Things we learned and experienced while on vacation…

I love the vibrant contrasting colors of the bright blue sky, hot yellow sun and lively green palm trees.
I learned I have two fishes for children…to say they love swimming couldn’t quite capture their exact feelings for it. Jacob cried whenever I pulled him out of the water and Alayna just begged for “One more minute…please Mommy!”


The ocean. I simply love it. I love the sounds of the crashing waves, the warm sand, the cold water, and the salty air. Each time I go to the ocean I hate to say goodbye.

Jacob loves the ocean. He in fact learned to crawl at the beach in Oceanside California. He played for hours in the sand, just rubbing it in between his fingers. He even sampled a little bit!

I learned my baby only sleeps 12 hours in his own crib at home! I did not get ONE entire sleep longer than 4 to 5 hours. No joke.

Teething for some babies is truly a real painful experience…This I’m sure was part of our sleepless nights.

On vacation you need three things to make it feel like home…a Worldmark (My parent’s timeshare), a Costco and a LDS church.

My son eats a TON of food. I brought between 6 - 8 jars of baby food for each day for 21 days. Yes, he ate all 120 - 160 jars of baby food. This caused me to buy more at the grocery store. This didn’t even count all the packages of applesauce he ate too! What do I have to look forward too? I’m really not used to a baby who enjoys and wants to eat food!! Wow.

I could return to Disneyland five days in a row…Not only me, but Alayna wouldn’t miss a day either.

At Disneyland it is impossible to see Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck. Two of which are Alayna’s favorites.

Did you know that in California people really have fruit trees growing in their back yard? No idea…But it is true. It is delicious!

Little girls have a real love for Disney Princesses…Alayna was standing gazing at Cinderella and Snow White…I took a few pictures with her standing as close as you could without having to wait in the ridiculous line. After a few minutes of her being mesmerized by their beuty I told her it was time to go…she said in a deep sigh, “Oh…Mommy do I have to look away?”

It was a flashback to college years…our dear friends Stevo and Johnson (as we call them!) were so great to let us stay the weekend with them. We ate treats, cooked, and did so many fun things, Sea World and San Diego Zoo. It was a blast. But for the parents our highlight was our nightly ritual of Ticket to Ride Europe. We are so competitive and we have at it! Our late nights lasted until 2:00AM, night after night. Each morning was ridiculous because our kids woke up at 6:00AM (California time…so Utah time 7AM). We should have learned our lesson, but we have too much fun to ever say NO.

My baby slept in odd places in his car seat…closets, a pantry, a car, a stroller, my bed, the floor…Yes it is true. One night we had to escape from our condo where three other babies and four adults were trying sleeping. I took Jake for a walk at 1AM and finally Jared finished off the night in his car with Jake till 6AM. Where else do you go on vacation? What a joke!

I learned it really is possible to have church canceled in Utah because of too much snow! Good thing I missed that storm.

I finally have begun the Twilight books. I learned I really read too slowly though. Some say that’s good, because then the story will last longer. I am 250 pages in and I hope they are right!

I am the ranking champion of an old time favorite game…Heads Up - Thumbs Up! Who knew it could cause tons of laughter and competition?

It is possible for 33 people to sleep in one house. We even managed to shower and arrive on time to church on Sunday…by 10am. Now that was record breaking. We stayed with my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Wade in Temecula, California. Their family of three boys, my grandparents (Lucy & Carmen Perry, along with my Dad & Mom, my four sisters, our husbands, our 9 kids between us, our Uncle Alan & Laurie their two kids Alicia & James, their older son Jeffrey & his wife Shelly and their 3 kids. I think we did a final head count at 33! It was so much fun…we were so sad to say goodbye. Luckily, they all joined us for two days in Disneyland! What a great memory.

I am capable of driving the entire drive to California by myself and with my two children. I think I just might come back every February…with or without others! We loved the sunshine.

Don’t believe internet pictures of places to stay in Anaheim. We picked a vacation house from the internet! This turned out to be a bad mistake. The house named The Storybook house quickly was referred to as the House of Horror! Let’s just say we would rather spend money on eating out of this house than cooking to save money! That says a lot for our family. I can’t even begin to explain the old style, clutter, random art work, cobwebs, filth, Brady Bunch style blue bath tub, scary towels, carpet you didn’t dare walk on without flip flops, no rugs, no clean dishes, refrigerated goodies left from previous vacationers, yucky tasting water…the list goes on and on. The only positive thing I am willing to admit was the delicious mandarin orange tree in the back yard! So far we haven’t got sick from eating them. After these three days, we were glad to say hello to our favorite Worldmark condo’s or our “vacation houses” as the grandkids call it!

On of my favorite moments in Indio was to know Jacob was sleeping and Alayna playing outside. So I placed a sleeping bag on the green grass with a book (Twilight) and some ice cream! Talk about indulgence. But the best part was that my Mom joined me with her book (Biography of Gordon B. Hinckley – I have a way to grow and mature!) and her ice cream. Then slowly, one by one we all gathered around. Kids, adults just laughing and talking for hours. We lost track of time enjoying this great family experience that it was dark and the sprinklers turned on! We all scrambled to jump up, gathered our books, games, etc. And we were wet. All our fellow condo neighbors were laughing at this huge family of 12 adults and 9 kids screaming and running from the sprinklers. It was a great memory.

Family traditions…taste testing. We’ve done Macaroni and Cheese, Hot Dogs, Frozen Pizza’s and this time it was Cookies and Cream Ice Cream. We set up our taste testing bowls, labeled secretly, and then switched around for it to be a secret for all. Did you know that the ranking order was 1st Dreyers ½ the fat, 2nd Breyers, 3rd Private Selection and 4th Deluxe. We try to get random brands from the other states, but California had very similar brands to Utah. But we were shocked that the ½ the fat was the award winning ice cream! This left TONS of left over ice cream for us all.

Friendships never end…I visited with my dear friend Janet. It had been nearly three years since we have even spoken, besides emails. We served together in a Relief Society Presidency where we learned so much from each other. She's the brain...engineer... and I'm the young young girl who soaked in all the knowledge and experience from these "older" ladies! (sorry Janet and Amy!) We couldn't be more different but so alike in so many ways. I've often referred to our friendship as a breath of fresh air because we are so different. But that's what is so great about Janet and I remaining friends over the years. We visited an entire day. It was hard to say goodbye. I left her house having a euphoric friendship high. I just smiled, knowing that these dear friends are so important to me. I loved our discussions on spiritual topics, church, motherhood, kids, politics and living life. It was a treasured visit for me I will always remember.

Top ranking ideas at Disneyland…Fast passing…saves time – no lines. Bring a baby, you get a baby swap pass…this saves time and you get to ride twice! Bring grandparents who help so much with all the grandkids. We had 4 “big” grandkids and “5” babies who enjoyed a few rides and were great in their strollers. Next, don’t try to out think Disney…there is a reason you pay for a locker…your cooler will be disposed of! We thought we had it made. It worked one day stashing our cooler in the bushes…the next day – No such luck. It went missing!) Space Mountain is still my very favorite.

California freeways are fun to drive on. I managed to drive from Utah to Vegas to San Clemente, CA then to San Diego, then to Oceanside, then to Long Beach, then to Anaheim, then to La Brea, then to Mission Beach, then to Temecula, back to Anaheim, then down to Indio, then to St. George and finally home to Herriman, Utah. It was great!

Being away from my husband for three weeks I thought I missed him…but I managed. But when I saw him and spent our first few hours with him I realized how I truly missed him so very much. Its amazing how capable we are and how we can adapt to any situation no matter how hard. I was quickly reminded of our love and desire to be with each other. We talked and smiled and hugged a lot. I think my favorite moment was when Alayna was bouncing within her little body as we knelt down to have family prayer together. She could not contain her excitement. Once it was finished she wrapped her arms around Jared and said, “Finally, our family is back together forever…I love our family!” It was so sweet to see her share in our excitement and joy of being all together again.

My mom’s quote came true… “You know a vacation is over when it seems easier to live life at home!” This came true on our last night…we were thinking of extending the trip through the rest of the week, but after one last sleepless night…of Jacob waking up at 2am, 3am, 4am and 5 am…I had had enough! Bring me back to my home where he loves his bed! I want one long nights sleep! Please...

We are back!

*Jared will be arriving back home this Saturday…we only have two more days with out him! Yeah. It’s amazing how time really does fly…when your having fun!

Sunny California...

We have made it...view the slideshow to see our current experiences. Enjoy...we are enjoying the sun and palm tree's! Sorry for all the snow back home! ha ha ha

We're leaving on a Jet plane...

Not really on a jet plane...but my dads car drives just as fast. Thanks dad for letting me borrow your car! We leave tomorrow and head for Las Vegas and then on to California. Yeah, we are ready to reunite with Jared. This morning I received a phone call encouraging me to “beat the storm!” It was blue sky and no sign of a storm. I was mostly packed and ready to go…so about two hours of tiding up and packing down in the basement I was ready. I walked upstairs and it was a blizzard. I just had to laugh because I was set to get in front of this supposed storm. But here it was. After making a foolish decision to go I headed for the freeway. I got on, and I realized it was a ridiculous joke. The roads were covered in snow, the visibility was very limited. There were at least ten cars slid off the freeway. I just laughed out loud, and then said to Alayna, “This is silly, we are turning back a round to go home.” This sweet little girl, who was wearing a birthday hat on her head, so excited to see her daddy, just burst into tears sobbing. After a few minutes of her saying, “I just want to see my Daddy!” I was able to have her look out her window to see the storm. She said, so willingly, “Okay, Mommy we can go tomorrow.” I told her I would let her have a fun day today as if we were on vacation. She did just that. I think she watched three cartoons. She was in heaven. As for me, I was able to return home, clean my house and fridge! It feels great to be leaving a clean house and in an extremely less stressful situation. Wish us luck! Or better yet pray for us to arrive safely. We will see you in about 3 weeks.

My New Hobby...It is addicting...

I have ventured into the digital scrapbooking world. I just put together this little review of Alayna's first year in 2005. It's not embellished as cute as I would like yet, but that will come. I just wanted to let you know that this is so much fun. Thanks for all your help, Kari!

We Thank Thee O God For a Prophet!

Before I heard the news of President Gordon B. Hinckley passing away, Alayna had just said her prayers. She had prayed for "We thank thee for our Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley and bless his health." No more than two minutes later I recieved a phone call. I am thankful to have come to know him through is teaching and love. I am thankful to have taught and to continue to teach her of who our latter day prophet is. Our prayers are with his family. I am happy for his reunion with his wife.

Happy Birthday to ME!

Yeah, that's right. It was my birthday this week on the 24th. I am 26 years old! (yikes) I was delighted to hear from so many. Thank you for thinking of me on my birthday. I was able to celebrate and still have a great time even if Jared wasn't here. I still managed to get flowers too! I had great friends take me to dinner and we laughed and laughed. Not to mention the food was fantastic! Then, I attended our wards book club. It was at my good friends house. She had a little "party" just for me! Shandra my sister brought my favorite German Chocolate cake with candles. It was everything I've been waiting for since my birthday last year! All in all it was a great birthday. Here are a few pictures.

Good Morning, SNOW!

I must admit, since Jared has been gone I have yet to turn the television on. Not one time, not even to check the weather. That was Jared’s daily ritual to check the weather. I personally thought it was silly, because the weathermen are generally wrong. I definitely didn’t expect this much SNOW today. I ended up not making it to the gym class this morning, and just hoped that everyone did the same, not go! I mainly wanted to post these pictures for Jared to see what he is missing back here at home! It was about 10-12 inches. I haven’t seen this much snow for years. Shoveling the driveway and sidewalks turned into our exercise for the day! It also made for a great sledding activity with our friends the Murphy’s. We all had a great time...well, until Alayna took her gloves off and fell into the COLD snow. Her hands were freezing! So sad, but it made for a great picture.

Grandparents leave a huge impression…

I’m sure my daughter isn’t the only one who can’t seem to get out of her mind… “Grandma and Grandpa are coming over!” On Friday she was nearly bursting at the seams to have Grandpa Randy and Grandma Nettie come over for dinner. They were so sweet to bring us Café Rio. I appreciated the free meal and company to join me (without the husband and all!). I don’t think Alayna could stand still. She danced, sang, rehearsed the first and second articles of faith, spouted her knowledge of the first presidency of the church, and laughed and giggled at them. She enjoyed their visit so much she had to have me draw a picture of the next time she would see them on our calendar.

Early the next morning I heard a noise in the kitchen. I was already awake reading, and usually Alayna comes running into my room to give me huggers. But this morning was different. I heard a chair being dragged across the hardwood floor and her singing and talking aimlessly to herself in her extra happy I can hardly stand it voice, saying, “I can’t wait for my “green” ice cream cone and my special date with Grandpa Randy & Grandma Nettie.” (The crayon we used was green to color the ice cream cone!) I couldn’t resist the moment of sneaking up on her to take a picture of her in action. Grandparents have a huge influence on these sweet little grandkids. I appreciate the time that all her grandparents spend with her. She is one loved little girl.

A Mommy in Training…

Alayna’s favorite routine in the morning is to burst into Jacob’s room and say, “Good Morning Brother, It’s wake up time!” This particular morning she decided that she would be “Mommy.” I had to see how this would turn out. She needed my help of course to get Jake out of his crib, but she insisted she got the first hug and kiss. She then proceeded to smell him to see if he was stinky. She then said, “Mommy, you get to do service for me and change his diaper!” Oh…I think the service word is going to be held to her advantage. After the diaper duty, she said, “It’s time for me to read stories to you in your rocking chair, Jakey…that’s what Mommies do…read babies stories…” It was just so cute to watch her place her arm around him and read softly to him. I loved the supported hand on his head! He couldn’t understand why there was a hand on his head, but he was very delighted to have a book read to him that early in the morning.

Jacob’s Progress…

Jacob loves this new crawling thing…He is no longer doing the “I am so strong push up!” It was so cute while it lasted. He is moving all around. He simply has to coordinate his hands and knees at the same time and then he will really be on his way. YIKES!

One Eternal Saturday…

It has been officially one complete week with out a daddy and husband. We have survived so far. The mornings and days are the same for me and the kids, because Jared would usually be at school before we arise for the day. The nights however are a lacking fun daddy tickles, stories, giggles, smiles, huggers, prayers and play time. The nights are especially lonely for me with out my husband! But thank heavens for my 22” computer monitor. (A great deal I found on the day after Thanksgiving…Merry Christmas to me!) With all my projects I have on my computer I have managed to stay up late each night…doing several different things. So, I guess I should be a little more grateful for my free nights to do as I wish. I must admit though I wouldn’t trade Jared for anything!

I decided to name this experience without Jared as “One Eternal Saturday” because on normal Saturday’s, Jared goes to the Mayan and works until about midnight. So I feel like I am living one long day from morning until night without him. I have become accustomed to this type of “Saturday” for nearly 7 years. So day after day, I feel that this “Saturday” (only 25 days long) is going to end and Jared will arrive home late and greet me after working a long day at the Mayan. As for him, he says he is enjoying this working experience far more than any minute spent working at the Mayan. I’m glad for that, or else he would want to leave and come home to his family.

I remind myself that this is simply two months of forever. I don’t for see anything in the future that would keep our family apart for this long of duration. Unless… I fly back to Hawaii and decide not to come back for two months. That I would consider! Ha ha ha

Midway...A nice break

We spent Tuesday – Friday morning at my parents condo in Midway with my parents, and two sisters. We missed you Angela, Grady & the twins!


We were trapped in tons of snow and we all managed to arrive safely. The unfortunate side to this mini-vacation, was that all of the children managed to get sick. Go figure! With the ultimate snowball fight and a little sledding, we had our fill of the cold. It probably didn’t help out our health conditions when we walked down the snow covered side walk in wet swimming suits and wet hair.



But my personal favorite was enjoying the luxury of Pepperidge Farms Mint Pirouette sticks and creamy hot chocolate. Oh…it was wonderful. Some how the coughs, and “I need another Kleenex,” and early morning wake up times were some how forgotten about. It was truly a nice break for us all. It was a good way to keep our minds off of missing our Daddy. Thank you Mom & Dad.

Jacob is on his way!

First, trying so hard to pick up that chubby little body…

Second, Oh…I think I can do a push up…I am so strong…


Third, “crash” down to the ground when trying to lift that huge noggin…

Fourth, “Success!” I am on my way to my toys…

Fifth, Well…not quite yet, but each day I’m getting better and better…

Goodbye Daddy!

How sad is that? The kids had to say goodbye to daddy for 24 days! And I had to say good bye to my husband and friend. He is off to California and we won’t see him again until we go there too. We have survived one entire day and one entire night. I’m sure by the time I have endured 20 days I will either be extremely anxious to have a husband and father again for the help, or I would have survived just fine? I’m not sure which one is going to be happening. I know that one huge blessing is that I have my family so close to me to help me endure the lonely times. It’s amazing though how much you take for granted of your spouse. I must give a giant compliment to my husband. He helps me so much, cooking, cleaning, reading books, laundry, shoveling snow off my car, driving in the snow, carrying Jacob up the stairs (his 20 lbs. plus the 7lbs of car seat is too heavy!), buckling the kids in the car, running errands, listening to me talk and talk, giving hugs to us all and so on and so on. Oh…we do miss you!

Jared and I were able to have one final date night before he left. It was fantastic to spend time together and celebrate both of our birthdays together since we will both be separated! We went to Christopher’s Steak and Seafood restaurant! It was heavenly. We then went to Enchanted, the movie. It was a silly, cute, and made you smile little love story.

The night before he left we had family and friends over to play Balderdash! It was a riot. We laughed and laughed until the night ended around midnight! We all said our goodbyes. Thank you too all of you who gave Jared his farewell gifts, cards, treats and goodies. I know he appreciated them so very much. Thank you to all who will continue to support us during the next two months. We will miss him so very much, but thanks to family who has little get-away vacations already planned for us, I feel that these next three weeks are going to fly by! (Just not at night for me! I will miss him too much!)

We love you Daddy…Enjoy learning and growing in your new experience. Especially enjoy NO snow in sunny California…He brought his mountain bike so he will not be lonely!!! Ha ha ha

New Years Resolutions...Something to think about.

Something to think about…

In our Relief Society lesson we were asked to think about Eternal Progression. I found a few comments very helpful.
1. With this being the New Year we find an added Hope in starting anew and making change.
2. The difference between New Year’s resolutions and Eternal progression. New Year’s Resolutions if not completed 100% or if completed you are done. Finished, and no more work is required. Eternal progression requires using the Atonement and continuously moving closer to our Heavenly Father. Which we will at some point fall short or mess up, but with utilizing the Atonement we will become closer to him and we can start again. And again and again. Work and growth is always required.
3. I loved the question that was asked, “What have I done or not done today which displeases Thee?” What in my life can I change to please the Lord?
I enjoyed thinking more deeply about these thoughts. As I create my “New Year’s” goals this year I am going to think more about making my progression more towards accomplishing things that will bring my closer to my Savior and towards my Eternal Progression and less on the all time favorite…loosing weight! Think about it...(Thank you Emily it was great!!!)

Christmas...until next year!

Christmas has come and gone…let the countdown until next year start again.

Tonight Alayna and I looked at the pictures of Christmas Day. Alayna said with a squeal and her hands to her mouth, “I love Christmas Day!” I think that expression was exactly how we all felt this holiday season. It was so much fun. We did have a few set backs, thanks to my Mom, but she has learned her lesson…Right? Other than that, it was wonderful.

The traditions started early on Christmas Eve with making my personal favorite holiday treat. What is better than holly and berry wreaths? Nothing if you ask me. You mix corn flakes, melted marshmallows, green food coloring and the best part, cinnamon candies on top. They are very scrumptious. Alayna and the cousins enjoyed taking turns putting on three candies per cookie.
The next tradition is a Suker tradition of giving a new Christmas book each year. I wrapped up two books, one for Alayna and one for Jacob. At nap time we decided to have her open her book. We figured the night events would be late enough as is, so she would enjoy her book then. She anxiously opened her book and then said, “Jakey, is sleeping can I open his book too?” She of course opened both books and fell asleep excited to wake up because it would be just a little closer to Christmas.

The next tradition is truly the one we count down till the following year. The food. I’m sure you all guessed that too. We have the same meal year after year. It is delightful. We all helped out to make it a great success. Chicken cordon Bleu, Rice, lemon sauce, raspberry blueberry cream cheese jell-o, gross green bean casserole (I have yet to enjoy this one!), Sarah’s salad, buttery yummy heavenly rolls with salad supreme sprinkled on top. Oh…it is so yummy. I wonder why we are only allowed to have this once a year? But for some reason it takes extra special on this night! It’s probably the tradition of all being around the table at candle light. Each year it has been fun, because our family group keeps growing and growing. Before we know it we will be having the adult only table and the kids table. This year we needed four high chairs – that’s a hard request to make. Thankfully, the babies did great and the food was just as good as previous years.

A new tradition added this year was the reenactment of the birth of Christ. We had King Harrod, an angel, Joseph, Baby Jesus, Mary, The Wiseman, a Shepard, and our narrator reading the bible story. It was a quick production and it was wonderful to have all the children play the different parts. I’m sure each year it will get better and better.

The very last tradition is the main event. It is what completes the holiday feeling of giving for us all. After dinner we gather all together in the living room at my parent’s house and my dad teaches us the importance of giving to others a special gift that they are unable to give themselves. It is special to look around our group and to see all nine grandkids sitting as reverently as possible listening to, Papi. This tradition started years and years ago with my parents anonymously giving a turkey to a family in need. This is the meager beginning and recently we have abundantly given to multiple families in need. It is a complete joy to share the spirit of giving to a needy family. We do the delivery anonymously, we ring the door bell and ditch. Except we hide. We hide to listen to the grateful hearts of the families in need. We have heard many thankful expressions, “God bless you... Thank you... It must be Santa... Oranges…Oranges…We get to have Oranges on Christmas.” In these moments of complete gratitude and humility our hearts have all been touched. We loose our thoughts and desires to have Christmas. We for a few moments long to keep giving and to keep sharing of our bounteous blessings. It truly is so emotionally moving and rewarding to do this each year. Each year we know the family. We know the needs, we know their hearts. We simply want them to know how much we love and appreciate them. We especially want them to know that the Lord is watching out for them and sending others to do what he would do for them.

The night was a late one. The children quickly found themselves sleeping snuggly in their new pajamas and huddled in their sleeping bags upstairs together. A tradition started years ago when we all (the four sisters, four brothers in laws and all grandkids) sleep in the same house. This year was especially special because it might be the last year we all gather and open presents together. (If I have any say in it, it will not be the last year! Even if we move, we can always come back!!) Out of convenience we gathered everyone together because all the grandkids are here in our house and two of the four sisters living here. We voted it the Christmas house. Not to mention Todd has the best and most decorations out of anyone. We all hope it will continue for years to come.

The excitement of the morning started early. Alayna was the first to arise and say, “Merry Christmas everybody!” Stockings were the first to be opened and for Alayna the stocking treats were lined up in a neat little order. Does this say something about her personality? Jacob just put his stocking gift straight to his mouth! The end result in gift consumption was overwhelming. Especially to Alayna, because she has received so many of her dream toys. Santa delivered graciously at our house this year. She asked for a play kitchen, food, games, and we can’t forget the Princess Dress Up. She was so lucky to get all of the above. She has enjoyed her princess dress up immensely. I found a great deal on a pop up princess castle at an early morning yard sale with my sister…$1. Yes you read me right! It was such a fantastic deal at one dollar. She has enjoyed placing her dress up treasure box inside of it, and has played for hours.

After a long but such fun morning we were on our way to the next house. Each year we finish up at our house around noon and then head over to Grandma and Grandpa Sukers house in Sandy. It is fun to visit with the Sukers and the Bloomers. After we are filled from Grandma Sukers plethora of food, we went to Grandpa Randy and Grandma Nettie’s house. It was so enjoyable to spend one on one time with them. Alayna was able to carry on one of her favorite traditions of setting up luminaries on the walk way. Even though she freezes she insisted to help Grandma Nettie set them up again.

It made for a very long night, but especially a fantastic day. The holiday season was filled with love, warmth and many new memories. Traditions have been so wonderful to share together as a family. Our traditions have continued to grow and grow, so much that I couldn’t obviously list them all. Thank you to all who were so generous to our family. We love visiting with you and sharing our family. We miss all of you who we couldn’t see because you weren’t in Utah…Maybe next year!