Sunny California??

A few weks ago Jeff was offered a position at a new firm. I don't know what he was more excited about... actually working for a new firm or the fact that we could work in a quick trip to Disneyland between the transition! (Actually, Jeff started his new firm on Tuesday, and so far he love it and sees great potential there - Yay!)

Anyway, Jeff stopped working for his old firm last Tuesday (May 20th), and the next morning we headed to California. We found a hotel on priceline, and within the first few minutes of checking in both telephones in the room were pulled to the ground by the kids, Jackson had unrolled the entire roll of toilet paper onto the bathroom floor, and Lexi set off the alarm in the elevator! Life with kids is never boring! :)

That afternoon we went over to Disneyland. We went on a few rides at California Adventure, and then Jeff's dad met up with us for a few hours.

That afternoon I ran into two different friends from high school - Quinn Fulmer, Aimee (Bradford) Malloy - and a couple we knew at BYUH. It's always fun to run into people you know.

Thursday was cloudy and cold. We took our time getting ready, and then went to Disneyland to meet up with Jeff's sister and her kids. It was so fun to see them again. We had only been there an hour or two when the rain started. Worst! It rained off and on the rest of the day. I had no idea it was supposed to rain and be freezing cold, so I hadn't packed for it. I finally just threw on Jeff's huge sweatshirt, rolled up my jeans, and off we went. The best part of the day was taking Lexi on Soaring over California for the first time. She loved it! We kept going on rides, but after a while the stoller was soaked, and we were so cold. It was around 5pm and Jeff wanted to stay, but when he asked Lexi if she wanted to stay and go on rides or go back to the hotel she immediately said, "hotel!"

That night we met up with my friend, Tammy, from high school. I hadn't seen her in years or met her husband or kids. We met them at Wahoos for dinner, and it was so much fun! Her kids are the cutest things! And it turns out that they know tons of our close friends. After dinner we went to their place and just hung out until midnight. (I wish we would have taken a picture!)

Friday we went to stay with Mike & Lindsay in San Clemente. It was rainy and freezing again, but the boys were determined to go to the beach, so they took wet suits and went body surfing for a few hours. That night, Lindsay, Stephanie, and I went out to dinner at Tommy Bahama and then got dessert at Red Robin. It was so fun to hang out.

Saturday the boys went surfing in the morning while we watched the kids. It was crazy! Lexi loves Kaitlyn, and they played together pretty well, but Jackson and Carson were hilarious! They just fought over anything and everything the other one had. They were seriously doing a tug-of-war and grunting and screaming over a stuffed animal at one point. It was so funny to watch! In the afternoon the boys took the kids to the beach, so Lindsay and I could go shopping at the Spectrum. We got Pinkberry frozen yogurt. To die for! I've been craving it ever since! We shopped a bit, and I ran into Tarah & Aimee! It was so funny to run into Aimee twice in a few days. And I hadn't seen Tarah in years. It was fun to have a quick catch up.

That night Brian & Steph came to Lindsay's and we all made pizzas and hung out. And I was introduced to another yummy treat - Sprinkles cupcakes! After the kids went down we watched Juno. Sunday we spent the day in Yucaipa at Jeff's parents' house and then drove home. We filled up for the drive home, and I had to take a picture of this! $4.05 a gallon. $60 to fill up the Camry! I remember the good old days when it was only $15 a tank!

What Happens In Vegas...

This year for Mother's Day Jeff got me the best present: a full day break from the kids to have fun with my friend, Leslie, and relax! Jeff and Kris booked Leslie and I a room at the MGM hotel for Friday night. At 2:00 on Friday the boys took over at home, and we were off. It was so fun to have the Vegas Strip experience (well, the G-rated version of it anyway)!

First we stopped at the outlets to finish what we started last week. I got some cute shoes and jeans. It was really hot, so we checked in at the hotel and went right to the pool. After laying out for a little while we walked around to check out the different pools. We found the coolest pool, actually I guess it's an outdoor club at a pool, called Wet Republic (see below).

After we had had our fill of swimming/laying out we changed and went to dinner at Diego's, a Mexican place at the hotel. Then we went to see What Happens In Vegas. On our way to the theater, we ran into these Elvis Impersonators! It was after 11 when we got out from the movie, but we decided to head to the New York, New York roller coaster. It was the jerkiest roller coaster ever! We seriously felt like we had been beaten up by the time we got off! But it was fun. Then we had to get a little treat before we went to bed. Gotta love Haagan-Dazs! Mmmmm

So, part of the reason the boys gave us this gift was so we could enjoy a good night of uninterrupted sleep, and so we could sleep in as late as we wanted. Well, we got to bed really late, and at 4:45 I woke up to a screaming baby being walked up and down our hallway. Unbelievable! Not only did it wake me up, I couldn't fall back asleep, so I sat there in the dark until 6:15! It was a miserable hour and a half. I only ended up sleeping for five hours that night! Dang it!

In the morning Leslie and I just laid in our beds and talked for a few hours, then we hit the pool again.

We laid out, had virgin strawberry pina-coladas, and dipped in the pool when we got too hot. We also got tubes and used them in the lazy river for a while, but it was a little too crowded and crazy to enjoy. We gave our tubes away to moms with kids, and they were so happy!

At 2:00 we had to check out and head home. It was such a blast. Thanks Jeff and Kris for arranging such a fun day for us!

My Birthday

Well, this is a few weeks late, but I wanted to thank everyone who made my birthday so great this year. It's always nice to be remembered by so many friends and family. The morning started with a sweet card from Jeff and a list of things he was getting me for my birthday, including a 90 minute massage (which I had the next day, and it was heaven!) and tickets to see I'm so excited! I have wanted to see it for a while now, and I've heard nothing but great things about the show.

I got this darling package from my mom with treats, fun gifts, and money for shopping.

My friends called and picked up lunch, and we all ate and hang out by the pool. Leslie told me she had made me a cake, and pulled these beauties out of a grocery bag! I love lofthouse sugar cookies! (Notice the sparkler candles on top!) Thanks again girls!

Leslie's birthday is a few days after mine, so a few of us met last Friday to go to the outlets and shop. They just opened a new section of stores with True Religion, and we each got a pair. Love them! :)

I also got several phone calls, cards, and emails. It was a great birthday!

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!!