Off to the Races...

Utah Horse Expo 2008...Hello allergies. My mom wanted to have another grandkid outing with the four "big" grand kiddies. She needed a little extra help just to keep them in line with the crowd, so I went along for the fun. Luckily, Papi so kindly watched Jacob ALL day long! Thanks dad. This has been a yearly event for my mom and the grandkids for the past two years. I attempted to attend last year, but do to my ridiculous allergies I had less than a fun time. But since I needed to assist my mom and to allow my daughter to have a great experience, I decided to brave the hay and horses. It turned out to be manageable. Some of our favorite highlights of the day...

Paints, fox trotters, stallions… we enjoyed the “Espanol” horse (not sure on the spelling?), it was beautiful with a long flowing tail. It was amazing. The Fresian horse…this was really stunning, large in stature, very majestic. This is really hard to try and describe with out my pamphlet to help me spell or describe what I saw…I really know absolutely nothing about horses, but thankfully my mother who owned a horse growing up and LOVES them taught me and answered all of my questions.

We then went to lunch at Rock Creek Pizza in Riverton. It was quite the experience. If any of you want to have great customer service go there. They “comped” our salad bar because they forgot to ring it up, re-baked our half raw pizza with an brand new one (even though the grandkids could care less about it being doughy!), we made a huge mess, and last but not least on our way out we decided to “help” clean up our own table. Alayna was carrying the glass red pepper shaker when right in front of the same worker who had assisted us with our previous problems. I accidentally tripped her! The glass shaker shattered across the floor, and a HUGE pile of red pepper spilled every where. I simply looked over to the super nice teenage boy and said, “That was us! Sorry...” He said with a huge smile, “Don’t worry I’ll take care of it!” I’m sure he was thinking… “Please leave before anything else happens!” Oh, the joys of attempting fun outings with children! We returned to the horse shows to see a few more routines. One that I must mention was the Vaulting…I have never in my whole life seen anything like this or even new it existed. It is seriously doing gymnastics on a horse! Yeah, standing, dancing, balancing on one leg, swirling, etc. It really is very dangerous but amazing all at once…I forgot to mention the horse is moving in a “trot” in a circle, around and around…Check it out!

Wishing summer was here!

This is a really funny picture to me...Play time was over and it was time to get ready for the night. I had asked the girls to go get their pajamas on...before I knew it only a few minutes passed by and I heard the girls laughing outside, again! They had managed to get their pajamas on and then put back on their shoes, hats, warmer clothes, and go right back outside to play. I had to laugh, at least they were obedient and were wearing their pajamas. I must had forgotten to tell them play time was over! The math doesn't add up to me...two girls...four chairs? This is the summer routine everyday. Setting up their chairs to watch the other kids play and ride their bikes. This day was the warmest yet! We are all wishing summer was here...especially these girls.

Can it get any easier than this...

Kennady Lou is the absolute easiest baby to babysit! I ran up the stairs for a few minutes and I returned to find her in this position reading to herself! She is the best smiliest little baby girl ever! Alayna enjoyed pretending she was her "baby sister!" We had a great night spending time with Kennady.

*Alayna did her own hair after her shower! Try not to laugh it was a great attempt for a two year old...I simply love the crooked purple bow!

Jacobs Newest Trick!

He has finally learned every mothers worst fear. Standing up in the crib! This is not going to be making bed times very enjoyable for him any longer! Sorry Jakey, you will just have to cry! We think he has the saddest cry face...sad huh?

What a Day...

Jacob at 9 months old! It was quite the adventure! I will be posting it soon...

I don’t know why I would expect anything different. So my sister Krista and I have started a ridiculous tradition of packing our three total kids between us in my one tiny car and attempt to have their pictures taken. As if that request of getting their pictures taken is bad enough, we assume they can endure 5 hours of other errands. It’s amazing Alayna still decides to get back in the car with us. So after we went to Wal-Mart to pick up one prescription…we thought the drive thru would be faster and easier with the three kids…but after all three kids were taking their turns screaming we just had to laugh. I’m sure as they watched us through the little camera they just had to laugh at us. Then it was off to get our pictures taken at kiddie kandids. This went fairly smoothly. Alayna managed to eat three granola bars, one bag of crackers, and other treats she found. She knew I was too preoccupied with trying to get the BEST smile out of Jacob. After an hour of picture taking we attempted to go to three more stores! The end was the best. Jacob had drunk his last bottle. So when we didn’t have any more water to make him another one, he just had to scream for 20 minutes while he watched Kennady drink hers. It was the saddest thing. But if that didn’t make his experience horrible enough…I successfully made it worse when I knocked his head with her car seat when I was taking her out of the car. Oh…why do mothers think, “Today will be different than the other day?” Maybe that’s our coping mechanism to keep trying to accomplish things out of the house. What’s funny is I know we will be attempting this again in three months I’m sure!

I felt a little guilt as a mother of torturing Alayna with this dreadful day…so I decided to let her choose her dessert of choice. She chose pudding with strawberries. Cute. I can’t say we’ve ever had it before. But as she finished her dinner I began making the pudding. She said, “I want to help…” I of course reminded her that I’d love her to help me as soon as she finished her dinner. She then picked up the pudding box and said, “The instwactions say…Mommies and kids stir!” I just had to laugh so hard, because she had tried to figure out a way that she could stir with out having to eat her dinner. Because it was so clever I let her stir while I grabbed the camera to document such a cute memory. Her little mind is always trying to figure out something!

Is there such a thing as TOO much Princess?

This is our house...day after day...Princess from morning until night!

Alayna is Aurora...Olivia is Cinderella....Kierra is also Aurora, from Sleeping Beauty.
Belle, Cinderella and Aurora!
She is even wearing Princess pajama's underneath her Cinderella dress...
A princess sleepover with Grandma Lou & Pappi...After this sleepover, Pappi nicknamed Alayna "Frenchy" because of her white little hat on her head!

Alayna is one lucky girl to have two cousins who LOVE to play dress-up as much as she does!

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!