UTAH -- Part 3 of 3

After we said our "goodbye's" to Logan and my family, we headed south to hang out with Nate's family.  The kids loved seeing their other cousins and enjoyed every minute with them.

While we were at the park, my mother-in-law, Elaine was happily greeted by many of her 8th grade students who were there for a conference.  They squealed with delight when they saw her and it was very clear to me why she was awarded Teacher of the Year in her district -- Elaine is truly loved and admired by her students.

We did all kinds of activities -- one of my favorites was the back massages that my niece, Camdyn, provided for only $.10 (and that was after she gave you a free one so you could try it out).  It could easily be the best money I've ever spent.

One of my favorite things to do during our visits is getting together with friends.  We talk, reminisce and laugh so hard we cry.  I easily have the best friends E.V.E.R.

Miss Jill will always hold a special place in my heart and I was so thrilled to see her after 4 years!  We taught first grade together for two years -- we learned a lot working side-by-side and I'll always be thankful for her!

And some of Nate's a.k.a. Hash's bff's.

Mac celebrated his half birthday while we were in Utah!  It's good to be 7 1/2, especially when you get to celebrate by eating cookies and ice cream.

And then we drove home . . . 36 hours is a  very long time to be in a car, but it's also a small price to pay considering we got to spend the last 5 weeks with totally awesome people.

But, it's also not too shabby coming home at 2:00 am to a Welcome Home sign on the front door from Angela and the neighbors, breakfast on the doorstep from Jesica and a message from Kristi saying she's already got our Sunday dinner covered.  Seriously how lucky can we get?

Until next year . . .

TWO

Two years have come and gone and we have SO enjoyed having Jilli around. She makes us laugh every time she says, "What the heck!" "Oh gosh!" or "He buggin' me!" Jilli can basically say anything and she's very inquisitive. You can't drive very far in the car without her asking "What was that" and someone can't be gone from the house long before she wonders "Where(name of person) go?" Not only do we think she's funny, but she thinks she's hysterical as well. She'll call for someone to get their attention and then when she has it she'll roll her eyes, stick out her tongue or do something else that she thinks is funny. I especially love her "bless you's," her "sorry's" and her "love you's."

We had some neighbor friends over Sunday evening for an "Ice Cream Sundae" party. Our plan was to have it outside, but that only lasted about 5 minutes before the rain came down and all 30-something people came running inside. We still had a great time and I think Jilli enjoyed all of her extra attention.

Jilli had a stained white shirt, so I decided to turn it into a birthday shirt that would match her skirt.

When we (or anyone) would ask Jilli what she wanted for her birthday, she'd stretch her arms out and say, "lots and lots of babies!" We couldn't disappoint!

For Jilli's cake I kept with the Ice Cream theme and made cake-filled ice cream cones.

That night Jilli let me cradle her and we rocked together for a while. Naturally my mind went back to a time two years earlier when I sat in a quiet hospital room, just me and my baby girl. I cradled her the entire night and in between little cat naps, I thought about what it was going to be like to have a little girl in our home. I never could have imagined then how much joy she would really bring.

While I didn't cradle her all night long, I did hold her hand until she fell asleep. I love those sweet, quiet moments with my baby!
Happy Birthday Miss Jilli! You bring sunshine to our lives and we can't wait to see what this next year has in store for you!

Growth Stats:  34 inches tall (50th %) and 28 pounds (50th %)

The Entitlement Trap

"NYTimes bestselling authors, Richard and Linda Eyre have written an exciting new book called The Entitlement Trap: How to Rescue Your Child with a New Family System of Choosing, Earning, and Ownership and they invite you to join them in the cause to stem the tide of entitlement that is causing so many problems in today’s world."
Check out this link to find out more.  I can't wait to get my copy of the book.

UTAH -- Part 2

While we were in Utah, my dad was honored at the Mendon 24th celebration. We were so happy to be there and to be a part of honoring such an incredible man!

This picture was taken in front of the airplane that my dad worked on when he was in the Airforce.

As part of our reunion, we also decided to hit Lagoon. I L.O.V.E. Lagoon! We were there before the doors opened and left when they were shutting the gates. Us, Olsen's, do love us some rides!
And check out the entire slew of grandkids. Are they not precious?

After the reunion, we headed back to Logan to finish up swim lessons and to say our "see ya next year's."

Stay tuned to see what happens when we visit with Nate's family . . .