It almost seems surreal that we packed up all of our belongings, drove across the country and we now call Salt Lake City, Utah our home.
So far, we are loving Utah and enjoying it so much.
In the midst of all of the craziness of unpacking and getting everything situated in our new home, our children have continued to grow.
Brielle lost her top two teeth.
Scott pulled it with floss and slammed the door!
Brielle wasn't too sure about it but that tooth had been wiggling for quite a while that it was time.
The tooth fairy took FOREVER to come!
We told Brielle that it always confuses her when kids move...she had to try and find her and that's why she took so long!
...and while Brielle has been losing teeth, Brookie has been getting teeth.
Aren't those the cutest little teeth you've ever seen?
I am just in LOVE my little Brookie...and she is such a mama's girl!
She is so attached to me...which can be good and bad...mostly good! :)
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We live very close to Sugar House park. It's a really nice park with wide open spaces!
Although I do miss Virginia's trees, I have to say that I LOVE wide open spaces.
The first few weeks living here, Braden kept saying that we had moved to the desert. He kept wondering where all the trees had gone! It was so funny to hear him express his feelings about this change.
He didn't think it was very pretty...but then we'd point out the beautiful mountains and he's say, 'those look like a painting.'
One of our first Saturdays here we went to feed the ducks at the park.
It's always nice to get out of a house full of boxes waiting to be unpacked and just head outside to enjoy a beautiful day.
I needed this outing really bad!
I think the ducks appreciated it too!
Two days after we moved to our new place, Braden learned how to ride his bike without training wheels. He had asked Scott several times, to take off the training wheels, Scott kept thinking that he wasn't quite ready. He finally took them off and Braden was riding his bike like a pro in less than 10 minutes! He totally got the hang of it right away!
Scott and I were amazed and he was so proud of himself.
After feeding the ducks, we walked around the park and let the kids play.
...and by kids, I also mean Scott!:)
Brielle and Brooke trying on some random sunglasses that Brielle found on the park bench.
Sometimes, I look at these two girls and I can't believe they are my little girls!
On the way back to our car, we saw a bunch of roses...their aroma was amazing!
We all stopped to smell the flowers.
Brielle was ready to go home as you can see in that picture and Braden is showing off his wound from falling. I can't remember exactly what happened.
We had a fun afternoon at the park.
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Our second weekend here, Scott's older brother CJ, his wife Lenell and their kids came to visit us.
It was so nice to see them and spend some time with all of them.
Aunt Penny, CJ and Ari.
It was fun to finally meet Ari and watch her interact with her brothers. She is the only girl and has 4 big brothers. They all love her to pieces. She is adorable!
We were so happy to have Jana (Scott's cousin) and her family join us too.
It is so fun to have family close by.
Almost all of the great-grandchildren on the Jensen side. We are missing Nathanial, Christopher and Emily.
Grandma Jensen, look at your posterity! :)
I love it that Parker and Braden are such good little friends...and Macie is just such a cutie!
Alex came and picked all 3 of them!
Brothers and their girls.
It has been such a blessing and so fun to be close to Penny!
She is so fun to be around and we have loved getting together with her.
Boys will always be boys!
Braden didn't think that was very funny...
Brooke and Ari getting acquainted.
Ari is 3 or 4 months older than Brooke.
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this picture of Brielle and Brooke.
The lighting was so beautiful when we were there.
I think I'm definitely printing this one.
It was so fun to see family and spend an afternoon at the park.
Thanks CJ and Lenell for stopping by.
We loved seeing you and your family.
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Some friends from Church invited us to go to the splash pad and we joined them.
It is so fun to be in a new place and have new experiences.
The kids had a fun time and I enjoyed getting to know some of the moms in the ward.
People are so friendly and welcoming here, which always makes it for an easier transition.
My three babies.
Braden is such a monkey and loved this thing...whatever you call it.
It was a fun morning, but I was so hot, I wished I would have brought my swimming suit too!
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One of my favorite things to do in a new place is to explore.
I love experiencing new things and scenery and find beauty in different places of this world.
When Jana invited us to join them on a Saturday morning hike I didn't hesitate to accept the invitation!
I'm so grateful that we have friends and family that have lived in Utah and can show us all the fun hiking trails.
We went on a perfect little hike at Silver Lake.
It is beautiful up there and just breathtaking.
I understand now why people don't ever want to leave Utah.
The beauty here is breathtaking and a testament that God lives and He created this world for us.
Silver Lake was a little piece of heaven.
Little friends.
I LOVED Silver Lake.
The whole crew.
There are a lot of us.
10 to be exact.
Isn't this just breathtaking?
The children loved exploring.
Our little family.
The Friel's.
Thanks for inviting us to join you! We love it and it was perfect.
Taking a little water break.
Every time I look at the mountains here, I marvel.
They are simply magnificent.
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It has been so wonderful to have a nice area for our kids to play.
Our backyard is not that big but there are tons of grassy areas around our duplex and the kids have had a blast being able to play outside.
...and the nice thing is that there are other children around and Brielle and Braden have been able to make new friends quickly.
We've set up this fun sprinkler ball quite a few times and they love it.
It has been a fun summer for the kids...I'm grateful that they get to be active and are not trapped at home at my disposition. They go outside often and I keep an eye on them from the window, but I don't have to worry about a parking lot in front us and cars zooming in and out. The duplexes are all fenced and away from the street. We have set boundaries and they know how far they can go, but they have freedom.
It has been such a healthy change for them.
We are lucky to have wonderful neighbors, two of which are residents at the U and there's another one across the street as well. I feel so blessed to have found this place. It couldn't be more perfect for our family at this time.
I'm still working on getting the house like I want it, but I will soon post pictures.
Brooke absolutely LOVES splashing.
Summers in Utah have proven to be hot and dry, but so much fun!
