Lasik here I come

Two years ago Matt gave me Lasik for my birthday. I was so excited, then got pregnant with Lucy that same week. So I have been waiting for this for awhile. I have been so gung ho about it, but I have to say I'm getting a little nervous now! I'm going in this afternoon to get it done. One thing I know is, I am so excited to say goodbye to my contacts and glasses. I feel like I have practically been wearing them my whole life, and they are a pain. Hopefully all goes well and I won't be blind tonight. Wish me luck, or wish my Dr. luck. I will be seeing you all soon, contact free. YAHOO!!!!

Merry Christmas! (3 weeks late)

Merry Christmas! Yeah I know I'm way behind, but at least I'm doing it. I hope everyone had a great holiday. We spent our time in San Diego. We had the best time and the best weather (high 70's). We had a chance to go to the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park, Coronado, La Jolla cove, and Lake Murray a couple of times. We hung out with friends and family. It was a blast.
Thank you Steve and Pat for having us!

Happy New Year!

I'm really looking forward to this year. Some of my goals:

A lot more camping (we did none last year, too hard with a baby.)

More Yoga (I have really grown to love Yoga. If anyone wants to join me it's so relaxing, and the more the merrier.)

Try to get in better shape (I say this every weekend, "I'll start Monday.")

Spend more time playing with the girls

Be more patient

Run more (still stuck at 3 miles.)

I'm sure I could go on, but I have to stop or I'll get too overwhelmed

I hope everyone has a great year!

Happy Birthday!

It's Matt's birthday today!

The girls and I met Matt for lunch at our favorite restaurant Sushi Ya. Mari wouldn't try the sushi, but she loved the rice. We'll keep working on her. If anyone likes Sushi I recommend Sushi Ya in Orem. It was great!



I want to gush for a second about Matt. He is the greatest Husband, and Dad. He is by far the most patient one out of us and I thank him for that. He takes over when things get to hectic for me. The girls both adore him. They get so excited when he comes home from work. I love that he is so happy all the time. I've never seen him in a really bad mood. He is constantly making us laugh, with his dancing and silly faces. Just the other day Mari said "Dad is my best friend!"


We love you Babe!






I had to post this pic. He was the cutest little kid.

Sisters

I love my girls! Lately they have been so cute with each other. I love to see them interact, laugh and play. They both love each other to death. Mari has never stopped mugging Lucy since she was born. I have to separate them to let Lucy breath. Every day I catch myself smiling just listening to them. Mari is so protective and sweet, and nobody can make Lucy laugh like Mars does. Those belly laughs are one of the best parts of my day. Just this morning I was lying in bed and Lucy crawled into Mari's room to wake her up, and I hear squeals and kisses. There is nothing like a sister, they are the best. Maybe I'm partial since I have 4 sisters, and we are all so close. I hope my girls can have that.

3 years!

Mari turned 3 a month ago. I cannot believe that time has flown by so fast. She was just my little baby, and now she's a little adult. She has been the funnest little girl. She has always been such a good girl, even from day one. Don't get me wrong she has her moments, but for the most part she is an angel. She keeps me laughing everyday, and she is such a cuddlebug.

I am not the most creative person, but I told Mari she could choose whatever kind of cake she wanted, and I would try to make it. I figured sometimes they will work out, other times we can have a good laugh. She chose a princess cake. I tried and laughed while I made this. But she thought it was the coolest cake ever. Her reaction made it well worth it.

Mari's Birthday fell on the day that Matt ran the St. George Marathon. I somehow talked him into driving to California after so we could go to Disneyland. We went with my sister, her family, and my Mom and Dad. We had the best time. Disneyland was decorated for Halloween, which got Mari excited to dress up this year. The girls had 3 full days of Disneyland, while the boys went 2 days and met Matt's Dad and Nephew at Magic Mountain for a day. Mari was so excited, she still talks about turning 3 in Disneyland.

My highlight was seeing David Beckham. Yes, he was there I saw him a couple of times, and he is cuter in real life!

After Disneyland we went to San Diego to visit Matt's parents. The weather was so perfect and the girls both loved seeing Grandma and Grandpa (and Great Grandpa/ma). We spent alot of the time down at La Jolla Cove. It was fun to hang out with family and friends. We were all sad to come home to cold Utah.

Marathon

I know this is way late, but I had to give my husband and Brother in law a shout out. They finished the St. George Marathon in October!! Matt was worried that an ankle injury would stop him, but I knew better. I have never met anybody who can run a marathon (26.2 miles) without training beforehand. I think he is amazing!! He has inspired me to start running. Anybody who knows me knows I am not a runner. I am going to give it a go. My goal is to run a half marathon next year. I'm up to 3 miles right now!

Happy Halloween!

We had the best Halloween; it was a perfect day. We started out the day tricking or treating at Matt's work. Mari got so much candy due to the fact that she only had to walk 5 feet to the next person's desk. She thought that was the trick or treating I had been hyping up. When I told her we were going to go "real" trick or treating with her cousins Haley and Carter, she didn't know what to do with herself. Earlier in the week Matt and I went to a party dressed as Milli Vanilli, but sadly we forgot to take pictures. You know your getting old when your baby sitter doesn't have a clue who Milli Vanilli is. This season I saw alot of great costumes, but I have to give two prizes this year; one to my husband Matt (Dwight Shrute Bobblehead) and one to my sister Stephani (Yo Gabba Gabba). They both had me laughing so hard.

Cruise '07

We're off!!!

So, there are still no cruise pics, and we're off again. Sorry, I have a ton to do when we get back. We are on our way to St. George today. Matt is going to run the St. George Marathon. Wish him luck! He injured his ankle a little over a month ago. but still wants to run. We'll see if he can walk after (this may be his way to get out of Disneyland). Yes, we are going to Disneyland! It took alot of begging, and Mari's birthday to convince Matt it was a good idea. I think I'm more excited than Mari. Hopefully it will be a great time so Matt will want to go again. After Disneyland we are going to San Diego to visit Matt's parents. So we have a fun filled week ahead of us. I will post pics soon. Wish Matt luck!

Being sick sucks!

I know, I know. I am really behind. I have really been trying to get to the computer to post about our cruise. But I have been confined to the couch. I have had the flu, and man it is bad. This is the first day I've been able to get off the couch since Tuesday(except for running to the bathroom). So for now I'll say we had the best time on our trip. It was so beautiful and the weather couldn't have been better. We went scuba diving, snorkeling, zip lining, beach hopping, we rode scooters on a couple different islands. There is so much to say, but when I post pictures I'll get all that. Oh, it is so nice to have a break with your husband to reconnect with each other. I did miss my girls though. They were on my mind the whole time. Thank you to Heather, Stephanie and Mom for watching Mari and Lucy. I couldn't have done it without you. Well, I'm heading back to the couch, but I will post pics soon.

Where does the time go?

I have to apologize for being such a flakey blogger; Time just seems to fly by. When I was younger summers were so long, but now with kids it's gone before I realize it. Does anybody else feel this way? It makes me sad in a way. I always hope I'm making fun memories with my kids. But then they seem to enjoy anything. We have been to two Real Salt Lake soccer games and the highlight for Mari was riding Trax. So, I know I did this last post but I thought I would back track the last two months. I will be better in the future.

Snowbird

Such a big part of our summer. I have been going there as long as I can remember. I hope it will be as much fun for my kids as it was for me.

Lucy relaxing at the pool. Afternoon hike.

Daddy and Plumber Mari

Our weekly ritual of taking the girls on the trail.

Lucy usually won't sit still for long. But she loves these rides. At the end of the trail there are usually ducks and horses waiting to be fed. Mari is a little afraid of the ducks since one bit her and (in her words) tried to "eat my hand."

Hogle Zoo

It's not San Diego zoo, but it's improving. We had a blast. Mari was really into all the animals, except the hawk that almost took us out in the bird show.

Baseball

We love baseball. Nothing is better than being outside on summer nights with your family.

Salt Lake outing to RSL Soccer

Mari had a great time at the temple smelling (stepping) on the flowers.

Lucy and Mari went to their first Real Salt Lake soccer game. I had to get a picture of Lucy in her sling. She liked it for awhile but was ready to get out. I was happy to have her out too. She was laying right across my stomache. It felt like I was pregnant all over again, and in this heat it was tough. I was feeling for all you pregnant girls out there.

May in review

Sorry it's been so long since we've blogged. May has been a crazy, fun month. I love when it starts getting warmer and the kids and I can be out all day. So to sum up the month of May I thought I would post some pics and tell you what we've been doing.

I started out the month with our annual girls weekend. My sisters, mom and I get together once a year for a weekend of nonstop laughs, eating, shopping and staying up as late as we can (somehow I am always the first one asleep.) We went to St. George this year and had a blast. It's so nice to get a break from everyday life and have no responsibility. My sisters are the greatest, we had the best time.

Later in the month, some friends and I got together at a fun park in Orem. Mari loves to play in the water fountain.

May is a big birthday month in our family. We got together to celebrate all the May birthdays. Below is a pic of all the grandkids (except Heidi's 2 boys). Mari was a little scared of Chuckee and his friends, but had a great time with all her cousins.

Baseball is one of our favorite things to do in the summer. We've been to a couple BYU games and can't wait for the Orem Owls season to start.

Now for our biggest accomplishment in the month of May. Mari is potty trained!!!! Well, for sure in the #1 department, #2 is taking it's time. She has done it once and told us it was a BIG ONE, but after that it has been a little struggle, so we'll work in that. She is so excited, she thinks she is such a big girl now. Below is a picture of her in the park, 2 days after we started, she was still a little nervous so I brought her potty with us.

The last of our May adventure was camping on Memorial day weekend. We had a really good time even if we had to camp in our back yard. We had decided to go camping but Lucy wasn't feeling to good. So we set up our tent had a fire with smores, put Lucy to bed in the house and slept out with the baby monitor on. Mari thought that was a great idea and keeps asking to do it again.

Jumping isn't the only thing White Men can't do. . .

While Lindsay and I were eating lunch, we happened upon this dancing exhibition. Even I was a little too intimidated to enter due to the caliber of moves performed. I want everyone to pick their favorite move and practice it tonight in front of the mirror. The first guy reminds me of an Orangutan (minus the robot part of course). - Ocho Rios, Jamaica 9/06

Strolling Along

Mari, Lindsay, Minnie, Lucy & Dad taking advantage of some sunshine.

Lil' Emeril

Mari picking a little something up from her buds: Emeril & Elmo.
(AUG 2006)