Girl's Camp 2011

"Live Like You Believe" was our camp theme this year. Looking back at Camp, I am very glad it is over :). However, there were some amazing things that happened as well! It was my first year doing girl's Camp and it was definitely A LOT of work! Even with a "camp director" called, it still just takes SOOOOO much time, effort, sweat, tears, and sleepless nights to pull it off. I was blessed with great leaders who always come through with assignments and help wherever help is needed. Some highlights of camp were: Michelle Kemp (our first night's fireside), the 5 mile hike we did the 2nd day, solo time (a couple hours to ourselves to read, pray, write in journals), and testimony meeting. The hike was definitely a HARD hike....anyone that actually finished it would agree :). I was proud of myself- being 5 months pregnant and doing the whole thing! There were many who did not finish it- it was nothing but 2.5 miles straight up and 2.5 miles straight down. The down hill was definitely hardest on my body, but after 4 hours me, 2 leaders, and about 10 girls made it the whole way (from just our ward). It is always such a great feeling to accomplish something hard and say you were able to conquer your mind and body and overcome that hard obstacle.

Going back there were definitely things that I would do differently. But that is what happens anytime you do something for the very first time. And despite the emotional rollercoaster I had to be on for 3 days, seeing the light and change in those girls made everything worth it! Seeing the change and growing testimonies in the gospel made all the tears and sweat worth every drop. I have come to truly love these girls. You come to love most those you serve. They are such amazing girls and despite the hard challenges that are upon them at this time, they are striving to do their best. I love them!

Here are some great pictures from the week:

Emma's Summer Fun!

We have had a jammed-pack summer full of fun so far! Emma has experienced some new and exciting things and Cade and I have experienced the excitment of being a parent and seeing the joy on your child's face. There is nothing in the world like seeing your child fill up with such joy and happiness in new and exciting things!

We had a lot of fun during Strawberry Days- a week long celebration in Pleasant Grove with concerts, parades, rodeo, pet shows, and lots of yummy strawberries. Well, a couple of her favorite things were the "Pet show" and the carnival! She LOVED the little train and after she got off she kept saying "again! again!" Let's just say she went on her 3 favorite rides more than once each...and Cade and I had just as much fun as she did!

Walking in the Children's Parade:

Another great time we all had was going to the zoo. Cade hadn't been to the zoo for years and when I took Emma last year, she was too little to really enjoy anything. This time her favorite things were the Meercats and the gorilla and the elephants. Cade's favorite animal to see was definitely the Giraffe. (Don't let the 2nd picture of us fool you....that was the end of the day and Emma was getting very tired...she really did love the zoo :)).



This video made me SOOOO happy. I was taping Emma as she was watching her favorite meercats and I didn't notice until after it had happened why she all of a sudden decided to lie down on the nasty floor in the room....watch the meercat in the beginning of the video. So funny!



Now I didn't think anything could make Emma happier than the zoo and especially that train ride at the carnival, but the thing that topped them all were the water slides at the pool! She LOVED LOVED LOVED the water slide. She had a blast when we went to the community pool here in PG. Cade and I had to take turns walking up the stairs to take her down the slides because she didn't want to stop. She kept shouting "AGAIN! AGAIN!" everytime we went down. So much fun! And we can't wait for more fun times this summer!

Baby Jaxon's Shower and Goodbye!

See you later, Kristen and Andrew! They left for Santa Barbara, California about 3 weeks ago. Before they left, we were able to throw Kristen a baby shower for baby Jaxon. It was such a huge success- the decorations were so much fun and amazing! The desserts were darling and I think Kristen really enjoyed it- that's what's most important! There were lots of her close friends and extended family members that showed up and celebrated baby Jaxon coming. Minus the freezing temperatures Utah decided to shower us with (on June 2nd!), the whole night was a great success and tons of fun!

Here are all the lovely ladies that made the shower a great time:








Aren't these cupcakes SOOOOO cute???? My mom spent so much time on them and they turned out AMAZING!!! Good job MOM!











After everyone left from the shower, we gave Boose Boose a gift too! It was a child's accordian- kind of a joke (since it was only $10), but also so she could practice her mad skills on it :). Don't you love her expression!


Kristen and I saying goodbye before leaving to Cali:


I am going to miss her so much. I already do. Kristen is and has been a best friend to me my whole life and we've never been apart for more than a few months- and that was only once! We've had so many fun memories to sharing a room when we were little to sharing a room in college (except one time being roommates, we grew out of scaring each other and jumping on our beds :)). I've loved having her close by to go out to eat, have girls nights, and having her shoulder there for me to cry on. She has always been there for me and I am excited for her new adventures in Cali! I know she will have such a great time and she has no problem making new friends. She'll be everyone's best friend before long! Kristen, I love you so much! And I can't wait to see you in August! I hope you know how much you have meant to me in the past and how much you mean to me now. I love you with all my heart! See you soon!

Family Fun!

I have to combine some of these posts into 1 since, well.....you can see I've been slacking as of late and haven't had as much time for blogging with girls camp coming up NEXT WEEK!!!

We've had a lot of fun with family lately! Memorial Day weekend we drove to Vegas and spent the holiday with the Close side. We had a lot of fun! We went swimming (which I had been DYING to do since Utah was NOT working of the summer weather), saw a movie, hung out, went shopping, and just had fun watching Ashur and Emma play with each other. One of Emma's favorite things was the rocking horse! I just bought one online just like it because she loved it so much. We had a lot of fun with them and are looking forward to spending the 4th of July in Arizona with them as well!



We also have had a blast going on hikes! Cade and I want to be a "hiking" family and do a lot of hiking and camping in the years to come. So we bought a really cool backpack for our kids to sit in so we can make is a family adventure. Emma LOVES it! And I am so happy about that :). She hiked.....she played.....she passed out! Both times she fell asleep on the hike...too much fun for her :)!

Hike to the "G" in Pleasant Grove. It was VERY uphill, but a beautiful view in the end:



Hike to the Waterfalls in PG, about 2 min from our house!