chalk it up.

this past weekend was good to us. we'll definitely chalk it up as a top ten this summer. friday evening after a quick jog, we headed towards thanksgiving point for a dinner james' mba program was sponsoring. we dropped brooklyn off with her nana to go check out the parade of homes and with the little tiny in tow, we made the rest of the trip to thanksgiving point. 

we showed up and were impressed by white tablecloths and an appetizer spread to die for. between appetizers and dinner, we got to go have our pictures taken. mainly new head shots for james, but a few of the two of us to top it off. kendall was asleep and i wasn't about to wake her for two minutes to be in the pictures. she was nice enough to let me finish the salmon and steak on my plate (priorities) before she woke up and wanted to eat too. little sweetie

after it was all over, the three of us sat on a blanket right there on the grass and enjoyed our aggie ice cream. we even got to jam out to the music playing at the reception just across the way. it was such a nice evening!

 ^^^kendall wanted some aggie ice cream. darn it.^^^

saturday morning kendall and i went up to coalville to my sister's house. i went there to help but we mostly ended up just visiting and eating some awesome burgers that chandler made. totally legit. we were only there for a short while and then headed for home. 

that evening we had a killer dinner complete with grilled meat and veggies and queso & chips. oh man. such a good summer meal if you ask me. brooklyn's favorite was the corn on the cob.

it was good to have jeremy back in town as well.

sunday was good. baby went to church again, but got to go home for the last two hours to finish out her morning nap. nana took brooklyn home too since runny noses and nursery just don't mix. i taught young women's for the first time since kendall's arrival and it felt good. i missed those girls. it's good to be back in the swing of things. that night, lisa, james, and brooklyn went to james' grandma's house and kendall and i spent the evening drinking diet coke and watching the teen choice awards. don't judge. that jason derulo. dang.

monday brought goodbyes. so in real ruesch fashion, we all met for burgers beforehand. we met early enough to beat the lunch rush and that was nice. we got to visit and take our time before we all parted ways. 

brooklyn was her nana's shadow right up until the very second she left. for a minute, she seriously thought she was flying back to hawaii with her. darn it. we're hoping to hear that her flight was smooth sailing without any hiccups.

and just for fun, how chunk are this girl's cheeks getting?! she wakes up from a nap and they're bigger. i'm really loving it, especially because brooklyn never really "chunked up". 

we just love her to pieces. 

h a p p y  t u e s d a y 

our summer so far...

it's already monday again, and i can't believe another summer weekend has come and gone! we're really trying to savor every last bit of it before fall comes rollin' in and it's time for football, sweaters, and flannel sheets. the girls are both enjoying summer in different ways, but definitely enjoying it.

/brooklyn/

she has loved everything water: seven peaks, the pool, her water table, the kiddie wash, and lots of baths and showers. she's loved playing with her friends and spending lots of time with her nana. she has turned into quite the artist on the trampoline with her chalk and loves to be out there in the evenings drawing away.

^^^not sure where her sass came from. we just love this girl who is growing up so fast!^^^ 

this summer has worn her right out just as it should for a a three year old that's packed to the max with energy.

/kendall/

she loves to be outside mostly after the sun has started to go down. the cooler air, watching her big sister play, and getting lots of loves from her mommy make for a nice summer night for this little tiny. her newborn sleep-all-day schedule is slowly dwindling, so she gets to be worn in the wrap while i try to get things done. she doesn't mind it and neither do i. she's getting some chub on her and i love love love it! oh my gosh, she's the sweetest cutest little thing and i can't give her enough kisses and squeezes.

^^^sweetest prettiest little face^^^

having nana/my MIL here has been a huge help as we've adjusted to two. brooklyn has been her little shadow while she's been here and hates when she isn't around. both the girls have been spoiled by her and brooklyn has definitely taken advantage of getting nana to do whatever she wants. brooklyn's gonna be a sad girl when she's gone. but seriously, it's been great to have lisa here. not only did she do projects like painting the deck and fence, and painting my living room, but she took the girls numerous times while i quickly got out of the house to run errands on my own. it has been so nice. she heads back to hawaii tomorrow and even though we'll miss her, we can't wait to go see her there!

/james & i/

james has been busy with work and school this summer with a little bit of fun on the side. he's loved having his mom around and is also happy to have his brother home from india. i think he is wishing the rest of the summer away as he has started the countdown for college football. it makes him more excited and more happy than christmas i tell ya. he has been giddy all week watching and listening to anything football he can get his hands on. 

i am LOVING summer and never want it to end. i love being able to be outside with the girls, go to the pool, and eat all the bounty summer provides. this past week i finally started working out again post baby and i feel like a new person. my body hurts and i am so out of shape but it seriously has made me so happy to be able to get my body moving again. working out in the summer heat isn't super fun but man that sunshine makes me happy. 

^^^fun friend visit for me this week.^^^

summer: we love you and are going to enjoy these next couple weeks fully until you leave us. you have rocked so far and we thank you for it!

h a p p y  m o n d a y 

our visitors.

my MIL and SIL (nana and aunt toria) flew in to the SLC yesterday and brooklyn has loved having every bit of their attention. she wants to tell them/show them/take them everything/everywhere. 

they're only here for a little while, but we get to look forward to getting on a plane to go see them (in hawaii) only a few days after they leave here. we can't wait.

(addicting) 

James's post about saying goodbye to his parents.

I have been asked to chronicle my side of the weekend since we split up for most of Saturday through Monday. It was a really emotional week for all of us last week thinking about all splitting up for the next few years while my Dad begins what will likely be his last active duty assignment with the Air Force. They'll probably be gone for the next 3-5 years and it's pretty far away (Hawaii). So, while there is definitely excitement to be moving to such a paradisaical place, we are all starting to realize how much we've enjoyed being so close and being able to spend so much time together.

Jeremy, Chelsea, Tori and I all joined my parents for the weekend to take advantage of our last opportunity to spend some time together before they left. We all left Saturday to go down to Glendale (Southern Utah, near Kanab) to visit my grandparents, which was en route for my parents. They were driving down to California to drop off their vehicles to be shipped before flying out to Hawaii. Melinda was very supportive and understanding and took care of our sick baby so I could go down and spend the last couple of days visiting my grandparents and saying goodbye to Mom and Dad.

We got down to my grandparents on Saturday evening just in time to watch the BYU game all together with my Grandpa, the original BYU fan. We enjoyed wonderful homemade meals from my grandma with fresh food grown in her own garden. We had taco soup Saturday night, Hawaiian haystacks Sunday afternoon, Roasted ham and green bean casserole Sunday evening, and Grandma Verla even got up early to make us all French toast Monday morning before we all had to leave. It was so much fun to spend the time all together telling stories, playing pool, going to church and watching one of Grandma's Shirley Temple movies from her collection.

See if you can notice something wrong in this picture. Just so you know, we're not really that dumb. We just thought it would be funny to see who was paying attention to the photo. Can you say staged? :)

Grandma Verla and Grandpa Burdell's House in Glendale, UT

I love my parents so so much and I'm grateful for the amazing opportunity to spend their last weekend here all together. We will miss them so much but look forward to Skyping to hear all about their new adventures! Love you Mom and Dad!