Baptism Day

Olivia was baptized & confirmed on July 9, 2011. It was such a beautiful & special day...one of those days that reminds you what is truly important in life! As I looked around at our family members & closest friends, I felt truly blessed. I was so proud of Olivia. She is an amazing little girl with such a kind spirit. I am so thankful to have her has a daughter. Congratulations, Liv! We love you!!!

You Say it's Your Birthday?!

8 years old!!! This was a big one. We wanted to make the day extra special for Liv. Needless to say, it was a jam packed day.

Liv's day started out with an early morning water party & pancakes stacked 8 high (a tradition I copied from my friend Nic. What a fun idea!).

Then, she FINALLY got the pink scooter she'd been asking for over the past 3 years. Good things come to those who wait!

Then it was off to the Lion House with 11 of her good friends: Lauren A., Katie, Lauren C., Christine, Sarah, Lily, Kim, Abby, Addie, Maddie, & Savannah.

Last but not least, we met her grandparents & cousins for dinner & a movie. We weren't surprised when Liv chose Zupas for her celebratory dinner. Hmmm, let me guess? Would she order Wisconsin Cheese soup? Yup... she is a creature of habit!

Happy Happy Birthday, Liv! We hope you always remember this special birthday.

Fourth of July

The best thing about the fourth of July holiday is that it lasts for days. It is such a fun time of year. I dare say it's William's favorite holiday. This year the festivities did not disappoint.

We stayed over night in Park City & went to their fireworks show.

We attended the Carn family's annual neighborhood bike parade. The kids had a blast decking out their bikes in red, white, & blue. A fire engine let the kids around the block. At the end, the fireman sprayed down the neighborhood. Can you say "sopping wet?"

We were outside doing fireworks one night & saw a man riding his horse through the neighborhood. We waved "hello" & he stopped to let the kids ride his horse. So nice! The kids were thrilled.

We enjoyed endless nights of fireworks with neighborhood friends.

We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo...

We took a trip to the zoo to see the dinosaurs. I think it was the highlight of Will's summer.

A Sad Farewell

We had to say goodbye to some of our closest friends & neighbors. The Mansells moved to Dallas, Texas in June. We were so sad to see them go. Especially Will...he played with Mason for hours everyday. While we will miss them everyday, we are excited for them to start this new adventure. Thanks for all of the great memories, Kev & Sarah. You will be truly missed!

Swing batta, batta, batta

Will played his first season of baseball. It was entertaining to watch. He sometimes got a little distracted by "shiny objects" as he ran the bases & may have picked up the bases to see what was underneath them a few times. But overall, he did seem to really like it. "Much better than soccer", he said!

Preschool Graduation

Will was so excited for his preschool graduation. He is READY for Kindergarten. Mostly because he wants to go to school where his best buddy, Daniel, goes. This was a sad day for mom though. Because Will has a late birthday, I got to have him at home with me for an extra year. He is my little buddy & I know I will be sad to have him go to school everyday. However, his graduation ceremony did not disappoint. Super Start School truly is amazing. The program is the cutest thing I have ever seen. Will was too "embarrassed" to sing & dance so he mostly just stood there with a smile on his face. But I know he loved every minute of it!

A Star is Born

Liv performed with her singing group, Clayton Productions, at several different venues all spring. They sang songs from "The Music Man", most of which I had never heard before! She did an amazing job & really enjoyed every minute of it.

Utah Dance Center put on a production of "Mary Poppins". As usual, it was an amazing recital. Liv's class danced the role of the hunters. She was very pleased & relieved that her costume wasn't "itchy" this year.

Still Alive

I have decided it's time to quit neglecting my blog, considering it's been months since I posted anything. It seems like the only time I ever post is after I've had pictures taken. Well, we wouldn't want to break tradition.

We had Olivia's baptism pictures (Yes, I said baptism...I cannot believe she is turning 8!) shot a couple weekends ago. It was pretty impossible trying to get these done. I had my heart set on doing them outside in an orchard. Every time we scheduled a time, it ended up raining. What a wet May we've had. Even on this day, a storm started rolling in & it got really windy. But it was so worth it & we got some great shots of Liv. Thanks to Katie & Dan for their patience in getting these taken & for their AMAZING work. They truly captured Liv's personality.

Here are some of my favorites (ok, maybe a lot of them):