July 4th and 24th

Independence Day and Pioneer Day are filled with traditions for our family and this year did not disappoint! On the morning of the 4th of July, we went to the Kaysville Breakfast followed by the parade. We love chaos, crowds, and mayhem, so it was all right up our parade route!

Later, Jerald grilled us all some hamburgers and hot dogs and we had a traditional Independence Day cookout with the whole family!

After we ate, we all attended the fireworks spectacular in Kaysville. Look what a smashing sunset we had! I want to eat it!

Summer zonked out five minutes before the fireworks began, but luckily she woke up with the first "boom". We had such a merry and cuddly time together watching the display!

This picture is so fabulous for many reasons: Our nephew, Jared, on the left, looks violently nauseated. Summer looks candy-sweet. Our niece, Mary, on the right, looks maliciously resentful, and my brother, Nate (obviously caught in mid-sentence), looks intensely and compellingly surprised!



On the morning of Pioneer Day, the 24th of July, we drove into Salt Lake for the Days of '47 parade! We lucked out with a perfect spot in the shade, which ensured our true and abiding happiness.


Later that evening, we drove up Meuller Park Canyon for a hot-dog roasting, s'more making, and stream wading extravaganza!

On such a hot day, wading through this gloriously cold stream was like entering another celestial sphere. :)


The stream's stones, however, dug into our feet like daggers, but the joy in our hearts aided us in withstanding the pain. That is such a gorgeous canyon!

...And on the way home, we enjoyed yet another sunset of lovely proportions. We loved our July holidays and hope you did too!

Birthday Beauty

Summer has turned the "fantastic four"! June 12th was the magical day, but the birthday celebrations lasted a whole week prior to the event. We participated in a different surprise celebratory activity each day and she got to open one present each morning.

The first day of Birthday Week, my mother and I took her out to lunch to the Lion House Pantry in Salt Lake. We first snapped a few shots of her amid the flowers by the Joseph Smith building to capture her extreme cuteness!

I stashed some matches and a Birthday candle in my purse to stick in her slice of layer cake. We joyfully sang Happy Birthday to her, ignoring the astonished stares of the other diners.

Afterward lunch, we shared oxygen with an actual celebrity! Okay, here's your quiz question: Who is the local singer/cute boy who SHOULD have won American Idol a couple of years ago? David Archuletta, you guess? You win! He was signing his biography at the Deseret Book store and we made the wise choice of stopping to take his picture.

Another day that week, we had a prim and proper princess tea party with Summer's aunt Cindy and cousin Annika!

For another activity, I took Summer to the Treehouse Children's museum and met up with some of her other cousins. She looks like a hot rodeo queen!

We also took her to Cherry Hill to frolick and swim! We had a great time, but the weather turned ghastly with pounding rain, thunder, and killer lightning. The weather show started just AFTER we left, though. Phew! Jerald is hot, by the way. Just so you know...

We also had a park day! Here is Summer striking a striking pose. :)

Wow, all of these festivities can wear a girl out!

Then, the night before her birthday, my parents and Jerald and I took her out to dinner to Fazolis, where we experienced some inspired Italian food!

On her ACTUAL birthday, Jerald and I delighted Summer with balloons and streamers that the "birthday fairy" had spread about her bedroom for her to wake up to that morning. We made the wise choice of actually informing her of the plan this time around, as opposed to last year's Birthday surprise spectacular that didn't go over too well (click here to be reminded of our sad and deflated balloon spectacle). We gave her some presents and then, Jerald whipped up her favorite breakfast of some fluffy pancakes before we headed up to Park City to meet up with Jerald's family at their time share resort. We celebrated her bithday with a pink frosted cake at her request, and then spoiled her with more presents. :) Yes, we were wearing coats. It was a lovely and ARCTIC June afternoon. What's up with THAT?

The best part of giving Summer presents is the look of pure delight on her face!

I think we would be perfectly content to stare at Summer all day long. She is mesmerizing. I thoroughly enjoy her company and tell her every day that she is my best friend. She's fun, quick-witted, smart, (she has already learned how to read!), sparkly, gorgeous, smells like cotton candy, and is a gifted dancing queen. Simply click here to view her disco dancing skills. It was a delicious treat to make her feel as loved as she is on her birthday. We're so thankful to be her parents and cherish even the very thought of her. :)

Hollywood, Rodeo Drive, and the L.A. Temple!

On our California vacation, we learned Summer has definitely inherited the "travel bug" from Jerald and me (he and I both crave travel and adventure). She adored all of California's sights, sounds, people, and scenery. Her normal at-home schedule was completely thrown off with long, all day sight-seeing extravaganzas, but she adored every second of it, never complaining of boredom or tiredness. Even with all of those hours in the car, she was so content and carefree in her car seat. My parents are ordinance workers in the Los Angeles Temple on the fourth week of every month. It's quite a commute, yes, but they love the experience. We traveled with them this time and we all made a vacation out of it!

Ah, Rodeo Drive! The most elegant and sophisticated stretch of road with the glitziest and ritziest shops in the nation!

Okay, so first we stopped at Tiffany's for a diamond bracelet I'd been eyeing. Then, we stopped at Dolce & Gabbana to purchase a few key pieces from their spring collection, but not before we swung into Jimmy Choo to buy some fabulous sandals made with 24 carat gold, whilst waving nonchalantly at the hovering paparazzi. Yes? Nooooo, but we can dream, right? It was actually a bit intimidating to enter those stores with the security guards standing at the entrances, and viewing beautiful clothes, shoes, and jewelry at astronomical prices. Get this...a designer fur-lined black mini cape in Vallentino's was a whopping $7,700! Holy stars! We laughed, though, because we saw a shockingly expensive glittery silver purse nearly identical to a purse I have...but mine is the $10 Wal-mart version!



Summer's sparkly silver shoes from Target made quite a splash on Rodeo Drive. She had countless sales people in the posh stores complimenting their sheer fabulousness. An employee in Tiffany's actually asked if they came in her size! They were all so sweet to her. :)

Later that day, we went to Hollywood! We strolled the Hollywood Walk of Fame and visited the Kodak Theatre, where, in less than an hour, American Idol would be filmed!

One evening, we went to Monte Alban, an Oaxacan style Mexican restaurant - so authentic and delicious!

Here's a picture of the stunning Los Angeles Temple! Jerald and I took the opportunity to perform some temple work and loved it! We later took Summer on a walk on the grounds and took some photos.

The temple is surrounded by luscious flowers!

Of all the things to see in Los Angeles, the place bringing the most peace and happiness is the temple. The bright lights of Hollywood simply cannot compare with the beauty and the spirit of the Lord inside those walls. We felt so thankful to be a forever family.