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...

Yesterday

-Yesterday she stood at the door with Addie to wave goodbye as I left for work.
-Yesterday she planted a garden - veggies in the back, flowers in the front.
-Yesterday she wrote me a message... just because she wanted to say hi.
-Yesterday she cleaned the car.
-Yesterday she cleaned the house.
-Yesterday she held her daughter's hand and sang her a song.
-Yesterday she prepared a lesson for the nursery.
-Yesterday she got me an ice pack, advil, and snacks after I twisted my ankle.
-Yesterday she tried the best she could to get someone over to our house at 10:00 PM to listen for Addie so that she could come and watch my game.
-Yesterday she supported me in taking risks in the stock market.
-Yesterday she thought of ideas on how to make money that we could use on fun stuff together.
-Yesterday she stopped her phone conversation so that she could kiss me goodbye.
-Yesterday she gave the garbage man a gatorade because it was hot outside.
-Yesterday she did so much more than I have room to write on this post.
-Yesterday she made me realize the beauty of life.


Yesterday all my troubles seemed so far away...
I can't wait for what tomorrow brings, and the next day, and the next, etc, etc.

I love you, my dear wife.

Surf N' Swim

So to kick off the summer season I decided to take Adalyn swimming at the Layton Surf N' Swim. Adalyn absolutely loved it and got pretty upset when I took her out to put on more sunscreen and give her something to eat. We were having so much fun I didn't even realize that we had been there for 3 hours. When we got home I thought to myself, "Geez, for as long as we were out there I didn't get much sun!" Boy was I wrong! We are staying inside today due to my first sunburn of the season!










































Happy Summer!!