The Cook Off Prizes

I wish I had taken some before pictures (I can tell it's been a while since I did a project like this!!). I was asked to come up with prizes for the chili cook off our ward is having at our Fall Festival this week. I went to Deseret Industries and hit the jackpot! Three plaques that I spray painted black. I used my dusty vinyl cutter and cut some plaque filler....

Then I glued spoons on to represent the places (the bigger the spoon, the better the place). 

They turned out better than I imagined (which doesn't happen very often AT ALL). 

And the rusty ladle goes to.......... 

New Family Photos

Fair warning, there are a lot of pictures in this post. Here are a few of the pictures we had taken while the kids were here. I love the way they turned out!!

Ashlee Parkinson took them for us. She has been friends with the kids since Kevin was in kindergarten. She caught a few great pictures!

I really like this one. The light is stunning.Oh...and the people look nice!

All this boy wanted to do was feed the "cack cacks". Goodness, he was determined!!

I love these two. Together they are the perfect pair!!

These two best friends are stinking cute!!!

My kids are my heart. Everyone knows that. What most people don't know is that they are my friends too. I am so proud of them and the people they are.

And then there is this guy. He is my knight in shining armor. He is my perfect match. I am one lucky girl!!

Can you believe the cuteness of this sad little face! He just wanted to feed the ducks. No pictures for him!! 

This is my favorite shot. Can you believe that sad face turned into this cheeseball??!??! He is hilarious!!

And one more of this cute couple. I got very lucky when Kevin chose Abby. She is so perfect for our family. We love her to the moon and back!!

Thanks Ashlee!! We love these photos!!

Lagoon

We went to Lagoon on the kid's last day here. Michael was so tired. So while he slept in his stroller for two solid hours Jim and I sat in the shade and did some serious people watching. We sent the kids off to ride rides. Then Michael woke up and we coaxed him on the train. This was the face. He was so timid. We thought for sure he'd love it. 

After the train we broke out the crackers and peanut butter. This kid is so easy to take places. He is fun and not fussy.

He is growing so fast. I love how animated he is when he is excited. I love the way he is snuggly and sweet. I miss him every single day.

We did manage to get one (almost) smile out of him on the train. He is the most amazing gift our family has ever received. We all love him so much!!

Saying good bye was so hard. It ripped out my heart out all over again. I know there is a reason that we are apart...but hopefully some day soon we will be together again.

My Bestie

I have to post this. Snapchat is a dangerous thing. It's easy to take a screenshot of a funny pic. This is my bestie Heather. I cannot even tell you how much I love her. She is such an amazing girl. She will kill me when she sees it...but since she is in MN I will risk it. 

She is my champion and I would be lost without her!!!