Mendoza Family Moments

Jr. Jazz

2012-01-29T21:52:00.003-07:00

Lukas has started to like basketball. It was only a matter of time...I mean, look at Pat. He LIVES for ball. So now Lukas is in Jr. Jazz and plays every Saturday. He is learning the basics and is doing great. It's fun to watch them and I can see this is in his future!

Snow in January...Finally!

2012-01-22T22:02:00.002-07:00

This has been such a strange winter...50 degrees one day, 32 the next. Rain, sun. But no snow. That is until this weekend. We threw our snow stuff in the car and headed to Solitute to hit the slopes. Not to ski, but with our sleds. We couldn't get up the mountain, so we did the next best thing. We found an awesome park with giant hills and had a blast. The snow was pretty heavy and wet and sloshy, but it was fun anyway! Zoey tried to have fun, but didn't like it much.

Not so new, but Improved

2011-09-13T01:45:00.001-06:00

We have been doing some updates on our house...blinds in the basement, vinyl lettering EVERYWHERE, a table and mini fridge downstairs, a desk for my craft room, Lukas' new room, fixing the carpet (basement leak), a new TV in the loft, not to mention the 90 inch screen and projector in the basement. I was getting so tired of the same old decorations and decided to try and change some things up. I am happy with the results and still have a few things in the works! It's good to document things every now and again. Here is our house as of today.

Mr. Max

2011-09-12T01:03:00.004-06:00

Max is getting so big and I haven't really updated what he's been up to. He is almost 5. With his new haircut everyone mistakes him for Lukas. He has quite the memory and can practically repeat word for word any commercial on TV (like OxyClean, Game Fly, and a half a dozen As Seen On TV products). He has a sweet side to him-he likes to snuggle with me, he'll share his blanket or carry something in from the car, give Zoey hugs (BIG time, non-releasing squeezes), have good manners, and he is a great helper when it comes to wiping off the kitchen table. He DOES NOT like to be the focus of attention or to be called anything other than Max. One day he said I could call him Officer Max (he wants to be a cop when he grows up), but if you try to call him handsome or cutie forget it!! He starts preschool next month, so he's been kind of bored at home with Lukas gone all day. He was in Karate for a few months and did really good. We're taking a break so he can be in soccer (which he is actually excited about). He loves having friends come play and every day he asks me, "Mom, what friend can I have come play?" He struggles to keep his hands to himself and sometimes lets his impulses get the best of him. But he's growing out of his "aggressive" stage and starting to make better choices. He is a lover and wants attention and affection. I'm so happy I get to spend more time with him. (I will find a better picture than this! :)

Lukas turns 7

2011-09-06T23:22:00.003-06:00

Time just keeps flying. I'll never get tired of saying it. Today was Lukas' 7th birthday. He's getting so big! I made him his favorite breakfast (swedish pancakes) and then took him to school to drop off his share week poster and birthday treat. For lunch Pat and I took him a happy meal and ate with him and all his classmates. It was so much fun, seriously the BEST part of my day. He was SO excited to see us and not embarrassed in the least. I loved seeing what his day is like and meeting his friends. He was instantly popular and everyone wanted to say hi and sit by him. By the time we left, he was out at recess and so many kids were chasing him and wanting to be by him. SO CUTE! I'm so proud of him and how he's growing up. He's got such good manners and so many friends. After school he came straight to the park for his party and seriously 20 kids came!!! I let him invite whoever he wanted and he did!! I loved it. It was a little stressful to have so many kids, but Whitney and Windy were there for me and took Zoey off my hands. Lukas got so many gifts and had a great turn out. Our families came to the same park for dinner. What a great day for Lukas. I hope he feels how loved he is and that he had a special day!

Lukas' New Room

2011-08-25T10:21:00.004-06:00

Despite my best efforts to get the boys to share and get along, Lukas has decided that he wants his own space. We took all the toys out of the spare room downstairs and moved his stuff in. It was quite an ordeal. Separating toys and dividing clothes. (They almost wear the same size, so I would just buy for them to share. Big mistake.) We've had some flooding in the basement, so Pat and I took a couple of days to fix the carpet and repair the damage. FINALLY, Lukas' room is complete. We found a cute bedspread online and a bed on KSL. I was really surprised that he wanted to be all by himself in the basement. He does great and loves that he gets his own bathroom. So independent.

Scissor Happy

2011-08-13T02:32:00.002-06:00

I wondered if this would ever happen. Max found out how fun it is to use scissors on hair. I found piles of hair all over the kids craft room one day and immediately ran to Zoey to see the damage. I didn't see any and judging on the length of the hair piles I was finding it had to be Max. He denied it, of course. I searched his head and found where he chopped. Then upon closer examination, there were several short spots on Zoey, too. I was so sad. The damage was minimal however, and I didn't see the point of yelling or making a big deal. I just told Max how sad I was and that he wasn't allowed to have scissors for a while. Well, after a bath one night I noticed a HUGE chunk of hair missing right in front of Max's head. Low and behold he had done it again, this time just to himself. This time obvious and very noticeable. I trimmed up the rest of his hair so it didn't look so terrible, but it is still sad. He has the best hair of anyone in the family. I guess we all did this as kids at some point. Mine was because I went to bed with gum and it ended up in my hair and so had to be cut out. Although I'm pretty sure I chopped off some of my own hair, too. I'll have to search my scrapbooks to find proof. **UPDATE** Since I posted this, Max has yet again taken the scissors to his own hair. This time right in the middle of his bangs. It left me no choice, but to get his hair cut. It's short, but longer on top for a that faux hawk look. It's adorable, and he looks so much like Lukas. He is banned from scissors for the rest of his life. :(

Cafe Rio and Sweet Tooth Fairy

2011-08-13T01:53:00.000-06:00

There are few things better than good friends and good food. And when you put them together you get AWESOMENESS! Cafe Rio is a favorite amongst us girls. More often than not it can be accompanied by a delicious treat from Sweet Tooth Fairy (they have the best cupcakes, cake bits and cookies in the world). So here's to a million calories and priceless friendships.

Date Night

2011-08-10T02:00:00.001-06:00

Pat and I are regulars at Olive Garden. It's our date night favorite. We really should expand our horizons, but why when it's so yummy and so close (and we had a gift card)! :)

My Little Miss Zoey (almost 16 months)

2011-07-29T22:33:00.005-06:00

I haven't written about Zoey for the past couple months, and man is she CUTE! She has such a personality and knows just what she wants. When she is walking around the house, she usually has one hand on her hip and has the cutest run. She slaps her feet down so hard, you can hear her coming a mile away. She says so many words, or at least sounds like words. Dada, is her favorite, mama, pepsi, good night, good morning, milk, candy, no no, bye bye, eat, poop. She knows who we all are and will give us "loves" on demand. (Give Dada loves. Give Wolfie loves.) She even lets Max hug her and she'll go sit on his lap if he is sitting still long enough. She still doesn't like her hair to be combed. She eats everything and drops pieces of it on the floor for Wolfie. She loves her blankie more than anything and has to carry and drag it everywhere. She will wrap herself up in it and just walk around. She takes great naps and will often times sleep in til 10 if we don't have to be up for anything. She gets into things and will make a mess faster than I can catch her. She likes to carry her purse and knows just how to do it. She mimics me when I'm doing something, like putting on make up or wiping the counter or sweeping the floor. She is getting more independent, but still likes to be held by me or Pat. She loves Nana and will go to her freely. She also loves several of my friends. She is quite stubborn and will not give up until she gets what she wants, usually with tantrums or screaming or pulling. She loves baby dolls and baby strollers. She'll steal her friend's and push it all around. When I'm making food in the kitchen, she gets excited if she hears the snow cone maker on or the popcorn in the microwave. She thinks she is a big kid and loves running with all the neighborhood kids and being where they are. Or if we are laughing, she'll start laughing like she gets what we're talking about. It's so funny. The boys love her so much and always want to help her or pick her up. She is such a joy and usually always happy.

First Day of First Grade

2011-07-26T11:03:00.003-06:00

Lukas is on year-round school, which means his summer is 3 weeks long. It has gone fast, but we did some fun things! He was excited to start and go all day. His first day went well, he wasn't scared to go and he lasted all day. I put a little note in his backpack to tell him I loved him and hoped he had a good day. The next day, he handed me a similar note and told me if I missed him too much, that I could pull the note out and read it. So cute!!! The hardest adjustment for him is probably that he can't stay up so late since he has to get up so early. There were a few kids that he knew in his class from last year, so that has been fun for him. His teacher is Mrs. Foreman, who is so nice, sweet but firm. He has to learn his lunch code, so he can get hot lunch, and he gets to bring a "sneak a snack" since lunch is so late in the day. He goes from 8:55 to 3:55. It is hard for me to have him gone for so long. With just Max and Zoey at home, we have lots of time to play and get things done (or so I thought...it's still so hard to get things done!)

Legacy Ranch Neighborhood

2011-07-20T01:23:00.000-06:00

One of our dear friends (Erin) moved out of the neighborhood, so we thought it would be fun to have all the kids get together for a picture. This isn't even all of them!!! It is great to live by so many fabulous families and such fun kids. It can get crazy at times, but we LOVE it. :)

Pineview Reservoir

2011-07-18T11:16:00.001-06:00

One fun thing we did this summer is travel to Pineview Reservoir and stay for 3 nights. Papa and Nana treated, and we all took turns with meals. Jared and Rebecca came with their family and we had such a great time. There was a swimming pool in the complex and we had our own hot tub on the deck. There was plenty of room and things to do. We saw David O. McKay's house, went rafting on the lake, saw the quaint town of Huntsville, went to the Monastery (no munks to be found), swam, and played at a fun playground. It was a great vacation! And the drive was only a few hours! The kids had so much fun with their cousins. Papa wasn't feeling great a lot of the time, so he rested mostly, which is understandable. Zoey was a horrible sleeper :( but other than that, a great time was had by all!!!!

Girl's Night Out-SNOWBIRD

2011-07-16T01:30:00.000-06:00

Every 6 months or so, we plan a GNO sleepover with our friends. It seems to grow in number every time-how lucky for us to have such fun friends!!! This will be our second time going up to Snowbird. Whitney, Windy and I drove up early to get things set up. It was Ericka's bday and we wanted to decorate for her. The rest of the girls came later and we ordered Olive Garden and ate it in our room. There were 8 of us. It was SO much fun. There was a hot tub on the balcony (which we used while sipping our snow cones) and we stayed up talking, snacking and laughing. We do secret sister gifts for each other--which is my favorite part of the night. We buy a "favorite thing" to share with each girl then wrap it up and open with each other. Whit, Windy and I went in on something together and made everyone a friend book. It was a lot of work to put together (and just a little drama to go with it) but SO worth it. We made a page for each girl, then wrote what we loved about them in it. We stayed up 'til we couldn't stay up any more and then crashed. In the morning we headed for the pool and had a good laugh at the squirrels that nipped at our feet and the moose sighting. We headed home, but not before stopping at Five Guys and Nothing Bunt Cakes to fill our empty tummies. There is nothing like spending the weekend with a group of girls and pigging out! :)

The Fourth of July

2011-07-05T09:36:00.000-06:00

We had a BBQ at Gma Sonia's to start off our 4th of July celebrations. They boys ran around, caused trouble and swam in the pool. We ate lots of yummy food and just sat around and visited. It was a little rainy, but that didn't stop us from enjoying things. After our BBQ, we came home to prep for our big fireworks show. And can I just say, WOW?! We had several neighbors contribute and man was it HUGE! This is the first year that Utah allows aerials, so all night (and week actually) there were booms and crackles lighting up the sky. It was pretty amazing, and the kids had fun watching and running around. I don't know what we'll do next year. There was no topping that show. :)

Fort Night

2011-07-02T01:18:00.001-06:00

Pat worked this weekend (nights) so the kids and I decided to build a fort. We had so much fun! We rented a movie, popped popcorn and played games in our fort. Even Zoey had a good time. It's moments like this that I want to always remember. So carefree and just plain FUN! Thanks kids for a great weekend!

End-of-Kindergarten Party

2011-06-30T10:55:00.000-06:00

I can't believe Lukas is already done with Kindergarten. This has been so fun watching him learn to read and write! I'm amazed. He is so smart and Mrs. Hansen was such a great teacher! We wanted to end the year with a bang, so I let him invite 10 friends to have a party on the last day of school. It was fun, and a bit crazy, with 10 Kindergarteners running around! He loves his friends (which are mostly girls) and is always wanting play dates with them. What a great year!

Lava Hot Springs

2011-06-12T12:16:00.000-06:00

We took a fun family/neighborhood trip to Lava Hot Springs. It was such a fun get-away! And there is no way I'll ever go back to tent camping (maybe when the kids are bigger). We stayed in a cute little cabin that had bunks for the boys and a bed for us and a microwave and fridge. Don't forget we had a sink, toilet and shower, too! It was great to spend time with friends and let the kids play. We went to the hot pots, to the big swimming pool where we had fun going down the massive slides and just playing! We had some rainy nights, but no worries since we had a cabin! The Wankiers weren't so fortunate, since they stayed in a tent and had a sick baby. They are troopers! What fun memories!

Mindy came to town!!

2011-06-10T11:32:00.003-06:00

Mindy was here for a month! She came for Jayson's farewell and then took off to Paris with David for her 40th bday! Then when she got back she was here for 2 more weeks, so we got to have some quality time together. You won't know it from the lack of pictures, but we had fun! I'm so glad they came and we got to have them stay at our house a few nights. They boys love playing with Karsten, and Sierra was a great babysitter to Zoey (despite her screaming!). Skyla was so cute to always play with the boys and we were all sad to see them go! Until next time.

Tiny Sprouts Graduation

2011-06-01T13:27:00.004-06:00

Max graduated from preschool yesterday. I was so worried when I first put him in. He is just so intense and can get really aggressive if you don't know how to handle him. From day 1 Miss Becky and Miss Brendy were right for him. They knew how to talk to him and help him participate. Not to say it wasn't hard work on their part, but he loved it and would come home excited and happy. I am so thankful for those teachers. And I'm so proud of Max for learning and going each week. Aunt Mindy was here for it, and that made Max's day. Gma Sonia came, too which was so nice. I love that we have such a supportive family. One more year of preschool to go! :) pictures to come...

Zoey @ 13 months

2011-05-17T22:26:00.000-06:00

So Zoey is walking around, doing her thing. Little Miss Independent. Yet, she is so attached that I can't put her down for a second! How does she manage this?! She will not eat her food unless she is feeding herself. I cannot change her diaper or get her dressed without a major struggle. Not to mention do her hair! She does not let me do chores around the house. She knows where my candy stash is and will stand there and demand some until she gets some. Then she holds onto it until it is melted and gooey and then and ONLY THEN, does she want to be left alone to wander the house leaving sticky dirty hand and finger prints on everything. It's exhausting! She loves her blankie and can't bear to go to bed without it. She screams when Max comes anywhere near her. She has discovered Capri Suns and absolutely must have her own and hold her own. She'll squeeze it if you try and help her which leads to juice getting all over everything. She loves the sand box and sitting in small chairs. She kicks her feet when you sit her in a chair all by herself. She has managed to go up the stairs, but not come down yet. She has more teeth coming in than I can count, which may be the cause of her grumpiness lately. She has learned how to wave at the appropriate time. And her first word is EAT. She also says HOT (thanks to my curling iron-she didn't touch it but that is because I told her a million times not to and that it was hot. Now every time she sees it she says "hot, hot, hot"). She throws a killer tantrum when she doesn't get what she wants. And she is learned to go to other people without crying. After I'm done changing her diaper, she will go throw it in the garbage and say "poop". She loves trying on people's shoes or just carrying them around. She fits perfectly in her brother's t-shirt for PJ's and has the cutest dimples on both cheeks.

Finally...

2011-05-10T21:06:00.000-06:00

This hard work... Helped pay for this...

Mother I Love You

2011-05-09T21:25:00.000-06:00

I get to celebrate this wonderful day all because of my three sweet kids. They bring me so much happiness!!! We started out Mother's Day celebrating my wonderful mother-in-law for an early breakfast. We cooked crepes and had fun visiting. The kids sang a mother's day song in church and then it was off to Woodland Hills to celebrate Nana with dinner. I love that we get to see each other and share this special day with the other wonderful mother's in my life. :)

Easter 2011

2011-04-24T21:42:00.000-06:00

Zoey is ONE!!

2011-04-19T13:39:00.005-06:00

Zoey is one year old! I can hardly believe it. She is walking all over the place, getting into everything and how can she already know what she wants and scream to get it!?! She is so little (only 18 pounds), but that doesn't stop her from getting around. She will only eat if she can feed herself (and she likes to get messy). She sleeps great most of the time, and cries herself back to sleep if she wakes up. She makes the cutest crinkle face at everybody all the time. She has quite the high pitched scream-that is her way of saying she doesn't like something, usually Max bugging her. She is still clingy, but getting better at going to other people. I don't get much done in the day because she won't leave my side. She LOVES socks, and when I'm folding laundry that's what she goes for. She carries it around and tries to put it on like a hat. She will mimic everything I do (like hold the phone up to her ear, swipe a credit card, stir a pot, clap). And she still loves Wolfie. All dogs actually. She is careful around stairs, because she knows she will fall...it's happened once or twice. Lukas can really make her laugh and is so cute to play with her. Max tries, but a little too hard because he always ends up hurting her and making her cry. She gets into all my cupboards and takes things out of them, but it sure helps when I'm making dinner and need her occupied. She doesn't sit still when I try to comb her hair and she hates it when I try, so usually she looks like a ragamuffin. But a cute one. She loves play grounds and especially swings and slides. We have so much fun with her every day. She brightens my life and am so thankful to have her!!! Happy ONE year Zoey!

April Fools

2011-04-02T20:51:00.004-06:00

Pat had to work April 1st, and I'm not really a big joker. He needed to pick up something at his office, but he was at the hospital, so he had me do it. While me and the kids were in the car, I kept telling the kids about April Fools and how today is the only day we can play tricks on each other. Well, Max kept putting his arm in his sleeve and saying, "Look Mom, I broke my arm...April Fools!" I suddenly got an idea. We got home and set our plan into motion. I sent Pat a text saying I was on my way to InstaCare because Max fell off the neighbors playground and broke his arm. I knew he couldn't call me, so I continued to send texts to him about what was happening and what the Dr. said. When Pat got home, I was holding Max (who had a ace bandage wrapped around his arm along with a sling we borrowed from Windy after MUCH bribing, I might add). He was kind of giggling, so Pat didn't know what to think. But I told him to unwrap his arm to see how bruised it was. As he unwrapped it, this is what he found...And he totally fell for it!!!!!!! Man I'm good! :)

Celebration of Life...2 years!

2011-03-11T22:17:00.000-07:00

It was 2 years ago today that we found out about Papa's cancer. It changed our outlook and our perspective. We feel so blessed that he is alive and so this year we celebrated beating the odds. We ate at McDonald's...a favorite of Papa's...and then played some fun games together. I am thankful for a reason to celebrate! (And he even ate his entire Big Mac-which is an accomplishment since his medicine makes him lose his appetite).

Zoey @ 11 months

2011-03-05T13:09:00.004-07:00

Oh miss Zoey! Already 11 months old! She is standing a lot, but won't take more than one step. She LOVES all dogs, but mostly Wolfie and she lets him kiss her (ekk!). If she is ever sad, all I have to do is call Wolife in the room and she cheers right up. She has the cutest smile and dimple. She likes most foods but still doesn't really like to sit in her high chair. She loves playing with my keys and throws a fit if I have to take them from her. When she hears music, she'll start bouncing. You can tell if she wants something because she'll stick her arm out in the direction of whatever it is she wants. She loves exploring and crawling everywhere. She sleeps pretty good and will wake up maybe once at night. She loves her brothers, but Max is still a little too rough with her. She will let out a scream if he gets too close. Pat can make her laugh so hard by hitting her hand on his cheek, it's darling. She likes other babies, and always wants to touch them. She is still a mama's girl and doesn't like to go to strangers or be left alone. If I walk out of the room, she cries. She is a tiny little thing, weighing about 18 pounds. She melts my heart constantly. We just love her.

Wolfie the Vacuum

2011-03-05T12:58:00.002-07:00

This is a very typical morning at our house. Zoey sharing with Wolfie and Wolfie cleaning up whatever falls on the floor. It is nice to know that I don't have to vacuum under Zoey's high chair every day. Thanks Wolf!!

Love is in the air!

2011-02-15T13:01:00.000-07:00

I try so hard to make Valentine's day (and all holidays) special. This year I remembered at midnight the night before!!!! So, I did the best I could. I made the kids a special breakfast of Swedish pancakes (colored pink of course) and had a special gift for them (happened to have some Lego T-shirts on hand, whew!). Pat came home with a surprise for me! Is that not the sweetest thing ever? We got a babysitter and went to dinner and a movie. I love my Valentine! I ended the day watching The Bachelor with the girls. All the things I love. :)

L O V E

2011-02-14T22:55:00.001-07:00

I was spoiled today as I opened my door and found this: Man, what a great husband I have! Thanks for a great Valentine's Day. :)

Pat, the Nurse

2011-02-12T23:29:00.001-07:00

Pat has been working at the U of U Hospital on the Telemetry floor for a year and a half. He has gained some great experience and has just loved his floor. He has always wanted to get a job closer to home, and with the new Riverton Hospital right here, he decided to go for it. He got a job on the 2nd floor (med/surg) and I was ecstatic!! His commute is 2 minutes, which means more home time. Well, it was short-lived because he wasn't happy there. It was too boring for his craziness. He has also always wanted to work in the ICU. Lucky for him an ICU internship has just opened up at IMC in Murray (only 7 miles away) and HE GOT IT! He is super excited because with this experience, it will help him get into Nurse Anesthesia School. The adventure never ends with him. He will have a 8 week paid training and then be on his own on the Thoracic ICU floor. Good Luck Pat!!

Old Stomping Grounds

2011-02-11T22:59:00.000-07:00

Pat had the opportunity to go with his mom to visit his roots in New Jersey/New York where he grew up. He stayed with his Uncle Tito. Pat and his mom went to all the places he remembers growing up (old apartment, middle school, neighborhood, bodegas, pizza places). He had so much fun. He also got to visit down town NY. It brought back a lot of memories and he is glad he went. We're glad he's back!! :)

Zoey @ 10 months

2011-02-08T09:42:00.003-07:00

Little miss Zoey is just growing and growing! She is such a sweet heart. She loves playing peek-a-boo and just giggles and bounces when Pat or I play with her. She loves Wolfie and if nothing else can make her happy, he can. She loves to pat him and sit next to him. Zoey doesn't like to be put down. Especially if I am vacuuming or right around dinner time. She is getting more independent and crawls up the stairs by herself. She also opens all the drawers in the kitchen (tupperware, placemats and ikea plates are always all over the floor). She likes to feed herself and baby food is not her favorite. She sits and plays on the floor during church, which makes church easier than having to hold her the whole time. Her brothers still adore her. Lukas knows how to make her laugh and tickles her. Max still loves her too much at times and she lets him know it with her high pitched squeals. Zoey still doesn't take a binkie, but absolutely can't sleep without her blankie. She will cuddle it and squeeze it and love it. It's really cute.

Life as we know it...

2011-01-25T23:59:00.005-07:00

I think I almost forgot how to type with all the texting that goes on. I haven't sat down in front of the computer (except to pay bills) for months. It has been far too long since I have documented our life and I am forcing myself to sit down to do just that right now. My life has become so busy that I feel like it's passing me by. I haven't even uploaded pictures from Christmas, Pat's birthday, Lukas' first lost tooth, Zoey turning 9 months. Ugh! I'm usually caught up with my photo books at this point too. Every day I think, "Oh, I'll have time to do (blog, facebook, scrapbook) tomorrow." It's always on my list, but so many other things happen. It makes me sad that I am not remembering and capturing more. Days go by and then weeks, and now months. I think 3 kids has really caught up to me. So, no more. Instead of focusing on what I am behind on, let's focus on what is happening NOW. PAT got a new job at the Riverton Hospital (literally a 3 minute drive from our house) and starts in a few weeks. He is sad to leave the awesome U of U Hospital, but excited to try something new and be much closer to home. And let's face it, I really am looking forward to not getting phone calls in the morning as he is driving home from work trying desperately to stay awake (he works nights/weekends and can fall asleep as he is talking and has)! He is continuing to do real estate and getting his feet wet with his new brokerage Everest Realty Group. Great, that's fantastic!!! JaNECE (that's me) is up to my elbows in laundry (what's new). Besides housework that never gets done, I am now the taxi taking kids to and from school. I had no idea how much busier I am having Lukas in school. About once a month I volunteer in Lukas' classroom. It has been fun to see him in his element, although he always shows off when I'm there. Zoey is my big time stealer. She is worth it though! I love watching her grow and seeing her personality come through. I love being a mom (although I could use a refresher course on patience and how to get your kids to eat their vegetables, sit still in church and go to bed on time...without whining). I also do a dinner swap with 2 of my neighbors and it has been so fun to exchange recipes and have a night where I don't have to worry about dinner. The food is amazing and is inspiring me to branch out and cook better. I still do my Design By JaNece stuff and wish I had more money to invest in a better machine and all that darling fabric I see everywhere. Exercise is at the bottom of my list, but there is a time and a season for everything. Monday night has got to be my favorite night of the week because of "Girls Night". I have fabulous friends and look forward to the yummy treats and time shared watching meaningless, lame reality shows. LUKAS just lost his first tooth! It was one of the bottom ones and so whenever he says certain words with a 'ch', 's', or 't', it makes a cute noise. The tooth fairy came through and have him $5 for his first tooth! He was ecstatic (yet a little disappointed b/c he though it would be more like $1000 dollars--ha, dreamer!) and already spent it on a new toy. He LOVES kindergarten and his teacher Ms. Hansen. He is learning to read and spell and could color all day long. His spelling is the sound spell, so he'll write just how he sounds it out. It's adorable. He has made lots of friends in his class and particularly a girl friend named Emily. I have met her and she is adorable. He is always bringing home pictures that she colored for him, or bracelets or notes. And he returns the favor by coloring his best Ninja turtle or shark picture for her. They play together on the play ground and he even gets her coat and backpack for her when the bell rings (I saw this firsthand the last time I volunteered). Lukas is so smart and knows how to use the iPhone, computer, his Leapster, the Wii. He is also great at getting his own breakfast or lunch. He made a list one day of all the things he could do himself...chicken nuggets, cereal, sandwich, popcorn, corn dog, ice cream and chocolate milk. He is starting to get bugged with his brother. Max is always "breathing" on him or trying to play with him and his friends outside or not giving him enough space. He also HATES bedtime. He gets so bored and says he's not tired even at 11:00 at night. I'll get a note from him expressing this boredom and asking if he could come hang out with me, followed by a check YES or check NO box. He loves Zoey and is so helpful with her. He loves making her laugh and making sure she has toys to play with. MAX has so much energy. He usually spends it bugging Lukas or mauling Zoey! (I can't wait for warm weather to come). He LOVES preschool and his teachers and learns so much while he is there. He is getting better socially and I just love how happy he is when he gets home from Tiny Sprouts. He also has a new friend!! He hated play dates and didn't really have a lot of friends that were his own (he loves Carter who is 3 years older than him). But he has finally made a great friend. He constantly asks if Aiden can come play and when they do play, they do it so well! Their favorite thing to play is superheros. They dress up in every costume in the house and I never hear them fighting. His brother on the other hand...they fight like a pack of wolves, hitting, wrestling, punching. And miracle of miracles, he LOVES his primary class. It was a rocky first week, but the Hutchings have really made an impact on him. He LOVES Ben and asks if he can come over to play! He will do anything for Brother Hutchings. If only I had that power. *sigh* He is getting big and wears the same size at Lukas. He is still saying potty words and thinks anything to do with the bathroom is funny. He is so tender-hearted underneath all that intense energy. He will give Zoey about 10 hugs and kisses within a one minute time frame. And Zoey has developed quite a shirll scream because of it. Max is full of love and I'm learning he just wants attention and to be recognized. ZOEY is growing too fast. She is climbing up stairs and pulling herself up on everything. She really is so sweet. I just love how she laughs and squeals and then her cute little teeth show. She already knows what she wants and how to get it. It's no wonder I never put her down. I want to keep her this small forever. It's going too fast and I am loving every minute of it...except when 5 p.m. comes around-it's her grumpy time and my time to make dinner. I usually am making my way through the kitchen one handed b/c I'm holding her and trying to get dinner on the table. I should have super strong arms, but I don't think I do. Bummer. She has become a fabulous sleeper again and we are all getting great sleep. Wait, except for me because Lukas is impossible to get to bed and Max climbs in bed with me at 4 in the morning, by standing at my bedside until I open my eyes and see his little frame in the dark, just standing there. AHhhh, freaks me out every time! Anyway, life is good and we are happy. We have ups and downs, but we are trying to enjoy the journey. We have the gospel, our health and each other so what more could we want! (How about a new car, a furnished basement, new clothes, new tires, new land line phones...the list goes on!) But bottom line...we are happy and grateful. Our house may not be spotless, we may be a bit pudgy, but we get out of bed every day and we try to live life the best we know how. Thank goodness for resolutions and goals.

Lukas' First Lost Tooth

2011-01-19T23:21:00.000-07:00

How did he get so big? He was so excited that his tooth came out. The tooth fairy gave him $5 for his first tooth. :) Now he has another one loose. I hope he doesn't think the tooth fairy is gonna pay out that much for every tooth. She'll be broke!

Zoey @ 9 months

2011-01-14T15:46:00.004-07:00

Zoey is growing so fast! She has 6 teeth and another one peeking through. She can crawl, roll over, sit up, clap, click her tongue, pull herself up to stand, blow raspberries and giggle (it sounds like I'm describing doggie tricks)! She is such a cutie. She hates her high chair, but as soon as I can get her to taste her food she'll endure sitting in it. She likes to eat what we're eating and trying new things. Her favorite is a stalk of celery. If you try and take it away, she has a death grip on it and she shows her . She smiles when she sees us and is getting better at playing on her own. I still have to hold her most of the time and she is pretty attached to me. I usually get nothing done when she is awake. She loves Wolfie and pets him in her cute way. He tolerates the tugging, pulling and getting sat on. My favorite thing is when I go get her out of her crib. She is standing there waiting for me and gets excited when I open the door. She holds on to me so tight and gives me the biggest hug. She is getting her spunky little personality already and I can tell she is going to be trouble, in that sweet, "what did I do" way. We all love her dearly. Max loves to smother her with hugs and kisses. He will pick her up and bring her to me (even when I don't ask or know) and I have to constantly tell him to back off and give her space. Lukas is great with her and she likes to play with him. We have so much fun picking out her outfits and doing her hair. She is waking up more at night, so it's been hard letting her cry it out. But she is learning and will go down easier now. She is attached to her blankie (white and black fuzzy) and when she sees it she buries her face in it. She never did like a binkie, but can't live without her blankie!! What a joy she is in our life. We love watching her grow and this is the funnest stage.

Thanksgiving

2010-12-07T10:49:00.005-07:00

I love this time of year to reflect on our blessings and spend time with family eating GOOD food!! We went to Woodland Hills and enjoyed the company of Lecia and family, Boyd and my parents. I made a "Thankful Tree" and had a service project to help the Red Cross make comfort kids. Everyone was so nice to donate things and we made 12! After playing some games and eating pie, we headed to Sandy to be with Pat's family. This year we had it at Sonia's and it was just Pat and his sisters and their families. It was nice to be a smaller group, and the food was amazing!! We are lucky to get 2 meals. :) We raced home to get ready for Black Friday. I braved the crowds with Whitney at Wal-Mart @ midnight. It was crazy, I'm not gonna lie! I don't think I'll be doing that again. Full price is fine by me. haha! Anyway, we feel so grateful and so very blessed to have the things we have and our wonderful family. Happy Thanksgiving.

Zoey @ 8 months

2010-12-05T22:19:00.003-07:00

This little girl gets cuter and cuter! She is officially crawling and getting around. It's fun to watch her rock back and forth and then just take off. She likes to play on the floor now with toys and the boys and Wolfie. She is a great little eater and would rather eat something she can pick up rather than something pureed. One of her top front teeth have come in and the other is not far behind. She went through a rough patch of waking up a lot during the night (I think it was her teeth), but now is back to her wonderful sleep habits. She expresses herself with squeaks, screams and squeals. Especially when being overwhelmed by her brothers. She smiles at everyone and is so happy and friendly. She is starting to go to others without a fuss (she was starting to turn into a momma's girl). She likes taking baths and playing in the water. She doesn't like getting dressed or her diaper changed. When she hears music from her toys, she bounces and claps. Everyday I thank my Heavenly Father for her sweet spirit in my life. It is amazing how much love I have for her. Not unlike my love for the boys, but it's so tender since she is the girl and my last. What a precious little sweetie I have!!!

The Groovy Scooby Birthday

2010-11-11T23:03:00.007-07:00

This year Max really wanted a Scooby Doo birthday. I thought it would be fun to make it "groovy", too. We made tie dye t-shirts and went crazy giving them out! He invited 6 friends over and they had a "mystery hunt" to find the missing cookies. It was cute to see him so excited and all his friends in their fun colorful t-shirts. Then later that night we had our families over for dinner. It was a great day just for Max and one I hope he'll remember.

Zoey @ 7 months

2010-11-06T22:35:00.000-06:00

How I love this little girl! She is so fun. She sits up on her own, and plays with the toys that I leave in front of her. She likes to eat and loves to grab her little puffs and attempt to put them in her mouth. She is a momma's girl and has serious separation anxiety when I leave her side (which is rare). It's exhausting, for sure, but I LOVE her!! She makes babbling noises and copies you if you repeat a noise. She sometimes grabs onto something and tries to squeeze it with all her might and muscle. It's hilarious and the face she makes while she does it is a puckered, squinty-eyed one. She has two bottom teeth. I get NOTHING done when she is awake, but it's fun to watch her interact with her brothers (who love her to death) and Wolfie. Zoey and Wolfie have an understanding. She will grab and pull at him, and he just sits and lets her. He'll come up and lick her or sit next to her. They are buddies. It's so cute. Lukas likes to pick Zoey up and then that means Max does, too. She hates it and immediately lets me know they are too much for her. She will go to Daddy without a fuss and gets so happy when he is in the room. She still doesn't take a binkie, but loves her lovie (a small square of minky fabric that she has to have to fall asleep).

HALLOWEEN and More...

2010-10-31T22:01:00.000-06:00

We had so many FUN things going on for Halloween...a school carnival, the witches at Gardner Village, a Fall Fest with Papa and Nana, the ward playgroup Halloween activity, a spontaneous neighborhood party put on by Whitney, Trick or Treating and Papa's Spooky B-day party. Whew!!! We loved every single one of them! Here are a plethora of pictures to prove it. {Notice Zoey and her many costumes...thanks to some sweet neighbors for lending them to me! Actually the boys have quite a few costumes, too. From years past.}

Snow Already?!!

2010-10-27T18:28:00.001-06:00

The weather has been so nice lately...in the 70's...so it was quite a surprise to wake up to THIS today! But the kids loved it and immediately wanted to go play in it. My excuse is always, "I don't have any snow pants". So I watch lovingly from inside. Lukas built this snowman all by himself . What a cute one it is, too! And Max just eats it. Here's to winter!!!

Charlie

2010-10-19T12:22:00.003-06:00

We love the neighborhood we live in. It is so fun to play outside or take walks and visit with friends that we have so much in common with. Recently we have had a frequent visitor. When I say "we", I should say "Wolfie". Charlie lives a few houses up from us and comes to play almost daily. We love him and he is so cute with Wolfie. Who says dogs can't have play dates?

Slimers

2010-10-19T12:18:00.003-06:00

Max was on a soccer team with 12 of his neighborhood buddies! Their uniforms were bright green--hence the team name "Slimers". They had an entertaining season full of laughs and cries. Overall I think Max had fun. He sure loved his coach and would do whatever he told him to. Max is very glad soccer is over and can't wait to cheer Lukas on when it's his turn.

Family Pictures

2010-10-19T12:13:00.004-06:00

Finally!! I have been wanting family pictures since the day Zoey was born. There is a very talented guy in our ward who took these amazing photos. He captured each of us just perfectly. Whew, now I can enjoy life until the next family photo!

The Homework Room

2010-10-02T22:01:00.004-06:00

So I was getting tired of the toy room being the first thing you see when you walk in the house. Not to mention all the toys & all the clutter that the kids didn't pick up. And finding toys everywhere BUT the toy room...so I moved the toy room down in the basement & turned that room into....a study/reading room. I wanted the kids to have a place to do their arts or crafts, to read & now that Lukas is in school, a place where he can do his homework. So really it should be called: The Homework Art Study Craft Reading Room. I think we are getting a lot of use out of it. The kids color a lot more, want to read books, work on puzzles & Lukas gets his homework done. Plus, there is less to clean up and ZERO clutter (for the most part). And can I just say YAY for my label maker?!! Pat gave it to me awhile ago & I am now putting it to good use. Lastly, I must give IKEA props for almost everything in the room (minus the bookcase & cabinet, oh & the dog!). It was an easy, inexpensive make-over!!!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-02T21:31:00.006-06:00

Our favorite thing to do in the fall is, of course, go to a pumpkin patch. We went last night, but it got dark too fast and it was too hard to see. So while Pat went to priesthood I took the kids. We had a blast. We went through the corn maze, got a hay ride and took loads of photos. Zoey's hair was not the cutest, but her face makes up for it. Here are some of our favorites...

Zoey at 6 months (almost)

2010-09-30T00:48:00.006-06:00

Zoey is almost 6 months old already!! She just keeps getting cuter and cuter! She eats rice cereal now (or plays with it) and is super close to sitting up on her own. Her bottom teeth are coming in and she sticks everything in her mouth. She makes cute sounds like she is talking and smiles whenever Pat or I come in the room or get her attention. The boys are so cute with her. They love her and want to hold and carry her all around the house. They kiss her and give her toys when she drops them or they try making her smile when she's crying. Her hair is out of control. It won't lay flat. I sometimes put it in pig tails or just one tail on top. I don't know how to do girls hair?!! She rolls over in her crib and there have been several times I've gone to check on her where she's rolled over and fallen asleep on her tummy. She loves Wolfie. She watches him and when he comes to sit close to her she'll grab his beard and he just lets her. It's cute to watch. He'll lick her hand and she'll grab onto his beard. She doesn't mind her car seat as much and rarely cries anymore when I put her in. Thankfully she is still a great sleeper and I can just lay her down and she'll go right to sleep. I am excited for this fun stage ahead and...can you tell I just love her to pieces! Lukas said to me the other day, "Mom, you love Zoey more than me or Max!" I had to explain to him that I love them all the same, but Zoey is so easy to love right now b/c she doesn't talk back to me or disobey and she is still so little. Max will say, "I love Zoey so much I want to just eat her." And I've heard both of them copy me and say, "I can barely stand it she's so cute!"

Max Soccer- Take 2

2010-09-30T00:31:00.004-06:00

This will be Max's second time playing soccer. I had high hopes for him since he's done it once before and now his brother isn't on his team to steal the show. This could be HIS thing while Lukas sits on the sideline. Well...there are 12 other kids in our neighborhood that are on his team. It's a bit chaotic with thirteen 3 & 4 year old's running around the field and he tends to get distracted or bored. He gets lost in the crowd sometimes. He is excited to go to the game and get his uniform on. Then by the time we make it to the field he wants to just go play on the playground with Lukas. Darn kid!! But he sure looks cute in his uniform even if he isn't the best soccer player. I'm proud of him for trying and want him to just have fun. It is a struggle to get him to participate and he shy's away when it's his turn (or he gets mad b/c it didn't go the way he wanted it to). We had to leave the last game early and after I felt bad that he was so miserable. He has so many good qualities and is such a sweet boy, that it breaks my heart to have everyone around him see only the naughty side of him. Pat saves the day, and helps Max kick and run with the ball. He has fun with his daddy and that counts for something.

Welcome FALL

2010-09-30T00:17:00.005-06:00

We decided it would be fun to make leaf-shaped cookies to start autumn off right. {My favorite season!} It was so fun to just hang out as a family. The boys really got into it...Pat included. In fact, he wins the "prettiest cookie award"!! (Notice how he used all the colors of frosting to make it look so real!) We made fun shades of frosting and the boys got to roll out he dough and cut the shapes. I love that Lukas and Max want to make cookies and decorate them with me. Who knows how long that will last?! I want them to have fun memories and I think this was one of them. Hooray for family time!!

The Lion King

2010-09-29T23:05:00.004-06:00

For mine & Pat's birthday (March & December), my parents gave us tickets to see the Lion King@ the Capitol Theater. It has been a long awaited event and we FINALLY got to enjoy it this weekend. I was afraid to bring my camera in b/c I thought they'd check my bag and make me take it back to my car, so all we had was Pat's i Phone. It was an incredible show and so much fun! We had amazing seats that were up in the mezzanine and we could see everything. Pat was a cute date...he kept bringing me drinks and treats and a cushion. I loved every minute of it!! My favorite was Rafiki. It reminded me of my time in Africa, hearing the African accent, singing and dancing. THANK YOU mom & dad for providing a wonderful night of babysitting and entertainment.

The Herriman Fire

2010-09-21T23:41:00.003-06:00

We went out for a walk on Sunday afternoon. The winds were so strong, it was not very enjoyable. I looked over at the Herriman hill and saw a large dust cloud (or so I thought). It was hurting my eyes, so we headed home. A few hours later I was getting the boys in the bath and Lukas said he saw a dark cloud. I went to the window and told him that wasn't a cloud, but smoke. Then I looked further and saw the flames. It was unreal. We all went outside and couldn't believe our eyes. It was just miles away coming down that hill fast. Our neighbors were outside and we tried to find out how it got started and where it was. After an hour or so we could actually smell the smoke in our house. I got the kids to bed and couldn't stop checking facebook & watching the news to find out what was going on. Some machine gun fire at Camp Williams started the fire and due to the strong winds, it came over that hill towards Herriman. It went from 700 homes being evacuated to 1200 to 1600. The evacuation zone wasn't past 134th or even close to 126th, so I felt okay. I did check to make sure I knew where our 72 hour kits were and our binder of important documents were just in case. I couldn't sit there anymore so me and a friend drove to Maverick to see what we could see. I recorded a few minutes of the fire on the hill and then we went home. All this time Pat was sleeping (he had to work early in the morning). Finally he woke up and realized how close the fire was so he started calling his family. It was hard to go to sleep, but we did. In the morning the fire was still not contained, and 3 homes were burned. After another day the fire was finally contained and the people that were evacuated were able to go home again. Crazy that my little town of Herriman was on the news and in the spotlight. We felt so blessed to be safe and that the fire didn't do more damage. We also felt grateful for all those firefighters and police officers that worked so hard to contain the fire. Here are some pictures that I stole from other peoples blogs and from ksl.com

Three's Company

2010-09-12T23:42:00.004-06:00

I secretly used to love that show when I was little, but my mom didn't like for me to watch it. If I ever catch a rerun on TV, I laugh at how silly it was and how much worse shows are today. Anyway, I have 3 little monkeys that keep me entertained and I couldn't love them more. I'm so grateful every single day for them and feel so blessed that they are in my life. Doesn't this look like a picture we'll look back on and say, "I remember when you were that little." And then compare baby pictures to their babies to see how similar they look. How time flies and how grateful I am for memories and blogs to keep them vivid.

Picture of the week:

2010-09-12T22:45:00.002-06:00

Does this hair get any crazier??? Probably not, and they don't come any cuter either!

Lukas Another Year Older

2010-09-12T22:01:00.007-06:00

Lukas turned 6 last week!!! I can still remember going into labor with him (on labor day). I can't believe how time flies. We had a great time and many celebrations for his special day! One friend party, 2 different family dinners, and taking treats to school. He did not understand why we celebrated early (on Friday instead of Monday since it was a holiday and most people were gone). But he loved having all his friends at the park. And he wanted to invite girls this year even though it was a "Transformer" party. I'm so glad he did b/c the girls his age are so cute. Pat was home and he helped me out so much by playing games with the kids (which the LOVED) and just being there. Lukas is so grown up and getting to be so big. He got a bigger bike and a pillow pet (it's a pillow...it's a pet...it's a pillow pet)! And of course lots of presents from his friends and family. We're so happy to have this little guy in our life and had fun celebrating him. {Party #1 with friends in the park} {Party/Dinner #2 with Pat's family @ the same fun park} {Party #3 at Papa & Nana's house}

What a Day!

2010-08-24T22:34:00.007-06:00

This has been a much anticipated day...Lukas' first day of kindergarten!! I wondered if I had done enough to prepare him. Will kids be nice to him? Will he be nice? Will he listen to his teacher? Too many things go through my head. He is in afternoon kindergarten so we had all morning to get ready. He was more interested in watching cartoons than picking out what he was going to wear. He looked cute anyway and FINALLY the time came to take him. I was more anxious than he was. He was excited, but mellow, which is not at all like him. He didn't know anybody in his class and felt a little shy standing there on the playground with all those other kids. But he did great and lined up with his class to go in. I waved with my camera and off he went. No tears, no hug, no problem. I was expecting tears and hugs and this heart wrenching moment. Not so much. I didn't know what it would feel like to send my first off to school. I was sad, happy, excited, nervous, anxious. Then I'm thinking that Max and I would do some fun things together with time away from Lukas. Instead he had a huge tantrum moment and spent most of his time with me in time out. SAD!! I picked up Lukas from school and he said he had a good time, that he loved it and couldn't wait to come back tomorrow. YAY! That was a huge relief. I'm so thrilled that he had a good first day. So...thinking I could make this day special I took them to In 'n' Out for dinner. Lukas squirted ketchup all over, Max was out of control, neither of them ate their food. Grrrrr! Finally, I took them to the park as my last attempt to make this day special. They had fun and played until they were too thirsty to play anymore. And we ran into Mandi Smith and her kids there, so at least it ended on a good note. {{ I don't know what I'm going to do with Max and his naughtiness lately. He's been in Time Out at least 3 or 4 times a day. And Lukas has never been so whiney. They fight just watching TV. I mean, how hard is it to sit and watch a show? Well, they find ways to pester each other and fight and call each other names. I am at the end of my rope. I've even had to make them take separate baths. Stinkers. Big Time.}} I think I pictured this day going a lot different so it was a big disappointment when it didn't go as I'd hoped. Thank goodness this day is over and that tomorrow is a new day.

You know it's "Girl's Night" when...

2010-08-17T08:17:00.000-06:00

there are 6 pairs of black flip flops in my entry way! Love ya girls!!!

I {heart} Boutiful Baskets

2010-08-14T11:25:00.004-06:00

Some girls in my neighborhood introduced me to a food co-op called Bountiful Baskets. Every week I pick up my basketful of fruits and veggies (different stuff every week) for a steal of a price ($16). And every week we enjoy fresh, yummy, healthy food. Look what I got this week!!! (Anyone know how to cook egg plant?) I love it. The kids love it. Pat loves it. Thank you BB!! Want to know if they have it in your area? Visit http://www4.bountifulbaskets.org/

Wolfies ONE!

2010-08-04T10:59:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday Wolfer Dog! Our miniature schnauzer turned one yesterday. I've never celebrated a doggie birthday, so I didn't know what to do. I wanted to make him something special, but I ran out of time. We made cupcakes and Lukas drew Wolfie some pictures that he hung by his bed. Then we had our good friend Calah come over for dinner and then went for a walk with her two dogs. Max was the expert dog walker and LOVED walking Maverick. It was quite a night, and super fun. Thanks King and Maverick (and Calah) for making Wolfie's day special. Wolfie loved all his new toys and treats.

2nd Annual Neighborhood Campout/BBQ

2010-08-01T23:46:00.013-06:00

{One of these times we will find a way to plan and spread the word better instead of just saying, "Hey let's have a neighborhood BBQ today!"...} This was our 2nd Annual Neighborhood Camp-out, which really was just a BBQ {except for Whitney and Windy + kids being the only ones to camp out, troopers!!!}. We are making it a tradition, so if you didn't come this year, plan on it next year!!! There was a lot going on and nothing better than pictures can explain. (Side note: I sat on my bum the whole time then realized I better capture the moment and by then it was dark, so most of the pictures are in the dark and I totally didn't get pictures of the Watsons or Timette or the Howards or Whitney playing games with the kids and my only picture of Laura and family was blurry. Lame. Sorry.)

This is the view from my seat.(see picture below)
This is the reason I sat on my seat the whole time.
Here's the Host/Hostess couple! Thanks Kener's for letting us use your driveway & lawn. :)
Here's the "cool" couple
Here's the "wannabe cool" couple
Here's the lone lonely loner (where did everybody go? you mean you don't want to sit next to a fire pit when it's still 90 degrees out?)
Here's the "ladies man"--nice planning Lukas, a card game with all the cute chicks
Here's the "Man's Men"
Here's the party animals (can I say swingers...not I cannot)
Here's the kids trying to be next to the cool man (are we sensing a trend here? If you want to be cool, invite Matt!)
And here's what happens when Max's face fights with the concrete!!! (Poor Max. No stitches this time, just a fat black eye!)

Pioneer Day

2010-07-25T11:52:00.005-06:00

For Pioneer day we went to Woodland Hills. Pat was working so I brought the kids to sleep over at Papa and Nana's house. They always have fun running around outside. I got the kids to bed and Nana and I stayed up a little too late visiting. We got up early (a little too early) the next morning for the parade in Spanish Fork and then had a fun BBQ in the afternoon. It was a little stressful (and a little hot) getting to the parade and the parade lasted FOREVER, but we got to be with family and that was fun. (The sirens were a little loud for Zoey). The kids loved being with their cousins, and the cousins loved holding Zoey. :) Did I mention that we got to see my mom and her tap group perform at Fiesta Days? She did great.

Secret Sisters

2010-07-21T16:52:00.006-06:00

I have the best sister in the whole world. Speaking of world, it seems like she lives on the other side of it {Alaska}. Since I can't have her as much as I want, I have the next best thing. Friends!! This weekend some girlfriends and I went to Snowbird and stayed in The Cliff Lodge. It was so much fun. We ate out, stayed up late, exchanged "secret sister" gifts*, went in the hot tub (which was just outside our balcony), ate all kinds of yummy treats, played games, laid out by the pool, chased off wildlife and just enjoyed each other! It was over too quickly. Thanks girls for so much fun! *We each shared our favorite things with each other. These girls are too cute!!