First week of school

The start of a new school year is always so much fun. Addison loves the 1st grade. She is so excited about her teacher and all of the fun things they are going to learn this year. The highlight of her week was definitely going to cheer clinic each day after school. Last night she cheered at the university stadium for a local high school's half time. It was fun to watch her, she loved every minute of it.

Two adorable little spectators.

A girl with a lot of spirit :)

So excited to be a flyer on the front row.

Mesa Falls Marathon

Yesterday morning was the Mesa Falls Marathon. A few months ago, several people in my family decided to make this day a family event. My uncle (Steve) was planning on doing the full marathon. My cousin (Tarra) and I were going to do the half marathon. My sister (Kambria) and my aunt (Karla) were going to do the 5k. In the weeks before the race, I injured my IT band. Ouch! So, training had to stop. Big disappointment, but the day still turned out to be so much fun! Tarra decided last minute to run the full marathon and she did AWESOME. I met them somewhere in the middle and ran with them and then ran Tarra in her last couple of miles. Karla, Kam, Brad and I did the 5k and then Brad ran Steve in his last couple of miles. What a huge accomplishment for our two marathoners!!!!!! They made it look so easy!

Here is a funny picture that Brad snapped. After I ran my short stretch in the middle of the marathon I was tired and ready to hop back in the car. Well, this is me trying to catch up with the car. Brad was going just fast enough that I could not catch up and just slow enough that I could reach out and touch the bumper. He was laughing and snapping pictures of my desperate state. He was nice enough to let me in before a huge hill, thanks Brad :)

Mountain Man

Brad hiked to the Tetons in the Grand Teton National Park. He took off early in the morning (alone) to begin his very adventurous 15 mile hike. I was a little nervous that he was alone, and after taking a very dangerous journey (off trail) he will be hiking with a buddy next time :) He made it home with cuts, bruises and burn from stinging nettle, but overall had an amazing experience. He took some beautiful pictures.

Happy Birthday Addison!

Addison turned 7 years old this weekend! She is growing up so fast! We had a water party with family and friends on Friday and then a day trip to Yellowstone on Saturday. Lots of fun. Addie's birthday request...a cell phone and a bright green beach cruiser. The cell phone request really made us laugh. Instead of a cell phone, she received walkie talkies that look and act like cell phones. She was busy calling Olivia all day. CUTE, she is so much fun!

Strolling around Yellowstone with her new cell phone :)

Huckleberries

For Family Home Evening on Monday night, we decided to venture to the mountains and do a little huckleberry picking.  We left after dinner and had very high hopes for huckleberry jam and syrup in our future.  We picked until sunset and were only able to pick about 2 cups of berries!  Our huge bucket shows our ambition.  We just laughed.   Next year we'll have to plan a day trip :)  

Sweet Ella picking berries...

put it in, take it out and eat it. So cute!

2 cups of berries were perfect for 

5 fantastic milkshakes-DELISH!

Trip to Boise

Brad and I took a little 4 day vacation to Boise.  Well, it was a vacation for me, not so much for Brad.  He was there for the Idaho bar exam. My sister had our kids, so I spent my days soaking in the sun by the pool- reading, relaxing and eating blueberries.  It was the best!    

After the test, Brad and I had a couple days to explore Boise.  We loved the downtown area, a lot of fun shops and restaurants.  Whenever we travel, we like to try new food and best loved restaurants and bakeries.  I found two of my favorites in Boise.  Boise has really great sushi! We went to Boise's top rated sushi bar-WOW.  We loved it and can not wait to go back!  After that we found some serious chocolatiers at a bakery-bistro in BoDo.  YUM.  

It was so fun to get away for a few days.  Thanks so much to my awesome sister who took care of our kids!  We had a great time.

Bills Island-Island Park, Idaho

THANK YOU Grandma and Grandpa Daybell for a great getaway!

Café Dejeuner

This week,  Brad and I enjoyed a night of fine dining at Café Dejeuner on the BYU-I campus. Café Dejeuner is a fancy little restaurant conducted by the students in the Culinary Arts program.  Once a year, they compose a seven course meal of beautifully presented, gourmet dishes (final exam for the semester).  It was very impressive and absolutely scrumptious.  Each course is created by one of the culinary students and is served with a unique beverage designed to go with the dish and to clean your palate for the upcoming course. We relished every bite!  LOVED it- romantic and delicious!

Days of Summer

We have had a fantastic week!  The days have been sunny and beautiful. We have been enjoying every moment of sunlight!   

Ahhh,the sweet days of summer!!  

Addie,taking a snooze on a sunny afternoon.

Splash Park 

Carousel of fun with cousins.

FAMILY REUNION  

We have the best family!  

I love this pic with my girls & their great-grandparents. 

Some of my fabulous cousins!  

It was so much fun to get together.

We have always been very good friends.

G O O D  T I M E S !

Cave Falls

This weekend we hiked to Cave Falls in the southwest corner of Yellowstone National Park. The falls are very impressive, especially with the Falls River running so high right now.  From here, there are several hiking trails that lead to other waterfalls, however, we were told that there was a bear on the trail up ahead. We decided not to risk it and to end our journey here. We would have loved to see a bear, but not up too close!

Cave Falls is not reachable on the main loop. Instead,  you travel down a long washboard dirt road.  It was not so good on our already worn tires.  We had two flats this weekend! One on the way home and one the next day!  Poor Brad! He's my hero.

Utah

We just got back from a weekend trip to Utah.  It's always fun to visit friends and family!  The weather was perfect, so we spent our days playing outside in the water.  We also had an awesome evening in the mountains riding 4 wheelers through beautiful Hobble Creek Canyon. Lots of fun.

Ella-enjoying the sun with a yummy red popsicle.

Cuties in the canyon.

Happy Father's Day Brad!

Three little girls and one AMAZING dad!

They absolutely adore him and so do I :)

Memorial Day Weekend- Estes Park

We had a fantastic Memorial Day weekend!  We spent a few days in Estes Park with my parents.  The days were filled with hikes, golf, swimming, shopping, relaxing in the hot tub and yummy food.  Estes Park is gorgeous!  It was so much fun exploring the area.   

Hiking around Bear Lake 

in the Rocky Mountain National Park.

9th Anniversary

It was our 9th anniversary yesterday!  We celebrated with a romantic evening under the stars at Lake Arbor.  It was perfect.  The years have gone by so quickly... 3 kids, 5 moves in 3 states, undergrad, law school and a million other adventures.  I am so lucky to be married to the sweetest man in the world.  I love you Brad.  HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

9 years ago, love the poofy dress and the sideburns!

Anniversary gift: A beautiful picture of the

Mount Timpanogos Temple. 

A perfect gift on a perfect day.  Thanks Brad!

I LOVE IT. 

Tiny Town

This weekend we visited an ADORABLE little town in a beautiful mountain canyon southwest of Denver.  This cute little town is called "Tiny Town".  The town is made up of tiny little buildings with interiors decorated with miniature everything!  We went from building to building and house to house looking through windows.  A few of the houses were big enough for the kids to play in.  The girls LOVED it.  We also took a delightful train ride through the town and surrounding area.  It was a perfect afternoon for a family full of little girls. :)

Pearl Street

The girls and I went to Boulder on Monday to check out the tulips on Pearl Street.  Pearl Street is a popular Boulder hang out.  It is home to hundreds of beautiful tulips and part of the Boulder Tulip Festival in a few weeks.  So, I thought it would be the perfect spot for Ella's 2 year old pictures and a fun afternoon for the kids and I. When we arrived, Pearl Street was very crowded.  Surprising for a Monday afternoon.  I could barely get my stroller through the people.  After a while, I realized that we were standing in the middle of the National Marijuana Forum!  What a day to visit Boulder!  We were not able to take pictures of Ella and the tulips (used a red door at the mall on the way home), instead we found a "bubble fairy". She kept the kids entertained with bubbles while I enjoyed "people watching".  Very entertaining. :)

Happy Birthday Ella!

I can't believe it, our little Ella is 2 years old!  She is such a sweetheart.  We love her so much!

Ella LOVES being a little mom to her babies.  This is a gift from my mom and dad.  Ella is very protective of her new doll pram, the older girls can not even get close to it without her yelling "NO, MINE!"  Yesterday, Addison and Olivia set up a trap with a jump rope to pull it away without Ella knowing, she was frantic and very upset. They thought that it was hilarious. Poor Ella, what a little cutie. 

Our family gift to Ella was a Kelty backpack for hiking.  We love to go to the mountains on Saturdays and we have really needed this to carry Ella.  We went to Boulder this afternoon to try it out.  She loved riding on her dad's back and we loved having her safe and secure.  

We invited the Westhoff fam to party with us in Boulder.  The trail we wanted to hike was closed, so the kids had fun climbing rocks, eating cupcakes and playing in the canyon.  

Coloring Easter Eggs Naturally

Today, we went to the Whole Foods Market to learn how to dye eggs naturally. The girls each dyed an egg in the color of their choice and made a cute (recyclable) basket for their egg to rest. Our kids were fascinated by the process. They could not believe that fruits and vegetables were making their eggs colorful.   The colors were vibrant and beautiful.  At the end of the class, the girls were able to fill their baskets with a variety of flavorful organic jelly beans. Yum! 

 Sweet Ella- loves her new basket  

Ella's yellow egg- dyed in turmeric.

Natural Egg Dyes:

Simmer 2 Tbsp white vinegar with ingredient below for 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before immersing eggs.  Let egg soak in dye bath for 5-10 minutes.

Pink-  12 oz. cranberries

Red-   4 cups chopped beets 

Blue-  chopped red cabbage

Yellow- 3 Tbsp turmeric

Lavender- 4 cups blueberries

From Sun to Snow

Just 5 days ago we were in Phoenix, relaxing by the pool in 90 degrees of sunshine.

Today, in Denver, we are in the middle of a BLIZZARD!  The weather man is reporting 15-19 inches of snow in the metro area!  I can not believe it.  The snow has been thick since 9:00 a.m. and the blowing and drifting is out of control...a total whiteout at times.  It is so bad, we can't go anywhere (it's Spring Break).  Where is Spring?   I put our snow clothes in storage a few weeks ago.

Ahhh, those were the days!

Addison...dreaming of Arizona.