LABOR DAY

Over Labor Day, Greg and I took the girls to Bear Lake!  It was fun, as usual, and had a great time boating, visiting, and playing on the beach!
 

 While I wouldn't touch the water for fear of instant frost bite, I sent my 3yr old to brave it out:) She was not pleased to get into that ice cold water. Greg wanted to see if he could get up with McKinley on his shoulders. While they were waiting to get the rope straighted out McKinley announced that she needed to go potty! Greg just rolled his eyes when I told her, "just go. It'll make daddy warm:)"

The Shoulders didn't work but they got up quick the other way!  Go McKinley! Then we got a little tubing in and driving with grandpa!  What a fun weekend!

MY GROWN UP GIRL

It can't be true, but it is.  It brings tears to my eyes every time I think about it.  McKinley has officially started preschool!  Her first day was September 6, 2011.  She goes every Tuesday and Thursday for three hours.  That's 6hrs a week away from me!  I can't stand it!:)  Her teachers are Miss Denise (Tiner), and Miss Angela (Miller).  They are darling and McKinley already adores them!

It was such a weird feeling not having her home for 3 hours!  It was really quiet, to say the least, with just Kasidy and I.  I had forgotten what it was like with just one around. 

My favorite part of the day was picking her up!  They came around the back of the house and I looked and looked for her and there she was!  We locked eyes and she ran right up to me and couldn't stop talking about her wonderful day!  The quiet was gone, but I was happy to have her back home:)

I love to feel the excitement that she carried with her all day!  She felt so grown up and she is.  She is so talented in many ways, and I know she will continue to grow from these wonderful teachers.

I am so proud of you darling girl!  I am glad you love school.  You are a wonderful little person and I am so grateful to you for your example to me.  I can't express to you enough how much you mean to me in my life!

It's hard for me to see you get bigger, but at the same time I love to see you grow!  I am a silly mom, but I love you!

I also loved all the posing you did for your school pictures!  I can't believe I am so lucky!  I get to be your mom! 

Have fun in school this year!

WHEELER FARM

OH THE MEMORIES!!!  I LOVE WHEELER FARM! 

The girls and I were sick and tired of being inside, so we took a vote and headed out the door!  I just started driving south not sure what we were going to do...when it hit me...WHEELER FARM! 

I have so many memories of that wonderful place!  We went there a few times last year, in the winter, when we lived at our SLC apartment, but this was way better!  It wasn't freezing, in fact it was a little on the too warm side! 

Anyway, when we walked up the walkway the first thing we did was run to the chicken coop tree house!  That's when it was a little weird for me...I can vividly remember playing in that same tree house as a kid!  It was crazy to watch my little girl doing the same thing!  How the time just flies! 

We had a great time!  We saw all sorts of animals and had to talk about each one!  McKinely asked so many questions, and Kasidy was making the animal sounds!  What fun girls! 

The pigs were my favorite!  They had three little baby piglets in the pen and they were so cute!  We also got to milk a cow!  McKinley didn't want to, so I took Kasidy up there so I could do it!  I can't remember milking a cow so I wanted this in the books for me:)  I MILKED A COW!  It was just what I was expecting but a little tougher than I thought:)  Poor cows!  I know how they feel:)

McKinley loved the horses!  We got to see the workers call them in to eat.  McKinley loved watching them run toward us, but loved that we were 'safe behind the fence, huh mom'

Kasidy loved it all!  I couldn't tell what her favorite thing was, but that's ok.  I knew she was having a great time!

After that we went on a tractor/hay ride and saw the rest of the farm! 

It was a great day!  I am so glad we voted to get out of the house!  I love you girls!  Thanks for taking adventures with me.

When we got home dad was there with two huge cookies waiting for his girls. 

Put this one down in the books as a wonderful, amazing, so good, very great day!

OUR SUMMER!

Well good grief!  I can't believe the summer is G O N E!

Here are the highlights of our warm weather season!

DRAGON ATTACK

In the middle of July my brother Sam and his wife Cyleste just stopped by for a visit.

While they were here a huge swarm of dragon flies filled the sky!  It was really weird.

We'd never seen anything like it, but the girls went crazy with their nets!  They caught all sorts of bugs!

It was a fun night!  And I am sure Kasidy will thank me later for her diaper pics.

JULY 21 - 24  GRANDMA SUE'S REUNION

Two years ago my mom started her own family reunions. 

The first one we went to Yellowstone, and this year we went to Bear Lake! 

The Daly's were so generous and let my family celebrate at their cabin! 

Thanks Jim and Candace!!!

We had a great time!  We did skits, played games, and of course boating!

The water was so high it was crazy finding a spot on the beach,

but we made it just in time to get water front tent room! 

Thanks mom for all the great memories, and bringing our family together!

(Kasidy loved cheese covered crackers)

JULY 29- AUG 5  LAKE POWELL

What a great week!  This is Greg's favorite place on earth and we were able to spend the whole time there!

The water couldn't have been more perfect!!!  I love warm air and warm water.  Let's face it, I just love being warm!  It's not hard getting behind the boat to go water skiing when the water's like the bathtub!

We brought both our girls and they did GREAT!!! 

 Nap times were just taken on the boat rides and they played so hard during the day that they slept great at night!  Even in the sweltering heat they did amazing!  What troopers!!!

 McKinley loved water skiing with dad!  She didn't like the water at first, but learned how to swim all by herself with a life jacket while we were there.  Kind of a necessity if you ask me!  Kasidy was also a fish, and loved to be in the water with everyone else!

 My cute girls in their life vests!!!  We love boating!!!

  Playing in the water around the house boat! 

 Greg had a great idea to go on a hike.  We were all in, but once we got there our hike turned into a nature extravaganza!!!  There were tadpoles EVERYWHERE!!! 

We had to stop and look at all the frogs, lizards, and bugs along the path to the narrows! 

 It's kids that keep us down to earth and focused on the good stuff!!! 

Landon and Amy even adopted a little frog in their old water bottle...it died.  Poor little frog:)

We made it to the start of the Narrows hike!  It was fun to see the kids reactions of the rocks!  It was a whole new world to them!

 On the way it back it got really hot. (It was hot the whole time, but we'd been away from water way too long)  McKinley wore my hat and it made for a cute picture!  Thanks for the idea Em.  It was a fun hike!  Good idea Greg!

 Just a good old water ski trip! 

 Decorating Grandpa!  That's entertainment!

 I loved this tube ride!  The pictures of the adults are so funny! 

Check out Landon and Grandpa!  I got a good laugh out of them. 

The last picture is of the kids being confined the bedroom while we cleaned up!  Cute cousins!

We loved our Lake Powell trip!

SLEEPING BABY KASIDY!

There is something about a sleeping baby that I just love!  They are so peaceful and seem closer to our Father in Heaven.  I want to step into their dreams.  Love you Kasidy! 

PEACH MANIA

Greg was so excited that our peaches looked ready to pick that we picked them all...None of them were ripe!  Maybe next time we'll check ONE first then pick the rest! 

The girls had fun picking them, and it was 'A good activity':)

We are grateful to the previous home owners for making our yard so abundant in fruit!  We also have strawberry and blackberry plants!  So awesome! 

We also are so grateful to Grams and Papa for the 3 peach trees they gave us when we moved in! 

They are looking great and we can't wait for the fruit next year!

 HAIR?

Kasidy finally has some hair!!!  From the front she looks like Alfala!  I think it is darling!  And from the back...pig tails?  I can't do just one pony tail or it just looks, I will say bad for the lack of a better word:)  But my girls are so cute!  This was during a much needed story time break!

 TOO HOT?

You tell me.  We left McKinley's shoe outside.  The next day it looked like this! 

 DAVIS COUNTY FAIR

What a fun evening!  We spent the night with Landon, Amy, Kevin and his kids!  We had fun shooting hoops, petting the animals, getting flower balloons, and of course, going on a boat ride! 

 Thanks for the reminder Amy!  Glad we could come!

AUG 20 HORSES!!!

Jayne and Chris invited us to go riding!  It was such an adventure, and well worth the 2hr car ride! 

We rode all day!  McKinley loved it and kept calling out..."Go Bullseye!"

Thank you for inviting us up for so much fun!

Before we left I found my old cowGIRL hat that fits Kinners.  I also found my old red cowGIRL boots. 

 The boots are still too big, but she had fun wearing them in the car:) 

 It was crazy to see my old stuff on my little girl!  Time flies!

AROUND THE HOUSE

We have been going non-stop so it was nice when we were home.  We haven't accomplished much (yard work) that we've wanted to, but that's okay, the trips are way more fun:)  These are a few of the things we've done when we've been home...Play dress up, hang pictures, make trains with chairs, play hair dresser, and smell the flowers!  The trips are always wonderful, but there's something about coming home and just being around the house!  What a wonderful summer and so many great memories!  

I can't wait to see what fall will bring!

A LIFETIME

After months of telling everyone I was going to do it...
Making appointments only to cancel...
I have done something that will take me years, if ever, to accomplish again!

I cut off 12 inches of my hair!!!  AAAAAAAH!  It will definitely take me a long time to get used to, but the good news is...I didn't cry!  Not that I thought I would, I had prepared myself mentally for the huge change, it's just that last time I had a huge hair cut like this I did cry. 
(That was because I went in for a trim and 1hr later is was 6 inches SHORTER! Of course I was upset)

ANYWAY...

The good news...

I donated my hair and that makes it all the more worth while to go short! 
Donating my hair has always been something I have wanted to do (Check)
And...I woke up this morning and it already looked great!  I can't compete with that!

Before:

 After:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA

We had a great 4th of July weekend!  It consisted of going to Cedar City for the Daly Reunion, swimming, playing games, and of course the traditional parade and fireworks!

This years parade consisted of perfect weather, just the right amount of candy, and PRINCESSES!  Yes McKinley loved seeing the princess float, and she even got a glass slipper!  The magic of childhood!  She also got a stuffed animal pig that she hasn't let out of her sight!  It has wings and is super ugly!  I don't know what she sees in it, but she loves it!  GGGRRREEEEAAAATTT!  o-well, it's all just part of that magic childhood stuff!:)

Later that night we woke the kids up and took them to see fire works!  McKinley LOVED it!  We told her she needed to go to bed but we'd come get her when it was time to go...When I went to wake her up she sat up and said..."OH HEWO MOM!"  Grabbed the flying pig I love, and we were on our way.  McKinley couldn't stop talking about all the fireworks.  They were in the sky EVERYWHERE!  I love this new law!  I feel like America's Birthday is better celebrated now:) 

Once at our awesome destination in Kaysville, (Thanks Danica and Jeremy) we settled down and enjoyed the show!  Our girls just layed there and watched while I couldn't stop laughing at Belle and Aliyah who were jumping around everywhere in the excitement of it all!  Too funny!  I love cousins!

It was a wonderful weekend!  Happy Birthday America!

McKinley finally got the blue taffy she'd been wanting!  She couldn't wait to show me!  Silly kids!

GAME WHAT?

It was a crazy day for me when I took these pictures...I just wasn't on my game. 

I came in and McKinley had pulled out the play dough, which is usually great, except for the fact I just asked her to clean off the table for dinner.  She must have miss understood me and interpreted me asking her to clean it off so we could play with play dough? 

And Kasidy couldn't wait for dinner and was helping herself to some marshmallows she had successfully opened with sisters help!  All without my knowledge.  Where WAS I?  I really thought I knew what they did the majority of the time...obviously not!  

In the end everything turned out great!  We just ended up eating with play dough as our table centerpiece and marshmallows as a side dish!  GAME ON!