My Birthday

I was spoiled for my birthday!

Jeff took us to the Bountiful Aquatic Center to do some swimming as a family.

After swimming and a yummy dinner at Garcias, we had my favorite cake - strawberry jello cake.  Jeff made the candles spell out 32 instead of trying to put 32 candles on the cake :)  Great idea!

And they gave me a croquet set so we can play in our newly fenced in back yard! Yay!

Packer's facial expression makes me laugh!

My favorite of the day - being with my cute little family!

Playing with Packer

The girls love playing with Packer.

He is such a good sport to play with them.

The other day I saw Hailey give Packer the Prince doll while she played the Princess doll

It's so cute to watch her play while Packer sits there watching Hailey, sucking on the Prince's head. 

And a few days later I saw him again with the Prince doll.

 At least they let him play the boy!

Today, Aliyah got Packer giggling pretty hard.  It was so cute!   

I'm very glad all three kids enjoy playing together and get along so well (for the most part)!

Friends

This week we've been able to a few things with some great friends.

Here are two best friends - Hailey and Aliyah

My friend Amy (my friend from way back from the Manti Pageant days and USU days) came to visit!  It was so wonderful to see her again!  Her cute daughter, Anna, got along so well with Aliyah.  They both love princesses and dress up and had a great time playing.  Here they are wearing their superhero outfits.

And here is cute little Seth!

Later that week we met up with some of our Virginia friends.  I sure miss them and was so glad to have been able to visit with them for a bit.  We loved our experience out there and are grateful to our friend who helped us enjoy our time there.  It was so nice reminiscing and catching up on things.

Here is Aliyah and Preston - I can't believe how much those two have grown up!  It was so fun to see them together again.

Holly and Preston holding Packer

Braden, Preston, and Aliyah

Katie, Breckin, Holly, Me, and Denisse

So great to see these girls again!

Breckin and me and their cute new little guy, Caleb

Holly and Me

She was the one who got us all together!  She flew out from Virginia to visit.  I was so glad she let me know she was in town.  It had been a long time since we were able to get together.  We used to get together almost every week in Virginia until she moved out to Utah.  We really missed Preston and Holly!  Then she moved back to Virginia when we moved back to Utah.  So it was so great to see her and catch up with her!

Makes me smile

Here are some recent pictures and videos that make me smile...

Aliyah holding the pig statue we found in our basement.

 (It was left by the previous owners of our home, along with a box filled with 14 crosses and some other random pig decorations.)

Packer's big smiles and bright blue eyes

Hailey's cute smile and those sweet moments when she is best buds with her little brother

Aliyah in her Wonder Woman costume (complete with lasso)

Play time with Packer

(He has found his feet - so cute!)

He can also fit almost his whole fist in his mouth!

Having ice-cream with Jeff for our 6th anniversary

We went out to eat and then mini golfing (and I won!)

(He proposed to me at the Ogden Tabernacle behind us (under construction) 6yrs ago)

Theses videos of Packer make me smile too!

Packer giggling with Daddy

And Packer's latest...figuring out how to blow

Messy

The girls wanted to help me do some baking.

I should have known that all they wanted to do was to play in the flour and eat the flour.  I went to check on Packer for a  minute and when I came back... I found this mess and the girls eating it all up.

I thought I'd get a few pictures because I know one day I will miss these messes!

More quotes...

“Mommy, I get bored when you wash my blue clothes.” - Aliyah 2/21/13

“Oh Packer, you’re enormous!” or “Oh Packer, you’re a genius!” Aliyah, trying to describe Packer as being cute (3/10/13)

“Daddy . . . Aaaaallllll done!”  Hailey, telling Jeff that she’s done eating and would like to wash her hands 2/2013-3/2013

“That makes me heartbroken, when I can’t have that.” - Aliyah speaking about her skirt that Hailey wanted to wear.  (4/12/13)

“Oh, how impossible!” - Aliyah, meaning to say “how incredible!” April 2013

“Mommy, that would be fun if we had ‘Gold-ware’.” - Aliyah as she was putting away the silverware 4/15/13

“Right now I’m going to grow up.”  - Aliyah 4/24/13

“Mom, can you be a good helper and put the Macaroni and Cheese back in the cupboard?” - Aliyah 3/28/2013

“Right now I’m four.  It’s such an exciting age!” - Aliyah 4/29/13

“Mommy, Hailey bit me!” - Aliyah

“Why did she bite you?” - Mom

“It’s complicated, but she bit me!” - Aliyah  5/14/13

“When Mary holds your hand, you feel so grand, your heart starts beeping and a “snort, snort, snort”.  - Aliyah trying to sing the Mary Poppins song.  May 27, 2013

Treehouse Museum

We went to the Treehouse Museum on Labor Day.

The kids had so much fun!

Riding horses

Milking a cow

Playing kitchen

Riding the firetruck.  Love Packers hat :)

(Of course there are two pictures so that we could capture everyone looking at the camera)

(even if Packer is a little upset with this one)

Lots of exploring and playing

The kids standing on the states they were born in...Oklahoma, Virginia, and Utah

The oval office

By the Mexican area

Aliyah poking her head out of the theater curtain

We had a lot of fun.  Definitely a place we want to come back to!