Water World

Karsyn's best buddy Mason was in Denver last week for some Dr. appointments.  We made arrangements to meet up with him, his mom and sister for the day at Water World.  I must admit, I was a bit skeptical with the idea at first.  Not meeting up with friends, but the fact that it is a bit spendy and some of our girls don't really like water slides all that well. I was also concerned that being Denver....the park would be obnoxiously crowded.  I was pleasantly surprised!!  We had a blast and it was not nearly as crowded as we had feared. The kids loved the wave pool.  Every so often a horn would blow and the waves would turn on....a mass of people would be cheering and running for the pool to jump the waves.

 These two had the best time on this slide and wanted to do it over and over despite the fact that there were about 30 other attractions to choose from.

 I loved that in addition to all the play areas, there were plenty of slides for the little ones to have fun on too!!

 Emmrey and Mali are about 2 years apart, but they were so cute walking around holding hands:)

 The park was huge and we spent a lot of time walking to different slides and hauling tubes to the top.  It was almost impossible to take a camera and get any pictures on the rides.  We stayed the entire day (10-6) even though it threatened to storm for a couple of hours.  It was such a fun day and I am so glad we got to spend some time with good friends:)

Bay's Rockin' Birthday!!

Bailee's 14th birthday began with breakfast in bed.  She chose blueberry muffins...we added some eggs and fruit.

 

Emmrey was obsessed with getting balloons so she could practice blowing them up.  I am not a fan of latex balloons...bit of a phobia:)  But I picked some up and she was pretty dedicated to getting them blown up by herself.  She was a little bummed that they wouldn't stay in the air, so I had to explain that air filled balloons are different than helium filled.  They had fun hitting them around and it made Emm so happy!!

 We did our best to find the birthday and photo garland.  I have to say that I am loving this fireplace!!  It makes the room cozier and it is a nice focal point for things like this:)

Mark worked a half day and when he got home, we headed to Vedauwoo for a picnic and a little rock climbin'/hiking.  We told Bailee she could pick anything (within reason) to do for her birthday and this is what she chose.  I think it was a little different for her this year, not having friends around, but she always keeps such a good attitude and she actually likes spending time with us:) 

 We packed a picnic and found a flat rock to eat on.  It was HOT and the wind that so often we curse actually felt nice.

We made Bay hunt for her gifts.  We gave her directions using North, East, South or West and landmark rocks (like go northwest to the heart rock)  She found them all pretty easily....with her assistants in tow:)

This girl did not have anything on her wish list except for hiking pants (which we could not find in her length).  I really did not want to just buy her something and then have her decide she really wanted something different.  Sooo we gave her a box with a pull tab that was attached to 5 dollar bills...that just kept going:) It makes the gift giving a little less exciting, but she was thrilled just the same. 

 

 She had a few other little surprises.  Emm spent an afternoon making her several beaded bracelets.

She also got her some new PJ's....

And surprised her with Le Mis....which she thinks is the best.movie.ever!!!

Since Vedauwoo is located between Cheyenne and Laramie.  We had come here before with Bailee when we lived in Laramie.  We have some pictures there, but she doesn't remember it.  The girls had fun decided what certain rocks looked like.  This one was either an apple core, a mushroom,a bone, or and ice cream cone?

We had so much fun climbing and exploring.  Yes, there were times mom was a little stressed out about the possibility of kiddos slipping or getting hurt, but we made it without any serious injuries. 

We got home in time for a stop by the house to get cleaned up and head downtown for dinner.  Bailee's choice was Pizzeria Venti.

 Her last request of the day was to stop by Barnes & Noble for a book purchase.  Looks like she has plenty to keep her busy this summer...I am hoping to borrow!!

By the time we got back it was getting late.  Bailee had thought Strawberry Shortcake sounded like a good alternative to cake and ice cream.  Karsy had decided she wanted to make Bay a cake for her gift...so we had both:)  She did such a good job!!

This coming year may be more challenging than most....big changes can be hard.  I keep reminding my girls [and myself;] that we can do hard things!!  I hope good things come this year and all of your wishes come true Bay!!

You are such a special girl Bailee Bug!!  We love you to pieces:)

Utah Week

Ten days after we moved, we were off to Utah.  The main reason was for my little brother Ryan's wedding, but we turned it into a week long vacation.  We picked up Bay at UW and hit the road!! This was the scene in the back for a good part of the drive....

Emm surrounded by her critters

Kars getting way too much iPod time;)

Bay was pretty much passed out the entire time...she was exhausted!

We arrived Friday evening and just relaxed at Grandpa & Grandma Smith's.  Saturday was the first of 8 days of fun!!
Day 1: Yard/House Projects
We pulled weeds from the rose beds.....

 Picked up "pods" off the lawn....

 And helped Grandpa with some projects around the house...

In the process we discovered some little critters....snails and Rolly Polly's.  Luckily Aunt Susan had a couple of little Terrariums that were perfect for housing them until we headed home (Grandma was thrilled that Emm gave her snails a bath in her sink;)

And where was Bay ..you might be wondering?  Fast asleep all morning.  I have never seen this girl sleep as much as she did those first days after camp (except for when she was sick).  Once she had her nap she did jump in and help.  This time it was helping Susan and Tori move into Grandma Wanda's old house next door...those girls worked hard I tell ya!!

 All work and no play is not healthy, so we did get some fun on the tire swing in...

 And some R&R in the backyard:)

Day 2: Father's Day
 It's rare that we get to be with our dad's on this special day, so we felt pretty lucky. Unfortunately, I was not able to see my dad, but we spent morning with Mark's dad.  The girls took their order for toppings the night before and we got up early and made them a special breakfast (Breakfast pizza with fruit)

 Then it was off to church...

After church we took Mark up Big Cottonwood Canyon for a picnic and a hike with thousands of others.  I felt like we were at an amusement park in the mountains trying to navigate around all the crowds of people....ugh!! We are not used to that...depending on where we go, sometimes we don't even see more than a few other people while hiking or playing in the mountains:)

We hiked to Donut Falls.  It was beautiful when you could see past all the people.

I am so glad that this guy is the father of our girlies:) He is just the right guy for the job.  I love you forever and always Marko!!

I am also so thankful for these two men who we are lucky enough to call "Dad".  We learn more from them every year as they continue to teach us through their example.  We are so blessed to be there kids and love them so much!!

Day 3: BBQ with the Smiths
Almost everyone was able to make it (at least the ones who live in Utah).

 These girls get along so well.  Kevin & Migdalia have 3 girls that are all close to our girlies ages...perfect!! I love that our girls have cousins who are not only their age, but who they click with as well:)

They played all sorts of games together...

Day 4: Hogle Zoo with the Weavers
We started the day off with the Bird Show...which was pretty neat and pretty serious business...no joke!!

 The day was a scorcher from the start.  Good thing we got the "small" Slushy:)  Those things were empty in a flash I tell ya.

We had so much fun with these guys...even in the heat.  Thanks Weavers for making it happen!!

That evening we went to a Mother/Daughter picnic with Grandma Shirley. It was an outdoor BYOP at the church with games to play after.  It was fun to get to know some of the ladies Grandma goes to church with and to spend some extra time with Grandma:)

 Day 5: Pre-Wedding BBQ
There was really no need to rehearse for the ceremony, but Ryan & Jenn decided it would be nice to have a little get together the night before their wedding.  It was nice to get to meet some of Jenn's family and friends...and see my family as well:)  We ate, visited and played some kick ball...which was so.much.fun!!

Look at this cute couple....do they look nervous at all to you??

Day 6: The Wedding
The morning of the wedding, Mark went with my brothers and bro-in-law to FastKart Speedway for some "calm your nerves" kind of fun!!

That evening it was time for the big event.  Ryan & Jenn were married at Millenial Falls in Draper.  The garden area was gorgeous and we had a little time before the ceremony to explore.

Ryan, Sean and the Reverend waiting for the bride to walk down the aisle (I think Ryan was feeling a little anxious;)

But first, this cute little flower girl had to make her entrance with the ring bearer

She ran straight for her daddy once she caught sight of him...

Jenn was walked down the aisle by her brother James...she looked so beautiful!!

The new Mr and Mrs Fortie

Some of the cute cousins all dressed up in their pink and gray

Of course we had to take advantage of the beautiful scenery and get a family picture

My cute baby brothers:)

There was a little dancing at the end of the night.  Some of us danced more than others.  Brent put on his dancing shoes and danced the night away.  He was the life of the party for sure.  Bailee had a great time being spun around the dance floor.

Picture of the wedding party (those in the ceremony).  It was such a nice wedding and I wish them a life full of happiness.

Day 7: Laundry, MU, [another] Sleepover and Date Night

We spent the morning getting some laundry done.  I love being able to hang our clothes on the line to dry in the summer.  It's one of those things that is unique to Grandpa & Grandma's house and will always be a  special memory.

That afternoon we went with some of our Aunts, Uncle and cousins (Weavers, Ashlee and Adlyn) to see Monsters University.  It was a good movie with a great message and I personally liked it even more than the original:)  Ashlee was house/dog/baby sitting for Ryan & Jenn for the weekend and had invited the girls to come stay over that night.  Unfortunately, I do not have any pics, but they had a super time and LOVED getting to love on little Olivia.  Our girls had lots of fun sleepovers with the Weaver boys and Smith girls.

***
 Since Mark and I were kid-less for the evening, we decided to make a date of it.  There were so many yummy options to choose from, but ultimately we decided on Training Table...it is a Utah original;)  It was as tasty as we remembered....mmmm!!

 Day 8: Birthday Bash and Manti Pageant
It worked out that we could be in Utah for the family party for June Birthdays.  Jill hosted a pool party at her house.  We celebrated Killian(5), Adlyn(11) and Bailee's(14) birthday.  Since Karsyn(11) is the only May birthday and she rarely if ever gets to celebrate with family, I decided to add her name to our ice cream cake and celebrate her birthday as well:)

 We had a yummy lunch... which often consists of a roll, grapes and chips for this little lady;)

We spent the rest of the afternoon chatting.....playing in the pool.....

...and soaking up some cousin time.  Emm spent almost the entire time in this pink tube.

As evening fell, we needed to hit the road and head for Manti.  We hated to leave, but we were excited for the pageant we were on our way to.  I learned that it is referred to as the Mormon Miracle Pageant, but to me it will always be the Manti Pageant.

 The last time I attended this I was 14 or 15.   I have been anxious to take our girls and we decided this was the year to do it.  We were joined by David & Santina as well as Mark's parents...which made it even more special:)

[can you tell we had more than one photographer here?]

It was a really neat experience for all of us.  I am not sure Emms was quite old enough to appreciate it, but since we were staying down there and leaving for home in the morning, she kinda had to come along.  Because they don't begin until dark, it was late when it ended and we were all so glad we were not driving back to Salt Lake that night:)  It was all we could do to make it to Salina, which was the closest hotel we could find with rooms available back in March.  It was a beautiful scene to see the Temple all lit up as we were leaving.

The next morning we woke up and headed "home". It was a looong drive, due to traffic and construction, but we did go through some really neat little towns in Colorado.

 WHEW!!..it really was a jam packed week...which is just how we like it.  We figure if we are going to make the trip, we better make the most of it and maximize our family time.  I always come home feeling like we don't go home nearly enough.  I want my girls to have all the time they can with their extended family!!