Home at last. . .

We just got home yesterday from a week-long vacation with Jared's family in South Dakota. The main reason for our trip was the Olson Family Reunion--over 100 descendants of Ruth and Everett, Jared's grandparents, gathered together for a few days of fun. We visited the family farm, played in the nearby Oahe Lake, had some of the best fudge EVER (Angela is Jared's cousin-in-law), and took LOTS of pictures. Above is a picture of the beautiful South Dakota sunset that greeted us upon arrival at the Olson family farm. I'll be telling the rest of the story (Jocke the snake charmer, a side trip to Sturgis, fireworks at Mt. Rushmore, and more!) once I get the rest of our pictures off of our brother-in-law's computer (our puny memory cards just couldn't hold them all. . .)

Summer Fun

I *thought* I was snapping pictures of Elizabeth eating her very first ice cream cone. . .until Jared broke it to me that he'd already taken care of that milestone, a few months ago when she went to Arctic Circle with him. Oh, well--cute pictures nonetheless. :)


Enjoying a taste of summer with two of her doting uncles, Aaron and Joseph.



On Tuesday we spent the morning at Red Butte Garden--the weather was beautiful and so were the gardens. Elizabeth wasn't terribly excited about the life-sized dino sculptures currently on display, but she did enjoy the Children's Garden!


The snake maze--even Mommy thought this was pretty fun. . .a long, winding mesh frame covered in Virginia creeper vines.



Fish-watching at the Water Pavilion. Be sure to have quarters handy when you come, to buy a handful of feed for the ducks and goldfish. . .you may even manage to entice some of the HUGE lake trout to surface!

Nice day for a white wedding. . .

(. . .with some green accents.)


Holly's little sister Kellie is now a married woman! And her husband Joseph is about the sweetest, cutest, smartest uncle Elizabeth could've hoped for. They were married yesterday afternoon at the Jordan River Temple. The reception to follow was supposed to be in our uncle's and aunt's gorgeous backyard. . .The evening rain cleared up just long enough for us to get hopeful and get everything set up outside--only to start up again as the first guests were arriving. We rushed everything inside and did some re-arranging. The end result: a slightly crowded but very fun and memorable evening!



Grandpa Brent ("Poppa") and his brother, Great-Uncle Doug, holding Elizabeth and cousin Brooklyn. (Hairbows courtesy of Miss Monkey's Boutique--thanks again, Ashley!)



Proud new parents Kim (matron of honor) and Gavin adoring their newly-adopted betta fish, Cosmo. (No way was my mom taking home all those fishbowl centerpieces!)



Kellie is such a "pretty princess" that we sisters decided that even if SHE didn't wear a tiara on her wedding day, WE certainly would. From left to right--Holly and Elizabeth, Amy, Sarah, and Brittiny and Brooklyn.


Tired but happy. . .It was quite a day!

We're thrilled to have a new brother, and Elizabeth just adores her newest uncle. Congratulations to Kellie and Joseph. . .Many wishes for a wonderful life together. We love you!

Happy Birthday, Super Jordan!

We celebrated cousin Jordan's fourth birthday today with a Superman-themed party. The kids had a lot of fun meeting the superheros, flying around the yard in their capes, and decapitating the Superman pinata.

Elizabeth, enjoying the wind in her hair. . .


Do you know these superheros' mild-mannered alter egos? (left to right: Jared, Uncle Jay, Aunt Lisa, and Grandma and Grandpa Allred)


The Super Family (cousin Madison, Uncle Jay, Aunt Lisa, and cousin Jordan)


The Superkids plot to rescue the pinata from the evil clutches of Lex Luthor. . .


Super Fiona!

Toddlerhood

List 10 words to describe toddlers, and "weird" and "hilarious" are sure to be near the top.

Here Elizabeth takes a break from reading Good Night, Gorilla (for the fourteenth time) to lounge in a laundry basket while watching a few minutes of "Signing Time".

Cousin-pa-looza

Aunt Brittiny and Cousin Brooklyn flew out for a visit a few weeks ago. We had the pleasure of tending Brookers for a little while. Elizabeth is entranced by pictures of babies--but how did she do with a real, live baby in her very own house?


Don't be fooled by the picture; two minutes later Elizabeth decided sharing wasn't all that it was cracked up to be and started snatching toys from Brooklyn as fast as she could pick them up. But overall Elizabeth thought Brooklyn was pretty cool--although she wasn't too happy when she realized that she had to share Poppa with her, too! ;)

The next week we spent an evening at Jay & Lisa's house, watching trailers for upcoming movies (Mom, you know you want to see this one!). Elizabeth and Jordan were so excited to see each other. . .They held still exactly long enough to take this picture.

Being a toddler is EXHAUSTING!

Proof that she really does sleep:

Poor kiddo--it was only 6:30, but after a long and busy day with only a catnap in the car, she fall asleep in the middle of eating her dinner!