Father's Day Photo Shoot

And, we're done!

My sister Camille found the darling blue gingham skirts for the girls and she made the pink and purple ones. They were so cute, we had to have a photo shoot. We ended up giving our dad's pictures for father's day. I don't think I will ever have enough pictures of my girls, they're just so cute!

Memories.....

Maren

Sydnee

I dressed Maren in this lovely little outfit the other day and I had a fun memory pop into my head. When my parents were on their mission, my sister and I took Addy and Sydnee and drove to California to visit. We had a great time and even went to the beach. Addy wasn't too fond of the water, but Sydnee loved it. She was only about 14 months old and we couldn't keep her out of the water, so much so, that it was scary. She would just run into the waves. The child had no fear. She wasn't as fond of the ocean on our second trip one year later. Every time I dress Maren in the little orange outfit, I smile and remember the beach.

Water Babies

The best $16 we have spent all summer!

Sisterhood of the Traveling Van Week 5

Today we set off on another adventure up Provo canyon. We went to Big Spring Hollow park up the south fork of Provo canyon. I felt kind of dumb because I didn't even know there was a south fork until a few weeks ago. Big Spring Hollow park is beautiful, it's almost to the top of the mountain. There is a spring/creek that runs through the park and the views of the mountains are amazing. Addy and Sydnee enjoyed playing in the water and Maren enjoyed eating sticks and anything else she could get her hands on. It was such a nice, sunny day for a picnic. There was only one other person at the park and they were quite far away, it was great to have the park to ourselves. We had a nice picnic lunch, the only negative part were the bugs that munched on us for their lunch. The flies were horrible. I remembered my camera, but my batteries were dead, aarrgghh! It was the perfect place for fun pictures, oh well, next time. Thanks again Camille for a wonderful day!

The Sisterhood Week 4

We had to skip week 3 because Camille had a conference and I had pre-wedding mayhem. This week there was no traveling van. Maren ran a 103 fever for 3 days and was just starting to act like herself yesterday. So, we had peanut butter sandwiches at my house and the kids ran through the sprinklers. Maren slept through most of the festivities. I love my sister and so staying at home and hanging out is just as good to me as going on an adventure together.

11 Months Old

I love this picture, Maren lights up when Ben gets home from work

I know I say this every month, and I'm going to say it again, Maren is growing up way too fast! She is getting pretty good at walking, she can clap, wave and give 5. I'm starting to wean her and I am thrilled that I won't have to buy formula any more. It's hard to believe that we only have one more month until she's one.

The Wedding (warning lots of pictures)

My niece Eve

George & Ben

giving the bride away

The Groomsmen

The bridesmaids

flower girls

Eve sang "Amazing Grace" She did great!

Isn't he handsome?

Laughing...she couldn't get the ring on his finger

I was glad my kids didn't see this, I didn't want to explain.

Hope, her brother Brick and George

The beautiful flower girls

dancing with Aunt Heather

The guy in the kilt

dancing with Uncle Georgie

Uncle Marvin

Della and Gill

Uncle Steve & Aunt Diane

George & Michelle (Ben's parents)

check out the jacket

We never thought we would see the day that Ben's brother George would get married. Only because George has always been a loner. As soon as he started bringing Hope to family gatherings, we knew she was special. She had a normal name. George had always brought home strange girls with strange names. Hope has been great for George. He has changed a lot in the last year. He is more relaxed, and more caring towards everyone. Hope is a very sweet, loving person who is considerate of everyone. We are all grateful that she and George have found each other and that they are happy together.
Now a little explaining. George and Hope are both, hmmm, hippies I guess is the best way to describe them. George works for Kenny G doing lights and sound. Hope owns her own business making tents and other custom sewing stuff. They live in a compound called "Tent Man." They both love nature and they have a lot of strange friends. They are great people, but very different.
The wedding took place on father's day at Rose Sachs gardens. It's a lovely outdoor garden nestled against a mountain. As the plans were made for the wedding, Ben said it would be like the bar scene on Star Wars. When we arrived at the gardens, Ben's thoughts were confirmed. There were lots of characters there. Hope's friend Ira owns the reception center and let them use it for free. Ira is the one that married them, he is an odd duck. There were many other characters, such as, the bridesmaid that has an Adam's apple, the man in the kilt, the many hippies and the alternative lifestyle couples to name a few.
As strange as some of the guests were, it turned out to be a very nice ceremony and a fun evening of eating and dancing. Addy and Sydnee were flower girls and Ben was a groomsmen. Addy and Sydnee absolutely loved being flower girls. There were some snags with the dresses and Hope ended up buying the dresses on Saturday. They are beautiful dresses, and the girls were thrilled. Ben was the only groomsman without a suit because we weren't given that message until Friday night. Oh well, it all worked out. Despite the excess flesh we saw and the moments of parental stress, we had a great time.