Amber dressed herself for school the other day. For one second, I thought "there is no way she's wearing that crazy getup to school!" but immediately after that, I realized how cool it was that she got herself dressed with such a funky flair and added that great bracelet to pull her look together. Even better, though, was the confidence she had as she stepped out of the car and rocked that outfit all day long. I love my little Project Runway buddy!
Case and his cousin, Colton, love to cruise the floor together and climb on each other and steal toys from everyone and sample crumbs on the floor. Case has three more cousins who are the same age as well, so I'm excited to get a picture of the 2009 babies next time we're all together. What cuties!
I adore bathtub pictures, and it's nice to have boys because I don't have to strategically place bubbles to cover the upper-region private parts. These two boys LOVE the tub and I'm crazy about these two boys!
A tea party in the tub? How manly.
While Amber insists that she's a BYU fan, I love that Karli, Rex, and Case will sport their red and white with me every Saturday. It's fun to cheer for a winning team!
I've always been horrified by the T.V. shows I see about little girls in pageants, so I made a commitment to myself that even if my girls ask, I wouldn't let them be in pageants until they're teenagers. I still feel that way, but Amber had a chance to be an escort for a contestant in the Miss Utah Outstanding Teen pageant this weekend, and we couldn't pass it up.
My friend Tiffany asked us to fill in for Celina Wang's escort who couldn't attend at the last minute, and it turned out to be really fun. Amber couldn't wait to get on stage with her darling tiara and she stole the show (of course she did...I'm a proud mama watching her daughter just like those crazy ladies on the pageant shows!). She walked, waved, smiled, curtsied, and twirled adorably. I see pageants in her future!
Amber was thrilled to be able to wear eyeliner and blush along with the usual mascara and red lipstick that she wears to cheer performances.
I love Amber's tiara, but not as much as she does. She's worn it every minute since the pageant ended.
It was Tiffany's idea for me to sport the crown and I really love this picture. Thanks, Tiff!
I was thrilled to know that Trina Harris would be photographing my sister's wedding. She is the awesome photographer who took our family pictures last year (the long tutu pictures of my girls). She did a magnificent job, of course, and Allison ended up with over a thousand thoughtful photos of her special day. Check out her blog to see more of her awesome work and to book an appointment. You'll love her!
Since I can only see Dusty and Allison kiss so many times, I'm not posting any photos of them. He he. But, here are a few of my family that I thought were darling:
Today was a good day: I ran in my first race! It was fun and I did better than I thought I would. I'm not much of a runner, but since I started P90X, running has become more enjoyable for me because I'm stronger in the cardiovascular department. I ended up coming in 43rd overall, with a time of 34 minutes. I was happy with those results!
As part of the Utah Substance and Alcohol Recovery Awareness Day in Salt Lake City, a bunch of my family members ran the 5K race in honor of my cousin, Hayden, who died a year ago today of a drug overdose. I was glad to be able to support people in recovery because, since Hayden died, I've gained a better understanding how important it is to overcome the harmful habit of using drugs. We all miss him dearly, and because his death was personal to me, I'm even more vocal now about saying no to drugs and alcohol. I felt like the activities of the morning were a great way to remember Hayden's life and the importance of staying healthy and drug-free.
Sean and Vanessa (Hayden's dad and stepmom), Mary Ann (Hayden's mom), Preston, Bella, Hunter (Hayden's siblings), Karen (Hayden's grandma), Jane and her husband, me, my mom, Skyler and Casey, and Tanner (cousins and aunties) all ran along with about 600 other runners. The course was beautiful; we started at Gallivan Center and ran up State Street to North Temple. Then, we ran a block east and up the hill through Memory Grove. The weather was brisk, the sun was shining, and the trees were just beginning to show some yellow. It was perfect! Then, we turned around at the top of the hill and ran back down the route. It was a nice run.
At the finish line, we enjoyed some of Mary Ann's gourmet granola in delicious yogurt parfaits. Then, we rocked out to a show by Pink Stilettos. The crowd was groovin' and everyone had a great time. When the girls sang "Beautiful Heart", a song that my sister Angela wrote about Hayden, there wasn't a dry eye in the audience. It was really touching and I think the song had special meaning to the attendees who are in recovery and who have lost loved ones to drug addiction and alcoholism. It's really a beautiful tune; click here if you want to listen to it.
I am thankful to have a healthy body, to be able to run in a gorgeous setting while reflecting on all the good things Hayden did in his life, to spend a special morning with some dear family members and friends, and to support people who are trying to make their lives better and recover from bad decisions they've made. I'm thankful to know that Christ atoned for the bad decsions we all make in our lives and that He made it possible for us to be together after we die. Families are forever!
Shelley, Sean, and Nat during a warm-up chat.
Someday I'll run as well as my mom. She's an awesome runner!
Amber ventured off into the world today on her first day of kindergarten. She was so excited and so were we; her fits of boredom at home told us loudly and clearly that it was time for her to spread her wings and have an academic adventure. She completed her first homework assignment this morning before school and loaded up her leopard-print backpack and was ready to rock!
Adam called her right before school to wish her good luck.
Here she is modeling her cute little outfit that she picked out.
Five girls in her class have this backpack, but only Amber's is blinged out. It looks so cute in person, but as usual, the photo doesn't do it justice. In case you can't see it, it says "Amber" in rhinestone script. The Bedazzler makes everything better!
When her teacher came outside and blew the whistle, Amber dashed to her line and was all set. She happily marched right into her classroom and yelled out, "Bye Mom!" and never looked back. It was funny to see how tall she is; there is only one girl taller than her and she's the same height as the tallest boy in her class. She was so cute and confident. She made me proud! I'm glad she likes it. Doesn't that have a nice ring to it? My little sister, Allison married Dusty Hunt on Saturday and it was a grand occasion. I was hoping all through her mission that she'd marry him; they dated for ten months before she left and I thought she was nuts to dump him and go on a mission. Fortunately, Dusty waited for her and now they are hitched! He's a marvelous guy and I'm glad to have him for a brother-in-law. Moreover, he makes Allison so happy. I'm glad I got to be a part of their special day.
It was fun to have all of my siblings together for the occasion. Can you tell we're related? I just love the humongous drool spot on my shoulder thanks to a teething Case. That's my new trademark!
Amber counted down the hours to Allison's wedding. Every day, she'd ask if "today was the day". I don't know why she was so excited because she has a major crush on Dusty, and we kept telling her that after the wedding, he'd be off the market. We couldn't dash her hopes, though. I guess she was thrilled to be able to wear her cute little tutu and she got lots of mileage out of it on the dance floor.
Here are most of the nieces and nephews with Al and Dusty. They all looked adorable! Too bad their painstakingly-selected clothes were soiled with melted chocolate only moments after the festivities began. We couldn't keep them away from the chocolate fountains long enough to get a clean picture. Oh well...what are parties for, right?
Here's the newly-wedded Hunts. The same sealer performed their ceremony as mine and Adam's and my sister Jennifer and her husband's, so that was cool. 
Get a room. Geez. He he. I loved Allison's retro-inspired wedding dress and veil.
Check out all these babes! I made the headbands that the bridesmaids wore and they turned out to be oh, so sassy if I do say so myself. They were complete with a tulle flower, rhinestones, retro netting, and a peacock feather. Yowza! Their teal shoes were darling, too. Too bad they got cut out of the photo!
I think, though, that my Grandma Rydalch was the cutest gal there. Here's her grand exit from the temple along with my Auntie Julie:
My assignment was to decorate the entrance to the garden room. I collected frames from Goodwill and D.I. and spray painted them (my wonder-fix for any decor problem!) so I could add the amazing photos that Dusty's sister took. It was fun to have my own little area to fix up. Leslie saved the day, too, by offering her help and lots of her adorable items.
The reception was at Highland Gardens and it looked fabulous! I had never been there before and I was dazzled when I walked in. The photos just don't do it justice.
Here's me, pre-drool. I made the "HUNT" sign for them to put in their house and thought it was a nice touch at the entrance.
We all worked like crazy for four months to make the reception fabulous...and it worked! Everyone had a great time, the food was marvelous, the entertainment was good, and the decor looked amazing. Allison and Dusty were such a cute, cheesey, lovey-dovey couple, and I'm glad they have each other forever. Yay for marriage!
