The 4th of July in Provo!

We had a wonderful of July this year! Provo really knows how to do it when it comes to the 4th. The whole time we have lived here we haven't been to the 4th of July morning parade. Nate went over at 4am to camp out a spot and got lucky with a great one right on University!

Another event of note is that Nate had a beard for awhile. I loved it! I like him without it too. It's  just fun to switch it up once and awhile.

Scott absolutely loved the parade! He waved at all the "princesses", danced to the marching bands, got excited about the horses, and loved the free stuff they threw out. 

Nate's Mom came in town for the 4th of July which was really fun! Emily, Mike and Richard's Mom all joined us for the parade. 

Later that afternoon we all met up at the Beans for an awesome BBQ! I am still dreaming of the farm stand corn on the cob, watermelon, and cantaloupe we had. Not to mention steak and homemade ice cream!

After dinner we lit off some fireworks in the street while waiting for it to get dark enough for Stadium of Fire. Nate loves lighting home fireworks since he never got to do them as a kid in California. So fun!

Nate's office is right near the stadium so just like last year we camped out in the parking lot to watch fireworks. The Beans, Mike, Emily, Nate's Mom, Wade, and the McKells all joined us!

Scott was more scared of the fireworks this year than last year! Last year he just got really quiet and watched them. He was slightly terrified this year. Luckily he got used to it about halfway through the show.

Recently...

Here are some photos of a few things we've been up to the past month or so! 

Over Memorial Day weekend we went on a last minute trip with some of our best friends - Caroline & Aaron. Aaron's grandparents have a condo in St. George that nobody was using. So we packed up and had a fun weekend getaway! Caroline and I did a 9-mile run early Saturday morning that was beautiful (and hot...). Then we went thrift shopping while the boys played golf. Later that day we went swimming, had a BBQ, and went to Nielsen's frozen custard. We ended the night with tennis and board games. On Sunday we went to church and lunch with Aaron's other set of grandparents. Then we walked around the St. George temple and made dinner together that evening. On Monday we swam and hung out a little more before heading back home. It really was the perfect getaway! We love Aaron and Caroline and just love their company. Scott kept asking to go back to "the new house" for a whole week after the trip.

In early June, I ran the Utah Valley Half Marathon again! Caroline and I did it together this year. I really do love that race. It is big with lots of people and water stations everywhere. The best part is the whole course is downhill! You can't beat that.

 Scott was all about the post-race creamies...

We did great! Especially Caroline who toughed it out with a hurt knee. I loved having an excuse to hang out every week to do our long runs.


This summer we've been doing a lot of scooter rides and going to 7 peaks water park! Scott has gotten so good at riding his scooter. He definitely has had a few falls (and a few bumps to show for it) but he loves it!

 An arial view of the action from our house...

One great thing about being in Utah is getting to see everyone who comes in town! Ryan and Kaylee were here visiting family and we met up with them during the week. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures with them! We also had a lot of fun with Broc and Joanna and their cute boys who came in town. Broc is Nate's oldest friend from growing up and we always love seeing them. Joanna and I got to do a few activities with the kids during the day. Scott loved having so many playmates!

 We also got to see Brett and Sydnie while they were in town! Phil also lives in Salt Lake now so the group of us (all Nate's college friends) met up for dinner and to let the kids play at the splash pad in Riverwoods. 

 This year for Nate's birthday we celebrated with all our family/friends that live here and everyone who was in town. The menu consisted of Texas Sheet Cake (GF of course!), Hot Buffalo Chicken Blue Cheese Dip, and Fruit Salsa.

 The kids playing in Scott's room during the party!

It's been a great summer so far and we have more fun things in store! We are so lucky to live by so many of our favorite people!

Richard & Emily's Wedding

Back in May, two of our favorite people - Emily & Richard - got married! They were married in the Mt. Timpanogos temple on May 10th. Emily looked completely gorgeous (as usual) and together they make an amazing couple! We couldn't be happier for them. It was so fun to have tons of family in town over the wedding weekend. On the day of the wedding got to take a few family pictures with the 3 of us all dressed up, which is sometimes a rare opportunity! 

 My boys!

 This boy had SO much fun with his cousins!

 Richard just so happens to be best friends with one of my best friend's (Caroline's) husband.
I loved getting to hang out with Caroline and Aaron the whole wedding weekend as well!

 Every little detail of the wedding was beautiful! Emily has the best taste. 

 The happy couple! Can we talk about how much I love Emily's dress?

 Hugs for Aunt Em!

The reception! They had a library themed reception at the Provo library. Emily had so many amazing crafty touches! I wish I had gotten more pictures of everything, but we were too busy eating delicious food and talking to friends/family! Congratulations Emily & Richard! We love you guys!