Summertime is...

...swimming lessons with friends...

...sunsets (this one is from our back yard--that's the Great Salt Lake in the distance)

...allergies, asthma, and breathing treatments...

...being silly...

...swinging at Grandma and Grandpa's...

...climbing trees with cousins...

...blowing up balloons...

...crying when balloons pop...

...summer school field trips to the Grocery store...

...playing at the park...

...mastering the scooter and riding bikes...

...taking a rest...

...making a wish...

...climbing to the top of the world (well, at least the top of Ensign Peak!)...

...Having Fun!!!

Blessings

One year ago today Brad came home around 11:30am. I thought he was home for lunch, but it turns out he had lost his job. Without warning, and without valid reasons. The shock and the betrayal still sting a little bit (I'll admit, I had a nightmare about it last night). But the overall feeling I get when I think about this past year is gratitude for a Heavenly Father who knows how to succor His children, and who keeps His promises. I'm amazed at all the intricate details the Lord worked out for our benefit.

I've learned that faith and fear really cannot coexist. As we spent all our energy trying to hang on to that little morsel of faith, we grew in ways we never thought possible. While I certainly don't want another trial anytime soon, I am learning that the Lord's tutorials are valuable and I don't need to be afraid.

God lives and he loves us. He has a plan for each of us. If we do what we should, and have faith in Him, everything will work out eventually. This I know.

"Be strong, and of a good courage. Be not afraid; neither be thou dismayed. For the Lord thy God is with thee, withersoever thou goest." Joshua 1:9

Yum!

You know that song by Toby Maquire--no wait--Toby Keith that goes:

Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me me me me me. I wanna talk about me?

Well, I made up a new one tonight:

Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum yum yum yum yum.

I wanna talk about Yum!

I made these for Brad for Father's Day (along with some good pad thai, I might add!)

Anyway, yes, they taste as good as they look. My new favorite brownies!

Jenny over at picky-palate made these up and they are divine!

It's pretty self-explanatory, but click above for the recipe if you want.

The Graduate

Tyler graduated from preschool last week, and is officially on the road to Kindergarten! He was so excited to wear his mortar board hat, and show us all the fun things he's learned this year.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday to my fun, thoughtful, optimistic, funny, insightful, loyal, encouraging, knowledgable, talented, spiritual, joyful, smart, with-it, beloved Mom!

I LOVE YOU!

Heber Valley Camp

We had a great time this weekend with Brad's family up at the Heber Valley Camp. 4 out of the 5 siblings were there with their families, making it 12 out of 15 grandchildren. Ty and Lauren had a blast with all their cousins, roaming free in the great outdoors.

That camp is amazing! I wish our Girls Camp was held there.

Grandma with Meikel, Brinley, Emma, and Tyler

John building a fire, with Andrea and Marie in the background

Everyone in this picture looks a little weird!

We had good food (even if it was a bit late--oops!), a fun Family Home Evening by the campfire, boating in the lake, a scavenger hunt, snow, and only one lost child! Luckily the Camp Host Missionaries found him. By the way, that has to be the Best. Mission. Ever. We all decided we want to be camp host missionaries one day.

Seth, Wyatt and Tyler playing in the sand.

Lauren just chillin'.

Grandpa, Brad, Natalie, Brinley, and Ty in the paddle boat.

We had such a good time, we can't wait for next year!

Mirror Lake Highway

One of our favorite places to go in Utah is the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway in the Uintah mountains. It is basically a loop that starts in Park City, through Kamas, up in the mountains, over into Evanston, WY, and back to Park City. There are some beautiful views, great campgrounds, fun hikes, waterfalls, and lots of fresh air. We used to go a lot BK (before kids), and even some with Ty before we moved to Texas. This was our first time back since being back in Utah, and we had a blast, even though the full loop wasn't open yet--still so much snow this late in the year! We drove by our favorite campground, Moosehorn, and it was still under 4 feet of snow, and the lake was still frozen over!

Crossing the creek on a fallen tree. The strong smell of pine and the cold babbling brook reminded me of all the great times I had camping as a kid at North Davis Creek Campground, #14 in Oregon. That was the best camping spot in the whole world! This was Soapstone Campground, #20, not as good, but still nice.

Further up the road we stopped to throw snow in the Provo River.

It was fun to see so much snow, but still be comfortable in shorts and capris.



One of my favorite places, the Provo River Falls. It was not snow plowed, so we had some serious trailblazing in over a foot of snow to get down there! We had expected there to be more spring runoff (we've been here enough to see it really rushing and almost dry) but the ranger guy said it has been a really wet and cold spring, so the big runoff hasn't started yet.

Can't wait to come back in the summer, and hopefully camp at Moosehorn--if it ever opens!

Sealing

One of the greatest treats of adoption is that we get to have our children sealed to us. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe that families can be together beyond death. Usually, a bride and groom are sealed in one of our temples on their wedding day, and any children born to them are automatically born into that sealing covenant, so each child doesn't get a separate sealing ceremony.

But we do!!! I consider it one of the perks of going the alternative route of building a family. A sealing ceremony is simple but sacred. During our time in Oregon, we were able to have Lauren sealed to us in the Portland Temple. My dad performed the sealing, which was extra special.

Trip to Portland

We took a late Spring Break Trip to Oregon a couple weeks ago. Can we say BEAUTIFUL? Oregon is beautiful any time of the year, but seriously, in Spring, it blows any other place out of the water! All of the foliage and flowers were so incredible!

We'd driven by it many times, but had never stopped at Multnomah Falls, so we got out and hiked the short trail to the bridge. So pretty.

One day we brought Grandma with us and just explored. We ended up seeing some really pretty flowers and yards, and found a great park to play in.

Of course, Brad had to see if he could still do his trick. He's still got it!

Ty and Lauren don't quite have it yet.

Catch Up!

We've had a great couple of months, with blessings (and snow!) pouring down on us. The weather was nice for awhile (we're expecting snow again tonight), and spring has almost sprung. (I forgot how late things bloom here in the Mountain West.)

It was nice enough on St. Patty's Day to wear short sleeves and ride the bikes.

And of course, playing dress-up is always part of the routine.


Adoption Day!!!

We had a GREAT Easter weekend, decorating eggs, watching LDS General Conference, and having Easter dinner with Grandma and Grandpa F.

We leave soon for our trip to Oregon, where we will see Grandma & Grandpa S. and have Lauren sealed to us in the Portland Temple!!! The kids will also get to spend some fun times with Aunt SuzieQ and Uncle Hank and their cousins while Brad and I get a little vacation on the Oregon Coast!! LOVE IT!!