July 4th

We went to Minersville for the 4th of July. They have quite the celebration down there. I ran in the first annual 5k. My time was 25:51...just average but I tasted the blood/iron taste in my mouth the whole time so that means I ran hard. Then we watched the parade. Emmett played with his new toy train the entire parade. He can't even function when that thing is around. All he thinks about is the train...it's outrageous.

Here's a classic picture of our favorite fire fighter Dale Bowden. What a stud!!

Emmett also ran in the foot race this year. They have all the kids race in age/gender groups. Emmett took 3rd and I was just glad he ran. (Of course he ran to Bret who was holding the train)

They also had a great dinner and games for the kids. It was a lot of fun. Later that night we went to St George to see Blair & Vanessa's new baby Annistyn. Oh my heavens, she is cute!! Here is a picture of her below.

Makes me want a baby girl. Maybe one day??? My mom keeps telling me I'll have 4 boys, but I highly doubt that.

This last picture was taken last Thursday. I came home from work and this is what the boys had been up to. CUTE!

Happy 90th Birthday

June 28, 2010 was my grandma Bellrae's 90th birthday. Doesn't she look fabulous? We had a big party for her at the new Springville Civic Center. She never tells her age so it was quite a surprise for her friends to find out she turned 90. What a great accomplishment! My grandma is still very active and independant. She does more for us then we do for her. She has a very busy schedule with senior citizens, Presbyterian church, PW Women, hair appointments, yard work, sewing, cooking, cleaning, etc... She is a very hard worker and I'm sure that is where my mom gets it from. (I hope that quality continues down the line)

We've been planning her party for a few weeks and I didn't know it was going to have such a huge affect on me. It really put life into prospective, and reminded me about what is most important. First off, she had about 60 people RSVP...who has that many friends??? I can only think of a handful of people who I would invite to my 27th birthday. We had a catered dinner and birthday cake. Then my mom and Emily expressed a few memories and talents/traits of my grandma. Emily talked about how she wanted to play the piano when she was 6 years old. My parents couldn't afford lessons, and when she turned 8 my grandma sent a $25 check each month for 6 years to pay for Emily's piano lessons. I know it was a sacrafice for my grandma to make, but she loves us and wanted to help Emily develope her talents.

At the end we had a slide show of her life. I loved seeing her baby pictures, and the pictures of her with her 3 sisters. It reminded me of me and my sisters. My favorite picture was one of her holding my mom as a baby. I thought to myself, "That is me right now with my baby. Pictures of me with Emmett will hopefully be in my 90th birthday party slide show." I also loved seeing pictures of my grandpa John again. He wasn't my biological grandpa but he was the only grandpa I knew. I almost forgot what a good looking man he was.

Anyways, the party was a hit and I've been on a high about it for days now. Cody even said, "This is the best party I've ever been to". He's 6 years old :) My grandma was so happy and that is what makes me happy. We finally got to do something speical for her, which was long over due. I called her after the party and she said, "That was so much fun. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to sleep tonight."

I'm going to see if I can get a copy of some of the pictures from the slide show and I'll add them below.

4th Anniversary

I can't believe its already been 4 years, and then at the same time it feels like Bret and I have always been together. I loved our wedding day. Things turned out perfectly and just as planned. I'm very thankful to have a wonderful man like Bret. Bret, thank you for all you do for our family and for loving me so much!

Baby Blanket for Max

I made this blanket for Emily's baby. He should be arriving in the next few weeks. I can't wait to see him!!! I get butterflies thinking about it. Her nursery is very cute and this rag quilt will fit in perfectly. We'll have his name embroidered on one of the squares once it's official. As of now Emily and Shayne both like Max the best.

Emily is going to be a great mom. We tease her about her lack of motherly instincts but we all know she'll do great. She'll be fun, loving, carefree.... unlike the stress case I am. She's a great person and her kids will turn out the same way. Love you Em.

Puerto Rico

We just got back from a family trip to Puerto Rico. Bret was working down there, and Emmett and I flew down and met him. Oh Boy...was I nervous to fly alone with Emmett for 8 hours. He did exceptionally well, which made me really happy. It was still a very long day for the both of us. It must be his age but everybody loves Emmett. Strangers go out of their way to wave/talk to him. Who doesn't love a baby? (is he a baby?) Anyways, this one lady stopped Bret and told him (in Spanish) that Emmett looks like he was painted. Ahhh, made me happy. He was painted, he's perfect.

We spent the majority of our time swimming or spending time on the beach. We didn't really have a strict schedule for site seeing, which was nice. We just hung out, shopped, ate, swam, etc... Bret did meet a lady from Spanish Fork who is living down there for a few years, and she took us to see some of the historical sites. She was really nice and we appreciated her spending the time to take us around. I know Puerto Rico is U.S. territory but its still a different country. I didn't feel safe there like I do in Utah. Not that Utah is (safe) but I was thankful Bret was always with me. We constantly had people asking us for money, and trying to sell Bret drugs. Lol.

Overall, it was a great experience and I'm thankful I was able to go. This was Emmett's first vacation, and it was a memorable one. Enjoy the pics below as it's not everyday I post pics of me in my bathing suit ;)

Emmett loved watching the planes. Too bad he didn't know or remember he was even on one.

Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

Iguana we saw sunbathing on the grass. He was huge!

Emmett's first time seeing the ocean

Studly

Lovin the sun

Can you spot the whitest family in Puerto Rico? It shouldn't be too difficult. Luckily we ended up coming home with a decent tan. (no sun burns...mission accomplished)

P.S. There is no point is doing your hair down there. It was so humid...I looked like a poodle the entire trip. I took two showers a day to try to make myself feel "unsticky" but it didn't work. I basically sweated for 5 days straight.

Sickness

I feel like I've been hit by a bus. Emmett and I had the stomach flu yesterday and it was miserable. I'm glad to be done throwing up, but the day after is almost as bad because of how exhausted your body feels. I wasn't sure how I was going to take care of a sick baby when I was sick myself, but those motherly instincts kicked in and I somehow managed. Luckily Emmett slept until 3:00pm. He woke up a few times but it was for 20 minutes and then he was out again. He even slept all night last night :)

I hadn't told very many people but I registered for the Utah Valley Marathon which is tomorrow, and I can't see myself running it. I am suppose to carb up a few days before and instead I didn't eat or drink anything and lost 3lbs. I wasn't that prepared for this race, but it still bothers me that I might not run. I didn't plan on donating $70 for nothing.

P.S. I read on facebook that Nikki is going to have her baby today. I'm pretty excited for her, and can't wait to see this cute little girl. Good luck today!

Memorial Day

We had a great Memorial Day. Bret rode horses that morning with a few of his friends, while Emmett and I went running. It's funny how some days I can run for hours and then the next day 3 miles does me in. I don't mind pushing Emmett in the running stroller, but for some reason he doesn't enjoy it that much. I wish somebody would put me in a big stroller and push me through town.

We went to my mom's house for a quick visit and then dinner with Emily and Shayne at Zupas. Ahhhh I love Zupas. We also made a visit at the cemetery to see my Dad's and Joey's gravestones. Joey was very popular that day and had lots of flowers, which doesn't surprise me at all. I love the picture of Emmett with my dad's headstone. It makes me wish he was still here to see Emmett and all the other grandkids. He was alive to see Kelsey, Hailey, Cody, and Andrew and he loved them. He would tell us to not come visit him without bringing the babies. I have a few pictures of my dad in our house and Emmett likes to look at them, and he says "Grandpa". He also calls Bret's dad "Grandpa" and called some guy in IFA "Grandpa". All 3 men looked very similar :)

Carly was helping Emmett walk in the thick grass. He fell and she tried to pick him back up and said, "It's ok Emmett. I'll help you" She's a sweetheart.

"Car...Car...Car" The words I hear every time we step outside.