Happy Birthday, Mom!!

My mom's visit just happened to coincide with her birthday, which was awesome because we don't usually get to spend it with her. I called all the local relatives and we planned a big, fancy dinner at The Harvest Restaurant at Thanksgiving Point. Seriously one of the best nights ever. We had a blast. The food and service were great and we laughed and laughed. It was exhausting. Reminded me why I love my family so much!! Everyone brought lovely gifts for my mom, we sang to her, she got to blow out a candle and we even went around the table and told our favorite things about her. It was so fun to honor someone who does so much for all of us and spoil her for the night. I think she enjoyed it too!

Later in the evening we got a little silly with the camera. 

This is my Uncle Joel... he used to be a mime so he can make his face do the craziest things:

Self Portrait:

Cassidy, my brother Joel and I practicing our best facebook/myspace profile poses:

My very attractive husband:

Okay, funny story: While getting ready for the evening, Cassidy came into my room to ask if her outfit looked okay and we were wearing the exact same thing... literally! So, I changed. When we arrived at the restaurant my cute cousin, Katlin, and I were wearing the same thing! Of course, she looked much trendier than I did!

The whole group outside after dinner (minus Eric, who had to hurry back to work). 

What a great family!!

PS. If any of you want any of these pictures just right click on it and you can save it to your computer.

Night at the Museum

In late March my mom came to visit and so we decided to head over to the dinosaur museum and enjoy the after noon.

Abby took detailed notes of all the exhibits

and wrote it all down in her journal, 

as any good future scientist would do.

My mom did an excellent job listening to my kids go on and on about different things.

It was nice to hear "Nana! Nana!" instead of "Mom! Mom!" all afternoon.

She also did a great job following Afton wherever she lead her. 

And I enjoyed the break from that job.

Traditional picture in front of the dinosaur leg... this time with Nana.

Afton loved all the interactive/hands on exhibits and would have played for hours if we would have let her.

Total concentration on her little project in the sand.

Cute Abby had this group of boys working with her and doing whatever she told them too.

When we first got to the museum Afton was a little afraid of all the bigger exhibits, but about half way through our visit she started acting like a dinosaur and roaring... totally unprovoked!

Another picture tradition... we take one of these everytime we are there.

Eventually Afton started trying to crawl in to all the exhibits. She may have even been successful a couple times and I may have had to jump in and grab her. Shhh... don't tell anyone.

Abby really does love all things science and she takes her digging for bones very seriously.

Afton, on the other hand, played in the sand as though she were relaxing on the beach!!

Night Sledding

Some of our friends invited us to their cabin up at Sundance to enjoy some night sledding and a really delicious dinner. We had a lot of fun visiting, the kids had a blast and the food was to die for... seriously.

Who can resist this? I just love Afton's pink snow suit with the white snow. She pretty much just wanted to eat the snow... we had to watch her close because most of it wasn't very clean.

Max found this little hill and taught her how to slide down it on her bottom. She loved it and did it over and over and over.

I love this picture... I think the little ball on Abby's scarf sticking out  below her coat is so funny... I kept calling her cotton tail all night.

On one of her earlier runs of the night she had a little accident. She was riding with one of the other kids and they wiped out at the bottom and the other kids landed on top of Abby's head, and she landed face down in the very icey snow. Like any dutiful scrapbooker, I took pictures instead of running to her aid.

This is where she got mad that I was taking pictures instead of helping her.

This is where she got sad and felt truly abandoned in her pain... also where I started feeling like a bad mom.

After we got her all patched up and feeling better, we bundled her back up and got her back out there. I was really proud of her because if that had happened to me when I was a little girl I would have gone sledding again... and not just that night... EVER! But, she wouldn't get back on the sled. Instead she adopted Afton's method of sledding down on her butt. It worked well and was the perfect speed for her.

Max had the most fun of all (except for the 20 minutes he had to sit out as punishment for pushing Abby's sled down the hill and causing the aforementioned accident).

He was really flying down those hills and seriously making me nervous.

It got so I couldn't watch him after a little while.

It was a great night and fun to be with each other and friends. We look forward to hanging out again next winter (hint hint).

Draper Temple Open House

Last January we went with my side of the family to visit the Draper Temple Open House. It was fun to be together and to share something so sacred with all of our children. My kids had been to the Newport Beach Open House but they were only 4 and 7 so I don't think they remember much. It is a beautiful temple and one of the most amazing Celestial Rooms I have ever seen. This is also the first temple that Max has been able to attend the dedication for. I took him while Chris stayed home with the younger kids. It was great to experience it with my oldest child. Just last week we had the opportunity to attend the Open House for the newest Temple in Utah, the Oquirrh Mountain Temple (no pictures). It was mostly the same crown and another special experience. I love the exterior of this Temple... so beautiful. The inside was very simple and elegant. I am excited that Abby will have the opportunity to attend the dedication this time. Afterwards we all went to Red Robin together and had a blast. I am grateful to live in a time when we are blessed to have Temples all over and to live in a place where I have such easy access. I hope I can take advantage of this blessing and take every opportunity I can to attend the temple. 

Draper Temple

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

Note to all of my non-LDS (Mormon) friends: If you live in an area where they are building a temple, be sure to visit the open house. It can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, it's free, and it's a great opportunity to learn more about the church. A lot of people think our temples are mysterious or secret... really they are just sacred to us. That is why you can only enter if you have a temple recommend issued by your church leader. Anyway, it's a chance to learn more about our temples and our beliefs... and I promise they will not baptize you on your way out (unless you would like them too ;D )

Evan and Sarah get Hitched!

Back in March my cute nephew, Evan, married his sweetheart, Sarah. I remember when Chris and I were first dating we took Evan and his brother, Joseph, to the Lehi Roundup Rodeo. That was the first time I met him. Evan and Joe were both decked out in their rodeo clothes and so cute. Now Evan is all grown up and quite a young man. I am so proud to be his aunt and thrilled for him and Sarah! And the wedding was a blast. I was not the official photographer, but I was asked to take candid shots all day. Needless to say, I took a ton of pictures. So, for the purposes of this blog, I am going to try to limit it. (For the members if the Higbee family: I will post a lot more over on that blog... someday... maybe...).

This is one of my favorites from the ceremony. 

They were so sweet and the location was beautiful.

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Evan Fitzgerald!!!

The bouquet toss... Abby was so excited 

(she's wearing the choral dress in the left of the photo).

Abby after she didn't catch the bouquet...

she was mad for about an hour!!

Until she talked one of the bridesmaids in to 

giving her a flower out of her bouquet.

How cute are they?!?

Max danced with both of his little sisters...

as every good older brother should.

They were both thrilled!

Chris and I at the very end of the night... 

it was a very long, fun, exhausting day.

(I'm thinking I should replace our picture to the left with this one... naah!)

Thanks for including us!! It was great to be a part of your day.

We wish you nothing but the best as you start your lives together!