Christmas Morning

Christmas morning we woke up to SNOW!!!  And lots of it.   We hadn't had any in the Valley yet, and we were hurting pretty bad at Sundance for skiing.  So it was a Christmas miracle!!  

Santa Came!!

The kids...well, okay, Haley got up at 7:00 Christmas morning and pretty much paced around our room until we got up.  We woke everyone else up (which is sooooo hard for me to do when we had such a late night the night before...but you know, gotta do what you got to do!)  

The girls were thrilled!

Favorite gifts have to be the Zoomers that Haley and Morgan received from Santa.

Piper and Rory were thrilled to get princess dolls  from Grandma and Grandpa.

I gave Ryan a skateboard (he's been wanting one to use for quick trips to the market or taking the girls to school...also it's pretty nostalgic for him...he can reminisce about his old skater days).

And my big give was a Fitbit.

I get a D- for picture taking.  Not sure what happened...shame on me.

But the day was good fun!

I'll try to hunt down some more photos!

Merry Christmas!

So, a few weeks ago I had this dream.  

I was probably stressed about everything that needed to be done this month, and with starting work again my time is little more limited.  

So yeah, the dream.  I dreamed that we needed to get our Christmas cards done and to save time I had everyone get together to take a quick selfie with our phone.  I slapped it into a Christmas card and wrote, Have your "selfie" a Merry Christmas! 

I woke up loving that idea and got to work...

Behold, our Christmas photo for 2014.

Hey, it's December people!  It's all about survival at this point!!

And I might add that this was the easiest photo we have EVER taken as a family...it was meant to be!

And I do hope you have your "selfie" a Merry Christmas!!

From our family to yours!

Saying Goodbye

Last week Ryan drove to St. George for work...for those out of the know, it's about four hours south from us.  It was just a day trip, he left at the crack of dawn and was going to be home by nine that same night.  (I find it fascinating that he can do 7-8 hours of driving round trip, meet his dealers/work and usually squeeze in a bike ride in there at some point, all in one day.)  

Anyway, unfortunately he broke down in Cedar City on the way home (Cedar is still about 3 hours away from home).  He got it towed to a place, but everything was closed or closing, so he had to stay the night there.  He found out in the morning that the timing belt (this would be our second one) snapped and ran havoc to the engine, untimely killing it.  The guy quoted Ryan $9800 to replace the engine!  That just wasn't going to happen for a car with over 200,000 miles!  Even if he towed it back home (which would run us 500 dollars) and get another quote, we wouldn't have gotten anything better than $5000. 

So, in the end, Ryan decided to say his goodbyes and hand it off to the wrecking yard there in Cedar (who ended up giving us more than we expected for it, so that's nice!)  Although, I have no doubt that they will fix it and our beloved wagon will end up being sold and driven again...it's too nice of a car!

A couple shop kids from a bike shop here in town took a little road trip and picked Ryan up for me, (how nice is that?)   Operation Saving Private Ryan!   The logistics with my kids made it difficult for me to go, so I'm very grateful for them!  

Ryan snapped a couple of photos before saying goodbye.  Oh how we loved that car!!  So many memories!

 This one kills me...just heartbreaking seeing it get towed away.  It so crazy how we can get so attached to cars!

So that all happened on Friday and by Tuesday Ryan made the purchase for his new rep mobile.  He can't really waste any time since our livelihood pretty much relies on Ryan driving...the life of a rep!

Volkswagen seem to be our thing...

It's a 2012 Jetta Wagon...we pick it up today!  

Rory's Birthday

Last week we celebrated Rory's 3rd birthday!

We got the biggest chocolate cake  from Costco.  And even though we had 12 people there, we didn't put a dent in that thing!  And with Ryan out of town the rest of that week, you can guess who ate the rest of it.  So good....so good.

Rory is crazy for princess dresses and wears them on a daily basis.  She also has several wardrobe changes throughout the day...one minute she's Snow White, the next she's Elsa...and she'll alternate between them about every 15 minutes.

She partied hard and then crashed.

Side note:  After she fell asleep like that I scooped her up and just laid her down dress and all in her crib.  However, I forgot that there is a button on that dress that when pushed the dress lights up and the song "Let it Go"  plays.  So yeah, guess who was hearing "Let it Go" all night with every movement Rory made...yeah...us.  I finally caved and wrestled it off her around 3 in the morning.  Luckily, she wasn't phased, and slept through it like a charm.  So, note to others...don't put your kid in bed with a light up, singing dress...it won't end well for you.

Thanksgiving 2014

 Road trip!

Are you sick of our road trip family selfies yet?

Last week we loaded up the burban (does anyone else call their suburban a burban?)...anyway...we loaded up and headed to Sedona for Thanksgiving.  Ryan was going over the years and discovered that he has spent Thanksgiving with his mom 36 out of his 37 years.  The one year he missed is when I was nine months pregnant with Rory and we opted to stay close to home.  Kids...I tell ya....they mess everything up.  But yeah...that's a pretty good track record!  

 Emergency potty stop at Jacob Lake, AZ.

Our kids are too hydrated...it seemed like we were stopping every hour.  We weren't, but that's what it feels like.

We spent the couple days before Thanksgiving by going to the park, feeding the ducks at Talaqapaque (that's probably spelled wrong, but I don't feel like looking it up), hiking at Red Rock Crossing and a bit of mountain biking at Bell Rock.  

 Morgan in piggie heaven.

Have I mentioned that she wants a pig for Christmas...as in a breathing, real life pig?

Yeah...that won't be happening...sorry Morgan.

 More pigs.

 And because Morgan is posing by pigs, Piper has to get in on it too.

 Thursday morning...prepping for Thanksgiving!

The weather was amazing the whole time we were there luckily.  In fact, it was even warm enough to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner outside!

 We were even able to take Haley out for a bit of mountain biking...although, she was on a cyclocross bike.  It was a bit tough for her, but she gave it her best and said she had fun (I'm not really convinced that she did).  I think she'll like it more if she had a mountain bike.  We'll try to get on that for next year!

All in all, a very successful trip!  

Now I'm in full Christmas mode!  Bring it!

Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday Rory!!

Today you are 3!!

We love you!

New TV

 We did it...we finally bought a new TV.  In fact this marks the very first TV we've ever purchased!  I know the set up isn't very glamorous...the dresser actually belonged to my great-grandmother (maybe one day I will paint it and change the hardware).  But, for now it does a pretty good job as a TV stand.  We decided on a 50 inch and when you are used to watching everything on a lap top, a 50 inch TV has completely  rocked our world!

Last night we broke it in by hosting a movie night with my parents...Swiss Family Robinson was the feature film.  The kids loved it!  The classics are always a good bet.

So our first TV was actually a wedding present from the Marian Cycling Team back in 1999 right after we got married.  It finally crapped out a couple of months ago...but it served us very well.

Now, if you will...lets have a moment of silence as we remember our faithful Samsung, and look at some good memories we've had with it.

Haley and Morgan working out with Jen at our old house.  They were probably 3 and 5 years old.

 Morgan, cousin Jett and Piper watching a movie...very close to the screen apparently.

Enjoying a movie night with the family.

I was pregnant with Rory on bed rest when I took this picture.

I hope your are all having an awesome weekend!  I know we will enjoy some good TV watching!

Showstoppers

The Showstoppers Troupe.  

(Haley is top row, second from the right)

The girls' school has an array of after school programs held on Fridays.  Haley has been dying to be a part of the Showstoppers team (they focus on dancing and singing...Haley's favorites), so this year I signed her up. 

They have been practicing since the beginning of September for their big show and Haley quickly realized how much work goes into one production.  These last few Fridays she has been dragging her feet about going and she was really upset that they still had to go to practice on HALLOWEEN day...oh the horror!  Yeah, she has a bit to learn about practicing and rehearsing for things.  She said to me after one practice about a month in..."Mom, we just do the same songs over and over!!"  

But, last night we went to the big and final show and I think now that she has performed in front of a crowd she is starting to have a change of heart about Showstoppers.  They performed a variety of Broadway songs complete with dancing.  It was really cute and Haley did super!  With all the cheering from the crowd, the flowers we congratulated her with and a fun dessert gathering at our house with grandparents, she has decided that she MAY be interested in continuing Showstoppers next semester.  We will see.

Our Weekend Away

Months ago Ryan and I planned a little weekend getaway to see a friends wedding.  When we got the okay from my parents and my brother and his wife to watch our kids for us we booked the trip.  We decided it was best to divide our kids up...Haley and Piper stayed with my brother's family, and Morgan and Rory stayed with my parents.  We left Friday morning after the kids went to school.  This is the first time we have been away from our kids for a whole weekend together!!  Two nights...three days!!!  I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous though...and I thought about them A LOT!  Always wondering what everyone was up to.  But the girls did really well (although I think my brother and his wife got very little sleep).  My brother referred to the weekend as a kid's birthday party that never ended.  He has a little five year old of his own, so with my girls added on it can get a little louder than they're probably used to.  I'm extremely grateful to them though.  

Anyway, back to the wedding.  We flew to Phoenix and stayed at the Arizona Biltmore where the wedding was to be held...a pretty big splurge for us to say the least.  

We went to lunch as soon as we arrived Friday afternoon and then went for a little jog along a path right next to the resort.  That evening we got ourselves cleaned up for the cocktail party to meet up with everyone.

Saturday we enjoyed a very leisurely breakfast and then headed to the pool with the our friends.  Later, Ryan and I got dressed fully intending to go for another jog.  Yeah, that never happened for me.  One of my favorite things about the trip was our ability to just lounge around without a worry in the world.  Our conversations were never interrupted...we never felt rushed.  It was bliss.  So instead of jogging we sat on the patio and just enjoyed the wonderful weather...and people watched of course.

The wedding was in the late afternoon/evening.  It was a beautiful ceremony and they had an amazing reception.  Good food, lots of dancing and with fun people!

Sunday we didn't leave for the airport until 1:00, so we had another relaxing morning.  We said our goodbyes and then it was home again, home again.  We went from temps in the 70's to 28 degrees when our plan touched the ground.  What a shock!!  Although, we only have a week until we load up the trunk and head out again to Sedona, AZ for Thanksgiving!  So...I'm planning on nice weather then too.

Yay for weekend getaways!!
Happy Monday!

A Day With Ryan

So yesterday (Friday) Ryan and I pretty much spent the whole day together.  It was pretty awesome.

After taking the girls to school we headed to the driver's licence place because I discovered my licence was a bit overdue (like around 9 months overdue)...yeah, not so good on my part.  When I went to vote last Tuesday and pulled out my licence and I was shocked to see that it had expired...and it was a little embarrassing.  But luckily, I also had my ss card in my wallet, so they gave me a break and let me vote anyway.

So anyway, back to the my drivers licence....because it was over 6 months overdue I had to take the test...total bummer.  Ryan played with the little ones outside while I crammed out a nearly perfect score on my test.  24/25  (Side note:  it was an open book test...I'm not that smart.)  I slipped up on some state law legal jargon or something...I think it was a trick question.

Then we went to lunch...a little unexpected treat for us!
On the way home we (and by we I mean Ryan) washed the car.  See photo above.

The girls had early out and I had conferences with their teachers right after school.  Ryan walked with me there and chilled on the playground with the littles while I handled the meetings.  Good news:  My Morgan is student of the month!!  More on that later.

When we got home Haley was still at her Showstoppers (a musical class she's taking) and Piper was at a friends.  So it was Morgan and Rory left at home.  They were doing pretty good on their own, so Ryan and I took advantage of the slow afternoon and went for a quick jog.  Yes, you heard me right...a jog.  I've been jogging here and there and my knees are holding up pretty well, so I'm going with it.  This marks the very first time Ryan and I have ever jogged together.  It was crazy, and weird...but fun.

I know my children are still young, but on some occasions we have left them home alone.  Not all together mind you...they may kill each other if we did that.  But we have left Haley and Morgan home alone if we have a quick errand to run...a QUICK errand I said.  They usually just watch Netflix and pretty much stay in "TV zone" until we get back.  But I have never left a little one home alone with Haley and Morgan.  So yesterday was our little trial run on that.  But actually Morgan is a very responsible kid and she enjoys keeping an eye on the little ones.  So we gave it a go.  Granted we only gone for about 30 minutes...but it always feels a little weird leaving kids home, also a little nerve wracking and a little liberating and a bit rebellious.  But like a said we had fun...and the kids were just fine.

I made some soup for dinner and after the kids went to bed Ryan and I watched our beloved Parenthood.  (psst...I think Joel and Julia are going to get back together...hallelujah.)

So yeah, that was my Friday Funday with Ryan.  I love his job, and I love how I can sometimes have him all to myself on a weekday!

Enjoy the weekend ya'll!!

Halloween Wrap Up

Halloween was a success!  It was a bonus that Halloween landed on a Friday this year!  I'm sure the teachers were grateful for that as well!  

 Ryan decided to create our scarecrow man this year.  At our old house our porch was super small, so when we put this guy on it the kids had to nearly reach around him to ring the bell.  It scared a lot of little kids and they wouldn't even come onto the porch.  I think they thought there was a person in it and he would jump at them if they came to close.  Hee Hee.  But at this house we can stick him off to the side and I think most people didn't even notice him. 

 And here are the girls!

Morgan, a pig.  She loves pigs so much and she insisted that she dressed up as one for Halloween.  The night before Halloween she was nervous about wearing her costume to school because when she told people what she was going to be they laughed.  I explained that they probably don't realize what a pretty pig she was going to be!  The next day, she held her head high (pig nose and all) to school...and sure enough, everyone thought she was cutest pig there ever was!

Haley, a 50's girl.

And the little ones went as Cinderella and Snow White.  They originally wanted to go as Elsa and Ana, but since there was about a gazillion little girls dressed up as them I talked them into the more classic princesses.  They were happy with that!

Ryan took the girls out trick or treating while I stayed back to pass out the candy with this guy.

I love that Jeffy comes to hang out with us every Halloween!  And the weather couldn't have been better!!  We were able to hang out on the porch the entire time the girls were gone...so nice!

Hope everyone had a great Halloween!!

Happy Halloween!

 Yesterday we carved our pumpkins.  This was the first time (I'm pretty sure) that we have ever carved them outside while living in Utah.  Weird huh?  It would be great if we can start doing it outside every year!  It's nice not to have pumpkin guts all over everything in the house!

 Jeffy and one of Haley's friends joined us.

 Our creations.

Our garden produced quite a few for us (pretty much the only things that were worth anything in our garden this year) and we got four free ones (compliments of our local grocer)...so yeah, we had much carving to do!

Tonight the kids will be running havoc through the streets of our hood...good times.
Full report on that next week!

Happy Halloween ya'll!!

Overwhelmed!

This is pretty much how I've been feeling lately.

There has been a lot going on with Halloween right around the corner.  I've been sewing a skirt for Haley and myself that needed to be done tonight for our church Halloween party.  And the business of running around and finding all the necessary accessories for everyone else's costumes...it's crazy!

Plus, the big thing that is causing my sleepless nights (other than Piper and Rory always waking up and coming into our bedroom...that's a story for another day), is our big Primary Presentation in our church.  For those out of the know...primary includes all the children from 3-11.  Every year the primary is involved in a presentation that is for the entire congregation.  It lasts about 40-45 minutes.  Every child gets a speaking part that basically goes over all of the things they learned throughout the year.  They also sing all the songs they have learned.  Well, I am charge of the program this year...like totally in charge...like writing all the speaking parts for every child (some have more than one), deciding on the songs, what order, the seating chart for all the children (we have about 50 kids), and so on and so on.  This has been a few months in the making...but tomorrow is the big day.  We've had a couple of practices but that still has not calmed my nerves...I'm terrified!  The kids have been super and everyone is working so hard...but I've never been in charge of such an important event before!  

So anyway, life has been crazy these past few weeks, but after tomorrow it should be starting to settle down a bit!

Here's to a great Primary Program tomorrow!!

Wish me luck!

Fall Break 2014: Part II

I love Snow Canyon State Park...I really do.  Unfortunately, a lot of other people do to, so it can be tricky getting a camp site there.  But we lucked out on Sunday and got a prime spot!  I think I like it so much because it's very nostalgic for me.  Growing up, my family camped there often and I remember running around and climbing the rocks with my brothers.  So it's fun to see my girls doing the same thing in the same spots.

Sunday turned out to be a pretty warm day, so we decided to forfeit any hiking and take the girls to town and play in the little "river walk" and fountain.  Let me tell you, it felt so good to take off our shoes and soak our sandy, dirty feet!!  The kids of course got completely wet which looked pretty good too.

 We decided not to put the rain fly on the tent...it was a bit more chilly, but laying there at night looking at all the stars was so worth it!  It was beautiful!

 Eating breakfast by the fire.

 
The next morning before we headed home we hit up the sand dunes in the park.  The kids could stay here for hours!

 So the picture above is of Haley from 2011 in the dunes...she would have been 7.  I have always loved that picture!!  I was so proud of myself for capturing it so well!

So then I had a brilliant idea!  I'll capture that moment again three years later!  I had this vision of a series of pictures from the dunes of Haley getting older and older doing the same jump...how cute would that be?!

So, I had Haley try to reenact the shot:

This, my friends, was as good as it got.  

Well, the idea was a good one.

After the dunes we grabbed some lunch and headed home, tired and dirty.

Successful trip...check!

Happy Thursday!