2.16.2009

Love Day!

I really like Holidays. I think that they bring families closer together. They build relationships and memories. We usually celebrate most holidays for a few days. Valentine's Day was no exception.
I tried to do Hailey's hair in a heart a few times this week and I kept forgetting to take pictures of them. I came up with this one on my own and I think that it turned out cute.

It was so fun to go to Hailey's Preschool and volunteer for their Friendship Day! All five of us were there and we had a blast. Hailey received so many sweet Valentine's from her friends. I was amazed to find that while Hailey was passing out her Valentine's, she could read all of the names on the cards. All by herself. I didn't know she could do that. Everybody LOVED Isabella . In this picture they are all in awe by her! She was coloring...WOW!


We had the yummiest Mac and Cheese on Friday night...not your normal Mac and Cheese. This is a five cheese championship winner for T.G.I. Fridays. It is a little time consuming and a little pricey but for the right occasion it is worth it. It's almost always worth it to me if it tastes good! John has loved every savory bite and was so sad when the last of the leftovers was gone.


On Saturday the kids woke us up bright and early and we made red, heart pancakes. The girls thought this was so fun! John had cards for each of us that were so sweet. After opening up a few gifts John sent me (and Talon) back to bed for a few hours to nap (my nights have been insane-I have only been getting about 30 minutes of consecutive sleep). By the time that I woke up it was time for everyone to get dressed. While John took the kids to the park I got dressed and got the house all cleaned up. The rest of the afternoon was spent playing games and getting ready for dinner. Growing up, my mom would decorate the dinner table for Valentine's Day and she tried to have a little gift for us. I want to carry on with this tradition so we went for the pink, red, and white place settings. Dinner was eventful...like usual. As John was pouring the kids their Sparkling Grape juice, I suggested that Hailey and Isabella get the White Grape juice and not the Red Grape Juice. John thought that Hailey could handle the red stuff and about two minutes after he gave it to her, it spilled all over the table cloth and all over ME! My favorite skirt was COVERED in RED GRAPE JUICE! John and I hadn't even started eating yet and the next few minutes were spent trying to get the stain out of my skirt (we were successful...I told Hailey she was really lucky :)! The rest of the night was fabulous!

On Sunday morning John got up really early and intercepted the kids before they could come and wake me up. Heaven! I actually slept in until 7:30! John had to get ready for Bishopric Meeting so 7:30 was the max. That is really great! REALLY! Isabella has a double ear infection and so she needed to stay home from church. It's flu week and with her body taking antibiotics we don't want her to be around any other sickos! John came home to be with her and he folded all of the laundry which was a great surprise for me to come home to!

2.15.2009

Ten Things I Love About Utah

It's true. I am a Virginia Raised Utah girl. I love Utah. Some don't. I do! Nough said.

1. It's beautiful! I love the mountains and hiking and camping. I love looking out almost any window and seeing these beautiful mountains.
2. Everyone is so creative and crafty. I love all of the crafter fairs and all of the craft stores. I love the way that people decorate. I love these beautiful watches that I learned about while in Utah! I am so going to make these if any of you want one!!

3. I loved this place called Jump On It! It was so much fun! I know this is an awful picture but it sure does show JUST how much fun I had. Kevin (my bro) and the two girls and I all had a blast here. It is basically a huge room filled with connecting trampolines! SO FUN! My mom was a great sport and she watched Talon for me while we bounced away.



4. I love how many people do hair in Utah. This messy bun I learned from my friend Natalie who is born and raised in Grantsville. I love big hair too...my brothers hate it but I think that it looks great! I always get my hair done while visiting Utah.
5. All of our children's Grandparents are in Utah! We love to visit family-who doesn't!! We will always have a place to stay and warm loving arms to snuggle with.


6. It's a great gathering place for relatives and friends who are spread across the country. It's almost in the middle of the country (umm...kind of) and most LDS families have one reason or another to come there.

7. There are so many fun day trips to do. We went to Daniel's Summit for a few hours: ate lunch, bought fudge, hung out at the lodge and then headed back home.
8. I love the weather! There is snow in the winter, which can get old after a while but it can also be so much fun. If it's cold outside then there might as well be beautiful snow to play in! I also love the summers there. In Virginia it's HOT and HUMID and in Utah it's only HOT and it doesn't even feel that hot!
9. I love the high standards of most of the people around you. We have been very lucky to live in a community here in Virginia that is full of Christians and people with great morals and great families. That is hard to come by! Sure there are some strange ducks but who doesn't have those?

10. There are a few places that will always have a special place in my heart...of course they are all linked to food! I love Cafe Rio...yum! I love Gandolfo's... another yum! On my first date with Johnnie boy we bought these delicious sanwiches and hiked to a waterfall to enjoy them. John and I also love this really old burger drive-thru called Brand X located in Springville (Heather...you know the one that I'm talking about!) A few other favorites are Magleby's Fresh and the grocery store- Macey's. I also LOVE Downeast Basics (the only link this has to food is the way that my fat bum fits into them ;)!

2.11.2009

Where in the World can I get uncooked flour tortillas?


While in Utah, my mother-in-law introduced me to tortillas that you buy uncooked and you then cook them yourselves and they are the BEST! So much better than normal tortillas. She bought them at Costco and I was pumped to come home and purchase them here in Virginia. SO SAD...they don't sell them at my Costco. So I am pleading and begging all of you out there- DO ANY OF YOU KNOW WHERE I CAN BUY THESE?
I found these fresh taco shells (they come with the molds and you just bake them up) and they were so fun and very yummy. The kids thought they were so cool. I bought them at Walmart in the refrigerator Mexican section. Like where you buy the cream cheese and Lenders Bagels. Give them a try!

Isabella turns 2!!


What a beauty! Sparkler candles and all!

Check out her eyes! H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S!

Giddy Up!

She got a Baby Alive (Sit and Slurp) and loves it! Hailey has had the hardest time dealing with the fact that it's not her birthday. Some things in life never get easier!!

Seriously...this snake was all over Hailey-atleast as much as it could be with a thick pane of glass in between! Can anyone one say Dudley and Harry Potter?

Isabella turned 2 on February 8th! We celebrated her all weekend and had so much fun. On Saturday we went to the zoo and had a picnic lunch. Then we came home for naps and got ready for a nice dinner at the Texas Roadhouse. We NEVER bring all of our kids to a restaurant anymore because it can get a little crazy. Since it was a very special occasion, we decided it would be worth the effort. We brought Hailey to the same restaurant for her 3rd birthday and they put the kids on a saddle and yell out to half of the restaurant that it's their birthday. I thought that she would totally freak out...but I was surprised when she seemed to actually enjoy the attention! On her actual birthday (Sunday) we had cake with her and had our friends the Burtons over to enjoy it with us. John made her a beautiful and delicious cake!
Isabella is so special in our family. I don't know what Hailey would do without her. For now, she is the middle child but she knows how to get the attention that she needs. She always loves to be held and reminds us often that she is still a baby! She has started to talk SO much! She still loves her binky (cringe) and her burpies! She clings onto one stuffed animal at a time and she can't get enough of them for about a week or two and then she is on to something new. She is very picky about who she invites into her bed at night!! She loves cheese sticks and fishies (gold fishes) and thinks that it is so cool every time that I make smoothies. She sleeps all night long-finally! I know....it shouldn't be that big of a deal right? She's two...of course she should be sleeping thru the night...but trust me. IT'S A HUGE DEAL!! Yeah for Isabella. She loves the Wiggles and Elmo's World. We love you Bella Baby!!