Independence Day

This year I ended up working on both July 1st (Canada Day) and on July 4th.  But because of the way my schedule is set up it worked out perfectly, and I didn't miss out on much.  On July 1st Gavin and I went down to the Flags shop on University Ave and bought him a Canada flag, as well as a pin that has both a Canadian flag and U.S. flag on it (make sure to note that Canadian FLAG and U.S. FLAG are pronounced differently!)  The owner is actually from Alberta, and told me about a Canada Day parade that they have each year up in Saratoga Springs.  I was at work, but Jared and Gavin drove up that evening for the short, ten minute or so long parade.

On the morning of the 4th we rode our bikes down to watch the parade.  Gavin was so excited, and didn't quite get that Independence Day is different than Canada Day.  He wore his pin, and insisted on bringing his Canada flag with him.  He sat on his Canadian chair, and even said "Happy Canada Day!" to a few people walking by!  I love my little half Canadian!

 After the parade we all went home and took a nap before I left for work.  During my dinner break Jared and Gavin came as usual, but they brought with them some fireworks!  So we ate our food fast and headed outside to light some off!

I usually get off work about 10pm, but since it was slow I headed out about 15 minutes early and rode my bike down to the football stadium where I met up with Jared and Gavin to watch the fireworks at the Stadium of Fire.  I got there before they even started, so we did some more fireworks of our own before the big ones started.  After we all rode our bikes home as a family, and went to bed!

Gavin is obsessed with taking pictures with my phone.  When he saw me taking pictures of the fireworks he asked for my phone so he could take pictures of the fireworks too.

It really was a great day!  I got paid time and a half for working the holiday, and still didn't have to miss out on the parade or fireworks!

You've Had A Birthday Shout HOORAY!

How do we already have a THREE-year-old?  I still can't figure out how that happened.  For about the whole month before his birthday Gavin kept talking about it, and was excited for his animal themed party.  We celebrated at this huge park in Orem with a fun park, a large pond with plenty of ducks to feed, and brought some balls for kids to play with.  Gavin even helped me deliver the invitations to his friends, and put together goody bags for them to take home.  I'm not the type of person that likes to organize things, so I was a little surprised at how stressed I was over planning a three-year-old party.  It turned out great and Gavin had a blast with all his friends.  We had pizza and watermelon, juice boxes, and monkey cupcakes!  I love how Gavin was still talking about his monkey cupcakes a month after his birthday!

Ammon, Jack, Jackson, Eve, Lizzy, Eden, and Gavin

Since my dad was leaving early the next morning on Gavin's actual birthday, we came home and opened some presents from my family.  Gavin loves his very own Canada chair, new PJs, and his "cool pen" (Tag Reader) from Nana and Grandpa Ducky.  From Nanny M and Papa Gavin got some books to read with his Tag Reader.  It's really neat!  Gavin can take the pen and when he presses the words in the book, it says them out loud for him.  You can also press anywhere on the pages and there is some sort of audio associated with all the illustrations.  So now during quiet time Gavin can read his books all by himself.

My parents also started a tradition with each of their grandchildren on their birthdays, where they write out a story about when they were that age.  This is super special, and not only does Gavin get to learn something about when his grandparents were his age, but I am learning new stories about my parents as well.  Eventually my siblings and I will be able to compile all these different stories together for a really neat history of our parents lives!  Here's my dad reading his letter to Gavin, about playing with his cousins when he was little.

A tradition that we've taken from the Edgel's family, is heart attacking each other on our Birthdays.  Here's a picture (taken by Gavin) of some of the hearts and shapes on his bedroom door on his Birthday.

After church we Skyped with Edgel's and Gavin opened more Birthday presents and ate more cupcakes.  Gavin got lots of special gifts, and was excited to find out about getting a sandbox from Grandma and Grandpa Edgel!  It was a little while before we got everything set up for his new sandbox, but I'll be sure to post some pictures of him playing in it at some point!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR CRAZY THREE YEAR OLD!

Nana & Grandpa Ducky Come to Visit - Part II

While Nana and Grandpa Ducky were here visiting we sure kept busy!  A few weeks before they came Gavin and I had discovered the Farm up at Thanksgiving Point.  So we took my parents up there one afternoon to see the animals and ride a pony!

We are LOVING the Provo Recreation Center that opened this last May!  It's just down the street from our place and our family membership has been well worth it.  I've started a spin class, and Gavin loves the pool.  When the center was built, they took over the outdoor Veteran's Pool next door, so we can swim outside or on cooler days we'll be able to use the indoor pools (including a lazy river) year round. 

 

Gavin enjoyed reading books, getting lots of cuddles, and Monte, Monte, Caballo rides!

Since Jared and I only have one car, we both rely on our bikes to get around when the other one is out with the car.  We love going on family bike rides, and it was fun to go bike riding with my parents down the Provo River Trail to the park.

We fed the ducks, 

Went on a hike to Timpanogos Cave,

Made treats and played games,

And checked out the new splash pad at Pioneer Park!

We had a great time, and feel very blessed to have two sets of parents that we get to see and spend time with so often.  Despite my parents living far away, with the help of internet and webcams we don't feel so far, and we're grateful that Gavin has such a close relationship with both sets of grandparents!

Nana & Grandpa Ducky Come to Visit - Part I

At the end of May we were lucky to have my parents come for a visit.  They first flew from Mexico to Calgary for a visit up there, then instead of flying to Provo they rented a U-haul and drove down instead.  My parents still own our house up in Calgary and a bunch of my things were in storage there, so now seemed like a good time to get them down to me.  Needless to say, it was interesting going through boxes of books, stuffed animals, and some special toys that I had as a child deciding what to keep and what to throw away, as well as making room for some bigger things that my parents brought down.

We now have my piano and fish tank in our front room and my huge Barbie house that my Dad built for me when I was six is stored in Gavin's closet (with my Littlest Pet Shops in its roof).  My plate collection is now displayed in Gavin's room and our kitchen, and Gavin has inherited all my Beanie Babies.  I used to have a collection of houses that I started when we moved to Venezuela, and although there were too many and I didn't have room to keep them all, I at least kept two of my favourites.

 It was definitely a feat moving the piano up our stairs and inside - I mean for the five guys doing it!  And Gavin was just as anxious as I was to try it out once they got it in.  This is the piano that my Grandma gave to our family when I was just two, and the piano I grew up playing.  I love being able to just sit down and play and it's wonderful to have something so special from my childhood that I can now share with my own children!

Five Year Anniversary

Back in May Jared and I celebrated our five year anniversary.  We've had our ups and downs, but life is great and we're so lucky and blessed to have each other in our lives!  Jared surprised me with flowers and a fancy, delicious, dinner at the Chief's Table, as well as yummy chocolates!

We came home and watched all the home movies we had from while we were dating and our wedding video.  I also pulled out my wedding dress from the back of the closet to see if it still fit - I was able to squeeze into it, as long as I was okay with not breathing for a while!

Beautiful flowers