Blog Failings...

Yes, it has been just over a year since I've paid any attention to this blog.

The truth is, I've been meaning to play "catch up" on the blog for many months... but just haven't done it. It's hard to motivate myself to do anything "above and beyond" during football season :)

However, I'm really going to do it... I'll be dating posts when they actually should have been posted, rather than when they were. Scroll down and read and enjoy the pictures if you want to catch a glimpse of our last year.

Hee Haw Farm

To celebrate fall and the exciting events to come, my work did an activity at Hee Haw, a nearby farm. There were all sorts of activities that we participated in... including a hayride to a pumpkin patch where we picked out a pumpkin to take home.

Here are some of the other fun things we got to do:

We played in the gigantic corn pit... which was way cooler than sand!

There were tractors and other things to ride on

We got "lost" in the corn maze

Lily did not love the cutouts that I wanted her to stick her head in for a picture

However, she did love the rubber horsey swings

There were also a number of animals roaming around the farm. Despite our best efforts, we couldn't get close enough to the goat to pet it.

Favorite Teams

Even when the BYU football team is very mediocre, we still cheer for them! The same goes for the Red Sox... through the good times and the terrible times, we're still big fans. That's what being a fan is all about!

Super messy hair after a nap!

Baby Millie's Blessing

Sunday Uncle Jeff blessed their little girl, Millie. Jeff did a great job on the blessing and we had fun hanging out with them afterward and eating delicious food.

The family after the blessing

Lily didn't want to sit in the chair and eat the food we got for her. She insisted on sitting on the grass with her cousins. When they would look away or wander from their plates, she would pick out the food she wanted from their plates and eat it. That's my girl!

Bear Lake - where the water freezes your internal organs

For the second time, my grandparents provided the family with a trip to Bear Lake. They rented a lodge made to sleep 50 people and we spent 5 wonderful days together. The days spent at the lake were a lot of fun. The nights spent with Lily, Millie and Kelsie in the same room with us were not very fun. It was like a chorus of crying with Kelsie escaping her port-a-crib every few minutes. When one woke up, they all woke up. Ultimately, this left us all a little tired and a little cranky. That's what family trips are supposed to be like, right?

Elizabeth and I had fun dressing Lily and Millie in matching clothes each day. They probably didn't love all of the photo sessions... but, to be honest, they didn't have much of a choice.

Does it look like Millie is about to be attacked/tortured by Lily? Why, yes it does. She's got her lobster pinchers out. Poor Millie... it's no fun being the younger cousin!

Trent brought Jeff's jet ski up with us in the back of his truck. It wasn't registered so Jeff and Elizabeth drove to a different town early Tuesday morning to get it registered. They shelled out the money to do it and Jeff Trent were excited to ride. Unfortunately, the jet ski hated Bear Lake... and never really worked. It was disappointing for us all! (It's so much fun watching people fall off!) Much of Trent & Jeff's time at the lake was spent tinkering with the jet ski.

Lily's favorite activity was riding around, sunbathing in the kayak. Uncle Jeff was nice enough to wade through the cold water to pull Lily around, ensuring she had a smooth, safe ride.

I'd someone to carry me around while I relax in a kayak. Jeff and Elizabeth, are you up for it? Maybe Aunt Paula will be willing to keep me in the shade as well. This is the life!

Rendevous at the Cabin

I think I was around 6 or 7 years old when my Grandpa purchased a cabin for the family in Causey Estates. I have some very fond memories at the cabin playing with cousins and family. We spent time building forts, making dams in the small creeks, horseback riding, playing volleyball/badminton, shooting at clay pigeons, late night games, snowmobiling, sledding... and the list goes on. After owning the cabin for 20+ years, my grandpa is ready to sell it. It's kind of sad to think that one day when it sells, we'll no longer have access to it.

Knowing that it was on the market, we wanted to travel to the cabin as a family for a weekend. The group included my parents, brother's family and sister's family, Trent, Lily and me. Everyone had a great time.

Trent playing cars with the girls

Being at the cabin is fun!!

Keeping a close eye on Millie while she sleeps... maybe she wants to bounce in her bouncy chair? Lily sure did think so.

Going on a four-wheeler ride with daddy

Sitting on a horse with Great Grandpa Sharp

Happy 4th of July!!

The most unhappy kid in this picture: Lily
This is what happens when you're deprived of your regularly scheduled nap.

Happy 4th of July!!

San Diego Trip - Part 2

We spent a day at SeaWorld. I love SeaWorld. It was fun seeing all the shows, going on some ride and spending quality time with each other.

If you notice all of the particles in the water near the walrus, it was eating, regurgitating, and then eating it's food again. Honestly, it was a little disgusting. Lily seemed to be entertained by it though. She wanted to pet it.

If Trent looks a little scared on this ride... he just may have been. You'll have to ask him about it.

In addition to a day at SeaWorld, we also spent time roaming a couple of the fabulous beaches in the San Diego area. Here are some of my favorite pictures from that:

San Diego Trip - Part 1

So... for those people who say that facebook is a waste of time... get this. By taking 2 seconds to write a short post on facebook, I won a trip to San Diego! That's right, all I had to do was "like" Columbus Travel's facebook page... and then leave them a short comment. By doing so, I was entered to win a free trip. Unbelievably, I won. I'm not exaggerating when I say that never happens to me. I suppose I can't say that anymore... because now, it has happened to me.

Here was my comment: "I'm ready to win a vacation... feel free to pick me!"

And then they picked me. Lucky? Yes, I think so.

Lily did great on our flights to San Diego (we flew Southwest, which doesn't offer a direct flight from SLC to San Diego, so we had to stop in Las Vegas).



Apparently, all the flying really wiped her out though... once we finally arrived at our destination.

After landing and getting our rental car, it was lunch time. We went to Mitch's seafood which was reasonably priced and delicious. I highly recommend it for anyone traveling to San Diego. We ate our lunch outside next to the fishing port.


After lunch, we drove down to the Mexico border and visited the outlet mall. For whatever reason, I was thoroughly impressed with the huge fence bordering Mexico and California. I really wanted to go to Tijuana... but we didn't think it was a great idea to go with Lily. Something about people being kidnapped, robbed, murdered... you get the picture. In fact, there is an advisory that recommends not crossing the border for a visit. With that in mind, this is as close as we got to Mexico. Note the border fence in the background of the picture:


More to come in the next post on the trip!

Welcoming another girl... Cousin Millie!

Congratulations to Jeff & Elizabeth who welcomed their daughter Millie into the world on Friday, June 3. We're so excited to have another girl cousin in the family!!

We went and visited Millie and her parents at North Davis hospital. While we were there, we learned that Lily's baby portrait has become "famous", hanging in the walls of the labor and delivery unit. We couldn't resist getting a picture of our big girl next to her newborn picture.


Lily didn't know what to think of her new cousin. She waivered from being interested in cousin Millie...


To disinterested...


When it was my turn to hold the new baby, Lily would have none of it. She threw a fit and wanted me to hold her instead. Jealousy...

Fun on the trampoline

Lily has just discovered that playing on the trampoline is fun! Here's to hoping for many more years of enjoyment... without any injuries *fingers crossed*

Happy Easter

Coloring eggs, Easter egg hunts, and finding hidden baskets were all part of our celebration this year. Lily didn't get into the egg coloring too much. However, she did get the hang of things a the, picking up the eggs/treats and putting them into her basket.

Getting ready to color eggs:




Eventually, Lily was able to crack through the shell of this orange egg to get to the good stuff. She then proceeded to eat the egg, shell and all!

First Steps

The long awaited time has finally come! Lily is walking!! Just days after her 15 month checkup where the doctor asked if she walked and we had to say no, she's now doing it! I'm not going to lie, there was a part of me that wondered if her nursery leaders would have to carry her from room to room when she was 18 months. Thankfully, that will not be the case.

Back to the Basics

After taking a year last year off (being pregnant), it was so nice getting back to one of the things so easy to enjoy. Snowboarding at Snowbird on a nice day just can't be beat! We're excited that Lily will be able to join us in a couple of years!

With increase mobility comes...

It's been several months now since Lily graduated from "army crawling" to "real crawling". She's pulling herself up on things more frequently now and trying to get into everything possible. With the increased mobility comes increased havoc.


How does that toilet paper taste??

Piggy Tails

After months of waiting, Lily's hair is finally long enough for little piggy tails! Yes, they are tiny and they do stick straight out (like Pippy Longstocking). However, this is a monumental achievement for the whole family!

Lily's Birthday Bash

Okay... it probably wasn't a "birthday bash"... however, it was a great birthday party! With a Minnie Mouse theme, how can you go wrong!

It's hard to believe that one year ago we were at the hospital cuddling our new baby girl. Her learning and growth in the past year amaze me. The fact that we've made it a whole year without any major catastrophes is miraculous in and of itself.

All ready for the party to start!


The birthday cake that Grandma Sharp made for Lily!


All ready to eat!!


Cake is sweet!


A happy 1-year-old girl makes two happy parents!

Thank you to everyone who came to Lily's birthday party and helped make is a special, memorable experience. We are truly grateful!