New Cousins!

This Winter we got two new nephews and one new niece! It’s been fun having new babies in the family again, and no… we haven’t gotten the fever yet haha!

When my sister-in-law Lacey was in labor, we got to keep her older kids. It was so much fun anticipating with the kids. They were both so cute when they found out their new brother had arrived.

The Kentuckians come to Utah

My parents got to come to Utah for a few days over my mom’s Fall break. We had a few days of nice weather, then it got pretty cold. But thankfully we got to do a lot of fun things while they were in town still.

Once we picked them up from the airport, we went straight to City Creek and Temple Square to walk around a bit.

On Friday, we went to Ashton Gardens before Eva went to school, then that evening had Indian food in Salt Lake before visiting Gardner Village. They had all their witches out-we always love checking that place out!

On Saturday, we went to Cornbelly’s together. We stayed there for hours and could have stayed longer because it was so much fun. That night, we had a babysitter and went to see a movie together without the kids. It was nice to be able to get out without them and spend some time together as adults.

Sunday was church, but it was before our time change, so church was at 2:30 still. We went on a long drive that morning, unfortunately it was too chilly to get out and go on a walk like we had planned, but it was still fun to show them some places and pretty views.

We loved having them in town and can’t wait to see them next week! Thanks for coming!

Back to School Cousin Party

TJ’s parents threw a little Back to School cousin party one Saturday in August. They all played in the backyard for hours and then celebrated the start of a new year with a fun, special package from Grandma and Grandpa. It’s unbelievable how our families have all grown and that our oldest kids are now in Kindergarten!

Cousin Camp

It has been such a long time since I’ve blogged! I’m so behind! And going through all my pictures on my phone just makes me so sad that Summer is over. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited for Fall but I just can’t believe how quickly it all went.

Well, picking up where we left off… The first week of August, my sister-in-law and her husband went on a trip and we got to watch my cute niece and nephew for a few days. Each day we tried to do something fun!

On Sunday night, we roasted marshmallows for s’mores in the backyard with them and our neighbors.

Monday, we went to the pool.

On Tuesday, we headed to the movies for $5 Tuesday and saw Despicable Me 3.

Wednesday, we brought out the hose and played in the sprinkler all afternoon.

We also hit up a splash-pad with some friends, and although it was busy, the kids had a great time!

One sweet thing I want to remember while they were visiting is that on the first evening, I was reading them books before bed then asked who wanted to say the night prayer. They all volunteered and all begged me to choose each one of them, so that night and each one following, they all took turns saying their own nighttime prayers together. It was so sweet! Thanks for visiting, C&H!

A Visit from the Parentals

My dad had a convention he needed to attend for work here in SLC last week which meant we were spoiled and had my parents in town for a few days. On Tuesday, we went up to Temple Square and City Creek. It had rained in the morning which cooled down the afternoon making it perfect weather to explore. The flowers were beautiful and we really loved walking through parts of the visitor’s center we hadn’t been to in a while. 

Wednesday was the Outdoor Retailer show that my dad and I attended all day long while my mom watched the kids. It was really fun spending the day with my dad. I was thinking while working with him how grateful I am to get to do stuff like this with my dad. He’s a pretty good boss 😉 !

Then our last day, we went up to Tibble Fork for a little hike and then picnic there at the reservoir. The water was pretty cold though, so when the kids were done splashing, we kept heading up the canyon to Silver Lake. I feel like we could have spent the rest of the day up there because the views were incredible and it was just so serene. We played in the creeks, Finn threw rocks forever, and we took in the beautiful scenery all around us. When we got home, we went to the pool after Finn’s nap and wrapped up the day with s’mores in the backyard. It was such a dreamy day!

My parents left early on Friday. I cried on and off for the rest of the day because it was so hard to say goodbye! Till we meet again!

 

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State Capitol

A few weeks ago, my sister-in-law had a presentation here in Utah so she and my brother came to down for the weekend. We got to spend a few hours with them up in SLC and explored the Capitol a bit. It was the first time for any of us going inside and we were all blown away with how beautiful it was.

Fun fact (sarcasm): Finn had a diaper blowout, I didn’t have diapers or wipes with me because I had thought we were just going on a short nature walk and I had just changed him (blowouts don’t happen anymore with this kid, so it was a surprise). It was one of the worst ones ever and was straight out of some movie where I was in the bathroom with him, trying to make the situation a little better, but the diaper had to be thrown away, leaving him diaper-less and sitting on my back in my ergo for another half hour. By some sort of miracle (and a lot of paper towels that I shoved down the front of his pants), he didn’t have any accidents and I was able to get a diaper on him without any leakage on my back. Oh man… of course it happened THAT day!

Provo Date Nights

Since TJ works down in Provo right by the Riverwoods, we tend to have dinner there often and make a family date night out of it. One of my goals for the year is to plan a date with TJ each week and most of the time we get a babysitter and go out but sometimes that doesn’t work out so we make it a date night with the kids. I don’t mind doubling with those goofs too much.

One of the nights at Riverwoods was the ice sculpture festival. It was pretty neat and just a fun night to get out with the family. Another night we tried out the Rockwell ice cream shop, which deserves the hype because it was soooo good!

My Dad Visits!

Right after I visited Kentucky, my dad had a convention in SLC and Vegas in January so he flew back with us. I’ve never had another adult fly with me and the two kids, so it was really nice having the extra hands. The second flight was from Atlanta to SLC and was soooo long. Finn was pretty much a terror, but I don’t think he was feeling too great and being stuck on a five hour flight was not his ideal situation. My dad has respiratory issues, so he wore a mask quite a lot. I couldn’t help but to laugh a little bit… Eva was so embarrassed!

My dad stayed for about a week and I was able to help him some up at the show. It was a neat experience to get to go to the outdoor retailer show! We miss you, Dad (and mom), come back soon!

A Visit from my Parents

My parents got to visit for a long weekend in October since it was my mom’s Fall break. My brother also got to come for part of their trip, it was nice to have them all in town!

On Friday morning, while Eva was in school and my dad got some work done, my mom, Finn and I hiked the Battle Creek Falls trail. It was such a beautiful hike that morning and fun to show her a new place she hadn’t been to before. When Eva was done with school, we went to the farm and then headed up to Temple Square/City Creek for the evening. We got to watch one of the new Mormon Messages clips and it was so great. I wish we could have seen more! Make sure you check those new clips out at the visitor’s center.

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Saturday, my mom and I went to a High class early that morning and then we all went to Cornbelly’s for a few hours. It was such a nice day, it even got a little too hot for the kids! After having lunch, we went on a drive and little walk up at Cascade Springs, which none of them had been to. It was a bit crowded, but the leaves on the drive made up for it! That evening, my parents graciously babysat the kids while TJ, Sam, and I went to Vivint’s work party where One Republic sang. I didn’t know much about them but it turns out I actually know a bunch of their songs. It was an awesome concert and so much fun to have my brother with us!

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My brother left Sunday morning, we went to church, then just took it easy around the house. It was really cold and windy that day, unfortunately. But we did take my parents to TJ’s office in Lehi, just to get out for a bit.

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Let’s see… Monday we went shopping at the outlets, walked around Cabela’s, and ate at Tsunami for dinner. It was delicious, but now I know why Asians are all so skinny. After eating all the sushi, I felt like I could eat a whole other meal! Ha! We finished the night off getting gelato at Harmon’s.

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On Tuesday, my parents headed home and I pretty much cried nonstop for the next three days 🙁 ! It was just so nice to have them visit! I miss them so much already. Just move out here, already!

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Family Photos: The Derrick Side

I’m hoping this post will encourage my dad to finally get us the family photos we took on the Swainhart side 😉 ! But back in May, we had family photos with TJ’s family. Mostly, we just wanted to get one big group photo since we didn’t have one with Finn. My sister-in-law Lacey did the photos, and as usual, killed it. Guys. Hire her for your family photos. She’s so great!

Here are just a couple of my favorites:

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