24th of JULY

This year for the 24th we headed to my Dad's hometown of Escalante. Kellie & Ryker drove up Friday morning and then we loaded all 3 kids in the back of the car and took off. Ellie loved having Ryker right next to her and they were cracking each other up as we crossed Cedar Mtn. We had to take a short break in Hatch and feed Cooper (the only place we could find was the grass at the church) then they all fell asleep for the rest of the drive. Once we made it there, Ellie went on a Razor ride over to the farm. She loved the sheep, goats, horses, and even the farm dog:) The rest of the night the kids wore themselves out running around my Aunt's yard.Saturday we enjoyed the small town parade. Ellie's favorite was Smokey the Bear, she wanted to be by him & shower him with hugs. Ryker, on the other hand was not to sure about him. They loved sitting in their chairs and collecting TONS of candy. After the parade we rested, played, & visited at my Aunt's until it was time for the family reunion/BBQ. It was great to see everyone and enjoy a small town celebration.

Then we went back to my parents cabin for a few days. Ellie helped Grandpa with things outside and enjoyed a few movies:)

Favorite chair, Lucky Charms, Water, & waiting for Chipmunks!We also went looking for Elk, Ellie loved the binocular's and then fell sound asleep on the drive back.

While Cooper did a LOT of this.We had a great time, but missed our Dad, he was doing a LOT of this!

SURPRISE!! we moved into a new house this weekend and are still trying to get it put together. I will post some pics when things are somewhat put away!

Oh, How My Garden Grows

Ever since I have known Brady he has had this dream of becoming a farmer. I decided to let him try out that talent on a backyard garden in the last few years. How is he at being a farmer?? Lets just say I won't let him quit his day job, YET!! Last year we had some success with the watermelon, even though they weren't edible but that was it. Well, this year we hit the carrot jackpot and also a few cucumbers:) The carrots are delicious and the cucumbers are not quite ready to be picked yet. Nice job Brady we're very proud of you!

SMiLE

It's been about a month ago my friend Monica came up to see Cooper and take some pictures. They turned out so cute I didn't think they could get better, but then I just got the edited ones back and I LOVE THEM! Thanks Monica! While she was here, Cooper refused to sleep so we couldn't get all the pics we wanted, Ellie would pop in to take a few at a time, but finally was cheesing it up when we went out back. Here are few of my favorite moments!!

Fun TImes @ Chuck E Cheese

Friday our little family headed down to Chuck E Cheese so that Ellie could celebrate her birthday with her cousins. The place was pretty packed, but the kids had so much fun!! Ellie would just giggle with delight during every ride. She was also found rockin out with Chuck E. near the stage.When it came to opening presents she got through two and then she was done. We had to take the presents and finish opening them at Grandma's house the next morning. Thanks for all of the cute outfits & fun Princess toys that she got:)
Here is Ellie enjoying her breakfast in the living room, while watching her favorite movies:) And it was just a cute pic of Cooper chilling in the swing at Grandma's!Ellie fell asleep on the way to Ryker's while reading her book, well when I tried to take it away she opened her eyes, gave me a dirty look, and went back to sleep. Needless to say she kept the book in her lap. Then Ellie celebrated her FREE b-day slurpee at 7-11 with her cousin Ryker and then headed to her cousin Gabi's 1st b-day party. Where they swam and had even more cake:)

My Slurpee Baby isn't a Baby Anymore

I can't believe that tomorrow my little girl is going to be 2!!! Tonight we are going down to Vegas for her b-day party @ Chuck E Cheese, so I thought I would post this a day early.
Ellie is such a character she loves rough housing with her Dad, reading her Book Of Mormon with him every night, and dragging him outside to play basketball while she runs around the backyard. If he tries to come in she takes him right back out. She also likes watching sports with her Dad especially BYU football & Red Sox Baseball. She also is not a fan of other men, Brady hope's she stays this way til she's 25!She is very active and has a hard time sitting still, especially at church. She is a little daredevil and will jump off anything from tables to beds. If you tell her it's time for bed she will lay down on the floor, curl up, and close her eyes:)Ellie loves reading and being read to, books are constantly spread from one end of the house to the other. She also loves stashing books, puzzle pieces, & anything else that fits into her purses, toy chest, and especially her tackle box.
She is still a picky eater and sticks to Mac & Cheese, pizza, fries, eggos, bananas, chicken nuggets, crackers, & water. She doesn't really like sweets and she hates bread:) After she finishes her meals she will climb on top of the table and stomp her feet until you take her down.Ellie is turning into a great big sister, she is quite protective of Cooper. She loves giving him kisses, talking to him constantly, and enjoys giving him a few extra swings when he is in the swing. She loves helping me give him baths and she's usually the one that needs dry clothes by the time its over. She also is pretty cute when she gags every time we change Cooper's dirty diapers:).Sorry this ran a little long, but these are a few of the things I want to remember about my babe:) Also don't forget to get a free slurpee tomorrow for Ellie's B-Day!!!

Happy Birthday America & Ellie

For the holiday weekend we loaded up the kids and headed to Orem. We left on Thursday night to avoid traffic and so that the kids could sleep on the way up. On the way we remembered that we had forgotten several items, I guess packing 2 kids and a husband is more stressful!! So Friday morning we headed to Target to get a double stroller, a birthday present for Ellie, and a few other things. I was hoping on postponing the double stroller for awhile, but since we forgot the stroller that holds Cooper's car seat we had to get another one. However, Ellie loves her new seat and will actually ride in the stroller so that was a HUGE bonus!!
After our trip to Target we headed up the canyon to Bridal Veil Falls, Ellie loved the water pond at the bottom, but it was a little cold for the rest of us. (Sorry for the lack of pictures I left the memory card in my purse back at the car) We also played at the playground before heading back to Grandma's for afternoon naps.
That night Brady and I enjoyed a date while Holly, Hailey, Grandma, & Grandpa watched the kids. We ate at Goodwood and then played mini golf at Trafalga. Brady ended up beating me by one stroke, but I managed 2 holes in one:) On our way home we stopped and picked up fireworks to set off that night. Ellie wasn't to sure about them and pulled the funny faces, but by the end she was enjoying them. We have no pics of this because not only did I not have a memory card, but the battery went out on my camera and I didn't have the charger:( So NO pics for us, hopefully we will get some from Holly later and I can post those.

The next morning we went to the Freedom Parade in Provo and ran into our friends Kenny & Andrea at 7-11! The parade was enormous and really fun until it started to rain. Luckily it only lasted a few minutes and Cooper and I were lucky enough to find shelter on the balcony of an apartment building. After the parade Ellie went home with Holly until the BBQ/Party that night.

That night we had a family party for Ellie's b-day, she got a bunch of fun water toys, books, and clothes. We also had a delicious ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins, too bad Ellie wouldn't touch it:) As it started to get dark we headed over to Grandma Sim's to watch the Stadium Of Fire fireworks. Her front yard was the perfect place and Ellie loved running around and eating the best PB Swirl Cookies and Root Beer Floats. Thanks again Grandma Sims for letting us come over we LOVED every minute.