The King's Grand Daddy-Daughter Ball



A Princess Makeover @ Cookie Cutters! She had so much fun watching her princess DVD, getting pink streaks in her hair, and getting her nails painted purple to match her dress!



Checking herself out in the door's reflection--I think she's happy with the results!



Josh picked out beautiful corsage for her to wear. I loved her expression when she 1st saw it  :)  Unfortunately she didn't want it on her wrist, so she tried it on, smelled, it, and took it off. Oh well...it's the thought that counts! Thanks Josh  :)



All dressed and ready!





Posing with dad--how cute are they?!



Wow! I'm feelin' pretty lucky these days!



Gorgeous!



Josh and Annabelle had a wonderful night at the King's Grand Daddy-Daughter Ball! This was part of the 2011 Princess Festival that we attended the previous day. Annabelle's cousin Paige, and Paige's dad, Brad, joined them and made it a double date--how fun! They dance a little, played outside, met other princesses, watched a puppet show (Annabelle's favorite part), ate some treats, and had a "Ball!"  :)



The 2011 Princess Festival



Looking the Part!

Cinderella was our 1st stop! The girls LOVED this one and the actors actually did a really great job!

Some stops along the way. I'm not even certain which princesses the bottom two are, but Annabelle liked them.
I love the idea of having an autograph book for all the princesses to sign!
Whoever came up with that idea in Disneyland should get an early retirement and a nice vacation home on the beach  :)

Annabelle loves Ariel, and I just had to get a picture of Annabelle actually approaching Rapunzel--No panic attacks this time! That's a good sign, but so weird because the Rapunzel at Disneyland looked much more legit!
Plus she had Flynn...go figure, I'll never understand  :)

We had a lot of fun at this little local Princess Festival. It was a lot different than I expected, but it was still a good time. It was HOT, probably close to 95, so that was tough...and poor Annabelle was bound and determined to leave that dress on! I kept telling her she would feel so much better if she just took it off for a little while, and wore what was on underneath, but nope...it wasn't going to come off until she got to the car  :)  A princess to the end!

Her favorite performances were definitely Cinderella and Snow White. There was a part in Snow White when Snow White is yelling "Oh No! Where should I go?!" Annabelle kept yelling back at her "Run to your cottage! Run to your cottage!" I don't think Annabelle understood what all the stress was about--it seemed so obvious to her  :)

I'm glad we got to go this year; we've never been before, and though some of the acting was less than great, it was still fun to get dressed up and hang out all day together. And what little girl isn't going to get excited and have an awesome time seeing and meeting princesses right?! Well...Daisy wasn't too excited, but we all joked that if it would have been a Villain Festival, she would've had more fun  :) Haha



Annabelle's 1st Dance Recital: "12 Dancing Princesses"

Goofing around with dad before leaving

All the angles  :)  Her hair turned out so pretty!



So excited and looking BEAUTIFUL!

Getting a little nervous before deciding to join the group (top right), then joining in and warming up with Michael ("Derek") and the dancers.

Wow! What a fun experience! This was my last semester teaching dance, and though I will miss my students (especially the girls I have had for the past 3 1/2 years), I have been pretty excited to move on from this chapter of my life. Dance--and teaching dance--will always be a part of me, and has been the source of so many wonderful memories! This last semester I took a step back and choreographed only one soloist piece for the show--a small group of 3-6 yr. old little girls. Annabelle was taking dance classes with Tanner Dance @ the University of Utah, but I thought it would be fun for her to be in this particular dance (since I was going to be teaching and choreographing it). She was SO excited and had a ball coming to the studio with me, meeting a whole new group of dancer friends, packing a lunch box for rehearsals, and performing on the "big stage" for her family and cousins. It was fun to share the experience with her, especially on show day! We woke up and ran errands such as picking up flowers and treats for my dancers, then making extra script and show order copies. Then we came home and assembled treat bags for my dancers, packed our water and snacks, curled our hair, and did our makeup.  She was so excited to get there, put on her costume, and see her cousins!

Just prior to the warm up, Annabelle started getting really nervous: she said she didn't know if she could do it, that she was dizzy, and that her tummy hurt. I'm so glad I got to be there with her backstage to talk to her and calm her down. I told her that always happened to me when I was about to go on stage, but that I was just really excited and nervous, that it would go away as soon as I was on stage performing. She believed me, and I motioned for Michael to come get her so I could sneak away and leave her with her group. She was so CUTE! As soon as the curtain opened and Michael began moving their group to the front of the stage for the opener, I heard her yell into the audience: "Paige and Daisy are you out there? I can't see!" They let her know they were there. Mimi, Nikki, Liv, daddy, Stockton, Grandma, and Brittany were also all there to cheer her on!

She did WONDERFUL! Just as I suspected, as soon as the music began, she danced and had a great time! It was so fun to watch her come off stage, and ask if she could go out there and do it again  :)  The opener was a good warm up for her, and when it was time for her little dance, she ran out there with no fear whatsoever and performed GREAT! It was a wonderful night! The show went great, I was proud of my classes, and I felt that it was the perfect way to end that phase of my life!

Cowabunga Bay: A Season of Splashin'

Cute Stockton

Annabelle-y

Stocky was in LOVE! He couldn't take his eyes off this cute little girl! They played together for quite a while, and let's just say he was smitten  :)

The "Shark" is coming for Annabelle!

Stockton loves these little fountains! And he doesn't mind getting splashed one bit!

Thanks for the assist dad; I can almost walk by myself!

Drying off and hanging out

We were so excited to get season passes to Cowabunga Bay this summer! We took advantage of a Groupon deal, and got them at 50% off! It has definitely been worth it, and the kids have loved it. Stockton loves to crawl around on the "beach" and play in the fountains; he also loves to ride with dad through the lazy river.
Annabelle also loves playing on the beach and swimming around in the kiddie pool area. She doesn't venture over to the waterslides too much, other than to play with all the different water features. She went on one slide, one time, and that has been the extent of her waterslide experience thus far  :)  She loves riding through the lazy river with mom, and always meets a new friend or two each time we go. One afternoon, she found another cute little girl to play with;  the little girl was wearing a Hello Kitty swimsuit, so Annabelle followed her around for more than an hour calling her "Hello Kitty!" It was so funny  :)
Josh and I like to switch off watching the kids and going on the slides. We also love riding the lazy river all together while we work on our tans. Haha What tans right?! I'm so glad we bought these passes; it's such a great family activity on hot summer afternoons!

A Friend-ly Summer BBQ

We had a GREAT time at the playground with our friends and neighbors! We always spend time with them, but this time we thought it would be fun to actually have dinner together out at the playground and BBQ some hamburgers and hot dogs on the Stoddard's balcony. It was such a fun night! Annabelle and Stockton loved playing with their friends, and when the babies got tired, all we had to do was go plug in our monitors and set them out on our balconies--let the party continue! Haha  :) If you look at the picture on the bottom left, there are actually 8 little kids in there! Lily, Briggs, Carly, Will, Annabelle, Addyson, Ashley and Mercedes! And we were actually missing 2 in that picture (Brayden and Emma). The kids were having a ball together in that windowsill!
Annabelle also LOVES playing with her friend Brayden (top and bottom right)! They are so similar it's nuts, and so cute. They miss each other when one of them goes away--"Brayden you were gone forever!"; they yell/talk to each other from each other's balconies during the day; Annabelle always wants to show Brayden when she gets something new; they play Ariel and Rapunzel together (Brayden has been known to defend Annabelle using a sword and shield); Brayden is the ONLY boy who can convince Annabelle to wear Iron Man attire--even the mask-- and play "bad guys";  Brayden likes dressing up just as much as she does; they love riding bikes together; they have dreams about each other; they tell Michelle and I that they are boyfriend/girlfriend, then get mad when we object, and they always sit by each other in primary and constantly make each other laugh and act silly! I love these two little kids...if only they could be betrothed right?!  :)

Fun for Stockton!

So excited to watch Stockton, Briggs, Ashley and Addyson (not pictured) run around the playground together next summer!
Annabelle is with one of her best friends, Mercedes, playing on the slide. Lily and Mercedes live right beneath us and we see/talk to them all the time. Each time I get off the phone with Season, Annabelle asks "Is she going to send up the girls?" :)

LOVE this face!

Thanks for the fun night everyone! I'm sure we'll be doing it again very soon.

Pony Express Days CARNIVAL!

"We're at the CARNIVAL! Yahoo!!!"

Rides, Cousins, and fun aunts and uncles!

Gorgeous Girls! Olivia & Annabelle

Don't you just LOVE baby faces?

We had a ton of fun at this year's Pony Express Days Carnival! Nikki, Eric, Liv, Brody, Brady, Angie, Rusty, Brittany, Paige, Daisy, Melody, my mom, and my dad all joined us at Nolan Park for rides, face painting, sno cones, fun slides, and more. Annabelle didn't quite know what to do with herself having ALL her cousins there with her--she was so excited! The rides are also great for kids like Annabelle--slow and steady, round and round and round...and round they go! Have you ever noticed how LONG the rides go at carnivals compared to amusement parks?! My goodness! Makes it hard to ride with the kids because I'm always afraid of getting sick! Anyway...despite all of that, it's such a fun event in the community and how can you NOT go when it's 5 minutes from your house?! You've just gotta go and have fun! Glad we did, and even more glad we had family to share it with!  

The Pony Express Days Parade

Annabelle and her posse of BFF's! These kids love each other: Brayden, Will, Mercedes, and Lily

Stockton loved the parade, and chowed down on some messy string cheese while he watched.

Annabelle spent about 65% of the parade running back and forth between her friends and these bushes! She was a little scared of the loud noises, animals, people throwing candy, guns and cannons, motorcycles...ummmmm pretty much she was scared of the parade itself  :)  Luckily about 45 minutes into it she started warming up a bit and began playing with her friends. She still never dared to venture out onto the road to collect candy; she preferred to wait by the curb and let the candy roll to her. As a result, we went home with about 6 pieces of candy total (and that included a few freebies her buddies shared with her)! Haha. She didn't seem to care though; she conquered her fears, eventually joined the group, laughed with her friends, ate a few pieces of candy, and went home a happy girl! Success!

We love our friends and neighbors! Our fun group of friends: The Turner family, The Bryson family, and the Stoddard family. Love them all!

Memorial Day 2011





Rained out!
This year we all rained out! I hate it when this happens! Memorial Day in Smithfield is a day I always look forward to--it's the ONLY family reunion Josh and I attend between both our families, and it holds a very special place in my heart. This isn't your typical huge family reunion with matching t-shirts and masses of random people you don't know, never did know, and never will know. This is a small gathering with my mom's immediate family and their children (aka--my cousins). Not just any cousins either--the cousins I grew up dancing with, cheering with, and dressing up with. Naturally, we all look forward to seeing each other, visiting, watching the dads and husbands play a game of softball, and letting our kids play together in the sand and on the playground. But it wasn't meant to be this year, which makes me sad. We did at least get to see everyone, even if it was for only 30 or 60 minutes! And most importantly, we got to visit "Smith" and remember her. I miss her very much, and I soooo wish she could be here to see and know Annabelle and Stockton  :(  I miss her house; I miss her smile; I miss hearing her voice; I miss Fridays--the way they used to be; I miss having a grandma here. Memorial Day at Smithfield will always be, and I suppose has always been a tribute to her and to her family. I'll never miss a Memorial Day at Smithfield--rain or shine. I Love you Grandma.
Happy Memorial Day!

Smith and Annabelle



Good Morning Stockton!

One of my very favorite milestones EVER! 

Race for the Cure

Whoa! Did not expect this many people--MILLIONS!

Heading out and ready to have a good time together

The participants



Annabelle was so cute jogging in the race! She was a trooper and walked/jogged about half the time! Baby Stock LOVES his walks, and is always happy to be outside!



Crossed the finish line! Annabelle and I were so excited to get our FREE orange and water bottle  :)

Racing buddies!

What a fun time! It was so much different than I had anicipated, but it was great to be up early, outside, and with masses of people supporting a cause. Pretty much anytime I'm up early, outside, walking, and spending time with family, I'm in a REALLY good place! :) Summer is just not summer without morning walks with the kids!

Painting Princess

We have a little artist on our hands! Lately Annabelle has been spending part of almost every day painting, coloring and cutting! She is so fun to watch, and is so meticulous with her brush strokes. She loves using all different sizes of brushes, all the colors, and both sides of the paper  :) We love all the creations she comes up with--if only there were enough room to display them all! Can't wait to finish the toyroom so we can start hanging them up!

Annabelle rides a BIKE!

Annabelle was so excited to ride her bike for the 1st time, but quickly realized it would be a little challenging. She kept wanting to pedal backward (like she does on a trike), and that would cause her to break and stop. It took her a while to get the hang of it, and after getting so frustrated one day on the playground, she abandoned her bike and wouldn't get on it again for over a month! Then one day, she randomly asked if I would get her bike out. I got it out, gave it to her on the playground, and within 30 minutes she was making laps like she was an old pro! I guess she just needed a break from all the pressure and had to do it on her own timing  :) Now she rides almost every day, loves riding around with her friends, and most of all loves taking Susan and Sophie with her in the back seat  :)

It's definitely the dad's job to teach the kids how to ride a bike! And boy were they cute!