July 4th and Happy Birthday to ME!

We started our 4th of July celebration early by going to the Riverton Parade. We really love parades!

My last birthday in my 20's! I had such a good birthday this year. Since it was on a Sunday, we celebrated on Saturday. I wanted to take Emry to her first movie so we went to see Finding Dory. She loved the experience although she was scared at times. (sorry, it's blurry but oh well...)

Dave and Lynne came down and surprised me for a birthday dinner at Tepanyaki. Then Ryan and I went to the mall where he let me shop all by myself with no children! That's actually my very favorite birthday gift!

 On Sunday, Ryan made my favorite-biscuits and gravy for breakfast even though it was fast Sunday and he didn't get to eat any of it! What a good hubby!

 Sunday night we went to Nate's house to play games and have a BBQ. We ended up staying the night so we could celebrate the 4th of July in Grantsville. We went to the parade (which is a great parade!) and ate lunch with Brooke's family. 

Riding in the 4 wheeler to get to the parade. Emry and Wesley loved riding in this with Uncle Nate!

 

Waiting for the parade to start. Love my little family!

 It was so hot at the parade-we had to cool off with Popsicles. Mmm

 Norah did not like the loud fire trucks so we had to cover her ears.

 Waiting to catch all the candy. Emry was so funny. If they threw candy she didn't like (like all the taffy) she would run over to it, look at it and say, "no, I don't like that." She was holding out for the good stuff. Haha!

 We had lunch at Brooke's sister's house. She had bunnies that the kids loved. 

 

 The night of the 4th, we had an O'Fallon reunion at the Gardner's friend's house. We hung out and did fireworks with our cousins. It was so fun!

 

 

Wesley being patriotic with his big hat!

Whitaker Family Reunion 2016

The Whitakers got together in Heber, UT and we had so much fun all together!! It was such a fun time and I was amazed at how well all the kids got along and played together!!

Day 1 was Thursday. We packed up in the morning and then headed to Lagoon for LanDesk's annual Lagoon Day. Ryan was able to get tickets for most of the family so we all went and had a blast! I think this event will just keep getting more and more fun as our kids get older. Emry wanted to go on all the big rides. She went on every ride she was big enough to go on and loved it (including some pretty fast roller coasters). Wesley loved the Carousel the most but also enjoyed going on everything we let him go on. Even though it was a long day, the kids did great and were happy most of the day. That night we headed to the cabin to spend our first night at the cabin. All the big cousins slept in the same room that had like 4 bunk beds. If you ask Emry, that was the best part of the vacation! She LOVES sleepovers!

Day 2 was the day we had planned to just hang out at the house and play. The house we rented was supposed to have a pool but it ended up not being finished by the time we got there. However, it still had a hot tub so the kids went "swimming" in the hot tub and we played baseball on the lawn. It was a nice relaxing day at the cabin where we all just got to be together. Scott rented a car and it ended up being a Mustang Convertible so we took it up the canyon for a beautiful drive. We ended the day with a delicious BBQ.

Day 3 started off with everyone getting in their "Whitaker" shirts. Then we headed off to do our morning hike. We went to Cascade Springs which was the perfect hike for our crew. Pretty easy, lots of shade, pretty water. What more could you ask for? Then we headed back to hang out at the cabin for the rest of the day. The kids swam in the hot tub again and then we finished the day off playing baseball and painting rocks (WHAT?! More on this later). The kids had a blast just playing and being together.

Day 4 was Sunday so we all got up and got ready for 9 AM church and headed out the door. Only to realize that it was Stake Conference so there wasn't any 9 AM wards. We finally found a different Stake that had 9 am church and attended that all together. The kids went up to sing for Father's Day even though they had no idea what they were singing. They still did awesome! We came home after church, ate lunch, and then had our Father's Day program. All the kids learned 2 songs to sing to their dads and it was so adorable! After singing, we headed out to Fairy Land, a place up Mirror Lake Road that people bring little Fairy houses and painted rocks and such. We brought our rocks to add to the collection too. Emry loved to see all the cute fairies and fun rocks. Even Wesley loved it. We came home for our Father's Day dinner of steaks and salmon. Yum! Then we finished off the day with popsicles and croquet.

Day 5 was Lake Day!! We rented a boat and a jet ski on Deer Creek lake and it was a blast. Emry and Wesley (especially Wesley) loved riding the jet ski and riding on the boat. They both went on the tube and had so much fun! Ryan did the tube and unfortunately got thrown off super hard and hurt his ear (possibly burst his ear drum...eeek!). I tubed and tried skiing (which I haven't done since I was like 12!). I got up but decided my muscles couldn't take it and I was going to tear something so I decided to make that a short lived ski session to stay on the safe side! The kids had so much fun playing in the sand and just hanging out. It was a fun afternoon on the lake. We went home that night and Ryan's ear was hurting so badly he fell right to sleep at like 6 pm. The rest of us had dinner and then had a little video for Grandma and Grandpa of all the grandkids answering questions about Grandma and Grandpa. It was sweet and a fun way to say thank you for all they do for us!

Day 6 was our last day. We packed up the house in the morning and then  headed to "hike" Bridal Veil falls. We did the little nature hike and then headed to Provo to BYU. On the way there, Ryan and I took a little stroll down memory lane as we showed Emry where we lived when we met and our first apartment when we got married. It made me feel all sorts of nostalgic. We at lunch at the Creamery-I just love that place! It's so delicious. We walked around and shopped at the BYU Bookstore and then said goodbye to our cousins and headed home. We had such a fun time with all our family and just wish we could all be together all the time. But it's weeks like this that the cousins' bonds are strengthened and friendships are made! Here's to Christmas when we all get to see each other again!!

Norah 3 Months!

Happy 3 Months to little Miss Norah!!

*She is such a smiley baby!! If you ever make eye contact with her, she lights up and has the biggest smile!! She just can't contain her smiles!!
*Started laughing. She is ticklish so every time you tickle her it's the cutest laughter ever!! I just love her! She's adorable!
*Wearing 3-6 months clothes and size 2 diapers
*Still sleeping and eating great
*Started to really like her binky. She has it whenever she goes down to sleep and then if she wakes up in the middle of the night, she gets the binky and she goes back to sleep. Love her
*Loves her older siblings. Happy baby when she sees them she just lights up!!
*Everyone always comments that she has a "different" look. She isn't a clone like my other kids :D They also comment on how big and blue her eyes are. She rocks those baby blues!! :D
*Found her hands. She is constantly chewing on her hands.

Wesley turns 2!

 Our cute little Wesley boy is 2!

Weight: 27 lbs (38%)
Height: 34 inches (44%)
Head: 19.25 inches

*Loves to do puzzles-and he is GOOD at them! I'm amazed at how well he figures out where the pieces go and how they all fit together

*Pretty picky eater. 

*Loves his sisters. Especially loves to hold Norah, kiss her, and snuggle her. 

*Loves Mickey Mouse

*Really loves to play ball. He see the basketball game and he says "basketball guys!" Loves playing with the football and the soccer balls.

*Loves the Cardinals and knows what the bird looks like. Always wants to see the Cardinal at Gma and Gpa's house and loves to wear his Cardinal shirt.

*Loves birdies. He watches the birds in our yard and says "Robin, Robin"

*Loves Grandpa Gardner. He is like the only other person he will snuggle with besides Ryan and me. 

*Loves his mommy and always wants me to put him to bed

*Loves to read books-especially books with animals in them.  

*We love this little boy of ours and we love to see him grow up!

 Birthday cupcakes!

Happy Birthday Emry and Wesley

 Emry and Wesley had a combined birthday party this year. We had lots of friends and cousins come celebrate with us. The kids had a blast swimming in the pool (complete with slide), doing the slip 'n slide, and throwing water balloons into the basketball hoop. Pizza, chips, and watermelon for lunch and followed up with cake and presents! It was a fun day with our friends! 

Happy Birthday siblings!

Swimming in the pool; at the table with Tilly, Emry, Jadyn, Kate, and Addison; picture with Kate, Jadyn, Emry, & Tilly; Little babies playing in the water (Wesley, Liv, and Pearl)

 Wesley opening presents; Em & Wes with their cake; Gavin & Brady eating; Emry eating her cake; Wes eating his cake; Emry opening her presents; Wes & Brady eating

Emry Turns 4!

It's her birthday and she's SOOO excited about it!! She told me that it's ok for her to be 4 year old Emry because she is still my Emry. It's a good thing too because we just love that little Emry girl.

Emry is such a light in our life. She is so smart and funny. Everyone who meets her comments on how smart, articulate, polite, and cute she is. And she really is. She has the cutest little voice and happiest little face. She loves to say, "Guess what" and I say, "What?" and she says, "Can I tell you something?" and I say, "Yes." and she says, "Let me tell you something." and I say, "OK" She will then actually tell you what she wants to. She thinks through things and takes her time to do things. She loves to do "projects" which is to cut, color, and glue paper together to make cards or a pair of fake binoculars or whatever else she comes up with. She loves to sing and has an amazing memory. Today Wesley wanted me to read "Goodnight Moon" to him while I was driving. I told him I couldn't read it while I was driving. Then Emry says, I'll read it mom and starts to say all the words to the book. I've read that book a million times but couldn't remember any of it and that girl had the whole thing memorized. She amazes me. She loves anything princess and girly. She is the best big sister-always taking care of Wesley and whenever she gets hurt she wants Wesley to give her a love better. They have the best relationship. She is obedient by nature and always wants to follow the rules. She cares about others and always wants to help them. One time a girl in her primary class was sad because she couldn't go to class with her brother. Emry went and sat by her and said, "It's ok Carly, I'll sit by you." I can tell she is close to the spirit because every once in a while she will be more serious and tell me that she misses her sister Olivia because she didn't get to see her but that it's ok because she will see her after she is resurrected. She always wants to bear her testimony and say her prayers. I'm so proud of this little girl and the big girl she is becoming. We love you 4 year old Emry!!

Weight: 36 lbs (59%)

Height: 40.25 inches (62%)

I'm FOUR!!

She has been talking about getting breakfast in bed for awhile now so she was so excited to get pancakes in bed with 4 candles!

 I told her we could go anywhere for her birthday lunch and she chose Chick-Fil-A. I trained her well! Little did I know that they will bring you a free Sundae.

She waited all day to see her birthday sign in our front yard. We have a great ward!

Memorial Day Weekend in St George

We decided to spend Memorial Day weekend (i.e. Ryan's Birthday weekend) in St. George this year and we had such a fun time! Nate , Brooke, and their kids came as well so it was fun for the kids to play with their cousins all week too. We drove down Thursday night. All the kids did great except Norah screamed almost the entire time. Sorry third child-when everyone else is asleep, you get to keep screaming till we get to Grandma's house. Eeek! Poor girl!

Friday morning the boys went golfing while the girls went swimming. Emry and Wesley love playing in the water so much! I can't wait for this summer when we get to swim so much! They are going to love it! We spent the afternoon playing on the swing set and jumping on the trampoline with our cousins. We had a BBQ that evening and s'mores out back.

 Saturday we got up early and drove out to Kanaraville to hike Kanaraville Falls which is a hike up a freezing cold river. Our feet were FROZEN by the end but the kids had fun and so did we! We got home and after a little rest we went swimming again. We had a delicious shrimp boil for dinner that night (my favorite Gardner meal!), and finished off the night reading with grandma before bed.

Sunday was a Ryan's Birthday! He got bacon and waffles for breakfast (after a morning of sleeping in-best present ever!). We headed to church and then came home for a roast dinner. Ryan wanted Sundaes for his birthday dessert so that's what we had. Grandma made "Spaghetti ice cream" for the kids which is ice cream in the shape of spaghetti noodles with a berry sauce on top to look like sauce and shaved white chocolate to look like cheese. Wesley was not too happy about trying that and threw a fit until Ryan actually got him to eat some. Funny kids! Then we spent the rest of the evening playing games and talking.

Monday morning Nate and Brooke had to leave early so Ryan and Scott went golfing AGAIN! Vivian and I packed up the car and took the kids swimming in the morning. We met the boys in Hurricane to have lunch at Sonney Boys, a really good BBQ place before heading back to Riverton. The drive home went much smoother. We had 4 sleeping people in the car with one driver (me) for about 2 hours of the trip. Norah was much more calm and happy. It was such a fun weekend! We really love visiting St George and playing with our family!

Dance Recital

Emry had her end of year dance recital. She did a great job and it was fun watching her dance. She loved doing tap and ballet and she really loved her teacher. She actually let me put her makeup on this time but I guess I have a lot to teach her because she cried which made her mascara run. Whoops! haha! Love that sweet girl!

Preschool Graduate!

 Emry graduated from her first year in preschool! She absolute loved preschool and we will really miss her teachers she had. Emry learned so many fun songs and so much about the alphabet this year. She can write her name so much better now and can even write most of the other letters too. At her "graduation" they had a program where the kids sang the songs, said the pledge of allegiance, and had a little spotlight of each child. Emry knew all the words and sang the loudest of all the kids. She made me so proud when she recited the pledge of allegiance so loud and she knew all the words. Emry said when she grows up, she wants to be a mommy. That makes me so happy! I hope Emry knows that being her mommy is the best job in the world! We love you little preschool graduate!!

2 Months: Norah

Oh our sweet Norah is so loved! So amazing the joy and sweetness she has brought to our family.

Weight: 12 lbs 8 oz (84%)

Length: 22.9 inches (67%)

Head: 15.3 inches (51%)

She handled her shots great the day she got them, but that night I could tell she was in major pain. She was whimpering and whining as she went to sleep and any time I tried to change her diaper and touched her legs, she would scream. Poor thing! She wouldn't take any Tylenol (anytime I tried to give her some, she immediately threw up. Poor girl!) She finally came back to her happy smiley self about two days later. I hate seeing my girl sad and in pain but at least it was for a good cause...

*Happiest baby! She loves it when you talk to her and she will coo and smile! It's the cutest thing ever!
*Eats like a champ
*Sleeps like a champ too. She had a full week where she slept for 11 hours (from 8:30-7:30). I'm hoping this lasts and she doesn't have major regression (I'm not holding my breath).
*She loves her sister and brother (and they love her so much!)
*Some of her clothes are 0-3 months but she also wears some 3-6 month clothes.
*Wears size 1 and size 2 diapers. (using up my last size 1's to get to her size 2)
*Started to love her bath finally. She gets all relaxed and happy when she's in the bath.
*Still has her baby blues (please stay!)
*Doesn't do tummy time very well. She just kinda has her face straight down in her blanket. She doesn't like it very much but will tolerate it for a while.
*Getting more used to her car seat. She likes it much better now so that is great!
*Getting chunky chunky!!!

Norah's Blessing

Ryan gave Norah a blessing today. It was such a wonderful day and the blessing was just beautiful. Norah was so happy and smiley as I was getting her ready. We love our sweet little Norah.