Summertime...

Just in case you wondered what we've been up to...

Nate is 3!!

Isn't it funny how each child is so different from the others? Well, Nate is so fun and so different from our other 3. What a funny little boy he is!!





I just had to record that he still used a binky at night when he was 3. :)

Hannah is 10!!!

I can't believe she's 10 already!!
Chris and Pat have been at every birthday cake cutting for 3 years!! Oh, how we'll miss them!!
She loves her new bike. She has enjoyed riding it around the neighborhood!!

I have to admit, I'm a little afraid that if I blink, she'll turn into this:

Trip to Utah

One day, Jarin and I picked up the kids from school and drove to the airport. Jarin pulled up to the curb and kissed me goodbye and I asked Elle to come with me while Jarin got our suitcases out of the back of the van. She was so surprised she was scared. We played a little guessing game and I thinks she guessed every place BUT Utah. So, I finally told her. Then the fun began.

When we arrived it was snowing!! So awesome for these Florida girls!! She promptly made a snowman with her cousins when the sun came up the next morning.


Just in case you're wondering, this is where I grew up. Sometimes I forget how amazing the mountains are, but each time I return I am reminded how truly majestic they are! I heart the rocky mountains.
We haven't lived really close to any temples, so I really wanted Elle to see the temples while we were in Utah. Here she is with her cute cousins at the Salt Lake Temple.
We loved our time visiting with family. Josh and Whitney just had Beautiful Rose. This was our first time meeting 3 of their children -and it was so much fun!!!

Bil and KT just welcomed sweet Eli into the world. They are some of the most attentive parents I've ever seen!! Congrats Bil and KT!!

Group photo after the 2 baby blessings
Elle was so excited to spend some time with Eli!!


...2 more temples. I think we visited 5 total. This is the Oquirrh Mountain temple.

... and the Timpanogos Temple.

Battle of the Books

Hannah is an awesome reader!! I often have to take books away from her at night so she can go to sleep. So, it didn't come as a huge surprise that she was selected as captain of her class's Battle team. They placed 2nd out of 8 classes. As her mom, I have to say they could've placed first, but that darn buzzer proved to be a challenge. That said, we are SOOO proud of Hannah!!


...maybe too proud.

Fishing

We went fishing with the Popes. I don't know where the rest of the pics are, but I just had to include this one of Jesse. We were only catching little tiny greenbacks. They look like sardines, so we borrowed this mackerel from another fisherman who was thrilled to show it off. Hopefully, I'll find more pics of this fun day with our friends....

I tried a Tri

I truly believe in living life to the fullest, so when my good friend suggested we team up and do a triathlon, it didn't take much convincing. We were sponsored by Tri Veda. We trained for about 3 months, then got up well before dawn and made our way to Ft. Desoto with families in tow.


I swam, Cecilia biked, and Lorena ran.


It was awesome to have our friends and family cheering us on. I kept hearing Jarin's famous whistle while I was swimming and I knew he was cheering for me.:)

Sadly, my family lost me in the crowd and thought I was the very last swimmer, so they were surprised when I emerged from the water well before that poor last lady. (We all look the same at a distance in the water) Jesse was watching and wanted to accompany me to the transition area until he realized I had to run through the murky water to get there.


All in all, it was such a great experience. The swim was super cold and way too salty, but I loved the fun atmosphere and all the happy triathletes. They made it so awesome!! Thanks Ceci and Lorena!! And Thanks Tri Veda!!

(by the way, most of these pictures were taken by Tina at Tri Veda)