Gammy!

The Ward Family Reunion was the beginning of August. Unfortunately we had the surprise of Gammy coming home! Well, not unfortunately, but we missed going to the reunion and we were actually really bummed out about it. Scott has never been to Washington and I haven't been up for awhile. At the end of June I lost my job at American Laser Centers. Fortunately for me the family was looking for a caretaker for little ol' Gammy, so I get to stay home and take care of her. I have a few days off during the week, which is nice, but it's definitely a full time job. She's almost 93 and is actually doing remarkably well for her age. She is the sweetest thing and fiesty as can be. She just needs somebody to do things for her (like cook and clean) throughout the day.

Kristine, Gammy,and Scott

We all played Texas Hold'em (she's a shark)

Gammy and I
Karli and Gammy

Karli will sit with Gammy for hours, it's the sweetest thing

Cousins Visit!

In July Scott's sister Emily came to visit. The kids were SO excited to have them in town and Grandma Kathy (Scott's mom) took us all to the zoo. She has the grandparent's pass, so the grandkids can basically go with her as much as they want!

Karli and Tori on the trainGrady, Walker, and Taylor on the train

Walker and Taylor using the buddy system

Karli and Tori on the Carousel

Grady, Karli, Tori, and Walker playing on the squirting elephant

Walker, Grady, and Tori...so cute!

Walker just waiting patiently

We all had so much fun and are looking forward to having them come visit again at the end of September for Mike (Scott's brother) and Lara's wedding!!!

Liberty Park

So, the kids LOVE Liberty Park. They have a few rides to go on, not to mention the waterfalls they can walk through in 100 degree weather.

Karli and Ryan on the Ferris Wheel Kristine, Marley, and Walker on the Carousel
Karli is tall enough to ride the swings!

Walker getting butterflies in his tummy on the Ferris Wheel. He was actually kind of scared (if you can't tell by his deather grip)

And then I told him it was fun and it was just butterflies. He got happy.

He totally wanted the shark one. Surprise!

Karli thought it was kind of boring

They are so good!

These are the cool water things the kids like to play in

Typical....

Playgrounds and swimming

We like to take the kids to the park as much as we can...wear them out, they sleep better. Karli can do the monkey bars, and Walker...well, he does everything he can reach.

Example:

This is one of my favorite pictures of him

Karli never smiles...

Karlis' monkey bar accomplishment (Dad's just there for support)

So, for those of you who have never been there, Cottonwood Heights Spa is an awesome pool to take the family to. They have a great kids section, a couple of water slides, and this huge platform Scott likes to do stupid things off of. My sister Alissa and her husband Brett came down and went with Scott and I one day.

So this is Scott going off of the second platform:

And this is Brett going off of the third platform. (Scott did too, but I missed catching it)

Karli's Birthday

Karli turned seven in June. I can't believe how big and grown up she's getting. Unfortunately my camera was broken for Karli's birthday party. She had a lot of fun though! We had a chocolate and mint ice cream cake (homemade by me!), a pink elephant pinata, and a ton of friends over!

Healthy Living

Scott and I decided, as the weather was clearing up and getting warmer, we needed to try a little bit harder as far as our health goes. I started getting healthier things from the grocery store. Less white bread, more whole wheat. Just the small changes that help. We started taking our vitamins (we've been horrible about that since we met) and we're working on some personal habits as well. Most importantly we have been going on more active outings. Mainly just hiking. We're both avid snowboarders, so we wanted to try and get in better shape for the next season. I knew Utah had it's beauties, but here are a few pictures I took.

Spring!

Yeah, it's really been that long since I've posted. I haven't even put up any Easter pictures. We had a big Easter egg hunt with the kids cousins. Hosted by Scott's brother Mike and his fiancee, Lara. The kids got to color eggs, hunt for eggs, and eat way too much candy.

Here all the cousins: Tori, Walker, Grady, Taylor, and KarliKarli with her stash

Walker found some of the hardest eggs to find...very proud of himself

In all honesty, my camera kind of stopped working for a bit. I think that's a huge reason I haven't posted for such a long time. I got a new one for my birthday (in June) and I still have procrastinated. I am really trying to get better. I figure it's easier to keep on it than play catch up.

Scott's Grandma, who we live with, took a turn for the worst in April-ish and his family decided it would be best to move her to St. George. Scott's sister Emily moved to California with her kids in May, which has been really hard on all of us. We have missed both Gammy and the cousins very much. But there's some cool news in the summer portion of this post...