Jumping through July

Another month has come and gone - crazy how fast they seem to fly by!  Here are some of our more random moments (that really are the filling to it all) from July!

Tori got a new princess chair for the 4th of July - which she absolutely loves!  We never figured that she would love the bag it came in just as much!!!

For some reason we find Tori asleep on her floor quite often.  She looks so little curled up in the middle of her floor! 

Finally, a belly shot of me at 25 weeks!  I don't know why, but I always feel slightly awkward when we are taking these - where do you put your hands? :)

Fun hair for church - and Tori's very first ponytail!

She is looking more and more grown up everyday!

This video started out as Tori being really cute and playing with Prince - until she realized I had the camera.  Then she ran over to see herself - it's so funny how quickly she picked that up!  Oh, and she can now say her name (as you will hear several times) - so cute!!!

We love watching Tori play - all of her friends were having a party in the tent...

which then got moved to the roof!!!

Recently, Tori loves to pretend she is talking to Grandpa and Grandma on the phone.  I have been trying to capture this for some time and these are the best I have so far...

And anything that looks like a phone will do as well!

The funny thing is, when we really call any of her Grandpas or Grandmas she just looks at the phone and smiles - but doesn't say a word!

In case you have a day where you can't find your hair brush, grab a bottle brush - it seems to work just great!!!

Happy July to all- we hope you've had a good one!!!

Big Girl Bed

For Tori's second birthday (which is quickly approaching), Jared and I decided to get her a real big girl bed.  Well, the bed arrived today and we realized that there really is no way to hide a bed.  Jared was so excited to get it all set up and to see what Tori would think. 

Well, it took her no time at all to test out the mattress!

And it didn't take her long to jump right on once the sheets were on!

Yep, she seems pretty excited about her new bed!!!

And here is the first nap - we have a winner!!!

It was so much fun watching Tori with her big girl bed, but boy does she look small in it!  Oh, in case you were worried - we have saved some surprises for her actual birthday!  It is going to be a great celebration!!! 

The fine art of getting dressed!

If you have seen past posts, you know that Tori loves her clothes, socks, and shoes - and has been trying to put them on herself for quite some time.  But in the past couple of weeks she has all the sudden made great strides in the getting herself dressed department.  It has been really fun watching her experiment along the way!

Overalls can be pretty tricky to get on...

It's just much easier to wear them like a necklace!

Shorts are much easier to get on if you put both legs in one hole and pull them up really high!!!

Daddy's shirt makes a great dress!

Tori loves to show off her new skills - and we love seeing what she comes up with next!!!

Happy 3 Years!!!

Today Jared and I are celebrating our 3 year anniversary!!!  It seems like the past 3 years have gone by in a flash - time really does fly when you are having fun with your best friend!  And yet, I love that it feels like we have been together, and known each other, so much longer than that.  Our love for each other has grown so much deeper over the past few years and I know it will continue to do so!  Happy Anniversary Sweetheart - I love you for time and all eternity!!!  (And thank you for the beautiful roses - I love them!)

 

Just One of the Girls

The Young Women in our Stake had girls' camp this week.  Tori and I were able to participate in a few things over the week.  We started out by helping drive a few ladies up to camp Tuesday morning.  We had so much fun chatting and enjoying the beautiful drive.  Our only trouble came when we missed literally the very last turn.  Luckily, we didn't get too lost and found camp a short while later!  Last night, Tori and I were able to travel up to camp again to visit for a bit.  We were able to be there for some fabulous skits and singing time, an amazing dinner, our Bishop's devotional and tasty treats, and, best of all, the testimony meeting! 
I really think that Tori feels like she is one of the Young Women - here is our little camper shortly after we arrived!

She soon inherited a necklace for the evening - thanks for sharing Ashley!

Tori thought dinner was just as yummy as I did!  (I think the girls got a kick out of seeing her with food all over!) 

Hanging out with Laurie, Emily, and Natalie! 

Tori loved playing with the Nichols' dog - who was a very good sport!

Chillin' with Taylor and Ashley!

Thanks ladies for making us feel so welcome and loved!  Above all, thank you for sharing your sweet testimonies with us this evening- they are priceless!!!



Before & After

Prince had his very first grooming this afternoon.  So we decided to do some before and after shots to document this momentous occasion!

Here is our adorable Prince before the haircut!

And here is our now very grown up looking Prince after his first grooming!

I think he likes it- he seems to be showing it off a little!!!

Happy 4th!!!

This year we enjoyed two 4th of July celebrations.  Saturday evening we were able to attend a fabulous cookout with several families in our Ward.  It was so nice being able to just relax and strengthen friendships - and the food was awesome too!  Jared and Tori had a blast riding this little motorcycle - it only scared me a little bit when they went fast!!!

Tori is still not a fan of sparklers - maybe next year!

You may have noticed that Tori's shirt looks well loved.  Basically, she had the time of her life playing in and on everything.  I think she got a hold of someones water bottle and that is why she is all wet.  Tori loved sitting on her new princess chair - it was the perfect seat for watching the fabulous firework display!!!

This evening we were able to have our family celebration!  We started out by having a wonderful dinner with our next door neighbors - they really are the best!!!  Then we had our very kid-friendly firework display and followed it up with our traditional popsicles!

In the past, Tori has not been a fan of anything cold.  We were so excited that she devoured her popsicle!

Yep - I think she is now a fan!!!

Happy 4th of July!  We are so grateful for this amazing country and all of the freedoms we enjoy!!!  

Our Birthday Boy

I don't know why this happens, but every year it seems like we are always crazy busy on Jared's birthday.  Which then results in us spreading out his celebrations over several days.  He says he doesn't mind at all - he gets to enjoy his birthday much longer this way!  So we started out our celebrating on his actual birthday (the 30th) and then had our present opening time yesterday. 

Today we culminated everything by having fun food and ending with cupcakes and ice cream!

Tori was a big helper with blowing out the candle - or she was just waiting to dig in to the cupcakes!!! 

Happy Birthday Jared - we hope you had a great several days of celebrating!!!  Love you tons and tons!!!