Zion National Park

This weekend we went to Zion National Park to camp/hike with our friends, The Jensons. We got there Friday afternoon (after a quick stop at the St. George Outlets!) and set up camp. We camped at the Zion River Resort, which was actually pretty nice. They had nice clean bathrooms and showers, a pool hot/tub, and our camping spot was right along the river (not to be confused with the spot by the highway - inside joke)!

Friday night we had tinfoil dinners and smores and just hung out by the fire. It got pretty cold that night, and the zipper on my sleeping bag was broken. I was fine until Jackson kept waking up. Ugh! I would move around, and he would finally go back to sleep cuddled in my arms. Only problem was that my sleeping bag would have moved off of me by that point, so I was cold, but I didn't want to move and wake him up. Oh, the sacrifice of mothers! haha Needless to say, I did not sleep well.

Saturday we went to Zions. We did the two mile Riverside Walk. Leslie made these cute little explorer packs for the girls that they carried with them. It was the perfect hike for kids. It's paved and is right along the river the whole time. We saw frogs, chipmunks, and even a long, skinny snake. At the end of the trail there's a nice sandy spot where you can go and play in the river.

The kids got nice and messy!

We got ice cream at the Lodge then went back to our campground. Lexi and I took a quick nap, and then we met everyone at the pool. After we made dinner, we put a movie on for the kids on our tiny portable DVD player.

And then the adults got to play cards!

Jeff found a new game for Jackson!

We got back today and after scrubbing ourselves clean, we all napped for hours. Then we cleaned, unpacked, and I think I've done about six or seven loads of laundry to remove the campfire smell from everything. It was a great weekend, but camping is just a ton of work with kids. Next time we're getting a hotel!

Visitors!

Last week was a blast! My brother, Isaac, and his family came down to stay with us for Spring Break. I love to talk to Isaac & Liz about...life, marriage, family, the gospel, etc. We always stay up late talking, and I am still recovering from our discussions until 3 and 4am!

Sarah and Josh are getting so big. Lexi and Jackson loved playing with them and especially with Tucker, their dog. They followed him around and played with him the whole time (with the occasional kick, push, or punch). We're still working on being gentle!

Friday we swam and played at my friend's house (thanks again, Nicole!)

Then we went to the Strip at night.

We ate at Cheesecake Factory in Ceasar's Palace

Lexi loves uncle Isaac!

Then we watched the fountain show at the Bellagio

and went to the M&Ms store. We didn't get home until after midnight!

Saturday we swam at the Tew's and visited with Wayne & Patrice.

Lexi and "Flat Cooper" (my cousin's son, Cooper, sent us this as part of his class project on the book Flat Stanley). He's been to Texas, California, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada, and I just sent him to Utah.

Anyway, thanks for coming to visit Isaac, Liz, Josh, Sarah and Tucker!

Clark County Fair

Friday night we went to the Clark County Fair in Logandale with some of our friends.

We had a great time. The kids loved seeing the animals
and especially petting some of them

One of our friends was there performing with her clogging class, so we got to see her. Lana, you did a great job!!

After that we ate yummy, greasy carnival food and then took the kids to go on some rides.

Jackson loved the first one...
but halfway through the second ride he started crying, and it was so sad to see him looking up at me everytime he went around! Lexi saw how sad he was, and she scooted over to him and put her arm around him to calm him down. It seriously was the sweetest thing she has done as a sister. I was almost in tears just watching how cute it was!! :) It almost makes up for all of the time she bullies him!

PS Saturday night we went out with some of Jeff's friends that were visiting. We met them at RA down on the strip for dinner. It was the BEST sushi I've ever had. Can't wait to go back. If you have a chance, go and get the Viva Las Vegas roll. It's to die for!

A little catching up...

I'm getting behind, so here's a little update:

A few weeks ago Lexi got her first haircut! Jeff wanted to make sure we got it done, so he decided to take a chunk out of her hair so we wouldn't put it off any longer!

I wasn't sure how she would do when they cut her hair, but she loved it. She kept smiling and laughing and looking at herself in the mirror!
It's a little shorter than I wanted it (thanks to Jeff's little cut!), but I think it turned out cute.

Last weekend (last weekend in March) was so much fun. Friday night Jeff called on his way home around 5pm and said, "we should go out tonight." I called our babysitter, and she was available, so we dropped the kids off at 6 and headed to Red Rock. We ate a quick meal at Rubios (love their fish tacos!) and Capriottis and then went to see 21. It was so good! I loved it. It was fun to have a last minute date and to go out just the two of us for a change.

Saturday afternoon a group of girls went to get pedicures to celebrate Alyson's upcoming baby (she refused to have a shower). It's so nice to have my toes painted again.

This past week has been pretty mellow. The weather wasn't as warm as last week and the kids have been sick. Tuesday night I hosted book club. We discussed Life of Pi, which was so interesting.

This weekend has been fun. Friday night we went out with the Jenson's to Cheesecake Factory and to a few shops.

Most of the weekend has been spent watching general conference. It was crazy to hear that Elder L. Whitney Clayton is a new member of the Presidency of Seventy. Elder Clayton is Jane's father in law, so that is pretty exciting!

After conference on Saturday we headed to Red Rock to hike. Jeff and Lexi hiked up to this ledge.Today we watched general conference. I think my favorite talk had to be Elder Ballard's talk on mothers. Didn't you love that!!

Why I Love Vegas

It's still March, and last week we went to the park a few times, went on several long walks with the kids in perfect weather, went swimming, and went waterskiing at Lake Mead. It's been so much fun, and it makes me excited for SUMMER!

At the pool...

Why swim when you can suck on the can of sunscreen?

Wednesday our friends that Jeff grew up with , the Crossmans, came into town for a youth trip. They brought their boat, and we met them at Lake Mead that afternoon. The weather was perfect...mid 80's with no wind. The kids loved being on the boat.

They were all smiles!Lexi loved the Crossmans
The water was pretty cold, but we decided to ski anyway. I got in one nice, long run, and I'm still sore from it! Haven't used those muscles in a while!Captain Jack!
We forgot how much we love boating. Maybe we'll have to go to Powell this year.

Also, since we're so convenientely located between Utah and California, we got to see my parents twice: wednesday night/thurs morning on their way to Cali and again Sunday afternoon on their way back. It was so fun to see them, The kids were in heaven!

Easter

Easter was so much fun this year. It was a little hectic, too, because we had a BUSY weekend. Saturday we worked out, went to Springs Preserve, grocery shopped and then had a BBQ with the Jensons. That night we got home late, and I was in charge of Sharing Time the next day, so I stayed up until after midnight finishing preparing for that and getting ready for Sunday morning. Since Jeff is Executive secretary, he has meetings before church. Church starts at 9:00, so I have to get myself and the two kids all ready and out the door by 8:45. (And we are not morning people - we usually sleep until around 9:00!) So to get ready on time, I have to have EVERYTHING set out the night before: everyone's outfits, shoes, Primary stuff, and especially the diaper bag: prep sippie cups and extra milk, snacks, books, diapers, wipes, keys, etc.

When I woke Lexi up last Sunday, I told her I had a new Easter dress for her, and she was so excited! Here she is wearing it (along with the necklace she made in nursery).Jeff also has meetings after church, which means that I also bring the kids home alone. Last Sunday I got home, put Jackson down for a nap, and then made funeral potatoes. As soon as Jeff walked through the door, I ran the potatoes and ham to the Jenson's to start baking. I ran home, got the kids ready, and prepped eggs for the Easter Egg Hunt we were going to have. At three we met at the Jensons, where we had Easter dinner with their family and Felicity, Nathaniel, and Asher. We had a FEAST! Everything was delicious. We ate and ate and ate.

The kids loved playing in the back yard. Jackson just wandered all over.

Lexi loves jumping on their new trampoline. Here she is with Hailey.
After dinner we had the egg hunt, which the kids loved. Jackson didn't waste any time before he dumped everything out of his basket, opened the eggs, and found candy!

Affter the egg hunt, we had dessert. We had put the three girls outside to eat, and when they were done Jackson found their plates!

My Little Girl Is Growing Up...

Well, Lexi is growing up (maybe a bit faster than I would like)! No, but she has taken a few big steps recently. She has been potty training for about a month now, and she is doing awesome. She pretty much did it herself. Last week she had a few accidents, and she still wears pull-ups while she's sleeping, but other than that she is in "big girl panties,"
and she is loving it.

And last weekend we took down her crib and put her in a "big girl bed" with "big girl bedding." She LOVES it! She has to show anyone who comes over, and every day she now tells me, "mom, I want to go to sleep." Hello - why didn't I give her a bed a long time ago! :) She hasn't fallen off of the bed yet, either, which I'm so happy about. I got the bed and all the bedding for a steal a few years ago (it was all used as the floor model at Pottery Barn), so it works for now. We still have to move stuff around on her walls and rearrange her room a bit to go with the change. Eventually I think the bed will be perfect for Jackson in a boys room. And there is a full drawer underneath the bed that we're using as storage for dressups and toys for now, but it is made to be a trundle bed, so it holds a twin matress and will be nice to have as an extra bed down the road for visitors.


Here is Lexi right before she slept in the bed for the first time. Can you see how happy she is?