Thing 1 & Thing 2

The kids are just so much fun! Peter is at such a fun age of figuring things out and interacting more. He repeats things we do and say all day. Afton is a great big sister and loves helping pick out Peter's clothes (usually to match her) and even feeding Peter sometimes. Afton is my little buddy and we pass the days playing with one another and enjoying things together.

While I do have moments of frustration and exhaustion, these kids are mostly just pure joy.

I told Pete the other day as Peter was whining in the car "I know he is whiney and needy and only wants me but I have a serious crush on that boy!" He is just my little snuggle bug, clingy boy and while it gets annoying at times, the feeling is mostly mutual :).

Bear Lake Family Trip

When we started planning for Pete's break from school we knew it may be our only time to get in a good family vacation for a while. We originally planned to go to Disney Land but decided we could have a fun time doing something less expensive and less of a drive. We really wanted to go to a beach but didn't think it was possible without flying or driving really far. My friend mentioned that they had gone to Bear Lake on a family camping trip. I wasn't real keen on the camping idea but I researched and found a good deal on a resort on the shore of Bear Lake.

We went and stayed two nights and had a blast. It was definitely a different kind of fun (after being in Boston without the kids, this was definitely not a vacation for Pete and I) but it was so worth it all to see Afton so happy at the beach. Little Peter even enjoyed the beach but mostly just because he liked eating the sand! It was the perfect little trip for us!

The best meal (out to eat) we have ever had. Peter just sat under the table and stuck out his hand when he wanted more food. Eating out is NEVER peaceful with kids but this time it was!

Cold water!

I think playing ball with Dad was Peter's favorite moment of the trip! He was SO happy!

This time was NOT peaceful. He was all over the place! And so was our food!

We stopped in Logan on our way home and saw the temple!

We extended our little vacation by "camping" one night in Mimi and Grandpa's back yard! We did as many fun things as we could to enjoy having Pete all to ourselves for a couple of weeks!

Memorial Day 2016

In our back yard is the Wasatch Memorial Cemetery where much of Pete's family (both Stevens and Sundwall sides) are buried. They always have fun events going on for holidays and since we didn't have any Memorial Day plans we thought we would go over to the program. We mentioned this to Boofie and she said they were going too and invited us over to their house for breakfast after.

We went to the program which was good (not really for kids, Peter screamed his head off when they shot off the guns!) but it was a good way to remember why we celebrate Memorial Day. Then on our way out we saw our neighbors who said there was free face painting and hot dogs so we went back and did that for a few minutes. Then we went and had yummy pancakes at Boofie's. Afton is so at home there and loves playing at their house.

Afton with our neighbor girls Kaya and Lucy.

That evening we went on a hike with Zach and Taylor to Doughnut Falls.

Boston

When Pete decided to take his Step 1 Boards a little early his parents invited us to go to Boston with them! It was such a dream trip and we felt so lucky to be able to go! It was all because of the kindness of our parents!!

The kids were happy staying at Grandma Rita's and I was able to relax knowing they were in good hands and loving every minute of it.

Pete and I so enjoyed exploring Boston, doing some bucket list things, and spending time together.

We flew in on Thursday and headed straight to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park. It was everything we hoped it would be and much more! It was just so neat. We had our street hot dogs (or chicken in my case), sang Sweet Caroline, got some Red Sox memorabilia, and even saw a few bombs hit!  I was not worried one bit about getting home for "bedtime" which was so foreign to me! It was the perfect evening.

The next morning we started off at the Boston Tea Party ships and museum and went on their neat tour. Then we continued on to walk all through Boston seeing the Freedom Trail and downtown Boston. That night we went on a Sunset cruise and saw the city from afar. Gorgeous!

Pete could not keep his eyes open for a bit during the sunset cruise. I think the previous weeks of finals and Board prep just finally caught up with him!

The next day we went over to Cambridge and rode bikes around seeing MIT and Harvard. Then we did a little more exploring and found some ancient cemeteries and hung out at Boston commons.

Everything was just so great. The food, the sites, the free time not being dictated by nap schedules or hungry children. I really really love being a Mom and don't mind every day being dictated by those mundane things. But it was fun to feel young again and just enjoy being with my main squeeze!

When we got home Baby Peter had a rough 20 minutes trying to figure me out again. He just stared and me with a blank look on his face for a few minutes. Then I picked him up and he still just stared for a minute and then reached for Pete. It took him a bit to warm up to me and forgive me for leaving him. But then his clingy-ness came back with a vengeance!

Little Ballerina

We started Afton in a ballet class for the summer. The first day she was timid and I promised her I would be right there with her. I showed up not knowing that there was a dress code but she didn't even seem to notice that she was the only one not in a pink or black leotard, tights, and ballet slippers. Miss Kim also has a strict policy that no parents can observe inside the room so I had to sit out in the hall and just listen after I promised her I would stay with her. But she took miss Kim's hand and hasn't looked back since. She LOVES the class and having so many "friends." She knows almost everyone's names in the class and talks as if they are best of friends but since they are not allowed to talk during class I'm pretty sure she hasn't had a conversation with any of them.

She is a social butterfly and gains so much from doing structured things, like ballet, that give her confidence. She is a good listener and very focused during class. Within a few weeks she mastered skipping and holding her toes open in first position--both were big struggles at first!

We are proud of our little ballerina and find such joy in watching her learn new things.