Lagoon Firsts

Lagoon is Utah's biggest amusement park. As a kid, it was a yearly tradition in our family to come for a day in the summer. My birthday is in June, so I was even lucky enough to spend a couple birthdays here. This year, B's company held their summer party at Lagoon, so we decided to "try it out" with two toddlers. It was a good trial run for our big Disney trip in November. :)

Our first stop was the carousel. We've been on the carousel at the zoo, so we thought this would be a good ride to start out on. While in line, Liam started to get a little anxious. Then, once we strapped them on an animal, he was screaming and clawing at me. Images of a screaming kid the entire day filled my head and I started to get a little apprehensive about...a lot of things!

We entered Kiddieland and showed them all the 

helicopter, plane, boat, and car rides. 

We got in line and the boys seemed pretty interested- including Liam.

Then we put him on the ride with brother.

This picture says so much.

I shouldn't laugh, but B and I couldn't help it 

every time they passed by us and Liam was just falling apart. 

I love Finn turning around to comfort/encourage his upset brother

...trying to convince him it really is fun!

Okay, not all the rides were a complete disaster.

They both really enjoyed this little car ride
and Liam did pretty good on the boats.

You can see he is pretty serious, though.

Liam did A LOT better when we rode with him.

This is Puff the Dragon roller coaster. I remember riding this when I was little.

I had to take pics of these two trying to figure out the drinking fountain.

Poor boys have my red face when they get hot. And it was really hot!

We decided to take a little break and share a cool treat.

I mean, what is a day at the amusement park without an ICEE?

After our treat, we went on the train and saw all the animals.

Liam loved it. Finn was a little impatient because it wasn't going "fast" enough.

At 5:00 pm, it was dinner time at the Maple Pavilion.

B's company fed us dinner and had a raffle.

This is Finn really enjoying B's lemonade and Sprite mix.

After dinner, we decided to do a couple more rides.

By this time, Liam was pretty calm. He quite enjoyed Bulgy the Whale- 

another old ride I enjoyed as a kid as well.

The last ride we went on sprayed water.

While in line, we let the boys play in the little stream surrounding it.

Also, Liam got a balloon at dinner 

and he seriously carried this around EVERYWHERE.

That boy.

*****

So, what is our consensus?

The day was pretty successful.

We realize we might have to take it slow with Liam.

But throw Finn in, because he could do this everyday.

Thanks Lagoon!

Family Day: Skyline Mountain Resort

Yesterday, B's family invited us to their property in Fairview, UT. 

We spent the day playing on 4-Wheelers, swings, 

eating yummy food, and running around in the rain. 

My boys were in heaven.

(B's Uncle Scott trying a helmet on Liam. He felt so big.)

The minute Finn saw this 4-Wheeler, he had to climb up and play. B's cousin showed him how to turn it on and rev the engine. He had a perma-grin the entire time. After, we went on a little hike around the property and Liam stuck with Grandpa J.

Towards the end of lunch, it rained...and poured.

The boys insisted on playing in the rain.

They were completely soaked, 

especially after running under the drips of water from the trailer awning.

The boys laughed and laughed at cousin Ashley as she danced in the rain with them!

When the rained stopped, Uncle Darin and Uncle Scott started a fire. 

Liam went with Grandma J to watch.

Pretty soon, Aunt Lisa's homemade ice cream was ready.

She even let Liam lick the mixer. :)

After a treat, we went on a ride with the 4-wheelers and side-by-side ATV.

First stop was the Tree Swing.

Remember this from the last time we were here?

This year, I hadn't just given birth 3 months earlier and decided to try it out.

After watching everyone else, 

Liam was insistent about sitting on the swing as well.

Even with some help from Grandma, 

he ended up with his feet over his head.

Maybe next time.

Next stop was the overlook.

The boys enjoyed looking out at the 

beautiful mountains with their cousins.

For about 5 seconds. :)

They were pretty vocal about letting us know 

they wanted back on the "trucks" or ATV's.

(Liam with Landen and Finn with Jenna.)

The day at the property ended with a sit around the campfire and

OF COURSE

S'mores.

The boys were pretty impressed.

*****

Thanks to the Birch Family 

for hosting us at their beautiful property!

We love you!

Liam and Finn turn 2!

Liam and Finn, you are two years old today. At some moments, it seems like it's taken forever to get here and other moments make it seem like it's flown by incredibly fast! You are such a light in our family. I can't imagine our home without either of you in it...that includes all the noises, smells, and messes. :)

Liam- you are a heart melter. You have the sweetest little voice, but at the same time, you have a pair of lungs that belt it! You love to run back and forth and screech. You LOVE balls- any balls. You call basketballs "balls bass"(with a little lisp). You tend to get frustrated with your brother and we're still learning that hitting is NOT the answer...or biting. Yet, after mommy tells you "No!" and asks you to tell brother you're sorry and give him a hug, you offer him the sweetest embrace. You are a bit shy these days with strangers...especially kids. Nursery is hard at first, but you usually end up calming down and having a jolly time. You are cautious, but love to have fun. You LOVE your mommy and daddy. You LOVE to snuggle and wrestle and listen to music and follow your brother everywhere. You are our Liam Bug and we love you so incredibly much! Happy Birthday sweet boy!

Finn- you are so full of energy and life, that it's hard to sit still for too long! Great Grandma Shaw pulled out the old photo album and showed me pictures of Papa when he was 2. You look exactly alike! There's a reason you're named Finn Steven- and it's not just because of those brilliant blue eyes. You are busy, busy, BUSY! You are also fearless when it comes to people and have no problem venturing away from mom and dad. You LOVE trucks, cars, airplanes, helicopters, boats, etc. You like to push buttons, but you are seriously the sweetest little kid. You are a better leader than follower...you are INTENSE. You are really starting to find your words and it cracks daddy and I up when we sit and listen to you. You LOVE to watch the big kids play and want so badly to play with them. You also make sure there are always kisses and hugs after family prayer for both mom and dad. You are our Finner Boy and we love, love, love you!! Happy Birthday little monkey!

*****

For the boys' birthday, B took the day off 

and we were busy doing lots of fun things! 

I cooked some paleo banana waffles for breakfast. The boys were a fan.

They also loved "second breakfast" 

or the huge suckers they got for their birthday.

Hey, you're only two once, right?

Here's a little video of our morning.

DISCLOSURE: I literally woke up 5 minutes before we taped this. 

Also, I apologize for the garments hanging out of my shirt. 

Please forgive my inappropriateness, along with my bed head in all it's glory. 

5 minutes. Just keep that in mind. 5 minutes.

For lunch, we headed to the AC (Arctic Circle) 

for some chicken rings and indoor playground and moosetracks shake! It rocked.

After a nap, we packed our bags and headed up to Cherry Hill 

for an evening of water fun!

Auntie Taylour was kind enough to join us.

Happy Happy Birthday my little guys!

We LOVE you!

2nd Birthday Pool Party!

This week, we celebrate Liam and Finn turning 2! They aren't officially "2" until Friday, but we had a little family party last night to kick off the festivities. (I'm making it sound like my kids' birthdays are as big as Provo's Freedom Festival. Well...yeah.) We expressed to our family that each year is a victory- 1) Because B and I survived and 2) These boys have brought so much light and love to our family. And not just to our little family, but our extended family as well. They are the source of so much joy for many, many people. So, yes. We celebrate BIG.

This year, B's grandparents offered their clubhouse/pool,
so we had a pool party for the boys.

Instead of cake, we had an ice cream bar. We put two candles in a couple scoops of ice cream for the boys to blow out. It went a little bit better than last year. Remember this?

Boys and their grandmas, Auntie Taylour, and Uncle Shane.

The boys got lots of fun gifts! 

This morning has been awesome, because they have lots to keep them occupied. ;) 

Our gift to Liam and Finn were little balance bikes. They were pretty excited.

POOL TIME!

Thanks to our wonderful family for joining us last night to celebrate our boys!

Farewell, Sister.

You know when a certain day or event is approaching, 

but you feel it's so far in the future that you don't worry about it, 

then all of a sudden that day is here 

and you don't know what do, 

so all the feelings of your heart come out your eyes?

That was my day when my sister left.

As we speak, Whit and Joey are headed across the country.

To celebrate/relish time together before they departed, 

we gathered at my parent's house.

We put the boys in their swimsuits and played with bubbles.

And helped Grammy water her flowers.

And sprayed our brother with the hose.

And got in some good play time with our Auntie.

She even let us play in her big moving truck.

It was pretty traumatic for two little boys when they had to get out.

And then we said goodbye.

Everyone kept saying "It's not the end of the world!" And it's not. But it doesn't make saying goodbye any easier. It doesn't dull the sting of bidding farewell to a best friend who has filled the role of helper/confidant/encourager and who has helped me survive the past two years. My little Liam has especially attached himself to his sweet Auntie, which means a lot, considering his little anxious self has a hard time with different people and places.

Thank you, Whit. Thanks for everything.

We love you Rinos!! 

Make sure you set up your guest room, 

so we can start planning our trip to New Hampshire!

Dinner Fail

B and I have started eating paleolithic, which has been a great experience so far- especially with the recipes I've tried. Before dinner tonight, the boys and I were outside working in the garden, so I thought I would serve a cool chocolate avocado smoothie and some boiled eggs with a guacamole filling. 

I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WAS THINKING. 

That doesn't even sound good together. 

And let me tell you...it didn't taste much better. 

If that wasn't enough, I thought it would be a good idea to add some spinach to the smoothie. As we sat down and I looked at B's face after taking a bite/sip, I remarked "You don't like it." His response was "I'm just not super fond of chewing my smoothie.", referring to the spinach chunks at the bottom that didn't get blended very well. I happened to look at Finn just as he was gagging on the spinach as well. 

Then, Liam slammed his cup down and B yelled out "I've been hit! I've been hit!" Chocolate smoothie was in his hair, shirt, and all over his eggs. As I took it all in, I just burst out laughing and laughing and laughing. EPIC FAIL. In order to save what I could, I took out my strainer and drained the smoothies to get as much spinach out as I could. But, you know what? B refused. Instead, he drank the entire thing and ate every single egg on his plate- chocolate and all.

That is a man who loves his wife. :)