June Trip to California!

At the beginning of June we went back to California to see Nat & Ty...and go to Disneyland again!

Nat & Brielle on the Balboa Island Pier. We took a little ferry boat over to the Island and my kids thought it was the best thing ever! Tyler & Brielle walked all the way to the end...they were so 'deep in conversation' they did not realize they'd lost us! Riding the Merry go Round on Balboa Island

Brielle teaching Dean to dance around on Nat's back patio, (they have 20 feet of glass doors & windows) it is the perfect stage!

Swimming at Nat & Ty's

Family Pictures at the Newport Beach Temple

The Happiest Place on Earth...

Bobpa & Brielle on her favorite ride..."It's a Small World"

Bri, Nat & Nana on the teacups (her 2nd favorite ride)

My baby boy LOVES cars...although he found the bumper cars a little scary!

Independence Day!

The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays...and it would not be Independence Day without a Parade! I love parades (I always have), and for 7 years Chris has suffered through them (he's not really 'in' to parades...let's be honest...he doesn't like them at all) but this year he went above and beyond...he slept outside with my dad to save our 'parade spot'! By 5pm friday there was not a spot of grass available on University Ave...for a parade that started in 16 hours! Luckily, my uncle owns the old BYU women's gym (to the left, behind Dean--where he has the greatest boutique), he taped off a little section for us Friday afternoon and had someone sit out there until 11pm when Chris and my dad took over! I felt REALLY guilty for asking Chris to do this when it started POURING RAIN at 1:30am! It was worth it! We had front row seats! I owe Chris BIG time...I'm going to have to let him ride his bike as much as he wants this month! This is the best picture I got of Nat & Tyler (see below--profile... and above--leg & arm), but we are so happy they came...It would not be the same without them! Bobpa, Dean and Nana enjoying the shade.Dean Christopher, Christopher Dean and Dean...three generations! We were so lucky that Amanda came to EFY this week and Dean came as her escort, we don't get to spend enough holidays with them...we sure missed Grandma Inger!Brielle and her favorite little Aunt Amanda!We saw Brielle's "best friend" Ella at the parade and invited her family to sit with us. The funniest thing about her "best friend" is that she moved to SLC a year and a half ago and they still call each other their best friend! We spent the rest of the day running around like crazy! We had a big BBQ at my parents house, then ran to SLC to a reunion with Chris' extended family...we finished ioff the day watching the Stadium of Fire fireworks! I didn't take any pictures at my parents house but I do have this one from the Rueckert reunion.

A Little Star is Born!

Brielle was in her first 'big show' at the beginning of the month...and when I say big show I am in NO WAY exaggerating...it was a 3 hour show, performed 3 nights and she was in 8 dances (each night) which meant 8 costume changes! She started dancing with the Colleen Collins Smith dance company in January and it has not been an easy road...but she stuck with it and she has learned so much!

I really like this dance group because it is more 'song & dance' which gives it more of a 'broadway musical' feel...it is SO adorable to watch Brielle dance while singing these songs...here she is ready for 'Jig Jag' from Thoroughly Modern Milly (I thought of you every time Sara!)'Mr Piano Man, Please' (ragtime song, sung by Disney Mouseketeer Annette Funicello--whom I love)'Munchkin Land' from 'Wizard of Oz''Shirley Temple's trademark song 'On the Good Ship Lollipop' Unfortunately I did not get pictures of her in all her costumes...'76 Trombones' from 'Music Man' - 'Hello Dolly' - 'Thank Heavens for Little Girls' - 'It's Time to Raise the Curtain'...but they were all adorable! If you need to know the lyrics to ANY of these 8 songs...feel free to ask us...we all know them by heart...Chris can even show you most of the dance moves! Dean did not get to come...but he wanted to be in the pictures that we took before we left. Can you believe how long Brielle's eyelashes are with mascara on them?! They are amazing! She was so funny, she kept saying...'Whoa, I look scary with all this makeup on!'

Memorial Day 2009

We stopped by the SLC Cemetery to leave flowers on the graves of Chris' grandparents & great grandparents. This is such a beautiful cemetery...it is at the top of the Avenues and overlooks the valley. Our LDS ward has a Memorial Day Breakfast & one of our neighbors is a Fireman...he was on duty and brought his firetruck to the breakfast for the kids....they LOVED it! They let the kids climb all over inside, wear their hats etc...then they got out the fire hose and soaked everyone...Dean thought he'd died and gone to heaven!

This is the Place!

We went to the 'This is the Place' State Park on Monday. The weather was perfect and the kids had such a great time! They have really made this a fun place to visit. I wish we would have had more then a couple hours because we were not able to see everything...I guess now we have a reason to go back.

The kids got to do all kinds of fun things like...make arrowhead necklaces, candles, hammer designs into leather & do chores! Brielle told us "This is the best day of my life, I'm having so much fun!"They had a great baby animal enclosure...my kids LOVED petting the baby goats, lambs, bunny's & chicks!

In memory of our loved ones!

Today we took our annual Sunday before Memorial Day trip to the Provo Pioneer Cemetery...where my grandparents & other family are buried. Brielle LOVES taking flowers to the Cemetery, she asked me to buy flowers (the Daisy's she's holding) for 'just her' to give my grandparents. She decorated graves & skipped around singing primary songs...I'm sure my grandparents were smiling down on her! My (maternal) Grandmothers 8 year old sister died of Appendicitis. My Grandpa Hancock made this headstone (when my mom was a little girl) because the family had not been able to afford one in 1918 and it always made my great grandmother sad...he was a good man.

This year I realized how much I enjoy visiting the cemetery as well, it makes me feel closer to my grandparents. I had wonderful grandparents & I have such sweet memories of all of them! I love the opportunity that this gives me to tell Brielle things about my grandparents...like one of my grandmothers loved Peach & the other loved Purple...and one of my grandfather's loved football games and the Theater & the other was in the Military and could fix anything.

It is wonderful to see the cemetery FULL of people and overflowing with flowers. It is also humbling to see the cemetery full of American Flags...sometimes I forget about the many who have given their lives in defense of our freedom...not to mention their families. I am so grateful for their sacrifice.

I'm grateful for this sweet Sunday with my family. The only thing that would have made today better...Nay & Ty!