Sugarhouse BBQ

Tonight Tyler and I went on a much needed date night. I realized a couple of days ago {while at the pool with Suzanne} that the last time we had a night out together was our anniversary! That was 2 whole months ago! Completely unacceptable! So tonight my sister Saint Stephanie watched Isabelle and Thomas while we went to Sugarhouse BBQ for dinner. Their ribs are so good! I could never be a vegetarian. I could never give up coke either. It was so nice to talk with each other without the constant interruptions from the kids. I also loved having a reason to wear my new B. Republic white capris and my red earrings. And red shoes. I love red. And I love Tyler, BBQ, date night, and my sister who babysits my children on Saturday nights for free.

Midsummer's Night

{Tyler and I picnicking on our sushi blanket at the park tonight}

~

With today being July 15th and evoking feelings of summer being half over, The Anderson Family of Four headed to the park for a picnic and playtime. We do our best to make the most of these summer months! Since I don't rarely cook dinner during the summer {I mean, who wants to turn on an oven when temperatures are approaching 100 degrees?} we went to Subway and ordered two $5 footlongs ~ one for Thomas, and another one for me, Tyler and Isabelle to share. Chicken sandwiches with extra pickles + banana peppers + mustard and a caffeine-free Coke are the best!

Isabelle & Tyler making silly faces

I love how Thomas leaned back on my leg while he ate his footlong + an entire bag of cool ranch Doritos + a large Sprite

{He is so blasted cute!}

So delectable!



Because Thomas was a sandwich-hog, Isabelle's dinner consisted of chips and Sprite




Playing at the park after dinner



... and tonight as we left, this is what the midsummer's night sky looked like. Nothing is more beautiful to me than a pink sunset above city lights against the Utah mountains.





{on the swings with the kids tonight at the park}

:: THE END ::

A little "to-do" before the "I-do's!"

Last night our wonderful neighbor and long-time friend, Sue Sansom, gave Stephanie a bridal shower. The shower was beautiful, and as always, Sue outdid herself. The food was wonderful {no one makes sugar cookies like Sue does!} and the company was even better! With all the thoughtful gifts Stephanie received I think she's officially on her way to being a well-prepared married woman. Now all she needs to do is learn how to cook...

Stephanie & Sue

Steph & Mom

Such fun shower gifts!

Jean. Anne. Jil

Camille. Susan. Lynn. Stacy

Steph & Stacie

Stacie & Me

Sue visiting with Maxine and Kay

Stephanie & Stacy

Kathy. Mom. Maxine

Fun times were had by all!

Mom & Sue

Stacie. Stephanie. Me

All of us

~

The big day is in exactly 30 days and counting!!!

You know, "bikes"

Last week an anonymous poster on the Ask Anything Blog tipped me off to this most hilarious site. I now read it everyday, and I always end up laughing hysterically. I love it. It's my new favorite. Or you know, my "favorite".

The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks

Not-So-Secret Tattoo

{My arm as of this afternoon... do not tell Tyler!}

Last week I saw this on Post Secret.

I really like this, so much in fact I have been musing over it

off and on all week.

It has really made me think,

and I appreciate things and people who make me think.

Even though I wouldn't exactly get this tattooed on my arm

{or any other body part for that matter ~

I wouldn't have that wallpaper in my house either},

I do want to make sure I remember this

{hence, by putting it on my blog = it will make it into my blog book = Shannon will remember this post card}

:: It's good to remember things that are thought-provoking and inspiring to me ::

Celebrating Freedom!

{fireworks at Sugarhouse Park, photo taken by Tyler}

On the account that Tyler loves to blow up things light off fireworks more than

just about anything, July is always a very eventful month for the Anderson Family of Four. Living in the Great State of Utah, we have not one, but two holidays to celebrate, so we do our best to make the most of it and show our pyromaniaism patriotism.

Case in point, On Independence Day Eve we drove up to Evanston, Wyoming. One stop shopping! Here you can buy your liquor and illegal fireworks! Awsomeness.

The ingenious store owners offered a free bounce house + a free slide + free snow cones + free fun while parents shopped for their fireworks. Of course, Tyler and I took full advantage, and the kids had a blast! It sort of reminded us of the time we dropped the kids off at the Casino's daycare last time we were in Vegas so we could gamble.


Tyler walking out with his stash of Roman candles artillery shells sparklers.



On Saturday evening we invited who-is-left-here in my family over for a BBQ {my Mom and Sarah are out of town}. We had hamburgers and root beer floats, and lit off our majorly fun Wyoming purchases after dinner.


Aunt Stacie striking a patriotic pose



Baby Thomas



Zeke is so proud to be an American beagle!



Dad. Stephanie. Alan



Rachel {Stacie's only friend} & Stacie




Tyler having the time of his life. Truly.

The Boyfriend and I love watching fireworks together!

I love his thunder thighs!

Princess Isabelle

Thomas loves his soon-to-be Uncle Alan!

With The Boyfriend

{he likes to climb on my back when I'm sitting down}

Stephanie. Alan. Thomas

~

When it started to get dark we + Alan & Steph drove to Sugarhouse to watch the fireworks.

We have a spot at a church that Tyler and I have been going to for years where we like to watch the show. This year watching the fireworks was just a little more fun than usual.

"Look Thomas! Red, white & blue!"

{fireworks at Sugarhouse Park, photo taken by Tyler}

After the fireworks we went to 7-11, got cherry slurpees, and drove home and put the kids to bed. What a day! It was non-stop fun from start to finish. I love celebrating the 4th of July, I love the feel of hot July, the BBQ's, being with family, watching Tyler act like a 6 year-old in a candy store while we light off fireworks, but most of all, I really am proud to be an American. Except for Switzerland, there is no other place I'd rather live.

{the grand finale at Sugarhouse Park}

Members Only Night

{Isabelle and the crazy beautiful view at This Is The Place}

~

Tonight the Anderson Family of Four felt very V.I.P.

For FHE we went to a Members Only night at This Is The Place Heritage Park.

Talk about exclusive!

We toured homes and buildings that aren't open during regular tour hours, such as The Dugout and Ottinger Hall

{and I delight in going inside anything that is usually off-limits!}

We also *met* and heard stories from Pioneers such as Jane Manning James, Fannie Brooks, and Samuel Clemons. We even took a train ride and ate cookies and lemonade in The Bowery. And, I also found out the Brigham Young Farm House and The Anderson Home there are both on the National Poltergeist Registry. Who knew!

On the train ride

{Thomas loves choo choos more than any other boy I know!}

Isabelle and I matching in our white Old Navy polos

Yes, Sweet Boy still needs a leash backpack...

In front of one of the cabins

The Heber C. Kimball Home, and also the first Church Headquarters Offices



Mary, one of the pioneers who told us about her trek out west



Izzie and I inside Ottinger Hall {The Fireman's Hall} standing in front of the fire alarm

In front of the fire truck

{Look how Isabelle is so sweetly choking hugging her baby brother!}

In front of the flag in Ottinger Hall

{I have always wanted to go inside this building, but it's always closed, so this was extra-exciting for me!}

Isabelle dancing in The Bowery with a new little friend she made on the tour

~

Tonight really was a lot of fun. I love taking the family up to This Is The Place. We have so much fun there! I have such an interest in pioneer/Utah/early LDS history, and everytime I'm up there I learn something new {for example, did you know that Ann Eliza Young haunts the Brigham Young home? Well, she does! And who could blame her!}

~

Afterward we had dinner at The Training Table downtown on 400 South. Right now cheese fries are half off. So good! Then we went home and gave the kids baths, they were completely covered in dust particles. Tonight was crazy amounts of fun! I was totally in my element. Raising children in Utah is the best. There's always something fun to do!

:: Every Family Night should be this good ::

Girl's Night IN!

Shelly. Emily. Me a.k.a. "Betty". Suzanne. Megan

~

Tonight we had a Girl's Night IN!

My favorite friends in the entire world came over at 6:30 bearing delectable foods, and the night was spent eating, talking, listening to Emily's speech, eating, pulling out the ol' Skyline yearbooks, discussing baby names {Erik with a "k" Megan!} a lot of laughing and eating some more.

~

:: Best Friday night I've had in a long time! ::

Oh yes, and a huge thank-you to Tyler for keeping the kids at McDonald's for 6+ hours so we could have the house to ourselves.... xoxo

A "Beary" Fun Night!

{Fisherman Fred & Sleeping Beauty}

~

Once upon a Christmas {or two} ago, Aunt Tara gave Thomas and Isabelle gift cards to Build-A-Bear. Tonight we finally got around to using them! I'm glad we waited because Thomas was able to pick out his own bear and Isabelle was really into it. I was keeping my fingers crossed that she wouldn't choose some strappy Hannah Montana number for her bear to wear, and she didn't ~ she went strait for the princess section and wanted a Sleeping Beauty dress.

Here Thomas is picking out the 'honey' colored bear

Isabelle's bear has a heart!



Isabelle is pumping with her foot the stuffing into her bear

Thomas deposits the heart into Fisherman Fred

And now F. Fred gets a bath!

All clean!

"Oh Daddy, I just love him!"

A real pink Sleeping Beauty Princess Bear, just for Princess Isabelle, complete with a crown and pink glass slippers and all.

~

Wednesday nights don't get much more exciting than this!

I think the Build-A-Bear workshop is probably

a once-ever experience for the Anderson children

{people pay this much for a bear + outfits + shoes + accessories? Really?}

Thank heavens for Aunt Tara's gift cards...

#1 Dads!

{Best Dada EVER with Thomas and Isabelle}

~

Happy Father's Day!

Today we celebrated Tyler and both of our Fathers.

It was a perfect day of celebrating!

Isabelle sang with the Primary in Sacrament Meeting, and after church we had my family over for dinner. We made homemade pizza, yummy salads, garlic bread and brownie sundaes for dessert. After dinner we enjoyed each other's company and opened Father's Day prizes. We do our best to make the men in our lives feel loved!

For Father's Day I gave Tyler his Dad's flag from his military service in this case. He was not expecting it at all. I loved giving Tyler such a special surprise! Now Bart's flag will be honored and preserved as it should be. I think it looks beautiful, and whenever we look at it we will think of Bart and the wonderful Father that he was!



Us with the flag



Tyler loves it!




I also had this panoramic photograph of Bart framed for Tyler.




This is my favorite picture of Bart! Here he is 15 months ~ I had this one framed for Tyler as well.



A random picture of me kissing The Boyfriend





{Stacie. Sarah. Dad. Isabelle}

~

Happy Father's Day to my wonderful Dad!!!
Stacie and Sarah gave him a gift card to Yogurt Stop



Stephanie and Alan gave him a Jamba Juice gift card and candy



... and Tyler and I and the kids gave him a gift card to his favorite Thai restaurant, Thai Spice



My Dad with his daughters
~
Happy Father's Day to you Tyler, Dad, and Bart!
We love you so much, and appreciate all that you do for us.
~
I love how my Dad is always affectionate and telling us he loves us and we're all his "favorite." He is incredibly generous, loves The Mandarin almost as much as I do, and he loves being with his family more than anything! We love you Dad!
~
I love how Bart emphasized the importance of being kind to each other. Whenever I met someone from St. George and mentioned that Bart Anderson was my Father-In-Law, the first thing they always said was: "Bart is so nice!" We love you and miss you Bart!
~
I love how Tyler's face lights up when he walks in the door and sees the kids as they run into his arms. Nothing makes him happier than seeing his family smiling and having a good time. I recently read a quote that said "When people look to you for the hard answers, it's because you're the leader." This so reminded me of Tyler! It is so true, whenever anything happens in the Anderson Family, Tyler is looked to for direction. He knows how to step in and take charge; he is a true leader. We love you Tyler! Thank-you for taking such good care of us, you are our hero and our #1 Dada!
~
Happy Father's Day to the #1 Dads!
We love you and are lucky to have you!

:: A Father Indeed ::

I really love this. Pull out your kleenex, you'll need them!

A Shower For The Bride-To-Be

Today was bundles of fun ~ my favorite Aunt Wendy and I hosted a bridal shower for Stephanie! For lunch we served Aunt Wendy's famous chicken salad sandwiches, a pasta salad, fruit kabobs, cream puffs, and sparkling lemon water to drink.
~
Stephanie received so many beautiful shower gifts ~ she's well on her way to being prepared for married life!

Mom. Me. Janet Moss {Alan's Mom}

Sarah & Stephanie

Liz & Stacie



I gave Stephanie a wok, a cookbook and some oven mits.



Shirley Rossa & Aunt Wendy



sisters



Me & Stacie



Aunt Wendy visiting with Janet Moss ~ Steph's future Mother-In-Law



My Mom and Aunt Wendy



Mom

Kate. Jaren. Shelby. Stephanie

Stephanie. Me. Sarah. Stacie

Mom & Paulette Marchant

Alexis. Stephanie. Monica

Shelby & Steph

Bridal showers are so much fun! I felt honored to help my Aunt in throwing one for Stephanie. We are all so excited she's getting married, Alan is such a neat guy.

~

Come August, wedding bells will be ringing!

The Wizard of Oz {starring Isabelle, a mini-Glinda the Good Witch!}

Tonight was one of the Anderson Family's

biggest and most exciting events of the year.

Isabelle performed in The Wizard of Oz

as a mini-Glinda the Good Witch!

~

The dance recital was at the University of Utah

at Kingsbury Hall ~ serious business!

Isabelle has been working hard on her part for such a long time,

and her dedication payed off,

her *form* was *perfect*

and she was the sweetest little Glinda in all of Oz.

Isabelle with fellow Glindas

{Isabelle with Aunt Sarah}
~
My sister Sarah had a *lead role* in the production this year. She was THE Scarecrow! She did such an amazing job, and it was especially neat to have her and Isabelle perform together.

{Little Glinda standing outside of Kingsbury Hall}

Sarah. Isabelle. Me

{outside after the performance}

Stacie. Sarah. Isabelle. Me

{Tyler bought Isabelle these flowers, which she just loves. He's such a sweet and thoughtful Daddy! Tyler always goes out of his way to make the girls in his life feel special}

My Mom. Stephanie. Stacie. Sarah. Isabelle. Me



Isabelle with her most favorite Aunts!

Isabelle just had to get a picture with The Wicked Witch of the West and Dorothy!

Izzie Grace with The Cast

Video recording wasn't allowed at the actual recital, so this is from yesterday's dress rehearsal.

***

Isabelle and Sarah did such an incredible job tonight! Both are such talented ballerinas! I am so proud to be Sarah's sister and Isabelle's Mom. Having a daughter is everything I thought it would be and then some. Girls are so much fun ~ I can't get enough of Isabelle and all the joy she brings into our lives!

:: It was a wonderful wonderful night in the Land of Oz ::

{Because of the wonderful things Isabelle does!}

Princess Festival

{Princess Isabelle dressed as 'Jasmine'

and Princess Millie dressed as 'Snow White'}

~

Yesterday Isabelle and I attended the Princess Festival down in Lindon with some of our favorite friends, Jen and Millie {and Baby James!} The Princess Festival is an enchanted event of storytelling, dancing, and adventures in a true castle and grand ballroom with 100% of the proceeds going to Kenya for relief from the current famine. Even the Ambassador of Kenya was there, along with all the storybook princesses.

~

We have been looking forward to this festival since January back when we registered! Isabelle indeed felt right at home in the castle among the royalty! Princesses are "her thing" and she knows the story of each one inside and out. To spend time with them was quite magical for her. She was so excited that at one point I thought she was going to pass out!

Here Rapunzel is teaching the girls how to dance like a princess ~ Isabelle & Millie are on the far right

{storytelling}



With Sleeping Beauty and Prince Phillip



Isabelle & Millie with Snow White and Prince Charming



Making scary faces with Maleficent!



With the mean step-sisters from Cinderella

Belle with Belle!

Dancing with a true Prince

With Cinderella and her Prince Charming

Izzie & the Blue Fairy

Izzie & Mommy sitting on the Narnia throne inside the castle

Izzie & Millie with Rapunzel up inside her tower

{Just as she's about to throw her hair down!}

Standing outside the enchanted castle

Inside Cinderella's carriage

{enchanted video}

Isabelle loves all things princess! I love having a little girl! She and I always have such fun together. I think we'll have to make the Princess Festival a summer Mommy & Me tradition!

Princess Festival

If you're going to San Francisco...

Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair!

~

This is Isabelle's newest look.

She likes to clip flowers on her tiara are wear them around the house.

Silly silly little girl!

Such a trend-setter is she!

{Isabelle kissing her puppy dog Zeke the Beagle}

:: we love our sweet precious girl ::

Happy Birthday Dad!

{Me. Thomas. Stephanie. Dad. Stacie. Sarah. Isabelle}

~

Yesterday was my Dad's birthday

{Happy Birthday Dad!}

but we celebrated it today.

We had a BBQ: hamburgers, potato salad, and baked beans.

After dinner we opened presents and had dutch apple pie for dessert.

In my family, birthday celebrations are a big deal and are always the most fun times we have together!

Sarah and Stacie gave Dad a Jamba Juice gift card. He loves the Carribean Passion Jamba!

Tyler and I gave Dad rolo cookies and a gift certificate to his favorite Thai restaurant



Zeke E. Bear gave Grandpa a big hug!



Stephanie and Alan just got back from Japan, and they gave Dad some Japanese treats and a Sake set.

Stephanie brought us all back these adorable pink kokeshi dolls from Japan. I love mine, and it went strait into the curio cabinet when we got home!

~

Happy Birthday Dad, you are the best!

We hope your day was wonderful,

and we hope you like your birthday prizes.

We love you very much!

St. George Trip {a weekend get-away}

{one gorgeous girl}

This weekend The Anderson Family of Four went down to St. George, just for a little weekend get-away. Thomas and Isabelle love St. George! Staying in a "showtell" is the highlight of the trip!

~

We drove down on Friday after work, arrived at about 10:30 and had dinner at In-N-Out Burger. The next day, Saturday, while Tyler was attending to some *business* the kids and I spent the afternoon swimming and sunbathing by the swimming pool at the "showtell".

Thomas loves to swim like Nemo!

Sunbathing with The Boyfriend



I love this swimsuit on Isabelle, it's like a red hankerchief, so wild-wild west cowgirl of her!
~
After lunch on Saturday we went to the store and let Isabelle pick out some flowers to leave on Grandpa Bart's grave. She chose yellow roses. I think they are fitting, for Bart was always so happy and full of light.


Before we left on our trip Isabelle drew a picture for Grandpa Bart, a purple heart {which she did actually leave there}

It was so sad... when Isabelle realized she couldn't actually see Grandpa Bart she was heart-broken and cried and cried, {hysterically} for the longest time. Tyler explained to her that he's living with Heavenly Father and Jesus, he can see her picture, and we will be with him again someday. She felt better after that. Isabelle loves Grandpa Bart, and like the rest of us, she misses him terribly. She told us after we left the cemetery that maybe the prince in Sleeping Beauty can come out of the T.V. and kiss Grandpa Bart so he'll wake up. If only that could happen... I'd give anything to have another St. George weekend with him!

Walking through St. George City Cemetery

The boys

With my 2 favorite little people

Sitting next to Bart

Nice shot Isabelle! You're a pro!

Taken by Isabelle... for real

It was so cute... at the end of our visit at the cemetery Isabelle decided she wanted to take a picture of Grandpa Bart. She stood over his grave and said "Grandpa Bart, say cheese!" and then she said back in a really deep voice "Cheese!" and snapped this.

Missing Grandpa Bart

{a lot}

When we arrived, there were other flowers on the grave, but I really loved this. Someone left this mini "walking stick" for Ranger Bart.

Izzie Grace

"Bye-Bye Grandpa Bart!"

~

After the Cemetery we went back to the hotel so the kids could have naps. We went to In-N-Out for dinner again {we had to take advantage while we were down there! It's so good! Honestly, I wasn't impressed the first time I tried it, but it grew on me and now I love it}.

~

Then today {Sunday} we drove home. Before we left we ate breakfast at The Cracker Barrel. Everytime we'd come to St. George we'd eat at the Cracker Barrel, and Tyler and Bart would inevitably fight at the end of the meal over who should pay. Tyler usually won. Bart always ordered the 'Mama's Pancake Breakfast', so today that's what Tyler got. Before we left, we bought a jar of atomic fireballs because Bart always bought those too when we'd go. Now they are sitting on the kitchen counter and we can think of him everytime we see them.

~

I can't even put into words how much we miss Bart. St. George is not the same without him! It's just a little sadder and a lot more boring without the Ranger. He truly was a Southern Utah gem, but he was also a gem of a Father, Father-In-Law and Grandpa. We think about him all the time, talk about him all the time, and are doing our best to preserve his memory and the legacy he left behind.

~

... and that is our weekend get-away to St. George.

THE END

Preschool's A Beach!

Today was Isabelle's last day of preschool!

School's out for summer!

~

In celebration of it being the last day there was a beach party!

Could the day have been anymore exciting? No!

The kids each brought a beach towel to sit on

{Isabelle brought her pink mermaid towel}

and the kids played beach games with beach balls

and listened to under-the-sea music.

{Dallin & Isabelle playing a beach ball game}

{Isabelle & Friends sitting on beach towels}


Isabelle enjoys preschool so much,
she's already missing Miss Kathy & Miss Connie
and all her little friends!
~
Now that school is out, summer can officially begin!
Lagoon! Swimming pool! The Zoo! This Is The Place!
The list goes on!
School's out for summer, and the fun starts now!

Lagoon ~ It's What Fun Is!

Yesterday summer officially began... we spent the day at Lagoon!

{it really is what fun is}

~

Before we went, we met Tony and Anthony at The Training Table for lunch, and then we met Tara and Rick and their kids + Arianne at Lagoon for a day full of fun!

The weather was perfect, it was overcast with no rain and it wasn't very busy. The kids had a blast! We hit all their favorite rides: Bulgy The Whale, Puff The Dragon... and in the middle of it all we took a break in Pioneer Village and had some Dippin' Dots.

~

Summer is now here, and the Anderson Family of Four couldn't be more excited about it!

{Isabelle & Thomas waving to each other on Bulgy The Whale}

:: CUTE ::

The kids went on this ride, The Moonraker about 10 times... they loved it!

Watch out... my kids are driving!

{on Puff}

This ride is so thrilling for such a small boy!

{Taking a break in Pioneer Village with our Dippin' Dots}

Banana Split Dots are the BEST!

Yummy!

Cousin Anthony

Tony. Anthony. Tyler

on The Rocket

BLAST OFF!!!

Arianne. Tahlia. Tasia

The Boyfriend and I love going on rides together!

We ended our fun-filled day going on The Music Express. Isabelle was thrilled because they played her favorite song, some Hannah Montana number.

~

:: Every Memorial Day weekend should be this good ::

Lucky 7

{my favorite wedding picture ~ walking along side the Salt Lake Temple}

Today Tyler and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary.

7 years of marital bliss!

~

When I woke up this morning Tyler had a dozen red roses for me on the kitchen counter, along with a gift certificate for a manicure and pedicure, chocolate truffles from See's, and a really beautiful pink card with a pink ribbon tied around it. I gave him some new polos and t-shirts from Banana.

~

:: Below are some of my favorite pictures from the wedding day ::

At the Country Club on the golf course before the reception


By the Lion House


Right after we came out of the Temple


Kissing under my veil




Tonight in celebration of our anniversary Tyler and I saw Angels & Demons. We are huge Dan Brown fans! We have been so excited to see this movie, and it coming out the weekend of our special day was just perfect. We shared popcorn and a large Coke and held hands. It was wonderful.


{us before the movie}
~
In celebration of our seven-years-of-love, here are the top 7 reasons why I love being married to Tyler:

01. Tyler always pulls the bed back at night. I make the bed in the morning, and actually like doing so, but I hate taking everything off and pulling it back at night! So Tyler does it, and it makes me really happy when I walk into the bedroom all tired and I see it already done.

02. In the morning before he leaves for work, Tyler always comes over to my side of the bed, kisses my forehead, says "I love you" and then pulls the covers over me real tight.

03. In the middle of the night when one of the kids wakes up {and I pretend to not hear it and still be asleep} Tyler always gets up and takes good care of them.

04. Tyler knows me inside and out, and better than anyone else on the planet. It's nice being married to that person!

05. When we go to restaurants, Tyler automatically knows to order me a Coke and extra salad dressing on the side. It's way nice to be past the "what do you want to drink?" phase in the relationship.

06. I love how Tyler mixes together the perfect ratio of soy sauce and wasabi when we go out for sushi.

07. Tyler got me a picture with the Mayor of Colorado City, which makes him my hero. Not just any guy can swing that, you know!

I remember the morning after we were married

{it had literally been a total of about 24 hours}

I said to Tyler as we were driving home from the bed and breakfast downtown:

"I really like being married! Some people say it's hard, but I don't think this is hard at all!"

I laugh when I think back to how naive I was, but I remember loving Tyler so much then, but it absolutely pales in comparison to what I feel for him now. Seven years later, there is no itch, only the daily realization of how lucky I am to have married somebody so completely perfect for me in every single way. Some people don't realize what they have until it's gone, but I have Tyler right now and I know exactly how wonderful he is. He is the best!

~

Happy Anniversary Tyler!

I love to look back and see how far we've come in the last 7 years.

Who knows what the next 7 years will bring?

Here's to us! I love you more than the moon!

A 19th Century-Style Afternoon

{Isabelle & Thomas on the train ride}

~

As the weather begins to warm up, the kids and I start to start to plan all our usual outdoorsy excursions. One of our favorite places to visit is This Is The Place Heritage Park. I have a genuine interest in pioneer life, Utah History, and especially early LDS history. My interest in such things is now being instilled into my children, they love going to This Is The Place! This morning we headed up there, bought our annual pass {it's that fun} and then we spent a whole 3.5 hours of our day {without a stroller} 19th century style.

~

While we were up there today there were a couple of small school-age groups on field trips. The teachers were kind enough to let Isabelle take part in a couple of their activities. She loved it! Isabelle loves to learn, she's extremely social, and watching her today with other children made me realize how much she is going to love kindergarden in another year and a half. My girl is growing up! It makes me happy though, I see so much of myself in her. She and I have a lot to look forward to! I think I'm going to be one of those Moms who goes on all the field trips.

Isabelle playing peek-a-boo in the play houses

Thomas riding the horse all by himself!
Who's the big boy now?




The Cowgirl & Cowboy



The Boyfriend



The Girlfriend


{because this horse is white, Isabelle kept on calling it a "swan horse"}



Thomas rode this brown horse that was a little on the wild side, and he was laughing hysterically the entire time




Riding like the best of 'em




After we rode horses, we spent time in the petting corral with the baby goats. Little Thomas loves baby animals more than just about anything!




The mini-train ride is always a highlight!

... and chasing the goose was a little too much fun

Next we spent time in the leather shop imprinting leather squares with shapes such as hearts, dogs, and butterflies

Pound! Pound! Pound!

Pound the leather!

On our way down Main Street we stopped by the barber where Thomas got a "shave". He's checking himself out in the mirror... he's liking the clean shaven look.

Isabelle admiring herself in the mirror too

The best part of This Is The Place is the spectacular view of the Salt Lake Valley. No wonder Brigham wanted to settle here. I love it! I am such a view person, and anytime I can see the Great Salt Lake I get really happy.

Today was awesome. It feels good to be outside doing fun stuff with my 2 favorite people in the world.

:: Everyday should be this good ::

WELCOME SPRING!