SUMMER HAPPENINGS

Here is my second attempt to try and post this update. Our internet has been slow the last couple weeks, and there is a bad storm blowing in right now, so hopefully I get this posted before our power blows out. Anyways, we have had a busy summer. I haven't updated in so long, I don't even know where to begin to catch up. So I'm just going to give a quick lowdown on what we've been up to these days....

One day it was raining during the day and still sunny. Brystal got to see her first REAL rainbow! She loves rainbows! She was so excited, and she almost cried when it went away.

She ran and played in the rain and had so much fun.

She even busted out the umbrella after she was already completely soaked!

I went to girls camp this year and had such a blast being the 6th year leader. It was so hot and sweaty I can't even describe the discomfort, but at the same time, I am always so amazed at how wonderful and strong the Young Women are these days and love to hear their testimonies as it helps mine grow too.

Brystal got Pink Eye. Something I have been avoiding like the plague since I HATE eye stuff. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Isn't she the cutest little stink eye you've ever seen though?

Boston is growing up so fast. He is all over the place and starting to get into everything. He has a mind of his own and won't stop moving! So wiggly. Something that I never had to deal with with Brystal. But I just love him, he is so laid back with a smile on his face all the time. He melts my heart.

I turned 26 years old this year on May 15th. I can't believe I'm getting older. It seems like just yesterday I was 16. Now I'm a Laurel Adviser over the 16 year olds.

Doesn't this cake look tasty? This is my birthday cake that Nate and Brystal decorated. I thought it looked like a circus threw up on it, but it tasted pretty good. It was just cute to see Brystal getting excited to decorate the cake.

We upgraded to a bigger car. We sold the truck for this crossover Ford. We love the space and loved driving up to Utah in this car.

We love to take the kids to the Waterway fountains when it isn't a million degrees outside. I love to watch Boston's reaction when the water shoots out of the ground.

I have the cutest kids in the world. Don't I? They are so fun and are starting to play more together. They love to laugh together in the car, and are learning share, key word, learning.

Brystal sprays Boston in the face in the back yard.

Boston loves balls, and loves to throw them, just as a little boy should.

Our cousins came to visit from Austin last week and we had fun playing in the baby pool with them. Brystal also loved to spray them.

Boston is a slippery pig when it comes to bath time, he slips and slides all over the place and doesn't hold still for a second! It is hilarious! This little guy is so funny in everything he does.

Brystal learns to put on makeup. Doesn't she look beautiful? Notice the bandaid on her arm. She fell off the slide and almost broke her arm causing us to go to the hospital and get x-rays. Turns out it was just badly bruised and she was able to use it again within a couple of days, but insisted on keeping the band-aid on it to make it better. I think it helped.

Brystal in her cute swimsuit. Ready to play in the sprinklers.

We have had a pretty good summer overall and just got back from a 2 week trip to Utah. We had our family reunion there. We also got our car broken into and our camera stolen with my purse. So all pictures that were taken on that trip were lost. I am so disapointed since we had so much fun going to Bear Lake and hanging out with family in Farmington. I have some pictures from family members from the reunion that I will try to get up as soon as I can. So Andi Hyldahl if you are reading this. You probably won't be getting all those lovely pictures I took for you at Bear Lake, since they were stolen. Please don't hate me. Anyways, I'll do better at updating. Sorry this one is quick. I had to get something up since I'm getting sick of our anniversary post.

ANNIVERSARY 2010

7 Years ago Nate and I were married in the Bountiful Temple after meeting eachother at Utah State University. Who knew that after all that we've been through together and all the years together that we'd be more in love that we ever have been before? We decided to get away this year, so we left the kids with our friends overnight and we went to Galveston to enjoy the beach!! We had such a great time taking long walks (and runs) on the beach, eating out and just enjoying each others company in the car.

We went to the local Wal Mart to pick us up some beach supplies. This Walmart was filled with all your beach necessities. We shopped for a boogie board for our plans of body surfing! The waves were great this weekend so it was perfect.

We ate at the Rainforest Cafe which I have never been to before, but it was one of my favorite parts of the whole weekend! It was such a cool experience just to eat there with all the fish tanks and the animals. The animals weren't real but every 10 minutes or so they would all come to life and make noises and swing from trees and shake branches. It was amazing!

They had great food too.

This is a bad picture but this is the inside of the restaurant. It was like eating in a rainforest! Well duh. Hence the name.

After lunch we treated ourselves to a few drinks at the bar and sat on these funny stools. Ok we didn't really have any drinks, we just sat on the funny stools cause we're cool like that ok?

Here is the boogie board I picked out. I was so excited because I don't usually get to play in the water since I'm usually on the beach with the kids. And it's not really as fun playing out there by yourself.

I can't wait for another million years with Nate!

SHAMU!!!!!!

Nate FINALLY had some time off so we took advantage of it and took a trip to Seaworld San Antonio!! Brystal was so excited to see the animals. We told her about the whales, and the dolphins, and the seals, and the sharks and the penguins. She couldn't wait!

First we stopped to see the penguins. They had a penguin out of the aquarium to show everyone. Brystal thought that was so cool, and as we left she turned and waved "goodbye penguin!!"

Boston and I waiting for SHAMU!! He was such a trooper and enjoyed the shows just as much as Brystal did.

And the moment we've all been waiting for. Brystal still talks about how the whales splashed everyone.

She liked pointing out all the whales as they would come out of the water.

Here is the Dolphin cove where we looked at the dolphins play with their toys.

The fish tank was nice and cool and a great break from the heat. We saw sharks and sting rays, and Brystal was looking everywhere for Dori. I don't think we found her.

Here is Brystal's signature wink!

Take 2

We ended the day at the splashpad. We forgot to bring swimsuits for the kids so me and Bos man watched while Brystal just went in with her clothes on. That's why we saved this for last.

She loved it and had the time of her life in there!

Up until she got shoved out of this tube to the left of the picture and landed on her face causing a major bump and skid mark on her forehead and under her nose and cut her lip open causing her to bleed profusely all over the place. And that was the end of Seaworld. She still talks to this day about how that girl pushed her at Seaworld and how that wasn't very nice. How traumatizing.

But we had a great time, and it wasn't traumatizing enough that Brystal didn't have a great time. She keeps reminding me that she had fun at Seaworld. We'll definitely be back later this year.

Instead of heading home, we went out to Austin to visit Nate's sister Karen and their family. We have lived in Austin for 3 summers before we had kids and we love it there. There is so much to do and so beautiful. We decided to take it easy and just go hang out by the lake. Boston took a little snooze under the tree with his bottle in his mouth.

The water definitely was too cold for swimming. This was as far as Brystal went in. But still a nice day to play in swimsuits.

I just love little bum cheeks.

Ohhhh baby!! That's my stud muffin husband! He's the one that keeps my heart beating fast.

Where have we seen this face before?

Daddy's got her starting young. She loves to do what daddy does. And he's hoping she'll really love sports. She was tossing the ball back and forth, and playing frisbee with everyone. She saw me taking her picture and wanted to take a picture herself...

Here is what she got.

At the end of the day, she passed out on Nate's lap. We had dinner with Karen's family and stayed the night, then headed home. We had a great trip. It was so good to get out together as a family.

RANDOM UPDATES

Boston is 7 months old now can you believe it? He is so adorable I just can't stand it sometimes.

He pretty much always has a smile on his face. Everyone comments on what a happy little guy he is.

Brystal is getting so funny and creative. She is starting to do "pretend" play, and it just blows my mind of some of the things she thinks of sometimes. She has finally figured out how to "drive" her car, before she just sat in it and opened and closed the door.

She loves to drive to the store to pick up "monkey snacks" aka fruit snacks.

And I love how she tried to fit her keys into the ignition.

Brystal as you know loves her Daddy, who hasn't been around alot lately due to his busy work schedule. The kids don't get to see much of him during the first 3 months of the year, but when he is home Brystal loves to read stories at bedtime with him.

And of course Boston has a smile on his face. He is starting to look alot like a little Nate at times.

Now that Boston can finally sit up, he can take baths with Brystal. Makes life alot easier on everybody! Especially mommy. Although Brystal still gets really nervous around that bunny towel, we have started to use the lizard towel instead which is much less scarier. ??

Brystal loves to dress up. She sometimes layers her dresses so that she has on 2 or 3 at a time. She is definitely a girly girl. Loves dresses and loves pink and loves to paint her nails and do her hair, and wear stick on earings, and bracelets... you get the picture. And everytime she does one of these things she says "just like mommy". She likes to pretend like she is Kacie when I am fixing her hair. I don't really get why she calls herself by my name instead of Mommy when she is getting dressed up. Oh well, I like it that she wants to be like me.

By the way Boston learned to crawl about a month ago! I was shocked because Brystal was a bump on a log til 9 months old. Boston mostly does the army crawl, but he can usually do a few "steps" on his knees before he resorts back to army crawling. And now he does things like this...

He gets up on his knees and plays with toys, or pushes buttons on the stereo.

He occasionally tries to get up the first stair.

Once again, always smiles for the camera.

I really wasn't expecting to have to baby proof the house for another couple of months, but I guess he is curious and ready to explore. This just means I have to keep my floors clean more often. Yea, more work for me. I am so excited at how fast this little guy is learning.

WHAT THE?

We got this in our weekly ad last week, and when we opened this up, Nate and I laughed so hard at this picture. What is going on here???!!!