IF and SLC in pictures

The kids and I went to Idaho Falls and Salt Lake City for two whole weeks, and then my mom came back to VA with me! I have been so spoiled. Thank you mom and dad for making this possible and for my mister for working so hard for our family's comfort.

I LOVE so many people in UT and it is impossible to see everyone. Usually I invite peeps to an open house or group dinner to see everyone. But this time I tried to see people individually, and it made for a hectic but fulfilling trip. I was literally running from morning date to afternoon date to evening date while in UT. Super full. But no regrets because the kids handled it extremely well.

I learned from this vacation that I need people. I felt loved. I felt appreciated. I remembered why I love the city, the attractions and the atmosphere of SLC. Everything is much more accessible and the people I know tend to congregate there. At the end of the trip I told a friend, "Why don't I live here!?!" She almost didn't believe her ears. 

Because I need people I treasure my decision to see friends individually. Friendships need attention or they will wither. My relationships were reconnected and my soul flourished during these two weeks. 

Here are the pix, in reverse chronological order.....

back in VA with my mom's siblings

My lady made amazing progress in crawling and physical strength this trip. All the soft carpeted floors helped.  

My mission presidents. Such mentors worth holding on to. Oh, and my head is huge. I was holding the camera so I'm way closer. :)

Kar's new baby! My newest nephew. Congrats Klance!

my sweet nieces and nephew

at the park the Guy wandered off and made two gorgeous friends who were sun bathing. They got a kick out of his flirtations. 

feeding the ducks with Esme.... ignore all the nast in the water

sweet macaroons with one of the sweetest women I know

JouJou's toy store at the Grand America. Thanks Adrienne for the suggestions. This store is a hidden kid treasure. 

The guy loved watching Grpa ref basketball. It was his first live basketball experience. He talked about it for days. A kid after my own bball heart. 

the house of the Lord

such a loyal, loyal friend! I have amazing friends.

one of the highlights of my trip, seeing this woman! Why don't you live by me!?!?!

Congratulations to the new parents! She is incredibly lucky to have you. And I was so lucky to be a part of these heavenly moments. 

Deborah came from Logan. Thank you, love. I have the best girlfriends on the planet. Man, I miss you chica!

Mmmm cilantro. Ha, surrounded by grma's meds. 

Mija de la mision! You make me so happy, Syd! ILY!

man, I adore my kids!

hanging out with second cousins

I loved Aunt Jenn's suggestion to get In & Out for lunch. A western treasure. 

the cousins have pet ducks. super cool.

she finally seems interested in feeding herself finger foods. this is mango.

happy father's day!

Church with my parents. They are in the same ward as Elder Ballard, Elder Oaks, and a few members of the 70.  We attended church with Elder Ballard on Father's day. Muy suave. 

High School 10 year reunion fun. I never, ever would have thought I'd go to this, but since I was in town I decided I'd have fun anyway. Thanks to my date, Esme for making the whole fiasco worth it. 

running in to friends at the Farmer's market. The SLC market is one of the best that I've seen in the nation. I <3 SLC and Boise farmer's markets. 

L's new doll from the market

Running in to more friends at the market. I always run into the Shaffer's at the farmer's market. I have run in to them there for three summers in a row now. Birds of a feather, right?

I turned around from chatting with my Amy Jo love to find this courageous boy

besties, their mothers hope

One of the highlights! Great women can be hard to find in this world, but I have incredible girlfriends.

Great grma Ondricek and Aunt Linda. I wish I knew more about our extended Ondricek family.

a gift from great grma O

We stayed with the kids' great grandparents on Jared's side. I enjoyed every single moment with these amazing people. If we lived closer I would spend an evening with them every week. They have left us with an unbeatable heritage.

he adores his great grand kids

snuggles with Great Grma while watching Jungle Book. 

we heart aunt Mary!

have I mentioned I have the most amazing friends!?! These two are going to change the world and I'm so lucky to know them.

 I had to visit my alma mater and catch up with my SW professors. They have shaped my future and I love them. 

uncle Benny loves

our first home. the attic ghetto.

I cannot express the joy that I felt to have my little sister and my beloved school together. I LOVE that she lives there now. 

i love my school

my lovelies in IF. I miss you Britt, and you need to take a vacation and come visit me. I will give you lots of TLC. 

picking fresh strawberries at Aunt Karla's

Thank you to everyone we saw in UT and ID. I enjoyed every single day and have no regrets about how I spent my time. Thank you for reminding me I'm loved and that God's always surrounded me with angels in my life.

sleep habits

I love to sleep on my stomach with one leg up. The guy can sleep anywhere if he's got his thumb and blanket. My mister is particular about his fabrics and temperature. Now, our lady is evidently a fan of having her blanket or crib bumper in her face. I put her to sleep in the center of the crib, but she still makes her way  to the corner and I often find her with her face snuggled next to the fleece siding. If not the siding, then she pulls the soft blanket to her face, or even both. She loves the blankets made from fleece, fluffy baby yarn and the like. She's already got her opinions. I'm so so so grateful for this camera monitor so I can stalk her. It's the BEST baby accessory we've ever owned. Especially for her. She is a light sleeper and wakes up if I open the door to check on her. Man, I love that little face shoved in the corner!

life as a kid

 

Gosh, I adore this kid. Jared has made life so good for him this week. To build up to the father-son camp out this weekend, they put up the tent in S's room on Tuesday and he slept in it all week. He showed it to nearly everyone that came to our door this week. 

Ah, the life of a kid. 

"Let them be little, cause they're only that way for a while...

Give them hope, give them faith, give them love every day.

Let them cry, let them giggle, let them sleep in the middle, 

Oh, but let them be little."

what we've been up to

We are in home fix-it mode. We've hired an interior designer to make a master plan for the years to come. We've sought out estimates to save for the future too. My guys started with a little wood chopping and disposal after removing some molding. It is such a long story, but this removal is supposed to help us get some couches in the basement. LONG, agonizing story....

My beautiful little herb seedlings from our CSA farmer. He grew them and now I get to enjoy them - Italian basil, Thai basil, sage, oregano, and thyme.

The rest of  the seedling from our farm share: fennel, three types of tomato, sorrel, habenero pepper and three types of bell pepper.

The CSA season has started. We've had LOTS of salad this week. Strangely enough, on accident I picked all salads with fruit in them: tropical fruits over mizuna, strawberry over arugala, apples and oranges over bibb. It was a good week. Oh, and I can't forget the swiss chard and goat cheese tart (with golden raisins!).  

The lady took the initiative when within reach of my water bottle to learn how to use a straw. Now she can't help herself. She loves water, and I love what it's doing to his BMs. (TMI, maybe...) She has also enjoyed a couple soupy dinners our of a straw. Fast and less mess. 

I love our orange eggs from the farm! So does my little guy.

Because he loves eggs so much he said he wanted to eat these Robin eggs when we found them in our front yard.

These two are becoming such pals.They love each other and she laughs almost immediately when she even just hears his voice as we come upstairs from her nap. He makes her giggle and giggle and giggle some more.

strawberry rhurbarb pie I made for the first time! It was unnaturally good, it should have been illegal. I was so proud of myself for making it all from scratch, and being willing to share it with friends. Now all I need is a pie pan for the next time around.

A trip to the fire station with some friends. I loved how this guy suited up for us. No one wanted to be in a picture though...

I just adore these little people!!

the many faces of L

I couldn't decide which pictures were the best, so I'm posting them all. Oh, gosh I adore this girl!