Family Reunions

I have a lot to catch up on. We've had a busy summer so far. Recently we went to Yellowstone with my family and stayed in Island Park for a fun family reunion. I'm thirty years old and I had never been to Yellowstone before this. It was pretty interesting to see everything. The kids didn't enjoy it so much. Especially Maddie. She hated the sulfur smell at some of the places and started screaming each time we'd get near. She spent a lot of time in the car while everyone else enjoyed. We were only in Yellowstone for one day so it was a bit of a whirlwind trip, but still fun. I think our favorite part was Yellowstone canyon and seeing the amazing Upper and Lower Falls. It's pretty incredible to see what this earth is capable of. Here are some pictures from the trip:

A Pirate's Life for Me

Parks turned 5 this weekend. Today actually. So this past weekend has been filled with all sorts of games, food, and pirate paraphernalia. This was the first year Parks got to have a "friend" birthday party. After 2 hours of chasing small children around, I decided there is a very good reason he doesn't get a friend party every year. He wanted a pirate party, and he got that. But after this weekend, I'd really be OK if I didn't see anything pirate-related for at least another year. It was fun, and I think Parks had a good time too. Below are some pictures of the birthday adventure. Arrgh!

I got nothin'

I keep trying to come up with some wonderfully inspiring first-of-the-year post, but it's not happening. So instead, here are some pictures that were taken of our family last month.

Our year in pictures

I put this slide show together as part of another project but thought it would be fun to share here. And I know it's mostly just pictures of the kids. I figured if we had to only use pictures of Aaron and I, our year in pictures would last 2 seconds. Anyway, hope you enjoy it!

Thanksgiving Weekend

We were able to spend Thanksgiving weekend with Aaron's family. We had a great time visiting with family and eating great food. It was a wonderful weekend! Here are a few pictures from the festivities:

Happy Birthday Aaron!

Technically, yesterday was Aaron's birthday. But I say it's OK to celebrate it all week. So Happy Birthday Aaron!

We didn't celebrate in much splendor, but we had a good time together as a family. I did anyway. No camera yet, so no pictures. Just imagine a fun family gathering complete with Parks' pictures and balloons everywhere.

We sure love Aaron and are so glad he leads our family. He is so caring and thoughtful. He is a good dad and loves to play and wrestle with the kids. He works hard and is good at what he does. He is a genuine, caring, and honest person and we love him very much. Happy Birthday Aaron!

And just for fun, here are some random pictures of him that are on our computer:

Our little goblins

We still are without a camera (but one is soon coming- yay!). However, we found our Halloween costumes a couple of months ago at a garage sale. Of course the kids had to try them on and check them out. So I do have a picture of them in their costumes.


And here are some pictures of them at a local Pumpkin Walk with Uncle Trent and Aunt Lori. Happy Halloween!





And someone's made a little Halloween slideshow to one of our favorite Halloween songs. The things you find on YouTube.

Disneyland pics

More pictures of our Disney adventure:

Maddie is 2!

Maddie had her birthday this past week. She's a whole 2 years old! She really is just a delight and we love her so much. It's hard to believe we're almost past the baby stage. It seems like just yesterday I was waking up all night with her, making bottles, and changing endless amounts of diapers. And while I'm glad to be past that stage, I can't believe how much she's growing. OK, so she's still in the 3% for her weight, but she is growing in other ways. Here are some of the things we love about Maddie:

-Her energy is endless! She really can't sit still. She either runs, or jumps, or spins, or dances her way through life. It is a rare occasion to have her sit on your lap. She just doesn't stop. I love how she just attacks anything she's doing. She is so fun.

-She's becoming such a great communicator. She's starting to make 3 and 4 word sentences. It's fun to have her express herself, and it's cute to see the way she says different words. Somehow she's learned how to say "dangit Parks". I wonder where she picked that up...

-She is little miss independent. Now that she can do most things herself, she definitely does not want help. One day I had to carry her screaming from McDonald's because she couldn't get her shoes on by herself, but she DID NOT want me helping her. She no longer wants us to put her in her car seat. She wants to climb up into the van and then climb into the car seat herself. She'll say, "Mad'line do it". And she'll start screaming at you if you even suggest you might possibly want to help her.

-She is definitely a girl. She loves her babies. She got a new one for her birthday and she's been carrying it around with her everywhere. She loves to take care of them and hold them when she needs comfort. Often I'll hear her talking to them in her bed. Sometimes she'll even blame her bodily functions on them. A few days ago she burped, and promptly responded in amazement, "Baby burp!" She also loves to carry her green blanket around with her everywhere too. At least she doesn't mind if I wash it every now and then.

-She loves to follow Parks around. If she can't find him, she'll come to me and ask, "Parks go?" or "Parks doin'?" Most of the time Parks is a good sport about it, which is good because Maddie already has a hard time when Parks goes to a friend's house to play. I think it will be a killer when he actually goes to Kindergarten. But I think Parks enjoys being with her too. When Maddie is down for a nap, he'll constantly want to wake her up so they can play. However, he's learned the hard way that he is not to go into her room while she's sleeping, or he incurs the wrath of a very angry mom.

Those are just a few of the reasons we love our Maddie. She is such a sweetheart and we're so glad she's a part of our life. Happy Birthday Maddie!

Recent pictures of our little family