Another Girl

At some point in October we made a little trip to Logan, UT to visit with some friends from Idaho.  Kara and Landon have been such great friends and it was so fun to visit with them.  While we were in Logan we decided to take advantage of the time and go and see my Grandpa Sylvester's and Grandma Florence's headstones there.  After a phone call to my mom and some wandering we finally found it.  It was almost 18 years to the day that my grandpa passed away.  That seems crazy to even think 18 years because it's hard to believe that it's been that long and yet I still miss him so much.  

I am so glad that we chose Florence as Lily's middle name.  Though she was pretty sick when I was just little and I don't remember much about her, I know she was a brilliant and loving person.  It was fun to talk to the girls about my grandparents and help them understand the heritage that they have.  I think it's important to know about the incredible people that came before us.

We found the most beautiful park after we visited the cemetery and the girls played.  We also discovered that there was a tree with buckeyes!  We collected as many buckeyes as we could and came home and made necklaces for the girls so they could wear them for the games.

We are excited that we will soon be welcoming another girl to our family.  It has been a crazy pregnancy with moving but I have managed pretty good.  The nausea wasn't too bad.  I have just been SOOOO tired.  I feel like I could sleep all the time.  Otherwise things have been pretty good and I just feel so grateful for that.  I am about 21 weeks here.  I never regret posting pregnancy pictures with my previous babies so I'm trying really hard to continue to do so.  So much of my blog revolves around my kids that I think it's important to remember the impactful moments of my own life and pregnancy is a pretty big part of what's been going on with me lately.

We had a firepit in the backyard.  It is so beautiful back there.  One of my very favorite parts of this house is this backyard.  It feels like we live in the mountains.  There are so many trees and rocks.  The girls come up with all kinds of plots and stories.  It's moments like these that I just want to freeze in my memory.  I love having this family of mine together.

 The family that lived in this house before us had two boys and so the paint colors in their rooms reflected as such.  I tried to ignore it as long as I could but it just had to be painted.  I love how the girls' room turned out.  Bryan suggested orange and I was a little worried about it but have been really happy with the result.  After painting both of the girls' rooms and the front room I feel like I don't want to paint again for a REALLY long time.

A look at their cute beds.  I don't consider myself any kind of decorator but I love how happy and cute their room is.

I went for a 3D ultrasound at 21 weeks.  I could not believe how in depth and amazing it was.  I have never had an ultrasound like this and it is just incredible what you are able to see.  Thankfully we were able to see that she is doing great.  She is growing like she should and developing like she should.  I particularly loved getting a little look at her face.  She looks like she belongs to our family. I am getting exited to meet this next little Palmer girl.

Fall Break

The girls got an extra long weekend for fall break.  Since Bryan just started a new job he didn't take any time off.  So I had to find a few things to keep the girls busy during their days off.  Thankfully the weather was really nice and we were able to be outside.  We found a super fun park close by and stayed for a really long time.  It is shaped like a castle and the girls loved playing there.  Since being great with child and moving to a new city I haven't had a gym membership so finding ways to exercise has been tricky.  So whenever I take the girls to the park I just walk laps around the playground.  They had so much fun this day I am sure I walked for well over an hour.  I'm quite certain all the Utah mom groups thought I was crazy.

 After they played we noticed lots of trees and a deep ravine.  We decided to explore since the leaves were so pretty.

 Behind this playground there was this incredible walk through the trees.  It reminded me a lot of the walk that was by our house in Ohio.  Much to the girls chagrin, I made them go for a little walk with me to explore.  They prefer to just play but once in a while they have to humor me.

 To make their torture even more acute I made them pose for pictures.  I loved this walk though.  We have come back several times with Bryan.

 We also took a trip over to Gardiner Village to meet Grandma to celebrate Julia's birthday over the break.  By choosing to go over the break, it was pretty crowded but we maneuvered our way around just fine.  The witches were so fun to look at and the weather was just amazing that day.

 We were there a little earlier than Grandma and Amanda so we snapped a few pictures and explored while we were waiting.

 They finally showed up!  Alli and Ilene looked so cute in their witch outfits.

 Grandma paid for all of them to go to the kid's area and play around.  It was so generous of her.  They loved it.  The only trick was keeping track of everyone during the excitement.  There was so much to do and see.

 There was quite the wait to jump on this giant pillow.  They set the timer and let so many jump at once.  It was pretty comical watching kids get whiplashed bounced around on that thing.

 Cute girls.

 We then got hamburgers and ice cream for lunch.  Grandma even brought a cake for Julia and gave her a sewing machine.  Julia loves being creative and it was the perfect gift.  Well, it would probably be the perfect gift if her mom had any sewing abilities, but we did make a pillow so...

Julia's Birthday

My Julia turned the big 9.  I don't know how it is possible I have a nine year old but it happened.  Bryan woke up early and made her waffles with berries and blueberry syrup.  Julia is NOT a morning person much like her mother.  On the other hand Audrey IS a morning person.  I wonder if you could get that from the following picture.

 This Julia is such a pretty little gal.  I made her pose for a few pictures before she set out on her day.

 First she ate her delicious breakfast.  It was so nice of her dad to make it for her.  I think she felt pretty loved that morning.

 It was a half day at school and so nana and papa came up and took her to Build a Bear.  She got spoiled beyond belief.

 This dang build a bear even came with roller skates.  She had the best time.

 They gave the girls each a crown.

 The two sisters that tagged along each got a little prize too spoiled little stinks.

 Audrey told me that morning she didn't mind that it was Julia's birthday because that meant she was probably going to get a prize as well.  She wasn't wrong.

 Julia requested a steak dinner and papa made sure it happened.  We snapped a couple of pictures before heading in to the restaurant.

 This restaurant was all decorated for Halloween and it was so cute and fun.

 They brought Julia a special dessert with a candle.

 She came home to her present from mom and dad.  She had definitely outgrown her old bike so this new one has been lots of fun.

Safe to say she had a wonderful day.  At nine years old Julia...

Loves tacos, spaghetti, hamburgers steak and vegetables
Does not love cheese, especially melted cheese
Loves to read.  We have a recliner up in our office and she is often curled up in it with a book.
Loves art.  For her birthday she received a sketch book and she draws a detailed picture every day and dates it.
Enjoys movies very much.  The highlight of her day is when her homework and piano practice are done and she can unwind with a good show.
Loves piano and I am so happy with how much progress she is making.
Is a great help watching her sisters when I need help.  I think she is going to be so much help when the new baby sister comes.
Makes friends easily but is having to navigate the perilous waters of the occasional mean girl.  Thankfully it doesn't phase her much.
Has a very vivid imagination and still loves playing with toys and with her sisters.  I'm so glad she still loves those things.
Loves to run and be outside.
Catches on to things very quickly but gets very frustrated if it doesn't come so quick.
Is a very kind of loving girl and we are so lucky to have her as our oldest.

Pumpkin Patch 2014

Moving to a new area always means trying to figure out new places to make traditions.  Luckily we found a very fun pumpkin patch that was sponsored by our financial group so it was totally free!  Double score!  I guess that's what you get for buying a new house.  It was pretty crowded but the girls still had a great time.  It was a beautiful night.

 They had some great slides everywhere for the kids to play on.  We really enjoyed watching them bounce from activity to activity.

 These three girls make life so much fun.

 They watched a pig race.  They were all excited about it and everyone gathered round but it was a bit anti-climatic.  The pigs weren't as aggressive racers as I think everyone was hoping.

 We braved part of the corn maze as well.  The view from the tower was quite amazing.

 At this point Julia was a bit bent out of shape because the line to go and pick pumpkins was a mile long and we already had pumpkins at home so we decided not to wait in line.  She was torn because she didn't want to wait in line but she did want more pumpkins.

 Thankfully the slides and activities distracted her out of it eventually.

 These two held hands and went down this slide countless times.

The Fall

It has been the most beautiful fall this year.  We have spent lots of time outside and the fall leaves were just beautiful.  We went on a great walk this day.  

A great thing about moving to Utah is it seems that lots of people come here to visit and therefore come to visit me!  My friend Monica was in town and drove all the way to my house so we could spend some time together.  It was so great to catch up and I feel so fortunate to have such wonderful friends.

 These kids have all grown up so much.  It was fun to see them play together.  They got along SO SO well.  I think they would have played for hours had they been given the chance.  There was lots of silliness going on.  I loved it.  I knew all these kids as babies.  I remember watching little Aiden when Monica had to get some things for newborn Sofie and I remember going to the hospital when she had her Audrey.  Time goes so quickly and I'm so thankful for those years in Ohio that we could all start our families together and be there fore each other.

 After school one day I just had to take a picture of the girls with the beautiful leaves behind them.  I didn't realize that the leaves went so pretty here.

 We took the girls to a volleyball game one night for fun.  I was shocked at how much they enjoyed it.  Lily was just really excited about the mascot.

 Bryan's nephew Dustin was baptized in October and Bryan was on call so I went and took the drive to Wyoming by myself.  Thankfully my dad was also by himself so he made the drive with me.  We went and visited the old house and barn where my grandpa lived and where my dad grew up.  They have refurbished the old barn and made the area into a park.  It had been 12 years almost to the day since my grandpa had passed away and it was particularly sweet to go and see the place where he lived and worked so hard.  My grandpa was the salt of the earth.  So hardworking, genuine and the best judge of character.  He knew people and animals better than anyone.  It's amazing that even after 12 years I ache for one of his big bear hugs, to come home from church to him peeling potatoes or for one of his delicious breakfasts of bacon, hash browns and eggs cooked in his little egg pan.  We adored him.  I miss him all the time.

 It was fun to bring the girls here and reminisce with my dad.  He pointed out where in the barn he used to have a basketball hoop and practice, where his cousin Jerry almost set the barn on fire, where they would gather eggs in the old chicken coop and the old fire pit that was built with rocks from every single state.  I think the girls enjoyed it as much as I did.

 Isn't it beautiful?  I think my grandpa would be pleased that they preserved it.  He really loved this land and the valley.  I can see why.  The views were so beautiful.

 They had some old farm equipment the girls played on.

 Seriously can you believe that view?

 They were having a golden wedding anniversary inside so we were able to slip in for a minute.  It is so beautiful.  They did a great job restoring it.  My dad said this was mostly full of barn owls back in the day.

 My sweet Lily.  The leaves were so pretty there as well and thankfully for the girls there was a fun playground they could enjoy.

 Lily is just a little bit too young to start preschool so I try to take her to story time each week at the library.  She enjoys it.  She gets a little timid but really loves it when they blow bubbles at the end and puts a stamp on her hand.

 Here she is enjoying the bubbles.  It's fun to watch her.