I am in love...

I just want to dedicate this post to my wonderful husband! Our anniversary is coming up next week and I have been reflecting on the last 8 years of our marriage and is it hard to believe that I am more in love with this man today than I was 8 years ago?! I mean, it just keeps getting better and better!! We have so much fun together and I can honestly say that he is my BFF!!! I couldn't have asked the Lord for a better companion, lover, father to my children and friend. He strengthens me and lifts me up when I am down and he always finds a way to help me look at things in a different light. He is witty, charming, romantic and spiritual. He loves the Gospel of Jesus Christ and his testimony strengthens me when I feel weak and inadequate. I love being with him and I love that I have his love and admiration in return. He takes care of me, he treats me like a princess and he even does the laundry!!! I am the luckiest girl in the world to have found my Prince!! I can't believe it's been 8 years and I am SO looking forward to the many more blissful years to come!! I love you babe!!!

Claire - all over the place!

Claire is 10 months now and quite the moble one! She is all over the place and exploring the house from top to bottom! She loves to crawl everywhere and under and over everything! She is so stinkin' cute and we love Love LOVE her!!!

Mommys big helper

So my phone rang right in the middle of this cute video of Evelyn helping me feed Claire her baby food so excuse the 'ring-ring-ring'!! But I have the best helper!! I had left Claire for a second to get something and when I turn around Evelyn had climbed up in my seat and picked up her spoon and started to feed her. So CUTE! I love having an extra set of hands around the house!!! Now if only she would do laundry!! LOL!

Preschool!

First Day of School

The first week of September Evelyn started PRESCHOOL!!! I am so excited about it! It's home-preschool with a group of my friends from church. There are 6 kids and 5 mommies involved and we are all taking turns hosting/teaching the group of kids. Over the summer the moms met and brainstormed and planned our themes, cirriculum, field trips, math and reading skills to teach the kids. Two of the moms are retired teachers so they bring a lot to the table in regards to ideas and materials. Our first week was successful and Evelyn loves 'school'. She has a new pink back-pack that she takes with her and she is just adorable! I am so pumped to be participating in this little program we put together and best of all, every now and then I will get a turn to teach Evleyn and see how she is growing and learning with her classmates!!

Sporting her new PINK backpack!

Colorado Trip - Part EIGHT

Finally back from the campout and time to get all clean!

All the girls jumped in the tub for bath time.

All clean and allowed to get up and jump on grandma's bed!! Little Monkeys!!!

Claire loved to crawl around an explore new places - like under the table!!

Claire and Mason are one month apart! They played together on the floor! It was so cute to see these babies together and so close in age! We love cousins!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Getting a manicure with aunt Jill - guess what color! PINK!!!!!

Snuggle time with Grandpa...

...and grandma! The best!!

It was very hard to say goodbye and the end of the trip was upon us in a heartbeat. We had a great time and I am glad that my girls are so loved by their family! Families are Forever and I couldn't ask for a better one to spend the eternities with!!!

Colorado Trip - Part SEVEN

We found some shade in all the heat and let the kids crawl around to play.

Great Grandma and Great Grandma (AKA GG) observing all of their great grandkids!

All 6 of the grandkids together!!

Little Mason - the only little boy of the cousins! SUPER CUTE!!!!!

The Meador Clan

Colorado Trip - Part SIX

Ok...so I know LESS IS MORE, but this trip was just so amazing and this blog is like my scrap book so I am posting MORE from our trip to Colorado.

The amazing, wonderful, most righteous two people that started this great family- my grandparents! I love you both and I am so glad that I got to see you and spend time with you. You both are loving grandparents and even better GREAT grandparents! I am so glad that you got to come along this family adventure with us! I LOVE YOU!!!!!!

Mommy and the Claire Bears!!

Claire sleeping through the action again!!!

Evelyn pooped out on us too!!!

Seriously?! Is this place gorgeous or what?!!!!!

WHAT UP!!!!! I love driving the boat! The Hallett is in my blood!

Her favorite seat - up front and center with the wind in her hair!

Did I mention all the good food??? I gained so much weight! HA!!!

Chillaxin at lunch time!

Our sweet Claire Bear!!

Camp fires are the best! Bring on the SMORES!!!!!!!!!

Colorado Trip - Part FIVE ...The Campout!!!

**BE PREPARED FOR A TON OF PICTURES**

At the very beginning of our trip, we arrived in Colorado on a Saturday morning. We went to breakfast with my parents and the kids and then we went to their house to hang out for a few days. My grandparents (dad's side) had come to Colorado to spend time with us too. My sisters were there with their families and we all had a nice few days together relaxing at the house. Then it was time to get the boat ready and leave for our camping trip. We left the house on Wednesday to go to Horsetooth Reservoir in Fort Collins, CO.
This campout was the highlight of the trip!

We rented an RV for the 'older' generation to sleep in and to stay cool in during the heat of the day and then we had a tent for me, Gordon and the two girls. Our tent was big enough for a queen size air matress, two pack-n-plays and our luggage. We roughed it in style!!! We camped right on the water and it was gorgeous and HOT weather the whole time.

The group that went up on Wednesday was our little family, my parents and my grandparents. Everyone else was arriving on Friday. So we got an extra day and a half to ourselves on the boat! It was awesome. I grew up with boating and skiing and back in the day I was PRO! Since then, I've had two kids and my body just isn't what it used to be so I was really nervous about getting back out on the water! I don't know who I was kidding - I got right back up on the ski, then I did the wake board, then I did the knee board...once a RIVER RAT - ALWAYS A RIVER RAT!! I still got it!! BOOO YA!

It was awesome. Since we've been married we've done several boating trips with my family so I have been able to share my passion of boating with Gordon. On one of our first trips on the boat, I taught Gordon how to get up and single ski. It was awesome. When he got out there to try, he also got right up and skiied perfectly! I was so proud of my baby!!!

Evelyn LOVED LOVED LOVED grandpa's boat! She got to drive in grandpa's lap and she loved to sit at the bow of the boat and feel the wind in her face and then she would yell "FASTER GRANDPA!" Adorable!

Once the rest of the group got to the campground we broke out the smores at the campfire and we all just had a great time together. We finally had to pack up and leave on Sunday morning. It was a LONG, but FUN & AMAZING campout with the family!!!!!!! Thanks mom and dad!!!!!!

Setting up camp...

The view from our tent...Grandpa setting up the outside kitchen....we ate SO good!!

Launching the boat. Evelyn in the driver's seat!!!

Driving the boat with Grandpa...

Go Grandma Go!! She's still got it - even in her 50's - showing off on the wake board!

Evelyn watching daddy getting ready to ski. Go daddy!

Mommy got some air action on the knee board! (it's my favorite!)

Claire sleeps through all the action!! She fell asleep everytime the engine started!! CUTE!

...STAY TUNED - THERE'S A WHOLE LOT MORE TO COME!!!!!!!