Utah!

We made a trip out to Utah over the 4th of July for Far Far's (Tyler's grandpa) 90th birthday. It was so great to see him again & celebrate such a big milestone in his life. The week was spent with family & friends & we had a great time. We couldn't get over the weather. We were actually cold! In summer! 

No trip to Utah is complete without a trip to Mrs. Backer's Bakery

We spent one night as a family remembering Mor Mor (Tyler's grandma) who passed away in December. We went out to put flowers on her grave & the kids all left a penny, heads up (she was big into good luck). 

Ruby's face in this one! She loved her Mor Mor

We also spent a night at the rodeo - this is Tyler's BFF cousin Adam. They're obsessed with each other & always pick right up wherever they left off. 

I hadn't been to a rodeo since I was a kid & this was Ruby & Noah's first time ever going. It turned out to be really fun. 

Far Far's birthday celebration. This was such a great party full of family & friends that love him so much. We all shared our favorite memories of him & he seemed to really love the whole night. 

And we met up with an old friend of mine from when I was in elementary school & our families finally met! We both just happened to be in Utah at the same time & hadn't seen each other since my wedding. It was so fun to catch up & have everyone meet each other. 

The Past Few Months in Pictures

Rockstar Noah - this boy loves music!

Best buds

Another soccer season!

Dirt, a magnifying glass, & a ziploc bag kept this kid busy "exploring" for a long time.

Always.

One of their favorite things to do with Grandpa.

A little ukulele session

Noah & Grandpa during Ruby's soccer game

I don't know what the kids are doing, but they love their Grandma!

Donuts w/ Dad at Ruby's school

Zoo field trip

These two!

Noah's letter to Ruby: "I am sorry. You're the best girl in town." How can I make that boy never leave me?!

???

Ruby started Activity Days & loves it. How is she old enough for this?!

"My new bed" - Noah went through a phase where he would sleep under his bed every night & kept this sign up until he decided that his bed was actually more comfortable. 

Little angel w/ the cutest freckles

Easter

Easter was a great one this year. We all missed having our bunny Lucy around (R.I.P.), but we pulled out the kids' traditional bunny ears & had them hunt for eggs. These kids are fun, & holidays are infinitely better with kids around. We spent the week doing Easter activities & reviewing the story of Jesus' Resurrection which is my absolute favorite. I can't help but feel happy & hopeful this time of year because of the knowledge I have of Jesus Christ. Happy Easter!

Spring Break in Mexico

We went to Rocky Point for Spring Break with some friends of ours & had the best time! It started out a little cloudy & cold, but the last day we were there was absolutely perfect. The sun came out & it was warm - the perfect beach day. We happened to stay at the same resort that Tyler & I honeymooned at almost 16 years ago. A lot has changed in the past 16 years, but I forgot how much I love Mexico! I've been dreaming of eating mangoes with lime on the beach every day since we got home. The kids were in heaven having some of their favorite friends there with them & after playing on the beach or in the pool all day we ventured out for tacos & the best churros we've ever had. I'm hoping to make this our new Spring Break tradition!

The Brown Shirt

Ruby had her first-grade play/musical & was one of the three bears. She made her great acting debut with the line, "Goodness gracious, what shall we do?" We spent many family dinners giving her suggestions on different ways to say her line with different accents & inflections, which ended up in a lot of laughing & her turning down every one of our suggestions. Probably a solid choice on her part. She was nervous but she did great! Our family waved & smiled & gave her thumbs up throughout the performance & she kept her game face on the whole time - such a professional;) 

She was supposed to wear a brown shirt for the play. No problem, I would just pick one up from Hobby Lobby super last minute. Like, the night before the play (that was in the morning) last minute. I sent Tyler right before Hobby Lobby closed & he called to tell me there were no brown shirts. Hmm, no problem, just run by Target - no dice. Try Walmart? Tyler called me & said there were no brown shirts anywhere. I told him to come home & I would go find a brown shirt. I was confident I could find one & he just wasn't looking hard enough for it. I ran into a different Target before they closed & searched high & low with no luck. Then I headed to Walmart (my only option now that it was past 10 pm) & searched everywhere. I spent an hour in that store, panicked, thinking how Ruby would always remember the time that she was the only "brown bear" who wasn't brown. Why hadn't I just Amazon Primed it?!? After searching every section of the store & considering sewing one for a hot minute (I don't sew or own a sewing machine), inspiration/desperation struck. I found a white shirt & brown dye & headed home. Did you know that dyeing a shirt requires stirring a big pot on the stove for about 45 min. at just the right temperature? And then you have to wash it so the dye doesn't bleed all over you. I don't even know what time it was when I finished, but I woke up early the next morning to move the shirt to the dryer, & it was still brown! Then I sent Ruby off to school in a still warm brown shirt that will never be worn again & was thrown away after I washed it again & it bled all over a bunch of clothes & ruined them. Mission accomplished.