More Perfect Days

Being a Mom/activities coordinator I am constantly trying to think up fun things to do. At the top of my list is always go beach. Being in Utah hasn't been able to rid me of that, but has made the time here so so soooooo special for me. Ashley Moffat, another beach enthusiast Mom, has been amazing at putting together little (and sometimes very big) outings. The kids wear each other out, and the adults get a chance to talk and play in the most beautiful place in the world. Taj and Velzy (Ashley's little girl) have become quite fond of each other, and I couldn't be happier. I'm also glad that we haven't been blacklisted for living on the mainland for so long.
Taj absolutely loves it here, and I love sharing it with him.

*Pictures stolen from Ashley and Liko. Apparently I'm so excited about being here that I don't remember things like camera's anymore.

Cousins to the rescue...

My brother Jake and his wife had a babysitter crisis and had to call on us for help the other day. I won't be offended that we were their last resort. We had such a great time with Amaya, Taj's cousin. We decided that the best plan for attack for three kids under three was to wear them out at the beach. It was a great plan. We saw this Hawaiian Monk Seal.
Found this tube which turned into a circus act.
Taj was such a gentleman helping Amaya walk on the tube.

They were really good friends. I'm so glad Micah and Nana were there to get us all through the day in one piece. We love Amaya!

Ear Wax Candles Party

My father-in-law Steve couldn't hear out of his right ear the other day. It was so bothersome that, jaw drop, he went to the doctor about it.

We got talking and yada yada yada, we all did ear wax candles.

What you do is put the candle funnel in your ear snugly and light. I guess the heat somehow vacuums the ear wax out.We were all doubters, and I'll spare you the picture results we found when we cut them open, but I will be doing them regularly from now on. Feels so good.

we kind of LOVE it here

Watching the sunset from the hammocks by Turtle Bay... a perfect way to end the day.
a new surfer born
I can't stop this water baby... she loves the beach

Did I call him a surfer? He's a monkey first, surfer second.
It really is heaven behind us. This place is as beautiful as I remembered.

Oh Yes!

We're home...Finally!

*I do take pictures of Eden, promise. I'm usually in them so I opt not to post them.

Gateway to Fun

Micah's super busy with work these days. This happens every summer with it being "busy season" for the onion crops he represents. We found ourselves in a Saturday rut, and to get out of it we drove forty-five minutes to Gateway Mall. It's a fun outdoor mall, kind of like Ala Moana. Taj and Eden had fun getting wet in the fountain. After playing we ate and shopped a little. Oh, Anthropology.



If for some reason you are trying to picture me Mommying, you can picture me bent over leading Eden around like in the pics. She's got a crazy grip, and won't let my fingers go without a fight usually.

No Skill Required

Please look past the bad photography to the hooded towels I made for the little ones (sorry Micah). I can remember the first time I saw hooded towels. I was eight, and they weren't mine. They belonged to the Robinson kids, and how I coveted them. Now that I have kids of my own we have quite a collection of hooded towels, and now these ones made with love by their Mommy.
P.S: Guess what all you pregnant friends are getting... whether you want it or not:)

That's my boy!

What have we done?

Before:

After:

Ahoy!

Everyone needs a friend like Dustin. He's great with the kids, took us to Sliding Rock, takes us boating, and even goes with Micah to movies I don't want to see.




We are white.
Thanks Dustin!

Family Reunion

This is what I married into and I love it! There was really nothing like this for me growing up. For me there was usually a lot of grumbling and feet dragging when it came to family togetherness. Don't get me wrong, we love each other, we just aren't really family reunion people I guess. I'm grateful that my kids are a part of something so special.



Taj was such a cheese ball for the photographer.

Micah is cousins to one of my best friends, Amy Smith (now Rodriguez), so I got to see her and all of her family there. It was a fun day.

What's Cooler Than Cool?

We like to hike.
We really like to hike to water.
We LOVE to hike to water we can get in.

A friend took us to sliding rock (a waterfall made the rocks smooth enough to slide down on into a pool of water) on the 4th. It was so cold that it's arguable weather or not it's a hike where you can actually get in (as seen in my picture). It was so cold it almost hurt, but we loved it.


Taj almost got in but it was pretty difficult getting up to the top. Maybe next time.

Before I Forget....

Taj is a character. Here are some examples:

"I can't whistle, but my nose can."

Me: let's go get some breakfast. What sounds good?
Taj: Mom, you're always hungry?

On a bike ride to Nana's house he's about to give up and I'm trying my best to cheer him on. Finally he starts peddling and says, "o.k. Lead me. Guide me."

Me: Taj, how do you spell your name?
Taj: With a T. A. and a J.
Me: How do you spell Mom? Then I sound out MMMMMM AAAWWE MMMMMM. What about Mom?
Taj: MMMMMom is crazy.


At the fam. reunion we watched a sweet movie showing pictures of Jesus through his life. When it's done Taj says, "let's watch the Jesus movie again. It makes me feel happy."

Mountain People

We had a great time in the nearby American Fork Canyon roasting hot dogs and making s'more's. Taj's favorite part was the fire and stealing more marshmallows than any child should ever have.(Can you find the picture of him with it stuck to his lips?) I love seeing my man in nature, making fire and teaching his boy to skip stones.





Little Eden is really starting to grow up. She has been letting me put her down and even hand her to Daddy and Grandma's without much of a fuss. I thought this would be the happiest event ever, but last night I had a horrible nightmare where someone kidnapped her. I woke up crying. I guess it's harder to let them grow up than I thought.