April 29, 2009

Snow Day #2- Spring Break 2009

We had a lot of fun playing the April snow day. The kids went sledding and Jade worked on snowboarding. Ivy didn't really want to play outside, so she stayed inside and made Zachary giggle.



Jade and the boys made a snowman at my parents. They had a blast and didn't want to come in for hot chocolate.

April 28, 2009

Snow Day #1- Spring Break 2009

I'm a bit behind on the posting lately. I've just been feeling a bit overwhelmed. It's been a couple of weeks since Spring Break, but here are the pictures...
We woke up in the morning of my first real day off in a while. I actually said that I would not be available except for emergencies- and I stuck to it! Shocking! Anyway, when we looked out the window, our backyard was covered in snow and we had trees bending down. But, it made for great fun happy pictures of playing in the snow.



I love that the girls and Scott had fun playing in the snow and were able to make a Snowman- even if it melted by the end of the day.

April 22, 2009

Easter with the Family...

For the final part of our Easter holiday, we went to my aunt and uncle's house for dinner. We had a very yummy dinner and had a great time spending time with the family. Cass did a a fun Easter egg hunt.
Before we headed home, we tried to get some pictures of the kids. That was easier said than done. They made faces, played with their faces and fell out of the hammock. But it was fun just trying.
As part of our Easter celebration, Uncle shared with us some Celtic symbolism of Easter. During his discussion about it, he said that the Celts see a bunny on the full moon, not a man. So my question for you is, do you see a man or a bunny?

The girls and their Easter egg hunt

It's funny, some times Jade is the one that fights getting pictures taken and she'll do silly smiles. Other times, it is Ivy that just won't behave. For Easter Sunday, Ivy was not willing to cooperate. I got some fun pictures of Jade and Jade was a great help in getting Ivy willing to take some pictures. Sitting on the stairs was the best background I could get. Sometimes we just take what we can get.
The Easter Bunny came and hid the eggs after church. The wind was a bit chilly but the girls had a lot of fun. Jade was better than Ivy at finding them.


Easter Morning...



Easter morning, the girls came in and asked us if the Easter Bunny had come. We said that we weren't sure, but we could go down and check. When they went down, they were so excited. The girls each got a dog, some dishes for Ivy's kitchen, and a book. They loved it all and were so excited about Easter.

April 20, 2009

Fast and Furious

I am a HUGE Fast and Furious fan. Not because I'm a motor head, but because I have great taste in men. After all, I did wait a long time to find the man of my dreams and married him. Anyway, Fast and Furious. Between Paul and Vin and the sound of the impact gun and "Oh sure" action, I was in heaven. Yes, there was one major "Oh sure" and it started at the first scene and ended with the closing credits. (If you like to stick around the theater after the credits to see if there is a tag, there is NOT one for this Fast and the Furious.)

In our family, Fast and Furious coming attractions were celebrated and plans were made. Unfortunately, we didn't make it on opening weekend, but we did make it during it's second weekend. My mom was sweet enough to watch the 5 Utah grand kids so that we could go with Kat, Jon and Dad. We had a great time and all enjoyed the show. It's one to buy for sure!

Go see it, but keep in mind that reality is not what they are after with this film. Don't feel bad when you say "Oh sure" because that is what Fast and Furious is about. Do expect to see a lot of perfect Vin looks and breath taking Paul moments. Prepare yourself for a bit of girl-girl kissing scenes. (If you were in the theater with us, you would have heard at least one "oh gosh" and seen the rubbing of the forehead from the fantastic gentlemen in his 60's that came with us- we love you Dad).


While we were fast and furious, my mom entertained the kids. Since it was the day before Easter (I know, I'm a bit behind), they decorated eggs, posed in cute ears and made baby Zachary giggle. They had a wonderful time and did NOT want to go home. Thanks, Mom, for making our Fast and Furious double date happen.

April 18, 2009

A Wicked Night to Remember

As many of you many know, Wicked has come to Utah for the first time. (Did you know it's going to Denver for the third time this fall?) Anyway, we were lucky enough to get tickets. (Thank you Grandma Janet!) We've been looking forward to this night for many many months. It was my folks, Scott's folks and us out for a night to remember.
I have had a copy of the soundtrack for quite some time, although missing several of the songs and many of the songs that I do have skip. But, that's beside the point. I had listened to it once before the show and thought, "Hmm, it sounds cool but I have no idea the plot" so I put the soundtrack away (didn't load it to my ipod playlist) and figured I'd wait to listen to it more after the show. Now that I've seen the show, I can't get the songs out of my head and listen to it frequently. So much so that my girls are learning the songs.
Of course I'd heard amazing things about the production and knew it had to do with the Wicked Witch of the West, but that was all that I knew. Let's just say, I loved EVERY minute of the show and didn't want it to end. I'm already trying to figure out when i can see it again.
The set was fantastic and the costumes were to die for. Honestly, each dress had to cost a fortune and each ensemble player had at least 4 costume changes. Each costume was unique and elaborate. The singing was amazing. The girl that played Elphaba in Salt Lake, was the original "young Cosette" on Broadway when she was 8. Her voice was powerful and haunting. Glinda, had a very strong beautiful voice and she did a fantastic job being "popular" and "blond". The part of the production that hit me the hardest was the great dancing. The choreography was captivating and made me wish I was 17 years younger being given the same choices I was given when I was 20. Although, I have to say, if Wicked would have been around back then, I am not sure I would have made the same choice I did. It wasn't the most technical dancing but it was beautiful and truly helped build the story.
I LOVED Wicked. Is it my favorite show I've ever seen? Possibly. (Although Chicago with Bebe Neuwirth, Lion King and Les Mis definitely rank up there).


Anxiously looking forward to seeing it again!

April 17, 2009

Flashbacks...

I got a really fun new easy to use scanner. So, today, while the kids played in the snow at Grandma and Grandpa's, I scanned and scanned and scanned. Here are a few highlights of my work. The first is a spotlight of my big brother, then there is me, next is my little sister and finally just some group pictures. Enjoy a little glimpse into my childhood.








April 16, 2009

What did Spring look like at your house?

Yesterday, it started to snow...

From Sanford 04 April 2009



This morning we woke up to our tree bent in half...

From Sanford 04 April 2009


Snow that needed to be removed from all of the trees...

From Sanford 04 April 2009



and 10 inches of fresh snow.

From Sanford 04 April 2009

April 14, 2009

In Loving Memory...


Twelve years ago today, I lost one of my closest friends. My grandpa "Doc" passed away following a very short battle with lung cancer.
Doc was a man who touched the life of everyone he met. He wasn't perfect but he was my grandpa and I miss him. It is strange that he never met Scott, but I know he would have loved him.
It's been 12 years since Doc died and 9 years since Grandma died. The image above is the headstone that will soon be laid to mark their graves. I think it is beautiful and think that they will be pleased. Especially because their children worked together to create it. My uncle drew the angel and my mom did the layout. It's perfect for two amazing people.

April 13, 2009

Conference Saturday Craft

I love Saturday afternoon crafts. Oriental Trading has fantastic crafts that are easy and fun. This craft was an egg tic tac toe game. The girls decorated it with jewels and felt flowers. It was very cute and very easy. The girls absolutely loved it. I was so glad that the girls worked well together and were happy to share one project.







April 12, 2009

I love the New Yorker

Many years ago, Scott was a waiter. He wasn't just a waiter, he was a waiter at the New Yorker. The New Yorker is one of the nicest restaurants in Salt Lake City. It's been around for a very long time. It's always been a hot spot amongst the who's who of Utah. Will Pliler is the executive chef and he's amazing! He's been there since 1978 and has been the executive chef since 1984.

If you have never tried the New Yorker because it's too expensive, now is a great time to try it. While Wicked is in town, they have a special menu. They have a choice of two salads, two entrees and a dessert for 35 dollars. We got one of each. They were both fantastic. The dessert was the strawberry shortcake, but we traded it for our family favorite- Raspberry Almond Tort. It was so beautiful, we had to take a picture of it. I think I need another one.


Posted by Picasa

April 9, 2009

Dance Class for Jade

Forgive the quality of these pictures, but I couldn't resist taking some pictures of Jade in her dance class. She did such a great job of following Miss Alexis. She really tried hard to do everything she was told to do. While Miss Alexis was working with the other girls, Jade practiced the dance they are learning for the recital.
This is the fifth time we've attempted to get Jade in dance. The first time was at Jackie Colledge Ballet, for a summer workshop. She loved it and did it with Asher. Then she did the BYU Children's Dance Theater. She loved the creative dance class, but after she fell during the recital, she didn't want to go back. The next year we tried a dance class at my friend's studio. She didn't enjoy the class and the other girls were not very nice to her, so she quit mid-year. Then in the summer she took the ballet workshop again. She loved the dance class but wasn't willing to give up karate or gymnastics to add dance class.
I don't mind taking her out and putting her back in when she asks, but now that she's back in, I hope she wants to stay. She's very good and looks adorable doing it.




April 8, 2009

Tooth #6



My little toothless wonder has now lost as many teeth as she is old. While my nephew has lost one tooth, and Jade's friend just lost his second, my little girl has lost SIX! That is just crazy.
On the 16th of March, I had landed in Atlanta- en route to Raleigh. I called the girls to say hello and Jade said her tooth was really loose. She wanted to pull it out. So, I told her to try and call me back. She wimped out and had Miss Kim try. Miss Kim pulled it out. I'm not sure it was really ready to come out- it bled a bit. Jade was thrilled to have it out.
She's been sick the past week and a half, so we waited until a sunny day and a healthy girl to take the tooth pictures. She took this photo shoot a bit more towards the "thoughtful" side than she has in the past.








April 7, 2009

Purple Belt Advancement

Weeks ago, I'm so far behind, Jade had her belt advancement for karate. I really love that they make an event out of each advancement. She went from the white with an orange stripe to the white with a purple stripe. She was so cute and is getting a bit more excited and full of energy when she's doing karate. So, here are some pictures from the advancement.






Love you, Jade! We are so proud of you.

April 3, 2009

The evolution of Ivy...

The other day, Jade and Ivy got adorable little bunny rabbits. Unfortunately, the girls have a hard time accepting the items that they are given- they always want what the other one gets. Ivy really wanted the blue one with pink shoes rather than the pink one with blue shoes. She sat and pouted for a while and then asked me to take a picture of her pouting. She couldn't keep a straight face for very long. But, I love the smile she did once she was done pouting. When all was said and done, she was happy to have the pink bunny. Although, the toss on the floor would make you question her love.




This little discarded bunny gets lots of love now.
Posted by Picasa