4th of July...

We celebrated our Independence Day with a lovely BBQ with our friends the Burnetts and Pattons. The food was so yummy especially the beans and homemade rocky road ice cream. We ended the evening by lighting fireworks and watching a few from the city. We used to see them so well from our front lawn... I think they must have moved them because we only saw a few. No worries, the neighbors put on a show that was SUPERB!! (we had front row seats! Thanks Utah for making all the really good fireworks legal! And thank you neighbors for spending a gazillion dollars on them!!)

One day I will post the awesome photos we took with the long shutter speed to catch some of the awesome sparkler action going on. In the meantime enjoy these gems....

Hannah and I trying to fit our fat faces into the frame!!!

AAAAAAGGGGHHHHH FIREWORKS!!!

I took this with Instagram and the wonderful filters that make picture taking so much FUN....

I heart tilt-shift!

These silly girls were cold from playing in the water. They decided to watch the show from the back of our van!!

We had so much fun. We also have so much to be grateful for because of our Independence!! Home of the Brave and Land of the Free!!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!

Lizzie and her Imagination

Lizzie has an awesome imagination. She is always coming up with fun and sometimes strange games for herself to play. I love that she finds little things to call her treasures. One of the treasures she found was Wade's old bluetooth cell phone thing. I don't know what to call it, all I know is that Lizzie is in Sci-Fi HEAVEN!

These are the other treasures that she found at the bottom of my mail basket and is oh so proud to be the owner of :

I can remember finding treasures when I was a kid. Not bugs. I was not a fan of bugs. Still not a fan of them. I loved finding things to put in my purse. I thought having a purse full of stuff was the most awesome thing on earth!

What kind of treasures did you like to find as a child?

“Our whole life is but a greater and longer childhood”

-Benjamin Franklin

A Blustery Day... Is it WINDSDAY?

One of the down sides of living here is the wind. We had a dooozy blow through here today. Someone else took these pictures, all of this happened just a block away from where we live. We were fortunate that we had nothing more than a trash can that got knocked over and that we didn't lose power.

It was a very blustery day, Happy WINDSDAY!

It's been a long long time.....

It has been a while since I last posted. I miss blogging. It is interesting how my life has changed over the last 18 months. That is the reason I have a new approach to blogging. I won't go into all the nitty gritty details, let us just say my life is a never ending list and some things just keep ending up on the bottom. New outlook, new approach. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

I was reading another blog recently about how this (unnamed) person really enjoys nourishing her family. My first thought was that she was crazy. After almost 17 years of figuring out what's for dinner, making shopping lists, shopping, organizing and making dinner, let's say I am less than enthusiastic. Then I started think about it. Nourishment is the substances necessary for growth, health, and good condition. Then I began to feel gratitude for the fact that I can nourish my family. Tonight we were able to try this new enchilada recipe:

(thankfully the consensus was that my original enchiladas are better... thank you family!)

Which then created this:

How could I not be glad to nourish this adorable face?

On another note, I am grateful for free lunch so that I can see these two cuties!!! Another great opportunity for nourishment and friendship all rolled into one!!!

The question is: How do feel about nourishing your family? Is it an ordeal or is it a joy?

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. ~Winston Churchill

Hannah

Dear Hannah,

I can't believe you will be 15 next week. Where did the time go? It is hard for me to find the words to tell you how much I love you. You have grown into such a lovely, fantastic, incredible, spiritual girl. You amaze me every day. I worry about you and then you do something that just blows me away. Then I stop worrying about you for a day or two.

I love watching you as you discover your talents and interests. I love watching how your mind works and how things start falling into place for you. I love listening to you talk about the things you are learning and what it means to you. I know that you have the ability to do great things in this life.

I love you for your excellent example. I love watching you strive to do what is right in spite of what your friends and others are doing around you. I think that you are an amazing daughter of God and I want you to remember that he loves you, always.

Hannah, you have a fantastic sense of humor. Your laugh is contagious. I love how you can bring us all together and make us all laugh. I love how you can make Luke laugh so hard he can't breathe. I love the imaginative things you come up with!!

I love how you are so good with kids. I love how they just love you so much. I think they know what a good, kind girl you are and they are drawn to that. I love how creative you are and how you are not afraid to try many different kinds of outlets to express that side of you.

I know you will think this is totally embarrassing...

I just want to make sure that you know how great I think you are and how much I love you. What would I do without you? You are a part of why my life is so great. I love plotting and planning adventures with you! You are so brave and I admire that quality in you! Even though you like to act tough, I know the tender side of you. Just so you know, it is ok to let it show sometimes.

Hannah, I feel blessed to have you as my daughter. I am thankful for you and I love you so much! Thank you for being such a fantastic daughter.

-Mom

4th of July...

Here are some pictures we took when we went to Bridal Veil Falls over the weekend for the 4th. It was pretty fun!

Hannah and Lizzie at the falls.

This is as far as Luke was comfortable going, he got pretty far!

We have another picture like this from years ago.

Goofy pictures on the rock. I wish they weren't blurry because they are some of my favorites!

Happy Mother's Day!!

To the wonderful women who have shaped our lives! We Love you dearly!