Taya's 18th Birthday

Happy Birthday to my newest adult - Taya!!!!

18 years old!  I can't believe all 3 of my little girls are all officially adults now.  Time flies when you're having fun.

For her birthday breakfast, Taya asked for her favorites: butter croissants, sausage patties, ding dongs, & a bowl of sliced strawberries & half n half cream.  Yum.

After breakfast we opened presents before all the kiddos had to leave for school.

My friend Nancy always buys my kids the best stuff.  She got LOTS of clothes, 2 pairs of Converse shoes, & all sorts of fun little things.

The kids got her the Wicked Sountrack on record for her record player, & then also got her these little hangers that allow you to hang up your records on your wall like wall art.  She was very excited.

Trek & I got her a toothless onesie.  She wears it all around the house non-stop now, especially since it's getting colder.

She also got some beautiful cards with money inside from Auntie Marc & Grandma K.  And Auntie Char is always wonderful to put some money into our kids' college funds for their birthdays.

Opa & Oma got her some cute blue cargo pants & an amazing shoe rack for her closet.  We got it all put together & put all her shoes on it.  Now they are all organized & look beautiful.

For her birthday dinner she chose Catalina Chicken Stir Fry with corn on the cob.  Yum.

Happy happy birthday Taya.  We love you so very much.  You make us proud every single day.

 

Lorien's Bridal Shower - One Ring To Rule them All

Shortly after Cadence's wedding, & homecoming week (both VERY busy weeks), it was time to start on Wedding #2.

Lorien chose the theme "One Ring To Rule Them All" for her bridal shower which was a nod to Lord of the Rings, the book where we got her name.  Lorien was named after the forest of Lothlorien & in Elvish, the name Lorien means "perfection & beauty."  I love that she cherishes her name & that that love has stuck with her throughout her life.

Originally we planned the shower in our backyard, set up the entire thing, only to have it start training 10 minutes before the shower (even though all the weather forcasts told us there would be no rain in our area that day.  We quickly changed locations to the church building & notified our guests.  It was a stressful, quick decision, but it worked out great.  The whole thing was beautiful inside the church & looked like an adorable HOBBIT dinner.

We served "Po-Tay-Toes" (another Lord of the Rings reference) . . . baked potatoes with all the toppings.  We also had desserts of all kinds & a cheese plate.  It was very yummy.

Lorien was very happy & very excited.

She had so many people show up to support her.  She had college roomates & ward members, we had several wonderful friends from my neighborhood come, & then friends from previous bases who came as well.  It was like a huge "Family/Friend Reunion."

We had dinner, played some "How well do you know the bride" games, then opened gifts.  Lorien got a lot of fun stuff for hers & Elijah's apartment as well as some fun things just for her.  She felt special & we enjoyed celebrating her upcoming wedding.

Love you Lo!

Sandy Parks & Rec Service Project

Our church congregation planned to carry out a big service project for the National Day of Service in September.  We worked with Sandy City Parks & Rec & re-landscaped 2 different parks for the city.  It was 3 hours of hard labor in the hot sun, but we got it done & it was amazing.

 

Homecoming Game 2025 - Taya & Craiger Ballroom Performances

Taya & Craiger both performed for the halftime spectacular show during the homecoming game.  Both are absolutely loving their ballroom teams & learning all the dances.

First, the Varsity team with Craiger took the field & performed their Disco Cha Cha.

Then the girls from the JV Team joined the girls from Varsity for a huge dance number together with Dance Company, Drill Team, & Color Guard.

They both did a fantastic job.  This was Craiger's first every dance performance & he had a lot of fun.  I'm so proud of BOTH of my amazing Ballroom Dancers.