This was the view from our condo in Florida. Those two weeks on the beach were a true vacation for me. It was so nice to be with family (immediate and extended) and it was nice to stay an extra week just for some personal R&R. (July - August)
While we were in Florida Christy organized our family outing to the portrait studio. That was fun, and we all left with a bunch of great family pictures. Other highlights of Florida included: family games, girls fashion show (compliments of Aunt Linda), dinner at Norwoods, celebrating Grandma and Grandpa's wedding anniversary, attending the Orlando temple, cousins dance party, running/walking on the beach every morning at sunrise, doing the 10-mile bike ride with Aunt Linda, swimming at the pool, building sand castles, boogie boarding, cousins tie-dye night, Kevin's magic show, and as Ashley would say, "Wading in the waves." It was AWESOME!After Florida, we met up with the Stewarts in Utah...but my camera was full...and I'm still waiting for pics from others...but it was a great trip! We enjoyed a play at Sundance, cousins camp, a tour of Temple Square, attending the SLC temple, riding horses, and playing family games.
Also while in Utah, Jared and I joined my family for the Provo River Half Marathon. It was an absolutely beautiful run, and we all felt like winners at the end (Sorry, no pics of that either!)
Back at home, the girls enjoy some reading time on our bed. (August)
Jared did a fun activity with the girls on one of their Daddy-Daughter nights -- shaving cream in the bathtub. The girls got on their swimsuits and Jared provided the shaving cream and food coloring. Fun times! (August)
Ashley LOVES to go outside in the rain. She'll take her umbrella and go out and dance, or sit on a chair and just watch the rain. It is really so cute to watch. This time she was just twirling and singing. (September)
One morning a few weeks ago, I got the girls dressed and then Ashley said, "Mom, look! We're the American flag!" It was cute!
The latest craze around here...reading lights! The girls have had so much fun with the reading lights they got from (my) Mom and Dad. Ashley LOVES being able to stay up even later reading books. Bethany usually lasts a good 45 minutes, too.
Happy Halloween! This year we had a Snow Kingdom Fairy Princess (I think I got that right) and a bumblebee. Jared took the girls trick-or-treating at work on Friday and then we all went to the ward trunk-or-treat on Saturday. The girls had a blast! (October)
We've been trying to spend more time outside before it turns too cold. After raking up the leaves one night, there was a HUGE pile for the girls to play in, so they had fun enjoying autumn. (Don't worry, Mom...we checked for Copperhead snakes first.) (October)
The morning we left for North Carolina. It was the longest trip we've taken in the van, and it was nice to take advantage of many of its perks...like, I never knew there was an outlet in the backseat - you don't even need an adapter. I also very much enjoyed the heated seats. Ahh.
Here are Mom and Dad at their booth at the Craft Fair. Lookin' Good! (October)
I took this picture of the girls at the library...both reading Fancy Nancy. (October)
Jared has really gone the extra mile to help out while I've been out of action. One of the favorite activities as of late is sleigh rides on the blanket around the house. Hooray!
Inspired by Amanda, I thought I'd do a better job of taking pictures during the pregnancy. Here's the half-way picture (also the first day I did my hair and make-up on the same day in about ten weeks.) I can tell I'm feeling better, little by little, and Jared and I are both so excited to welcome a new little one to the family. Next week we'll find out the baby's gender. Any guesses?