(What's wrong with this picture?) Olivia sure is looking up to Joseph Smith.

 We went to Temple Square. We were there as soon as the lights turned on. Although it wasn't quite the same without snow. While taking this picture I sat in a puddle of water.

 We started off our day eating sushi at Tepanyaki. YUM!  I love sushi.

This temple is so beautiful and majestic. I haven't even gone there yet to do a session. Lame! But I will. I went for my cousin's sealing. So I have been inside once. I am so thankful for the pioneers, and the prophets who sacrificed so that we could enjoy all this. We got the movie 17 Miracles for christmas, and I was bawling my eyes out. why did they have it so hard and we have it so easy? It was physically hard for them. But maybe it is harder spiritually and emotionally now as much as it was physically for them. Anyway, I am in awe of Henderson and Jehu, who crossed the plains, the former in the Mo. Battalion and the later in a handcart co. Actually Kenny's ancestors crossed the plains too, and his relative was Parley p Pratt! So I am certain that our ancestors at least crossed paths. weird.

Maggie and Olvia's first real big birthday party

First the kids decorated their crowns.













Here they are "slaying the dragon" pinata! So fun!



















We had cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, chocolate dipped marshmallows dipped in sprinkles, and cake. The marshmallows were the hit of the party. I think anything on a stick, and anything with sprinkles is a winner for the kids.



























We had a party! It was a princess and knights party.




There is Jack in the back with his shield. The boys got shields. And the girls ended up with shields too:)




So the party was a success. I was happy that it went well. When the kids started showing up they decorated their crowns and shields. After all the kids finished we played some party games. We played pass the slipper, find the slipper, we had a royal ball with freeze dance. Then they played and danced to jack johnson music for a bit. Then we read the paper bag princess. The girls are in love with this book. So glad we got it. After we read the book I asked the kids if being a princess is really just about having nice clothes, and they shouted "yes". I ended the discussion shortly after that and we went downstairs to slay the dragon. Daddy and Uncle Trevor helped with the dragon.
After the dragon was beheaded we came upstairs for cake and presents! So fun. Thank you to all our friends and family who came and shared in our celebration. Thank you catherine for taking pictures and Alice for helping with the crowns and jewels. We had so much fun.

Santa and a horse carriage ride

It seems weird that it's Christmas because there is no snow. It's like a California christmas. We had fun tonight visiting Santa at the Riverwoods. There were tons of lights everywhere and we waited in line for an hour for a free carriage ride. Oh well. The girls told santa they wanted a "dolly" Well, Maggie said she wanted a dolly and then Olivia said she wanted a bigger giant dolly. Good times.

Family Pictures

We were excited to do family pictures and Lora was gracious enough to take them for us. We went to Bridal Veil falls.

Corn Maze

The other day we were going to take the girls to the park. But the parking lot was full because of soccer games, so we left and decided to try out a pumpkin patch/cor maze nearby. It was a BLAST! It was a little family owned business with tons of cool pumpkins, bounce houses. Kenny and I really liked this and want to make it next year.It's  got pumpkins growing on vines! How cool is that. Very fun.

I came across this awesome quote by Elder Joseph B Wirthlin while preparing for sunday's lesson. I love it:

"I urge you to examine your life. Determine where you are and what you need to do to be the kind of person you want to be .Create inspiring, noble and righteous goals that fire your imaginations and create excitement in your heart. And then keep your eye on them. Work consistently towards achieving them."  

I think this is a good reminder for me. 


 

And Olivia is just cute.

Ghost Cat

I was shopping at Joann's fabrics last week and saw a cat decoration and thought to myself, "I could totally make that myself". And I did. I took the old sheets that used to be hanging as curtains in the camper and made a cat! (I also made some cuter curtains for the camper, maybe I'll get some pics of that) Olivia was watching me make it and wanted to help, I said yah, but didn't think anything of it when I left the room to get something.
When I came back into the kitchen she had scooted the chair over and was painting the cat with white fabric paint that I had used for the eyes. I was a little shocked, but then laughed and let her and Maggie go to town. It's not like it cost me anything! NOw it's our scary ghost cat. She likes to carry it around and put it different places. And they want to show it to our neighbor Peggy, (They are obsessed with Peggy they always want to go over to her house)

Living life and loving it. and free stuff doesn't hurt.

 We are having fun at the park

 Maggie making sod angels

 We went to the mountains to ride our new scooters that Kenny got for free. Let me just say, that Kenny is scrappy. Our friend works as the maintenance guy at an apartment complex in Provo. He said we could have some scooters that had been sitting for years in the parking lot.  Of course there was a gleam in Kenny's eye when he heard this, and now we have two scooters. Pretty fun I have to say. Originally we were going to fix them and sell them to get a 4 wheeler. But we aren't sure.

This weekend we went up to Squaw Peak. It was SO beautiful. Maggie and Olivia picked a bushel of pretty red, orange and yellow leaves. She needed 5 to 10 for preschool this week. We picked  a little more than that. It made me think of John Adams. Weird huh? I read David Mccullaugh's biography this summer. He and his wife were two GREAT people, salt of the earth people. They were also very stalwart in their simplicity. At the end of his life, Adams retired to his home in the country called Peacefield. One winter day close to the end of his life he looked out the window on a winter day and noticed the bbeauty and grandeur of nature. He said something to the effect that the branches on the trees and the icicles were prettier than all the kings and queens he had seen decorated with their jewels.

Summer Ending

Well the last few weeks have been fun. Wakeboarding and tubing with Shannon in Washingston. Camping in park city, putting in new flooring, and mountian biking at sundance. Perfect way to end summer. Now the girls are doing preschool and we will fall into our new schedule.