Jace's Bowling Birthday Bash

Jace's birthday was a hit! Although he wanted to have a neighborhood friends party, I decided that since it was over Labor Day weekend and we'd have a lot of family in town, that we'd do a family celebration instead. Here's a look at our fun day!

Decorations: Little things like this are not overlooked by Jace. I put together a picture collage, happy birthday signs and featured him in our kitchen tray. He was pleasantly surprised when he woke up- wondering who had done all this. (since I was still asleep). He gets so proud about stuff like this & loves to show it off.

The Party: We decided on bowling for the party since we have such big families and wanted something that all ages would enjoy. Teton Lanes does such a good job for b-day parties. They give you free shoe rentals and then they set up a table with balloons, table settings for the cake etc. Then they put a Happy Birthday Jace up on the bowling screen, played Happy B-day song over the loud speakers and gave him the classic bowling pin. Now we have two since we also did this for Justin's b-day this year.

Jace with his pin.

A Special Day: Jace was so happy that so many of his cousins could come and celebrate with him. He really loves his cousins & has a lot of fun with them.

1st pic: Jace & Josh(2 years apart, but Jace loves playing with Josh), 2nd pic: Jace with Payton-nice shoes!, 3rd pic: The bowling crew

What a Celebration: Blowing out his 4 candles, showing off his many nice gifts. We're so glad for all who came & shared in his special day.

Hard to believe that its already been 4 years. Where does the time go?

Happy Birthday Jace!

Yay! Jace turns 4 today!

We hope that your day is as great as you are.

We still love you to pieces.

Happy Birthday bud!

Music Makers....Come Join Us!

Okay...so summer is winding down and fall is right around the corner. Although I hate to see summer go, I must say I'm exited for the schedule of fall and looking forward to all of our activities starting back up.

One of these activities is Music Makers. It's a play group that I've been involved in with my kids ever since we moved back to Idaho (so nearly 2 years- yikes doesn't seem that long!) Anyway, I wanted to tell you all about it & also extend an invitation to anyone who is interested in joining us.

We are going to meet every Monday from 10-11 a.m. this year. We meet at the new church right off County Line road- about 2 miles from The Loft. (By the Pepperridge subdivision-I think that's what it's called.)

So what exactly is Music Makers? Well, it's an organized playgroup that incorporates lots of different activities, rhymes, fingerplays, music, etc. There are essentially 6 different rotations- Welcome Time, Singing Time, Circle Time, Marching Time, Movement Time and Story Time. We go from room to room for each station. Once a month we also end with a treat. There are different mom leaders that organize and lead the different stations. Each month there is a new theme, so it's a fun way to introduce your kids to lots of different ideas/themes. September's theme will be all about animals.

It is seriously lots of fun for kids. It's structured well & it's a good way for your kids to get involved, meet new friends and my favorite part- something to do through these dreaded winters!

Anyone is invited! It's completely free. Don't worry if you feel like you can't sing or whatever- you don't need to know how. It's just something fun for you & the kids to do together. It's a very relaxed atmosphere with lots of nice moms. It will start after Labor Day on Monday, Sept. 8 and goes through April. All you need to bring is a puppet for your children for welcome time and any kind of musical instrument for Marching Time (even rattles work great!). Babies, toddlers and pre-school age children all enjoy it- so bring all the kids!

Let me know if you have any questions. I know some of you live close & thought you might be interested in coming. Hope to see you on Sept. 8!

Home again, home again.....

Jiggidy Jig! Okay anyone else feel that summer blogging is way more scarce than otherwise? Geez- I can hardly find a spare minute these days.

So...we've been gone again and now we're back. Which basically means that I'm just more behind than ever. Unpacking, laundry, tolerating my way neglected house and trying to catch back up is the story of my life once again.

We just enjoyed a week of fun at Bear Lake. This is the second year that Justin got to go do an audit there & we get the benefit of going to play around. I guess you could call it one of those work/pleasure trips.

Bear Lake is so pretty- I love all the blue water. Also love it here because it's so low-key. We had a condo pretty much right off the lake and then it has both an indoor and outdoor pool, so you don't have to go far for some fun. Makes it easy travel with the kids.

We spent the week with the Crapo family (one of Jus's co-worker's family). We had a great time! When Jus & Wes were at work, Mandi, I and the kids played all day. It was great because our kids are similar ages, so despite a few melt downs on the trip down and a couple of tiffs between Jace & Kalli, all was well. It was fun to make new friends and have someone to hang out with. This picture of Rylee cracks me up- what a babe!

It was also the Bear Lake County fair last week, so we got to take part in some good 'ol fair fun- such as the Demolition Derby! Jace was scared to death at first- he didn't get all the destruction. Afterwards, however, he couldn't quit talking about it. He made up his mind that he wanted to turn Justin's "noisy" car (as Jace refers to it as, although Jus still insists that it's a pretty nice car- What? An 88 Acura with 200+ thousand miles on it?) into a demo derby car & have him and Jus be race car drivers. He has literally spent the last few days sitting in Justin's car in the garage pretending to be in the derby. He has also made several requests for a speed racer helmet that he saw at Walmart. So all in all the derby was great- other than Fat Albert that sat in front of us on one of those bleacher chairs that pretty much took up his entire seat plus our entire leg room, beside the fact that he had an "odor". The picture doesn't even do justice.

We also went to the parade, which is hands down the biggest candy giving parade I've ever been to. It's so funny too because it goes up the main street on the right hand side, then turns around at the stoplight and comes back down the same parade route, only on the left hand side the second time. Classic. We got some major loot.

I feel like much of our summer has been on the go, but it's been a good one. I can't believe that school is already starting and such. It slips by way too fast.

In other news, Justin has also pretty much completed our yard/landscape project that has kept him occupied all summer. Must say I'm very proud of all his hard work- he has definitely been putting in a lot of "sweat" equity. No kidding that a yard is a ton of work- he did our whole sprinkler system, raked, tilled, welded & pounded metal trim, planted trees, barked all of our beds and we got hydro-seed today! I can't wait for our grass to come up! Can't say how sick of dirt I am around the house. Plus all the dirty shoes, clothes, garage, etc. Oh well, better than snow.

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!