Holt Happenings

Mermaid Birthday

2011-10-04T10:38:00.000-07:00

Elsa turns 2!

She Loves Mermaids so it worked out perfectly to have a party at the new Splash Park in our neighborhood. There was lots of splashing, laughing, treats & presents. She had so much fun and is still talking about her "ber-day". She is the happiest child, you can not contain her excitement for life, there is always a big smile on her face -she doesn't walk, she bounces along. I love this age, she says the cutest things and there are no words for how cute she sings and dances around- which is all the time. She loves books, everything princess and is hardly ever not in a dress-up. She watches her big sis and does everything she does. She is my Elsa-berry and I can't stand that she is so big and I will cry when she stops running at top speed & crashing into me with the biggest, neck breaking hugs. Happy Birthday sweet girl!!

Ohhhhhhh, princess shoes.....

Cabin Trip

2011-09-08T13:47:00.000-07:00

Back in July, we spent a weekend with some friends up at their cabin. We had such a great time chatting & relaxing while the kids played. And we got to take the horses out for rides- much to our girls delight. Look how cute these kids are, they had so much fun together and so did the adults!

Sweet

2011-08-31T07:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Greta and I were sitting on the couch as I fed the baby and Elsa was sleeping. She was telling me all about a best friend necklace (the heart shaped one that breaks in half that she doesn't actually have but has seen on a show). She said she was going to break it and keep one half of it and give the other half to her best friend. I asked her who her best friend was and she said, without hesitation, Elsa. Still bring tears to my eyes.

Photo Shoot

2011-08-23T07:45:00.000-07:00

My friend Leila and I tried to take some pictures of the girls. I have been wanting to get pictures of all three of them and she was nice enough to rent some equipment and help me try to do it. We had 3 adults and it was still unbelievably difficult to get all 3 of them posistioned and looking the right way. As soon as we thought we had 1 girl the other would move and so on, I was exhausted by the end. Here is the product of our efforts. Overall we learned a lot and luckily we got a few cute ones.

Baby in a tub

The "couch series" no.1

no.2

no.3- this one might be the best even though no one is looking, no one is pulling a face either.

no.4

no.5

The floor series, if we could have gotten them lined up a little better, I think these would be really great- but still pretty good.

no.1

no.2

Cute of G, notice not one of E - that one won't hold still!

These are sweet but didn't work out well with the baby.

no.1

Love the joy on Elsa's face, that is so her.

no.2

I need help, tell me which ones you like best- thanks.

Mountain Trip

2011-08-22T06:21:00.000-07:00

The last week in July we headed up to Tamarack, Idaho - just outside McCall for a week with Brock's family. We had a great time up in the mountains, McCall is just beautiful - the lake was gorgeous. There was a great beach area on the water the kids just loved.

Boating

Fun in the sand with cousins

And runway shows

Cute little one was just happy to be there

Baby Blessing

2011-08-20T06:49:00.000-07:00

Ada's Blessing was a wonderful day. Brock gave a beautiful prayer and she was perfect of course, just looking around and smiling. She wore the same dress that I was blessed in- and worn by both her sisters before her. We enjoyed seeing lots of family & friends, thanks for joining us! My sister Kayce & her kids and my mom were here visiting so it was special to have them with us.

Announcement

2011-07-23T09:43:00.000-07:00

I managed to get Ada's birth annoucements sent out, I must say I was pretty proud of myself accomplishing this -it never did happen for Greta. I think they turned out darling, pictures to come of the blessing!

Some of the picture contenders that didn't make the cut.

Her model pose

Fourth of July

2011-07-23T09:36:00.000-07:00

We spent day on the 4th up in Park City with the Mammens (my sister's in-laws). We had a great time and they are always so great to let us join in, I however neglected to get any pictures. That evening we met the Holts at the country club for dinner & fireworks. The girls were so cute in their dresses, I had to post the few pictures we got.

Little Ballerina

2011-06-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

I realized I neglected to post about Greta's Ballet recital -maybe it had something to do with having a 3 week old. She had 3 recitals - the first one she missed b/c we were in the hospital having the baby turned, the 2nd one was outside and freezing, the last one was at the local High School. Greta + ballet = love at first sight. She loves to dance and is usually found twirling around the room with a wand in hand. She has LOVED her ballet class and her teacher (thanks Natalie!) and wants to be a ballerina when she grows up. This costume was perfect for her pink & purple and sparkly with a big fluffy tutu, she would wear it everyday if I let her. The dance they did was to a Lullaby where they rocked their bears (wearing matching costumes) to sleep, it was very cute.

(3rd in from right)

(last one)

"I really want to ride the merry go round"

2011-06-18T07:05:00.000-07:00

Brock took the girls to the zoo this week and this is the picture of their carousel ride. One kid enjoying the ride, the other hanging on with a death grip. Apparently she stayed like that the entire ride.

2011-05-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

The last 3 weeks have been full of feedings, diapers and little sleep -but we've had lots of great help. When we brought our new little one home, my sister Reghan was here from New York. She & my mom were amazing, they took our two big girls to my mom's house for several days. We had the first 3 nights home from the hospital with just us & the baby. The girls LOVE Aunt Reghan and we wish we could see more of her, I'm glad she was able to be here to meet her new niece.

These were taken at a shower for my cousin, held 5 days after Ada was born. We just had to be there, we are so excited for Kristina who is having her first and a girl!

Brock has been fortunate enough to take off time from work to be home and help out. I honestly don't know what I would have done without him. He has taken the girls on daily outings, keeping them busy and giving me time to recover. Here are some "highlights"....

A cousin's birthday party at Menchie's.

Checking out the sleeping bags at REI

Spending a little time on the potty

Eating popcorn & checking out the elephants at the zoo.

The zoo train ride

And the hikes - this one takes the cake. Coming around a bend they came across this incredible field of yellow flowers. The girls loved it and what a cute dad - making daisy crowns for them.

And mom has been home with this little darling. She is so tiny and sweet and I can't get enough.

Love this face & that smile

Holt Girl #3

2011-05-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

The newest member of our family arrived on May 9, 2011 at 3:13 pm. She was a few days late and I suspect was up spending time with my dear grandmother who had passed away just days before. I started having contractions on Thursday and while they weren't regular, they kept coming. Thinking it was time, we took the girls to Brock's parents and drove to the hospital -Elsa came so quickly that we didn't want to take any chances. But after an hour at the hospital, they sent me home! I was shocked and a little embarrassed, I've had 2 kids, but the contractions weren't regular. So we went to eat and walk around a lot, and nothing happened, they completely stopped. I am sure now that she was just allowing me to be able to attend Grandma Reeder's funeral and be with all my family at that special time. When Monday morning rolled around, I was ready. We decided to be induced so my sisters who had all flown in for the funeral could meet their niece before they left. We arrived at the hospital about 8:00 in the morning and things went very smoothly. My doctor invited Brock to assist in the delivery which was a first for him! She came out with tons of dark hair and weighing in slightly smaller than her sister but still holding her own at 8 lbs. 7 oz. She is the sweetest little thing and we couldn't be happier to have her here safely. After much deliberation & negotiation, we finally settled on a name.

Ada Ann Holt

We think it suits her beautifully.

Grandparents

First look at their new little sister.

Grandma Elaine

First Bath with Dad

Easter 2011

2011-05-02T06:51:00.000-07:00

We had a fun Easter party at Aunt Lindsey's house with all the Holt cousins. There was and egg hunt, egg decorating and bun-moblie making. Needless to say, the kids had so much fun. Just look at all those girls! They love gettting together.

Easter Sunday - I got this darling dress in white for Elsa. She was outside for about 3.5 seconds before she fell down in the wet, muddy grass just as we were leaving for church. (I rushed her in and luckily got it mostly out.)

The girls had so much fun coming home from church to discover that the Easter bunny had been to our house and left candy and baskets of goodies to find!

First Haircut

2011-04-27T08:28:00.001-07:00

I know this is probably the oldest kid to have a "1st haircut" but my reason is this- the curls. I have been so scared to cut Greta's hair in fear of losing her beautiful blond curls. And it seems that everyone I mentioned this to said "oh yeah, I wouldn't do it" and then proceeds to tell me a story of their sister or niece that had curls until they were cut off. So my fears were thus reinforced-I mean could you cut those off? I don't think so.

Well the time has come, her hair had become increasingly difficult to brush out and fix so I made appointments for us with my friend Lynette. Lynette was so cute with her, she really won her over with her "aminal cape" and some sparkle spray for her hair-go figure. You can see how unsure she was in the 2nd picture, she was scared it was going to hurt, but by the end she was all smiles. She came home telling her little sis all about getting a haircut.

A little nervous...

New Pictures

2011-04-18T10:37:00.000-07:00

We took some before pictures for the new babe Sunday and although I am totally uncomfortable posting pictures of myself, here you go. She is coming and will be here before we know it - and I am feeling completely unprepared, good thing Brock has Spring Break this week. We are going to work hard to get everything ready. This little girl is due on May 6th. So we'll see if Brock gets a new baby for his birthday or not!

We also had a little graduation dinner for Michael & Lauren. They both graduate soon and then are off to Washington D.C. where Michael will be working for Senator Hatch. We are very excited and proud of them

but also painfully sad that they are leaving....packing up the truck as I

write. Michael leaves tomorrow and Lauren next week. I don't know

what I will do without them & what my girls will do without them, they are so attached to Nornen & Michael. I've tried not to think about it

and now it's here. (I am starting to feel abandoned, 3 of my 4 sisters

will now be out of state.)

We will miss you more than I can say, we love you.

St. George

2011-04-06T14:09:00.000-07:00

We spent a long weekend in St. George with the Holt's. The cousins had so much fun playing together and the weather was so nice. Very hard to come back to snow in SLC.

Needless to say the girls loved swimming. Elsa as usual is not afraid. She jumps right in-she is our water baby. She would walk all over the shallow end with no fear. Several times she got going too fast & would go down in the water. Brock would run over & pull her out and instead of crying and sputtering she'd squirm out of his arms to get back in. It was a little chilly and she was shivering like crazy but would cry if we even tried to take her out. She does the same thing when bath time is over.

3 cute girlies

Cute cousins

We also had wonderful watermelon & corn which my girls couldn't get enough of. Really, Greta started eating the rind.

Cousins and popsicles

Sleepy baby on the way home

18 Months

2011-03-14T09:06:00.001-07:00

Check out those blue eyes, lucky girl.

I can't believe she is so big, (19 mos. to be exact). It makes me sad and then in the same breath happy because she wants to do everything her big sis does and I am going to need her to when thing #3 arrives. She is so happy and so busy, mostly wandering around the house picking things up, finding a new spot for them and starting over. She LOVES babies and no carseat at church is safe when she is around. Yesterday she said "Hi baby!" to the baby behind us probably 30 times. She has been sitting up at the counter and feeding herself for so long but sometimes I still can't believe she is so good at it. It is the cutest thing watching her feed herself-especially applesauce, she's very determined. She is a lot more adventurous than her sister. She will climb up anything and go down the big slides at the park. Her smiles are so big and her excitement when daddy comes home can't be contained. It's "HI DADDY, HI DADDY" for a good 5 minutes. She is talking like crazy (her "geta" is my favorite), does her body parts and animal sounds so darling. And best of all, she still snuggles with mom and I can't get enough. Brock's sister, Lindsey, took these lovely photos for us, so000 adorable.

February 2010

2011-03-13T15:06:00.000-07:00

I'm a little behind, here are some happenings from last month. We had a fun little Valentines party with a couple of my girlfriends and their kids. We decorated cupcakes and made V-day hats, the kids loved it.

My friend Karen and her cute boy.

I attended my first "Scrapbooking Weekend" hosted by my sis-in-law Lindsey at her in-laws ranch house. It was such a fun break and nice for me to get away on my own. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. My sweet husband watched the kids and did a great job, fixing hair for church and everything! Here is the snowman they built -notice the before and after, leaning and then gone.

Finger-painting fun

My mom was also here visiting. I had 2 cousins get married about a week apart from each other so she came out to attended the weddings. She took Greta on her own for a special sleepover with grandma & her 2 aunts. She loved every minute. She keeps telling me if I want my nails painted, I just need to ask Lauren.

St. George & a Surprise

2011-02-01T09:49:00.000-08:00

Over MLK Day we headed to St. George with friends, the Andersons, to find some warmer weather. It was so nice, Monday was 60s and beautiful. Here is some fun at the park.

This one was a dare-devil on the slide - up and down all by herself.

G with her backpack on our hike.

And the surprise. This is what I found today when I walked in the bathroom after hearing quiet for a little too long. Greta's response to my "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" was "Elsa got hurt Mommy."

(look familiar Lauren?)

Christmas Highlights 2010

2011-01-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

Picking out the perfect tree.

The Santa Party, a Sybrowsky tradition. The look of fear in Elsa's eyes as she sits on Santa's lap is priceless and and adorable picture with Aunt Reghan.

A nativity with the Holt's.

Christmas Eve at my mom's and a nativity.

Greta & Lulu hugging (Mary & the angel).

My mom and Greg & Lindsey

My mom gave my sister Kayce & I these darling nativities from Honduras.

Christmas morning with the Holts.

Cute cousin Will & Aunt Lindsey

Greta modeling her new boots and cousins in a sleigh.

Christmas at my dad's

Cute Baby

M & L and R & K

Gifts from Grandpa

Back home : 2 Girls & a new Castle

Some News

2011-01-03T08:22:00.001-08:00

G is for Girl! In case you haven't heard.....we are expecting a new little one in our family. And a few days before Christmas we found out it is another girl! Three little girls...Greta was right. When we asked if she thought it was a boy or girl, she didn't hesitate and told us it was a girl. We are very excited. Here are some sneak peeks.

Pictures

2010-12-30T09:04:00.000-08:00

Brock's sister Lindsey Hatch took these adorable photos for us back in October. And I couldn't

resist a couple belated Halloween pics.

New York

2010-11-23T14:14:00.000-08:00

My postings have been lacking due to some technical difficulties so I am trying to madly catch up. Here is my long overdue New York trip back in October. Brock and I were able to get away to NY for 5 glorious days! Lauren and Michael generously took our kids, I think they have just barely recovered. We decided pretty early on that this trip would be mostly devoted to food. We've seen & done and decided what we mostly wanted to do was eat.

Day 1- The Met & Gray's Papaya

I LOVE the Met, who doesn't? Each time I'm there it's like seeing old friends. Here are some of my favorites. We always start in the Egyptian wing b/c its close to the entrance & I love to see this temple and the location of the "Pecan Pie" scene from When Harry Met Sally. This stained glass window is so beautiful, it blows me away. I love the soft colors in this painting of a woman sewing.

How can you not just love this Van Gogh and of course a little Jackie.

I was in love with the bright colors of this china and cabinet and of course this amazing Sargent.

Gray's Papaya hot dogs were great, I forgot all about taking a picture until mine was nearly gone. But I have to say the Papaya juice wasn't my favorite, next time I'd try another flavor.

We went to China Town that night for dinner but I unfortunately forgot to take any pictures. We ate at Joe's Shanghai and had fabulous dumplings and then to China Town Ice Cream. Brock was more adventurous than I and got Black Sesame and Lychee flavors. I preferred the Black Sesame but both were good.

Day 2- We decided to head to the East Village for the day. We hit Strand Book store, did some shopping and Max Brenner / Chocolate by the Bald Man. We hadn't been before so we were very excited. We shared an entree (Club sandwich & fries dusted with cocoa) and got the dessert for 2 that was a bit of everything. A waffle with chocolate & berries, chocolate cake, chocolate bark (which was sooooo yummy), ice cream with chocolate wafer balls, chocolate fondue with fruit AND a grill to toast your own marshmallows and dip. It was heaven.

We met Reghan at her work after and she took us over to theatre that puts on all the performances she works with. It is in a beautiful, historic church. It was neat to see the space she has talked about. We then headed over to walk the Highline Trail. It is some old raised railway tracks that they have converted to a park. It turned out really nice.

Then Chelsea Market for dinner. This Hale and Hearty Soups hit the spot on that chilly evening. I had the crab bisque and it was delish.

We stopped but Magnolia for dessert. I strayed from a traditional cupcake and got a delicious lemon bar and Brock had a chocolate flourless torte he loved. Although, Reghan's favorite is their banana pudding.

Day 3- Saturday we planned to rent a car and drive out to Long Island. After making a reservation the day before, they of course didn't have a car for us. It turned out to be ok because it gave us enough time to go to the Shake Shack in the park. Burgers, fries and shakes - need I say more?

We finally got a car and headed to Long Island. We toured Old Westbury Gardens. A 70 room mansion completed in 1906 on 200 acres of formal gardens. The mansion was beautiful and the grounds amazing.

This little cottage was a gift to the families only daughter on her 10th birthday. Your own little English cottage playhouse in the woods, pretty nice.

The cute newlyweds, Reghan & Kristian

We wanted some great seafood for dinner and drove around searching for just the right place and did not find it. We settled on the Breakers and it was terrible, NEVER go there. The chowder was bad and we had the lobster in a pot which you can't really mess up so it was okay. But Reghan's fish was awful along side her frozen green beans and Kristian's mussels left something to be desired. It makes for a good story though.

Day 4-Sunday we went to church with Reghan, Kristian had a clerk job to take care of. On the way home we stopped at this street fair to eat. We happened upon the Waffle & Dinges truck we had been searching for. I was so excited. Bobby Flay had done a show down with them and when I was watching it discovered that they make the extraordinary liege waffle I'd had in Europe years ago but never knew what it was. It is made of more bread like dough with sugar crystals inside. The Belgians managed to keep it a secret from the rest of the world for a long time. I got mine with spekuloos (a gingerbread spread). Brock headed back for a strawberry and chocolate one.

He also got this pastrami sandwich he is still talking about trying to recreate. That evening we went for a walk along Battery Park -right across from Reghan & Kristian's place. They have recently redone the whole park and it is beautiful.

Day 5-Monday was our last day. We headed to Soho for some shopping and pizza. The shopping was great and the pizza, at Lombardi's (claiming to be NY's first pizzeria) was so yummy- I wish I had some right now....

And some pics of the Christensen's new place, it is so nice and has a great view. Thanks Reghan & Kristian, we had so much fun!!

Greta turns 3!

2010-10-19T16:04:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Greta's 3rd birthday at my dad's house. Greta requested a Yellow party and she wanted party hats. It turned out to be a great night with family & friends and she enjoyed every second. I can't believe she is such a big girl!

Spring City

2010-09-28T08:10:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, my dad and I traveled down to Spring City for the Art Festival. I just love it down there, we usually make it down a couple times a year for the historic home tour (which is really wonderful) and any other opportunity! My aunt Alison and uncle Chris have restored the most amazing home down there. They sold their home in Salt Lake a few years ago (which was by far one of my favorite homes ever) and now live down there full time- they do keep a little place in the city. If you ask Alison why she did it, she says true love. Alison said she would move there if this certain home ever went on the market and when it did, she was apparently committed. They are both art lovers and Spring City is such a haven for artists, they really seem to fit right in. And what they have done is truly amazing. Really, they recieved a Utah Heritage Foundation Award for superior restoration.

(My dad ended up buying a painting he really likes painted by a wonderful artist - Chris!)

This smaller home on the property is the one they restored first and they lived there while working on the house.

The girls love looking at the chickens and they also put in some swings they can't get enough of.

I don't have many interior pictures, I'll take more next time. This is the kitchen, it really turned out beautifully.

The grounds are really lovely and that building is the old barn they restored. I hear it is now "the place" for receptions. We have enjoyed many wonderful luncheons there.

The "flower bed".

The Big Campout

2010-09-04T08:19:00.000-07:00

Brock has been dying to take Greta backpacking for a long time and the day finally came. He and his friend Kenton planned a campout with their girls (their Kate is just Greta's age). I must admit I had my doubts, Brock set up the tent in the backyard a couple of weeks ago to test the waters of sleeping outside. Once they were all settled in ready for bed, Greta started saying "I want to sleep in the house, Daddy". But she ended up doing a great job and according to Brock she is better camper than me.

As they were hiking in, it started raining lightly. Brock asked Greta if she wanted to stop under a tree. She said "No, Daddy I want to keep walking." That night, I guess the weather got worse. It thundered and rained hard but Brock said Greta did great. They snuggled up in their tent and she slept great.

The campers from the front

And the back- she was so excited about that backpack.

Kenton & Kate and Kenton's dad Kai, with Brock and Greta

Kate and Greta

They had a great time and can't wait to go again.

2010-08-30T08:40:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, my mom & Greg were married last week. It was a wonderful event and a whole week full of family time with everyone here. It was fun to be around the Burnett's again, (he and his family are long time friends). We are excited for them to start their new life together. Congratulations!! (Oh and the morning of their wedding, Greg ran a marathon!)

Unfortunately, I didn't get many pictures from the reception. There was a lot of meet and greet happening along with chasing after kids. But it was tons of fun, there was great food, great dancing and a chance to catch up with a lot of old friends. Hopefully Lauren has more pictures and will get them up soon. (check her blog here.) The newlyweds are off to an island off Honduras and will be living in Oregon. We will miss them but are happy they can be together.

Elsa turns One!

2010-08-23T08:03:00.001-07:00

Here is our big girl on her birthday, I can't believe she is 1 - it's gone by so fast! She is such a sweetheart and has been such a joy in our lives. People always ask me if she is always this happy and yes, she is. She loves her sister, mom & dad and baby dolls. She walking everywhere and is into everything. We are crazy about this girl, happy birthday sweetie!

We had an Orange & Pink Party that weekend to celebrate.

All my sisters (except Reghan) + my mom

We have lift off!

2010-07-28T08:02:00.000-07:00

Elsa has been doing a few steps for several weeks but she really took off last week. Unfortunately the best video of her walking also has Greta throwing a fit in the background (and a messy room). So just ignore those things and watch her go!!

This one doesn't have as much walking but much less screaming.

While the Mammens Were Away

2010-07-25T08:57:00.000-07:00

My sister Kayce joined her husband Taylor in DC for a week, where he was working. We took their 2 oldest for a couple days. She took her baby with her and got (I hope) a much needed break. I'm sure they had tons of fun with Lauren & Michael (check her blog for updates here). We had lots of fun with all the kids.

Watching Return of the Jedi, Axel's choice of course!

Bubbles

Pizza

Popsicles

Bill and Kay (Taylor's parents) came down from PC to get the kids and we spent a fun filled afternoon with them.

The Gateway Fountain, Axel and Lulu got soaked. Greta was very cautious and only got sprinkled.

Riding Trax

Visiting Temple Square

On the 24th of July we headed up to Park City to join them at the park for Pioneer Day fun, complete with a fried chicken dinner, a great band, potato sack races, face painting and crafts.

Cute pioneer girl

Lulu's Bday

2010-07-19T11:48:00.000-07:00

I got a text a couple days ago telling me to "blog lulu's bday!" I'm sorry I am just getting to it, it has been busy with Kayce here visiting. So here you go Lauren....

Louisa turned 3 on July 13th and we had a little party at my mom's to celebrate.

The Birthday Girl

Party hats

All the cousins and yes this is the best one

Lots of dresses, what every little girl needs.

Axel scored some sweet sunglasses from Aunt Somer & Uncle Brock

We have had lots of fun outings with the Mammens since they have been here, we spent an afternoon last week at the fountains at Liberty Park. The kids had great fun.

and at the zoo

Eleanor was there too

Horsing around

My baby is so close to walking!

And last but not least, here is a video only an aunt far away could love, it's really not great (my filming skill are lacking) but here you go.

St. George, the Fourth, and a Campfire, oh my

2010-07-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

We headed for St. George for a few days last month. It's a great getaway, even in the summer.

Elsa loves the water

Getting shakes with Lindsey and Halle

Playing in the fountains

The 3rd at the cabin celebrating Isabelle's birthday

Sparkler fun

The 4th

Greta took charge and conducted the fireworks with her magic glow stick. She would say things like, "I did it!/ Bibbity bobbity boo!" and fireworks would go off.

We spent a day in PC at the Mammen's. Here we are making smores after dinner.

and a cute baby in a hammock.

Saturday Morning

2010-07-03T09:21:00.001-07:00

Don't you ever just want to curl up in front of the TV with your pillow, blanket, Cinderella and pour yourself some tea? This is how I found Greta when I came upstairs.

The Getty

2010-06-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

It really deserves it's own post. It is AMAZING. Kayce said when she went there for the first time she understood why people live in LA. When we were there I was ready to move to LA. She was so excited to take us and Brock & I LOVED it. The tram ride up, the incredible setting, the art work and furniture, the grounds and gardens and the building itself are truly stunning. I couldn't get enough. We met our good friend Hannah there and her two darling boys. She commented that she was glad she went there before she had kids, I can see why -there is so much to take in. The buildings are made out of a beige travertine (16,000 tons) that was taken from the same quarry as the Colosseum and Trevi Fountain in Rome. The gardens and are gorgeous. They are set up to wander around and around in and just soak up all the beauty.

I wanted to take this home

and this

who doesn't LOVE this Van Gogh?

just love Sargent's portraits

Lulu and Nathan running

Heading home

Disney

2010-06-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

This trip also marked our first time taking a child to Disneyland. Greta, as many of you know loves Cinderella. She talks to her, sings like her, watches and adores her. Her love also extends to the other princesses, so Brock and I were very excited to be able to take her to see Cinderella and watch that little one's dream come true. It did not disappoint. I was worried when it came time(after the 45 min. wait) she would get scared but the second we rounded the corner, she walked right up to Ariel and gave her a hug. Then proceeded to talk and talk to her. That Ariel was about the sweetest thing ever, the first thing Greta told her was that she went to church (don't ask me where that came from) and Ariel looked at her and said "Oh, do you pray at church?". Greta said yes, and proceeded to tell her all sorts of things about nursery. Next was Snow White who she walked right up to, hugged and continued to talk to. Last, (luckily Cinderella was there that day) she RAN over to her and hugged her. You could see the look of magical disbelief on her face that she was really there. It was pretty sweet. Seeing Minnie & Mickey, riding the teacups, the Peter Pan ride and seeing Mary Poppins in the parade (really the whole parade) were all huge hits. The best part for me was that Brock's parents took Elsa to Sea World with the Hatch's so we got to really enjoy it with Greta.

CA Part 2

2010-06-18T08:44:00.001-07:00

Next we headed to a beach house in Oceanside for a week with the Holts. I have fond memories of Spring Break trips with the kappas to this very spot, it doesn't seem like that long ago. It was so nice to be there with family.

Amber's birthday our first night there.

Trying to take advantage of all Southern Cali has to offer, we headed over to La Jolla to see the sea lions.

San Diego Zoo

The pandas

Greta and Halle

The whole crew headed to Balboa Island for the day - even the Mammen's drove down to join us. We did it all: rode the ferry over, ate at Ruby's on the pier, rode the ferris wheel, had Balboa bars and looked at all the amazing homes on the island.

Cypers girls and their bubble gum ice cream.

And of course the beach!

First interaction with sand: Elsa jumped like crazy in

my arms until I put her down

and let her have at it.

We couldn't keep Greta out of the waves.

A pit big enough for Halle

and a few more girls.

Beach baby

A little sand in the eye did not spoil her beach day.

My favorite

CA Part 1

2010-06-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a delightful 12 days in beautiful, (not-so-sunny in june) California. Our trip started and ended with a stay at my sister's in west LA. She & Taylor (plus their 3 kids) recently moved and it was great to see their new place.

Out back the swings were a huge hit, the kids just lived outside. The woman that lived there before planted a ton of beautiful plants, everything from calla lillies & roses to this interesting passion fruit vine. Their garden is amazing, really everything grows in California.

The 2 little ones

3 kids in a tub

First swing

Tacos and Paper and String

2010-05-18T12:09:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to capture a few of the cute things Greta says incorrectly before she grows out of them. She was so adamant about telling me it was Sleeping Beauty on her movie and not Aurora that I quickly grabbed the camera. I was also lucky enough to get her singing "Let's Go Fly a Kite", her current favorite song. When we were in St. George, we let her sleep in the same room with her cousins, like a big girl. But we had to remove her because she would lie in her sleeping bag singing that song and keeping the other girls up. After mastering the chorus, she has moved onto the verses, "With tacos for paper and string..."

Elsa Helen

2010-05-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

My baby turned 9 months old this week, Tuesday to be exact. It has flown by, I'm not sure if it is because she is the 2nd and I don't have undivided attention for her but it seems like yesterday she was sleeping in my arms. She still gives her mom snuggles and gives everyone big smiles. Really people ask me if she is always this happy and yes, she is - except when you stop feeding her. The girl likes to eat! She usually makes a big mmmm after each bite. The other comment we get a lot about her is her skin color. No I do not keep her out in the sun, spray tan her or feed her massive amounts of sweet potatoes and carrots. She is just tan, like her sister was at this age. She can thank her great grandma (after whom she is named) for her beautiful skin color. She is pure happiness and a joy. Here she is with her namesake, my Grandma Helen.

Eating a cupcake with Grandpa

Doing a little reading

How do they know a phone goes up to your ear?

Check out the mohawk

Crawling and clapping

Some Pictures Lately

2010-05-01T08:28:00.001-07:00

I have been taking photos on my phone a lot lately and finally downloaded them. Here are some highlight from the last couple months. Elsa and Greta at Roberts. Greta loves it because they give her a balloon, the key to any child's heart. This was the first time I put Elsa in a cart by herself, minus the carseat. It was definitely time, she was so excited to be able to see everything, even though she was a little tippy. She looks so little.

Cousin Claire and Greta at the zoo.

After bath picture, such a happy little thing

Greta modeling her princess shoes from papa that she loves to wear.

After a Costco trip last week we had the stuff sitting in the hall waiting to be put away. It occured to me that in would make the perfect desk for Greta - since she is always wanting to type at the computer like mom, I knew she would love it. She sat and typed forever! She kept running over to tell me "Mommy I did 64!"

Working Girl, busy taking calls

Easter in St. George

2010-04-18T06:24:00.000-07:00

We spent Easter this year in St. George with the Holt's. Brock was on Spring Break so we got to stay until Wednesday! With his busy schedule we really enjoyed spending some uninterrupted time together. Here is Greta dying eggs, you can see the excitement in her face.

Easter morning checking out the baskets - Grandpa made sure to write the Easter Bunny a note telling him we were in St. George and he found us!

Hunting for eggs

The girls

Cutest bunny ever!

Making bunny cupcakes

Grandma and Grandpa with the big girls. Greta adores just adores her cousins. They have so much fun running around and playing together.

Grandpa with all the girls.

And a rare picture of mom.

New York, New York!

2010-04-01T13:54:00.000-07:00

My sister Reghan got married on March 27th and the whole family traveled to New York City for the wedding. I was worried about traveling with the kids but they actually did great. Here is Elsa on the plane, as soon as she saw the window she immediately leaned over to take a peek.

We all stayed at the same hotel and Kayce and her family were just a room away from us. It was nice to be so close. Here is my dad opening his birthday gift, we waited to all be together to give it to him.
The cousins in on the bed together.
As we walked around the city, we got quite the looks from people- dad's with babies I don't think are very common sights. One guy got out of his car to point out the 2 headed monster.
We hit the Moma first thing, one of my faves and a first for Brock. The first pic is Greta and Mondrian or "No mommy it's Rectangles" and then Greta with Papa and Starry Night. It's hard not to get emotional seeing this painting especially when listening to Starry Night while looking at Starry Night. Don McLean's Vincent is a family favorite (Kayce performs it beautifully) and it was a great moment.

We planned to meet the Mammen's (my sister Kayce's fam) afterward at the Shake Shack but alas we were too many for a cab. So what to do but take a limo?

The Wedding - Reghan + Kristian coming out of the Manhattan temple.

We took pictures in Central Park after the temple. There was a man playing the sax there an he got down on his knees and serenaded Reghan to"Here comes the bride".

Heading back on the subway

The Reception was at a great old building in the East Village not far from where Reghan has lived and worked for the past 6 years. It had a beautiful staircase that we took pictures on with the whole family. Later on I was lucky enough to get this cute shot of Greta.

Me and my cute cousin Jill who came all the way from Seattle!

Cutting the cake

Father and Bride Dance

The reception was a ton of fun. There was of course great music and lots of dancing. This little video shows two little girls who really hit the floor. At one point everyone makes a cirlce around these dancing girls.

The next day,

Brock in front of the Apple store &

all of us on 5th Avenue.

A trip to FAO Schwartz completed our trip!

Charlie and Lola

Elsa learned to wave on our trip and the first video is her waving to Lauren while waiting for the subway.

Lindsey Hatch

2010-03-01T08:37:00.000-08:00

My sister in law Lindsey is a wonderful photographer. She just updated website here and it looks fabulous. Of course I may be a little biased because the first kiddo that comes up is mine. I highly recommended her if you are looking for a photographer!

St. George

2010-02-26T08:18:00.000-08:00

We went to St. George over the Presiden'ts Day weekend. It was such a great get-away, very much needed. We were down there with Brock's parents and had such a nice time with them. Plus, it is also our anniversary and they watched the kids so we could go out! We went hiking, Brock & his dad did some biking, Sue and I got to hit the parade of homes and we also made it to the art festival. Sunday was of course V-Day and here are our little Valentines!

The hikers at Scout Cave.

Someone got a little tired hiking, this is before...

and after.

The art festival

2010-02-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

The jury has really been out on who Elsa looks like. A lot of people tell me that she looks exactly like me. Others say that she looks just like her sister did (who looks exactly like her dad). I found this photo of me as a baby and I think she looks like me in it but, she has also changed a lot since this picture and does at times look like Greta too. I'm sure she'll keep changing but for the moment it's nice to see abit of me!

2010-01-27T13:45:00.000-08:00

Brock's sister, Lindsey took the most ADORABLE photos of Elsa. There were soooo many cute ones I had a hard time choosing which ones to post so I just posted a bunch. I can't believe my baby is getting so big. She is so happy. You can't look at her without her lighting up and giving you a big smile. I want to freeze her right now!!

Snowy Day

2010-01-02T09:10:00.000-08:00

We had a lot of snow this week and got to get Greta dressed in her snowsuit for the first time. She loved being out in the snow, much to Brock's delight!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-31T13:03:00.000-08:00

Elsa is the happiest baby, she smiles all the time and has started laughing-it is the cutest thing ever!

Here is Greta with Santa at the ward Christmas party. She went right up and sat on his lap, no tears or anything.

Christmas this year was wonderful and fast paced as usual, we had a lot of places to hit! This is Christmas Eve, spent at my dad's house. We missed the Mammens so much this year. My sister Kayce is due with her 3rd child very soon and was unable to travel from California.

Christmas morning at our house. Greta was very good at helping her sister open her presents.

Christmas morning at the Holts. Greta got a princess blow-up bed which she has already slept on and loves-as she does anything princess!

Christmas day at my dad's,where we were able to meet Reghan's new fiance, Kristian. A couple of days before Christmas - Reghan got engaged!! We are so excited and loved being able to finally meet Kristian. They live in NYC so this was our first chance to check him out. We had a great time getting to know him and are so happy for them.

Greta spent most of the day parked by the dip.

Reghan and our happy baby

Christmas morning day 2 at my mom's!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-17T07:56:00.001-08:00

We wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Disney Princesses on Ice

2009-11-19T16:43:00.001-08:00

I took Greta to see Princesses on Ice last week with some friends. She loved it so much. It was so fun to watch her excitement - seeing the Princesses she loves so much. Mickey and Minnie also came out which she was very excited about. At one point she thought we were really going to see them. She took my hand and said "Come on Mommy, let's go". It was so fun, she was mesmerized the entire time.

What Mommy?

2009-11-17T10:20:00.000-08:00

So I was in my bathroom getting ready and I walked into the other room to check on Greta. She was standing there talking on her Cinderella phone. When she saw me come in, she stopped talking and just stared at me. After a few moments of silence, she says, with no expression, "what mommy?" When I didn't answer, she looked away and started talking on her phone again. It was so funny, already too important for me.

A lamb and a duck

2009-11-04T08:38:00.000-08:00

So I found this adorable lamb costume for Greta and of course she would not put it on. Up until Halloween night she had it on for maybe 3 minutes so I was worried she wouldn't wear it at all. But once she saw all the kids coming to the door in their costumes, she got excited. It didn't take her long at all to get the concept of going up to the door and they give you candy. After the first house she was off to the next!

Lamb and duck checking each other out.

And the recycled baby duck costume was as cute as ever on the baby.

The family

Heading out to trick or treat...I completely forgot to get a cute pumpkin or something for her to put candy in so yes, she is using a ralph lauren bag-- it was the only one dark colored I had!

Blessing/Birthday

2009-10-23T10:10:00.000-07:00

October has been a busy month so far. We started out going down to St. George for UEA with the Cypers. We had such a great time with them. Here is Elsa and her cousin (4 months older)

This was our first family bike ride. We all rode down to the park together and let Greta play. She loved it and the bike ride was fun. As you can see we had to prop up the baby with blankets and towels but she did great. Greta calls this trailer her "bike".
Brock and Mitch took the girls on a hike.

Greta on her birthday - October 7th. I can't believe she is two! She amazes me everyday. I love her excitement for life. Her smiles and giggles are priceless. She is into adding "so much" onto things, like "thank you, so much" and "I love you, so much." It is the sweetest thing.

Hugging her Cinderella doll- her latest obsession.

Since we decided to bless Elsa the same week as Greta's birthday, we combined them for a party on Sunday. This is the party after the blessing, blowing out candles with daddy.

The gift opening craziness.

Grandma Elaine with sleepy baby.

Grandma Sue

Happy baby on her special day.

Pictures

2009-09-23T15:47:00.000-07:00

Our wonderful Aunt Lindsey Hatch took some BEAUTIFUL pictures of little Elsa. She is so great, thanks Lindsey we love them!

lindseyhatch.com

Lotoja

2009-09-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, Brock completed his first Lotoja (the 206 mile bike race from Logan to Jackson Hole). There was a lot of time and training that went into this and we are so proud of him. It was a long hard day, but he finished! Congratulations, we love you.

Kenton, Brock & Kyler at the start

Brock & Kyler at the finish

2009-08-25T10:38:00.000-07:00

Elsa is 2 weeks old today. She is such a sweetheart and a very good baby, letting her mom get some sleep!

Hooray! I'm sleeping.

Lauren and Michael surprised us by driving home early from their summer in Florida. They drove through the night to get back and see little Elsa. What a great aunt and uncle!

Aunt Reghan is here for the week, visiting from NYC, it has been great having her around. Kayce & Taylor are also here visiting from LA. We had a cookout together in the mountains last week.

The hikers

Around the campfire.

My mom threw a birthday party for the grandkids while Kayce was here. They had a ball.

Welcome Elsa

2009-08-14T12:46:00.000-07:00

Elsa Helen Holt was born on August 11, 2009 at 8:34 pm. I had gone to the doctor earlier in the day and came home disappointed that I was still pregnant but a couple hours after getting home I started having contractions. We rushed Greta up to grandma and grandpa Holt's and headed for the hospital. We got there sometime after 6 and she was born shortly after. My doctor made it in time, he called it a "McBirth" - just a drive through. I was definitely surprised to deliver an 8.13 pound baby. I really don't know how she fit in me. She is doing great and we are so happy to have her here. Greta is excited to have her baby sister here. She has been giving her kisses and soft love pats. Thanks to our friends and families for all your love and support.

Right after she made her entrance.

Meeting Mom

and Dad

A baby sister

Elsa and grandma

Heading home from the hospital.

July

2009-07-20T13:47:00.000-07:00

I have been waiting for Greta's hair to finally get long enough to put in pig tails because- well is there anything cuter than little girls in pig tails? These pictures are a special request for Aunt Lauren- who we miss but don't feel too sorry for. While in Florida for the summer she gets Uncle Julio's, Blue Bell and fun visitors (you can see her blog for more details).

I can't stand how big Greta looks in these pictures. She is talking so much. Some of our favorites are "binkie where are you?" (she asks 'where are you' about pretty much everything she is looking for), hot gow-wa for hot dog, counting to 10 , singing Wheels on the Bus (where she says- 'driver say move on back!') and Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.

We had a great Fourth of July. Brock, in preparation for the Lotoja (the bike race from Logan to Jackson Hole in September), decided to ride his bike all the way up to their cabin. So we drove up and met him there. We had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa, here we are on a walk.

Walking with Grandma

We went back to down for fireworks that evening, here is Greta with cousin Chloe.

While I have been trying to clean up my classroom, Brock took Greta to the zoo with cousin Halle.

We are on count down to the new baby! Only about 3 weeks left until my due date but I am hoping this baby will come sooner!

Oh, Mexico - I Guess I'll Have to Go

2009-06-27T16:52:00.000-07:00

We went on an amazing trip to Mexico with Brock's family. We spent a week at Rocky Point and had a fabulous time! It was so nice to spend some uninterrupted time together. Greta loved having her daddy all to herself and I loved the ocean breeze which made it nice and cool. The beach was beautiful, the pools were great and it was nice to be with family.

Greta and Grandpa, behind him the condos we stayed at.

Family walk on the beach

We went to the aquarium one day, here is Halle and Lindsey with the sea turtles. It was pretty much what you would expect from a mexican aquarium.
Greta and Mom

Sand castles

Greta and Brock had so much fun playing in the waves.

Mmmmmmm

May

2009-05-28T07:13:00.000-07:00

Near the end of April, we were able to welcome the newest Cypers girl into the family. Brock's sister Amber had a beautiful little girl, Leila.

Greta with Uncle Mitch and Leila.

May was eventful. Lauren's wedding was beautiful and it was wonderful to be with so much family, thank you for all your support. Her reception was at Thanksgiving Point and I think we should have some really nice pictures to post when we get them. We had a lot of fun with Kayce and her family while they were in town.

Greta and Lulu had a ball together.
The girls at the wedding dinner.

My aunt Diane got this cute shot of Greta and Brock. Most of the pictures I have seen I am not fond of because, well who likes pictures of themselves pregnant? The one below doesn't bother me too much plus it has the added bonus of my mom and Joe dancing in the background.

Greta was a maniac on the dance floor. We had better watch out. Plus she also experienced her first crush. Lauren's friend, Cassidy, has a little cousin Cooper who was apparently very smitten with her. He just stood and stared and from what I hear, still talks about her. Here she is dancing with cousin Axel.

April

2009-04-10T09:56:00.000-07:00

We headed down to St. George with Brock's family for some warm weather over conference weekend. Here we are at the the "Fun, fun, fun" park (named so by cousins Chloe & Isabelle and not to be confused with owie park and tree park). Greta had so much fun trying to keep up with her cousins.

On Monday it was warm enough to go to the fountain. The girls had a ball running and playing in the water.

Greta and Claire
So tired.

So last time I mentioned Greta's crazy morning hair and then posted a very "tame" hair picture, this is the other end of the spectrum.

A Little News

2009-03-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

As many of you have heard, we are expecting a new baby in August. We are very excited and yesterday we found out it is a girl!

March

2009-03-25T10:15:00.000-07:00

Greta wakes up with the funniest morning hair. In these pictures though it looks as if she paid to have someone blow and style it just so, and I love the smile. She's practicing her "cheese".

So up to this point, Greta hasn't had a lot of sweets. Here she is eating and very much enjoying her ice cream. But in the second picture she looks like a little orphan and we are standing over her yelling EAT YOUR ICE CREAM!! Either that or she is on drugs. Poor child.

March is the month of Dad's birthdays. Bob turned 60 and we had a surprise party for him and my dad turned 64.

Birthday dinner at our house.

Lauren's Engaged!

2009-03-09T08:58:00.000-07:00

I know this isn't a complete surprise to most people since Lauren has been in complete wedding planning mode for awhile but we are so happy for you Lauren and Michael! Michael did a great job making Lauren run all over the city for clues. You can read the full version on her blog. I can't believe my baby sister is getting married! Congratulations!! We love you.

Long overdue

2009-01-30T08:42:00.000-08:00

I know an updated post is long overdue. Like everyone else the holidays are crazy for us and it takes me a while to get back into things. Here is a quick catch-up:

*Greta has blond curls! We're not quite sure where she gets them, probably from Grandpa Holt (and maybe a little from mom & dad) but they are adorable and I hope they are here to stay. She also started walking in December and talks up a storm. Her new words are nose, eye, snowy, baby, apple, and please and thank you- which we are very proud of.

Lauren's birthday was in late November and Mom's in early December. And yes, the boy in all the pictures is her boyfriend Michael (who we love!).

Birthday dinner for mom at our house.

There was also a great trip to St.George with Brock's parents in late November.

We loved having Reghan and Kayce & Taylor (with their kids) here for Christmas, it is so great to be able to spend time with them. Here is Reghan with Greta.

Greta loved her new coat from Grandma Elaine.

The giant Mr. Potato Head was a big hit at Grandpa Sybrowsky's.

Three in the bed on Christmas morning.

The whole gang

Greta and Lulu mostly followed each other around but were definately more interested in each other this visit.

Christmas at the Holt's

And most recently, we went back down to St. George over the holiday weekend in January. We went with our friends Kenton and Molly Anderson with their cute little one, Kate. She and Greta are only about a month apart and had tons of fun together. There was hiking, biking and fun oh my!

Our brave girl!

Halloween Lobster

2008-11-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

I met Brock's parents and sisters, with the kids, at Gardner Village on Halloween. It was fun to have all the cousins together dressed up.

A lobster and a bumble bee

Greta was so cute as our littlest lobster for Halloween.

We attempted to do the Martha Stewart polka dot pumpkins. Greta's was the best, mine was pretty good, Brock's not so great-there's always next year!

First Birthday

2008-10-16T08:13:00.000-07:00

Greta turned one on October 7th. I can't believe she is already a year. She continues such a sweet little girl. She says mama, dada, baba, ni night and hi. She is still crawling but wants to walk everywhere and is getting braver. Here is the birthday girl.

We had a little party for her last Friday. It was fun to see everyone. Greta wasn't to sure about the cake, she took a couple tastes and was done. She loved unwrapping presents though. Thanks to our families for coming and supporting us.

Marathon Mania

2008-10-06T16:05:00.000-07:00

My dad ran his 10th St. George Marathon this past Saturday. To commemorate the occasion three of my sisters (Kayce, Reghan and Lauren) decided to run it with him. I have been amazed at their dedication and hard work. Kayce- training with two small, active children was no easy task, Reghan- training in NYC had many challenges. I cannot ever remember a year when it was raining and in fact someone said it had not rained at the St. George Marathon since 1983. Well, it did rain and was freezing cold. Lauren got very sick about mile 12 and had to drop out but Kayce, Reghan, my dad and Aunt Jody finished. Congrats to all! We had a great weekend together.

The runners

The whole group

All of us at the Holt's St. George house.

Bike Birthday

2008-10-03T06:27:00.000-07:00

For my birthday this year, Brock got me the greatest bike. He said that there are not a lot of bikes that he thought I would ride but I would ride this one. And he is right, it is wonderful! Even the seat has tulips on it, oh and did I mention it has a basket and a bell...so cute! He had it all set up with flowers in the basket. He is by far and away the best. Thank you dear, I love it.

Aunt Lindsey

2008-09-06T08:17:00.000-07:00

Brock's sister Lindsey is a wonderful aunt and great photographer. She took some beautiful pictures of Greta for us last month (her website is lindseyhatch.com)

She also became a mom on Wednesday. She had a beautiful baby girl and we couldn't be happier for her and Chris. Congratulations Lindsey, we love you. Here is Brock, Greta and new baby, Halle Sue!

Super Century

2008-08-07T10:31:00.000-07:00

Brock has been training all summer to do the Lotoja (A 200 mile bike ride from Logan to Jackson) but unfortunately, didn't get in to the race. So he and his riding buddies did the Tour de Park City last Saturday instead. It was only a mere 170 miles. It took him 12 hours to finish. We are so proud of him!!! Good work Brock, Kyler and Norm!

My Days of Summer are Numbered

2008-08-04T12:45:00.000-07:00

As August approaches and the start of school (or the start of me getting ready for school), I start to get that sick feeling in my stomach. So we headed to St. George for a few days. It was great to relax and just spend some quality time together. Greta loved the pool, here she is ready to go!

Swimming in the new floatie

And a lucky shot of the new tooth.

Cousins

2008-07-31T13:02:00.000-07:00

Kayce was kind enough to come out from Los Angeles and help watch Greta while we were on our trip. The cousins had a ball together. Here are the two girls, Greta and Louisa, about 3 months apart, in their matching dresses - by accident- Kayce and I actually bought the same dress unknowingly. Louisa looks just like Kayce as a baby.

Greta is getting so big, she continues to be such a sweet, fun baby. She laughs all the time and thinks the funniest thing in the world is me. Here she is waking up with the craziest post nap hair ever.

Her latest tricks include: Waving bye-bye, clapping, playing peek-a-boo, saying da-da (her favorite) and nnnnnnn and sometimes mmmmm, which I assume means me.

These are waving bye-bye.

And the old man face.

Here just pa-rousing the Tiffany's catalog.

June

2008-07-07T07:55:00.001-07:00

We were so fortunate to take a trip with Brock's parents to China this June. We had such an amazing experience. We visited Beijing, Xian and Shanghai. We saw so many incredible sights and learned so much. We missed our little one like crazy but she was having a great time with her aunts and cousins. Here we are, when we first arrived, at Tiananmen Square.

All of us standing on the Emporer's Bridge inside the Forbidden City. Only 24 emperors ever passed over it.

The Temple of Heaven, where the emperor prayed for crops.

The Great Wall, which extends the distance from LA to NYC. The section we were at went straight up! It was quite a climb and so hot, but we made it to the top.

This is the Summer Palace (Somer's favorite place). The emperors would spend the warm seasons here. We rented a little boat and drove it around the lake, it was so beautiful.

The Olympic Stadium (or Bird's Nest) in Beijing.

In Xian, we visited the Terra Cotta Warriors. The statues were buried to protect the First Emperor as he passed into the afterlife. It blew us both away. This is only one of 60 known tombs.

We also visited China's biggest and most industrialized city, Shanghai. Here is the Shanghai skyline at night. The world's tallest building is in the back, shrouded by the clouds.

We took a side trip to the beautiful water-town of Suzhou. Marco Polo called it the "Venice of the East". Here is a picture from our tour boat on the canal.

And our happy baby at home, well cared for by all our loved ones, Thank you so much!!