Memorial Day weekend

Eric's family came over for dinner. I got a ton of great video but I forgot to take pics with my camera! Here is a pic Crystal sent me (I can't get it any bigger). She had Gabe laughing so hard with her "goose" impersonations!
Here we are at dinner at Mel and Brad's for Connor's birthday...the big 12!! (Can't believe he is 12 already - seems like yesterday I was toting my nephew around as a sweet little baby!) The girls congregated upstairs while the boys were all downstairs watching a ball game!Later that night at our house for fun and games... Who knew the Little Tikes Easy Shot would be such a hit with the big boys too?! :)

BBQ at Mindy and Griff's on Memorial Day. Their backyard is the perfect spot to hang out... with a river flowing by (Gabe and Wes were loving that), a sweet deck for bbq's, and even a firepit to roast marshmallows!

Ha ha - gotta love this pic! :) Little boys are so dang funny - good thing we have so many in our family!!

Wesley and Gabe made sure Denali was included in the fun times. As soon as Wesley got there he ran over and climbed aboard - then Gabe was saying "ride, ride, ride" so they both got on! Later she got covered in dirt and fed rocks but remained happy and sweet with her little buddies... what a good doggie! Check out this adorable video of the 3 of them...

Riding the Summit Trail

Eric has less than a week left in Utah so we have been cramming in all kinds of fun before he has to leave! We asked Matt to take us horseback riding one last time on Saturday and of course he said "Absolutely!!" That is my big brother for you! He is the most enthusiastically generous person I have ever met! He loves to serve others and since I'm lucky enough to be his sister, I have always been very well taken care of! Matt is also one dedicated man to having fun! :) He has planned the best summer - full of awesome camping trips with horses, fishing, hiking, biking...you name it. Eric and I were SO excited for this summer, dang it! But more than all those activities, I'm going to miss my bro that has been behind a lot of it. I feel like I talk about my sisters a lot but my brother is one in a million! He has a very special place in my heart - I couldn't have been blessed with a better big brother to watch out for me! Love you Matt!

That is one happy dog...

BIG news......

Things have been a little crazy around here lately and unfortunately my blogging time has all but disappeared! There are several good reasons that I have been so busy this past 2 weeks but the most important is the news that.............

we are moving to Seattle!!!!!

Eric has had a wonderful opportunity in his career, one that is taking us up to beautiful Washington state. First of all I have to say how proud I am of my hard-working, dedicated hubby. Congratulations, babe!! I know he is going to be terrific in his new job as an Investment Manager (which means he will be managing a team of Financial Advisors with JP Morgan Chase - or in other words, it is the same position as his former boss).

Now as for the relocating part... I'm excited in a scared, lump-in-my-throat, heart-pounding kind of way! I really don't want to leave my family. I don't want to take Gabe away from all these people that love him to pieces. And I don't want to leave Utah. Even though I didn't grow up here, I love the desert and I love beautiful SLC (and Utah County :)). I love the people, the climate, the mountains, the valley, everything! (ok, not the lack of rain...) Which brings us to my list of reasons I'm excited about Seattle! I love the rain. I love green - and there's all kind of green up there!! I love the ocean and I'm fascinated by all the ports and bridges and islands near Seattle. I love seafood. I love adventure. And I love Eric. So I guess that means we are out of here. It's ok that I have tears in my eyes right now! :) I'm going to be coming back home for lots and lots of visits. And pretty soon (well, maybe after a few years) Seattle will feel like home. I'm really going to miss all my wonderful neighbors and friends here too - thanks for making Cedar Hills such a great place to start our little family! And everyone feel free to come see us - Seattle has so much to offer and is a really fun place to visit!! :)

one little boy B-DAY PARTY coming right up!

Gabe's birthday party was sports ball themed and to make a long (and fun) story short...it was a hit! Gabe loved the ball cakes, the toys, the hoops, the attention... but most of all the people! Gabe was surrounded by family and friends that love him, and there sure are a lot! Everyone came dressed in sports jerseys for a great bbq and lots of fun... we all had a ball! (heehee)

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to!! Gabe lived true to turning 2... here are a few precious moments! :)

This first one is Gabe demanding to get DOWN, DOWN, DOWN to play with his first 2 opened gifts...Pretty self-explanatory...And I didn't catch one of him throwing a tantrum when I was "forcing" him to sit still so he could blow out his candles while we sang happy birthday to him!! Oh boy, good memories!

But for the most part our little birthday boy was as sweet as ever and had a great time!

Happy Birthday Gabe!!!

Our little man turned 2 today!! Eric and I are amazed at how fast time has flown with our Gabe here. I was working last night and thinking about how 2 years ago exactly I was in labor and we were happily anticipating meeting our sweet baby. How incredible that night was. I had the best experience with labor and delivery (once the epidural was in)! I am always touched by the Spirit when I witness a new baby entering this world but when my own son arrived... wow. Eric and I were overcome - it was the absolute best moment! However I laugh when I remember how surprised I was to look at Gabe and see a little stranger. I loved that little stranger, but still, he was a stranger! I'm not sure what else I expected! Now, I can't imagine life without him. And although he is only 2, I feel like we are such close buddies. He is the happiest, sweetest, spunkiest guy with the funniest personality... we love him SO much! So anyway... we had a lot of fun today! Eric and I gave Gabe his present right after breakfast... a basketball hoop!! Gabe has been beside himself with happiness all day shooting hoops. I'm not exaggerating one bit when I say that every minute at home today has been spent shooting baskets and running after the rebounds. He has been out of breath all day!! :) Eric and I are thrilled that we did so well on his gift! haha!! For dinner we went up the canyon and roasted hot dogs over a campfire...what a blast! Gabe is going to be a little mountain man - he loves it out there! Now our little birthday boy is in bed (with his basketball) - it's been a great day. Happy Birthday Baby!!

RIDE OR DIE!!!

That used to be me and Mindy's motto for snowboarding (yes, we're dorks) but now it is applied to mountain biking... and it's no joke! I really am about to die when I go! Eric goes on rides 3-4 times a week and my hubby is in great shape. Me, on the other hand, not so much. So while I am literally falling off my bike gasping for breath, Eric is patiently waiting barely winded. It's sad - what has happened to me?! Well anyway, mountain biking is a brand new beast (I mean hobby) for me to tackle. Eric absolutely loves it and he has gotten me really excited about it. I can tell that it will be a lot of fun eventually. It is so invigorating to be exercising out in the mountains - the scenery is gorgeous! And although the downhill portion of the ride at this point scares the wits out me, I can envision it being exhilirating once I feel a bit more in control of my bike!

Mountain biking at Lambert Park in Alpine...

A day with Cannon

Mel's little Cannon got to spend the whole day at our house on Thursday... Gabe was so excited to have his cousin over! They were so cute all day - I kept trying to remember all the funny things they were doing so I could write them in my journal! A few favorites of mine were: when they were running around upstairs just ecstatic to be together and I heard Gabe say "let's go!!" and then more pattering of feet racing to another room - SO cute! Another was when Cannon actually crouched down to Denali (as if he is not already at a height disadvantage standing) and started talking in the high-pitched, sweet voice people use with babies or puppies! Nali was thrilled to have that kind of attention and would lick his face excitedly! Gross. He would then stand up, I would tell Nali "no", and then he would crouch down and the whole thing would go again... I am cracking up just remember it! Cannon really has no fear at all! He would even go up periodically and give the dog hugs and air kisses - just like Gabe!

They had so much fun playing outside... here they are industriously working in the yard!

In this pic they were running like maniacs toward the couches and would throw themselves up then stop and grin at each other before sliding to the ground and starting again! I LOVE watching these guys play together!Gabe and I had such a great day getting to spend so much time with Cannon! We love him so much - like all his brothers! :)