Monday, June 30, 2008

Good Friends and Fun

Thursday: Angelica and Layla

This last week and weekend we had so much fun. We first meet up with our Friends from Arizona, Angelica and Layal. We were going to go swimming at the Murray Pool, but do to some issues at the pool we ended up at Angelica's Mother in Laws neighborhood pool.
We had relaxed, floated and played for a couple hours. Then we headed back to her Mom house for some much needed lunch. Her mom has made the most darling little tee-pee and Layla and Etta had a blast playing and eating their lunch in the Tee-pee.


Eating peanutbutter and jelly in the Tee-pee.


Best little friends

We always enjoy playing and hanging out with them and can't wait for them to come back to Utah so we can play with them again.

Friday: Catherine, Emily and Jon


We did make it to the Murray pool the next day with our friends Catherine, Emily and Jonathan. The girls did great just playing and swimming around the zero depth entry. Gibson splashed and played for a while then learned he could crawl in the water. He was than everywhere chasing the girls and trying to catch up with his friend Johnathan.
We eat lunch and slide down the big slide. Then called it a day after a couple hours. It is always more fun to go swimming with friends than by your self.
The kids hammed it up when we brought out the camera's. Water, friends, food and the camera couldn't have been any better.


Etta just kept saying "cheese, take my picture".


Gibby giving me a BIG smile.


Gibby has the crawling in the water down, Etta was trying it too.


My little pretty princess!


Ready to go, once I get them out I have to take advantage before they get back in.


Best little (fishies) Friends swimming


Gibby getting courageous, then falling


Me and my precious little sweethearts!

Thanks Catherine for the fun time and great pictures you took!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

My little Boy turns 1!

My little Gibson West turned 1 on Monday. What a sweetheart. Andy and I were excited when we found out we were going to have a baby in the middle of baseball season. Gibson is bound to have a baseball party every year.

Gibby's Birthday present. Of course eating them is better than playing with them.

Sister Etta getting in on the Action of in the Ball Pit.

We invited many of our friends and family for a little BBQ party at the park. It was great to see my cousins and their kids come. They arrived first and we talked for a while with them. Soon my family and friends arrived and the party started. We all ate Hamburgers, hot dogs or brats. Then ate baseball cupcakes that took me forever to make and did not turn out how I pictured (yeah I lack the skill for stuff like that).

Andy manning the Grill

My beautiful Baseball Cupcakes.

Angelica and Layla enjoying the party.
Birthday boy getting read to blow out his candle.

Cupcake face.

"Give me more Mommy."

Birthday kisses from sister.

Jen, Melissa and Amy enjoying Andy's good Cooking.

The kids played with water balloons and on the playground for a bit. Then we opened his presents. (Thank you to everyone for the fun toys and clothes for Gibby). He had a blast seeing new toys. He also had great little helpers opening his presents for him.

Etta and Layla telling Gibson who the present is from.

Same little helpers showing Gibson how to rip the wrapping paper.

A great little baseball toy for Gibson (and Etta) to play with.

We packed up and most of us headed to the Bees baseball game. We haven't ever sat on the grass with the kids and thought that would be the best for all the fun friends and family that came with us. Of course it was a blast after the sun went down. All the little boys Gibson's age were crawling or walking everywhere. The little girls were dancing and playing ring around the rosies. Plus their were a ton of home runs and the Bees won.

My Happy Little 1 year old!

Daddy, Gibby and Etta.

Me and my Gibby!

Ashton, Jonathan, Gibby and Chase. Fun little boys.

Etta and Emily looking for "Bumble, the Bumble Bee".

Makenna and Etta playing "Ring around the Rosies."

The girls as they "all fall down".

Not the best picture, but fun that they posted that for Gibson.

Thank you everyone who can and helped us celebrate Gibby's 1st Birthday. We had fun with all of you and love you all.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

One of the Best Experiences! Logan to Park City

This last weekend I ran the Wasatch Relay from Logan to Park City with an awesome group of people. A group of 12 ran 3 legs each ranging from 3-9 miles each leg totaling 12- 19 miles each person. We were the "Who's from Whoville". Our vans were all deck out as "Thing 1 vs Thing 2".


Our two vans all decorated.

We each were characters from a Dr. Suess book. We had :
Horton the Elephant
The Onceler
The Lorax
Sam I Am
The Grinch
Hop on Pop
Star-Bellied Sneetch (my pregnant friend looked so cute with a little star on her belly)
Cindy Lou Who
Gertrude McFuzz
Yertle the Turtle
The Cat in the Hat
And I was the Fox in Sox, I cut socks off and wrote on them "Fox" and "Sox", Etta now wears them.

My Van started around 8pm and ran through the night. Our first runner was my friend Angelica, who was 4 1/2 months pregnant. As she came running in to the exchange station another team tried to pass her. She would not have that happen and gave it everything she had. She got our team pumped up!
Angelica's amazing finish.

My first leg was around 10pm and straight up hill. Not the most fun but glad to get the hardest run out of the way. We all stopped at a park to eat and sleep for about 2 hours before we were to head off to our next exchange and run again.

*Getting support from Hatcher and my Andy!

The passing of the Slap Bracelet to get me running.

I ran right next to the beautiful reservoir, but it also made me really thirsty.

Must be doing pretty good if I can lift my arm to wave.

Almost to the end.

After that leg we headed to one of our teammates home in Kamas. We showered,ate and slept a bit more before our last leg. Showering was the best!
The last leg was extremely hot for my fellow teammates. But they kicked butt. I finished up by getting the slap bracelet exchange at Deer Valley and running through Park City to the finish line. My team met me about 100 yards from the finish line and ran in with me.

Waiting to start my last leg. Very nervous.

Sprinting to the finish line with my team.

The amazing people I ran with , AKA : The Who's from Whoville

My Van 2 "Thing 2" Group

What a great experience. I am for sure planning on doing it again next year!

*Plus a bonus, I had my husband there helping out our team by volunteering. He stayed the night and supplied me with a soft bed, pillow and blankets for my 1 hour and 45 minutes of sleep. Then he cheered me on my second leg of running. He stopped quite a bit to snap pictures, cheered for me and gave me water. He was also there at the finish line to tell me how proud he was of me. What a great husband. I loved the support and know he spent a lot of time driving around and waiting around at the finish line.
Thank you so much, I Love ya sweetie!

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Fun Day at the Park

Yesterday we planned a fun little park activity with some friends. The city has a great lunch program going on during the summer at all the Salt Lake Parks. Free lunch for kids 18 and younger. We thought what a great idea to eat lunch at the park without having to pack up lunches.
I grabbed some tacos for me and we headed to the park. The kids played on the playground for a bit before lunch. Once lunch started we all sat down and enjoyed the nice warm day under a big tree.
I told Etta the night before that we were going to the park and she could run through the sprinklers. So after she ate her burrito, applesauce, carrots and chips she let me know she was ready to go run through the sprinklers.
Liberty Park is awesome. They have a large playground area with water sprinklers, slides, and swings. It does get a bit crowded but the kids still have some fun.
Etta didn't run all the way through them but liked the sprinkle here and there. She had fun playing just on the outside of the sprinklers and on her favorite little "Mr. Turtle".

Waiting for the sprinklers to get smaller and then running through the tunnel.


Trying to catch the water and drink it.


Etta and Mr. Turtle.

Gibby had a little fun at first and then when the sprinklers go bigger wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Having fun with little sprinkles, ready to leave now.


A few little standing pictures, but still not liking the big sprinklers.


Safely back in the stroller with his milk.

Our friends were getting ready to leave when I got a call from our good friend Angelica saying she was at liberty park and wanted to see if we could come over. I told her we were already there and where excited to come find them and play some more.

This time we went to the little streams and canyons area they have there. Etta and Layla loved seeing each other and played for about 2 more hours. Angelica and I chatted and dangled our feet while Gibby splashed a bit. Angelica's mom was there and took the girls on walks to the waterfalls, to chase some birds and run up and down the big hill. Etta had so much fun and when it was time to leave wanted to go home with Layla on the bus.
We snapped some pictures before they got there and forgot to get some of Layla and Etta together. We will just have to make another play date at the park or pool for some good little pictures.


Splashing with their feet.


Gibby loving the water.


Etta doing what she does best "Playing in the water".