Wedding Recovery

I'm gradually recovering from the two months of wedding planning craziness!  I let myself have a couple lazy days where I did a few things but mostly watched some shows and took a nap- it was the best!

One of my favorite parts of having more time at this stage of life is when a friend says, "I'm in a bind, can you watch my cute baby?" I can say yes!  It's so much easier to enjoy the baby stage when you only have them part-time!

Charlotte is my kid always up for picture- and always trying to win a Taylor Swift concert ticket, talk me into letting her get instagram early and drive somewhere with her friends.

This shot cracks me up!  Our new brother-in-law Spencer had a birthday!  We got to have them over for the yummy pazookie that Marti made him, and his nice aunt and cousin came too.

Olly is in the front seat with me but I got to feed & drive this car of cuties to the homecoming game!  It was a lot of fun- the parking lot was crazy though!  They got covered in colored chalk.

My flowers blooming always makes me happy!  I planted a bunch more, proud of these ones making it through the last of the heat (we hope!).

The Friday and Saturday after the wedding had beautiful 70-degree breezy weather.  I was jealous the wedding day was so hot.  I'm glad it wasn't so windy though.

Matt and I went on a week-night date to this new restaurant Mensho Ramen- Japanese food in Riverview.  The first time Matt went they had a super long line but we had no line this time. You could tell it was authentic because so many people in there were Japanese- I love that they yell out a greeting when you enter and leave.  It was a little bit of an adventure for me but pretty good- Matt loves it.  There is a softboiled egg in there and several types of meat- beef, duck, chicken.

As crazy as wedding week was it was so fun to have all of my siblings in town!  It made me sad to throw away the cups at the end of the week.  Matt was nice to make a big yummy pot of chili on Thursday night, get pizzas on Friday night and make a bunch of french toast on Saturday morning so I could focus on wedding stuff and still feed whatever family was available. Alyn & three of her kids stayed with us one night when they got to town and Cody's family stayed with us for two nights for the wedding. Getting to see my siblings and their families is my favorite thing- so glad they could all come!  As always I should have taken more pictures of the people but I was too busy hosting and enjoying it I guess!

Sweet 16 Charlotte!

Charlotte is 16!!  It is so hard to believe!  This is a big one! Here is how her birthday went down-

It was on a Wednesday so she wanted to stay home but we told her she couldn't handle a short day of school and some classes singing to her.  She wanted hashbrowns & eggs for breakfast and to not get up earlier to open presents so we did them in the afternoon.

After school she went with Matt to get her licence.  I took her last week to the Institute for Driver's Safety test on Thursday ( I did let her miss 7th hour seminary to go to that early).  She was so exicted to be officially licenced!

She really wanted a trip to see Taylor Swift of course or another pair on fancy adidas but instead she got a record player (she's been collecting Taylor Swift albums for awhile- now she can finally play them).  She also got 3 new shirts/bodysuit (who knew those would ever come back), a vanity mirror to do her makeup, and Target gift card and money from both grandparents.  Her friend Kendra gave her a car!  A matchbox car that is, and Adri gave her a nothing bundt cake.

Her good friend Harper also came by the night before and heart attacked our door with fun memories and inside jokes.  What a sweet friend!

We did nothing bundt cakelets for the day off since she's getting a big ice cream cake for her party.

The day after her birthday she did her first solo trip to drop something off at Elise Millet's a mile or two away.  I might have tracked her phone to see where she was but I was proud of myself letting her go alone already. 

Sharp Creek Camp Out

It's always a ton of work to go camping for just one night but I'm always so happy to get our of the heat & make memories with our family and our ward friends Aug 9-10!

We joke we always run into someone we know when we eat dinner in Payson on the way up.  Burger King we ran into our friends Katie & Will Johnson on the way to their camp out.

Olly's awesome phone camera caught one of the two elk we saw on the side of the road when we were stopped in traffic just past Payson.  

The girls telling scary and embarrassing stories.  We brought Rosie up with us since her family was sick.  I'm so grateful the girls have such a nice and fun group of friends in the ward.  

Playing with all the babies is always their favorite part.

Of course it poured rain during the devotional.  It was so nice to be cool.  Matt and I staked down our tent in the rain.

Olly got this beatiful picture.

The hammock is always a good idea

The girls hiked down to the creek

Miles was upset it rained but once he found some buddies to build a fort in the woods we didn't see him for hours and were worries he might be lost.  L to R Carson, Ian (new in ward) Declan, and Miles 

Abby is so good at noticing and photographing details.  Love it!

August Evening Date on the Salt River

A triple date paddling down the Salt River is pretty much my dream date these days!  We love our dates with the Govers and Papas and this was Matt's first time using the paddleboards we bought this last winter.  We parked the Grovers car at Granite Reef then drop the paddleboards and everyone up to Goldfield parking lot and got in.  It took us 4:30-7pm floating pretty slowly.  Being on the water is my favorite thing to do in Mesa, probbably because it's so much cooler and prettier!  We ate at Blue 32 afterwards in our lovely river gear and all!

Sometimes we hug out in groups of 2-4, if you hand on to each other's paddleboards or hold hand you can stay together when you float and even lay down!

Travis, Jared and Matt getting ready to launch into the river.

Angie and Jared

I could seriously do this once a week!  Sunsets and being outside with friends is so good for my soul.

Everyday walks, lunches, sunsets, & concerts

I love our evening walks to the mailbox, especially when Miles is dressed as a cow!

Arizona sunsets never get old!

8 ducklings on a canal walk with friends.  I've been walking most Wednesdays and some Mondays.

Charlotte at her orchestra concert with her stand partner Brett

Our annual April birthday lunch of Salad and Go and Swig with some of my old presidency ladies!  I love them!

Charlotte walking her dog doppelganger Lizzy.

Miles' cool lincoln log creation using almost every single lincoln log we own- inherited from the Fife great-grandparents.

Not the best picture of it but our neighborhood cookie walk has been so fun!  This April one we had about 75 neighbors come!

 

Junior High Festival Orchestra Abby

April 11, 2024 Abby had her JHFO concert.  We are so proud of all her work to practice and audition and rehearse for 4 Mondays after school for 2 hours.  She is such a dedicated and talented musician and we love hearing her play her cello. 

Abby with her friend Olivia Merrill.

 

April Fools, Conference & Eclipse

April Fools Dinner!  I got this idea from Ralphie at Simple on Purpose.  Every orders different courses without knowing what you're getting. 

April Relief Society Birthday dessert night bouquet are especially good in the spring.  I love hyacinth so much!

Mom dates to Andy's are always a favorite.  This boy loves to help me grocery shop also.

General Conference Snapshots! So good to hear from Elder Holland again.  5 sessions was a lot for the kids- and me with the kids by the end but there were so many good talks I'm excited to study.  Lots on temples & covenants and prayer

Got up at 6am still not done till 10am.  I should have done the quick rise or done them the night before but I was out of steam.

Charlotte was very proud of her fruity pebbles treats.  So much sugar this weekend.

Miles has always been a good little artist.  Especially with Lizzy.

I had to capture this sweet moment of my two teen daugthers.  Little sister who paints her nails at least once a week helping big sister.

Cool shadows at the peak of the eclips for AZ.  I was pretty jealous of everyone who got to see totality.  Maybe for 2044...  The younger 3 kids got to see it a little bit at school with glasses.  Miles was really into explaining it to all of us after his science teacher explained it to him.

Olly got a new phone, we're gradually letting them have a phone more often with time limits and controls on it- not their favorite but better than sharing the house phone like they have been doing for years.

Miles got a bad cough & fever this week.  He went to school Monday & Tuesday for state testing then stayed home Wed-Friday so I had to rearrange some things.  It was nice to have more time with him.  He read lots of library books (Last Kid on Earth series) and watched Hercules and helped me with some cookie walk fliers.

We've had 2 ducks hanging out in our yard almost every day

 

4th grade vs. 8th grade Oliver and Abigail these kill me!