{airplanes & animals}

We headed up to Chris & Sara's last weekend and had the BEST time!! They live a few miles away from the airport and we lucked out that the Blue Angles were in town -- so it was fun surprise to be able to watch the airplanes soar by from their backyard! Sure beats fighting the crowd [which by the way, there were a TON of people camped outside their neighborhood in a little park ... who knew this was such a big event!] I must admit, they were pretty amazing though. Jackobi was fully entertained by the smaller airplanes that flew overhead before the show and actually slept through the Blue Angels portion. She thought the airplanes were so fun though!! She would dash outside each time she would hear them coming!

Jackobi loves animals, she practices her animal sounds almost everyday as she puts together her puzzles. We thought it would be a fun treat to take her and Lainey to the Tautphaus Park Zoo. It's a good little zoo! Perfect for little ones! It's big enough & has some fun animals, but small enough that you can make the entire loop before boredom sets in.

The swimming otters were a hit! She gazed at these guys for quite awhile!

Jackobi really liked the lions too. She was really intrigued that the "daddy" lion was sleeping while the "mommy" lion was working ... I think she's on to something!

Lainey's FIRST trip to the zoo!!

Lainey wasn't quite as interested as Jackobi. She gazed at a few animals, but quickly decided that the shaded paths were the perfect spot for a mid-afternoon snooze!


Although you can't tell it, Jackobi was rather excited for some Reed's Ice Cream once we left the zoo. It was the first time I had been there and it's amazing!! So good!!


We had such a great weekend! Most of the time we just sat around, visited & played with the kids. {of course the guys had to squeeze in a round of golf as well} but those are some of the best times!! I can't wait for our next trip up! Thanks Chris & Sara for such a fun weekend!

Plum :: Peach :: Lemon




Well, our Vegetable garden may not be thriving quite as we had hoped, but I'm happy to announce that we're growing something else! Jackobi has had fun telling her Grandpa's & Grandma's that there's a baby in Mommy's tummy. It's been pretty cute!! We're so excited for our new little addition coming in January!

I haven't journaled as much this go around, so am going to lay it all out there now. SO feel free to skip the details! [Yes, this is my disclaimer}

I've been pretty sick, so am surprised we managed to keep this under wraps for so long! Let's just say if you've stopped by my house before noon the past few months - you found me makeup-less, in sweats & looking like I just ran a marathon (or got hit by a 2x4) ... but I didn't :) So I apologize to the few of you who got to witness that (thanks Laura for not dis-owning me yet!!! :) You've definitely seen me on many of my bad days!) Since I've been so sick & wasn't with Jackobi -- Nate and I are both convinced that it is a boy -- well that and the fact that the heartrate was 162, which, Nate informed me is the exact number of baseball games in a regular season. Must be a sign. :) Jackobi was able to come with me to hear the hearbeat & I know she didn't really understand what was going on, but was rather excited to hear the little 'thump, thump, thump' sound. The sweetest sound in the world when you're pregnant!!

We're so happy to finally be welcoming another precious baby soon! Jackobi has been so sweet and very concerned every time I get sick. She's such a sweetheart & I know will be a great big sister. ♥ We've asked her a few times what she thinks we should call the baby, and she very consistently says "Peaches" ... so here's to baby Peaches! We're excited to meet you in a few months!

So bring on the stretchy pants and cheeseburgers! We're growing a baby!

She's BA-ACK!!!

My mom made it back from her trip to Portugal & Jackobi couldn't be more thrilled to have her Grama back home!! She picked her up from the airport with me and it was so cute to watch her eagerly await the plane's arrival. She officially loves airplanes now & excitedly squeals each time she hears a little crop duster zooming around outside our house.

It was a fun little reunion. Ear to ear smiles all the way around the board. I sure do love that Jackobi is so close with her grandparents. They all have a sweet little relationship that can't be duplicated.

Welcome Home Grama!! We sure missed you while you were gone!!

{Watching the River Cats}

Last weekend we were able to skip town & head down to SLC for a day full of fun!!
Jared plays for the Sacramento RiverCats now & they were playing the Salt Lake Bees - so we decided to go and watch. We are so excited that he plays so close to home now! It's hard to pass up a chance to watch him play!! Nate has been to a few of his games, but I hadn't -- so we were way excited to watch some baseball!!
He got us some awesome seats & we loved every second of the 103* baseball game {well ... every second in the shade!! We quickly had to relocate a few rows back so we didn't melt!}Since it was so hot, we left Jackobi with Nate's parents for the day, she thought it was pretty great and it was honestly good to have a 'kidless' day out!

{Jared catching -- it was fun to watch him back pick a runner at 3rd! Good job JP!!}

{Jared Hitting}

We picked up Becky & Brody on the way down to Salt Lake & had so much fun! Snow cones, baseball nacho's and the boys rattling of baseball statistics -- doesn't get much better!

What a great day out! I can't wait until the RiverCats visit Salt Lake again next month so we can enjoy another game! Great job Jared! We loved watching you play!

FORE!!

Nate has been golfing a lot this summer already. He ventures out several times a week to try and master those greens. Jackobi and I decided to tag along and had so much fun! Nate is determined that Jackobi will be his golfing buddy, she has a little set of plastic clubs (which we left at home) so it was fun to watch her try with the real deal.

Daddy/Daughter first golf "lesson"
She can actually swing and hit the ball (not with much form) but has already decided she's an independent golfer and does NOT need help. :)


I'm sure we slowed down Nate's golf game QUITE a bit, but the warm summer evening was perfect for us all to get out together!


It didn't take Jackobi very long to decide that playing in the rocks & admiring the golf fountains was much more entertaining than this "golf business"



The perfect night out!
Maybe next time we'll even make it through an entire 9 holes!

Fast Forwarding thru July!

I'm so far behind in blogging! Where to begin! July is over half over and we've been loving our summer and all the festivities that go right along with it! It seems like our days {and nights for that matter} are jam packed with so many fun things, I just love this time of year!

Sara was home over the 4th of July for several days & we had so much fun celebrating & relaxing. Over the actual 4th of July weekend, Jackobi and I passed the flu back and forth to each other, so relaxing was a major part of this weekend! Luckily Jackobi didn't come down with it until after most of the festivities, so I was happy she was able to enjoy the things I love the most!

The morning of the 3rd - we headed out bright and early to the 5K Fun Run with Nate's mom and sister. It was early, cold & we were makeup-less -- so no pictures came from this event! It was a such fun morning, even though it was really cold! Who would think that it'd be in the 40's in July? Hopefully we'll get some warmer weather next year! Then it was off to the parade!

The parade was really great this year! There were more floats & it was fun to watch Jackobi chase after candy! She did manage to get hit right in the face with a flying tootsie roll thrown by a little girl [I mean, we're talking - a few feet away & thrown HARD!], but once she found the sweet treat inside the wrapper - life was good again! Sara & Emaiya drove down from Twin to enjoy the festivities with us! What a fun morning!

Over the next few days we enjoyed the sunshine.
This included seeing how many kids we could fit into Jackobi's small [which needs to be upgraded] pool ... running through sprinklers and homemade ice cream!

We loved spending our nights with sparklers, s'mores & bonfires! Jackobi was officially sugared up way to late at night & loved all of the attention. Let's just say we're on a s'more boycott at our house for the rest of the summer!

Just a few days later, my mom was whisked away to this beautiful place for 10 days ...

Her camera went ka-poot just days before the big trip, so she borrowed mine. :) So our adventures since then have been picture-less, but divine! Park & pool play dates have become a weekly necessity. If we don't see Jackobi's little friends for a few days, she calls them multiple times [on her pretend phone of course] and chatters away. It's so cute the stories she will tell! I love that she has become so fond of her sweet little buddies!

Oh the simplicity of Summertime ... I love these days! ♥

[fireworks ... food booths & fun!!]

The 4th of July is my absolute FAVORITE holiday!! Anyone who has visited Rupert during this time of year knows, without a doubt, it's one thing that this small town knows how to do right! We have already had a couple of fun filled days enjoying the festivities and pretty much living at the Rupert Square!

Last night the fireworks kicked off the celebration & they were a grand site!! The square was particularly packed this year, so we were excited to have my Grandma's yard nearby to retreat to! The view was great & I'm pretty convinced we had some of the best seats in the house! Jackobi really loved the fireworks, she 'ooed and awed' and was excited to see all of the different colors. It was a fun night with yummy food, family & great friends!

These two little girls sure do love their Grama and it's no wonder why! She sings & dances with them all day long and most importantly lets them eat Cotton Candy before dinner (thanks Mom!!) What a fun night! Jackobi sure enjoyed her cozy spot snuggled on her Grama's lap!

We decided to continue the fun into today & got all the kiddo's together to splash in Becky's yard! She was flooding her yard and it was so fun to watch them all play together! Jackobi was a little unsure about the soggy grass at first, but decided life was good! Especially once we broke out the popsicles!!

Apparently there was something REALLY funny about the water pump. The girls were just squealing and laughing uncontrollably at it! It was pretty entertaining (for us AND them!!)

After our morning in the water we headed to the square for some more fun!
These three were quite a site holding hands everywhere they went!

By the time the day was over .... Jackobi was worn out!!

What a fun start to our holiday weekend!!
Thanks everyone for already making it so special!
I can't wait to continue the rest of our celebration!!