Sweetheart's Birthday Experience 2017

For Sweetheart's birthday experience this year, she wanted to go hang out at Gardner Village. In October each year they do a super fun thing where they have witches everywhere! So we dressed up our own little witches and went to see it. 

(Sweetheart also brought her BFF, but I didn't check with this cute girl's parents to see if they wanted her pics online, so she's cut out of these. But we love you BFF!)

Bear Lake - August 2017

In August of 2017, my entire side of the family rented a cabin at Bear Lake on the Utah/Idaho border. 

(Short tangent, why in the world do I not take more pictures? I always regret it afterward.)

This was the most fun ever! We are definitely doing this again. It was wonderful to hang out with so many cousins and aunts and uncles and Grandma and Grandpa. 

Also, we got a ton of beach time at the lake! 

Out on the kayak is Sweetheart, with her cute cousin in the front sitting on the unicorn floatie. 

My sweet sister and her cute miracle boy.

Same sister, boy, and husband on the peacock floatie on the left, my handsome husband playing in the water on the right on the board.

Quick story about the peacock floatie. In the picture below you'll see a canopy that was put up for us to hang out under. I was sitting under it when a sudden strong gust of wind picked up the canopy and tried to take it away. A bunch of us jumped up and grabbed it so it didn't go anywhere, but as I was hanging on to that canopy I looked over to see the peacock floatie tumbling rapidly across the beach, and chasing right after it with more amazing bravery and gumption than I've ever seen on her face was our Sweetheart. As she chased that rolling peacock down the beach, a few people noticed what was happening and started also running toward the peacock, but Sweetheart was determined, and when she was close enough, she jumped. 

Sweetheart is a tiny little thing who might weigh 50 pounds on a good day. I didn't think that that would be enough weight to stop a giant inflatable peacock in that super strong wind, but she snagged it right around the neck and ended up sitting on the back of it. The people who had been running to help were thoroughly impressed! They helped her carry it back over to our family on the beach, where she saw me and immediately burst into tears and came for hugs. "I was so scared!" she told me, and I told her that she was the bravest girl I had ever seen. So amazing!

This cute little guy is my baby brother's baby! They look so much alike, it's crazy.

Uncle Mike is the best to snuggle with.

On the drive back home we got to see the beautiful temple in Logan, Utah.

Birthday Experience - Balloon Festival

For Princess's birthday experience in August of 2017 we decided to visit the hot air balloon festival, and somehow we didn't get a picture of even one hot air balloon! I have looked and looked, and none! It was a windy day and there weren't many balloons up, so I guess that's my defense.

We did get some cute pics of other parts of the festival, and Princess thoroughly enjoyed it as her birthday experience. 

It was too windy to put up the balloons at night, but the people still got out their baskets and torches and lit up the night. It makes such a loud sound when they make the torches burn, and it was magical to be a part of the people and noise and the way the light from the fires lit up the field. 

Happy birthday Princess!

Summer of 2017

What an incredibly wonder, amazing, beautiful summer!

Ruth's Diner:

Fairies at Gardner Village:

Splash pad:

A new little friend:

Avoiding pictures at the eye doctor's office (the summer of pinkeye):

Park picnics:

Snuggles:

Swimming lessons:

Restaurants after swimming:

Ballet:

Scottish Festival:

Healthy dinners and mini food bloggers:

More swimming:

Visiting the organic farm:

Crazy rainstorm:

We need a picture on the balls at Target every time we visit. Why? 

Sweetheart doesn't get it either. "Can we just go shopping now?"

Oh hey, let's swim some more!

Picnic and hiking in the mountains!

Thanks summer, you were a blast!