St. George

We met the Whittles up at Andrea's parents empty house (they are on a mission) in St George. I guess it is actually Diamond Valley. We had a lot of fun and some late nights and slow mornings. It was great.

Some highlights were:

*We got a sitter for the kids and the adults went and saw Les Mis at Tuacahn. It was so good. I knew the music well, so it was interesting to finally see how it all fit together.



*An afternoon at Sand Hollow.



*Playing the Wii. I am terrible! But it was so funny to see Mike beat Steve by one point every time at baseball training. If Mike got 23, Steve got 22. If Mike got 20, Steve got 19. It became quite competitive (in a fun way, of course)

*Andrea's yummy crepes for breakfast.


*Seeing Aaron with the horses. He LOVED the horses. Always wanted to pet them and give them kisses on their snotty noses. . .gross, but cute.


*Ethan and his cute glasses with no lenses. He never takes them off, too cute.

*The kids just ran, played, laughed, told secrets, ate and played some more. Fun memories.

Carol

Last week Carol and her three youngest stayed one night while Nathan was at basketball camp. It was so fun! The kids played inside and out in the sprinkler. You can see Aaron in the background by the spicket (sp?). Much to the annoyance of the girls, he thought it was his job to turn the water off and on.

We stayed up late and talked, ate pizza, and went scrapbook supply shopping. I basically followed Carol around and bought what she bought. I never know what to get, that's why I love getting the kits in the mail, its all put together for you. Anyway, she also helped me put together a scrapbook page for Mike's grandma that I've been putting off. It was "due" last November...better late than never, I guess. Thanks Carol!

Party, Party

It has been new for me to learn that every little town in Utah has it's own party in the summer. Everything from Orem Summerfest, Provo's Freedom Festival, there are Strawberry Days, Lavender Days, and I think some where there is even Onion days or Mosquito Days or something like that. Its a little crazy, but it makes for a fun summer, I guess.

We went to Orem Summerfest and had a blast riding rides and eating fair food. (For some reason I love fair food!) The girls and I loved walking thru the booths, I bought a cute necklace. We topped it off with a parade and some fireworks. It really was fun.

You can tell that Aaron and Anna got their faces painted at the "free" booth. Abby was willing to pay $2 of her own money for her face painting, she thought it was so fancy. She was very careful not to smudge it the rest of the day.

10 Years!!

Today is our 10 year anniversary! I can't believe it. It has been a great 10 years and I am looking forward to many, many more!
Its funny to me to see how different we look. I wonder what we'll look like in another 10...

Viva Las Vegas

Here are a few pics from our Vegas trip.
Anna and her BFF Aubrey. It was so neat to be there to see Aubrey be baptized! We found out when we got there that there were more kids we knew being baptized as well. Anna has always looked forward to her baptism, but seeing Aubrey's has made her even more excited.

The cute cousins in the pool! When we lived in Vegas we spent many days chillin' at this pool. It was so fun to be back. It almost felt like we never left!Cute baby Reese!

We had such an awesome time! Thanks Jill! We look forward to doing it again really soon!!!

date night

Mike and I went out on a date a while back and left the kids with a babysitter. We had a great time and obviously so did the kids.
When we got home, surprise!...Both girls lost a tooth, Abby's first and Anna's 8th.

Then Aaron's big surprise. . .

this is what his face looked like. Nice. It took 3 days before all the ink came off. . .

Happy Fathers Day

Mike is a wonderful Father! He likes to have fun with his kids.It amazes me how he is so good at teaching them important things in a way they will understand. We got him ties (the usual) one the kids decorated when we visited our family ward in Vegas. He was proud to wear it to church today. Then we totally surprised him with a new BBQ! That was fun. We assembled it (which wasn't as easy as the box said it would be) then had some BBQ chicken for dinner. It was fun.

My dad I really appreciate. He always supported me in my activities in school and still supports and offers sound advise today. He is a good father and "Papa". He loves our little family and we love him.

Final Days of School

Abby at her pre-school graduation. They did a little program for us. It was cute. She is with her friend, Laura. She and Laura play and are just easy friends. They just get along and play so well together, all I have to do is keep an eye out and feed them. Its nice to have a friend like that.

Anna's school did a dance festival. The 2nd grade did a little hula to the music of "The Tiki Room." It was cute, of course. Anna was so excited. She practiced her dance all around the house for weeks before the performance. She even had a friend come over and practice with her. Cute.

a quick catch up

I am so behind! I have tons of pics to post of last days of school stuff, Vegas, etc. I'll have to do that another time...I feel like it will take SO much time, so I've been putting it off. Maybe if I just blog a few things now it won't be so overwhelming to catch up.

* Got rid of the girls' bunk beds (the top one was always hard to make and always looked messy) they now share a queen bed. I was wondering how that would go, but they love it and it is fun to hear them talk and giggle at night (until the 5th reminder to be quiet and go to sleep!)

*Aaron has been in a twin bed now since Dec. but we kept the crib up for a while (first as a threat "if you get out of your bed one more time you'll have to sleep in the crib", then I don't know what our deal was). Anyway, we took down the crib. I cried!!

*Abby lost her first tooth, she was so excited. The next day she had to give a talk in church and she asked which dress she should wear, I told her the polka dot one, and she said "Oh good! It will go with my lost tooth!" She cracks me up!

*L.O.V.E.D!! seeing those we could in Vegas. It was a fast and furious trip so we missed many of you (we will see you next time for sure! ) We had a great time. It is so fun to see friends and family! We miss you guys a lot. I'll post pics later.

*I've set a goal. . . to run a 5K! I'm not sure why, I actually hate running. But I've read some other ladies blogs that run and they are so inspirational. Also, it seems that would be a sign of health. Right now I still have no energy, it wipes me out for the rest of the day if I walk for 30 mins. on the treadmill. BUT, I am going to work up to that 5K! I'm giving myself a year. (that seems like a ridiculously long time for a 5K, I don't think people even train that long for a marathon! Oh well!) Now that it is written down, I'll feel like I really have to do it. Stay tuned. . .

Thought this was fun. . .

I saw this on some one else's blog and thought it was kind of fun. I would be interested to see some of your answers. . .

All you have to do is copy the list and bold what you have done.This is a great thing for kids to have their grandparents do.

200 Have and Have nots!

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
(never!)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (well, from the Puget Sound, close enough)
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
(this is kind of huge thing to have on someone’s list because I don’t think they let you do this anymore?)
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment (while they were teaching relaxation and quiet techniques during labor and delivery class)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster (I won't do a big one again, I don't like them)
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach (or pretty close to midnight)
41. Gone sky diving (no thanks!!)
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class (I think I only lasted like 3 classes)
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over (more out of necessity than desire)
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth (my cat growing up had kittens, I'm sure I was right there)
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (when I was a highschool cheerleader, actually only half of my body made it in the pic)
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (I've caught the fish, but my brother prepared it)
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band (clarinet)
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar (thought it was gross)
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant (at the zoo)
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking (whats that?)
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away (I threatened to when I was little but didn't even get out of the yard)
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz (not very well but I took a class for both of those)
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint (X-stitch?)
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible (on a date, it was horrible, my hair was a MESS!)
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

Are you going to do it? It takes a lot less time than you think.