Memorial Day Hike

We hiked the Y first thing Memorial Day morning. It was a great way to start the day. We got to look over the great valley we live in and think of those who have and who still do sacrifice their own lives for our freedoms.






Jeanna sitting on the Y! She didn't think she would make it, but she did awesome!!!










Julia, Lisa and I climbed on the Y from the bottom to the top. It was a little scary and a little rough on the hands, but it felt great once we made it. That was my first time on the very top!

The view was breathtaking! I think a Memorial Day hike should be a new family tradition!

La Visita

Mabel Concha, one of my former mission companions came up from Chile for the wedding of Holly Nelson, one of her mission companions. She stayed with Holly the week before her wedding, and then when Holly left for her honeymoon she came to stay with me.

Even though it was difficult for me to speak Spanish, since I don't practice often, it was great fun to have Mabel come and stay with us.

We got to see some sights in Provo.


The last day of her visit we went to Temple Square and did all the tours they offer there. We had a nice lunch in the Garden Restaurant in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. We got to go on the roof of the Conference Center, a first for me even though I've been there several times. We also gave ourselves a tour of the State Capitol Building, which I had never been in either. It was a great day! The weather was perfect and thankfully my sister watched the kids for me ALL DAY! Thanks Lisa!

My kids adored Mabel, just look at AJ's face! Mabel and Julia especially bonded, they taught each other some of their own language, but they also sat on two computers and used google translation to chat and learn more about each other. Gotta love technology these days!
I've very grateful Mabel was able to come and stay with us! We all hope she is able to come again someday!

Salem Pond

The Salem Pond is one of my favorite places on earth! Being there brings back so many memories of my childhood. Feeding the ducks, catching guppies, playing on the playground(which is completely different now), and playing in the small ponds and stream that lead into the big pond. My kids love Salem Pond as much as I do. They beg to go feed the ducks all the time.

AJ wanted the ducks to come see him, I don't know why they wouldn't come near him:)






We walked over to the elementary school to play on a different playground. Julia used the bars on the bridge as monkey bars.



This is the view of the pond from my old house in Salem. So many great memories of this place. Being there feels like home to me.

Walk with Angels

A few years ago we joined a support group for families of children with special needs called the United Angels Foundation. This group took the place of the Utah Down Syndrome Foundation for us since there were problems among the Salt Lake and Utah County Chapters. We have really enjoyed being a part of the UAF. It is so nice to bond with other families who might be having some similar experiences as us, and who we can turn to with questions or for support. This was the UAF's first walk ever! They called it The Walk with Angels. It was a blast and they did an awesome job putting it together! We were very thankful to have so much family support there. Thanks to all those who supported us, both near and far! We really appreciate it!
Emma was clinging to Tessa because she was afraid of the Mascots.

The kids LOVED the bounce house and the big slide!




The Emma Raine Walkers waiting for the walk to start.

Luckily the rain stopped just before we got there. We came prepared and dressed for cold just in case.


Thanks again to all who came and supported and who supported from afar. Thanks also to Mark and Dave(MAD Screenprinting) for doing the shirts for us.

Bridal Veil Falls - Just Because

A few weeks ago my friend posted an entry on her blog about trying not to make yourself too busy to enjoy your children and to try to spend time with them rather than doing more dishes or some other mundane thing. She inspired me to try to do better to play with my kids and enjoy the simple things together. We went for a walk up in Provo Canyon to see Bridal Veil Falls. It was a beautiful afternoon and a great chance to just be together! I love my little family and feel so blessed to have each of my sweet children. I hope I can remember to make them priority #1 in my life.

Emma's Kindergarten Program

It was kind of hard to get a good picture, but Emma is in white on the front row. She was so excited about her program. She sang the songs for weeks before the program, but we usually only got bits and pieces so we were excited to see and hear it all!

Emma saying her part - She introduced the song "Spooky Day"!

Emma and Andrew blowing the bubbles Emma's teacher gave her after the program.

Emma's Bowling Fieldtrip

I didn't actually go with Emma on this fieldtrip. I just showed up to take pictures. Emma was soooo excited to be going bowling with her friends!