4th of July, beach style

We were able to take a fantastic beach trip with some fantastic friends, the Christensens and the Cundicks, last weekend. We went to Half Moon Bay and loved being in a small town on the 4th of July. We decided to catch the parade and got there just in time to score some prime seats. However while the girls were shopping in the corner antique store (did I mention I loved being in a small town?) our husbands, who were down watching the kids and "saving" said prime seats decided to let somebody else take them. When we got back and heard the news, we were none too happy. I think this face sums up how we all felt:

Apparently when you're 8 months pregnant and feel like a planet (her words, not mine!) you really don't want to stand during an hour long parade. Luckily though the boys were able to grab another table and chairs and save the day.
Kiara especially loved our spot on the parade route because it was a big open driveway. She and Maximo and Ayson chased each other around here for about a half an hour, although they were always running in opposite directions so I wasn't able to get a picture of the 3 of them together. Oh I love that face!



My grandpa collected old antique cars and even went to Iowa (where he was from) each year for an annual antique car show. These guys were obviously loving life!


I had to take this picture for my BFF, Audrey because I've always teased her for wanting to be a librarian (she even was one for a little while a couple of years ago). Maybe you can be in the Half Moon Bay parade next year, Audj.

After the parade the boys went golfing and the girls relaxed back at the hotel. When they got back we all went down to the beach and enjoyed the perfect weather and good company, followed by a delicious dinner at a fabulous Mexican restaurant.


4th of July wouldn't be complete without fireworks so we scouted out yet another prime spot to watch the action. The show was pretty impressive and was the perfect ending to a perfect day. I can't wait to go back again.

Kiara-isms

#1-One of my all-time favorite songs is "Night Swimming" by R.E.M. and I have it on a mixed CD in the car. The other day we were driving and Kiara told me, "Mom I want to listen to Nightgown Swimming."

#2-We were standing by a woman who happened to have several tattoos, and very concerned, Kiara said, "Oh no, Mom, she colored on herself!"

#3-While talking to her dolls the other day Kiara said, "Okay, we're going to play a game about Jesus Christ."

#4-Out of nowhere she pointed to me and said, "You're yellow and I'm brown." I wasn't sure if I had heard her correctly so I asked her what she had just said. She replied, "Here, I'll show you" and led me by the hand in to the bathroom. When we were standing in front of the mirror, she continued, "See, your face is yellow and my face is brown!"

Happy Birthday, Heather!

This post is about 10 days overdue, but I really wanted to get it done. Apparently when I got the idea to do a post for every member of my family on his or her birthday, I temporarily forgot how many freaking people are in my family! Including my parents, all of my nieces and nephews, siblings and in-laws, we total 26! That is a lot of birthday posts! So I've decided that I'll only do one for people who actually read this blog or will understand what it means if it's read to them!

Anyway, my sister-in-law, Heather's birthday was on July 2. Heather is married to my oldest brother, although in the spirit of giving, I should give her credit that she is not my oldest sister-in-law. In fact, she's the second youngest! And oh so pretty...
Did I mention that Heather is extremely talented and I often ask her for favors?

One of Heather's biggest talents is sewing. She is so good in fact, that she sewed my Senior Prom dress and all of my bridesmaid skirts for my wedding! Just last week she even fixed a problem with my new swimsuit. In our family we have the cousins draw names for gift giving and we got lucky last year because one of Heather's kids drew Kiara's name. We knew it would be something personal and creative and we weren't disappointed. She made matching BYU pajama pants for all of the kids to whom they were giving gifts and they were adorable! Kiara still wears them and each time she says, "Hedder made these for me. That's so nice of her."

Heather is also a great cook and has taught me a lot about cooking. When I first moved away from home I ended up living across the street from Dar & Heather while he was getting his MBA at BYU. I can't even begin to count how many meals she fed me during that time! She really made my transition to living on my own a lot easier. She listened to me complain about roommates and boys and I knew I could always go over there if I was feeling lonely or homesick and she would take care of me.

Heather is a very motherly person and it was so neat to watch her become a mother during that same time when I lived by them. As I said, I used to go over to their apartment all of the time and every time I did I learned something about taking care of a baby or running a household. Heather was always so patient with me when I wanted to help with Whitney but didn't always know the right way. I specifically remember one time when I was trying to change Whit's clothes but wasn't quite getting it. She stepped in and showed me an easier way to do it, but she did so in a very loving and big sister sort of way. I don't think she realized what it meant to me to allow me to play such an active part in Whitney's life and for her to teach me along the way.

When I was 19 Dar & Heather lived in Michigan for a summer while he did an internship out there. They saw that I was kind of floundering and struggling to find some direction in life. I hadn't yet started college so they told me that they would use their frequent flier miles to fly me out to Michigan for a week if I would enroll in some classes. It was the kick-start I needed to get in school and get motivated and I appreciated it so much. Plus the week I spent with them was priceless. During that trip we drove up to Niagra Falls and stopped in Palmyra, New York for the Hill Cumorah Pageant and to see the Sacred Grove. It was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life and the spirit that I felt there during that trip sustained me in a way that nothing else could have in the following tumultuous months. I really think they were inspired to make that sacrifice for me and I am so grateful to them for looking out for me.

Happy late birthday, Heath. I love you and am so grateful to have you as my big sister. My life is much better for having you in it and I miss you so much.
Love, Kate