Tybee Island

We finally got settled in enough to start exploring our new area. We planned a trip to the ocean and I am so glad we did. The weather was perfect this time of year and the beach was gorgeous! Lots of white sand and blowing grass. We decided to go to Tybee Island which is outside of Savannah. It is about 70 minutes from our house. We drove through the sketchy part of Savannah to get there and I decided I had better not wander if I ever decide to drive down there myself. But the little town the beach is off of, is lots of nice condos and little shops. It's very cute. The waves were a little big but Braelyn loved just jumping over them and digging in the sand. Berkley was much better than she has been before. She just played on the towel, ate snacks and dug in the dirt. She did pour Apple Jacks all over and so I dumped them off the towel and we got swarmed by seagulls. I was scared to death and ran off towards Kevin. It was good that Berkley didn't seem to care because I just abandoned her and made Kevin chase them off. At one point the girls were busy playing with seashells so I walked down to the water, and then Kevin and Braelyn joined me, but Berkley was so mad that she didn't have shoes on, so she wouldn't step off the towel and touch the sand with her bare feet. She just stood and pouted until Kevin went and picked her up. We loved just being around the water and were so excited that we could just drive home after, that is a new experience. We are excited to spend are time seeing everything Georgia has to offer, and look forward to lots more weekends at the beach!

Lagoon

My aunt Kellee called me this summer and said that they had tickets for Lagoon, and wanted Braelyn and I to go with them. We were so excited and planned to go after the weather cooled off, but when we found out we were moving we scrambled and found one day we could make it. We met them at Burger King and headed into the park after lunch. The girls were so excited to see each other, and probably would have been just as happy without the rides. They were playing around the counter at Burger King and told them to be quieter, and a man waiting to order told them they were just fine, they could play as loud as they want! They thought that was funny and started giggling louder. I was surprised at how many more kids rides there were at Lagoon than I remembered. The girls just ran from ride to ride and kept each other entertained when we had to wait in lines, which were never too long. They always wanted to ride in the same car together whenever they could and would squish right in next to each other. They even rode the cars like 5 times in a row while Kellee and I just sat on the bench and watched them go around and around together. We all rode the big boat called the Tidal Wave and Braelyn wanted to do it again but it makes me really sick so Kellee took them and Braelyn lifted her hands up above her head most of the ride. I was surprised she was brave enough to do that. Our favorite ride was the Ladybug Drop, and we did that one over and over. Braelyn would just laugh and laugh when we dropped. It was such a fun day and a great break from packing. The girls had a blast together and I was grateful to be able to talk with Kellee for the whole day. It was also great to not have the baby for a little while. It's such a treat to be able to pay all your attention to just one child. We will miss seeing Kellee and Kylee and hope they get down to Alabama so we can see them more often.

Dinosaur Museum

I saw on the TV that Thanksgiving Point was doing $2.00 Tuesdays, and I had always wanted to see the dinosaur museum, so I invited the family and we headed down. I started wondering if it was such a great idea when we couldn't even find an empty parking space. It just got worse when we saw the line was out the door. Taryn decided she couldn't handle all the kids and headed home but my Mom and Taylor decided we would just try anyways. There were scout groups and kids everywhere! I guess Utah county really likes a deal. Then we really started on the wrong foot when they wouldn't let us take in any food, not even water for the babies. The guy at the counter was really rude about it, and then workers kept stopping me to make sure the bottles were empty. It seemed a little extreme to me and Berkley was not happy without a treat to keep her entertained. After we got going there were some neat things to see, and it took all 3 of us adults to keep track of both the girls. Braelyn was a little nervous around the huge dinosaur skeletons, but she did like seeing new things and asking what the dinosaurs names were. Mom and Taylor were really good sports about the whole thing but the best part was definitely going to JCW's for burgers after!

My Birthday

I always thought that my 25th birthday would be something special, and that I would spend it in Vegas or on some tropical beach or have a big party. Well it didn't quite turn out that way because we had found out we would be moving cross country 2 days before. Kevin had left the day before and my parent's and brother were at the cabin with his friends and my sister was visiting a friend in California so I just got it in my mind that I would have as much with my girls as I could and just try and enjoy it. But I did end up with a few fun surprises, my Mom helped Braelyn make me a card with kisses on it, and got me a cute shirt from the girls. The card is probably the favorite I have ever gotten and I love I have her cute kiss preserved forever. The night before my birthday I had packed the whole day and was just settling down to put the girls to bed, when Taylor came home and was acting weird. He went into the garage and opened and closed it, then he opened the door to the house and I saw flashing light and heard him laughing. I honestly though he and his friends were holding fireworks, or had set the garage on fire. It was actually Taryn with a birthday cake for me! I was so excited, they sang me Happy Birthday and we chowed down on cake. That night we just hung out in the living room and joked and talked. I knew how much I would miss being with my brothers and sister and was glad for this night. It started getting late but I didn't want them to feel like I was ditching the party first. The exhaustion finally became to much and I had to head to bed. The next morning when the girls and I came down for breakfast I realized why they were staying up, because they had decorated the entire living room. Decorations, streamers, banner and balloons. I laughed because they were just waiting for me to go to bed so they could do that, and I thought I had to stay up with them. Braelyn was so excited and ran around the room dancing and exclaiming, "It's time to PARTY! Where is the cake?" It made me feel special since I didn't think I would really celebrate this year. It was fun for us.

Later the girls and I went to McDonalds for lunch, and they messed up and gave us an extra happy meal for free, so I knew it really was a special day. My parents and grandma's both called to wish me happy birthday. It ended up being a fun day, and maybe I'll aim for the big party when I hit "30."

Moon Reunion

Another weekend in the fresh air and mountains, and even better when you add family to the mix! My mom's family had a reunion at Wolf Creek, and since Kevin had to stay home for soccer we hitched a ride out with my parents. We did a long ride around the loop, and stopped at the old corral to explore. I love this spot and the look of the old wood surrounded by quakies. We also found a sand hill that they took the girls up and then ran down, as if we needed more dirt, they actually poured sand out of their shoes after.

The next day everyone got together for lunch. It was our extended family, and my Grandpa's siblings. I love my Grandpa's sister Karen and her family, and they are always so much fun to be around. They grew up in Orem and once in awhile they would babysit us, and I loved spending time at their house. Braelyn was thrilled Kylee was there and when she got out of the car they ran to each other and hugged and hugged. Berkley was even good without a nap because she got a sip of Diet Coke from someone. It was so great to catch up with my cousins and I was too busy talking that I only took one whole picture that day! We had a feeling that this might be our last cabin trip this summer and it was very bittersweet when it came time to leave, but what a wonderful way to wrap the summer up.

Sprinklers

Whenever Papa had work to do around the yard, he would find Braelyn and ask in a serious voice if she wanted to help him do his "work." And in just as serious a voice she would answer yes then usually put on boots with her jammies and they would head out to do whatever chores he had to do that day. They had spent a lot of time fixing the sprinklers that summer, so once they were finally ready he had to test them. Before I knew it he had pulled her out to run and jump through them. Braelyn got into her swimsuit but wasn't sure about getting wet. Papa would run through the spray then Braelyn would run as far from the spray as she could. They both ended up soaked and Berkley laughed whenever they would run by her. They were both ended up soaked. All in a day's "work" for a Papa and his helper.

Swim Lessons

Braelyn got to do swimming lessons this year and she was so excited! I on the other was not sure, I never know what I will get with her, but since we had spent time at the pool I was hoping this would give help teach her to be a little more safe and confident when we swam.

The first day was a little confusing, but as soon as we found her teacher Braelyn was at ease and went right into the water. After that first dive she was hooked and would have lived at the pool if she could have. She had wonderful teachers who spent time both playing and teaching. She learned how to blow bubbles, front and back float, rocket dive, and front and back stroke. She was the most outgoing in her class and was the only who dared to actually paddle when the teachers would have them off their feet. She also liked to jump off the edge no matter who was there to catch her, so they learned to keep one hand out for her. I was really proud of her and told her so after one lesson and she replied, "I'm proud of me too." She loved showing everyone all the things she learned and was so excited when Munga came to watch a lesson. Berkley was happy that she didn't have to get in the water and was content with her treats on the side. I often wonder where this brave little extroverted kid came from and I love watching her trying and learning new things.