Silver Lake

We went for a drive this week up Big Cottonwood Canyon.

We are having a ward activity at a picnic spot and wanted to check it out. 

After checking it out, we headed to Silver Lake for dinner and a walk.

At 8 months pregnant, I made it about 1/3 of the way around the lake before heading back and letting Spencer go on ahead with the kids.

They had a great time running wild and enjoying nature, well, once Lucy got over the mosquito situation! 

We brought up some clipboards and scavenger hunts for the kids to do while we were there.

And there were a few moose hanging out in and around the lake.

These were the first moose the kids had seen, so that was pretty cool!

We are so blessed to have such beautiful places to explore so close to home!

Lucy's Baptism

This beautiful girl got baptized June 11th by her Daddy.

We are so proud of the decision she made to be baptized and it was a wonderful day.

We kept it simple with a picture, table cloth, and programs at the back. Nana Manwill played the piano and said a prayer, Grandma Great Mac lead the music, Aunt Valerie gave a talk on baptism, I gave a talk on the Holy Ghost, and Grandma Van Hoose gave a prayer. Daddy baptized and confirmed her. Grandpa Van Hoose and Great Grandpa Mac were the witnesses. In the circle were Bishop Free, Brother Reid, Uncle Aaron, Uncle Zach, Grandpa Van Hoose, and Great Grandpa Mac.

Lots of family and friends came to celebrate. 

Grandma Great Manwill and Great Aunt Jeanie.

Grandma and Grandpa Van Hoose.

Grandpa and Grandma Great Mac (that live far, far away!)

Our family!

Nana Manwill

Ashley made her this beautiful doll to match her baptism dress! We had everyone over for dinner after the program and enjoyed every minute!

Eliza Turns 3!

This spunky girl turned 3 a couple of weeks ago! 

Eliza at three is opinionated, adorable, and loving.

She's earned the nickname "Giggles" from her aunt and it fits! When she's happy, that's all she does!

Eliza loves cats ("meows"), princesses - especially Rapunzel. She wears "princess dresses" every chance she gets. She loves play-dough and playing with her big brother and sister.

Her speech has improved dramatically! We've been doing speech therapy since September and when she turned 3, she graduated from the program. We had her tested at the school district to see if she'd qualify for services through them and she doesn't. This is great news! It means that she's made enough improvement that we don't need to be worried about her anymore.

She's still on the tiny side! At her well child check up she weighed 26 lbs. 4 oz (8%) and is 33.46 in (1%). At least she's proportionate!

We sure love having this little one in our family!

Eliza's Birthday!

On this cute girl's birthday we celebrated at home as a family. 

She opened gifts and played with her brother and sister.

We also went out to dinner. All three kids' birthdays are within 30 days of each other and that allows them to all eat free at Wingers, so it's become a bit of a tradition. :)

She got a hand me down Elsa doll, play-dough, and books.

Lucy also gave her her old Rapunzel doll. She couldn't have been happier!

We also made "pink" cupcakes.

Happy birthday darling!

Zoo Trip

For Eliza's birthday celebration, we decided to go visit the zoo.

We actually went the day before her birthday so she'd be free!

We brought a picnic lunch and Nana Manwill came along.

It was fun to wander and take our time there.

We checked out all the animals

We even made a point to see a couple of shows - including the elephant one.

It was neat to learn about them and watch them do tricks. We also went to one at the seal exhibit.

Eliza wasn't too sure about this elephant. Mostly, I think she was just really tired by then.

A change into a swimsuit and the splash pad woke her up!

It was a super hot day and the kids loved playing in the water.

They especially loved the blowhole area!

I think the big kid liked it too! :)

It was so warm they dried pretty quickly.

One fun thing about the zoo are all the photo opp spots.

My little model!

Funny kid - Sam changed into his swimming suit after getting wet.

We had a great time hanging out as a family. :)