This Past Week

• I started running with a friend every morning at 6:30.  It has actually felt really good even though I am not a huge runner.  It feels good to get up and get going and exercise.  We don't run far yet but we are working our way up slowly, and it just feels good.

• I left Landon and the kids 3 nights this week!  That is very rare.  I went to a baby shower one night, played volleyball the next, and went to see a movie the next night after that.  I think it was good for all of us even though I felt a little guilty about it all.

• The movie I saw was "The Help." It was really good and covered all of the important parts of the book.  I was only about 75 pages from finishing the book so at first I was a little disappointed with how the characters looked or certain things that were left out.  But 10 minutes into the movie I got over it and really enjoyed it.  My opinion, the book is ALWAYS better!

• Landon taught Kinnie how to tie shoes.  I told Landon that if I were the one doing the teaching it would have never happened.  Kinnie just seems to understand how he explains things.  

• We are on day 3 of keeping Andrew's binkies just for nap and bedtime.  A big part of me (and all of Landon) wants to just go cold turkey but I can't do it.  So we are working towards this goal of having it just for sleeping and hopefully soon it will just be gone!  

I haven't taken any recent pictures so I wanted to include this one.  This little squirt is going to be 4 years old on the 7th!  I can't believe our baby girl is growing up so fast...

 

Salt Lake Pictures

Enjoying a Salt Lake Bees baseball game with Grandpa Bell and Aunt Lindie.  Thanks for inviting us!

Family Reunion at Bear Lake our first weekend in Utah

We forced our kids on the wave runners and of course they loved it (even though you can't tell from their expressions). 

Playing with silly Grandpa

The theme for the Saturday dinner was "I LOVE NY."  So here are two of Landon's younger sisters dressed up as Miss New York and a homeless person.  Pretty good huh?

Kinnie dressed up like a ballerina just like her Aunt Mallory.  Mallory was in charge of the theme and did an amazing job!  She lived back east this past year and knew exactly how to make New York happen in Bear Lake.

Kinnie and Andrew had a lot of fun playing with cousin Owen

This is what the playroom at my parent's house looked like while we were there.  It was pointless to clean it up.

Uncle Brent came up to visit us a lot.  We thought his motorcycle was pretty cool.

Lots of construction and cool tractors were redoing my parents' street.

Sugarhouse Park

Playing in the river

Hogle Zoo on a VERY rainy day. We felt very adventurous, right mom?

BBQ at George Washington Park

Andrew was pretending to be a monkey with Grandpa's gloves on.

August is an exciting month for us.  Landon's birthday is on the 8th, mine is on the 10th and our anniversary is on the 11th.  Landon's mom watched the kids while we went golfing and spent the night up in Park City.  It was a ton of fun and soooo relaxing.  I didn't even get THAT frustrated golfing.

Going to the library with Grandma Bell.  A very special and fun tradition that Grandma Bell started when we used to live really close to them.

My sister moved to Boise a few weeks before we got there and they drove down to visit.  We had a family dinner together and it was fun to ALL be together.

We went on a hike up to Secret Lake.  It was so beautiful and Landon and I were so happy we made the decision to go! They had only opened the road up to the trail heads 9 days before we went because of the snow!  I have decided I REALLY really love the mountains.  Some people don't know what they are missing out on!

Yes, that would be snow.

Kinnie had a lot of fun with her cousins while we all stayed at my parents' house.  Her oldest cousin Whitney had the kids put on a little play.  Here they are in action :)

Murray Pool

The newest Bruschke member.  Little Libby!  I am going to miss holding that doll.

We visited Aunt Mallory at work.  I didn't get a picture of her though because she was busy with lots of customers wanting yummy ice cream. 

Chuck-O-Rama with Great Grandma and Grandpa Ellertson.  Kinnie was singing them a song she learned in Primary.  She got a lot of requests for singing on the trip.

Kinnie loves her new cousin Lewis!  He is a VERY CUTE baby.  I will miss his big brown eyes and warming smile.

This is how they slept the whole trip, side by side.

Liberty Park

Family Reunion in Park City.  I should have gotten more pictures with everyone there.  A lot of Landon's cousins were there and their kids.  The beach at Jordanelle had about 8 shade tents set up for all of us.  I think there were about 75 of us at the lake?

Kinnie loved dressing up in my old ballet costumes.

At Grandma Bell's for the last time :(

Some other things we did:

• Landon went on a golfing trip with a couple of his buddies.  They went down to St. George and Mesquite and had a lot of fun.  We missed him.
• I went to "17 Miracles" with Landon's mom and two of his sisters.  It was an AMAZING and powerful movie!  I am so glad I saw it in the movie theater.
• Landon and I went miniature golfing and to the driving range.  Landon played a lot of golf!  I am so glad he was able to play as much as he did!

I thought it was appropriate that right as we headed up Parley's Canyon to go home that we were next t to a truck that said Omaha. I had to take a picture...

We had such an amazing time with family and friends.  It was sad to leave and it doesn't seem to be getting any easier to say goodbye!  It was nice to get home after such a long time away, but nothing beats being with family.  Until next time, whenever that may be!