Memorial Day!

We always get together on Memorial Day to visit the graves of our family. We start out in Taylorsville, then to downtown Salt Lake, the foothills, and on to Provo.

My cute Grandma always tells us the stories about our ancestors. She even brings pictures and articles of importance. I always love hearing the stories of my family heritage. One of my favorites is about my Great, Great, Great Grandfather. He was riding his horse through a forest when a huge winter storm came. He sat down by a tree to take shelter. He got so tired that he fell asleep. He would have died if he hadn't been hit by snow which woke him up. We claim that it was a holy snowball that saved his life.

Mckenna was prepared with her umbrella and raincoat for the bad weather. It rained almost the entire day and at one point there was hail too.

I had to include this picture of my funny Dad. It makes me laugh everytime I see it. The purse is my Grandmas by the way. He was being a gentlemen and holding it for her.(Mike & Amy this picture is for you!)

The girl cousins always have so much fun together. They were making a train.

My sister Teenie went with us to Provo to visit my Mothers grave. The cemetary is beautiful and overlooks the valley. It is always a peaceful place to visit. Today was my Moms birthday as well as it being memorial day. Happy Birthday Mom, we love you!

All in an hour...

I just really need to vent right now....I have had quite the night. It started out with a potty accident. Potty training is hard with a little boy. When there is an accident it gets everywhere. It was on his pants, the tile floor, the rug, the potty chair. So I was cleaning it up when curious Halle wants to come and see the fun mommy is having. I got the kids in the bath and that went well. It seemed that things were getting better. Then it began.... I was getting Halle dressed when Parker came and told me "Mommy, I went potty in Kenna's room." So I was off to clean and disinfect the carpet in Kennas room. I am so glad that we always have a bottle of carpet spray handy. Next, it is off to blow dry Kennas hair. I peek out the door and see Halle is in Kenna's room.(the danger zone, usually the door stays shut) Halle has something in her mouth. I drop the blow dryer and run. Luckily, I was just in time. I reach my finger in and pull out a huge wad of gum. Halle had found Kennas secret stash of bazooka bubble gum. I don't really know how many pieces she had stuffed in her mouth. I must admit that I just had to laugh at this point. I think is was a good outlet for my frustration. I then head back to blow dry Kennas hair when I notice Parkers door is shut. As I opened the door I was greeted with a dreaded smell. He had decided to poop in his pull up instead of using the toilet. I love my kids but I am really glad that they are all in bed right now.

Girls just wanna have fun!

The other day we found a box with a bunch of my toys in it. I thought it would be fun for Kenna to have some of my dolls to play with!
Mckenna was so excited to see all my stuff. She couldn't wait to get out the pink Barbie corvette and go for a cruise!
Halle even had fun digging throught the pile. She had a huge smile on her face. It was a trip down memory lane going through my old toys that I hadn't seen in years. It was funny because I found that I had given all my trolls names. They were written on the bottom of their feet. Some of the names were; razz, coconut, and parowan. We had a good laugh about some of the names. I am so glad that I saved my dolls to give to my daughters. I love having fun with my girls!

Our seventh Anniversary!

Today Kev and I have been married for seven years. We were able to get away without the kids over the weekend. We went down to Manti where we got married. It was really cool being at the temple to celebrate our Anniversary.

We stayed overnight at the Manti House Inn. It is a historical building and was constructed in the 1860's . It was built to house the workers who were building the Manti temple.
We had an incredible view from the room we were staying in. The temple looks so majestic all lite up at night.
We went for a walk up to the temple that night. It was perfect weather for an evening walk. The blossoms were out on the trees and the flowers were blooming.
We ate breakfast that morning at the Inn. It was delicious and we had the whole dining room to ourselves.
We stopped by to visit my Aunty Helen who is from Austrailia. She is currently living at the house where my Great grandma lived. The house was built before the temple was. It is located directly south of the temple and has a beautiful view. My Aunt rented out the house for the last twelve years. It was great to be able to walk through it again and show Kev. I am so glad that we were married in the Manti temple. I am so grateful that I get to spend eternity with my husband Kev.

Halle's one year pictures!

We took Halle to get her one year pictures a couple of weeks ago. We were really happy with how they turned out. Halle smiled and played the whole time we were there. The little rocking chair in the pictures is from Great Grandma Grant. She bought it for her grandchildren and then when Mckenna was born passed it along to us. Halle loves it because it is just her size!

Happy Mothers Day!

I am so grateful to be a Mom to my three beautiful children. They teach me so much everyday. I am so thankful for the special moments that I share with each of them. Mckenna has grown up so much this last year. She has become so independent and has learned so much in school. I love going to pick her up from the bus each day. She always has a huge smile on her face when she sees me and can't wait to tell me how her day was. I love the time that we get to read books together. We read almost everyday and now she can read on her own. Parker is my little man. He always has a smile on his face and is so happy. He always looks up at me and says "mama I love you"! We love to go on walks together. He learned to peddle his bike this year and loves me to walk along with him while he goes really fast. Halle is my sweet little baby. She has changed so much this year. It is amazing how fast she has grown. It brings me joy to see her reach all the milestones. It makes me so happy every time she says "Mama". I am so grateful for my own mother. She is my best friend and I miss her so much. I am so thankful for the sixteen years that I had with her. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of her. It is always hard not having her here on Mothers Day. I am so grateful for the example she is to me.

Heather's graduation day!

Kev's sister graduated from Utah State with her bachelors in English. Congrats Heather! You looked beautiful!

Halle loved playing on the chairs in the auditorium. She climbed up and down almost the whole graduation. It was great because it kept her happy and entertained.

Parker giving Aunt Heather a huge kiss! Parker is definitley a "ladies man"!

We met Heathers boyfriend Dan for the first time! He is such a nice guy and adores Heather. The kids loved him. He let them play in his truck and shared his Mr. Pibb with Kenna at dinner!

Spencer told Heather that she was a lot lighter to hold then last time. His explanation was.."I didn't mean it that way, I am stronger than I was last time." We had a good laugh about that one!

The Foster family (minus Mckenna who was being camera shy) We had a fun day! Heather we are proud of you!

Today I had the opportunity to go watch a static test fire of FVM-2 (Flight Verification Motor -2) in Promontory today for work. All I can say is that it was flippin sweet! Watch the movie of the test fire and you'll get a taste of what you're missing if you've never been to one before. They happen every 6 months or so and this one was the last test motor in preparation for the 1st static test fire and flight of the Ares-1 (next generation space ship motor for the Constellation Crew Exploration Vehicle. The objective today was to verify certain design and firing citeria that will be used on the Ares-1 motor that will help propel humans to the moon and beyond! The best part was when the shockwave and sound finally hit us in the public viewing area. Too cool! I work for a sweet company!