Toddlers!

We had a playdate in my parents' very fun backyard and it was so fun to see four toddlers running around and playing together. We played in the hose, the sprinkler, the sand, the dirt, and with golf balls. What else is there in life?

Catherine, Charlie, Elizabeth, James and Chelsea digging in the dirt (which for some reason is MUCH more interesting to the kids than the sandbox)

Me, Charlie, my cousin, Christine, her little boy, Spencer, Catherine, and Elizabeth (and James in the background)

Me and Chelsea, my sister-in-law and favorite playmate who is moving in 6 days! I can't even talk about it, it makes me so sad.

Spencer loved the sandbox and it was so fun to see him so grown up!

James and Chelsea had on their shades- we just need to get Emma a matching pair.

Backyard BBQ

Steve and Kerry hosted us for a backyard BBQ at their charming, century-old house in downtown Salt Lake City. Horse-drawn carriages start at temple square and then clop-clop past their house. It's so darling. It was nice to relax together (as much as you can relax when there are two toddlers running loose) and enjoy the summer evening.

Independence Day 2011

We started off the celebrations on the Saturday before the holiday with a backyard pool party at Grandma T's house. The grown ups hung out in the shade while James and Charlie played in the pool and squirted each other.

Then, after a yummy dinner we moved the driveway for some fireworks provided by Uncle Dave. Both Charlie and James were enthralled by the "rockets".

Uncle Dave, our fireworksman

I love the expression on Charlie's face- it's priceless!

Uncle Mark, Aunt Chelsea and James are all watching a firework while John is helping Charlie- that's his "I'm scared" pose.

I don't know what Mark is saying here but I love this expression!

Then on the actual 4th, we headed to our new neighborhood for their annual breakfast and kiddie parade.

Our friend, Hadley, was the impromptu parade leader in another neighbor's vintage truck

Our family portrait snapped by my mom along the parade route.

Charlie had a great time once we bribed him with some candy to stay in the wagon.

Then that evening, we headed to our friends' home for their annual party. They always have delicious food catered by Red Iguana, tons of little kids and giant bounce houses and inflatable water slides. Charlie found the little slide into the kiddie pool more his speed. He was entertained for a long time!

My parents have a giant flag that they hang over the garage on Independence Day. I had John take my picture in front of it- this is my first (and maybe only) belly shot of this pregnancy. I'm 31 weeks here.

Summer of craziness

I think I will always look back on this summer as the one I almost lost my mind. Here's what's been keeping me so BUSY! (It feels good to write it down so I can realize how much we're actually doing and why I need to go to bed by 9 pm every night!)

-Visitors! My parents and now Catherine, Richard and Elizabeth are here visiting. Lots of fun, sharing of only two cars, babysitting each others' toddlers, talking, juggling nap schedules, eating, laughing and PROJECTS (my parents have totally re-done the whole garden, including taking out a huge tree by themselves and a gigantic row of hedges!) And did I mention we have SIX PEOPLE sharing TWO CARS?!!

-New house! So exciting and fun, but a long list of projects and endless appointments (furnace repair, appliance delivery, carpet cleaning, etc.) I feel like every free moment I have should be spent packing. Every free moment John has is spent building stuff (this week- a pedestal for our washer and dryer), moving, loading and unloading stuff into our new house.

-Spending quality time with my darling Charlie before my attention is divided forever, with my beloved in-laws before they move to Boise, with my family while they are here for the summer, with my niece and nephew while they're out of school, and with dear friends both new (we are being welcomed SO WARMLY into our new neighborhood!) and old (we are going to miss our friendships in this ward a lot!)

-Pregnancy stuff including doctors' appointments, ultrasounds, doulas, chiropractor and childbirth classes. Bambino no. 2 has a health issue that we're monitoring (we won't know until after birth if it's minor or not), my blood pressure is borderline high and needs to be checked every week, and we're trying for a natural birth which takes a lot of practice and preparation! And just add to that the exhaustion of the third trimester and you can imagine how productive I am!

-My ten-year high school reunion! I'm the co-chair of the committee and the reunion is on Aug. 13th. (If you went to high school with me, please buy your tickets!) I'm so lucky to have a great committee who is working so hard to help make this reunion happen!

How's your summer going?

Baby Emma!

We are so thrilled by our newest little niece, Emma Marie. She's so adorable and sweet and teeny! Congratulations to Mark and Chelsea and James, the proud parents and big brother. (My favorite thing? If you ask James what sound Emma makes he goes, "Wah." So funny.)

This is when we first got to meet and cuddle her- she was only two days old! What a little sweetheart!




Then I got to take a few pictures of her last week. Even as sleepy and floppy as she is (as all newborns are), she still showed off her gentle and calm personality. Even when she was crying, she would stop after a minute as soon as Chelsea touched her or picked her up. What a little dream.




Welcome to the family!

Homeowner!!

Here's the story of how we came to buy a house, feel free to skip ahead to the photos!

We've been thinking about purchasing a home for a while and and had talked about starting to look this summer. I thought we'd look for a long time before we found something we liked or could afford. Then one day, out of the blue, John's good friend, Hadley sent him a link to a house and told him it was for sale but not officially on the market and we should check it out. Their mutual friend, Terry, was the realtor and so we made an appointment to go look at it. John fell head over heels for the gorgeously maintained and large backyard and liked the house, too. I liked it, too, but I wasn't sold yet!

We made an appointment to look at other houses closer to where we live now with our other friend who is a realtor and we ended up looking at 12 houses in one afternoon! There were a few we were considering and we prayed about them all, strategized, budgeted, talked to the neighbors on the street, called the bishops of the wards we'd be in and one by one, we let the others slip by. We just kept coming back to the first house we had seen in Holladay.

We made another appointment to go look at that house, this time taking John's parents, brother and a contracter to look at some of our areas of concern (the rickety staircase and unfinished shelf basement, primarily). While we were there, the owner showed us his vintage trucks he had meticulously restored. As we left, the contracter texted me, "Sometimes I worry when people have remodeled their homes that they haven't done it the right way, but after seeing those trucks, I think we can trust this guy!"

We decided to make an offer on the home, which was counter offered and we accepted. The appraisal and inspection both went incredibly well, too. My parents arrived in town just in time to tour the home with us and give their stamp of approval. Finally, last Thursday, we wired the down payment money and then signed papers on the home!

signing papers

It's kind of a surreal experience to buy a home and at first, I was really reluctant to tell people we were buying a house because it is never a sure thing until the end. It just felt awkward to talk about until it was finalized. And now it is!!

our first home- this is a shot I took from the street on a rainy day before we made an offer- we were checking it out with our entourage (in this photo- John, Terry (our realtor/bishop), Breea, and Dave)