Twinkle, Twinkle

Here is the other hat, by the way. Halle is always singing, and since she got this puzzle from Grandma for Christmas, she learned the words to twinkle twinkle little star very quickly. Now we always get a performance when the puzzle comes out.

My Fair Lady

We took Halle to the state fair again this year and had a lot of fun. Of course, we stopped at the petting zoo where Halle was brave enough to be among the little goats for a short time. But then one came up and looked her straight in the eye and tried to sniff her, and that was the end of the fun. She also got to ride on the petting zoo train. And we do have to put the honorable mention in for the wicker casket they had on display in the antiques section, which I guess I didn't get a picture of. You will have to ask me about it if you are curious.

And we have to thank Uncle Alan for the very cute additions to her hat collection. If you haven't noticed by now, she loves to wear her hats and she has become well-known to the neighborhood kids for it. Uncle Al came and visited a few weeks ago and he brought two hats for her which she really loves. I just realized we don't have a picture of the second one, but thank you Al.

Change is in the Air

Some of you might be wondering where we have been for the last month. After Neal was laid off from his new job almost two months ago, it has given us a lot to think about. We decided to put the decision of when and where we worked back into our own hands, and we have been in the process of starting our own design and construction company. Fortunately, our talents are well matched as I am able to do the design work and Neal does the building. And although I am also the accountant in the family, I have been in more of an advisement role as Neal has taken on that portion of the business as well so my time is more flexible for Halle. We are excited about the new road we are taking, and our first official project should start in about a month. Neal has been doing light remodeling and other projects until we can get everything going. We can't say enough to everyone who has been so supportive to us as we have been making our transition. Thank you so much.

Our Olympic Spirit

We have enjoyed watching some of the Olympic events on tv every night and Halle is really getting into it. There is no explanation for the picture of her wearing a bunch of old necklaces and her baby headband. Neal was trying to get her to say "I pity the fool," but we didn't quite get it out of her.

We have also been working with her on a bike Neal's parents gave her that they happened to have at their house. We tried going for a walk with her on her bike, but we ended up running just to keep up with her once she got going. So this time, we rode our bikes with her. She thinks she is such a big girl now. It was a bit of a challenge to keep her corralled in the right direction, so we put her on the sidewalk about half way through the ride. And thank heavens for the knee pads. She fell several times trying to get on and off the sidewalk to go around cars parked too far out in the driveways but it didn't even phase her.

Backyard Fun

We caught a couple of videos of Halle having fun in the backyard and decided to share them. The first one is of her sliding into her pool. She would be out there all day if we let her, despite the temperature of the water.

Halle and Neal also have fun kicking the ball around the yard, which is in the second video. Every time we play the video, Halle laughs at the part where Neal comes after the ball when she isn't looking. She asks us to play it over and over again.

Bear Lake Trip

Neal's family gathers together at Bear Lake every year for a family reuinion. We usually spend a whole day playing on the beach and in the water, and then we camp at a nearby KOA. By dinner time of the last day, all the kids are crying and the parents are exhausted, but it is still a time we enjoy together. Here are the three cousins the same age (Caleb, Halle, and Nixon) playing in the kiddie pool their older cousin, Jared kindly built for them.

This is Halle with her older cousin, Jared, towing her around in the water. She wanted so badly to go out and play with him in the deeper water. And by deep, we mean just deep enough to float on the tube because the water is shallow quite far into the lake. So Neal said she could as long as she held on tight to Jared, and she did even though she couldn't do much more than lay there in that life jacket.

And we were all so glad that Uncle Al came because we don't get to see him very often. All the kids had to have their turn "riding" his bike and trying on the helmet.

Family Days at the Dairy

Our local dairy hosts a family days event where everyone can come have tours and wagon rides and pet the animals. Halle's most favorite part was the ride on the horse. In fact, whenever we go back to the dairy now, she says she needs to ride the horse.

They also had newborn calves and other farm animals to pet. She was only brave enough to get close to the calf because he just sat there in the sunshine and didn't move too much.

Kisses from Daddy

Neal's parent's recently returned from their mission to Florida, and we visited their ward to hear them speak about it last Sunday. We had a great weekend visiting with family. Thanks to Aunt JoAnn for taking this really cute picture of us.

We also visited the local dairy for some ice cream last weekend, and they had some ducks and other animals to see.

And before that, we went to spend the night with our friends, Bryan and JaNan, at their family's cabin. We had a great time just relaxing and enjoying nature.