WestFest 2008

I have so many memories of WestFest...the parade, the carnival, the fireworks. I have lived in West Valley City since I was two years old and fondly remember attending the WestFest activites each year. Some of the years I marched in the parade, some of the years I was helping organize the activities (as a member of the West Valley Youth Council), and some of the years...I would just go and enjoy.

WestFest is usually the last weekend in June, which just happens to correspond with my birthday. There have been numerous years that the annual fireworks show happened on my birthday night! I loved this when I was little...I would tell everyone that the fireworks were in honor of my birth!

Each year I look forward to the weekend of activities...and this year was no exception. I was so excited to share this tradition with my darling little girl. I hope that they continue to have the WestFest for many years to come because I would love to celebrate WestFest with Elizabeth. Last year she was only about three months old when she enjoyed her first WestFest. It is hard to believe that she is now almost 15 months, enjoying her second. I loved how this year she could express how she felt when she saw everything that was going on! She would point, clap, wave, and babble. It was so fun!


As part of the activites, they have a parade. We are so lucky because the parade passes right in front of my parent's house. We usually sit in the nice air-conditioned house until we hear the bands and the people clapping, then we head outside to enjoy. This year we decided that we would set up some chairs on the sidewalk so that Elizabeth could get a better look.

Here is Elizabeth with MeMe, Grandma, and Papa.


Elizabeth could not get enough of all of the excitement. She loved the people, the music, and the floats. She just sat there and waved, and babbled, and laughed. It was so cute to see her enjoying something that I have enjoyed for years. I loved the looks of amazement and pure joy that she had on her face. She allowed me to see the parade in a new way.


In the evening...Matt, Elizabeth and I went to walk around at the WestFest carnival. We looked at all of the booths, had some food, and ended the night watching the huge fireworks display. It was great because we met up with my parents, my uncle Bill, Matt's brother's family, and Matt's parents. We sat on blankets in the grass and enjoyed the show from way up close. We were about 50ft away from where the fireworks were being lit. We were so close that burnt pieces of firework shells were falling all around us. My father-in-law says that it is the only way to experience a fireworks show.

Jayden Mark Stockebrand

I am so excited to announce that Samantha's baby has arrived. Jayden was born today. He weighed in at 7 pounds 14 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long.

We went to the hospital tonight but we were not able to hold Jayden because he needed to get some tests done in the Nursery. Oh Well. We got to watch him through the Nursery Window but it is not the same as holding him in our arms. He is absolutely adorable and I cannot wait to hold him. Once he gets the o.k. and we are able to see him up close I will post some photos.

Lunch with MeMe and Uncle Bill

Today was a busy day. I had a doctor's appointment in the afternoon, so my grandma helped me out by watching Elizabeth. After my appointment, we brought Elizabeth to her pediatrician so that we could get her weighed. I was just curious about how big she is getting.

She is getting bigger but is still not big enough for a forward-facing car seat. She now weighs 18 pounds 9 ounces, and is measuring 28 3/4 inches tall. I cannot believe that she is going on 15 months old and is wearing a 3-6 month size. The clothes that I purchased for her to wear last Summer, she is wearing this Summer. Crazy...Crazy...Crazy!

The best part of the day was going to eat lunch with my grandma and Uncle Bill. We went to Big Apple Pizza in Sandy. They make a really good New York style pizza. The first time I brought Elizabeth to Big Apple Pizza she ate almost an entire slice by herself. She really liked it! This time was no different. She kept asking for more.

In this photo, Elizabeth is signing "more" . I love that when she wants something she points at it and then signs "more". It is so much better than crying her head off until I figure out what she needs.


Here is Elizabeth playing with Uncle Bill. They were playing Peek-a-Boo with each other. It was darling to watch. Her eyes would just light up while she was interacting with him.


For some reason, Elizabeth decided that it would be a great idea to put her plate on her head. She thought that it was so fun. She would hold the plate on her head and look around at us. It was almost as though she wanted us to break into a round of applause.


Uncle Bill decided to be silly and put the plate on Elizabeth's head to see if she would leave it there...and she did. The little stink will not wear a headband, or a hat...but she will wear a plate. I guess I will have to try and find a plate to match each of her outfits!

Gymboree Play & Learn Class

I heard about Gymboree a while ago, yet never took the time to research any of the classes...until today. Elizabeth and I headed over to our local Gymboree for a preview class. We got to participate with the Level Three Play & Learn class.

The Level Three class is designed for children from 10 months to 16 months old. It encourages development through play using sensory stimulation and problem-solving games. I was so impressed with the class, the learning environments, and the teacher...so I signed us up!

Although Elizabeth was not too sure about what we were doing, I think she will get better with time. I really think that it is important for Elizabeth to get out of the house, to get around other adults, and most importantly...to get around other children. I think that Gymboree is going to be a really good experience for the both of us.

A Fun Sunday Afternoon

Today, we went to Matt's parent's house for dinner. I always enjoy going and spending time with the Freebairn group...but during the Summer it is soooo fun! There are plenty of things to do at my in-law's, Karla and Kelly's house. They have a great big yard, a nice patio, and the backyard is shaded by the house so we don't have to worry about having the sun in our face!


Karla made quite the feast. We had enchiladas, rice, chips, bread, salad, and too many different kinds of fruit to mention. Elizabeth loved the enchiladas and rice. She kept asking for more. I love that she is such a great eater. I hope she continues to be as she grows older.


This year, Karla and Kelly purchased some new toys for the grand kids. They got a great slide, a picnic table, new balls, and a water table. They are so cute. Elizabeth, Kena, and Kate had a blast playing together. I love seeing the girls having a good time. When they play, dance and share "kissies"... I Love It! It makes my heart so happy!


Kena, Kate and Elizabeth did such a great job of taking turns on the slide. They would line up and wait their turn.


It was cute to see each of them having such a great time. Elizabeth would only go down if she was holding my hands, while Kena was brave and even went down head-first on her tummy.


My favorite was the little picnic table. I don't know why I love it so much...I just do. I think that it is so cute. I love that all the girls can sit together and play. Here Kena and Kate are teaching Elizabeth how to bang her hands on the table.


Here are a couple of my favorite photographs of Kena. She is such a beautiful little girl. She has a wild and crazy personality with a heart of gold. She is a great cousin to Elizabeth!


I think this is such a great photo of Kena with her daddy. I love seeing dads and daughters together. Maybe it is because I love my dad so much. I have just always thought that there is nothing better than a daughter and her dad having fun together.


Karla takes such good care of her garden. The flowers always look great and I don't think that I have ever seen a weed. While we were eating dinner, Kate wandered off to go see the flowers. She would examine each flower and then move on to the next bush. Once Elizabeth saw Kate over by the flowers, she had to go check them out too. She even decided to have a little taste!


I think Elizabeth's favorite part of the night, was playing with the water table. She loved to splash and play with the toys. She got totally drench and still wanted to keep playing. I was thinking about buying one for our backyard but wasn't sure that Elizabeth would use it. After watching how much fun she had last night, we will definitely be buying one!


Here are a couple of photos of Elizabeth with Matt and Me. I love Elizabeth so much. I am so blessed to have her in my life. I hope she knows how much her mom and dad absolutely adore her!

Merry-Go-Round

Today, my mom, my grandma, Elizabeth and I spent the day together. After running some errands, we ended up at the South Town Mall...where we found this great merry-go-round!


Elizabeth got so excited when she saw the merry-go-round. She kept pointing and grunting at it. She would shake with excitement. We watched for about 20 minutes. She could not take her eyes off of all of the flashing lights and bright colors. She would even dance to the music. My mom was nice enough to buy Elizabeth a ride on the merry-go-round. We all were interested to see how she would handle it because she has never been on any sort of ride before.

All in all, she did really good. At first she hung on really tight...but as we went around a couple of times she started to lift her hands to point around. I was really proud of how well she did. She is such a brave girl. It seems as though she will try anything...as long as I am right by her side. It is such a great feeling to know that she trusts me and that I make everything okay. Words cannot describe how that makes me feel.

***Elizabeth, I hope you know that I will always be there to help you and support you. You can do anything that you set your mind to, just you believe in yourself. Know that I will always believe in you!***

Lunch at the Park

Elizabeth and I went to have lunch with my mom today. It was such a nice day that we went to Draper Park so that we could be out in the beautiful sun. It was so nice because my grandma was able to make it. We have a four generation lunch date!

It was my grandma and mom's first time playing with Elizabeth at the park. They had fun and got to see Elizabeth go crazy. She was running all over the park. She is such a busy body and wanted to see everything. Most of the time, she was running faster than her little legs could carry her...and faster than MeMe could walk. Elizabeth was yelling and pointing in every direction. She had so much fun.


My mom and grandma got to push Elizabeth on the swings, but she wasn't that excited about them. She wanted to be down and running around.


One of Elizabeth's favorite things today was seeing the horses. At first, she was not so sure if she like them or not, but once she warmed up to them. She did not want to leave. She just keep pointing and babbling to them.


I had a hard time getting Elizabeth back into her car seat when it was time to go home. I could tell that she was tired though...and needed to go home. She fell asleep as soon as we started to drive.

Samantha's Baby Shower

Matt's cousin Samantha is expecting her first baby in July. We are excited to meet her little boy, when he finally comes! This weekend, Grandma Thayne, Aunt Betty, and Karla hosted a baby shower in Samantha's honor. I had so much fun! It was great to get together with the girls of the family and chat.

Here are Sarah, Arlene, and Matt's Mom. Matt is Samatha's boyfriend.


Here are Aunt Melanie (Samanth's Mom), Samantha's Grandma, and Karla (my mother-in-law).








Here is Aunt Betty. She co-hosted the shower and was the official scribe. Thanks Aunt Betty!















Here is Grandma Thayne watching Samantha open all of her gifts.











Grandma Thayne, Aunt Betty, and Karla...Thanks for the great day! Samantha, I wish you the best and hope that you enjoy your new little man!

Family Pictures

Last week, we took new family photos. I have wanted them so bad. The weather was finally good enough, so we headed over to my parent's house to take some photos in their backyard. My dad works so hard in his garden that I just knew that it would make the perfect backdrop for our photos.


This one makes me laugh because Elizabeth has her tongue sticking out. She is such a little character. I love photos that catch her personality.






Here are a couple of my favorite photos of Matt and Me. I am so blessed to have Matt in my life. He is a wonderful husband, an amazing father, and a great photographer!





























Elizabeth is not a big fan of grass. She is getting better, but still does not like it. She has been brave a couple of times but will usually only walk on the grass if someone is holding her hand. I wanted to get a picture of her all by herself though, because I think that she looks adorable in this little cherry dress. I have had it for months and have been waiting for her to fit in it. It is still a little too big, but I couldn't wait any longer to see her in it.


Here are a couple of snapshots that Matt took while he was setting up for the family photos.





I think these two shots are so great. They really catch Elizabeth's crazy, yet fun personality.