Random September Photos

I love when I come into the room and catch my kids loving on each other! My girls were getting snuggly while watching "ashow" as Ethan used to call it. Evie calls it "moooovie" with the cutest puckered lips!

All Girl Evie, not a day goes by that she isn't carrying around girlie things or declaring herself a "Cincess" with some sort of contraption on her head for a crown. This day she had one of Ally's purses (full of random things-mostly contraband for her I am sure!) and a mirror. She looked stinking cute in her little heart skirt carrying them around.

Again, I love it when I catch my kids loving one another. This time it was the rare pair of Evelyn and Ryland! With the older kids at school all day these two have been thrown together more and more....definitely a Love/Hate relationship.

I love when she comes out of her room and declares that she is ready to go outside to play. She has come up with some bizarre outfits and accessories before......but this time I thought she just looked stinking cute!

This gem was taken outside on the front porch of Jack and Lindsay Chang's house. Jack is from Taiwan and Nate was one of the missionaries who gave Jack's dad the discussions and saw him get baptized. A year later Nate had the rare opportunity to attend the temple with the Chang family to see them be sealed. Jack now lives here in Utah, he and Lindsay invited us up to their home to eat dinner and reminisce. It was a wonderful day!

I love that Ally is always trying to sell something! If it isn't rocks decorated with sidewalk chalk it is lemonade. She usually ropes some of the neighbor kids into it with her. Unfortunately we don't live on the busiest of streets so business is usually slow with only Mom and Dad as customers!

This is Evie midjump on my bed while Nate and I were trying to watch a movie! Isn't she cute!?!

This picture of my parents and I was taken in our yard after Ally's Baptism.
I painted my dining nook this lovely yellow brown color back in August and I just LOVE it! Especially on sunny days it feels warm, bright and cheerful! I am excited to see how it feels on really sunny winter days! I love to just stand across the room and admire it! It is called Banana Nut and I love it!

Washington D.C.

Nate and I went to Washington D.C. in August. He had to go there for a tradeshow and I tagged along for a mini-vacation! It was so much fun! While he worked I rested or wandered around on my own. We had one full day together and then some random times together that he had some breaks. Most of our pictures are from one day even though we were there for about 5 days Across the Potomac River from the Washington Monument

Nate and I across the Potomac from the Jefferson Memorial. That actually was one of my favorite memorials. The way it was designed made it feel like it had A/C, the wind just circulates perfectly throughtout the dome. I LOVED IT! It was so hot there, even though it was fairly early in the morning I couldn't handle it and had to pull my hair up. I don't know how people live in that much humidity! I don't like to breathe water, I would rather drink it. It was really hard to get my temperature to regulate there. Once I went outside my temperature was pretty well shot for the day. Once you are dripping with sweat you would give anything for an A/C, however once you are in front of the A/C you are freezing because you are soaked down to your underwear! Very uncomfortable! My advice to you is to NEVER go in August!

Lincoln Memorial at the National Mall. The National Mall was really cool. We just took a day and walked the whole thing, it includes SO much. The Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, also the Arlington National cemetary, which includes the Iwo Jima statue. It also includes the Capital Building, and the White House. Also the Vietnam, Korean, and WWII Memorials. It is a very cool place to visit! I saw so many runners going thru there and I wanted to find a time to run the National Mall, it is about 7 miles long, however I could never have our schedule work out that I could be there to run during the cool part of the day. I knew I would pass out from heat stroke if I were to attempt during the heat of the day. It was a bummer, however I did love running along the Potomac by our hotel.

The Reflecting Pond at the base of the Lincoln Memorial

That is Nate's reflection in the Vietnam wall. Visiting here was an awesome experience. At the bottom of the photo is a folded up Army shirt with a letter in the pocket. It was very moving to see. I loved the reverence the visitors had here, it was unlike the other memorials, and SO many names! So sad.

The White House of course

The Capital Building

Nate and I on a pier in Old Alexandria, Virginia. I LOVED it there. I took a water taxi across the Potomac from our hotel and spent the better part of a day wandering around there. Great shopping, plus some very cool historical buildings.

Iwo Jima Statue at Arlington National Cemetary

The morning we flew out we went to Arlington National Cemetary. We didn't have much time to hang out there but what we did see was astounding! The markers go on forever! Very humbling to see. We saw so much more than this, it really is an amazing place to visit. We hope to take Ethan and Ally in about 2 years and Ryland and Evelyn when they are old enough to appreciate it.

Ally's 8th Birthday (August) and her Baptism (September)

**Ok, so it is TERRIBLE that I have not gotten this post on here until almost THREE months after Ally's Birthday! Nate and I were in Washington D.C. over her actual birthday and it has been absolute crazy madness since we have been home! I made the majority of this post over 2 months ago but had technical issues with her slide show. I have tried a few times to get it to work, even tonight, to no avail. So if you are reading this and you see it I figured it out and put it in! So Ally girl I seriously hope that you will forgive me for getting this on here so late....LOVE YOU LADYBUG!**


Dear Ally,

Happy 8th Birthday Sweetheart! I LOVE you so much! I have enjoyed having you as my daughter all of these years! You are so fun to be around! I LOVE that you are starting to enjoy Mommy-Daughter shopping dates and that we both know that when something is "Stinkin' Cute!" we GOTTA HAVE IT! I love how sweet you are to other people and how much you want to be a little mother to Evelyn. I love your enthusiasm for learning, especially reading. I think it is too fun that you want to be a school teacher during the day and a rock star at night when you grow up! I love that you like to collect rocks and are always looking for the sparkly, unique, colorful or funky shaped ones. I love how you include everyone in your playing and that you make friends easily. I love that you have a little spunk in your personality.....somedays it is A LOT of spunk....but that's good heaven knows you're going to need it in this life! I love that you are sensitive to others feelings and needs. I am grateful that you are choosing to be Baptized and that you are so excited about it! I LOVE that you were brave and got your ears pierced last week even when it was a scary thing for you to do! I love you so much Ally and cannot believe how fast my little ladybug is growing up! It literally feels like yesterday my tiniest and earliest little baby came into my world and now you are heading off to Third Grade and getting Baptized! Thanks for being my sweet daughter all of these years....I look forward to many more to come!

Love you with all of my heart,

Mommy

My LadyBug,
You are growing up so fast! I am so proud of the lady you are becoming. This is a special birthday and I am so excited about the decisions you have made. You are smart and nice and have great friends. I love spending time with you and you are so much fun. Enjoy your time as a little girl, and try not to grow up too fast. You will never get this time back. There is so much fun to be had now, you can grow up later. I look forward to our next Daddy-Daughter date, let’s pick something fun and silly to do, OK? I love you LadyBug. I will always love you no matter what! You will always have a special piece of my heart as daddy’s first little girl.

Love,
Daddy

Ear Piercing

Nate and I decided long ago to have our daughters wait until their 8th birthdays to get their ears pierced. So, as you can imagine Ally has been anxiously awaiting this for years!
Ally and her best friend since 18 months old, Emma. They are three weeks apart in age and have enjoyed going thru their eigth birthdays, baptisms, and ear piercings together these last few weeks. They are the cofounders of the "Glasses Club", thanfully I am an honored member!
Picking out which studs Ally should get and which ones Emma got! Looking a little nervous! Here it comes! That wasn't so bad! Look how cute she looks! Now off to the party!


Lion House Pioneer Birthday Party!

We didn't tell Ally where her party was this year, until we arrived she was clueless. It was great fun! The Lion House holds really cool Pioneer Birthday parties. It is perfect for little girls who are getting ready for their baptism. We learned about Brigham Young and his family, we played pioneer games, pulled taffy, took a tour of the Lion House, all of the girls got to wear pioneer bonnets during the party, among other things. We had a great time!

Some of the cute girls that came to Ally's Birthday Party at the Lion House!

Lion House party guests

Ally and her cute LION cake!

At the end of the party she got a tiara to keep and to choose a Pioneer themed porcelain doll to take home. She named her Caroline after Brigham Youngs youngest daughter after we heard stories about her.

Thanks to Grandma Hale and Aunt Heidi for coming to help carpool and chaperone!

Baptism Photo Shoot!

After we got home from SLC we had about 45 minutes to get her dolled up and over to the Ogden Temple for her Baptism Photo shoot. What a crazy day, but worth all of the effort! Look at how fabulous they turned out! Thanks again Allyson Randle Photography!

I love this candid photo of Ally and her Daddy. She really had just playfully slapped him! What a fun Daddy to play along so well!

Baptism Day!

Daddy and Ally right before the baptism started. Isn't she beautiful!

(Above) Emma with Ally at Ally's baptism, (Below) Ally with Emma at Emma's baptism

Mom, Dad and Ally at the Open House at our home after her baptism

Grandma and Grandpa Mathie with Ally

Grandpa and Grandma Hale with Ally

Mommy and Ally after she opened her brand new set of scriptures! Don't you just lover her hot pink scripture tote? I had to convince her it was for her scriptures, NOT a purse! She is so becoming her Mother!

Grandma and Grandpa Burke with Ally

Little Mills Kingdom, how did Ryland get all pictured out after only two pictures?