Catch Up

Okay, so I'm a little behind on my postings. A lot has happened since we went on the cruise. We bought a home in Ferron, Utah and are happily settling in. It's not my dream home, but we really like it. We'll save up a little longer for our dream home. In the meantime, the girls have lots of room to run around, and we even have a spot for a garden (we can finally use the seeds that Eli has been packing around for a few years). We have really nice neighbors and a really great view of the mountains. We're happy, and I'm content.

Eli teaching Sydney how to work the lawn mower.

The girls & I participated in the MS Walk in Vernal Utah. It was really fun. We were able to raise a little over $200. I'd like to thank those that have already contributed. You guys are awesome!!! If anyone would like to make a contribution, you can do so until June 1st. The website is:

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=3464578&pg=personal&fr_id=3100

I'm planning on doing it again next year, if anyone would like to join me. The girls were the youngest participants there; they got a lot of compliments on their hats. Sydney walked some of the way, and then I pushed both of them in a jogging stroller. It was a workout, to say the least, but we finished the 3 miles.

The girls love being with their daddy.



The girls, like most kids, love to be read to. Claire will even hold still for a little while to listen. This is my mom reading to the girls.




Few things are sweeter than a sleeping child, or children in this case. Sydney sleeps holding onto a picture of daddy and also with rocks that Eli has given her. Claire has to sleep with a water cup and a stuffed puppy named Spot that Grandpa Daniel gave her. It's her favorite toy.


The girls look a lot alike in this picture. They both have beautiful smiles. They also love to pick flowers, especially out of the neighbors yard. =)

Grandpa Dewey brought Dewey the pony down to Ferron. The girls have had a great time riding him. He's very gentle and easily led. He's small enough that Sydney can get off by herself and lead him around.

Claire may look like me when I was little, but she did inherit at least one thing from Eli: she loves to play in the dirt. Sydney doesn't like to get her hands dirty, while Claire is happiest when her hands are covered in dirt. If there is dirt to be gotten into, Claire is in it.






These are some pictures from a couple of outings we went on. We were only about 20 minutes from our house, but it looks like we're in the middle on no where. There are a lot of Indian writings in the area. There is one area where there is a big rock with a crack in it. Sydney found an inner crack that she wanted to go through, so she did. When Claire saw Sydney going through, she wanted to go through. We set her down and in she went. It's pretty narrow. Eli could get through it, but it would be a very tight fit. When Claire got to the end, she gave us a very triumphant look, as if to say, "I knew I could do it".

Sydney was with me at Nordstrom's waiting for my sisters. She had a lot of fun trying on all the shoes. It was a bittersweet moment for me to realize that it won't be too long before she actually is wearing shoes like that around. The days are long, but the years are short.


Eli and Sydney are planting peas, and Claire is playing in the dirt.


Eli & Sydney

Claire will eat most anything you give her, but she really likes shrimp. I don't like seafood, so Eli gives the girls a lot of seafood so they'll like it. It seems to have worked so far.



These two jeep pictures were taken at my sister Andrea's house. It was a little crowded in the jeep with 3, so Claire bailed out and rode with Riley. Lindsay told Riley that Sydney was safer in her jeep because she had seatbelts. Riley, concerned for the safety of Claire, reached over and used his arm as her seatbelt. It was very cute.

Both our girls like to smile. Claire is especially cheesy. If she sees a camera, even if she's crying, she'll smile great big at the camera.


The light and the dark of it. This is Claire and her cousin Brynlee who is 6 weeks older than her.
Claire's hair is as dark as Brynlee's is light. My family says that Claire is a clone of me and Brynlee is a clone of her dad (my brother Eric), so I guess you could say this is Angela and Erica. =)



These two pictures were taken right by my parent's house in American Fork, Utah. The building is the Mount Timpanogos Temple, where Eli & I were married. The pumpkins are wood carvings that a man did that lives in the area. Eli also wanted a picture of the sunken tractor.