Life is beautiful

We've had some good moments lately. On Wednesday, Hunter returned to preschool. We went as a family to drop him off for his first day. I'm happy he gets to have this experience. I'm sure he enjoys getting out of the house a bit and interacting with some different people. I'm holding my breath that he can stay healthy. It's so fun living close to my parents. We love it when they stop by to visit. This picture really shows how big Hunter is getting. He looks huge even on tall Grandpa Durrant.

Sometimes these crazy people tag along when grandpa and grandma come over. I have great siblings-Eleyna agrees!Eleyna is getting really excited for the new baby. Once we got out the bassinet, baby swing, Bumbo, etc. I think the whole thing really clicked for her. She loves it when my midwife comes and we get to listen to the baby's heartbeat. She always lays right by me during the whole exam. Here she is practicing her mommy skills with Dora.

The other day I turned on "Finding Nemo" for Eleyna to watch and she promptly snuggled in right next to Hunter on the couch. It's been so tender for me to watch a relationship develop between these two. She has become quite concerned for her brother and it really melts my heart to see it.

"The ordinary arts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest." -Sir Thomas More

Not ready

Summer is coming to an end. You can feel autumn just around the corner.

We just aren't ready to be done with our frozen yogurt runs,

Or our trips to the pool though.

So we're playing as hard as we can while the weather is still good-and we don't have a new baby!

Ryan's farewell trip to St. George

The week before Ryan went into the MTC we loaded up the kids and the boat and made our way to St. George for a "last hurrah" trip with the Durrants. Thank heavens for the dvd player in our van!My parents rented a really beautiful house that had plenty of room for all the married couples and the two grandkids. We went boating at Sand Hollow two of the days we were there. The weather was actually only in the 90's (which is pretty amazing for July) and the water at the lake was smooth-perfect for the wakeboarders of our group.

It was fun to just be together at the house after a long day of boating. We all took turns cooking meals and presenting a thought at our evening devotionals. Of course, the real highlight of the trip was spending time laughing and crying (and reading books) with Ryan.

The pool in the backyard was a huge hit with Eleyna! In fact, one time she was having so much fun she walked right off the edge and in to the water with no floaties on. Uncle Joseph had to make a quick rescue grab. My little daredevil...
The recap of this trip wouldn't be complete without a picture of me (7 months pregnant) in my swimsuit at one of our devotionals-taken by mom. Just trying to do what I can to maintain a faithful family history for posterity and serve as birth control for my married sisters. At least the couch is sort of shielding me. :)

I know that this is biased but I must say that family vacations with my family are the best. I'm sad we're going to have to do without Ryan for a few years. Sure love that boy!

The Latest of Leyna

Favorite foods: She loves popsicles, noodles and cheese, carrots, apples and Dora or Ariel fruit snacks.Outdoor activities she enjoys: Swimming, boating, pretty much anything involving water

Things she names while we're driving around: Library, church, temple, tractors, towers, balloons, yellow cars, flags, big trucksSongs she can sing: Twinkle, Twinkle, Rock-a-bye baby, I am a child of God, ABC's, Popcorn popping, Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam, I'm so glad when daddy comes home

Places she's always asking to go: Pirate Island, the pool, Kyser and Nash's house, grandma's, nursery

Cute phrases: "I have a question" "Too high, can't reach it" "Mommy big belly" "Stay in the jungle like Mowgli" (from Jungle Book) "Um hmm, ya sure" "Watch a show?" "Down the hill!" "Happy to see you" "Excuse me" "Nice to meet you"

Missionary

My cute brother Ryan left on his mission to Paraguay on August 5. The night before the whole family came to support him as he was set apart. It was a tender couple of days. We miss him of course, but are so proud at the same time.
Ryan has always been a special guy in my children's lives and I think that's what I'll miss the most. That, or maybe the frequent texts I got from him this past summer near dinnertime begging me to feed him so he wouldn't have to subsist on my mom's vegan cooking. It was kind of a nice compliment to my cooking skills in a roundabout way. :)

Eleyna prays for Ryan every time she says a prayer and it soothes my heart to hear it.

We love you Elder Durrant!

Provo Canyon

We needed a way to beat the heat so... we headed for the mountains!
Eleyna tried her hand at softball for the first time.We think she's got pretty good form for a two year old.

Coolin' their heels in the river

Munchin' an apple with Mom

Throwin' rocks

Life doesn't get much better...

What a glorious creation this earth is! We are so lucky we get to enjoy it.

4th of July

The Saturday before the 4th of July we got to go swimming at the Lindon pool with our cousins, Kyser and Nash. Afterwards, we went to their house for a bbq and presents for Nash's 3rd birthday. Bryson had to go patrol at the apartments once the Stadium of Fire started so we didn't do any fireworks that night.

(My little pool bum-so cute!)

However, we made up for it on Monday. Leyna was a little scared during the first couple of fireworks, but she warmed up once we got around to the sparklers. She thought those were lots of fun!!!


Uncle Ryan and Grandpa came down to watch the fireworks with us. It's so fun having family close by.