Summer 2011

*****NOTE: I'm having technical difficulties with this post and have literally been fighting it for over half hour. I just bot the low battery warning and am calling it. Hope it makes sense!

Wow, I can't believe how fast this summer has flown by. Tomorrow is the last day of August and I can't help be a little sad. Our family has had such a busy, eventful few months.

First, Elder Fackrell took off for the Florida Orlando Mission.

I don't know what I expected it to be like with him serving, but its been a lot harder than I imagined. He is doing so well and loving it so much. It is so amazing to watch him grow and learn and bring people to the knowledge of the Savior. But it has been so hard having him gone. He is such a strong part of our family. He was always there and I definitely took that for granted. A lot of times he blended into the background, but he was always there. I'm so proud of him.

Then in July, we waited for Baby Webb. And waited and waited.

And on August 4th, Asher Heber made it worth our wait! It was so incredible to see my brave, strong sister welcome that little guy into the world. What a labor of love. I'm so, so in love with him and wish I could hang out with him instead of being at work all day.

Then, Elise Fackrell became Elise Bruckner. Talk about GLOWING. She was SO happy. I'm so happy for her and it was so much fun. The wedding was in the Bountiful Temple and then we had such a fun reception with dancing and everything. Congrats Elise and Mike!!!

Somehow, in the middle of it all, Katie and Nate's kids grew up. They are so big. I don't know how it happened.







































I'm so thankful for my family. Love them so much. They make my life colorful and I'd be lost without them.

{SEATTLE: PART 2}

What a fun week in Seattle! We stayed in a house right on the Puget Sound and went downtown almost every day. Once the race was over we could all relax and just enjoy being there. The weather was perfect, the kids were well behaved, and Baby Webb stayed put so Chel didn't have to give birth on vacation. We definitely missed Joe--it was weird to not have him around. Elise's fiance Mike got his first taste of a family vacation and we didn't scare him away. Our days were pretty jam packed to get everything we wanted to do in, and we almost always were together as a family. We split up one day when the girls went for pedicures and then the boys went golfing, but other than that we were able to find things that kept everyone interested.

GOOD FOOD: Hard Rock Cafe and Crab Pot were both super fun. Jackson definitely surprised us all by how much he LOVED the mussels, clams, oysters and shrimp. Lola loved the "chicken fingers" that were actually calamari. These little kids have exotic taste!

We had perfect weather to watch the Braves play the Mariners. We all enjoyed the cotton candy, pulled pork sandwiches, ice cream and fresh lemonade, but lets be honest, were a bit disappointed at the lack of Diet Cokes to be had. Lola was on the lookout to find boyfriends for both of us, but we were unsuccessful in that endeavor.

The aquarium and the science center were tons of fun. We also enjoyed the Music Project but I didn't get any pictures from there. Elise decided she wants a jelly fish tank in their apartment and Nate tried (and almost succeeded) to steal a butterfly that was taking up life on his sunglasses.

Pikes Place Market was so much fun with all the fresh produce, fish, and flowers. Such fun local color too--Miles was super intrigued and wanted to know all about marijuana and tattoos. Oh, the aspects of life that just isn't found in peaceful Cache Valley.

The Sunday afternoon ferry ride was fun and relaxing and we learned all about Seattle. We missed mom and dad but came home to give a full report on all the facts we had learned.

We were sad for the vacation to wrap up but worn out from our adventures. We headed home and spent one last night in a hotel outside of Boise, where we enjoyed the swimming pool at 10:00 p.m. and then oatmeal from McDonalds as a midnight snack. I'm so thankful for my fun family!

13.1

Yesterday I had the priviledge of running the Seattle Rock'n'Roll half marathon. 13.1 miles along some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen: through a Seattle neighborhood, along the Puget Sound, across a stretch of freeway, down an offramp, and into Downtown Seattle.

Katie, Marcus, Elise, Mike and I headed to the starting line at 5:45 a.m. with about 26,000 other crazy people. I was relieved with how soon I heard the first band playing and saw the first mile marker. The people cheering along the sidelines were so encouraging, the bands were so fun, the race was super diverse, and the relief at the end was so great!

I don't know how many more of these races I have in me, but a big shout out for my family for talking me into this and for Chelsea, Nate and the kiddos who were there to congratulate us at the finish line.

Baby Shower!!!

Last week we had a baby shower for Chelsea and her little guy. We had SO much fun planning and organizing and then being at the event. Everyone was so generous and we had so much fun oohing and ahhing about the cute little baby things.

I'm so thankful for my sisters and my mom and how much fun we always have together.

Happy

Chelsea sent me this picture today, and I couldn't stop looking at it: she is SO HAPPY. She is so happy to be pregnant, so happy to be a mom, so happy to have a family of her own. She is being such a good sport about being tired, sick, achy and everything else that comes with pregnancy. She still goes to the gym even when she can't workout the way she wants to, still looks adorable, and still works hard. I'm so proud of her and SO happy for her--Chel, you deserve to be happy.

I Hope They Call Me On A Mission

Tonight my whole family got together at my parents house to watch my brother Joe open his mission call. We are so blessed to be part of such a huge support system. The room was totally full as he tore open the envelope and started reading..........ORLANDO FLORIDA!!!

I am so excited for him. He has grown up so much lately and is totally ready for this incredible experience. As the only boy with 4 sisters it hasn't always been easy for him, but he is a solid individual with a strong testimony that is becoming more and more obvious.

I realized the other day I haven't dedicated near enough of this blog to him, so Joe, this one's for you:

*** He's really good at making things out of wood. He made his mom and sisters cutting boards for Christmas and they are fabulous. He's currently working on a baby mobile.
*** He is genuinely sweet and a good listener. We've had many a conversation about the mysteries of dating, and its been so fun to get a male perspective from someone who is so concerned for my welfare.
*** He is a great uncle to Jackson and Miles. This fall while they were visiting he made marshmallow guns with them. I know they look up to him and watch everything he does.
*** He has a temper just like mine. Which means he understands me when I get riled up.
*** He is good at finding ways to serve. This winter my parents were out of town and he was home alone. They came home to a message from the neighbors, thanking him for shoveling the snow off their walks. He offers to babysit Katie's kids, helps with yardwork, and has moved me countless times.
*** He used to make appointments to come in for a haircut at my salon under fake names. I'd spend the whole afternoon trying to figure out who was coming in, and then be pleasantly surprised when he walked through the door, always with a diet coke in hand.
*** One night we were the only 2 at my parent's house, and he talked me into playing xBox with him. We played a car racing game, and he let me design my own purple sports car and then let me not lose by too much.
*** He is always up for a game of Ticket to Ride or a beverage run.
*** He is responsible. I learned that last summer when he and I took dad's boat up to Flaming Gorge a couple days before the rest of the family came up. He is confident and experienced and realizes when its ok to be silly and when its time to be cautious.

I'm so proud of you Joe. I know I can be hard on you but I hope you know how much I love you and how important you are to me. You're gonna rock this missionary thing--you'll love it and they'll love you--I can't wait to start getting the letters.

Girls Trip

I'm so behind on my blogging!!

In January my mom, all the sisters, and little Stella headed down to Sunny St. George for a weekend of rest, relaxation, and shopping. Thanks to Chelsea's in-laws we had a fabulous place to stay, and we spent the weekend eating good food, sleeping in, chillin at the pool, visiting the temple, and finding fabulous new places to shop (they loved us so much they offered us jobs there!)

Stella was a doll and got more attention than any baby should ever get from all of us girls as well as every stranger we ran into. Lola was a little perturbed that she got passed over for the fun...maybe next year Lo!

I'm so grateful for my mom and my sisters and how close we are. There aren't many people I always know I'm going to have as good a time with as them. We never run out of things to gossip about, rant about, or laugh about.

It was so great to just chill for a couple days--definitely a tradition worth repeating!!