Swiming and Playing with Dad

July 2008 - after we packed up the Hansen family decided to stop at the reservoir to cool off. Here is Talia with her sweet daddy!

Food & Family

Here are some more from the Nielson reunion...
I am about to pass out here and Talia isn't any too happy either. It was soooooo hot!!! Sheridan
Gavin & Marcus
Mellissa, Stephanie & Blair
Barry and Trenton. If I remember right Trenton fell asleep at the table.

Where's Gavin...

This is about the way we saw Gavin most of the weekend. All of the kids were happy to go exploring and play imagination games that mostly consisted of Lego characters. Marcus and Gavin were almost inseparable. We had to document that Gavin was with us so Preston took these shots on the last day.

Crafts & Kisses

Trina and I were in charge of the crafts and activities for the 7-11 year olds. I said I would be happy to sit at a table and manage the crafts but I was not up for supervising the games in the HOT HOT HOT sun!!! We had beads to make bracelets and necklaces, we made pipe cleaner animals & people, and did sand art. Kendra highlighted the sand art on her Insanity blog (click on the link on the right side of the page).
do you like my little dog?
Such a big helper...um...trouble maker. Thank goodness Preston was there to coral our little monster. :)

Fun in the Tent Trailer

July 2008 - We went camping on Kolob in southern Utah for a family reunion over the 4th of July. Talia had lots of fun playing with Gavin and loved to have her big brother around for over two weeks! Gavin really enjoyed playing with his cousins especially Drake, Marcus and Kira (the boys are all 8 and Kira is 7).

The I-pod

June 2008 - Preston borrowed an i-pod for the trip and Talia thought it was pretty cool to watch a movie on the i-pod.

Roll it and Pat it...

June - More of Talia helping Lita in the kitchen. She LOVED the roller and did a really good job with it. They were making Tortillas for dinner.

Painted Ladies

My sweet niece Mellissa sells MaryKay and so Talia and I sat in on a class with Marenda, Addie and my Mom. I have to say the little girls know a lot more about make-up then we give them credit for at such a young age. Talia was soooo happy to be a part of the fun and knew exactly what to do.

Fashon Tips from my Water Baby...

When swimming you should always wear an adorable swimsuit. Pink is a wonderful color to choose for babies.

unless....your adorable pink swimsuit is dirty...

Then all a girl needs are pearls and a pacifier. Just remember you would be naked without your accessories.

What do you do at Lita's house?

Talia has learned that Lita will let her "help" with EVERYTHING! My mom is so patient with her and very good at finding ways to let her participate in every task. This is something I thought I was pretty good at but my mom is amazing! Talia now routinely helps with the dishes and most meal preparation. Above she is helping with breakfast by scooping Oats and below Talia was lucky enough to learn all about making bread. She helped mix it and she loved squishing the dough while sneaking a taste of dough here and there.

I love the concentration in this one!

Backpack!

Despite the fact that Talia has never had one or really seen me use one she loves backpacks! It all started with the school episode of signing time. Her favorite signs from that episode are backpack, scissors and school. I didn't even know that she knew what one was until she saw a picture and got so excited signing backpack and saying "bah-pah !" So my amazing mom decided that she needed a back pack of her very own and in an amazingly short amount of time whipped up this little beauty. When she first saw it she knew exactly what it was and tried to put it on. I showed her how to fill it and Talia proceeded to walk around the house gathering her pacifiers, which happen to be her most prized possession, and asked me to put them in the pocket.
Talia also went to my mom, who she calls "Ta" or "Ma" and signs grandma, and signed "thank you! Backpack!" over and over. It was the first thing she asked for the next morning. I think she likes it. :)

Happy Fathers Day Preston!

Talia and I miss her wonderful Daddy so much and she wanted to say "I Love You Daddy!" We can't wait to see you in just over a week! Happy Fathers Day!

Addie & Talia

Addie loves to have a girl cousin close to her age! They love all things girly especially twirling in dresses together. Addie also loves to share her Barbies with Talia. I can't say that Talia truly understands how important that is but someday she will.