Micke Grove

This week we got to meet up with our awesome friends, the Jacksons, at Micke Grove park in Lodi. :)

Rexburg is a really cool place where you make friends, and then college spits them out and they all move away. We met Jason and Lara our first semester at BYUI in the fall of 2014. They have been married just a few months longer than us, and the guys instantly bonded over their love of film and storytelling. By the next summer, Jason transferred to a school in PA (boo!) and so they took 3-week old Brighton and moved across the country. :( It has been a year and a half since we last saw them, and now they have little Sawyer too! Thank goodness for the California sunshine bringing us back together. ;)

The kids hit it off instantly and really enjoyed playing together. Brighton is very skilled at giving hugs. :D

We had a beautiful day at the park!

that moment when you realize the bumpy slide was not a good idea...

Kate LOVES catching bugs and inspecting them closely. She just watches them walk around and asks questions about how they move. She is very gentle and always puts them back in a safe place. It is one of my favorite things to watch her watching them.

One of my favorite pictures from the day was of Lara and Sawyer laughing together:

As soon as I took it I remembered I had one almost exactly like it of Lara and Edwin from years ago :) I'm so glad I found it!

It's awesome to see Lara now with her own babies. She is such a great mom :)

Even though we only got to hang out for a couple hours, it was awesome to reconnect with our families! I doubt Jason and Lara will ever be able to convince us to move down to St. George, but maybe our Northern California beauty will bring them back up here and closer to us again someday. At least we'll always have Micke Grove. ;)

Edwin's Birthday Weekend

Our family had the best time this weekend celebrating Edwin as he turned 3!

Jon and I worked together to make Edwin's vest and bowtie for this birthday. Edwin and Kate have been talking about Winnie the Pooh a lot the last couple months, especially since we got to meet Pooh Bear at Disneyland! (more on that later). So everything came together wonderfully for a Winnie the Pooh themed birthday celebration! :)

Between General Conference sessions on Sunday we went up to the temple and took some pictures. Even with the super cheesy smile, this one below was one of my favorites! We took one like it of Kate on her 3rd birthday, and I wanted to see them at the same age side-by-side. :)

Edwin at the gates of the Sacramento, California temple - age 3

Katherine at the gates of the Rexburg, Idaho temple - age 3

Back at home we enjoyed the afternoon session of conference, had naps, and a family birthday dinner!

Complete with individual Winnie-the-Pooh cakes :D

The food was picnic style and so much fun!

Edwin insisted on having all his presents on the table during dinner :D

We are so thankful to our family and friends for making Edwin's birthday so special! I felt extremely grateful this weekend that we could celebrate Edwin in such a fun way. Focusing on, and making a big deal of birthdays is one of my most important goals in life ;)

Melissa and Doug fishing game from Uncle Mike, Aunt Amanda and AnnMarie

Edwin was incredibly generous and let Kate open every present along with him. :) When she asked after dinner if she could open his presents with him, he immediately replied, "Of course!"

Nonna and Papa made it back from Utah earlier in the evening and were able to be home with us for Edwin's dinner celebration. They got him this really cool Mater truck complete with little tires and barrels to tow!

Gram gave Edwin a new camping chair! (which is perfect because he had outgrown his baby one last year) This new one has an awesome pattern, a water bottle holder, and even glows in the dark! We are definitely ready now for summer adventures :D

Kate made Edwin a Jungle Book fleece tie blanket (with the help of daddy). It's so fun to see the kids getting older and wanting to do one-of-a-kind things for each other :)

Edwin also got a Lego Batman set from Aunt Beth and Uncle Derek, a Power Tool set from Grandpa, birthday money for his Disneyland savings jar, a Lightning McQueen beach towel, new clip-on ties for Sunday, and his very own Build-a-Bear teddy (that he gave extra fluff and named Cheeto). :D

Between a Winnie-the-Pooh family Sunday dinner, and his actual birthday on Friday full of mini golf and Sunsplash arcade with Grandpa and Aunt Michelle, Build-a-Bear workshop with our little family, and getting to pick out a movie for us to rent (The Secret Life of Pets), Edwin has had quite the first few days of being 3!

"Ladies..."

The only picture I've been able to catch so far of Edwin with his Cheeto bear ;)

Happy Birthday, Little Man! We love having you in our forever family :)