Berning Family Reunion

This last week we had the Berning Family Reunion!

The reunion was up in Bear Lake and it was the perfect setting.  I feel like I could dedicate an entire post just about my feelings on the location of the reunion.  This was the first time Mark and I have been back to Garden City since we moved from there three years ago.  We were both so excited to go back and all we could talk about in the days leading up to it were the different things we wanted to see and do.  

Mark could only get two days off from his rotation so we left Wednesday evening after he got off of work.  We finally made it into Garden City at 12:30 AM and pulled into the house that we would be staying in for the reunion.  

Thursday morning we were up and moving!  We began our day by heading up to North Beach.  It was a blast!  We had a great little spot and it was so nice to just let Jacob play in the water!  He loves the water and the shallowness of Bear Lake is the perfect place to just let him play.  It was a perfect day at the beach!

That afternoon our little family headed over to the KOA to visit and see all of the changes they have made in the last three years.  It was great to be able to see my Uncle Dan and Aunt Debbie and my cousin Curtis and his family.  So much has changed on the campground since our "glory days" there.  But everything looks so nice and we are so happy for them.  They let us take a golf cart to drive around and look at the campground and so many memories just flooded back to Mark and I.  We kept talking about all of the different things we've been through and had that campground as the backdrop to it all.  As cheesy as it sounds, that campground is where we met, it's where we fell in love, and it's even where we lived for the first month of our marriage - so it really saw us through the entire beginning of our life together.  And it was so weird to then being sitting there three years later with our two-year-old son with a baby girl on the way.

Life is a beautiful thing.  

Thursday night we has a family history presentation from Grandpa and Grandma Berning and learned more about those that came before us.  Us adults later stayed up and played Pit and enjoyed our time together.  

Friday morning we headed to the city park for games.  We had a three-legged race, frisbee tic-tac-toe, and an oreo game.  It was yet another perfect morning.  

I think Grandpa's look of pure joy on his face steals the picture!  Love it!

Jessica designed some amazing t-shirts for the reunion and we had to take some family pictures to commemorate the event!

The whole crew!

All of the grandkiddos.

Friday afternoon we crashed and watched The Lego Movie and then all of the grandkids made frames to put our family reunion picture in.  They all turned out so cute!

The girls holding their frames.

Friday night Mark and I were the hosts to "The Not-So Newlywed Game."  It was hilarious to hear the different responses to some of the questions.  We love the love in this family!  Us adults finished the night chatting and playing Hand and Foot.  

Saturday morning we hurried and packed up.  Keith and Jayme and their family, Teresa and her family and our little family all headed back over to the park to play for a little bit.  We then took a little walk down the boardwalk and Amelia took Jacob's hand and they walked all the way down and back holding hands.  It was just about the cutest thing.  It was adorable hearing them "talk" to one another and point out different things.  Jacob loves his cousins!

We then all went over to Cafe Sabor for some lunch and then we began our trek back to Denver.  It was such a quick trip but we loved every second of it.  We wished we could have spent more time to visit our friends and other family but we just didn't have enough time.  We loved being able to go back to such a special place though and spend some special time with the Berning family!  We can't wait for the next one!

 

Baby Shower

Today I had some wonderful friends of mine give me a baby shower for little sister.  It was so kind of them and I can't stop looking at all of the "pink" and bows and getting so excited for this little girl to get here!  

Things are slowly starting to come along as we prepare for her arrival.  Her due date is exactly two months from today!  Crazy - yes!  But we can't wait to meet her.  We feel so blessed to have the opportunity to have our family grow.  As much as I absolutely adore our little family of three I am just as excited to welcome and embrace our soon to be family of four.  

We can't wait for you to get here little sister!

Love you!

My Family

I love my little family.  My whole life this is exactly what I wanted.  I have always felt like I was a simple girl with simple dreams.  All I ever wanted was to be a wife and mother.  Really - that's it.  Of course there are things that sound fun to do but when it all boils down to it if at the end of my life if people thought of me as a good wife and mother and that was it - I would be content with that.   

And sometimes you just have those moments when everything just kind of slows down and you become more and more aware of those special moments in your life.  I swear when Jacob giggles my world stops.  I never tire of that giggle.  It just melts my heart.  Those big belly laughs.  Yes.  Life is pretty perfect in those moments.  

I love Mark so much.  I love the simple ways that Mark shows me he loves me too.  He's not really a big gesture kind of man - which I actually like.  I don't have to wait for flowers or a fancy date to know that he loves and cares for me.  It's the simple, every day things that he does that just lets me know I am cared and loved.  I love that not a day has ever gone by when I have doubted either of our feelings for each other.  He is truly my best friend and the man I am lucky enough to spend forever with.  What more could you ask for?

I love that our little family genuinely loves to be with each other.  I love that we are content to stay at home in our pajamas and play all day or go out and do something more active.  And whatever it is - we love it because we are doing it together.  That's pretty amazing.  I feel like it is such a blessing.  

I cannot even begin to say how excited we are for this little girl to join our family.  I can't wait to get to know her.  To find out the little person that she is.  To see the love in our little family grow. 

Although this time in our family life is a little crazy sometimes and there are so many unknowns in our future still, I have so much to be grateful for.  I am surrounded by love - genuine love for one another.  And that is a blessing I wish upon anyone no matter their stage of life.  To be surrounded by people they love and share that love with one another.  

Happy Birthday, America!

I love fourth of July!  The last couple of years we just haven't done much celebrating of it though - which is a bummer.  Our first fourth of July here in Denver we had just had Jacob and so didn't go out anywhere and last year was just crazy hot and so we didn't want to go anywhere so this year we were determined to go out and do something.  

Some members of our ward were getting together at a park for a barbeque and we decided to join up with them!  We are so glad we did and it was the perfect afternoon and evening.  We got rained on for a couple minutes but even that was great - plus it kept the heat down which I was more than happy about!  

Jacob had a blast throwing balls and playing on the playground showing Dad all of his moves!  He even got to experience his first hamburger - what's more American than that?!  Haha!

We are so grateful we were able to celebrate this holiday together as a family and with some friends and reflect on the many freedoms we enjoy.  We are definitely proud to be Americans and thankful for all those who have fought and continue to fight for the freedoms which we enjoy. 

Happy Birthday, America!

P.S.  How crazy is this?!  We have done this shot every year on the fourth of July since we've lived here in Denver.  Fun to see the changes in our family and crazy to think where we will be next year!

2013

2012

Denver Aquarium

This year for Jacob's birthday we were doing a "fish" theme.  Mostly because Jacob can say "fish" really well!  So, of course, we had to go down to the Denver Aquarium for his birthday activity.  And it was fun because we were able to go with Ashley and her boys too!

Jacob definitely took his time which I absolutely love.  I know that will probably happen less and less the older he gets but he loved stopping at each tank and looking at what was in there.  It is also so much fun now that he is talking and expressing more and more of how he feels.  We are pretty certain he was loving the fish - and we were loving watching him!

Playing with the divers!

Love these boys!

Petting the stingrays - Jacob loved this!

Jacob picked up a shark at the aquarium with his birthday money from Grandma Dixie - thanks Grandma!

We love you little man!  So glad we could celebrate you turning two!

Splash Pad

Last weekend was so fun!  My cousin, Ashley and her husband and their three boys came and stayed with us and it was a blast!  I am bummed though because I didn't get a single picture of the boys all together.  Boo.  But we did do some fun things together.  

One day we went over to the splash park.  Jacob loved it, he pretty much spent the entire time just crouching down and flicking the water but he could do it forever.  He has always loved the water!

Love this little man. 

Jacob's 2nd Birthday

Yesterday was Jacob's 2nd Birthday!  We love our little man so much.  It is crazy how much he has changed this last year!  We were so happy to be able to celebrate him all day and how grateful we are that he is a member of our family.  

In the morning Jacob and I headed to the park.  It was so hot.  But Jacob had a good time - the slides are his favorite!

That evening we went downtown and picked up some Cafe Rio and picked up Mark from work.  Then we headed home for some birthday celebrating.  We ate our dinner and then had birthday cake and ice cream. 

Afterwards we were able to open cards and presents.  We have such wonderful family and Jacob loved all of his cards and presents.  He couldn't wait to open everything and figure out how it all works!  It is so much fun to watch how his little mind works.  

We had a great day and we are so grateful for this little man in our family.  He makes us incredibly happy.

We love you Jacob!

Here are some of Jacob's favorite things:

Balloons

Giving "Loves"

Balls

ALL Fruit

"This little piggy..." on his Toes

Bunnies + Birds

Tickling his Daddy
"Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" Song

"Stars" Book

We hope you had a great birthday buddy!  

We can't wait to celebrate more this weekend!!!