Nana Horse Camp

 Having a cowgirl grandma is the best.

P.S. My parents have kind of a pretty backyard :)

Scenes from Whitney

When I was in high school, I couldn't wait to get as far away from this place as I could. 

Can you believe that?

 After living away for so long and living in so many different places, I realize how lucky I am to be from such a beautiful valley and I'm jealous of my friends and family who still get to call this home. 

 The back of my grandparents' farm in Whitney. 

 One of our LDS prophets, Ezra Taft Benson, was from Whitney and is buried in the cemetery just up the road from my grandparents' house. Liam and Sam didn't feel right smiling in a picture by a headstone. 

 Besides President Benson's grave, the other most famous landmark in Whitney: Grandma and Grandpa's barn!

 Razor ride up to the dry farm.

My wonderful grandparents. We seriously adore these people.

Preston

My parents were so helpful to us during our move. My mom let me use her car for over a month, since ours were shipped up to Alaska with the movers, and they even let us move in with them for a few weeks. As always, we had a great time in my favorite place in the world.

 Kings, the kids' favorite store ever... and mine, too.

 The kids spent loads of time at the corral with their patient grandma at "Nana Horse Camp."

 My sister and her family were also in moving transition and without a dad for a few weeks, so we had a lot of fun with cousins, including meeting baby Leah for the first time.

 Grandpa and Grandma treated us all to lunch at Big J's.

We stayed so busy and packed in a lot of fun. I guess it caught up with these two during church!

Liam's 10th Birthday

 Usually when I start birthday posts, I always start with something like "I can't believe so-and-so is already blank years old!" But not with Liam. This kid has always seemed older than he really is. He is so mature and funny and compassionate. I'm so happy to claim him as mine.

 We had a great celebration at Boondock's with the Ratchfords, and Nana and the Zollingers even joined us later on. It's hard not to have a happy birthday in kid paradise.

Later on, we went back to our hotel room to open family presents and get Dad and Nacho ready for their flight that night. 

Liam is so fun to give gifts to - always so excited and appreciative!

Then it was time for some goodbyes. Since we had closed on our new house, Garreth took Nacho up to Anchorage with him. Only two more weeks until the kids and I joined them. Here's the pup before his epic journey, one he will probably never have to repeat. Looking happy, completely unaware that he will spend the next five hours alone in the belly of an airplane. Poor guy.

After taking them to the airport, the kids and I headed to Bountiful for Kael's birthday party, where the Schmidts very graciously let Liam share the spotlight.

 Happy birthday to two of my all-time favorite blond boys!