family pictures 2014.

On the day before the 4th of July, we met up with Heather and drove a windy road up the canyon for some family pictures. It was stormy that day, but by some miracle, it hardly rained (and when it did, it sprinkled for about 5 minutes). These were so much fun to do, and Franz was an angel (a wiggly angel) the whole time, giving Heather the biggest grins, especially when she brought out Holly the Owl.

Despite going hiking up a mountain in sandals, sitting on a dirty blanket in white pants, Franz being up past his bedtime, a gigantic bee flying around us, and being told there were field mice as we walked through a field, it was one of the funnest nights I've had this summer. And aren't these pictures gorgeous?!

Heather's taken our pictures five times now, if you count Franz's birth and newborn shoot, and I've never been disappointed. She's my favorite, and she'll be the one I go to for photo shoots for the rest of my life, I think. :)

the farm: take two.

^^^How come all of my favorite pictures are always out of focus?

Last month, when Franz still had an owie on his nose, we took advantage of $2 Tuesday at Thanksgiving Point and went to their little farm. (Side note: we were going to go to the Museum of Natural Curiosity, but the line went out the door and down the sidewalk, so we skipped out and decided the farm was good, too.) Since the last time we took Franz to a farm, he's become more aware of his surroundings, so we thought it would be fun.

We were totally right. Over the last few months, we've been reading him books about different kinds of animals, like cows (mooooooo!), horses (neigh!), and sheep (baaaaaa!).  When we pointed out the horses and cows to him, in particular, and made their respective sounds, he got so excited, and you could tell that he recognized them! It was so much fun to watch. We even have a video of him petting a horse, and it's probably the cutest thing ever.

He was in awe the whole walk around the farm. Horses, chickens, cows, goats (my favorite), ducks, geese, and rabbits! He could not get enough! I'm excited to take him back again!

franz's first trip to bear lake.

Bear Lake this year was awesome with a baby in tow. I've learned that you've got to be flexible while traveling with a baby, and to be ready to throw all your plans out the window at any given second, which we did a few times when we drove around the lake, trying to get him to take a nap (he didn't), forgoing taking pictures on the beach as a family, because it was just too much work (although we did a couple of me and Franz on my phone), and skipping out on a local play because of an early bedtime.

But most parts were down right fun, like hanging out on the beach (where Franz napped on me for an hour or so) and showing him the water and sand and boats, leaving him with grandma Jill while Zac and I took a wave runner out on the lake, pushing Franz in the porch swing for a while (where he almost fell asleep), and playing Phase 10 with everyone late at night while the kids slept. I am really liking going places with this little boy. He makes things more hectic, but much more enjoyable.

Bear Lake was good this year, and I think Franz enjoyed it, as well. 

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a day at the farm.

^^^Look at that horse's crazy eye!

At the end of June, we took Franz up to Wheeler Farm to see all the animals! In my mind, I imagined that Franz would be excited as all get out about all the animals moving around, with all the different sounds they make. When we got there, Franz didn't give a hoot about anything. In fact, I took him right up to where the horses were hanging out, and he didn't even flinch. Now that's he's almost 9 months old (what?!), I feel like he would find them more amazing than he did those few weeks ago.

The day was really hot, but it was so much fun seeing the turkey, goats (my favorite, because babies!), pigs, sheep, and horses while eating some apple-flavored salt water taffy that we got from the little shop at the farm. I think another trip in the cool fall weather is in our future. :)

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bbq on a saturday.

^^^Hey, look! Tooth buds! 

Last Saturday, we invited Erica and Wes over for a BBQ in our complex. There's a really good grill on the side of our apartment that we don't use enough, and we were in the mood for some chicken and veggie kebabs, so we grilled some up while Franz bounced and bounced behind us.

It was so windy out, and our napkins and plates kept blowing away, but it was warm, so we stayed outside long enough to roast some s'mores, and then hurried inside so Zac could show Wes his new Play Station 4, and so Erica could show me her Leslie and the Lys record (which is awesome, by the way).

I love having friends so close. And as it turns out, we're both looking for houses to buy and move into, so it won't be for too long, so this summer I think I'm going to eat this close proximity up.

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jason's birthday party.

Last night we drove down to Provo for Jason's birthday party! He's twenty-five now, just like Zac! Abby put so much work into it, like making paper lanterns, digging a fire pit, hanging strings of lights, putting together a game of jeopardy that revolved around Jason's life, baking a chocolate cake from scratch, and some dip, too! This girl is wonder woman! We met some new friends, too, named Roselia, Nelson, Becca, and baby Daphne (isn't she the sweetest?).

We started the night with some jeopardy, and Zac and I took second place! I was so impressed with that idea for a birthday, and I might have to steal it one day. :) We took pictures and ate chocolate cake (two slices for me) and 7-layer dip, and listened to music. We even played Mario Kart on the projector, and ended the night with some good ol' group karaoke. It was a blast! Definitely one of the better parties I've been to. I love these people.

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