Cherry Picking

Every Sunday I look at this huge Cherry tree in front of our church and I think to myself...I'm going to come pick some of these. I never do though. I always see the tree again the next Sunday and think the same thing. This day, however, was different. I saw that cherry tree and thought...today is the day. Ashley is still here visiting with us and she's a little monkey. She climbed up in that tree like it was nothing and nabbed up a ton of cherries. The girls had a lot of fun catching some that she dropped, and eating them of course.

Fun Friday

Once again the freezer was full of bread heels so we ventured out to feed the ducks. They of course were not hungry so we ended up feeding the giant goldfish and turtles that live in the pond. (The cute blond holding the babes is Paul's sister Ashley who is staying with us for a couple of weeks.) Afterward we sought out some cold refreshment and headed over to the library where it was outdoor movie night. The girls played in the splash park for a bit, we ate some pizza, and then enjoyed ourselves a movie in the park. PS. out of the few hundred people there...we were dead last to leave. It takes forever to move 5 sleeping babes to a car.

Vehicle Evolution

1989 Ford Tempo AWD

Though I do not have an actual picture of my very first car, this is a very close representation of it. Mine was navy blue with a chrome panel up the side. Officially it was my parents car, purchased for us kids. I had to share it with my brother for the first year, but then that baby was all mine. I know...you're jealous.

Utah Transit

My first couple of years in college was spent depending on the UTA and all my wonderful roommates. Thanks ladies for all the rides I bummed off you.

1992 VW Jetta

Once again, this isn't my actual car. I couldn't find a picture of it. It looked exactly like this without the sweet wheels. This was my first major purchase without the help of my parents. I was totally excited to finally have my own vehicle after using and abusing my roommates for so long. PS. I'd like to think my husbands obsession with VW's came from me driving this car.

1993 Mitsubishi Montero

A sad picture...I know. This was taken the day we got married. This was Paul's car before it became mine. I believe it's one of the reasons I dated him...I thought he had a nice car.

2000 Chevy Tahoe LT

The moment we had our first child, we did what most people do and traded up for a bigger car. I look back on this moment and think, why in the world did I think I needed a bigger car when I only had one kid! It was nice and held all our family on visits, but mostly it was a gas guzzler and got only 13 miles per gallon.

2006 Scion XB

I love, love, loved this car. It was so cute and sporty and felt like you were driving a little go cart. Plus I got 33 mpg. Loved that. We sold it sadly just a few months ago to make room for the new babes.

1999 Chrysler Town and Country Limited

I know...you're jealous. I have made the leap to be a minivan mom. We call it an MV though...makes it sound a little better. We are trying to be a bit more frugal these days. Paul's career change comes with less $$ for awhile. So this little beauty cost us a whole $2200. I'm hoping it will last us until the end of Paul's probationary period and then we'll be able to get something a bit more reliable. But who knows, maybe by then I'll be used to not having any car payment and used to the whole idea of me driving a MV.

Fisher Pool

I've said it a million times before, but I'll say it again...my sister has the most amazing back yard. She headed to Lake Powell for the week and offered up her place for us to cool down on these hot summer days. We were there all day, eating, swimming and soaking up the sun. Picture top to bottom: Ava snuggling up to Uncle Terry on the hammock after her last dip in the pool. Paul, Lily and Lainie hanging out by the pool. Anna, Aunt Loni, and Aunt Ashley playing in the sand box. (Yes Ashley...you are totally getting dark.) And last, Lainie not so happy when daddy asks her to practice swimming underwater.

Catching Smiles

I woke up this morning to these sweet faces. They are just over 3 months now. They've been smiling for a while and I tried my darndest to get it on camera. Angles aren't so great...I had the point and shoot on my forehead so that I could make them smile otherwise they just starred at the camera. It took many attempts as I kept getting only half their face in the picture. Aren't they sweet though? Owen is really quick to smile. He is very happy most of the time. In the middle of the night I always feel giddy when he looks up at me and gives me the biggest grin. Lily isn't as quick to smile. It takes a lot of work, but when she does, it just melts my heart. She is such a sweet baby. I weighed myself with them this morning to get an idea on how big their getting. Owen was approx. 14 pounds, and Lily 13. I don't know how accurate that is since my scale rounds to the nearest 1/2 pound. Doesn't Lily look way bigger though?

Swimming @ McNarys

We are so lucky to have such great neighbors behind us. Anna and Madee are best friends. Today we went over to their house for a birthday party/swimming/and to watch the UFC fights. We had ourselves a bit of a scare though. Ava was done swimming and took her floaties off. She always..always hands me her floaties again when she is ready to get into the pool. All the time, but this time of course. There were about 20 people there and none of us saw her jump in. I have no idea how long she was under. All I know is that she was kicking her little feet as fast as she could to keep her body at the top of the water. Another neighbor Billy saw her and saved her. Thanks Billy. She came up crying...scared for sure. Me too. So scared. I'm instantly in tears thinking what if. My poor baby. I feel like a terrible mother. How could I let this happen to my child.

Happy Flag Day

Old Friend

One of my high school bff's came for a quick visit to St. George on her way to Kolob and Zion for some vacationing with her hubby. She specified wanting to do things and eat somewhere that is unique to St. George. So we ate some great southwestern cuisine....(cafe rio) and took them by Snow Canyon Park (shown above) and walked around Pioneer Park. It was so fun to visit with you Erin and Lucas! I'm glad you enjoyed our little town...maybe next time you can bring the whole family. We promise to visit you while in Washington next summer.

Splash Park

My dad returned to my house on the 5th to reclaim his wife. And although I am very reluctant to give her back, we enjoyed ourselves the last week she was here.

Blessing Day

In our faith, like other faiths, we give a special blessing to newborns. Today was Owen and Lily's special day. I was terrified that one or both of them would be screaming in front of the congregation, but I heard not one little peep out of either of them. They looked real cute in their coordinating outfits, although Owen looks a bit uncomfortable in this picture and Lily not so happy in the other. We feel so lucky to have these two in our home.

Bored

Can you tell that my girls were completely bored on Saturday? Yes...those are panties.