Ah, Kids!

Favorite things from kids' mouths lately:

Mariah has started talking a lot about things that have happened in the past, or things that she will do sometime in the future. However, the words she uses in the process crack me up. Everything in the past is "last year"--even if it was just yesterday--and everything in the future is "to later", which I'm guessing is a mix of later and tomorrow? Another Mariah-ism is the word "fortending", which is derived from "for pretend" and "pretending." And Mariah has been doing a LOT of "fortending" lately!

While watching a NCAA tournament game a couple weekends ago, I was telling Connor about Rick Pitino's career, and how he coached the Celtics for awhile, then came back to college basketball again. Connor said, "I would hate to be an NBA coach. If you had rules like Dad does on his team, you wouldn't have a team!" Amazing how an 8-year-old already knows this.

And since I can't think of anything great Mylie has said lately, and I really don't want to leave her out of this post, I'll record a funny moment I had with her last summer that I don't think I ever wrote about. She was going to summer school and we were in the van waiting at her bus stop. I asked her why she and Mariah were so cute. She said she didn't know, and so I suggested that it might be because their mom is so pretty! She started laughing (really laughing!) and said, "You're not pretty!" I was a little taken back by this and didn't help things by asking her to repeat it: "I'm not pretty?" "NO!" Followed of course by more laughing. But then Christina Aguilera saved the day as she came on the radio at that exact moment, reassuring me: "You are beautiful, no matter what they say." So there, Mylie!

an ENTIRE WEEK at home

What? That's not my style! At least not lately. But this week, it was really so nice. Part of me wishes I could list off a huge list of accomplishments due to this entire week at home, but the other part of me is grateful for the slower paced week, and the things I was able to enjoy, such as:

Nice weather! 50's, and even up to 60 this week! Which resulted in 3 runs outside, a walk with the stroller, two trips to the park, and an entire afternoon of yardwork! Wahoo! (Of course, it's snowing outside now, but I can handle a storm anytime during the spring if I get a week of warmer weather in between.)

Lots of time with these crazy kids!



We watched a few NCAA basketball games on TV, and everyone got into the spirit somewhat, even Mariah in this awesome get-up!

I opened my kitchen cupboard this afternoon to find these three sillies. (And yes, I do actually have food. I have these huge cupboards, but then a huge storage room in the basement, so this particular cupboard usually only holds a few cans of things, which I forget to look at before running downstairs to get everything I need. Too much storage space--nice problem to have, eh?)Last night, Mylie told me a joke she had made up, which of course, made no sense whatsoever. When she asked if I thought it was funny, I was honest and said no, to which she confidently replied, "Well, I do." I then said, "Well, you must have a different kind of humor." She looked instantly offended and said, "I am NOT a different kind of human!" Haha. Lovin' life!

Viva Las Vegas

Since we aren't going to be going anywhere out of town this summer around our 10-year-anniversary--don't really want to deliver a baby on vacation--Tony and I decided to celebrate early. So last Wednesday, we headed to Las Vegas to enjoy a few days together. This was also the 10-year anniversary of a trip to Vegas we took with friends back when we were dating. We did go again the very next year as a married couple, but then haven't been back there for 9 years.

When my sister asked about our trip, the question was, "So just what does a married Mormon couple do in Las Vegas for a few days?!" And while there are plenty of sinful options available there, there are also plenty of good, clean, fun things to do as well. Here's how we spent our weekend:

First of all, the main reason we went (aside from just being together) was the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament, the same thing that brought us there ten years ago in the first place. The Cowboys had a great season, and we went there hoping for an upset. But it wasn't to be. They lost in their first game. Oh well. We still ended up watching 7 great college ball games throughout the course of the weekend.

Secondly, there are great buffets in Vegas. We enjoyed these for three of our dinners and one breakfast! Yummmy!

Aside from basketball and buffets (although for us, this would have been a pretty good trip), we also spent many hours just walking up and down the strip seeing all the different casinos/resorts. For those who have been to Vegas, you know that the casino is just one small part of each of these buildings, and that the rest of it is full of shops and restaurants, all in a unique setting developed around the theme of the resort. So, for example, inside the New York, New York, it feels like you are walking down the streets of New York City, whereas in the Venetian, you get a feel for Venice, complete with gondola rides down their indoor river. We visited all our favorites and spent the good part of Friday doing that. We walked all the way down to Circus, Circus (which was no small hike from our hotel--over 2 miles one way!) to enjoy an acrobatic circus act, but stopped in at many of the resorts along the way. All in all, we got a taste of Rome, Egypt, Venice, Paris, New York, and more all on one street. Fun!

Saturday morning, we did something we hadn't really planned on and decided to go to the Bodies display that was there at the Luxor. This was incredible and we were so glad we did it! It was a museum-like setting all about the human body, complete with actual dissected human bodies, not just models or pictures. It showed all the different systems--skeletal, muscular, circulatory, respiratory, reproductive, etc. It was fascinating, and I would highly recommend going if you ever get the chance!

Our Hotel, the Excalibur

Maybe the thing we loved most was the warm weather!

The "Paris"

Found this cool statue of liberty made competely from jelly beans in the New York, New York

After my coaching season, followed immediately by Tony's long basketball season, this was a much-needed vacation for us, and we thoroughly loved just being together!

Things That Have Made Me Smile

Thinking over the past couple weeks, there are so many things that have made me smile. Here is a short list:

1. The things Mariah has been saying lately. I LOVE 3-year-olds! Some of the best have been, "Mom, we should name the baby Grandpa. I know two boys named that!" and "Mom, Mylie thinks I'm a soccer ball." (I asked her why she says that?) "Well, she's kicking me!" Also, she has an imaginary friend lately named Jersey, and she's full of stories about this little friend, all of which are made up as she goes.

2. Of course, the fact that I am 20 weeks pregnant! And I'm also very glad it's a boy. I was hoping for a boy, but feeling a little selfish and guilty for the reasons behind that hope. The number one reason I was hoping for a boy? I just can't do one more head of hair! I don't even like doing my own. I was actually considering shaving my head rather than dealing with 4 heads of hair!

3. I got to watch my sister, Tessa, play basketball at both her regional and state tournaments. It was so much fun seeing how well her team did--they took 2nd place at both tournaments to a very good, undefeated team. I also got to spend a little time with several members of my family, and took Connor with me the first weekend, and Mylie and Mariah the second.

4. I filed my taxes (using Turbo Tax online, which is SO easy!) and got a nice return. Always a good thing to have done.

5. I've been helping with an after-school volleyball clinic with 5-8 graders last week and this. It's always good to get in the gym and see these little girls improving their skills and having fun!

6. After a long basketball season, Tony and I get to spend this weekend together, which will be wonderful! We're headed to Las Vegas for, of course, a basketball tournament! Guess we just can't get enough. But we'll also have time to enjoy some relaxation and buffets as well! Love it!

Self-Explanatory

We're a little excited around here!!!

NORMAL

So, in looking over my blog lately, and in reading others' blogs, I have come to the conclusion that I don't do a good enough job capturing the NORMAL, day-to-day activities of my family. Anytime we're doing something super fun and exciting, of course, I have my camera there ready! But what about the things our lives are really made of? I need to document those things as well. So here is a little bit of our NORMAL for February:

Normally, we eat a lot. And I have two fantastic helpers almost every night helping me with dinner. Mariah loves helping me make bread, and making her own small loaf. And Mylie felt pretty proud of herself making these mini pizzas almost all by herself!

I also spend a whole lot of time with my adorable Mariah. She is excellent at playing alone and can entertain herself for long periods of time, perfectly happy. A couple of her favorite things to do are dance and do puzzles. And, as in the puzzle picture, make cheesy poses for the camera. Or maybe she's just that excited about doing that huge floor puzzle all by herself!

We had a really fun family Valentines dinner. The kids thought it was pretty fancy since we had candlelight, decorative napkins, and used the fancy dishes. (Mylie and Mariah don't look too excited in this picture, but really they were!) And the meal was oh-so-good: heart-shaped chicken pockets, asparagus, and fruit salad, with sparkling apple-grape juice to drink and nutty torte for dessert! YUM.

And we can't talk about normal in February without a word about basketball. So far, not including the game we'll be going to today, we've been to two of Tony's games, one of Tessa's, and listened to two others on the radio. Doesn't this Buffs fan look adorable in her purple?

Good Times

Since my last post, we have been playing a lot. I've also kept up on my resolutions: read the January Ensign, got all caught up on my scrapbooking, joined a book club to strengthen friendships, made a trip to the temple, and in all the FUN, I have spent some great quality time with my family.

So I thought I would document some of the fun we've been having. A few weekends ago, we headed to Laramie for a weekend. Because I spent nearly 6 years in Laramie, made great friends, got my education, had my testimony strengthened, met Tony, and had my first child there, Laramie holds a special place in my heart, and I always LOVE going back there. This weekend was no different. We stayed with Tony's brother and his wife in their college apartment, which was so much fun! I love college apartments--they bring back so many great memories! On Saturday, Tony took the kids swimming, to Burger King, and on a little campus tour while while I stayed at the apartment to have a baby shower for Michelle, my sister-in-law. Five of the eight kids in Tony's family were there for the weekend with their families, plus Tony's mom, so the kids had lots of cousins to play with and we had a good crowd for the shower. In the afternoon, we headed to the Arena Auditorium to watch the Cowboys beat CSU. The Cowboys are really good this year, and it was such a fun game to watch. The kids sat down in the first three rows right by the tunnel where they were able to give high-fives to the players as they ran in and out and even got a few autographs after the game. That night we ate at Corona Village, one of our favorite Laramie restaurants.

The kids with a few of their cousins that were there, getting ready for the game to start.

Getting autographs from the star of the game.Not EVERYBODY loved the game. In fact, this picture sums up the way Mariah felt about it.
Back in August, on our way home from AK, we had a rough time getting home--a cancelled flight, all night in the airport, a day at a hotel, a red-eye flight from Anchorage to Long Beach followed by a 12-hour layover there, etc. And all without Tony--just me and the three kids. Needless to say, it wasn't an ideal trip home. But JetBlue gave me a little compensation in the form of a $100 credit per traveler for future trips. I didn't really plan on using the credit since I figured that even if we got $100 off per person, we would still have to pay the difference, plus Tony's ticket. They had to be used in a year as well, and after that trip, I really didn't feel like flying anytime in the near future.

But . . . the first part of January I found out that JetBlue was a having a sale on flights between Salt Lake City and Long Beach for just $49 each way on selected dates. So, since we had enough credit to pay for a round trip flight, I went ahead and planned a trip. We couldn't make it work for Tony to come, and taking Mariah didn't sound like much of a vacation for me, so I just got three tickets and decided to surprise Mylie and Connor with a short trip. So last Wednesday afternoon, I picked them up from school and drove to the airport. I didn't tell them where we were going until we were actually at the airport, and they were going crazy guessing! It was so much fun, and we had a great trip!

We got into LB Wednesday night around 7 and took a bus to our hotel, which was a dump but just 3 blocks from the beach! (I love riding public transportation--you can't beat the $1.25 fare, compared to the almost $30 it would have cost to take a taxi, and the people-watching is fantastic!) We ordered pizza and watched TV until we went to sleep that night. The next day was our one full day there, so we made the most of it. The weather was GORGEOUS, probably my favorite part of the trip. We walked about half an hour to get downtown, but nobody complained. We were too busy enjoying the sun in our shorts and t-shirts as well as looking at the beach, buildings, and interesting trees and plants. Once we got to our desination, we spent the morning at a great aquarium, which featured sealife from all different parts of the Pacific Ocean. I am fascinated with ocean life, so I absolutely love aquariums! The kids' favorite part was probably the area called the Shark Lagoon.

Mylie posing with some massive shark jaws. They didn't have any sharks this size there!

Touching a huge sting ray in the touch pool.

Touching a bamboo shark. Connor and I loved this! Mylie, not so much.

Some beautiful black-tipped sharks.

The lorikeet forest was next to the shark lagoon. These little birds, which are native to Australia, were so colorful! Connor thought it was pretty cool having one eat out of his hand.

After viewing all the sealife, we decided to enjoy it in a different way by eating lunch at Bubba Gump's Shrimp across the street. After lunch, we rented a surry and rode up and down the fantastic bike path they have right on the beach there. Then we walked back up the hotel to get our beach clothes and spent the rest of the day at the beach. I though it was just a little too chilly for swimsuits, and for sure the water was too cold, but Connor and Mylie disagreed and had a fantastic time on the beach and in the water (although they only waded out to their knees) while I enjoyed reading my book and feeling the sand beneath my toes.

Connor photographed the surry. Not the best pic of me perhaps, but you get the idea. This was lots of fun, and there was some begging the next morning to do it again!

Wading out into the cold, cold water.

Rolling down a sand dune on the beach.

The next morning, we spent a little more time at the beach, got ice cream cones, and since I knew the Carnival cruise that ports there would be in port that day, we bussed over to the terminal so the kids could see the ship (and I could wish I was on it!) We had to get back on the bus to the airport a little after noon, so that was all we did that day.

Connor and Mylie felt pretty lucky to get to fly again so soon! After our Alaska trip I told them they wouldn't be flying again for a really long time. We really probably could have just flown to Long Beach and flown right back and they would have been thrilled! But I'm glad we did all the other stuff, since we had so much fun together. And, as always, coming home was great! I sure missed my Mariah-buddy, but was grateful for the time with my school kids.

Me and my buddy the night we got home.

Finally, since we hadn't had enough fun yet, yesterday, Tony, Connor, Mylie, and I went skiing. The weather was beautiful and we had a great time! (But I didn't take my camera, so no pics this time. Oh well, they'd probably look a lot like the other skiing pictures, but with Tony in them too. I suppose you can imagine.) And now back to our regular schedule, and back to work on those resolutions I've made. Life is so good.