St. George with the Hardcastles

A few weeks ago we ventured down to St. George with Brad's family.  We had a blast swimming in the pool, relaxing at the house, playing games, golfing, shopping, watching movies, painting nails, eating frozen custard, fishing/swimming at the reservoir, and perhaps the highlight of the trip-- seeing Brian Regan at Tuachan.  We packed a lot of fun into 3 days and no one was ready to head home come Sunday afternoon but real life called. 

Enjoying the sprinklers and the pool

 All the guys went golfing one morning.  The lades (+Owen) went outlet shopping and to Krumpets... if you've ever been to St. George and not stopped at Krumpets, you're missing out!

Tuacahn for Brian Regan.  So. Funny. 

(20 week belly)

 Ron doing some window shopping while we waited for the theatre to open...

Getting ready to laugh our heads off. 

(You may notice I am not in the picture... that's because I was talking/catching up with my Uncle & 4 cousins who were randomly 2 rows behind us.  They came from Vegas to watch the show... I hadn't seen them since my wedding.  Brian Regan: bringing families together!)

 "Hiking" to "beautiful" Leeds Creek... if you were there you know what I mean...

 Owen enjoying some lunch at the reservoir.  This boy ate well that weekend.  And by well I mean, not well at all... chips, hot dogs, candy.  It was a good weekend for Owen!

 Owen loved playing with his sand toys, until he saw all the rocks.  The rest of the time was spent throwing rocks into the water. 

 Ron trying to do some fishing... not too successful but really fun to watch!

All bundled up and ready for a nap!  I think we all were by that point.

Thanks for the fun trip everyone!

Women's Conference

A little over 2 weeks ago I was able to go to BYU Women's Conference with my mom, aunt and cousin.  Two full days of girl time, spiritual enlightenment, and no mommy duties-- count me in!  Every mom needs a little break now and again, right?!  A HUGE thank you to my mother-in-law who watched Owen for the 2 days while I was gone and Brad was working.   Owen didn't even notice I was gone because he was too busy having nonstop fun.

We were able to stay in my aunt's in-law's house in Alpine for the 2 days, so it truly felt like a little getaway!  We stayed up late, did facials & massages, ate way too much, and the most spirited activity-- worked on a baby name list for me!  We all had a blast and I think have found a yearly tradition.

 Facials on the first night... the fun was just beginning!

 Since Taryn had school, we brought Flat Taryn along with us for all the activities!  Aunt Sherilyn is so fun!

 Vanessa & me at the beginning of our first day.  By the time the concert ended 14 hours later... we were pretty sick of those chairs!

Having a little too much fun with the Babybel cheese... 

Aunt Sherilyn, my mom, Vanessa, and me. 

Thanks for the fun ladies!

Sprinklers!

A couple weeks ago we turned our sprinklers back on for the Summer. While we tested them we let Owen run wild.   He had a blast! After about 20 minutes he was shivering but didn't want to stop because it was just too much fun.

Baby Boy

We are happy to announce that BABY BOY #2 will be coming our way in September!  This morning was our 20 week ultrasound and everything looked great.  Owen will be so excited to have a little playmate (once he figures out what's going on!) and Brad is excited to have another fishing/volleyball/baseball/etc. buddy!  I am very grateful for another healthy (so far) pregnancy and that we get to add another member to our family... although I'm not looking forward to another summer pregnancy.  Looks like lots of visits to the splash pad, reservoir, and pool are in our future!

Girls Weekend

Last weekend Brad, his brothers, and dad went on a fishing trip to the Green River.  Since the boys were away, Susie (my MIL) and I decided to have a fun girls day up in Salt Lake.  We were able to enjoy the beautiful weather, gorgeous flowers, and of course a little shopping & eating over at the new City Creek.  We had a really fun time and Owen was a trooper.  Except for a minor mishap with some gogurt at Cheesecake Factory (ie: all over everyone & everything) he was content taking in all the excitement just like we were.

Flowers on Temple Square

He was so, so happy to be free from the stroller.  Unfortunately he ran right for the street... so back to the stroller it was.

Enjoying the new exhibit at the Church History Museum

We were out and about well past nap time, and Owen finally succommed to the tiredness walking back to the car.

Once back to Grandma's house, Owen was treated to another ice cream cone.  (Experience #1 here).  This time I was a little smarter and stripped his clothes first... good thing because it was a lot messier.  

Look at that happy face!  Well worth the mess.

'Gagetball'

Over the past couple of months Owen has fallen in love with anything 'ball'.  Lately, with all the Jazz basketball games that seem to have taken over our TV, he has especially been obsessed with 'gagetball'. 

Last weekend we got him a little basketball hoop and he hasn't stopped playing with it since.  It isn't unusual for Brad to walk through the door from work and Owen to immediately walk to the back door, look back at him, and ask 'gagetball'? 

Owen sure loves playing with his Daddy!

Happiest Boy I Ever Did See

Last weekend Owen had his first ice cream cone.  Of course, it was at Grandma & Grandpa's house-- lucky little guy!  To say he loved it, might be the understatement of the century.  

After his ice-cream-soaked clothes took a tumble in the dirt, they were done for... so he rocked the oversized t-shirt look for the rest of the night! 

Easter Weekend

(Linda-- I'm on a blogging roll today!  4 posts just for you!)

Since my family was still in town for Easter, we were able to enjoy all of the holiday traditions with both families with year.  It was so fun!

We started out Saturday morning at the Herriman City Egg Hunt.  It was mass chaos, and Brad swears that he'll never go again, but the kids really enjoyed it and isn't that what matters?

Here's Owen getting ready (honestly he was a little cranky and could care less) for his hunt.  My mom was with the older kids at their age group.

 Look at all that loot behind them!

 Owen got a couple eggs, some cotton candy, and a few stickers.  Guess all those practice drills in the family room payed off!  :)

After we headed over to my in-laws for some egg decorating, another egg hunt for the kiddos, and a yummy lunch.  If you'll remember from previous years, egg decorating with the Hardcastles is pretty intense.  It's been 7 years since I started, and I still stress out every time!  Everyone is so creative with their eggs.  (See here and here)

 Owen was a lot more successful at this hunt.  (A lot less competition!)  Once we got past his need to open every egg before putting it in his basket, he was rocking and rolling!

 My sunburned indian chief and Brad's buck

 Taryn's 4 creations

A few more of the finished products

Easter morning Owen was pretty excited to find his new bath toys waiting for him. He couldn't wait to try them out!

With our late church, we were able to have a nice Easter breakfast, watch Music and the Spoken Word, and then head to church together.   I was in charge of the Easter program, with the ward choir singing, and they did a beautiful job.  It was really nice to have my family there to see what I had been working on for so long!

All in all, we had a wonderful Easter weekend with the Hardcastles and the Urrys.  Having both sides of the family together doesn't happen very often, but we sure enjoyed it!

Spring Break Visitors

Keeping with their yearly tradition, my Mom and the 3 youngest kids (and Grandma this year too!) came and stayed with us for Spring Break. We had a really fun time. They got to experience the entire range of Utah weather-- warm sunshine, extreme winds, rain, hail, snow-- we had it all while they were here! Luckily most of the time the weather cooperated with our plans so we were able to enjoy lots of "wwwalks", visits to the park, fishing for the boys, and crafting and shopping for the girls! (Although that would have happened regardless of the weather!)

 Here's Luke & Grant holding their fish they caught at the Herriman pond on either their 2nd or 3rd visit... they would have gone every night if we would let them! 

Against my wishes, they brought the fish home and made it into fish tacos. Yuck!  I made them stay outside, but I guess they were good??

 My mom surprised us with this cute little wagon that we took with us to the park a few times.  Owen absolutely loved having his aunt & uncles to play with all week long!

One morning we got some random snow. One minute it was sunny, the next snowing! It only lasted about 15 minutes, and hardly stuck on the ground...but these California kids were loving it!

Great Grandma Fox, Grandma 'Noni', Me & Owen on our last night