Lucky Girl!

Tonight I had a sweet moment. While sitting in the bathroom, so sick I could die and feeling sorry for myself, I suddenly heard the sweetest sounds coming from the next room. Devin was starting Adalyn's bedtime routine, here was the process: While changing her, Devin would start by singing a song in a funny tone followed by Addie saying something random like "toes" or "eyes." Then they moved on to reading books, where Devin would again read in a funny voice or accent and Addie responded by playing her new favorite game (she pulls her arm inside the sleeve of her pajamas and waits for us to say "Where's your hand?" and then she excitedly shoots her arm out of her sleeve. This is repeated SEVERAL times.) For some reason tonight this really touched my heart. It really hit me... I Am A Lucky Girl! Too often I take for granted all that I have been blessed with. To have a husband so selfless and loving who is also a father who invests that love in his daughter, is more than I deserve. Then to add an adorable daughter who makes us laugh and fills our hearts with love. And another (so far) healthy child on the way. Not to mention our health, Devin's job, our wonderful families, my ability to be a stay at home mom... and the list goes on. So much to be thankful for... and so much taken for granted. I really am a lucky, no a blessed, woman and I hope that I continue to recognize and delight in these little moments that remind me how blessed I truly am.

Reaping What We Sowed!

I am so proud of our first little garden that I decided to blog about it (since we will be leaving it soon). We only planted tomatoes and cucumbers since we had no idea what we were doing. The result: We have already eaten a couple of yummy tomatoes (with tons more growing) and we are awaiting to harvest a large cucumber before we leave. Devin and I definitely worked as a team on this little garden... I planted it and then he took care of it!

Happy Harvesting Everyone!

Summer Fun!

We have had such a busy, yet fun summer so far. In June, my sister Angie, her husband Aaron, and their son Kayson came to Utah. It was great hanging out with them and we were able to celebrate Kayson's 1st birthday with them.

These kids were two peas in a pod. They always had to do what the other one was doing and followed each other around everywhere. They were really cute.

Then in July Devin's brother Ryan, his wife Sara, and their kids Isaac and Madelyn came to visit. It was great having them here, and extremely eventful. Here are some of the things that we did during their visit:

4th of July Bee's Game... This is an annual event for the Payne family and is always tons of fun.

Cherry Hill... We had so much fun with all the cousins swimming at Cherry Hill. Uncle Matt even took Adalyn down one of the big slides... as you can see in the picture she was a little scared (but Matt said she loved it up until the end)!

Hill Aerospace Museum: The kids had a great time looking at all of the planes in the museum. But Adalyn had more fun feeding Madelyn chips and pushing her in the stroller than looking at the planes.

Payne Reunion: We went up to a ranch in Colorado Springs and had so much fun. We went to Garden of the Gods, went swimming, played with the animals at the petting zoo, went for a hay-ride, and just enjoyed each others company.

It was so great having family around, and we loved watching Adalyn with all of her cousins. It was such a wonderful way to spend the summer.

Walking Along...

Adalyn finally decided that it was time to try and walk by herself. She has been watching her cousin, Kayson, walk around for a couple of weeks now and began to mimick him a few of days ago. She first started with just a few steps here and there. Then the night that we babysat Kayson, she wathced as he walked back and forth all over the room. She started by taking just a few steps again, and then within minutes was walking all over the room! In one night she figured out she could walk by herself and even learned how to stand up by herself. Thanks to cute baby Kayson our little one got the confidence to do it herself!

The two little munchkins at the Treehouse Childrens Museum. These two have so much fun playing together!

My Sister's Wedding Day

After much time,planning, and waiting the Big Day finally came and went. Melissa and Jordan were married on Friday and everything was beautiful (especially the bride!).

The Happy Couple

Aaron and Devin sharing their Lion House rolls with the kids... Not an easy thing to share!

Kayson and Adalyn loved climbing the temple stairs.

The Reception:

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow!

This post is especially for my out of town sister-in-laws who I know will want to see a picture when they find out that I have once again chopped my hair. During the winter time I was determined to grow out my hair, but then the heat of summer came and all was lost. I now have this style courtesy of my best friend Jessica Barnes.





















I really like it, but I'm still trying to get used to it!

Beware... Overload Ahead!

NEW STUFF!
Adalyn has gotten very good at mimicking our words. Her first was saying the word 'catch' and she repeated it after Devin told her to 'catch' the ball. Now she says it constantly!


She also loves putting lids back on bottles and jars. She thinks it is hilarious and is very proud of herself when she puts it on right.


Adalyn had a great time hiding her cookie, raising her hands as if to say,"Where'd it go?", and then squealing with delight when she found it again. So cute!




SAYING GOODBYE TO LOS RICKERS!
Unfortunately we had to say goodbye to our good friends Heather, Jay, and Gwen who moved to Oregon on Saturday. They will be missed very much, but we wish them the best!
































Devin holding Gwen and Addie obviously getting a little jealous!












Carson being super sweet and sharing his much beloved doughnut!













OUTDOOR FUN!
Devin brought home a couple hammocks from his mission but we haven't ever been able to use them. We finally got this hammock stand and we absolutely love it!










This is our first flower garden... We are very proud of it and hope that it will last!











OGDEN NATURE CENTER!
On Saturday we went to the Ogden Nature Center. It was lots of fun. Here are Devin and Addie on one of the many trails that they have.












We also got to see several different birds... Here is the Bald Eagle. Addie loved all the animals we saw.









Afterwards we went to the Ogden Junction where Addie instinctively found water...