Part 1

Well, part 1 of our Arizona trip is over since Ryan flew out today. Part 2 consists of a lot of shopping and seeing old friends. To start off our trip we drove through Vegas this time so we could stop and see Ryan's Grandma in St. George. Her darling husband has a very sweet old horse and Emma loved getting to ride on his back.

One night we went out to Chevy's for a very yummy dinner. Ryan's parents gave us a gift card for Christmas and we've been saving it for this trip. It hit the spot and we rolled ourselves out of there.

Emma is such a great hiker and keeps a good pace with us and really likes to explore outside. We went for a beautiful hike out by the Salt River and enjoyed how green the desert is this time of year.

Celebrating Emma's third birthday was another one of our favorite activities on this trip.

My mom took us to lunch at Jo's Farm Grill which is one of our favorite spots. This place was on Diners, Drive Inns, and Dives for anyone who watches that show on the Food Newtwork. They have amazing burgers and their atmosphere is just charming with outdoor seating on picnic tables.

Last night we went to Tempe Market and enjoyed walking around and eating at CPK. I really think we would have more date nights if we actually had somewhere fun to go, like this place.

We took this picture just before taking Ryan to the airport to fly home. I really will miss him but I'm glad I still have another week and a half to enjoy this nice weather.

Happy Birthday Emma!

Emma's birthday was so fun to celebrate this year because she actually knew what was going on. Our guest list was very small but I loved sharing it with those that are the closest to her.












To pass my dreary winter days I made these party favors while I was still in Utah and then filled them with cotton candy once I got down here.

This picture with Paul and DeNae is so cute, but I realized too late that we had a spot on the camera lens, bummer.

It's so nice to be down here in Arizona and get some sunlight on our faces and spend most of our time outside. I can't wait for my dad to come back from the middle east tomorrow and join us for the rest of our trip. He is Emma's biggest fan and she has always been a "Papa's girl." Other than missing my dad from the evening we had a very fun birthday party. I am just so thankful for all the family who truly loves and adores Emma, you know who you are ;)

One year older and busier too

I can't believe that my little Emma turns three in one week! She has grown so much this year and truly is just a joy to be around. I'm sure everyone feels this way about their own children, but I don't know any other little girl who is as special and well rounded and as delightful as Emma is. I can't wait to share this experience of having a baby with her and I know she will be such a help to me this year in my life and all the years to come.
I just wanted to post my favorite pictures of her from her last birthday to this one. These tu-tu pictures were for her 2nd birthday and the last picture is one I took for her 3rd birthday.

Happy Valentine's Day

This was the best day I've had all year! We all had such a fun day together and everyone was just in the best mood. Today I counted and recognized all my blessings and just how very much I love my family.

I also had fun trying something new with her hair. This was such an easy hair do and although it was perfect for the Holiday I am glad it is something I can do all year long.

Every day for the week building up to Valentine's Day I let Emma check the mail in her Valentine's post. It was something fun to look forward to every day. I filled it with a book, treats, magnets, stickers and then each Grandma had sent her something so their gifts took a turn in the post box as well.

I made us a pink Valentine's breakfast, and I think I loved the magic of it more than anyone. I used the pink bread I had for french toast and then made red buttermilk syrup and dyed the milk pink too. It was yummy, fattening, and festive!

Then we stopped by Lily's house to take her a little Valentine and some cupcakes.

Afterwards I took Emma to our favorite (and only) babysitters house. It's a family affair when Emma comes and we just adore this family. Chris served as our first counselor in our married's ward years ago and so I knew he would have raised awesome kids. This family takes Emma with them to run errands, to family dinners, and they even took er to Maddox with them last time they had her. Courtney is such a cute girl and we just love our arrangement with them.

Ryan and I went to Red Robin for lunch to have a day date, definitely our new genius tradition. then we stopped by the Layton mall to pick up a few things. The snow just kept dumping all day and it made the roads a bit hairy, but we stayed nice and safe. After we pick Emma up from Courtney's we all went to the dollar theater to see Bolt. I loved this movie, definitely recommend. I took this picture of Emma and I while Ryan was getting the best popcorn in town, made with real butter :) Then we came home and exchanged gifts and played Go Fish. This was just the best day and I'm so happy I have a little family to share it with.

Valentine's Celebrations

It's so fun having a little kid around to help me celebrate one of my favorite Holidays. I don't know why but I just love Valentine's. I think it's all the pink and hearts and trinkets that just make these bland winter months not seem so boring to me. Obviously these pictures aren't in order but I just wanted to highlight two of our fun activities we had leading up to the big day :)

This year we tried to spread out some of the holiday cheer. One day we went over to Carrie's house to decorate Valentine's cookies and let the little girls play dress up. It was a perfect winter afternoon activity.

Making sugar cookies and overdosing on a sugar along the way.

Another day we had Carrie and Addi over for a pink lunch and then we decorated some fancy Valentine's to give to each of their dads. The girls play so well together and it's so fun to have them entertain each other while we can work on projects of our own.

These are the almost finished project. They are just missing their poems about their tiny hands.

My mom always made Holidays so special for us, and she and my dad were just the best at creating traditions. One of my favorite traditions from my youth is when my mom would order dyed bread from the bakery for certain Holidays. I ordered this bread from Lee's Marketplace and it cost me the same as any loaf of bread off the shelf.

Carrie and Addi make regular appearances on my blog. I don't think I have stopped to mention what a great role model and valued friend she is to me. I'm just so thankful for the situations in our lives that helped our paths to cross. We formed a quick friendship that I truly treasure.

These little girls found these books in the "Valentine's Post" and were quite excited about the sticker contents.

Painting her hand for the priceless touch to her dads card.

Smothering me with kisses. Emma has really turned into the most loving and affectionate little girl.

Showing her our finished product.

That's so typical- The Weekend

Nothing is typical about Fridays. Sometimes we go to the treehouse museum, and sometimes we run more errands. Today we took off to 24th street to take some pictures just for fun. I posted my favorite ones on my photo blog but these were a few that I still really liked.

After nap time we cruised up to Logan to spend the night with family up there. We joined the Jensens for dinner and games and then stayed up late with Kylee and Brody watching a movie on our clear play.

Saturday we spent the day with Kylee and Brody again. The boys watched another movie and Kylee and I went walking with my aunt Lee. It was sooo nice outside (40 degrees) and we really enjoyed getting some actual sunlight on our faces. We hung out there all day just playing games and visiting and it was a great break for the usually boring winter weekends.

Later that night we went to my Aunt Carol's house for games there with two of my sisters and their husbands. We played some serious cards and enjoyed the yummiest home made salsa and caramel popcorn. Ryan and I were the last ones to leave, as usual, and just really enjoyed our weekend with family.

Sunday we slept in and took our time getting ready for our 1:00 church. We sat on the second row which was a first for both of us to be so close to the front. Emma loves nursery and it's so nice to enjoy the church hours and not be stuck out in the hall.

After church we had dinner at 4:00 and then just lazed around the rest of the night. We played a little hide and seek but mostly just vegged on the couch.

Although this week wasn't interesting, it was very typical. I am so thankful to be a stay at home mom and to have such a supportive husband who is also my best friend. Our lives are very simple, but we couldn't be happier.

That's so typical- Thursday

This is my busiest day of the week. I always have a massage appointment with a client who has been coming to me almost weekly for the last 4 years. Nancy has become a great friend and a very loyal client. Today she came at 8 am instead of 5 pm, so that was different. Emma has a bath almost every day but I wash her hair only two or three times a week, and Thursday is usually a great time to do it. We frequently meet Ryan for lunch at Costco, not always on Thursdays, but it is something that is common that we do. Today we met him for lunch at 1 and then ran to the mall, and also did some grocery shopping at Walmart. I also take Thursdays to clean the house again, bathrooms, laundry, and vacuum so it's nice and ready to play for the weekend.

Tonight was different because we had some friends from our ward come over and join us for dinner. Desi and Justin just live up the street and they stayed for a very funny episode of the Office and some visiting. So this was probably the most "typical" day I've had all week. I like Thursdays, they're busy, but always productive.

That's so typical- Wednesday

Wednesdays I try to have us stay home so we don't go out and spend any money. Emma plays so good by herself and I try to take this day to do reading and flash cards and play time with her. When Ryan gets home from work I like to go to the 25th street Gold's and work out. I usually do morning workouts, but sometimes it's nice to go in the evening. We always end our night by putting Emma to bed and then watching an episode of Lost.

Today was different because I took my friend Staci to go see Sara's new house. The kids played in the unfinished basement while we visited. I also picked up a dozen rolls from Maddox since we were right there. I don't have anything in mind of them, but they're just so yummy I couldn't pass it up. Then for dinner we used the punch passes to Costa Vida that Ryan's family mailed us because they're Portland location closed. So that was a nice treat to be able to have take out for dinner, and have it be free :) We ended our night with a visit from our First Counselor. Ryan has been called to serve over the deacons and I am called as the ward activities chair. We're both pleased with our callings because they're not outside our comfort zone. It will be nice to be serving again.

That's so typical- Tuesday

Since the house is all taken care of from Monday we usually spend our Tuesdays running errands. Today we wet to the bank, Seagull bookstore, the car wash, and Target, my most favorite store ever! Then we stopped by Sonic on the way home for the yummiest grilled cheese in town.

This whole day was quite typical. Left overs for dinner, and watching The Biggest Loser. The one thing that was quite uncommon is that I took a picture of my pregnant belly. I have two pictures of my whole pregnancy with Emma, something I've always regretted. I thought I would be much better this time, but it's just not something I think about. So, this is a picture of my belly at 19 weeks. I feel her move around in there, but I'm still waiting for the consistent kicking, that's my most favorite thing in the whole widest world.

That's so typical - Monday

A typical Monday includes cleaning the house. I vacuum, clean bathrooms, do most of the laundry, mop, sweep, and reorganize one closet. Today it was the fridge and pantry.
Also something typical that we do is rent a movie or go see a movie for Family Night. Our local Ogden theater just reopened and turned into a dollar movie and we're so excited. We went and saw Madagascar 2 and loved it. I'm going to miss this time with just the three of us, but we're all so excited for Lydia to come that I don't think it will be too hard to give it up.

Something we did today that wasn't the norm was go to Sara's house and let Emma play with her boys while I got a long over due cut and color. It's about time! Thanks again Sara for watching Emma, she just loves Caleb and Jaken.