Birthday Party for Marley

This year for Marley's birthday we ventured into foreign territory...hosting a kid party! We have had parties at our house, but this was the first time going somewhere and renting a place out. 

Marley kept saying she wanted to have a "ninja birthday party." What does that even mean?! We decided that a trampoline park was a good fit, where she could jump around and do "ninja moves" as she calls them. 

The Saturday after Marley's birthday, we hosted a party at a trampoline park near our house and it was such a blast! So many of our family and friends were able to come and Marley was so happy. There was something for everyone to do, no matter their age. It made my heart happy to see the kids having so much fun. 

We had a room to ourselves for pizza, and to do cake and presents and we didn't have to do any set up or clean up, which was my favorite part.  

We won't do big parties like this every year, but it was such a great experience for everyone, I'm glad we did it.  

  

Marley Turns 5

Its hard to believe that my little baby girl is now five! Marley was so very excited for her birthday, she was literally counting down the days. 

I grew up in a family where birthdays were pretty special, so I'm doing the same with our girls. On the morning of Marley's birthday I decided to leave a little early for school and stop by our favorite donut place. 

Marley went to school, told anyone who would listen that it was her birthday, and brought cookies to share with her class. We picked her up afterwards and headed to Chick fila to have lunch and let the girls play. Jason took the day off so that he could spend time with us, and Marley was very excited to have him there when school got out. 

After lunch, Marley opened presents and loved getting new toys to play with. Jason took Marley to the dollar store to spend some birthday money that his Grandpa sent, and it was funny to see the things she chose with her $5. She picked a giant birthday hat, red baton, box of starbursts, an orange ball, and a heart balloon. 

To keep the party going, we then headed to Grandma's house! Both our girls LOVE when we go there, especially since they have two dogs. We had lots of fun visiting with family, Marley had her favorite dinner (Mac n Cheese), and then we had cake. 

I loved getting to celebrate our sweet girl on her birthday, she is truly one of a kind and I love that about her. Marley is spunky, silly, tenderhearted, and SO smart. 

She loves to sing, play with friends (especially cousins), make new friends, be outside, ask questions, draw detailed pictures, and make her sister laugh.   

We are so happy to have her be part of our family and I can't believe how grown up she is now. Every day I am surprised by something she does or says, and I think to myself "How did you get so big?!" 

She will do great things, and I can't wait to see her take the world by storm. 

2017 in Review

We had a busy, crazy, fun year! I love looking back at pictures, so here are a few of my favorites from each month of 2017. They tell the story of birthdays, holidays, trips, milestones, shenanigans, real life, new beginnings, and just a whole lot of love. 

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

The biggest blessing brought by this year was Jason's new job. It allowed us to stay where we are, close to family and great friends. 2017 was the fist year in our entire marriage that neither of us were college students, that was a HUGE change.

Our biggest goal for 2018 is to pay off debts and save for a house. In the coming year we will see where life takes us, and hopefully enjoy the ride. 

Happy New Year!

Read last years update HERE

Christmas 2017

This year Christmas was extra special. The girls are old enough to really get into the holiday season and loved everything about it. We were counting down the days and they were so excited for Santa to come. 

We celebrated Christmas with my side of the family on the 23rd. The girls had a lot of fun getting to play with cousins and they loved all the new toys they got. 

On the 24th we started Christmas Eve out by going to church and then drove to Jason's parents house to spend time with his family. The girls were very excited to see everyone, and also loved playing with the dogs. 

Finally it was time to get to sleep so Santa could come!

Marley woke up at 6:30 VERY excited to see what Santa brought. We couldn't get out there fast enough! It was so much fun to see their excitement with each present. Being a parent at Christmas is such a joy! 

 

 

After breakfast the girls went outside to play in the snow with Jason and then we were able to skype with my parents and brother who live in California. 

A few hours after that we went to another family gathering with my in-laws, and then spent the rest of the day at home enjoying lots of new toys and time together as a family. 

We were truly blessed this holiday season to spend so much time together with family. I'm thankful for my Savior and the opportunity to celebrate his birth. Because of Him I get to be with them forever. 

Fun with Family

July was such a busy month for us! No wonder it seemed to fly by. We were lucky to have my parents visiting for two weeks, and that meant we spent lots of fun with grandma, papa, and cousins.

Of course the weekend of the fourth was busy with lots of fun activities. The girls sat outside stadium of fire with my family while Jason and I went inside to watch the show. 

In the evening on the fourth, we had family over to our place for yummy food and fireworks.

Some other activities included the splash pad in Springville, watching cousin Evie's baseball game, lots of trips to DI, watching Cars 3, and playing with cousins.