Fourth of July

I realize that the 4th was a while ago, but I still wanted to share these darling photos of the occasion. We spent Independence day in Utah this year. We kicked the day off in Provo, watching their parade. We ended up in Park City at Bitner Ranch. It was such a fun day!

Watching the parade in Provo

Matilda and Grandma Bitner

Mayah and cousin Morgan watching Underdog float by.

Me and my beautiful niece, Kelsey

Malia and her favorite cousin, Christopher (aka, Sha-shaw)

The Galan Grandchildren (those that were in attendence)

Eating s'mores in the back country of Bitner Ranch

New Freshmen Orientation

Recently, I was lucky enough to escort Ariel around BYU during new freshmen orientation. She and I had a great time together. We met her roommates (and some of their parents) and even went on a scavenger hunt. It was a fun day.

Ariel with the $100 bill she found at the end of the scavenger hunt.

Ariel with the key to her first apartment, EVER! And, YES, I made her pose for both of these pictures. It was my duty as the designated parent, to embarrass the heck out of her on her first day as a college student. GO ME!!!

I stole this photo off of Ariel's Blog. This is Ariel and her roommate, Becca. Ariel and Becca are already BFF.





By-the-way, feel free to contact us or Ariel if you are interested in donating funds, food or usage of your laundry facility to the Ariel Jessica Starving Student Foundation.

The Bike Wash

Here are some photos of the girls at Renae's house. They had quite a bit of fun playing with Owen and Ava and the rest of the neighborhood kids. They ran around in their swimsuits and held a 'bike wash'. Some of the neighborhood kids brought over their own bikes to be washed. The bike wash lasted quite some time but they sure had fun.

It was so cute because Mayah and Malia just blended in with the rest of the neighborhood kids--the more the merrier. I sat on the porch with Renae and her hilarious neighbor. I can't remember when I've had so much fun just sitting around talking.

Later on, Renae broke out the snacks. The neighborhood kids gathered around to get their share of cookies, popsicles and soda. My girls were in kid heaven. We never have that many snacks in one sitting. I think they might want Renae to adopt them. I wouldn't blame them one bit if they did. I want to live at Renae's house too. She's got a great setup because she has a safe neighborhood with nice neighbors. To top it all off, she lives in a cul-de-sac. Lucky girl.

It was quite fun to watch all the kids play because it reminded me of my own childhood. Many of you might not know this but I actually grew up in Utah ( was born in Utah). I had completely forgotten about all the hot summer days I spent running around with my friends and my older brothers. We used to have water fights with the pesky neighbor kids, climb our cherry tree, play night games like 'Ghost in the graveyard' and 'Kick the can', and eat otter pops like there was no tomorrow. Good times.

I love summer. :)

Happy (very late) Father's Day

I had Mayah sing for Duane on Fathers day. Duane was still in Europe at the time and I knew he was disappointed about not being able to have Mayah sing to him that day. I tried hard to get the following clip posted on Fathers Day but I just could not make it work. Sorry Duane (he's back in Michigan this week and still has not had the privilage of viewing it).
Anyway, Happy Belated Fathers Day. We love you! You are the best Dad (and husband) ever! We miss you! Get here soon!!!

Road Tripin'

Well, the girls and I have been driving all over the place during the last few weeks (while Duane was on a business trip to Europe). We are currently in Utah and have logged well over 4,500 miles (1900 of those miles were with Duane).

We drove from Michigan to Spokane, WA, Spokane to Vancouver, WA, Vancouver to Sandy, Utah, Sandy to Highlands Ranch, CO and Highlands Ranch to Sandy Utah. It's been insane.

In the car, the girls have viewed more TV then should be allowed, have memorized all the words to all the Backyardigan DVDs we own (which happens to be a lot), and eaten all the fast food they could handle. But in all seriousness, they've been really good for me. Especially while in the car. Even little Matilda has been an angel.

At each destination, the girls have made a lot of new friends, played with cousins, met a lot of doggies (and a few cats), and played in countless backyards (we currently don't have a backyard of our own, so this is a big deal).

Our vehicle is quite old and I've been traveling alone with 3 small children. Along the way, I've encountered a horrible snow storm (while driving through the Blue Mountains in Oregon), one vomiting child (Malia), problems with the car overheating (twice), several stinky diapers and one huge potty emergency. As far as I'm concerned, I know that we've been blessed to have made it so far without any serious problems.

I want to thank all our friends and family for praying on our behalf. We probably wouldn't have done so well had it not been for all of your prayers! Thank you.

Ariel Jessica

While going through my posts, I realized that there is a member of our family that I have not really blogged about all that much. I am so embarrassed that I haven't written any blogs about one of the most accomplished members of our family. And that person is (Drumroll, please.) ....................Ariel Jessica Seriously, isn't she gorgeous? (Yeah, I know, right?) Not only that, but she is quite intelligent. Ariel has always excelled academically. When it comes to school, I don't think there is a subject she has not done well in (she says that she struggles with Math but she has never received a grade lower then a B. Must be nice).

The girl is quite talented, to say the least. Ariel has a beautiful singing voice and has been in concert choir for a few years now. She is also quite athletic, participating in volleyball, basketball, and swim team during her high school career.

Ariel has a strong testimony of the church. She has never been afraid to stand up for her beliefs. I have personally witnessed her telling peers and adults (in a respectful manner, of course) to stop doing or saying something that is not okay. Because of her strong character, I am so grateful that her little sisters will always have her to look up to.

I know that Ariel is a great friend to all those that are fortunate enough to be close to her. She is always there for her friends, no matter what time it is (yeah, they call her ALL hours of the night and Duane totally loves that), always willing to listen and give advice on a wide range of teenage issues. She has a knack of giving pretty awesome advice. Ariel is also a loyal friend.

Other awesome things about Ariel:

• Ariel is wonderful with her siblings.
• Leader
• Outgoing
• Hilarious
• Fun to be around.
• 'Mad skillz' when it comes to hair and makeup.
• Super fun to watch movies with.
• Great dancer

We attended her high school graduation last weekend. Ariel graduated with honors (smart girl) and we are so proud of her. Now that Ariel is officially a high school graduate, she is on her way to BYU. She has proven to us, over and over again, that she is ready to move on to the next stage of life (despite Duane's insistence that she is still just his 6 year-old little girl). We know she will be successful.

We feel so fortunate to have Ariel in our family. She really is an wonderful young woman, always has been. When she is around, our family feels complete. We love her so very much.

P.S. Ariel, I changed the blog background in honor of you and your recent accomplishments. I know how much you love lime green

Camera is fixed (and other news)

We finally got our camera back from the repair shop. I am glad because Matilda is growing like a weed and it would be a shame to miss out on anymore photo opportunities.

Matilda is now a little over 2 months old and at her last 'well baby' visit, she weighed 10 lbs, 11 oz. Matilda is quite healthy and happy. She started smiling at us a while ago but this is probably the first photo of her smiling. She enjoys attention. If it were up to her, we would hold her all the time. She is such a good baby and we all love her so very much.

Duane will be going to Europe again. He will spend some time in London and then finish his trip up in Spain. He has been quite busy with work and just recently had a surgery for his deviated septum. He is recovering quite well.

Ariel is finishing up her senior year of high school and preparing for BYU. We are all very excited for her.

Mayah is finishing up preschool and we have just been informed that she will be able to attend Kindergarten next year. She is reading a lot these days. She is very good at it. She is also quite good at spelling and her writing is quite good for someone her age. We are so proud of her.

Malia is still as silly as ever. She has started mocking me lately and as irritating as it is, she is quite cute. I find it difficult to keep a straight face when she is talking back to me. She spends a lot of time on the pink chair these days (the pink chair is our 'time out' chair). I don't think she minds being on the chair so long as she gets her chance to tell me what she thinks about being punished. I know I am in for it when she reaches her teen years.

I am still keeping myself busy by taking care of everyone but I read a lot during my spare time. I would appreciate some book suggestions as I will be doing some traveling this summer and I would like to have a long list of books to read. Anyway, leave your suggestions in the comments section! Thanks!