Independence in Provo

I've become a firm believer that there is no better place to celebrate the Fourth of July than in Provo, Utah. It's about as patriotic as they come! (Well D.C. is pretty cool too. Paul and I met there just a week and a half before the Fourth of July, and by that fateful night, I already knew that he was the one. I remember laying out on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial, and boldly resting my head on his shoulder so I could watch the fireworks more comfortably. :) Luckily I didn't scare him off!) 

To kick the day off, we met up with my brother, Nathan for the early morning hot air balloons. Incidentally, this was probably the only day of the trip the kids wanted to sleep in past 6:30. But we dragged them out of bed anyways, and chased this "pink" one down.

 It was a beautiful morning, with the sun just beginning to peek over Squaw Peak. 

 The man driving this balloon was kind enough to let the kids all hop in, and since there was a small enough crowd around it, Benjamin and Peter were among the first in line. Nora was a little spooked by the flame to come too close.

 It was fun to see my brother, and we had a great time catching up. Not pictured is the parade that we also went to together right afterwards. Paul's Mom had staked out a nice big spot for us, which was perfect for watching all the floats and bands and balloons go by. We said goodbye to Nathan so he could get to our Dad's quartet performance up near Salt Lake.

 

The day heated up quickly, and so we eventually gave up our parade spot to come back to Grandma's for the afternoon. We all got swimming suits on, and played in the back yard...

...and made our way down to the river back there for what has become known as the "Annual River Run."

 Josephine was really brave, riding downstream with her dad.

 And Adrian was too, although I thought this picture of him was hilarious. It looks like Anne is torturing him. He really did love it. :)

Peter riding down with Paul. 

 

 And Benjamin having his turn.

It was pretty cold water, but it really wasn't so bad once I got in. I had to ride down twice, just because.

 Nora was not having any of it. She wanted to be attached to me at all times, unless I was getting wet.

 The River Run commenced in a silly string fight.

And some more swinging. Don't Josephine and Nora look perfectly patriotic together? We had Cafe Rio for dinner, which is on my list of must-eats while we're in Utah. So good!

Once the two youngest were down for the night, the rest of us had our own little firework show. Paul's parents had gone to the Stadium of Fire to watch the Beach Boys.

 Peter was mesmerized by the sparklers this year. He was having fun casting Harry Potter spells on everyone. Later that night, Paul took the boys over to watch the Stadium of Fire fireworks from a distance, thus avoiding traffic and crowds. They watched for a few minutes, then wanted to go to bed. It was a long, but fun-filled day!

Hoo-tah

We're back! And with lots and lots of pictures of our two week long vacation to Utah, or "Hoo-tah" as Nora calls it. We left at 3 a.m. on a Friday morning, and got there at midnight with the time change. It was a long drive (22 hours!), but much better than breaking it up over a few days if you ask me. The kids were excited to wake up at Grandma and Grandpa's house, and wasted no time finding the toys, dress-ups and swings.

 I loved how Nora insisted on wearing this dress at all times, even though it was at least a foot too long for her.

 Grandma had added a new knight costume to her box, and Peter wanted to wear it non-stop.

It was awesome.

 We got to see many of Paul's cousins on his Mom's side that first day, and had a great time catching up with them. The company was wonderful, the food was delicious, and the croquet was intense.

 Peter and Benjamin even found a red-headed relative...let's see, I think he would have been a second cousin once-removed? It was hard to tell who was who from behind!

 Nora and Josephine got reacquainted at Grandma and Grandpa's. It was fun to see the resemblance between the two cousins. 

 We took a hike up Provo Canyon to Stewart Falls. Nora got the best deal out of it, as she rode the two miles up and back on Daddy's shoulders.

 Even though we were there during 100+ degree days, the heat was always bearable because of the cool dry shade. I love Utah weather.

 Nora spotted lots of wildflowers.

 The falls were beautiful, but the views along the way were just as fantastic.

 Benjamin is a great little hiker, just like his dad, the mountain goat!

 Peter did an amazing job too, and had a dirty, happy face to show for it.

 We made our annual trip up to the BYU campus, just because. We saw the Islamic Art Exhibit at the BYU Museum of Art, randomly bumped into my cousin's daughter Alyssa who just started her freshman year and is a crazy talented artist, then headed over to the Wilk. We found a few things for the kids then went bowling with Grandma and Grandpa and Claire.

Soon I'll post pictures from the Fourth of July. I decided to break up the trip so it would actually get done. :)

Nora's Almost Two

I'm in total denial that my baby is two weeks shy of her second birthday. Where did the time go?! Even she does not identify herself as a baby any more. It must be because she isn't. 

I remember when I was first pregnant with Nora, I wasn't sure if I really wanted a girl. I had the boy thing down, and I felt like having another one would just keep things simple. Even when I found out we were having a girl, it took some getting used to. But from the moment I first laid eyes on my Leonora, I knew how wrong I had been. Girls change everything. I felt like a new Mom all over again. And just like that, she made my already bursting heart expand a little wider with love.

Nora is an absolute delight. She's cheerful most of the time, and gives the sweetest little impromptu hugs and kisses. While we were taking these photos, she got one of her first real injuries. Paul and I were swinging her, when I felt her little shoulder joint pop. It was heart breaking to watch her in so much pain, and trying so hard to put on a brave face.  I guess with two older brothers, she's learned how to be tough. Luckily by the next morning, all was well again.  

She has had her ups and downs with sleep. For a while, no matter what I did or how long I made her bedtime routine, she would scream in her bed for a while before finally settling down. She's past that phase now (knock on wood!), and has decided she likes to climb into her crib all by herself. Luckily she hasn't figured out how to climb out, although I'm sure she could! Today, before I had a chance to read her stories, she had found her way into her room, climbed into bed, and fallen asleep for her nap. Believe me, I am NOT taking this new stage for granted!

Nora is fascinated by all things girly. We've recently added a few princess stories to her library, and those are by far her favorites to read. Every morning she'll come in with a stack, saying, "Mom. Read it me. Pincess." She especially loves "Seeping BEU-dee," probably because she wears a pink dress. She's starting to let me fix her hair with a clip these days, which is nice since I'm growing her bangs out. She loves accessorizing with her glasses and (now broken) Hello Kitty necklace. And have I mentioned yet how much the girl loves pink? She's obsessed. I think it's sweet to see her little identity develop, separate from her brothers'.

If you can't tell, we're pretty enamored with our Nora. Thank goodness for a girl!

Chinese Lantern Festival

It's been a while since we've been to the Botanical Gardens. It's free on Wednesdays and Saturdays, so those are usually the only days we'll go if we remember. This Summer, they have a huge Chinese Lantern Festival going on throughout the gardens, and it is fantastic! I forgot the camera the first time we went, but made sure to bring it the second. Check out the giant dragon at the entrance:

 And the dragon just inside the entrance is equally as impressive. They light everything up at night, but we haven't made it yet as it's pretty expensive for a couple of cheapskates like us. We might just have to make a date of it though...

We didn't walk around as much this time, but made sure to go back and take some pictures of our favorites. Like these giant dragons made out of china. Their scales are dinner plates and their talons are teacups and spoons. AWESOME.

The Climatron was cool too. The kids loved spying bananas and pineapples up in the trees, and were fascinated by these blown glass sculptures.

We met up with some friends, and made Chinese style paper fans together.

Eliza is really sweet with Nora.

Then we headed to the Children's Gardens together and played in the fountains to cool off.

The small Chinese garden was the perfect spot for a snack.

There were huge tadpoles in the pond. I had never seen a real one up close, but there was one with a tail, almost as big as the frog hanging out next to it. Pretty cool!

Nora LOVES frogs.

Before heading home, we swung by the Japanese Gardens to feed the giant koi fish.

I really love living in St. Louis. There's so much to do here, that I really think I'd miss it if we ever left. Now if we could just recruit a little more family to live out here... :)