I learn so much from the Young Women, they are such amazing girls. I've missed being in young women's so I think it's going to be fun to jump back into it again. I've also been having fun planning Kate's birthday party. Yes I know it's about two months away, but I get so excited for birthdays. I think one of the perks of being a mom is that you can relive your childhood through your kids. I'll admit I have fun buying princess stickers, and pink glitter, and fairy wands! I guess I'm just a kid at heart. But I also love to see how excited Kate gets about birthdays as well. She's been talking about her birthday for about six months, ever since she went to her cousins party in February.

A Fun-filled Fourth!

The past two days have been so much fun. Dan was able to get off work a little early on Thursday. We headed to the Zoo in the afternoon. The kids loved the Zoo. The first thing Kirk said was "I want to see a tiger". He also loved the crocodiles. Kate just announced that her favorite animals were the peacocks. I've got a great picture of Kirk chasing one! We met up with Shaun and Anoel, and their kids. Our double stroller has a broken wheel, so we rented one. It actually turned into a Quadruple stroller! As you can see, I think we got our money's worth out of that rental. We were able to see all of the animals. Then we headed over to a park across the street for a picnic dinner. I guess I'm still a novice when it comes to packing picnics. I forgot a blanket, and plates! We roughed it by sitting on the grass, and eating on our laps. Kirk ruined the bowel of watermelon by sticking his foot into it. After that none of us dared eat anymore of it. We also had sandwiches, cookies, and chips. It turned out really well. Then we headed home supposing we had missed the rush hour traffic, wrong! It took us about an hour and a half to make it home. It gave me a new appreciation for what my Dad's done for all these years. He as commuted to Salt Lake everyday. I now realize how much he has sacrificed for his family. Yesterday was alot of fun to. We started off the day with a delicious breakfast at Mike, and Shauntel's. The kids were so excited to see Alexandra, and Justus. Kirk wore his new croc's and he got a blister. He then cried for twenty min. Poor kid, the only way I could get him to stop crying, was by telling him we'd get candy at the parade. That seemed to cure him of his pain. We ended up going to the Kaysville parade for a change. We found a really great spot, with no crowds in the shade. The catch was that it was at the very end of the parade. It took awhile for it to start, and then about half way through we decided we had seen enough and left early. The kids were good though, they didn't seem to mind the wait. They got a ton of candy since no one else was around to compete for it. Then we went swimming. Kate was more brave than ever. Now that she can touch the bottom of the shallow end she can venture away from the stairs, and sides of the pool. Then after we got the kids showered, and dressed we went to my grandma's annual fourth of July BBQ. It was fun to see all of my Cousins, and Aunts, and Uncles. As we sat under my Grandma's big walnut tree, I reflected on how many Fourth of July's we had celebrated there. It made me so grateful for traditions. It's nice to know that in a world that's constantly changing, some things never change. Traditions are really the bright moments in life. After the BBQ we went home and lit some fireworks I had gotten at Sam's club. The kids enjoyed them. Then I was planning on laying the kids down, but they weren't tired at all. I think Kirk smuggled a few sips of pepsi at my grandma's. So since they were wide awake, and hyper we decided to go to the Layton fireworks show. It was worth the trip. The fireworks were fantastic. I swear they get better each year. It was a fabulous day, and the kids had a blast. I just love the fourth of July! Kate woke up this morning and said "were are we going today Mommy, is there a parade"? I said no it's just back to normal life again, but there's always another holiday to look forward to. I think that's what life is all about. Those special moments we all look forward to year after year.