July 4th Festivities!

This post has been almost a month in the making...

Not really, though. I've just been super busy with school, work, and family life
to get to writing this post.

Even though it is coming a bit late, I had to write this post because it involves
Kaiya and she is too darn cute to not write about! :)

Please note the adorable 4th of july bow in her hair.
I was SO excited that she finally had enough hair to put a clip in! :D
And even less than a month later her hair has gotten even longer and thicker.
Yay hair!

So, a neat thing about the bow is that I wore it when I was little!
My mom found it and gave it to me so my little girls could wear it. :)
How sweet is that?

"Don't mind me. I'm just hanging out."

I love these two!

Mesmerized by the fireworks.
(And stayed up until 10:30 PM to watch them! Crazy girl.)

Happy (late) 4th of July! :)

~Do you have any special 4th of July traditions? Feel free to share!

Kaiya is 1!

Get ready for some pure cuteness. :)

Kaiya turned 1 a couple weeks ago, so we threw her a fabulous birthday party! (of course)

I cannot believe my little Kaiya-Bear is 1!

She got tons of presents! Too bad she can't fully appreciate that yet, haha.
(I certainly appreciated it though!)

She had such a wonderful birthday party thanks to everyone who helped out!

I had friends bring some treats.

Joshua's mom brought the adorable cupcake stands, yellow lemonade dispenser,
straws, birthday banner, and burlap table runner!

Another friend of mine did the photography.

Basically, I could not have made Kaiya's birthday party as perfect as it
was without everyone's help!

After party set up, Kaiya did a little photoshoot with the fam!

With the aunties...
















The uncles...

They absolutely adore her!

First B-Day!

Papa and Mimi...


















and Mommy and Daddy!

Then it was time for cake!

I had to sneak her headband on as I gave her the cake.
I was hoping she would be too distracted by the cake to take off the headband.
It worked! :)

She was a little hesitant at first. Look at that adorable confusion!

"Ummm, what do I do now?"




















She finally understood that this big pile of deliciousness
was for her and started digging in.

She preferred to dig in with a fork! What a lady...

By the way, I made her healthy smash cake using this recipe!
It was so good! It kind of reminded me of banana bread. :)

I'm in love! Look at those eyes!

"Want some?"

The WHOLE McGlothin family! :)

I love my little Kaiya so much!
I feel so blessed to have the privilege of raising such a sweet baby girl.

I look forward to many more birthdays to come! :) Happy first year of life Kaiya!

"Out of Office...To Photo-bomb Saturn"

Today at work, I had the opportunity of a lifetime.

This is an opportunity that comes maybe twice in a lifetime...

An opportunity that makes all space-lovers drool...

An opportunity that all photo-bombers crave...

That's right.

I had the opportunity to photo-bomb Saturn!

I mean, who gets to do that?! Pretty cool, huh?

Like our space hat and goggles? We do too.

If you were confused by this post, just read this article and hopefully it'll make more sense. ;)

Hope you have a great day! :)

(And that someday you have the opportunity to photo-bomb Saturn).

A long + crazy day = productive!

(Disclaimer: This post is partially written for my own sanity so I remember why the heck I am doing everything I am doing right now!)

So, yesterday felt like the longest day of my life!

I helped in the BYU Preschool from 7:45 to 11:45 AM...

Had class from Noon to 2 PM...

Went to work from 2 to 5 PM...

Took a test from 5 to 6 PM...

Played with Kaiya from 6 to 7:30 PM until her bedtime...

And then made a pillowcase from about 7:30 to 10:30 PM.

When do I eat, sleep, rest, relax, see my husband?
That's a really good question!

Okay, so this schedule is pretty crazy, right?

But I know it is totally going to be worth it when I get that degree next April.
**I can almost hear that Graduation march song playing, haha.**

Also, I love what I do everyday, even though it makes my days long, crazy, hectic, busy, exhausting, etc.

1. I love working in the BYU Preschool because I am learning all about how to
teach children,
interact with them,
ask them questions that make them think,
engage their interest in learning,
and so so SO much more!
(And they are just so darn cute!)

All of those things are skills I can use as I raise my own children!

2. I love how applicable the classes are that I am taking right now...even if one of them in particular is pretty difficult.

3. I love my job working for BYU as a secretary! Everyone I work with is so nice and I just love them. :) At work, I am never stressed out.

4. I love taking tests!!! (okay, this one is really a stretch, but I am trying to be positive, okay? ;) )

5. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to learn how to sew yesterday and make a pillowcase. Joshua's mom was so sweet and showed me how to use my sewing machine and follow a pattern to make a pillowcase. It turned out super cute and I cannot wait to create some more cute crafts! :)

 Joshua's mom joked that she unleashed a beast by teaching me how to sew because now I am going to be addicted. I think she was right!

Well, I got a lot done yesterday...all day...so I suppose you could say I was pretty productive? :)

There's no place like home...

So, one thing (among many) that makes growing up in Kansas pretty cool
 is that when I write blog posts about visiting, I can title them cliche things like,
"There's no place like home..." Haha!

But really, there is no place like home.

Joshua, Kaiya, and I made a surprise visit to Kansas a
month or so ago to see my parents and my sister.

My parents had no idea we were coming.

And we just so happened to be at the airport on the same night that my
parents were already picking up my sister from the airport.

So, after hiding out for a while in the airport, we spotted my parents and
my sister and started following them as they walked back to the car.

And they still had no idea we were right there!
Kaiya was even screaming and they didn't turn to look or anything.
It was quite amusing.

At one point, my dad turned around,
looked me right in the eye, and then kept on walking!
I almost died laughing!

Eventually, I came up behind them and said, "Hey don't I know you guys?!"
Oh.my.gosh. I wish I had recorded the look on their faces!

They were SO shocked.
And it took them a good few seconds for it to sink in that it really was me.
They just could not believe that we were there!

It was the best surprise ever!

We then had a wonderful four or so days with them just relaxing and spending time together as a family.

I got to see my sweet friend, Allison, who I haven't seen in SO long.
(Although we failed to get a picture! Sad...)

I also got to spend an afternoon with another dear friend of mine, Tashua,
and her cute baby boy!

He's SO adorable!

Look at those eyes!

We had so much fun at this beautiful park.

We got to ride the train around the park.

Joshua was looking handsome as ever.

Oma got some quality time with her grand-daughter.

And we just loved our visit!
Hopefully we will be able to visit again soon. :)

Love you mom and dad!