Summer lovin.

This is one of those lots and lots of pictures posts so get ready!

June was fabulous!

We set up Clara's birthday present and the girls loved it!

Clara tried to drink the water like a puppy and of course was soaking wet with in seconds!

And muddy because she kept sitting down!

But seriously look at that little tongue!

Michael and I enjoyed a little day date to the temple and Zupas for lunch.

I'm in love with that place and would be so grateful if it would please come to Salem!

Little bath cuties!

Of course we made it a point to go ride River!

And Michael and I were able to take Olivia on a date to see the movie Bears.

Between the popcorn, candy, pop and the cute little bear cubs I'd say Olivia was practically in heaven!

And there's my little Clara! How cute are those two bottom teeth!

Popsicles are a must every single day.

But usually towards the end of the day so that we can put this sticky little one immediately in the bath tub!

And then it got cold and rainy for a few days and I had to buy myself a caramel cinnamon steamer!

In the middle of the summer!

We bought Olivia a "Queen Elsa" dress and she was beyond excited when it finally arrived!

She was twirling and singing her little heart out!

This little one probably asks for a popsicle at least 10 times a day!

Michael and I were able to sneak away for a little late night frozen yogurt at the Orange Leaf!

Olivia got invited to her first birthday party!

When I took her to the front door to drop her off she wouldn't let me leave so I ended up staying at the party with her.

I love that she feels so safe with me and wants to be with me all the time!

Well hello there Clara!

I love my clean little baby!

This little one loves eating on the porch and I'm right there with her!

Sometimes she puts her pants on backwards!

The city of Cedar Hills does a huge firework show every June and this year did not disappoint!

Winston set up this huge slip n slide in our backyard and we all put a trash bag on and lathered ourselves up with dish soap and had the time of our lives.

How I love summertime!

Strawberry Days Carnival.

After our rodeo fun we decided we'd take Olivia to the carnival because they had lots of cute rides perfect for her age! 

I remember going when I was little and there was this little roller coaster that we all loved! Emerson called it the "toaster toaster" and the first time he went on he bawled his head off the entire time. Well as you scroll down you will see that apparently Olivia and Emerson share the same fears!

She loved the little train!

The second the roller coaster started she started screaming and literally bawled the whole time. Michael felt so bad and got embarrassed and ended up walking away and I on the other hand am the "mean mom" that couldn't help but laugh a little! 

No more roller coasters for Olivia for a while!

Thankfully the roller coaster didn't ruin our fun! She had a blast on the merry go round with Jill.

(Me and Michael prefer not ride if given the choice. As you know we are very prone to motion sickness.

My mom was there with Clara for a little while and then ended up leaving so that she could put Clara to bed. 

But I love this picture because it perfectly shows Clara's current form of communication...squawking!

And who doesn't love a yummy icecream cone!

To finish off our carnival fun I wanted to take Olivia down the huge slide. Winston really wanted to be a part of it since he missed the roller coaster incident. 

As you can tell she was not a fan of the slide either.

Good times, good times!

Strawberry Days Rodeo.

Alright, I am still behind on the blog. Ahh it will be the best day ever when I am finally caught up!

So here we go.

We are in June by the way.

When I was little I remember always looking forward to the Strawberry Days rodeo and carnival that took place every June. We were obsessed with the strawberries and cream and of course loved all the little rides.

When I thought about it this year I knew that I definitely wanted to take Olivia to the rodeo and the carnival. Of course once my siblings found out they insisted that they come a long. Sophia said that she had to be there for Olivia's first rodeo. Since as you know they both share a love for horses and Sophia has been so sweet to share her horse with Olivia and let her ride him whenever she wants. 

Well we made it just in time and got all settled in for a super fun night!

I was a little nervous on the bleachers because I have an intense fear of heights so being on the bleachers with a toddler made my heart race even faster which I did not think was possible.

But we survived and it was definitely all we had hoped it would be.

The bull riding was my favorite :)

Yeehaw!!

We are weird I know. But I love my sisters oh so much!

While it is definitely sad to watch Olivia grow older, it is so much fun at the same time because she gets so excited about everything and Michael and I love watching her experience firsts and develop her little interests and become that sweet little spunky girl that she is.

Summer job.

Well we are obviously in Utah for the summer so I feel like I want to explain how that came to be.

Everybody that knows me knows that I want to move back to Utah. I really want to be close to my family. I am not the most social person and it has been really hard for me to make friends in Salem. Luckily I have made a few and I am so grateful for that. But I really want my kids to grow up with their cousins and for me and my sisters to just be best friends and do everything together. I have been praying to move back to Utah really since we moved away. That being said we tried to apply for some summer jobs in Utah for the summer around March but most law firms we contacted said that they had already hired their summer interns way back in September. Whoops! We were a little late on that. So Michael settled on doing a summer externship and classes. The externship would be up in Portland where he would work for a certain amount of hours with no pay but get school credit for it. I was okay with this but of course was a little bummed especially with everything that would be going on in Utah like wedding planning and trips and such. I just wanted to be a part of everything. Well, one day I got a phone call from Michael saying that he had received an email from his professor that is over the externships. She was asking if there was anybody that would be willing to do one in Utah. And not only was it in Utah but it was in Provo, Utah. Literally 20 minutes away from my parents home.  I of course started freaking out and said you have to email her back A.S.A.P and tell her that we'll do it! He of course had already replied but wasn't 100% sure he would get it and so he didn't want me to get too excited and go telling everybody especially my family until we knew for sure. Well that didn't last haha. The second I got off the phone with Michael I called every single member of my family to share the news! Well to make what could be a long story a little shorter. Michael obviously got the externship and so here we are!

It has been a fabulous summer so far, Michael is really liking his externship and the other lawyers he works with. And I am getting to help with all the wedding planning and also getting to go on all the little trips that I was so determined not to miss. I am so grateful for this little blessing and it's just another testimony to me that prayers are answered. Even something that seems so insignificant such as wanting to move back to Utah for summer. The Lord really knows what it best for our little family and I am certainly not going to complain when His plans for us go a long with my plans!

Father's Day.

(Sorry this isn't the greatest quality. For some reason it won't upload clear.)

Happy Father's Day to the most loving, patient, understanding, hardworking, playful, and silly daddy.  I had so much fun going through all the pictures I have of you and our girls and these are just a few but they both absolutely adore you and I don't blame them! Mostly, I just want you to know how grateful we are for everything you do for our family and how lucky we are to have you. We love you so much!

And a very happy Father's Day to my own daddy. Not only do I get my looks from him, but every single day I try to be a little better because that is what he always taught me.  He is the kindest, most loving man and I am so blessed to have him as my dad.  And my girls are definitely lucky to have him as their grandpa. I love you daddy!

My dad's birthday.

Birthdays are super fun around here.

For dinner we went to Pizza Pie Cafe because my dad is in love with that place and then we came home for cake and presents.

We all chipped in and got him the nest thermostat. Apparently it's the cool thing right now, I am not really into things like that but he was so excited about it.

Emerson is the best at timing birthday letters so that they always get to us right on our very birthday. 

The particular card he chose for my dad was all about the different kinds of farts ha. You can tell by my dad's face in the pictures that he thinks it's pretty funny.

We then had cake. My dad is obsessed with my homemade chocolate cake and asks me to make it at least 2 times a week so I of course gave in and made him one for his birthday!

I couldn't ask for a better dad. He has taught me so much and has always inspired me to be better every day. I am so glad I was able to spend the day with him. Happy Birthday! I am so grateful and blessed to have you as my dad!

Snowcones.

Snow cones are the best!

And we are definitely getting our fair share of them this summer thanks to a few local shacks!

I love Olivia's face in this picture and the next one!

Snow cone kisses are the best!

And so are little dates with my cute Olivia!

Happy snow cone eating!

Memorial Day.

 We spent most of memorial Day swimming at my Uncle Danny and aunt Stephanie's pool.

Olivia was in heaven of course and Clara was happy as a clam floating around the pool with me on the woggles. We had to use at least two to keep us a float!

I wrote a little paragraph on my instagram in honor of Memorial Day and thought I'd share it on here.

Back in 2007 I was able to go to France with my grandpa and visit many WWI and WWII monuments and cemeteries.  I can still remember the overwhelming feelings of gratitude and love as I visited these cemeteries. Especially the American ones. The feelings of gratitude and love were so strong I was often times brought to tears. I am so grateful to all those who have served our country and who are currently serving.  Thank you to you and your sweet families.