Six years ago......

Six years ago today we picked up Olivia from the hospital.  It's hard to believe how much she has grown, and how fast time flies!  We are so grateful for her and for how things happened in our lives to be in the right place at the right time so she could join our family.  We love her so much!  Here are some pictures of her around November 1 over the years.

PS- You might not see a blog post again until next year, because I'm using Facebook more now than the blog.

2006-11-01

2006-11-01

2007-11-01

2008-11-01

2009-11-12

2010-11-02

2011-11-02

2012-11-01

Canyon Leaves

This past weekend after conference, we drove up Big Cottonwood Canyon to look at the leaves. We were a bit early in the season to see the full colors; there were still lots of green trees. But, it was so pretty, and we had so much fun! Olivia loved walking on little hikes to find cool picture-taking spots.

9/11 Memorial

Today after church Dan, Olivia, and I went to the "Utah Healing Field" to see the 9/11 Memorial that was there, and to remember the sacrifices that were made on that day. They had a flag up for each person that died that day. Tied to each flag was a card with a name, age, and a bit about the person that had passed away. It was amazing to look at, and interesting to read about some of the people (no, I did not read every card, but definitely a bunch). There was also a fireman there giving the kids fireman hats. You could also look at and get into some army vehicles, and see the tents that those serving our country stay in.
It was great for Dan and I to be reminded about that day, and how lucky we are to live in the country we do with the freedoms we have. It was also a good experience for Olivia.

Finally!

So about one month ago, we bought a new car (a Toyota RAV4). The color we wanted was on freight (meaning it's somewhere on a truck on its way to the dealership). So, they put us in a rental car and said we could drive that until our vehicle came in. They said it would be about 7-10 days. Well, 27 days later, we finally have our car! I am so excited to have it. It is nice and roomy, drives really nice, and I love the color!Got to love the mileage so far!

Only one thing I don't like about it- that new car smell. It seriously makes me want to throw-up! I know lots of people like that smell though. When I was getting an air freshener to get that smell out, I saw some called "New car" smell. Yuck! Anyways, so happy to have our new car!

Below is a picture of the rental car we had. Olivia loved it, Dan and I- not so much.

First day of Kindergarten!

Yesterday was Olivia's first day of Kindergarten. She has been excited to go, but even more excited to ride the bus to and from school. When we asked her about her day, all she talked about was the bus. I am excited for her this year, her new school has some amazing resources to help her, and there are only 9 kids in her class!This is Olivia singing while she waits for the bus. As you can see by her mouth, it was not quiet.

Olivia playing hide-and-seek behind the tree.

Bus came and off she went. They couldn't get those doors opened fast enough.

Weekend at the Cabin

We just came home from a wonderful weekend at the cabin. It is my sister-in-law's grandparent's cabin, and they are kind enough to let us and the rest of my family go up there for a few days every summer. We sure enjoy it, it's a nice little getaway. Here is a picture of the cabin we stay in:On Friday, we went up to Smith-Morehouse. We hiked a little bit near it, and just enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Last year it had a huge beach with lots of rocks before you got to the water. Not this year! No beach because the water is so high.On Saturday, we took a drive up to Mirror Lake. Before we got there, we stopped at a place near Bald Mountain. A little added treat there- there was still snow! So, we had a lot of fun with that.Dan in the snow- yes, it really was that deep!

Olivia having fun with a snowball.After Mirror Lake, we stopped at the Provo River Falls. We enjoyed looking at the beautiful waterfall.We also just had fun hanging out at the cabin. Olivia sure enjoys spending time with her cousins! What a great weekend!

Kennecott Copper Mine

Dan, Olivia, Melissa, Laura, Wayne by tire.

I got the opportunity to go to the Kennecott Copper mine on Saturday with Dan, Olivia, my Dad, and Laura. First, we got to ride a bus up there (and back). Usually you drive yourself up, but today there were tons of people there.Olivia on bus ride to mine.

It was my first time there. WOW! It is amazing! I have never seen a hole like that, or trucks so big! The visitors center was awesome as well, and I learned a ton! We also were lucky and happened to run into my brother Bryce, sister-in-law Jessie, and some of her family while we were there. It was a great experience!Kennecott Copper Mine