4th of July photo shoot with Grandma

Pretty little tomboy!

My dad used to joke around and say he didn't raise any girls. He'd usually say this during an arm wrestle or after something gross, like a burp. I am more girl now than ever but even that consists of a little mascara, shaved legs, and painted toenails.

I was such a tomboy growing up. I had trucks and loved to play in the dirt. I shot guns and bows and arrows and loved to camp and ride on the motorcycle. I didn't want to curl my hair and it probably didn't help that on my dad's side of the family Melissa and I were the only girls.

We were surrounded by boy cousins and Afton's situation isn't that different. She has Tally and Holdy to keep her busy. They like to hike around, dig in the dirt, and when Tally had these guns made by Grandpa, Afton knew she wanted one too!

This is a rare sight of Afton in a skirt with a matching hair bow. She would gladly stay in her diaper all day or wear shorts and a t-shirt. For some reason she decided to wear this skirt with her (boy) t-shirt which makes these pictures even cuter!

Lindon

Afton always loves a visit to Great Grandpa Morley's farm.
At different times he might have horses, pigs or chickens and Afton loves looking into the chicken coop and walking the little trail back to the stable.

I love this generational picture. Great Grandpa Morley, Daddy Brett, baby girl Afton and Grandpa Rich.

Jud, Tiff and Harvey met us there. Afton and Harvey like to explore. They run around the yard checking out bugs and swing on the swing set!

Richard and Karen even got in on the fun!

Grandma Karen took Afton across the street to see the horses. Grandma is patient and helped Afton feed grass to the horses.

Afton loves horses.

Horse parade and Rodeo

Afton was in HEAVEN during this ALL HORSE PARADE! She stood on the side line clapping, cheering and waving. She loved it!

One of the cowboys was throwing candy and Afton got a little sucker. She couldn't have been more excited!

She even found a little friend who stood on the side line's with her!

The rodeo was a blast! Last year Afton was so worried about the baby cows falling down that we were hesitant to go again but she loved it. She clapped and cheered and had her hands in the air. She kept waiting for the next calf to come out and she really loved the barrel racing.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day was so much fun! Games and food. Talking and laughing. Playing and watching. Remembering and creating. And lots and lots of pictures!

Grandma made t-shirts for each of the grand kids. Each one had their name and a picture of something. Afton's shirt has a kitten with googly eyes and George has a helicopter. We got all of the kids to sit on a bench for a photo and somehow Grandma got them to wear funny glasses.
Brett helped some of the kids walk on stilts and Dan re-created a fun game we played when we were little using some pvc pipes and a ball! George was really good!

The kids were also able to make some fun fruit loop necklaces and put together these super fun picture puzzles. There was also plenty of time to play in the play house, eat a yummy lunch, run down the hill, look for bugs and just enjoy sitting around, alone or with a cousin.

One of the activities I brought was a scavenger hunt. Lindsay and I were on the same page with this one so we did it together. I had already made a little booklet (pictures to come) of things you would find in the yard. A potato bug, a butterfly, a ceramic turtle, a watering can, grandma, etc. As the kids found each item they had a bug sticker to put on that page. When they found everything they got a sucker!
Mom's and older cousin's were really helpful and the sucker at the end was well worth it!

 

Afton loved playing with her cousins and Drew was nice enough to let her borrow his favorite hat for a while!

My brothers and sister are some of the neatest people I know. I admire each of them and look up to them for different reasons. Tim has always been my rock. He is calm and patient and wise. He is also extremely funny! Dan is blunt, which makes him funny in a different way. He is thoughtful and aware of others needs. Melissa is kind and the person I say anything to. She tells me I look cute even when I don't believe it and she'll listen to everything I say, no matter how many times I've said it before. Matt is the oldest and wasn't able to come. We missed him and wanted him in these pictures. Matt is deep and thoughtful. He takes life seriously and has a fierce love for each of his little siblings.
It was great spending time together, watching our kids play.

Memorial Day turned into a girl's day out! We came in two's and met at Kohl's but quickly decided that Rachel needed a pedicure for her birthday. She turned 30 and we wanted to celebrate. We had fun talking and reading magazines! Too bad Rachel wasn't here to join in! We missed her!

Matt's family wasn't able to come because Zane was on his GRADUATION trip and Ivy was out of town with friends. We missed them and we're proud of Zane's accomplishment and can't wait to see them again!

Fishing with Dad

It's not about the fish...


It's about so much more.


It's time with dad


driving in the jeep
walking on a trail
talking about nothing
finding good spots
learning about flies
watching my line
feeling my fly
breathing fresh air
spotting a deer
seeing what's flying
having a laugh
missing a bite
mending my line
mimicking dad
learning the tricks
being a student
telling stories


and sometimes


catching fish!

HIke #2 Timp. Cave Trail

Today we decided to try the Timpanogos Cave trail.

We went after the last tour to avoid any other hikers. The weather was beautiful and we were really excited.

Neither of us had been on the trail in a while and we'd both forgotten about the steep drop off. One of us walked along the edge at all times and Afton was in heaven but we were pretty nervous.

Once we found this tunnel, we stopped for some photos and decided to head back down. The stress of all was too much.

Once we were back down we walked across the street and wandered in the woods for a bit. We crossed a fun bridge but the water was terrifying. I can't believe how high it is and how fast it's moving. We had a good time on our little walk and were worn out when we finally left!

And for those of you wondering about this post -  tada! I went with kind of a mix of the two and it feels so good!

Friendship

Afton is lucky to have a friend like Rylee. Especially on a day like today.

We met Rylee and Jen at Wheeler Farm and Afton was so excited! She looks forward to seeing Rylee and couldn't wait to spend the whole morning with her.

They stuck together, feeding the ducks, feeding the geese, eating the bread, watching the water.
The kids wandered and the mom's just followed. Wheeler Farm is great for wandering. There is so much space with few restrictions.

We watched the pigs get a bath and felt the soft little bunny rabbits. We ate lunch in the shade and the girls played hide and seek in between bites. (Afton was the one hiding)

We saw some chickens and finally found the cows at the very end. Whew!

In this photo the girls are side by side, on a little bridge, watching fruit loops make their way down stream! Within the first 30 minutes the bread was gone (Afton ate a lot) and the fruit loops were in the rapids (Rylee thought this was much cooler than feeding them to the ducks)!

Can't wait to do it all again!

Decisions

I am really indecisive. Really...
I drive everyone around me nuts. My mom, my dad, my husband, my sister, and probably Afton.
I don't know where it came from or why I haven't outgrown it but I would really love to get better at making decisions.

The other day Brett and I were at a restaurant (Jim's) where we've gone several times and I have always ordered the same thing. Hot turkey sandwich with vegetables on the side. Always...

The waitress came over and asked if we were ready and I said no. I was thinking about getting something different. By the time the waitress came back I hadn't decided so I ordered the hot turkey sandwich. I looked at her and said, sorry I'm usually good with decisions (meaning that I always get the hot turkey sandwich at Jim's) but didn't finish my sentence before Brett started cracking up. He laughed so hard (for a little too long) and wondered how that sentence came out of my mouth.

The sad truth is that I really want to be better at making decisions. My sister laughs and tells me I am good with the big stuff but not the little stuff. I chose a college, a career path, a husband, a baby name, but I cannot decide where to go for lunch, if I should buy a cute shirt I found at the store, or whether or not to run an errand before or after Afton's nap. I drive myself nuts.

I will say that part of my indecision comes from guilty feelings. Sometimes I feel I need to do things and that weighs on my decision making. I am not good at letting things go, letting things roll off my shoulders and forgetting. I carry things with me and if I make the wrong decision, it sticks.

But truthfully, none of these little things matter. Yes I'll be eating more calories and less healthy food if I go to Arctic Circle for lunch but so what? And who cares if my hair is an inch shorter than usual. It still looks good and it grows fast right? And what if Afton is a few minutes late for her nap? And what if that shirt is cute but not my absolute favorite?

This is becoming a ramble and I'm starting to wonder if I should post or save to the archives. See - another decision.

Love

Today I was standing in the shower looking down at a little body running circles around me, a mermaid in each hand, a barrette still in her hair.

I can't believe she is mine!

I love her silliness
I love her innocence
I love the curls at the end of her hair
I love when she leans in for a kiss, lips all puckered
I love her voices, sometimes she's soft and high and sometimes deep
I love when she grabs my hand to take me somewhere
I love the way she says louder when she wants me to repeat something (from Dora)
I love when she'll (rarely) climb into bed with me and snuggle
I love her smile
I love her goofy laugh that's too loud and forced
I love how she crosses her ankles in her car seat
I love when she whispers
I love hearing her pray
I love watching her opinions form about food, clothes, and how she wants things done
I love watching her run to her daddy after a long day
I love her mad face when the skin between her eyebrows wrinkles up
I love her big brown eyes
I love that she loves to paint
I love watching her dance
I love her eyelashes
I love watching her be kind to other children

I love, I love, I love.....

Hair?????

I am thinking about going shorter. I am so blasted hot all the time and ready for something cute and easy. I love these two cuts. Hopefully one will look just as good on a brunette!

Grrrrrrrr

I hate days like today when I feel guilty for being frustrated. Sometimes I feel like should be more grateful than other mom's because I have Afton.

And sometimes because of that thought I feel really bad when I get frustrated with her but for some reason, whatever reason I am feeling the growl.

Maybe it's because as Afton was washing hands she put her cute little fingers under the faucet and sprayed water everywhere. It's just water, it can't hurt anything but it's everywhere and I just cleaned and I can feel the grrrrr coming from the back of my throat.

or when I go to change a diaper and Afton keeps lifting her bum in the air so the diaper just won't line up. Another grrrrr

or when she's been playing contentedly by herself and I finally get a return phone call I need to take and all of the sudden she's stepping on my toes and tugging my sweater. grrrrr

or when she's not listening and I ask her to look at my eyes and she looks everywhere in the room but at me. grrrr

and that little grrrrr makes me feel guilty and I have to stop and put things in perspective.

The water in the bathroom is dry

her diaper is on

the phone call is over
whatever she was doing that caused her not to listen has passed

and

it's nap time and she's almost asleep, safe and sound in her cozy little bed with her cute stuffed animals, and her favorite blanket. She is so peaceful and content and quiet and I am no longer growling.

I'm sure there will be many times I feel that grrrrr rising up but I know that for the most part it doesn't matter. Whatever the cause, it's usually harmless and when Afton won't look into my eyes, I usually end up laughing!

The tunnel

I have to be honest. Some days I love living in Lehi and some days I don't.

Days like today, I love it!

Afton and I woke up, had breakfast and hopped on the bike. We rode along the Jordan River trail and as we rode we spotted pelicans and cranes. We continued until we came to the new tunnel under the Pioneer Parkway.

It was really hot when we left so the shade of the tunnel was a relief. The tunnel is pretty long so we were able to run back and forth, back and forth, back and forth (good interval training). Afton loves hearing her voice as an echo and would stop occasionally to listen to a truck passing by overhead.

As we took a minute to walk onto the rocks leading to the river we spotted a little snake. Afton sat right down and wondered if the snake was trying to find it's daddy. Awww



Sometimes when we're out hiking or exploring Afton likes to sing this song: We won't give up till we're through that's what explorer's do who's afraid who's afraid not me, are you? I didn't quite get the beginning but it's still adorable!

HIke #1 Dry Canyon

I love family outings. I love getting ready to go, loading up the car, and heading out the door. I am usually much more excited than Brett because he has been gone all week and is excited to finally be home.
Even still, we've decided to go hiking once a week so today we went to Dry Canyon. Afton was excited and babbled the whole drive! (Her babbling is completely coherent but she says funny things.)

Once we got there, Afton couldn't get on the trail fast enough. I am so glad she enjoys being outside. I love being on a trail and have spent so much time with my dad out in the wilderness that it makes me so happy to see Afton get excited. There's something about the solitude, the trees and flowers, and the fresh air that helps me feel relaxed and inspired.

I also love watching Brett and Afton. I have an amazing relationship with my dad and I want the same thing for Afton. My dad and I like to go hiking and fly fishing. We hit golf balls and eat burgers. Sometimes we'll drive into the desert, park the car and wander off. Occasionally it ends in a fire and sometimes we just hike until we're ready to head back. I am lucky to have my dad!

I really want Afton to create memories like this, with her daddy. Afton adores Brett and she is everything to him. I love watching her reach for his hand when the trail gets rocky and I love watching him hover when she looks unstable. They have such a great bond and I know it will grow throughout the years.



 

Afton already had a scratch on her knee (above) but managed to fall and land on the exact some spot. She didn't really mind until I asked her if she was okay (I should know better) and from then on it was all drama. Luckily we were close to the bottom and I managed to rinse it off and get a band aid.

On a side note, I am so worried about Afton's skin. When she was little her skin was so pretty and unmarked. Every time something happens I use neosporin and Vaseline, whatever I can to make sure she doesn't scar. I laugh though looking at this picture because she is marked up everywhere. Her knee, her elbow, her chin, her eye...

As we were driving away she kept saying, I fell down in the dirt. I hurt my knee. We've gotta go to Grandma Sandy's. I need ice cream.

We were going to stop at my parents anyway so we said okay. Grandma was waiting with a hug and a Popsicle.



 

The trail was busy and almost everyone had a dog. Afton isn't sure how she feels about dogs. She gets really excited when she sees a dog but starts to panic a little as it gets closer. She did reach out to a little dog but two nice ladies stopped to let Afton pet their dogs and Afton finally reached out and touched it with her foot. She seemed pretty proud of herself!

Afton's concert!

Brett and I were able to get out this weekend and meet some friends for a date night. We went to Rumbi's and saw Water for Elephants with Jen and Josh. Jen and I went through our Master's Degree program together. We were both pregnant and tired and we're so thankful to be done!

I don't know what I would have done without her!
 

While we were gone Afton spent some time with her cousins. She loves being in the spotlight, especially when her older cousins are around. Lauren, Kenna, and Rylie are so good to Afton. She loves spending time with them and they treat her like a little sister!

Here is a mini concert Afton put on while with her cousins this weekend!