Pool Party

Last Saturday BEFORE the nasty flu bug hit our home, we celebrated the birthdays of Noah (8), Julia (7) and Nicholas (6). They are so cute! It is so awesome to have so many cousins close in age. They get along so well and absolutely love being together. Except for me and my recovering boys, they are all tearing it up at Lagoon today. With that many Zarate girls together, there are bound to be some stories. I can't wait to hear about their adventures.

summer flu bites

In the wee hours of the morning I sat in the parking lot of my local grocery store and watched the sun rise as I composed a text that went something like this: 

Dear Sisters:

Sorry I can't play today:( I've been up since 3 a.m. Sammy has a sore neck and fever. I'm in the parking lot of Dan's waiting to get medicine. When you get this I'll either be asleep(God willing) or at the doctor's office or pulling my hair out or all of the above.

 Pray.

 for.

 us.

Peace.

Sister Love

Today I had the pleasure of hanging out pool side with these lovely ladies (plus Jody). From left to right, my gorgeous sisters Marisa, Crystal, and in the arm of her handsome hubby, Moni. Since I know any one one of these three gals would have disowned me if I were to post swimsuit pics of them I decided to steal these off of their facebook pages instead. Yes Crystal, I know you love me. But seriously, they are the best! And I love them, each and every one.
even her...

We missed you Cristina! 

Nostalgia

Last week I dropped off my two oldest girls at the place where it all began. The place where I first met my very own Mr. Nielson almost 20 years ago. Funny how walking through the halls of those dorms makes it feel like yesterday. Helping the girls unpack their bags and make up their beds made me want to stay just a little while longer. The thought of having them just a few years away from being dropped off for semesters at a time the way I was all those years ago terrified me! I came home and told Brett we were moving.

A few days after dropping Analisa off at her tennis camp she called and said she had ran a hole right thru the sole of her tennis shoes and would I mind bringing her up a new pair. I gladly complied and met up with her at the BYU bookstore. She looked so beautiful traipsing around campus like she belonged there. I wish I had a picture to go with the image in my mind.

Sarah was having her own fun at the Harris Fine Arts building singing and dancing and doing her thing. Crystal and her gang joined us on Friday night to see the final show. Sitting in the theatre listening to my old director, Randy Boothe now direct my child on the same stage was wild!

Who knows if any of my kids will go to the old BYU like I did. What I do know is that they are growing up right before my very eyes and will fly away from my little nest someday. The thought of it kills me, but I suppose it's an idea I'd better start getting use to.

violin girl

Every summer Miss Katherine joins hundreds of string players for a week of intense violin study at Intermountain Suzuki String Institute. One of the best parts of institute, besides working on beautiful music and making new friends, is the opportunity to work with amazing teachers from all over the world. This year she was able to work with Mr. Terry Durbin who flew in all the way from Kentucky. He made mastering this complicated concerto fun and exciting. Here is a shortened version our cute girl doing her thing. I love the funny faces violin players make. It must be all the concentrating that makes them look their dying. If you look close you might even see a faint smirk now and then.

Reunion Time

Every so many years we hear the words, "Are you coming to the family reunion?" The kids moan and groan and complain of not knowing anyone. We drag them along anyway and are always so glad we did. 

This year we reunited with Brett's mothers side of the family out in Alpine. Brett has always referred to them as his country cousins. Most of them own horses and play country tunes on their guitars and fiddles. He even has a cousin who played violin for Trisha Yearwood. She has since branched off and is going solo in Nashville. 

We had a delightful time playing games and getting to know our "cousins". The group picture above shows almost all of Judith Brown Nielson's family along with her brother, Brent Brown's offspring. I am grateful to be a part of such a nice, genuine bunch of people. 

Our Favorite Guy

Yesterday this handsome guy took time off of work to take Katherine, our niece Ariana and our dear friends Celia and Emma and myself to the Temple to do baptisms. As I sat watching each young girl be baptized and confirmed I noticed the way he gently patted their head or the smile and and hug he gave as they rose out of the water. So gentle and tender. Yet as he spoke the words of the prayers there was power and conviction. I was amazed. He makes us laugh like no other and is a constant source of strength to each one us. I love him with all my heart. So glad he's ours.

Our 4th

This years Fourth of July was extra special because my beautiful momma came for the weekend from Oklahoma. We barbecued at Crystal's as we watched clips of Michael Jackson videos (more on that another day (wipe tear)). Sarah was with us until just before we took these pictures. She headed off to the stadium early in hopes of meeting the infamous Jonas Brothers, which come to find out she DID (more on that later, too). Crystal and Omar were gracious enough to tend all the little boys so we could go to the Stadium of Fire. They camped out in the parking lot and had their own fun adventure. Jon and Kate +8 have nothing on these 6 little guys. Ha! We had a magical time but most of all just enjoyed being together. 

Happy 4th!

Just made these delicious scones via my good friend Cristy's recipe. We added fresh raspberries (thanks Jack!) to make it festive.
Enjoy!

Blueberry Scones

3 1/2 C flour
2/3 C sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/3 C low fat buttermilk
2/3 C melted butter
2 C frozen blueberries

Mix dry ingredients together in bowl first. Then add buttermilk and melted butter, stir about 5-8 strokes, then add berries. Stir a little more. Separate into 24 rough scones. Bake on greased cookie sheet at 400 for 18-20 minutes.

More on our 4th coming soon. Have a happy day!

New Girl

The end of school and beginning of summer threw off my routine posting. Even though I filmed this in May, I couldn't let this sweet video slip by. 

As a student body officer at Wasatch Jr. High, Analisa and her fellow officers were required to put on an end of the year skit assembly known as the "WOW" to help introduce the next years officers. The kids did an amazing job pulling it all together. They really know how to ignite school spirit. It's a big deal around these parts. Here is a little snip of one skits that featured our lovely hair model, Lisey. 

Birthday Girl

My beautiful baby Analisa turned 15 on Sunday. I can't believe how quickly time has flown by. We had both sides of the family over to help celebrate Mexican style. Even Papi came all the way from Tampico just in time to sing Las Mañanitas for her Quinceaños.  

Here she is standing taller than her lovely Grandma Judith. At 5'7 she's actually quite a bit taller than most of us. 

I'm so proud of what a wonderful person she has blossomed into. She is beautiful in every way. Happy Birthday baby girl. May all your wishes come true!

Rain does have it's benefits.

Although I thought I'd taken up residence in Seattle, the rain we've received these last few months has blessed us with an abundance of flowers and even a couple of rainbows. Here are a few of my favorite pics.