Garage Sale!

I'm having my first-ever garage sale on Saturday, Aug. 9 from 8-3 at my house. My sisters and I are putting it on. Expect furniture, clothes, books, toys, games, home decor, etc., etc.

I live in the Willow Brook subdivision- about 2 miles north of Rexburg Motor Sports off of 12th West. If you're looking for some bargains come on by!

Sunny San Diego

I still have so much other stuff to share about our busy summer, but decided to take the "start with now & work backwards" approach.

We had a great family vacation to San Diego. I must admit that traveling and so-called "vacation" takes on a whole new meaning when you've got two little kiddos in tow. I'm not a very nervous person, but felt myself get a little anxious as the flight attendant was going over the whole floatation device spill and to first put oxygen on yourself and then your kids. I just kept thinking- what would I honestly do if there really was an emergency? I also found myself watching & keeping good mental notes about passengers around us- just in case someone decided to go wacko in flight.

Anyway...besides a wiggle worm on my lap through the entire flight, all went well & we arrived. Jace loved the flight- I love Jet Blue because of the the t.v's- Jace had his ear phones in the entire flight & was content. We got the kids these little backpacks for their carry on stuff & it was just too cute the way they "pulled their own weight" around the airport- especially Rylee, she felt so big!

We stayed at the beautiful Hyatt La Jolla. Great room & a great six day stay. I think the worst part about traveling with kids is the scheduling. I always worry about what the room will be set up like & how we're going to get the kids to sleep, etc. The hotel provided a pack-n-play and were very accommodating by providing bedding for it (not the case at every hotel and I brought my own, but still a nice amenity) and a baby hygiene kit- complete with Johnson's baby care items. I love little extras like this- details count with me. We also had a mini fridge in our room, which made it nice to keep some breakfast & snack items on hand for the kids. The key to traveling with kids is to be prepared- saves on melt-downs & misery.

It had a great pool & hot tub. It was fun to spend a lot of our down-time here. We had dinner in one of the cabanas one night & spent quite a few mornings taking a dip before venturing out for the day. Jus took a couple CPE classes while we were there, so it was nice to have a pool to hang out at while he was in class. Water wings are the best (arm floaties)- Jace is so independent in the pool with these things- it makes taking more than one kid doable alone.

We did so much, but still kept it at a flexible pace that we didn't feel exhausted. We went & saw the San Diego temple (just a few blocks from our hotel), which is incredible! I've always loved this temple, but it truly is amazing in person- it's right off the highway & completely eye-catching. Everyone there kept referring to it as the castle. We were getting directions from the concierge and he was like, "you won't be able to go inside of the castle because you have to part of that religion or something to get access."

Then on our walk over there, a lady asked where we were headed and after telling her she said, "Well, they won't let you in!" People's perceptions are just funny- we were like, "Oh, yes they will!" (and we can tell you how you can too).

Then it was off to the San Diego zoo. We saw all the animals- elephants, giraffes, monkeys- ya know, it was a zoo. Pretty convinced that if you've been to one, you've been to them all. Best part of the zoo was that a nice girl who worked for the Wild Animal Park offered us two free tickets at the gate. Saved us $70! And since we've done the zoo thing before, glad to save that money.

Sea World was next & it did not disappoint! This place has changed a bit since I last visited (which was 20 years ago, so I should expect that it would). Shamu is still there in all his glory though. I loved all the shows (especially with kids- it's good to have a break & sit down.) My favorite show was the Cirque Ole- acrobat one- it's so cool! Plus I like how their shows are short, easy to find a seat & good scheduling between each one.

Plus..did everyone know that they know have a new Sesame Street kid's area now? They do. It had a couple rides and a bunch of independent play areas with bounce houses, jungle gyms, tunnels, sand area, music area, etc. Great down-time for the kids (& Jus enjoyed the rides too!) Elmo, Grover & the gang put on a little show as well & it was great.

Jace also experienced his first 4-D Sesame Street movie. He got a little freaked out when the first thing came flying towards him- he was like ducking and hitting it. Too funny!

I just love all the aquariums and marine life at Sea World- truly a whole new world! The kids loved looking at all the different kinds of fish, sharks, etc.

Of course we hit the beach, which is basically more messy than glamorous. Pretty much the kids looked like this:

But it was fun & we spent a few hours there- jumping waves, burying Jace & Jus in the sand, building a sand castle & getting washed away by the waves.

The ocean was of course beautiful & I'm glad our kids have had the chance to see it now.

Our last destination was Legoland. I started wondering if we would rather do the drive to Disneyland than go to Legoland once we got there, but in the end, we decided to go & try it out & I am so glad that we did! I loved this place- it's awesome. You should see how many cool things they have built out of hundreds of thousands of Legos. For instance, this lady, stroller & baby- all out of Legos-unbelievable!

I've hardly built anything out of Legos before, but I was impressed (and I have about a hundred pictures to prove it)! In Miniland they have built the Las Vegas strip, New York, Hollywood, and just about any and every other land mark, attraction or wonder of the world out of Legos. It's so detail oriented and exact too- pieces of art I'm telling you.

First of all, this place is great for boys & it was even greater for young kids. Jace was able to go on almost every ride (helps that he's tall), but it's a really fun, relaxed theme park. Jace got to drive this little car all by himself and then he got his very own driver's license. He felt beyond cool! He even passed a couple of kids & in true Jace manner, he was ever so cautious and careful-but still felt like "the man".


We did tons of rides. Jace & Jus won this firefighter one- it was a race. Jus had to pump the fire truck down to one end then pump the water as Jace squirted the hose & got the fire out & then had to pump the truck back down. Justin was sweating by the end, but apparently not willing to loose to a couple of kids & their moms.

Rylee was mostly just along for ride, but she did manage to find a little friend her size. And..she got to go on this little ride too. So...a fun time was had by all!

We had an evening flight on Saturday- so by the time we got back to SLC, it was 11 p.m. and I had two tired children & a 4 hour drive ahead of me that has never been so miserable. Luckily, the kids fell asleep as soon as we hit the road and I suffered through what seemed to be the longest ever trip from SLC to Idaho! The Shelley to Rexburg stretch nearly did me in- never been so antsy. At nearly 3 a.m. we pulled in to our garage & that was that!

Family vacation to San Diego: Check!

Been there, done that!

I know, I know...

It's been way too long since my last post. Let's just say...busy summer, just got home from vacation & now I have way too much laundry calling my name, bags that need unpacked, phone calls to return and a week full of catch up!

So... I'll get some updates up here soon. But, to hold you over, just wanted to share a bit of good news... Greg's engaged!

For those of you who don't know....Greg is Justin's older brother & has been a really good friend of mine for years. He is marrying a girl named Hailey Christensen from Oregon. They've been dating for nearly three years, so all I have to say is FINALLY! I've been harrassing Greg for way too long about this. They'll be married in the Portland Temple on September 27. We couldn't be more excited. Congrats guys!

Our boy, Jace

Jace is our 3.5 year old. He turns four in August. He's tall for his age. He's a miniture Justin- looks, personality- the whole works. It seems like he's had a lot happening lately, so I thought I'd dedicate a post to our Jace boy.

For the last part of this school year, Jace was in speech therapy. He's had trouble with some sounds, so we got him evaluated and he qualified. This was on his last day before school got out for summer break. He loved this Bob the Builder game that they got to play. They usually incorporate a game or activity along with flash cards, mouth exercises and pronunciation type of stuff. I love his speech therapist, she has been so good with Jace. He went 2 days a week for 20 minutes each session.

I am seriously so proud of Jace for all of his progress. it takes a lot of patience, focus and consistency as parents, but it so worth it when they get it right. I know to some parents it's no big deal, but this has been a challenge for us & we're so glad Jace's speech is improving. We look forward to returning this fall!

This spring, we inherited a bike from one of my nephews, strapped a pair of training wheels on them (that don't exactly fit because we got them at the D.I. after hunting the whole town of Rexburg for a set & not finding any! No surprise) Jace has been a speed demon on this thing ever since. He can cruise on this bad boy- even with rickety wheels.

Pretty typical Jace here. He loves to pretend stuff. Every day he wants to play house or church or school or something. This day, he got into the bathroom cabinet and decided to build something. Yes, you're seeing it right, a long train or something created by toilet paper and feminine hygiene products. He gets so meticulous too- I love watching his face as he puts things "just so".

Jace went to the dentist for the first time this month & it's not good news folks! He has 8 cavities! (Gasp- yes you saw it right). We have to put him under just to get all the work done. Geez you'd think that I've been feeding this kid spoonfuls of sugar by that report. I swear it's more because we got negligent on his brushing- pretty much just letting him do it alone. (& because he likes sweets too much). Despite the bad report, Jace loved going & did really good. He couldn't be more excited about his dentist bag, mini toothpaste & the dino flosser.

And finally, Jace with his "grow a pirate" toy. Found these at Michaels for $1. They start out really small & then you stick them in water & they grow (supposedly up t0 600% of original size). This was the finished product.

Oh..I don't know what I'd do without this little guy. He gives me a run for my money & a heart full of worry at times, but he truly is a tender heart. I can't believe his life as a 3 year old is already almost gone. I've only got him home with me for another 2 years & I'll be so sad to send him out on his own.

The Best Things in Life....Are Not Things

Lately, I've just been feeling this overwhelming sense of gratitude for all the simple things in life. The stuff that puts a smile on your face and sometimes a tear in your eye. These are some of my more recent simple joys.

Okay, kids & their outfits can entertain you for quite some time. A few months ago, Jace & Justin had a Father/son outing. Jace picked that they would go to Rexburg Motor Sports & to Broulims to get a donut. He went to get dressed & came out in this get-up. He was so dang serious too- "Okay dad, let's go!" Justin was like, "Are you ready, is that what you want to wear?" To which he replied(in a tone that suggested that he saw nothing wrong with his outfit), "Yeah, let's go." He was so excited, we couldn't kill his spirit & just let him go with it- pants tucked into the boots & all.

Another great example of kids & clothes. I was folding laundry, Rylee loves to mess up laundry piles. She grabs Jace's clothes (including underwear) and brings them over to me, sits down and starts trying to get the shorts on. She wore the whole outfit (including the underwear/minus the hat & shoes) for the rest of the night. And yes, we did go somewhere.

Jace & Rylee playing, giggling, having fun. First off, Rylee climbed in the thing herself and got stuck, feet up. So Jace decides to give her a ride around the house in her baby stroller. Just everything about this picture makes me happy. Rylee always wants to wear that little sweater around the house. She pulls in down from her closet for me to put it on her. This is just typical- Rylee enjoying the ride, sitting up so nice in it & Jace being the big brother, giving her a fun ride. He just pushed her down the hall & round & round. Good times!

This was just too cute. Rylee's expression when Justin woke up & came to the kitchen one morning. She jumped right up & was so exicted to see her dad- she just kept saying, "Oh, Oh.." really anxious. Then he picked her up & she layed her head on his shoulder & bit it for like 15 minutes. Loved it.

The kids have so much fun when they bath together. Usually Jace acts like he doesn't want to, but they love it once their in. It's so cute cuz Rylee will soap Jace's back & rub the shampoo in his hair & Jace just giggles with delight. He always calls Rylee his little sweetheart. How precious. And she gives some big, wet, slobbery kisses.

Again, playing around the house. But I love how she's got a cart full of crap & Jace's backpack on. Sometimes I don't know what they're playing, but Jace was being a construction worker or the dad and she just kept pushing her cart along. I wonder what she was pretending in her mind.

Both of these guys love to sit inside the fridge. They also love to see each other in the morning. If Jace is up first, he can hardly wait until Rylee wakes up, then he goes in there & says good morning to her, takes her binki out (tells her she doesn't need that) and rolls around in her crib with her. If Rylee's up first- Jace will come running out & Rylee will get all excited & then he'll come right up to her. He also has to take inventory such as: "I didn't even get to see dad this morning" (if Jus is already gone), wants to know who's eaten & what we had & will go immedietly to the TV to see what's on, what he missed and what's coming up next. He's very observant.

This was pure joy. Seeing fearless Rylee fly head first down the slide & laugh the whole way down. When she'd get to the end, she'd close her eyes & just giggle. She did it over & over again.

And lastly, this was our "project" that we made for FHE awhile ago. Jace always wants to include a project in FHE(and no..this is not his art, it's all me). Anyway...the lesson was on loving our family/being nice/love one another. So we start in on our acappella version of "As I Have Loved You", when Justin suddenly breaks out into his own impromptu sign language to accompany it-taking small bits of the actual sign language & exaggerating it. Just picture Napolean during the Happy Hands performance on Napolean Dynamite. It was hillarious- I wish so bad I would've recorded it. What's worse is that once Jace sees that Jus is doing the signing, he tries to join in all serious. Seriously funny! It cracks me up just thinking about it.

These are the kind of moments that I'll cherish my whole life. I feel so blessed to have simple abundance- health, happiness & loved ones to share the joyful journey with.

Enjoy the simple things today!

6 years down...An eternity to go

On May 24, we celebrated six happy years of marital bliss! We took in a movie (Maid of Honor), ate at Stockman's Steakhouse, got some frozen custard & took a cold little stroll around Porter Park. [Disclaimer: I'm sharing some pics from the archives, but since this was pre-digital age, I'm apologizing ahead of time for the poor "take a picture of a picture" quality.]

It's crazy how long we've been together. Jus was the guy that totally changed things for me...life as I knew it was never the same after him. I couldn't have ever imagined that this boy I've know since Jr. High would eventually become my everything. I mean seriously, he wrote like "You're a cutie, have a good summer" in my Jr. High yearbook. And I'm guilty of some dumb comments myself like, "Justin let me borrow his CD- I like him so much." Wooo- how gay! Straight out of the h.s. journal. Who would've known?

High School Commencement Dance 1997 (Jus had a broken leg & had a walking cast, hence the cane)

We have been through so many seasons of life together & I love that we share that history. We've been a part of each others life in one form or another through high school, college, mission, jobs, marriage and parenthood. I don't think there is a friend/roommate who didn't either know Justin or know of him, every guy I ever dated was compared to him & in the end, I had to fight a good fight to finally get him!

From my Ricks Days/Jus pre mission- outside of my apt. at Brookside {1998}

Saying our goodbyes when Jus left for his mission. {1999}

First date post mission- {Feb. 2001}

Long distance dating- me @ Utah State, Jus @ BYU-I {2001}

A few days after we were engaged! {March 2002}

At my Utah State graduation {May 2002}

Our engagement Picture

Baby #1

Baby #2

And there's been so much more in between. I definitely married my best friend & can't imagine life without him. So glad that we've got an eternity to go! Happy Anniversary to us!

San Diego, Here we come!

Okay, so we've got a little family vaca to San Diego planned for July. Justin's got some CPA classes there, so we're going to take the kiddos and make some memories.

So...I'm looking for any tips/suggestions on what we should do when we're there. We're still trying to iron out details like how long we want to stay, etc. If you live by there or have vacationed to San Diego before, let me know what we should definitely see, good restaurants, best beach, etc. For instance, it's looking like there are quite a few options for "marine" life type of stuff- what was the best to hit Sea World, Scripps Aquarium, SeaLife (by Legoland-new), museums, etc? Also trying to decide between San Diego Zoo or the Wild Animal Park. I figure that one of each kind of thing will be plenty for the kids. We want to have some big stuff planned as well as allow for some down time- pool, beach, etc. You know how some stuff is so hyped up and then it's a let down or just too much to do it all once you're there? I love word of mouth so let me know what's worth it. Remember, we'll have the kids in tow, so I'm looking for kid friendly.

I've got a ton more updates to do, but another day folks!