A Day at the Park

Last Saturday after playing a fun game of softball we headed to Heather Farm Park/Garden in Walnut Creek to see what it was all about. It was such a beautiful park and a busy one. I've never seen so many people at a park before except on holidays. We loved walking through the rose gardens. The fragrance was amazing and the roses were incredible. We tried to get Emmalyn to smell the roses but she ended up eating them so we kept her at a good distance to preserve the roses. We also played on the playground and did a lot of people watching. It was a great outing for all of us!!

Chillin' at the park

Fun with daddy

Rollin' Over

Emmalyn rolled over for the first time on Sunday, June 7th and I tried to upload it for all to view but it was too big...so I had her do it again. It is just as good and exciting, just a minute shorter...we are so amazed at how fast she learns and how big and "grown up" she is becoming.

Walnut Creek

We have been in Walnut Creek for only a week and I have to admit that it is a beautiful place to live. Although we really wanted to try out San Francisco for the summer, and experience the city life it just didn't work out. When praying about our decision we said that if things didn't fall into place in SF we knew we should live in Walnut Creek. So here we are. The first part of the week was hard for me with Joey being gone all day, almost twelve hours with the commute, and not knowing anyone. I am usually a pretty social and outgoing person but being in a place where I know no one and don't have my bearings it has been difficult. Thank goodness for our membership in our church and for the warm reception we got walking in on our first Sunday. The people in the Walnut Creek 2nd ward are genuinely kind and have made us feel so welcome. Last Wednesday we had an enrichment night called "Readiness Roadtrip" with the ladies to learn more about being prepared for anything. We made emergency car kits, had a demonstration on how to prepare meals from food storage and how we can be prepared spiritually. On Friday I went to Walden Park and had a picnic lunch with some of the women I met at church and also introduced Emmalyn to the slide and swing. She loved playing at the park and meeting other kids. I've noticed that she loves to watch other kids and gets really excited when she can interact with them. That is my hope; that she will have many opportunitites to interact with other children so she learns how to share, play nicely and be social. On Saturday Joey was invited to play on the ward softball team which took us into Oakland for the first time.
It was an incredibly beautiful day, perfect for playing ball and driving around Oakland. On accident we found ourselves in the parking lot of the Oakland Temple. We walked around the grounds and took some fun pictures. We had a great view of San Francisco from the temple. On Sunday Emmalyn looked as cute as ever for church, we went for a walk on a trail right by our place and Emmalyn rolled over from her stomach to her back all on her own. It was a perfect ending to a great week.

Cherished memories

We have so many fond memories of our stay in Colorado; some of which are not included on here because I wasn't the one to take the pictures but will hopefully receive them from friends and family and then they will probably be posted. Joey and I have been blessed in so many ways and recognize these blessings every day. We were fortunate to land an internship in CO for five weeks with two of the coolest guys in the world BC and Poelman. Joey worked on several business start up projects and had a blast doing it every day; go figure. Emmalyn and I loved being home and playing with whomever was around; grandpa, grandma, Jack or Derek. We were able to visit with friends/co-workers, have a girls movie day with the Thorpe women, a boys night out with Joey's brothers and dad, we went to baseball games with grandpa, and enjoyed a night out on the town for our two year anniversary. We also loved the Tuesday night's smorgasbord that Derek brought home to eat while watching American Idol, and the late night of watching the Office with Jack. We did so many fun things that I could go on and on with but I won't; most importantly we were able to make memories with our families. Emmalyn loved everyone and I am sure she will miss all the attention she received. Now she is stuck hanging out with mom all day long in CA. We are excited to be in CA and look forward to the adventures ahead. By the way we ended up finding a great apartment in Walnut Creek which is just outside of San Francisco but plan on visiting the city often. Here is a list of things we plan on doing or seeing while we are here...please let me know if there are things not on this list that we must do before leaving CA.

1. Walk the Golden Gate bridge
2. See the Redwoods
3. Fisherman's Wharf
4. Pier 39
5. Alcatraz
6. Baseball game at Giants stadium
7. Heather Farms park
8. Napa Valley vineyards
9. Aquarium of the Bay
10. Ghiradelli Square
11. Lombard Street
12. Muir Woods
    
    

Hanging out with the gang at Engle: Marci, Sandy, Natalie, Bob and Jeff

Uncle Derek was so fun to play with and made Emmalyn laugh

Grandpa Olson took us to baseball games and for walks

Who doesn't love the "baby in a laundry basket picture"?

Celebrating Joey, mine and Jaclyn's birthdays

Playing with cousin Brailee

Fun Pictures

Emmalyn trying to sit up on her own and doing a good job

Emmalyn totally reminds me of me in this picture...look at those cheeks...so cute! Trying rice cereal for the first timeI can't tell is she liked the cereal or spoon moreShe is such a big girl; holding the spoon on her own
I love rice cereal, more please!

Grandpa and Grandma's house

We made it to CO and are living with my parents who have graciously offered us their home for the 5-weeks we are here. Emmalyn is in heaven with all the open space she has to play in, the grassy backyard, the fun toys, meeting new people and getting to entertain and be entertained by gpa, gma, Derek and Jack and Ryan's family. Plus, she had the opportunity to go to her very first baseball game!!! We love grandpa and grandma's house and we don't want to leave. Emmalyn all dressed up for the Rockies vs Dodgers game

We love baseball games

Watching Nuggets vs. Hornets playoff game with dad and grandpa

Easter weekend

Easter weekend we traveled to Logan with Candace, Dan and Eisley to visit great grandpa McClellan and great grandma Anderson; both are in their 94th year and going strong. It was fun watching Emmalyn interact with both of them and to see the three generations together. We are so lucky to have such loving and amazing grandparents who have been through so many trials in their lifetime but have endured them well and are examples of strength and faith. Thank you grandpa and grandma.

On Easter Sunday Emmalyn got to wear her favorite dress given to her by her aunt Linda and uncle Ryan. We have been waiting until she was big enough to wear it. She was so stinkin' cute and loved playing with all the bows and ribbons on the dress. Emmalyn is now 4 months old and doing the cutest things. On Friday, at grandpa's house she sat up on the couch without any assistance. She loves to stick her tongue out and blow spit bubbles at the same time; her daddy taught her that. She has also started to laugh out loud, babble and show more of her personality. Her favorite songs to sing right now are "Once there was a snowman" and "Patty cake, patty cake". Just recently she has started to suck on my chin when she is either hungry or just playing around. She's an animal and a blast to play with. We love our sweet girl so much and look forward to all the fun things she will learn to do in the coming months. In a week we will be leaving Provo and heading to CO for a five-week internship and then starting June 1st we will go to San Francisco for a twelve-week internship. We are very excited for these two opportunities and look forward to spending time with our friends and family for a few weeks. Colorado here we come!!!!