I have been trying to plan little FHE activities for our family on Monday evenings because we have gotten out of the routine of holding it in our home. It’s been casual and usually just a fun activity Eva will like and then on our way home, we read a chapter in the Book of Mormon together. It’s better than nothing and I know that our little effort of spending some quality time together as a family really will pay off. I like this talk by President Faust… he gives a lot of good ideas and thoughts about holding FHE in our home. Give it a read.
Regular participation in family home evening will develop increased personal worth, family unity, love for our fellowmen, and trust in our Father in heaven. It is our promise that great blessings will come to all who conscientiously plan and hold weekly family home evenings.
After a week in Delaware, we went back to Kentucky with my parents to stay with them for a week. I hadn’t been home in the summer for three years and won’t be back until after I have the baby, so it was really nice to visit even if the humidity almost killed me.
On our visit, we went to some parks, visited with old friends and neighbors, swam at the pool, walked around the Levee and the Banks, visited Findlay Market, and played a lot of little games with Eva. She just had a ball with her grandparents and it was so fun to see them interact with Eva.
https://katiederrick.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/logo.png00Katiehttps://katiederrick.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/logo.pngKatie2015-08-02 19:11:372015-08-02 19:11:37Onward to Kentucky
For the week of the 4th of July, I went with my parents and my sister’s family to a beach in Delaware. This is the third 4th of July we’ve all spent together and it’s becoming a fun tradition! Eva had a great time with her cousins and I couldn’t get enough of relaxing on the beach. Other than the beach, we spent a lot of time at the pool which had a lazy river and some slides for the kids, celebrated Amelia’s birthday (and got eaten alive by flies and mosquitos), watched some people who were crabbing, took the kids to a little funland place with lots of rides, watched lots of performances by the girls, ate delicious dinners and desserts by my sister, and zonked out each night very early! It was a great trip!
Since moving to Utah, we have had a fun and relaxing couple of weeks. It’s definitely been different than life in Jersey, but the ‘burbs life has tons of perks… especially with a three year old and family nearby. I haven’t been as good as I usually am with about taking pictures, but once we get moved into our new place I’m sure I’ll get back into a routine and start overgramming again 🙂
We went to our nephew’s little t-ball game which was hilarious and adorable. They were so cute running around with those big helmets on.
Eva has five cousins here in Utah on TJ’s side and they’re all just about her age. She’s having a blast!
Someone drove this tractor to church last week… definitely gave me a laugh.
More cousin lovin! She lovesssss her buddy Cohen and tries to kiss/hug him nonstop.
Eva was pretty much done with taking naps (although would still go in her crib for an hour to read/play with small toys quietly while prego mom rested) back in Jersey but since buying a car, she has napped so much more! Best thing ever.
This one is from back in Jersey. On our last night, our good friends took us out to dinner and dessert. We will miss them so much!
Our family favorite is JCW’s and it was our first spot to visit once we came back to Utah. Such yummy food.
Here is our new car! It’s a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. We used to have an Elantra and really loved it, so we went back to Hyundai and got the next size up. It’s been great so far!
Miss Eva had a little trim and just looked so cute and grown up sitting there. What a cutie pie.
TJ’s parents have really made a grandkid heaven in their backyard. Lots of fun toys, a playhouse, trampoline, a little pool… it’s been a big change from our little one bedroom apartment in the city and made the transition so easy seeing Eva so happy!
One of the best parts of being back in Utah is being close to some old besties!
TJ’s dad had to come to the city for business so Kelly tagged along and they made a little trip out of it. We of course loved it since it’s always fun to have family or friends to explore the city with… and Eva loved being with her Grandma and Grandpa who, in her mind, live at Disneyland.
Three years ago, TJ’s parents, Eva, and I came to visit TJ while he was interning in the city. During that trip, I didn’t know we’d ever be living here so we made sure to see all the sites together. So, since they’d already done most of the touristy things, we hung out downtown a lot, played with Evabug, ate lots of fun treats (like Dough and Wafels), saw Matilda, and shopped till we dropped!
Thank you, Mark & Kelly! We had a wonderful time with you all! We really appreciate the visit!
I was going to rent a car and go pick up my mom who was visiting my sister and her family in DC, but at the last minute, we changed the plans and decided my sister and her kids would take my mom up here since it was their Spring Break and then stay for a couple days! It worked out perfectly and Eva loved having her little cousins play with her at our place.
We took them to see the Statue of Liberty from Liberty State Park, ate at the Brownstone Pancake House, went to the Macy’s Flower Show, Bryant Park, and explored some of the big stores on Times Square. My sister and mom went to see An American In Paris on Broadway while we had a little cousin party back in Jersey. It was a great little Spring Break and helped to pass some of those last cold days in March.
Once my sister and her kids left, my mom and I did a little birthday shopping and took Eva to the park since we finally had a warm day! It was great to have my mom in town and wish she could have stayed longer!
We had a great time with my dad while he was visiting. He had a business thing one afternoon, but the rest of the time, we spent exploring the city and eating way too many delicious treats.
The day he arrived, we went to midtown to get him some new shoes and check out B&H. He was in heaven there, surrounded by all the photography and videography equipment. The next day, we ate at a new place called The City Kitchen and then walked around Times Square. It was like an upscale food court with restaurants from around the city. I really enjoyed it and was happy to find something on Times Square that wasn’t a chain, had enough room for my stroller, and didn’t have a wait! On Friday, we had a small snow storm… on the first day of Spring. Thanks, Mother Nature. I really appreciated that. But that didn’t stop us from getting out! We went to the UWS for lunch at a really cozy diner and then spend the rest of the afternoon at the Natural History Museum. We couldn’t stop laughing when walking there in all of the heavy snowfall… it was such terrible weather to have my dad in town, but it was a funny memory we won’t forget. Then on Saturday, we walked around Newport for a bit then had lunch at Bare Burger near NYU and hung out at Washington Square Park. It never really did warm up for us, but I’m glad we still got out and had a good time! Oh and then Saturday night, we saw the movie Insurgent. Overall, we enjoyed it but then on the walk home, in the mall we sat a rat/huge mouse. It was terrible and makes me cringe just thinking about it. We ran so fast when we saw it run by. YUCK!
On Sunday night, when my dad had left, I cried, of course. Not only was I going to miss my dad, I also realized I really enjoyed his company to walk around the city. I know I’ve talked about it a million times, but since Ashley has left, it just has been really hard. I missed having someone to hang out with everyday and to do stuff in the city with. So, I’m feeling a little sorry for myself, even though I know I shouldn’t. I really am blessed, and hey… at least I have sweet Eva to hang out with and a baby boy/girl in my belly. Plus it’ll warm up (HOPEFULLY?! Or are we going to have Winter forever?) and I’ll feel happier just to be outside, won’t matter the company. Or Ashley could just move back and things could get back to normal. Haha! Oh… wo is meeeeeee!
https://katiederrick.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/logo.png00Katiehttps://katiederrick.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/logo.pngKatie2015-03-23 11:55:422015-03-23 11:58:40A Visit from my Dad
In the next month, both sets of our parents are coming to visit! My dad comes next week, my mom is coming during her spring break, and T.J.’s parents are coming in April. We can’t wait for our visitors!
Eva and I went to Texas last week to visit my brother and his wife. It had been two and a half years since I had last seen them because their work schedules are pretty rigorous, so it was way overdue. It rained and was cold the entire time, which was quite disappointing, but we still enjoyed visiting and catching up.
While we were there, we were able to drive to Ft. Worth to see my Great Aunt who I hadn’t seen for probably 15 years. She is now 101 and still in good health. She cried when we left, which was heartbreaking, but it made me so happy that we got to see her and that she got to meet her little great-great-niece.
Thanks for having us, Sam & Ashley! We will miss you guys and those dogs of yours!
