Utah Valley is aaaaall about patriotism. There are festivities going on the whole week leading up to the 4th. This year we didn't take advantage of too many activities, but our 4th was still enjoyable! We watched the parade in the morning (Nicole loved the horses) and spent time with Doug's family all afternoon. We attended a block party for dinner, then went straight home to put Austin to bed. He slept soundly (hallelujah, white noise machines) while we watched our neighbors light up tons of fireworks. Nicole loved the aerial rockets, and she was entranced by the sparklers we got for her. One of the only pictures I took all day was this gem from my phone:
I love her little lips puckered in awe. And yep, I've been terrible at pictures lately.
I've been trying to be less attached to technology. I uninstalled facebook from my phone nearly 2 weeks ago (magical!), I have traded more books for less Netflix (also magical!), Doug and I only watch one episode of our current shows in the evenings... it makes a difference!
Anyways. I'm not a huge fan of hot weather, but the month of July is my jam. I'm not sick of summer yet, and the whole month feels festive (thanks to Pioneer Day here in Utah). The only downside to summer this year = I haven't had a single piece of corn-on-the-cob. What's up with that?!?! That's something to fix next time I get groceries!
Better late than never with sharing a couple pictures from Easter, right? Haha.
Nicole had an Easter egg hunt last year, but this year was entirely different because 1) we could actually hide the eggs (in rather obvious places) and 2) we put candy in the eggs. She was ecstatic upon discovering those jellybeans. She found all of the eggs with ease, and was excited to see the treasures in her Easter basket. Favorite item = the Elsa doll. Elsa immediately earned a place next to Nicole for bed time, an honor only granted to her favorite stuffed animals and dolls.
^^^Eating her spoils
While we're talking about Elsa, I should mention that Nicole got to meet several Disney characters the week before Easter: Ariel, Moana, Olaf, Elsa, and Anna. She was shy around Ariel and was brave enough to wave goodbye to Moana. She was VERY excited to see Olaf and immediately went up to give him an enormous hug. Then we went to meet Elsa and Anna. I kid you not, her mind was blown. She was in a state of toddler shock, getting to meet her favorite princess and queen. As I brought her over to them her mouth dropped open, and then she closed her eyes and just stood there, slack-jawed and eyes practically rolling to the back of her head. Then Anna picked her up. I fully expected her to start crying at that point, but I suppose she was still too shocked to respond. The poor, star-struck toddler! I wish I had a picture of the look on her face, it was priceless. She was dazed the whole ride home. Like I said... her mind was blown.
No fear when it came to Olaf, though! Olaf got all the hugs and smiles.
Let's see... any other updates? Now that the weather is warming up, we go walks on an almost daily basis. Nicole already has a tan line, even though I'm pretty sure that I slather her up with more sunscreen than I do myself! And my tan is non-existent!
Also, an awesome splash pad is opening up about 5 minutes from our house sometime in midsummer. It's going to be the best one in Utah County. Better than the one in Springville, even. I anticipate spending lots of time there when it finally opens. Meanwhile, we have a kiddie pool stowed away in the garage, just waiting to be inflated! The hose water is so cold, though...
Lastly, we purchased our first watermelon of the season over the weekend. Nicole and Austin are both loving it. Oh, we're going to have such a great summer! I love my babies!
I always knew that the Christmas season would be a million times more magical with children. My babies are still so young, but I'm starting to see the magic of the season reflected in Nicole's eyes. She plays with our Little People nativity set and groups all of the figures around the stable so they can see the Baby Jesus. The first thing she does after breakfast is rush downstairs to press the button that turns the Christmas tree lights on. She's helped me make some holiday treats and knows that the big man in the red suit is Santa (or "Teenta" as she pronounces it). Every morning we open one of our advent boxes to see what ornament she gets to put on our miniature tree that sits on the piano. She dances to my holiday music playlists and stays a respectable distance away from the lit fireplace, exclaiming "Hot!" and then curling up on the couch while we watch a show or movie. She snuggles down under her blankets at night like a pro, demands that we share our hot chocolate and eggnog, and eats fudge like there's no tomorrow.
Austin has no idea what's going on, but he does enjoy being placed under the tree so he can stare up at the lights, and I'm sure he appreciates the fact that the cold weather results in me being much more willing to wear him in the baby wrap than if it were summer.
A time of wonder, joy, love, and thankfulness. The innocence of my young children. Gratitude for the miraculous birth that occurred hundreds of years ago - the true reason for the season. It all combines together to make the end of the year quite an enjoyable, cozy, heart-warming time, even while living on a broken sleep schedule and pushing through postpartum mood swings. And I can't wait to start acting out the nativity with those babies of mine. We are definitely going to make Doug be the donkey because, ya know, dads give the best horseback rides. Obviously.
^^^Nicole and her crazy, un-tamable bedhead.
^^^Our little advent tree, mini ornaments and all. Only one week of boxes left to open now!
^^^Believe it or not, this was her FIRST time meeting Santa. And she didn't even cry. But she was a little concerned.
Our Independence Day festivities spanned across several days, thanks to all of the multi-day activities that this awesome city offers. Our celebrations started bright and early on Friday the 1st while we watched hot air balloons soaring over the valley and ate our hearts out at an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast fundraiser. One day, I will go up in one of those balloons... #bucketlist
I can't believe that we lived a 3 minute drive away from the balloon launch site for 2 years and never went to watch. Lazy bums, we are. Now it's a 20 minute drive!
Another activity we checked out for the first time was the Colonial Heritage Festival. It was kind of cool to see so many people dressed in colonial costumes and to watch/explore all of the aspects of colonial life, from carving fiddles, to homemade soap, to witnessing a printing press in action. There were a lot of fun kids activities, but Nicole wasn't quite old enough for any of them yet.
^^^Frontier-style campsite. The actors went about their daily activities and even snoozed in the cots.
Nicole loved watching the Freedom Days Parade on the morning on the 4th. She danced every time a marching band went by and clapped when she saw horses. We were so thankful to have a spot in the shade, and that the day was intermittently cloudy. Also, Nicole turns so red when she gets warm!
The evening consisted of a couple different block parties... at the first one Nicole had her first experience with water balloons (and dropped them on her feet almost every time, LOL) At the other one with Doug's family and their neighbors, we stuffed ourselves and there were mini "tractor" rides and candy cannon launches and plenty of fireworks. Nicole clapped every time a firework went off... until we got to the aerial rockets. Those were a little too loud for her liking. Maybe we should invest in some noise-canceling muffs for future babies...
The cool thing about Utah is that you can go up on the mountains and watch fireworks bursting in the air all across the valley. (Yep, dear CA friends, they're legal here.) Our whole drive home on the freeway was lit with people setting off fireworks in the air. One of these years, I just want to sit on the trail by our house that looks out across the valley and watch fireworks from there. It would be simple and awesome, I bet. When kids are older, right? :)
Nicole didn't get to bed until 10. She was exhausted and slept in past 9:30 and it was glorious.
Now for the rest of the photo dump :D
Despite the imperfections, I am thankful for this country. We have been blessed beyond our comprehension, living in a country like America and whatnot. God bless the USA!
In my youth, Memorial Day weekend meant boating on Millerton Lake and having a BBQ swim party at my grandparent's house with homemade ice cream and brownies. Nowadays, I don't have access to a private pool or a boat, but we're searching for our own traditions! I need to figure out a good way to incorporate the meaning of the holiday into our shenanigans. When I was 12, my grandfather (a veteran) was interviewed about Memorial Day, and then the reporter asked me - the eldest grandchild - what Memorial Day meant to me... and I replied "Well, it means no school!" (because school lasts nearly halfway into June in California).
Womp womp womp. I want my kids to be a little more aware than that, ya know?
Our weekend included:
- Backyard picnics (hello, corn on the cob and grilled pineapple!!!!! Official summer food!)
- Yard work
- Disney movies
-Visiting the "Provo Beach" for carousel rides (which Nicole did not enjoy, sadly) and Dole Whips (they taste just like the ones at Disneyland!)
- The splash pad
- A Saturday of steak fajitas for breakfast and waffles for dinner
- A fresh summer haircut for me
- And when Mom leaves to get her haircut, apparently it's prime time for Dad and daughter to make a home video. Doug was so excited to show me when I got home haha. I included it at the bottom of the post for family who aren't on social media :)
Oh, and we celebrated 4 years of marriage a few days ago. We kept it low-key this year: Greek food and going to the movies. However, it was the first time I've been to the movie theater since before Nicole was born, I'm pretty sure... so it was a bit of a treat! And I ate waaaaay too much popcorn!
^^^She's just not sure about those horses... and the ride hadn't even started yet!
^^^Daddy helping her leap over ALL the things!!!
^^^Had to get a shot of those chubby thighs! They're slowly getting less chubby :(
^^^She almost never lets me hold her hand... but she'll hold Daddy's hand aaaaaall the time.
^^^Really though, you guys. Those legs.......
And we finally found some sandals that don't squish the life out of her chubby feet! Thanks for all the suggestions, you guys. Saltwaters were the most immediately accessible, so that's what we went with.
And lastly, the home video. Doug is very proud of it, you guys. I love this silly, silly family of mine! I can't wait to throw another baby in the mix! Why is pregnancy so loooong?!?!?!
I tossed some plastic eggs out on the grass at a local park on Easter morning to see if Nicole could figure out this whole "Easter egg hunt" business, and it was a better success than I expected! She found nearly all of the 20 eggs before making a mad dash for the playground ;) I'm so excited for years down the road when the Easter Bunny can start really hiding the eggs.
I love my little family.
^^^I love this Daddy-Daughter-Duo!
^^^Doug looked at Nicole's hair in this picture and said, "Who does she think she is, Elizabeth Bennett?!" Ha! Husband points!
