Temple Square...

We also went to Temple Square while the Smith family was visiting us. It was a lot of fun. Temple Square is so beautiful and I love going there. We also toured the Conference Center. It was fun to show the kids all these cool things and see how excited they were to see them. Before we even stepped too far from the car, they had to stop and play...There is a big Christus statue in one of the Visitor's Center on Temple Square and it was great to take the kids up there to see it. I love the peaceful feeling that is in that room.

We actually got all the kids together in one picture...

Here is a beautiful shot of the Temple and I love the American Flag there as well...

Cutie cousins holding hands...

More cutie cousins holding hands...

It was so much fun seeing the cousins together. All of the Smith kids were SO GREAT with Kylie and they had so much fun being together.

I loved getting to see my nieces and nephews as well. Here is sweet baby Cienna, and Kylie not too sure about what is going on. :)

Sweetie Kylie gazing at the temple...

Here is the whole Smith clan...

Now...for me to get this everyone in this picture as well as the whole temple...I had to be a bit creative. I was laying down on the ground and it was quite funny the positions I had to make sure I got every one. Well...we had quite a good time laughing at me, and then when we finally got a few shots...the kids decided to come attack me. :) (In a fun way.) It was too cute and I was able to get a picture of Kenny and Kirsti coming to get me. :)

We had a great day with the Smith's and had so much fun visiting Temple Square!

Children's Museum Fun...

We were so lucky to have the Smith Family visit us just a few weeks ago. We went from a family of three to a family of 10 quite quickly. :) Our house guests: Brian's sister Amy, her husband Brent, and their 5 children: Kenny, Diggy (Douglas), Kirsti (Kirsten), Allison, and Cienna. Kylie LOVED having time with her cousin and we loved being able to play with our nieces and nephews and having some adult chats with the adults. Brent's mom was even able to stay with us a few nights and it was a blast having her as well! One of the first things we did was head to Discovery Gateway down in Salt Lake City. It's a great Children's Museum and all the kids had a blast! We even got a membership there, so we will be heading back frequently...especially during the horrible Utah winter months! :) I LOVE having fun indoor places to go to entertain Kylie when it's freezing cold outside! :) Anyway: we had a blast and here are some of the pics...

ALL the kids actually at one place at the same time! Incredible! They all loved playing with these balls. They have all sorts of different tubes and such that you can drop the balls in and send to different places.

Kylie LOVED sitting in this helicopter. Intermountain Health Care donated a retired helicopter and this was definitely a hit! Kylie just sat here for quite awhile. She even got to borrow Mommy's sunglasses so she could be extremely comfortable. :)

Kylie up on a big horse they have there. You can even "feed" it bales of hay!

Driving a truck while another kid puts gas in the car. :)

Sweet little Diggy playing some grand music!

Kylie playing with her cousin!

Brent helping his kids climb the rock wall!

Then he had to take a turn and here he is from the other side of the rock wall!

We had a lot of fun. I'm amazed at how many pictures I didn't get. They have this darling "store" to shop at, this "garden" where you can plant different things, a water area where you can mine or something like that, and my favorite....a DARLING mini house with a living room, kitchen, and all sorts of fun areas to play that I want to build in my house. :) Thanks for coming Amy, Brent, and the kids!!! We had a blast!

More Kylie...

Here are some more pictures of Kylie. :) We were outside one day (when Grandma and Grandpa were here) and I grabbed a camera while Kylie was running around and twirling and just being the sweetie she is. :) Here is my sweet baby...

Look at her cute face! :)

Posing with Grandma for a minute. :) Just forgot to get Grandma in the picture. :)

Starting a twirl

Thinking about what to do next while she has her audience captivated with her every move. :)

"Why I'll just stand here and see if they still grin at me!"

Running around. (I know it's blurry, but still oh so cute to her mama. :) )

I LOVE LOVE this picture!!!!!

" Ahhh....gotta take a break from performing." :)

" What's going on over there? Maybe I should go see!"

"Nah...I'll just give Grandpa BIG HUGS!"

We have lots of fun with Kylie and she really is such a good girl. She starts preschool in a few weeks, and I think I'm going to die inside a little. This is just the beginning of her venturing out in the world....ahhhhhhhh!!! How do you stop them from growing up so fast?!??!? This is going to be a tough step...I just know it. But it will be good socially for her, and so I have to keep telling myself that! :)

Kylie Time!

Kylie has grown SO MUCH!!! She just seems taller and older every day!!! Where is my baby?!?! Thought I better post some pictures of her that I have snapped around the house before she is driving or something! Here is my sweet girl...

I made this gift bag for something, but Kylie quickly found it and named it her purse. She throws it over her shoulder and says, "Goodbye Mommy! Going to see Daddy! Love you!" It was too cute. :) Blurry pic, but thought it was kinda fun still. She was going out with her purse. :)

And had to show me some of her silly faces before she headed out.

Another day where she actually posed for me! (It's hard to get a picture of her actually looking at the camera!)

I tried another self-portrait of the two of us one day to try to get her looking at the camera....and it WORKED! :)

She actually does get tired sometimes and has to rest! :) (Although it doesn't really feel like it! :) ) We've been adjusting to no naps for awhile now. She still needs them and gets tired during the day. But if she has them, she doesn't go to bed until midnight!

Gathering some friends to take outside with her and Mommy! :)

Wedding Fun...

I LOVE weddings! It's so much fun to see the happy couple and share in a small way in their special day! It's fun to give them your best wishes and gather with family and friends! Seriously...LOVE them! A few months ago we were able to go to my cousin's! The reception was BEAUTIFUL and so much fun. I can NOT believe I didn't get a picture of the gorgeous couple! Reagan...you were BEAUTIFUL!!! :) Here are a few pictures I did get...

We went to dinner beforehand with my parents that came from CO and my Grandpa. Here they are! :)

Grandma trying to get Ky to pose...but she won't have it! :)

My oldest bro and sis in law came all the way from CO so they could be there! Aren't they cute?! :)

My Dad with his cute sister! I love these two! :)

My cute cousin, Ethan, with his cute family!

And my cute daughter! I had to take this picture because she was just sitting here dancing to the music lost in space. It was SO FUNNY AND PRECIOUS! Then I decided I better capture it on video! She is SO CUTE! :) She was totally oblivious to the crowd gathered around watching her. We were cracking up (you can hear Grandma) and loving the show. : ) Here is the video...

I can't believe how many people I DID NOT get pictures of! But we had a lot of fun and it was good to see everyone! CONGRATS to the happy couple!

4th of July 2009!!!

I LOVE the 4th of July! I just love celebrating the country where I feel so lucky to live, and to celebrate all of the people that gave their lives so we could enjoy the freedoms we have. It's so humbling and amazing to think about. We had a great day as well. We went to the annual 4th of July BBQ at my aunt Julie's house. Then back at our house, Kylie's Grandma Brown kept the tradition of my Grandma Brown and got sparklers for us to do outside. Then we went driving to find some fireworks to watch! Kylie called them "Burps" and was SO EXCITED when she saw them! Which warmed my heart because I LOVE LOVE LOVE fireworks!!! :)
Here is part of the back yard that we had the wonderful 4th BBQ. The kids are so lucky and had so much fun playing! This was also part of the site of the annual croquet game that can get a bit brutal. :)

One of the darling hostesses showing how lucky we are! :) We are lucky enough to have The Sweet Tooth Fairy in our family so we get visits from her at our parties. Seriously....HOW LUCKY! :) And yes....they taste as good (BETTER!!!) than they look! :)

Kylie goes straight for the frosting...smart girl! :)

Here is my cutie mom and my sweet Grandpa's girlfriend having some girl chat!

Here is my FABULOUS brother Matty and his darling girlfriend, Becca.

And the star of the show is sweet Tatum! She changed her outfit quite a few times throughout the day and she ALWAYS looked SO CUTE!!!! :) She's a precious girl...that's for sure!!!!

Sparklers back at the house! Here is Kylie having her first sparkler lit! She loved them, but didn't quite know what to do with them. She's so cute! :)

Sparklers all over the place!!!

My precious Kylie!

And look at this GORGEOUS sunset that we have from our back yard! I hope they don't build more out here for awhile so we can keep this view! :)

Here is our journey in trying to find some fireworks to see! We drove all over and it was just so crowded everywhere (of course). :) We ended up parking on an overpass to get a view of a few different fireworks shows going on. Then we headed home and found out that we had a great view from our porch! (Like Brian suggested from the beginning!) But it was a lot of fun and we had quite a few laughs! :)

Hope you had a great 4th of July!