SoCal here we come! Part I

We went to Southern California to visit family, attend my brothers open house for his wedding, and go with Jen's family to Palm Springs. We were there for almost two weeks and had a blast. The first day we were there, we went to the beach. Is there really any other thing to do when starved of the beach for so long? We were excited though because, although Katelynn has been to the beach once before, she was not nearly this active or mobile.

Katelynn loves kids, and especially her cousins Ethan and Annalise. They both were much more excited now that Katelynn is more playful.

Cute picture of Annalise.

The day we left, Jen decided that we needed to get a new car seat for Katelynn. We faced it forward with her so close to her birthday and it would make the trip a little easier with interaction from us. As you can see, she loves it.

When we arrived at the beach, I saw smoke floating with the breeze. When we got out of the car, we didn't smell any smoke so we decided it was safe to go out with the kids and it must be just the marine layer or something. It was the most bizarre thing any of us have ever seen at the beach. I don't think this picture even begins to explain how weird it really was.

Josh and Hayley met up with us at the beach. It was fun to see them there. And no they didn't use the boogyboardthe because the water and weather was too cold.

There were two other families there at the beach that live in the same complex as Nichole. The lady, Heidi, in the back of this picture used to babysit me ages ago. Anyway, Katelynn had a blast. She was a little upset/frustrated with the unevenness of the ground because she had a hard time walking on it.

There were a bunch of kids there, which pleased Katelynn.

Katelynn had tons of fun playing in the sand. As you can see. It was a blast even with the crazy weather.

Wedding and Walking

Yesterday Dave, Jen's cousin, was married in the Salt Lake Temple and we were able to be there. It was a stark contrast from my brother's wedding last Saturday. It was rainy, windy, and cold. And by cold, I thought it was winter cold. I think everyone was a little miserable outside. The sealing and reception was great though. The Luncheon at the Lion House was great too. Here is Jen's Uncle Layne, Aunt Teresa (Mother of the Groom), Grandma Barnes, Uncle Randy, and Dad Greg.


The sealing was great. I usually think a lot about my own marriage during the ceremony but I focused a lot more on the symbolism of the ordinance and I learned a great deal. This is Dave and Patty. I am shocked I got any clear pictures because I was shaking so bad.


Like I said it was raining, windy and it was cold.


And if you are new here at our blog, there is never a post without Katelynn, being she is the center of our lives right now. I thought this one was cute.


"Let me in, I want to get married here one day!"


Because it was raining, we were smart and went to the top of the stairs to get some shelter. The only downside is that we won't have any proof we were at the wedding except for the pictures we took. This is the view I had at the top. (Note that I had the camera a good deal above my head to take this picture so I think only our foreheads would be showing in Dave and Patty's pictures.)


Jen and me. Look how cute we are.


Afterwards, we went to the Edwards home and relaxed and had some pasta salad, rolls, and Jen's favorite, watermelon. A little while later, Dave and Patty graced us with their presence.


Now weddings are great and all, but I think the highlight of the day is --- Katelynn walked. Like not just a step or two like she has been doing or the five consecutive steps that she took once before on Tuesday (that only covered a foot or so). This was real walking. Like independent walking, or I-am-my-own-person walking, or Don't-carry-me-I-can-walk walking.





Dan was impressed.


Kristen and Cory were also there showing off Ellie. She is a cutie. She is three months now. Kristen is a trooper. She flew alone with all three kids, one being three months.


Katelynn loved playing with Blake and Rachel which made us really happy and made us think that this might be a good precursor of next week with her two cousins that are both about the same age. The whole time I was taking pictures, Katelynn was trying to play with the car seat and Blake and Rachel didn't want her to. Katelynn loves car seats and plays with them every chance she can get. She is mesmerized by them. I think Rachel was a little protective, maybe of her sister's things, and didn't want Katelynn playing with it. I think Blake was trying the best he could to be the peacemaker and neutralize the situation. If that is the case, Blake has a lot to learn about getting between two fighting women. Don't do it.



Rachel was cute and was helping Katelynn walk along here.


Rachel loves kissing and Katelynn loves biting. That made for some interesting outcomes.


Those kids were just so cute together.


Now I guess Dan has a pretty mean high five. I think he gave his mom whiplash on this one.



The reception was at a greenhouse. It was so pretty. I loved the green plants and the gorgeous flowers. I don't think most people know but I love plants and growing things. I have never been great at it, but I still love it.


Kristen and Cory posed with their family here. Don't they look like a great family.

Josh is Married!!!

Sorry girls, Josh is now officially taken and married. The blessed event happened yesterday and was a wonderful warm and sunny day. Hayley and Josh love Hawaii as they go to school there and will probably live there as long as they can. Therefore, the theme of the wedding was Hawaii in Utah. I would like to note that the day before, Hayley received her endowments in the Bountiful temple and Elder Ballard was in the session. Pretty cool. Jen's friend, Ang, had her husbands brother getting married at the exact same time as Josh and Hayley and he was marrying President Hinckley's granddaughter. So President Hinckley sealed them and was near by. Also cool. Anyway, Josh and Hayley's wedding was cool and my grandpa was able to seal them. He has sealed every one of his grandkids that were married after he became a sealer. I think that is so fun.


Here we are. We had to try to stay out of the sun as much as we could so we wouldn't burn.



Look at the couple!


Grandma Nancy.


I thought this was a good picture. I was lucky and got Josh to look at me, although he was squinting so you can't even tell.


Awww, how cute.


What would a blog without Katelynn pictures? We tried to keep that hat on as much as possible but she would have it. She hated that hat and took it off the second it touched her head, most of the time.


Look at this beautiful lady.

Lizzy Bell, who is on a mission at Temple Square was able to attend to sealing and hung out a little afterwards. It was nice to see her. She has 7 or 8 months left I think and sounds like she is having a lot of fun.

I thought this was a great picture of Lyss as she posed for Ben.

Ben forgot his sandals and camera so he took phone camera pictures. I guess I was too boring to look at when he was taking a picture of me.

My Grandpa, my aunt Cheryl, my mom, and my uncle Craig.

I thought this was the cutest picture with Katelynn hugging my grandpa. She does that now and gives you a big bear hug.



It looks as though Elder Nelson had a relation being married too. Jarrod and Lyss had a picture with him that is posted on my dad's blog. Jen shook his hand. This was as close as I was able to get, the closest I have ever been to an apostle. I felt pretty special.


There were many people that helped us out that day. Katelynn is getting less patient with being held and likes to crawl or walk around. Ben and Jarrod walked her around a lot, Sister Christensen walked around the temple, and many other people helped us out a lot. We are so thankful for everyone.


Both Jen and I were a little sick and so we didn't take many other pictures the rest of the day. For a more thorough coverage of the day, the Wilbur Family blog has a good posting of the day. Here, Josh and Hayley cut the cake and fed each other. They were very civil and didn't get it everywhere. There were a lot of people that were friends of my parents ages ago that were at the reception so that was cool. Anyway, it was a good day.