Finding Joy: in the Backyard

 I find joy in my own backyard.

We practice our crawling and batting skills;

run races;

go for wagon rides;

and usually stay outside until the sun goes down.

Oh those summer nights.

(que Grease's Summer Lovin' now)



Norah at 8 Months

At 8 months you:

-officially have two bottom teeth

-are no longer sleeping through the night because of those teeth (we've got to break you of this habit)

-are pulling up to your knees on furniture and want to climb our stairs sooo bad

-get more and more stubborn by the day. Is it possible to have tantrums this early on? You think so.

-mostly army crawl but occasionally get up on those knees (this photo below makes me laugh - you did not like the feeling of grass)

- are fitting into 9 month clothes and some 12 month clothes

-are super curious and get into everything



-are very close to growing out of your infant car seat

-will still fall asleep in the car but wake up the moment the car is turned off

-give extra sweet, open-mouth kisses and LOVE to grab mommy's hair

-love food and give me a big grin whenever I give you something yummy (mainly puff stars and Cheerios)

-are still chubby - please don't grow out of that too fast!

Another month has come and gone so quickly!

YAY for 8 months!!!

Sibling Love

Finding Joy: Daddy and Me

 My joy this week was watching these two together. This girl loves her daddy.



I feel very blessed to have married such a wonderful man. Not only a great husband but an fabulous daddy.

Happy Weekend!

The Rest of June

Before we get more into July, I have to backtrack and document some of our other June happenings.

Well, this first outing was actually in May. Oops. We went to Baby Animal Days where we got to hold chicks, pet goats and other animals, and ride small ghetto trains that are easily escapable (we learned this first-hand. Fortunately it was only going 5 mph and Logan was safe, and scolded, after climbing out).

 For FHE one night we hopped on a train and went to Temple Square. Logan LOVED riding the train. Better than any ride at Lagoon!

So beautiful.

I tried a new hairdo (one of my 30 Before 30 challenges).

Went on a Temple Hike. Our stake YW started above Farmington . . .

and ended up here on the Bountiful temple grounds. 

A truly awesome experience! 

We've gone to several parks;

 have made treats;

 and have gotten messy. Don't worry - this is mixed berries, not chocolate. Although I'm sure she'll be a fan.

 We celebrated Grandma B's birthday up in the canyon.

 And have gone on several fun walks/bike rides as a family.

Phew, I'm gonna take a nap now. 

Our Fourth

As is tradition, we made our way up to Idaho Falls for the 4th of July.

We started our festivities with the parade - probably got the best viewing spot in family history. Notice Norah in this picture - sirens were going off!



This kiddo found the best spot to watch the parade - on Grandpa's lap.



In the afternoon we had our annual Croquet Tournament. Is it just me or do we look like the Sandlot?

After two grueling games, these 2 came out as victors.

My cute patriotic baby.

 We went down to the Snake River to watch the fireworks. Not the greatest spot or finale this year, but still fun.

We also went up to Heise Hot Springs to cool off in the summer heat. This was my first time back there since probably high school. The place hasn't changed one bit.

Logan was a little timid of the water for the first 5 minutes. He got used to it fast and loved swimming and kicking in his tube. His favorite games were "blast off" and "motor boat".

This was Norah Girl's first time swimming! She absolutely loved it. The water temperature was perfect and there was even some shade. Here she is with Grandma.

Uncle Andy is always entertaining.

We also enjoyed a picnic lunch and a quick dip in the big pool. The big boys went down the slide a few times. Maybe we'll get Logan on it next year. 

Another big event happened over the 4th - Norah's first tooth! Let's take a closer look:

Still a happy girl! It was such a fun week to spend with family. Happy 4th of July!