Catching Up

We've been having too much fun to blog! Our trip to California was really fun (but we missed Brandon!) and Rachel was really good. She loved Disneyland and the beach and playing with lots of cousins. Brandon took the Bar Exam and was so relieved to have it done (scores come back in October). Now he has the month off and so we've been enjoying a lot of family time with him. We're moving to the Phoenix area at the end of the month, so we're trying to take advantage of the time here with family.

She's getting so old, so fast! She looks more like an 18 month old now instead of 14 months and her hair has turned really blonde this summer. She prefers to feed herself if she can.

DISNEYLAND! I had lots of helpers and needed it (especially standing in line with a very active and busy toddler) - here Rachel is with Grandpa Val at the entrance.

p.s. Rachel's first black eye happened the night before our trip to California, so look for it in the upcoming pictures. I won't mention who was babysitting :) but she was jumping on a trampoline and crashed into the springs / bar. She really was fine and got right back on the trampoline.

Goofy! I think it's great how she's looking at him.

The Merry-go-round didn't have a long line at all, so we went on it quite a few times. Here she is with Uncle Chris. "Will you be my daddy? I seemed to have lost mine."

A small MIRACLE occurred and she took two short naps in her stroller at Disneyland - thank you for that. We were there from about 10a - 6p. It was a long day for the kiddos, but they were so good.

My favorite part of the day, was Rachel with Mickey. She doesn't realize who he is, but when it was her turn to take a picture with him, she just nuzzled into him and was giving him lots of loves. It was so sweet!

Zoom in on this picture for Rachel's face - she really had such a fun day at Disneyland.

Good shot of the black eye. She was definitely done with the stroller by the end of the day. She experienced her first sucker (dum dum) to bribe her to stay in the stroller and stay in the lines. She had at least 3 or more. :)

Cannon, Kennedy, Rach & Mason with their Mickey ears and Disneyland toys. The only cousin not pictured is Brynn (six weeks old) who was asleep in her carseat.

I thought the beach would be relaxing after a long day at Disneyland. Boy, was I wrong. Rachel loved the water and the sand and kept me running around. She got SO sandy and was in and out of the water all afternoon.

Here are the kids with cousin, Allie Jenkins who is just a few weeks older than Rachel. Allie didn't love the sand at first, but she warmed up to it after a bit.

This picture does not even do justice for how covered she was. She was having so much fun. I think Rachel ate quite a bit of sand too. Also, I laughed so hard when she got a mouth full of salt water - she was not a fan.

I love this picture of these two after they had been apart for practically a week since we went to CA and then Brandon took the Bar right after in AZ. She wouldn't let him out of her sight for days. She is still a daddy's girl and thinks he's the best dad in the whole world.

On July 23, my Grandpa Parker passed away. He struggled with his health and had countless number of surgeries on his hip his last five years, so it wasn't a complete surprise to our family. He is in a better place and although we will miss him, we have fond memories of the time we had with him. We got a great family picture of the Parker side of my family (missing only Kyle who is serving his mission). I also got to meet my cousin's wife, June, who is such a sweetheart and a great addition to our family.

Picture below: Cindy & Chad, Cade, Danny & June (living in Florida and expecting a baby in Feb.), Julye & Barry, Grandma Parker, Mom & Dad, and Us.
We also got together for a family picture with the Hale side on Brynn's blessing day. Impressive that everyone was looking at the camera - wow! And Brynn looked so beautiful!

We discovered a fun, free activity in Utah this summer - the Highland Splash Pad. It has a shallow moving stream with rocks and water spraying everywhere. There's also a splash pad that shoots up water. It's right outside of the Highland City Hall and the kids have such a blast. Here's some pictures:



Nana Elaine bought Rachel a little sandbox for our backyard (thanks, I think). She loves it and it makes a big mess. But check out those pigtails!

Allow me to explain before you scroll down further ... it was my niece, Kennedy's 2nd birthday and it was a Mickey / Minnie themed party. Kacie asked Tyson & Brandon to dress up as Mickey and Minnie and they were perfect - it was such a riot. They even did the hot dog dance. If you're wondering about B's high heels, he found some black Steve Madden's, size 11 at Savers and spray painted them yellow. Can you spray paint a pair of Steve Madden's yellow - is that allowed? :) You're probably thinking that I married such a talented man - most recently a renowned cake decorator, law school graduate and now Minnie impersonator. Eat your heart out, ladies! He's mine!