Bogard Blog

Valentines

2012-02-28T21:24:00.006-07:00

XOXO

Emery 20 months.

Elliette

3 1/2 years.

Jeremy and I went on Monday to Terra Mia

then The Chocolate for Dessert.

We will never go fight the crowds on Valentines.

How unromantic are crowds, lines and chaos on

Valentines Day.

Plus I don't think Jer will really admit to celebrating

V-Day. He says it is a made up holiday.

Have you had the Cazookie at The Chocolate?

It is HUGE, and ooey-gooey yumminess.

Valentines morning.

We started a few years ago doing a $5 limit

for Valentines Day. It has been a fun tradition.

Both the girls got heart bracelets and little trinkets.

I even made heart pancakes that morning.

Emery was still asleep when we woke and I took

Ellie to sleep. Dad got her opening her little gifts.

That night we did chocolate and cheese fondue.

Heart marshmallows with pretzel handles.

It's okay on Valentines to eat fondue with

no pants on.

Fondue is a fun dinner no matter what night it is.

I think everyone would have been happy

with just the chocolate only. :)

You have to have red soda on Valentines.

Two of my loves!

Happy late Valentines day from my sweeties to yours!

I am so lucky to have a husband I love more every day,

and two funny, gorgeous, sweet girls.

I have lots to love.

XOXO

Disney World

2012-02-27T14:30:00.016-07:00

The girls are ready to go!

Elliette's first time at Disney World.

We made it!

Main Street USA, Disney World.

Joelle and I with our princesses.

{Ellie really wanted to ride in the boys' stroller

not hers, can you tell?}

Let's get this Disney day going!

But I say there is always time for pictures.

Ellie and Shaelyn.

Time for Mickey ice cream.

Snack time for everyone!

Cooper and Croix.

Ellie got to drive the car her and Daddy were in.

Where is your driver Jeremy?

Is this legal, haha.

Zonked out after lunch.

We tired out the kiddos.

But no time to rest we have Buzz Lightyear to ride.

Ellie woke right up for the ride.

Intense!

Jer was not messing around. He did win high score.

Croix and Donna racking up the points.

Donna knows how to get around Disney.

The 4 kiddos right before The Haunted Mansion.

It was getting dark and the kids were all excited to use

their light up spinny toys.

Eating a Mickey pretzel before the

parade and fireworks.

Croix and his light up toy for the light parade.

Thanks Bob!For waiting 1 1/2 hours to get us this perfect

light parade location. All of us waiting for the show.

Light Parade,

so magical!

Ellie was really excited to see each float.

{Have you seen Wishes? The new show they do on

the castle before the fireworks? It is AMAZING! I can't even

describe it. They project the show onto the castle, making it

change to all sorts of things. It made the WHOLE day!}

Magic Kingdom

Walt Disney World Feb 20th 2012.

I was super excited to take Ellie to Disney for the very first time!

We had taken her to Downtown Disney lots

{she probably thought that was Disney}

and she has been to Sea World with Bob, Donna,

and the boys too. She was at a fun age to take. She also knows

all the characters, which made it really fun. To see all the magic

through their eyes makes the whole day. From rides to

characters and light parade then the fireworks it was so magical.

I really cannot say enough about the Wishes light show they have

added. It capped the whole day. After a long day and night

watching the parade and fireworks we left the park with

all the kids asleep. The park was open until 1 a.m.,

I think we stayed until about 11 p.m.

The kids were done, exhausted.

Such a fun day so glad we got to share it with Bob, Donna, Croix,

Cooper, Joelle and Shaelyn. Thanks guys!

{also BIG thanks to Grandma Linda for watching Emery so we

could go and enjoy the day with Ellie alone.

It made the day even more special. Thanks again!}

Daytona Beach before the wedding.

2012-02-25T17:12:00.014-07:00

We basically had one day in Daytona before we headed

up to the wedding. We hit Daytona Ale House

for some Zingers! My favorite.

Emery spent lots of time outside,

why do we always go to eat during nap time!

We wanted to do lunch with Aunt Tonya, but she had

lunch plans to meet with reps. But we did stop

into her work and see her.

After seeing Tonya we stopped by Daytona Beach.

It was about 78 degrees while we were there,

it was perfect. Beautiful.

My beach baby.

Both the girls LOVED the water, looking for shells

and playing in the sand.

....yup, Emery fell in....twice!

Very concerned about the sand on her hands.

Her wet bum from falling in.

We saw that one coming.

The weather was perfect, we wish

we were not in a rush and had more time

to spend on the beach.

Loved being on the beach in February.

Ellie so wanted to swim!

But they had fun chasing the waves in and out.

Daytona Beach

Feb16th 2012.

After the beach we drove to New Smyrna to meet

everyone for dinner at The Dolphin View Restaurant.

{and yes we saw dolphins}

Sweet cheeks!

On the dock on the restaurant.

Triple trouble.

Ellie, Cooper and Croix

Emery was big enough this time to keep up

with the "big kids. She loved running with them all over.

Our tradition.

A dinner at either Boondocks or Dolphin View.

We always meet Donna's parents for dinner whenever we are

in town. It wouldn't be a trip without meeting them.

We got into Orlando really late on Wednesday, which really only

left us all day Thursday to hang out before we headed to

Jacksonville early on Friday for the wedding.

We found time to hit a few of our favorite places and see the beach.

The girls would have just dove into the ocean

if we would have let them, but they had fun running around instead.

We made it to Dolphin View, we love the atmosphere there.

The kids love looking for dolphins, and we did see some.

I would have been sad if this was the only time we saw

Bob, Donna and the boys, but we were

meeting them on Sunday to do go to Disney World.

So we knew we would have Sunday to Tues with them,

then again when we came back on Thur to fly

out of Orlando on Friday.

Jordan & Courtney's Wedding

2012-02-25T16:22:00.015-07:00

{I don't know why the spacing on this post is messed up, and I can't fix it.}

Helping Dad pick up his tux.

Cheese!

Taking pictures before the wedding rehearsal held

at the hotel, then after that the rehearsal dinner.

Practicing to be a flower girl.

Emery with her Daddy.

Brinna and Jon,

These two will be the next to take the plunge.

Jeremy and Mama Jo

The wedding was at One Ocean

Atlantic Beach Florida.

Rehearsal Dinner held at The Fish House

Atlantic Beach, FL.

Courtney and Jordan before the big day.

We loved the rehearsal dinner it was fun

to all be together.

The Bride and Groom had gifts for all the

people in their wedding party. Ellie loved her bag

full of goodies and a beautiful bracelet.

Jordan and Courtney

{so excited for you two!}

My pretty princess.

The day of the wedding, invading the bridal suite.

This was so cute for the wedding dress,

I have seen them on Etsy.

Ellie was super excited to be a flower girl.

Her cute tutu she got to wear.

Bring on the wedding!

Jordan and Jeremy.

Just a little bit before the wedding.

A shot of the family.

Pictures were done before the ceremony.

Eme, Jer and Joelle.

I loved the bridesmaids dress colors.

Relaxing in our room waiting for the ceremony to start.

{I absolutely loved this hotel, so modern and beautiful}

Emery reading the program.

After Ellie sat down from walking down the aisle

she said "Mom I didn't throw my flowers!"

Feb 18th, 2012

Joelle and Courtney.

HAHA, just had to.

On the dance floor these two were the dancing queens.

I love this picture!

Emery with her Daddy. They both looked so good all dressed up.

You could not keep the kids off the dance floor.

Eme dancing with Daddy.

We turned Jordan and Courtney's wedding into a 10 day vacation.

They were the main event, of course. We flew in on Wed and the wedding was on

Saturday the 18th of Feb. We had the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner on Friday.

We got in really late on Wed and stayed at Bob and Donna's then

headed up to JAXon Friday. I love Atlantic Beach,

we have been there with the B&D before.

We did a ton of driving this trip. Orlando to JAX for the wedding

back to Orlando forDisney, then over to Tampa to Jeremy's Mom's house,

then back to Orlando. Whew!

The wedding was beautiful!! Courtney made a beautiful bride.

Everything was just perfect, her and her Mom did not miss a detail.

The hotel was amazing!

I want to stay there again, I could live there! :)

Congrats you two! Love you both!

XOXO

2012-02-11T20:17:00.009-07:00

Ellie

Valentines 2012

This sums up every time I have ever tried to

have Emery's pictures taken. She is never happy.

Valentines 2012

My little sweethearts

Pictures and lunch at

Flour Girls and Dough Boys

I love how this one turned out.

{I swear as soon as we start

taking pictures though Ellie gets all

shy and stares at the ground}

XOXO

{For her Sweetie Wes}

Just before we "lost" the balloons

Ellie LOVES her Aunt Kat

"Kate-wyn"

Love you Aunt Kat!

Emery my happy girl.

So lucky to be the Mom to these sweeties.

{Emery concerned where the balloon went,

Ellie sad she let it go}

Basically the only shot we got of the girls together.

I got these adorable shirts for the girls and wanted

to take a few pics for a Valentines Day mini card.

Katelyn has a really nice camera, and luckily is

always willing to take an afternoon with us taking

pictures and getting lunch.

{which by the way if you have not been to

Flour Girls and Dough Boys, stop by for an amazing

cookie! And food. It is absolutely darling in there!}

I am not sure why, but I swear my girls hate getting their

pics taken. They love it at home, but one we go anywhere

to take them, they don't cooperate and are stinkers.

How can this be? When I love photos soooooo much!

But luckily we got some cute shots anyway.

Happy Valentines Day 2012.

Austin Texas

2012-02-05T21:28:00.013-07:00

Jeremy had a long 27 hour layover in Austin and

asked if I wanted to come out Sat-Sun.

hmmmmm..... yes!

I got first class going out! Ahhh, it is the only way to fly,

and they feed you too! Can I say this was one of the best

chicken sandwiches I have had. Airplane food has stepped

it up a notch. And better than a bag of peanuts.

Our view from our hotel.

Radisson Town Lake. It was in the best location.

Exploring the city a bit. I love historic cities

with neat buildings.

The architecture was amazing.

We could see the Capital from our hotel.

It also was a stunning building.

We found Bubba's Country Store on

our way to the Salt Lick. We had to stop.

Have you even seen Dr. Pepper that looks like this?

It was like vintage. Made with real sugar cane.

If you have ever been to Texas you

know they love their Dr. Pepper.

I love touring with my hubby, he lets me take pictures

inside country stores and doesn't get embarrassed

{well maybe a little}

I think he likes that I get excited over little

things I think are funny or new.

We also both love to find the "hole-in-the-wall" places

so we make a good team scoping them out.

And hey my enthusiasm got us free salt!

Yup you heard it right, free flavored salt.

The clerk thought I was so funny taking pics

of everything she gave them to me for free

"from Texas" she said.

Why don't they sell Dr. Pepper like

this in Utah? I have never even seen

this packaging.

We made it!

Only about a 20-30 minute drive from our

hotel , we made it to the Salt Lick BBQ in

Driftwood Texas.

I can't even explain how cute this place is.

And how MUCH parking they have.

They have sheriffs directing you out it is

so popular.

This is the original restaurant.

We ate in this one, and were glad it is the one we

wanted to eat in. It started as just a pit, then a buiding

around the pit, they an edition, then a 2nd building.

This is the 2nd buildings on the property.

They are side-by-side. By this one there are lots

of tables outside to hang out at while waiting to eat.

It REALLY is BYOB.

You bring your own beer, or soda or whatever you want.

I honestly saw guys with a mini keg here.

See, you just sit around and hang out while waiting

for your buzzer to go off. It was the most fun I have ever

had waiting for a table.

I kid you not, people bring their own coolers.

It is the craziest and coolest thing I have ever seen.

We were cracking up.

We people watched and explored while waiting.

Seriously a line on Saturday at 3:30 in the afternoon.

You just chill outside, listen to the live music and drool

over the smells that are wafting out of both buildings.

If you ever get a chance to come here, DO!!

Come early the crowds and lines get crazy.

But waiting doesn't even feel like waiting, it is the

coolest thing ever. And sooooo worth it.

The grounds are beautiful.

We had time to walk around before dinner,

and the whole place is amazing.

With my hot hubby!

The original pit.

{their shirts say "you can smell our pits from miles away"}

hehe!

Am I making you drool?

After dinner we relaxed in the room

then hit the streets of Austin to see what the

nightlife was all about.

Just "keeping Austin weird"

You know that is Austin's moto?

"Keep Austin weird"

Driskill Hotel on 6th Street.

Beautiful.

All along 6th street there are foodcarts that smell amazing!

We didn't eat at any, but we did get a yummy

pizza at a place called The Onion and take it back to the room.

This picture was for Donna.

Jer said in DeLand she bartended at a Blind Pig

Just had to, too funny not to.

All the bars had fun funky names.

Well funny if you know what a moosenuckle is.

At the Salt Lick for the 2nd time.

We were craving it as soon as we pulled out of the parkinglot.

So decided to go back on Sunday before our flights.

Their "potato salad" is the best side they have, and

they only have 3. But it is potatoes with their bbq sauce.

And it is DELICIOUS!

Look at all that bark!

This is the beef brisket, we asked for burnt ends and

lean pieces. It was heaven in your mouth.

If I could describe their bbq sauce I would, best

I have ever had and different than I have ever had too.

Goodbye Salt Lick, until next time!

We had the absolute best time in Austin.

Jeremy had a long overnight there and he asked me if

I wanted to come.We both landed about 1'ish in Austin,

we rented a car and headed to our hotel.

It was beautiful and in a great central location.

Jeremy changed and we hit the road.

So we drove around a few minutes in downtown Austin

then headed out to Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood.

When Jeremy had asked me if I wanted to come to Austin

I immediately started researching what to do,

and most importantly where to eat. After a suggestion from

a Dr. I work with who lived in Texas and just went to Austin,

to go to the Salt Lick we planned to go there.

And we couldn't have made a better decision.

By far the best BBQ I have ever had.

And the atmosphere made it even that much better.

We loved it so much, we went back again.

6th Street at night was fun, but we sort of felt out of place.

Lots of college kids.

It was fun quick trip just to reconnect with each other,

bring home pizza after midnight to the hotel

and stay up watching dumb shows on TV. All with no kids.

Jeremy and I have a love for the same things,

we find the same things funny, and love to explore together.

So it was so fun exploring Austin.We both can't wait to go back.

Also not sure how long we can wait to have the Salt Lick BBQ again.

I think we are addicted.

A few of my faves

2012-02-02T21:40:00.006-07:00

I am mildly obsessed with most of these products.

Some have come into my life fairly recently.

I love finding new products from blogs, Pinterest and

Facebook,so I thought I would share a few of my faves

{for the time being}

My faves come and go, but all these I am in utterly love with.

1. Loreal Voluminous Mascara. {with the curved brush} I was devastated when Mary Kay stopped making my

favoritemascara, until I found this and have used it since.

Thick full lashes,and I am obsessed

with curved brushes for mascara. {Walmart} 2. Make Up Forever HD Foundation. This is a new one in my line up. Thanks to this blog I tried it. She swears by it, and it is hands down, by far the best foundation I HAVE EVER USED. EVER. {Sephora} 3. Loreal Magic Lumi Primer. Also found from the above mentioned blog. I went a few places to buy it and shelves empty! Must be good, or we are all reading the same blog. I love it. Makes your make up look flawless.

{Sephora} 4. Gold Fish Vanilla Cupcake Cookies.

I could eat bags of these. They taste like a yummy cupcake,

and come on they are whole grain :)

5. Yoga Mat.

I am not experienced enough to have a favorite brand.

Just have started yoga the last few months and love

everything about it.

6. Urban Decay Primer.

{This is for eyeshadow}

If I had to choose a favorite product this would win over anything else.

You know I ALWAYS complain about

not having perfect "eye crease"

My eyeshadow will look the exact same in the evening as in the morning.

It does not budge. This stuff is amazing. {Sephora}

7. China Glaze nail polish in Recycle.

9 times out of 10 my nails are painted in this.

8. CAKE STANDS! or Cake plates

what ever you want to call them. I want a household

full of them. Every shape and color I can get my hands on!

9. Diet Dr. Pepper 10.

How can this taste so good? I know, I know, no soda!

But hey it is diet.

10. Chevron print

I can't get enough of chevron print in anything.

Design, pillows, art, head boards, you name it.

Doings and Dentist

2012-01-31T21:17:00.004-07:00

So fly!

{this weekend included a fun time at

the bridal fair and Ellie's 1st dentist appt}

At the bridal extravaganza with

Katelyn and Mom.

Emery LOVED all the samples.

Next was Ellie's very first dentist appt.

Doesn't she look nervous?

Ellie's first X-rays.

She was so brave!

Not even a squirm.

You know how awkward it is biting on those

things for X-rays and she did awesome.

She got to listen to her own head

set and watch Cars 2 on the

overhead tv screen.

{no cavities!}

Eme at the dentist appt,

being entertained on Mom's phone and Netflix.

We have had so much fun going with Katelyn

the last little bit helping Katelyn with wedding plans.

First finding her dress, then going to the Bridal Fair with her and my Mom.

She booked her DJ while we were there and we got LOTS of ideas.

I think she found her invitation people too. SO EXCITED!!

We also had Elliette's very first dentist appointment.

She was super brave and no cavities!!

She loved watching her own tv

& getting a gold coin after for the prize gumball machines.

{oh and the new princess toothbrush}

Speaking of wedding we leave in 2 weeks for Jeremy's brother's wedding in Florida!

YEAH!! So excited for a wedding and a vaca.

We are taking Ellie to Disney World while we are there too.

Ellie can't wait to be a flower girl,

and see the princesses.

18 month stats

2012-01-22T20:12:00.003-07:00

My sweet baby girl is growing

up so fast!

Waiting for the Dr. to come in.

She absolutely lost it when they just

measured her head and we hadn't even

gotten to shots yet.

Poor thing.

{19 months at her appt}

Emery at her 18 month check up appointment.

Weight: 24.91 lbs, 51.93%

Length: 33.5 inches, 86.06%

Head: 18.5 inches, 57%

Emery's growth is right on track. She is still a tall girl.

She may even be a little taller, but she REALLY did

not want to cooperate while the nurse was taking all

of her measurements. My baby is growing up way too fast!

She is VERY opinionated, silly, funny and a little cuddler.

She says several words, but manages to get everything

she wants my guiding you and pointing.

She is a night owl, {she did NOT get that from me}

but a very good sleeper, and will sleep in too, but

she goes and goes until her head hits the bed.

We are so lucky to have our little Emery!

Hockey and Happy Bday

2012-01-19T21:08:00.006-07:00

To celebrate Joe's Birthday we all went to

dinner at Pei Wei then a Grizzly hockey game.

The kiddos thinking they are big

stuff with their own table.

Yummy!

Have you ever been?

It is owned by PF Changs, so lettuce wraps

and all the good stuff.

Hockey time!

The Christensens.

Kids dancing to the music

{sorry kids you have to have mad skillls

like Aunt Ashley to get on the jumbo tron...TWICE!}

Crew loved Grizbee!

All the kids did, but Crew especially loved him

Emery freaked when he came around.

Grizbee gave us LOTS of attention.

Doesn't hurt that I personally know him.

Ummmmm, ya, Grizbee signed my face.

Why did Crew get an awesome hockey puck

and I got my forehead tagged.

Ellie being silly.

Happy Birthday Joe!!!

The whole group.

After I got Joe on board for hockey

{who knew I had to twist his arm}

we had such a fun time going to dinner and hockey.

We have hockey connections for awesome seats and extra Grizbee time,

which makes the game really fun.

The kids loved the snacks, dancing, running around,

and I am pretty sure the hockey too.

Jim-Jim's Birthday Bash

2012-01-14T08:46:00.005-07:00

We celebrated Jim-Jim's

65th Birthday by throwing him

a golf themed party.

Ryah and Emery partying it up.

"Who's your caddy"

haha, fun decorations for the party.

Before the guests arrive.

Loved the colors

and decor.

All for our favorite Dad turning 65.

"club" sandwiches.

Us with the Birthday Boy.

We had lots of great food.

Jim enjoying his peach cobbler.

He is ALWAYS cold.

Literally he sat with the space heater on

him the WHOLE time he ate.

We all were sweating.

Present time.

The only thing he wanted was a

apron. He is so funny. We got him that

and an automatic candy dispenser.

All the kids loved it too.

We had planned a birthday party for my Dad last year but after he had been in the hospital for 13 days we decided it was too much. And even though he had been in the hospital this year too he is doing so good, so it was party on. The golf themed party was fun, we did a sandwich bar, veggie tray and of course my cheese dip. Peach cobbler for dessert in everyone's own little trifle bowl. We love you so much Dad! So glad you are still with us. Here is to many more Birthdays to come! LOVE YOU!!

Project golf party

2012-01-07T20:00:00.006-07:00

Purely out of being sick of seeing Christmas

I am posting something new

to freshen the page up.

This Friday Jan 13th

My Dad turns 65.

Birthday subway art

Last year Katelyn and I had planned a

whole golf themed Bday party,

but since Jim-Jim was in ICU

for 13 days over Christmas we held off

with the party.

And then since he was in again this

year just before Christmas I think

we really need to celebrate his big

#65!!!!

We will be celebrating the best Dad on the planet,

and the fact that he is still with us!! We have had

some real scares with him lately.

So we really need to party it up this year.

So a golf themed party is on the agenda.

Love you Dad!

And quit scaring us!!!

Merry Bogard Christmas!

2011-12-26T18:25:00.018-07:00

These two girls were

on Santa's nice list this year.

Not sure about Emery's face here, haha!

They just LOVE to pose for pictures.

Our Christmas Eve appetizer feast

and hot chocolate bar.

{our Christmas Eve was Dec 22nd}

On Christmas Eve Mrs. Peeps

dropped off presents to the girls

along with a note telling them

how good they had been while she was here.

Daddy helping Emery open her gift.

Yeah, Christmas PJs!

Mrs. Peeps was so smart to bring them

before we went to see the lights.

Luckily for us right after Mrs. Peeps showed up

so did the Bills'. They were dropping off

home-made bread for Christmas

{which was delicious!}

So we talked them into staying and eating,

then driving around to see the Festival of Lights

in Spanish Fork.

Jess and I with our festive straws.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Santa!!

We'll see you tonight!

Ellie loved the "princess castle"

They lights were fun,

they add more every year so it doesn't feel

the exact same each year.

{Next onto our Christmas morning pics}

{Dec 23rd}

This picture says it all!

Pure Christmas morning excitement.

Priceless!

Opening stockings.

Jer and his very excited girls on Christmas morning.

Emery could open her own gifts this year.

They both had fun opening gifts,

and seeing what each other got.

This year was so fun with Ellie

because she fully understood what was going on.

Emery sitting on her big gift from

Grandma Linda.

When Donna called us on "Christmas"

she said "Merry Bogard Christmas"

so that stuck. Since we have to celebrate our

holidays when Jeremy is home we are used to having

holidays not on the actual day. And who

can complain having Christmas come early.

Jeremy and his new jacket.

Thanks Mama Jo for the new curling iron.

Ellie's doll house,

she literally played with it ALL DAY LONG!

Emery's new train from Grandma Linda.

BOTH girls have loved it.

Can't be Christmas without some tears.

The girls not wanting to share,

or Ellie thinking each toy was for her.

Hopefully this is a new Christmas morning tradition.

Making Santa pancakes.

Elliette and her pancake.

The chef.

These are sooooo easy, and stinkin cute!

Emery loved her's.

Everyone loved them, they were delicious!

Merry Christmas

2011

This year we had our Christmas on Dec 23rd.

Due to Jeremy's flight schedule we usually have our Christmas on a different day other

than the actual Christmas. We don't mind, and the girls have no idea.

Plus with my family going away for our Christmas trips we move the holiday around

to accommodate. This year was like a whole Christmas weekend,

our Christmas Eve on Thursday our Christmas on Friday.

Then up to Park City on the actual Christmas Eve for all the festivities.

This year was so much fun with the girls, and Elliette actually understood what

was going on. She was so excited, but Christmas morning she was more worried

about Mrs. Peeps than if Santa had come or not. We had to wake Eme up. Once she was

woke up she had fun opening her own gifts and playing with each thing.

The Santa pancakes that Teresa showed me how to make were a hit.

And with Jessica's home-made raspberry jam, they were soooooo good!

We also did a whole Christmas dinner with ham and potatoes, we sat around in our

pajamas all day long, snacked, napped and played with new toys all day long.

I love my little family so much, I love making memories with them and new traditions.

A Very Merry Park City Christmas.

2011-12-26T16:26:00.011-07:00

On December 24th

we headed up to Park City to meet

the family that was already there

for our annual Christmas trip.

{most of the cousins}

Us just getting there,

the kids were sooooo excited to be pool side.

We all had rooms that opened to the

pool and hot tub.

Our Christmas Eve dinner.

We spent lots of time hanging around

outside of our rooms.

Playing some game, that I am sure

they were making up the rules

as they went.

We all snacked, talked, played games and swam.

All the kids were little fish!

They never wanted out of the water.

Swimming on Christmas doesn't get better!

The girls loved having access to the fridge

that is just their size.

Getting ready to go down to the conference

room we had for our Christmas Eve

festivities.

Katelyn and "Hef"

Oh the kids went crazy over

this year's outfits!

Buddy the Elf!

{every year the costume is different,

it is always fun to try and guess what it

will be, this year did not dissapoint}

Opening presents from our gift bags.

Me and the Elves

{Thanks Mom and Aunt Valyn!}

Some of the boys.

Really!!! In public!!! :)

Ellie loves going to hotels

"because they have little fridges like me"

she told me.

Enjoying a reindeer Coke in a vintage bottle.

Dashing through the snow!

On Christmas day we did a sleigh ride

from Deer Valley Resort.

All bundled up.

Really for December it wasn't that cold,

we thought we would go to Park City

for a "white Christmas"

but they didn't have snow either.

Ellie and Nanny.

{Ellie sang the whole time!}

Emery all bundled up.

Taking pics with our steed.

Candice and Sid.

Look at the horse looking at Ellie,

he must have liked her.

Christmas tree in the Stein Erikson Lodge.

They also had a real gingerbread house

they let the kids in, with a real

mini fireplace. Ellie and Eme loved it!

Emery and Sid

I need to ask for sure, but I think this is our 13th or 14th year going away for Christmas.

The trip is always over Christmas, we have gone so many fun places.

Next year I think we are doing Seattle and Canada again {my favorite trip so far}.

Jeremy left Saturday for a trip which was Christmas Eve,

so the girls and I headed up to Park City to join everyone who was already there.

We had a nice dinner, let the kids swim, went shopping at the outlets,

then got ready for the annual Christmas Eve "show" put on by my Mom and Aunt.

This year they were Buddy the Elf. It is always done to music, theatrical dancing and singing along with it. It is the highlight of the trip every year! The little kids get a kick out of it.

We had a conference room in the hotel and had TONS of food and snacks before hand.

My family is a riot so it is always good times.

HAWAII

2011-12-17T11:52:00.023-07:00

{I apologize for the super long post,

but you know me I take lots of pictures.

And my first time going to Hawaii}

This is for Donna!

{these beach pictures are out of order but

they were taken on a different camera}

Relaxing on Waikiki Beach.

The girls discovering something in the sand.

awwwww too cute!

The girls were super good the whole trip.

ALOHA!

Just a beautiful day on the beach in December.

The weather was AMAZING!

I think it was around 80 to 82 degrees the whole trip.

This is about what Emery did at the beach,ate!

She did warm up to the water,

but mainly wanted to sit and eat.

This was our 2nd beach day.

We took fruit and snacks and spent a while

just soaking up the sun.

Thumbs up for being in the ocean in December.

This is the time when some Asians stopped

to take Emery's picture. They couldn't get over

her having on two sunglasses.

{yes, eating again!}

Our first day at the beach.

It was so warm, we all came home with tan lines.

Jer and the girls.

Waikiki Beach with Diamond Head behind us.

My beach beauty!

Ellie was a little fish in the ocean.

She loved it!

It was a little brisk when you first got in,

but you got used to it.

{Now to the real time line of the trip}

Yup, I am crazy! Traveling on a 6 hour flight

by myself with the girls. But due to flights filling up

on Monday I had to go Sunday with the girls and Jer

met us in Hawaii on Monday.

The girls were excellent, the flight is LOOOONG!

We made it!

We arrived in Honolulu at around 4 pm.

I was so excited! I have always wanted to go to Hawaii.

Now just to catch the shuttle and check into the hotel.

{we had a private shuttle which I highly recommend

if you ever go I'll give you the info.}

Literally the shopping was right next to our hotel.

We dropped off our bags, changed out of our Utah winter

clothes for shorts and hit the streets.

Ellie getting a flower put in her hair.

She got that shopping thing down quick!

Our first day and Ellie left with a coconut purse,

a bracelet, flower and necklace.

I didn't know the area real well so we hit up

McDonalds for dinner, but they give you fresh

pineapple with your meal. It was awesome!

We found our favorite little place to eat

it was in the grocery store Food Pantry.

It was called HISteaks, we ate there 3 times.

They do a steak plate that was amazing for

$7.99. We also got these Mochi ice cream things.

Ice cream wrapped in a rice. They were good!

We bought fresh fruit in the grocery store

and sat and ate it there.

{I was surprised at the prices in Hawaii, I thought

things would be crazy expensive. Gas was a little

less than $4 a gallon, I thought it would be around $6.

A gallon of milk was $5, sunscreen was the same price

as here. Some of our meals were really cheap.

The most expensive things were diapers!

They were $16.99 for a small pack, crazy!

I should have packed enough for the whole trip}

Jeremy was set to land at Noon on Monday,

so we were up EARLY {with the time change

we were all up by 5:30 am}

So we set out for some exploring and more shopping.

We were on the streets before 9 am.

We got lots of "opening specials" from the local vendors.

The International Market Place.

It was steps from our hotel.

This was so fun to go shopping in,

we spent hours here.

Ellie by a surf board,

hang loose!

A view from our hotel.

So tropical everywhere we went.

The girls were exhausted from a long day.

YEAH!!! Daddy finally made it!

He did the same as us, changed into shorts and we hit the

streets. I was excited to show him what we had already

discovered in our short time there.

So pretty in here.

This was the first time seeing the beach

since we landed.

We walked down the to beach to look

we were "going to the beach" the next day.

Have I mentioned how perfect the weather was?!?

Waikiki Beach

Beautiful down here!

When I got to the hotel directly across from us was

this Udon Noodle place. It had lines from the time

it opened until closed. So we ate dinner at it Monday night.

Marukame Udon

One of our noodle selections.

You also choose what tempora you want.

It was super yummy!

It reminded me of a Cafe Rio, they are fresh making the

noodles in front of you. Then you just go down the line

and tell them what you want.

Eme loving her noodles too.

Ellie thought it was cool to use chopsticks.

Our hotel room had two balconies in it,

the girls loved being out on them.

Ready to go to the beach!

Our view one way you saw the streets of the city,

the other way you could see a glimpse of the ocean.

We were 2 blocks from the beach.

The hotel was the PERFECT location.

My little Hawaiian baby!

Wednesday we rented a car and hit up the Dole Pineapple Plantation.

We ate TONS of pineapple the whole trip, it was heavenly!

You have to get a Dole Whip when here,

so we did with fresh pineapple topping.

And a bowl of pineapple for later.

Everyone loved the ice cream.

It was kind of misting while we were here so

we went inside to let it pass.

Even in the "rain" more of a mist, it was still nice outside.

Pineapple gumballs

{I love the girls' Hawaiian dresses}

Look how cute!

Baby pineapples, they were so cute and tiny!

The colors here were beautiful.

It was fun to walk around here and discover.

Ellie playing around while we waited for our food.

Dole Plantation.

Jer and the girls.

Thumbs up for the rental car free upgrade to a SUV.

{they were out of the compacts}

This was the trip of free upgrades, we also got upgraded

to a suite in our hotel. We never get upgrades so it was

awesome.

Hawaii is beautiful!

We drove around the WHOLE island on

Wednesday. We chose a good day to drive, it was

the only day that the weather was in and out of

being sunny all day.

Elliette on North Shore.

@ Giovanni's Shrimp Truck on the North Shore.

We saw this on Diner's, Drive-In's and Dives before we left.

There are lots of Shrimp trucks along this part of the

North Shore. Shrimp plates with rice. Scampi style

or butter and lemon.

Right by Giovanni's was BBQ'd corn on

the cob. We liked it just as much as the shrimp.

Our scampi shrimp and rice,

YES that is garlic! Delicious! But garlicy.

We got 3 ears of corn you can chooseIisland style

{butter with S&P, maybe garlic salt too}

or you can choose seasoned

{bbq style seasoning}

We liked the Island style better!

It was amazing! I think Jeremy said it was his favorite

thing at the stop.

We also got a Hawaiian style shaved ice here too.

If you ever go you have to stop and get

Giovanni's, corn and shaved ice all in one stop.

Wherever we thought was a cute place to stop

we would pull over and take some pics.

The waves are so much bigger on the North Shore.

It was kind of misting when we stopped here.

Eme and her Daddy.

Ellie loved the beach,

she played at every one that we stopped at.

It was so green and lush over there.

We stopped at some cove look-out.

The water was so pretty here.

Look at that view!

We saw some breathtaking views.

I kept thinking I can't believe we are in Hawaii!

We loved the waves splashing on the rocks.

Hawaii Dec 2011

Next we stopped at Hanauma Bay.

The girls did soooo good for driving in the car for 8 hours.

we stopped several times, but still we drove lots.

Thursday night at The International Market Place

they had a farmers market. We sampled everything,

bought fresh doughnuts, peach custard filled doughnuts,

bought more pineapple and walked around seeing everything.

SPAM!!!

hahaha they have Spam everywhere on the island.

Even McDonald's does a breakfast plate with Spam.

So gross! but too funny.

Picking out our pinapple.

{inside finger measurement joke}

some weird fruit at the market.

What says last night in Hawaii more

than eating at Cheesecake Factory, haha!

But we did eat outside and that made it

feel more island-ish.

After dinner we went to a hula show.

They do a torch lighting ceremony too,

which we missed. But the tiki torches looked

awesome up and down the whole street.

My little hula dancers.

By the Duke statue.

We got to experience all the amazing,

beautiful sights of the island with these

two sweet girls.

{not sure if they even knew they were in

Hawaii, but they had fun just the same}

When I came home from work about 3 weeks ago and Jeremy said want to go somewhere? I was like sure {sarcastically}, where are we going to go so close to Christmas. They he says with the girls, okay where are we going with the girls. I started guessing, after guessing several places and knowing the girls don't have passports I had no idea, then he said Hawaii, I was like ya right.

But he had looked into it, at that point there were 100 open seats and being before the Christmas rush the hotels were cheap. I was freaking out, Hawaii, really? So we booked a hotel, and started making plans. We researched lots of places to eat, places to go, things to do, etc.

We were going to have a rental car the whole time, but looking into having to pay to park it, all the break-ins on the island, we opted to rent one for just one day. I am so glad we did too, it was perfect. Plus our hotel was so centrally placed we didn't need a car. The weather could not have been more perfect! In the 80's, slight humidity, enough to keep you skin moist but nothing like Cancun or even Florida. It did get a little humid after it rained or misted. Usually it rained in the morning before we got up. The time change was a little hard with kids, we were up early and in early. The island was beautiful! I can't believe we were in shorts, and swimming in the ocean on December 15th. I loved the shopping, trying new foods and seeing all the new sites.

I still can't believe we were there. Now home to reality, and 25 degree weather.

{side note we bought a new camera for the trip. We took our older camera to the beach, with all the sand and water. On our last day when we got back our water bottle had opened and the camera was wet. It turned on, but was just a white screen. Thank goodness it was the old camera, but still I was sick thinking we lost all our beach pictures. When I first loaded it, nothing showed up, but they then popped up.

Whew! I was scared. So thankful we didn't lost those photos}

Annual Friends' Christmas Party

2011-12-08T11:55:00.012-07:00

Christmas Party 2011

{held at Terre Mia}

Eating. Laughing. Talking.

Opening presents.

Everyone was nice and didn't steal

people's presents. {so not usual}

All the gits were stinkin cute, I wanted them all.

Me, Jess and Jen

Christy & Karen

Most of the girls {Jess is behind the camera}

Dessert time at Sweet Tooth Fairy.

2nd dessert stop of the night.

Everyone getting a MILLION samples.

Oh Jen I love ya so much!

Whew! Annual Girls Christmas Party is over. I am not glad it's over, just the planning is over. This year's party was hard to nail everyone down to a date. We usually go to someone's house, because we stay WAY late talking. This year I decided we'd go to a restaurant. It was just as fun. We talked and laughed and ate yummy food. We went to two different places for restaurants, yup that's how my girls roll. Love it! I say it all the time, but I love these girls so much. We have been friends since high school, some jr. high and some even earlier. Seriously I have known some girls for 20 years. CRAZY HUH? First I mean really we don't even look that old...ha! That is why all the headache of planning is worth it. To get to spend a night with this group is the best thing ever! Love you all! See ya next year at the first Christmas party to be spent staying at a hotel in Salt Lake.

Decking the halls.

2011-12-02T23:25:00.010-07:00

The house is decorated,

trees are up and advent calendars started.

Bring on Christmas!

Every year I can't wait to start decorating the tree,

then we start and I remember what a chore it is.

But when it is all up and lit it is just so magical,

I forget about all the work that went into putting it up.

Ellie helping decorate the girls'

own pink and purple tree.

Dad helped too.

Next onto the big tree.

Emery loved helping put the ornaments on.

Our first year decorating the

tree in red and green.

The tree looks so festive.

I am loving the red and green.

The girls got tired of helping and left

Jeremy and I to do it all.

That night Mrs. Peeps was delivered

by Santa at our doorstep.

She was addressed to the girls from the North Pole.

Ellie gathering her up.

The girls were very excited

to see what Mrs. Peeps was all about.

We read her letter she had brought.

It told them she will sit very quietly all day and watch

them "being good" then report to Santa.

She will move only at night, and no one can touch

her or she looses her magic.

Emery really wanted to touch her.

I mean really wanted to touch her.

She perched here for the first night.

Mrs. Peeps has found many fun places

to sit every night.

We put our tree up a little later this year, we usually have it up before Thanksgiving, and I was itching to get it up. I love walking downstairs at night and having just the tree lights on, the ornaments sparkling makes it feel so magical. The girls were really excited. Elliette actually understands Christmas this year, and Emery was just excited over pulling out lots of boxes full of shiny things in them. Sh,e of course, thought the ornaments were balls and threw a few across the room. They had fun helping for the first bit, but then decided it was boring and found more fun things to do. I am really excited this year, Ellie is understanding and everything is magical to her. Including our new visitor Mrs. Peeps. She is a little cautious every morning when we walk downstairs until we find her, but once she does she likes to see all the funny places Mrs. Peeps has shown up. She really hopes Mrs. Peeps tells Santa how much she is helping around the house. She also makes sure Emery doesn't touch her. We are having fun making new

Christmas traditions with the girls. We have a few in mind for the next coming weeks.

Tree is up, house decorated, elf visiting, sat on Santa's lap at the mall and presents bought.

Now we can just relax and enjoy the holiday.

Spanish Fork Light Parade

2011-11-26T20:03:00.008-07:00

We stopped by Buns and Brews before the

parade for Hot Chocolate and Carmel Apple Ciders.

Part of the group.

Look at Crew and Emery "I can't put my arms down"

It was really cold, and we were all really bundled up.

Emery and Elliette waiting for the parade to start.

Mike and Natalie.

They were the only ones from the fam that made it out.

The girls.

I'd like to say this is tradition that we go

to the light parade the day after Thanksgiving,

but since this is only the 2nd time

we have gone I can't. But we are making it

a tradition. We always have a blast and laugh a ton!

Most of the group.

Emery loved all the lights and music.

The trees look so funny going down the

street by themselves.

Lincoln getting in on the action.

Crew absolutely loved everything!

He got excited about every float

and waved at everyone passing by.

Addy and Ellie,

they slowed down for 2 seconds to get one pic.

Parades are so much better in lights.

The highlight of the parade,

the train coming down Main Street

with fireworks out the engine. So cool.

Ahhhhh at home, we can finally move

now we got all those coats off.

Silly girl!

After a hectic day of chaotic shopping, the hustle and bustle of Black Friday it is fun to go down to the the Spanish Fork City Light Parade. We went two years ago, and for some reason didn't make it last year, not sure why. It was really, really cold this year so we bundled up....lots, and stopped for hot chocolate first to warm us up. The parade was good this year, and it always a good laugh too. All of the kids loved it. Ellie ran over and told me as EACH float was coming what it was. It was a play-by-play, she was soooo excited and it was cute. They had some cool things this year, I think the train topped the list, then Santa at the very end is always a hit. Can't wait for next year. This is the new after Thanksgiving tradition.

A very thankful day.

2011-11-24T20:54:00.007-07:00

Jeremy the Chef, and Ellie his Sous Chef.

{Jeremy also wearing one of Ellie's aprons}

Have I mentioned what an amazing husband I have?

Jeremy cooked us our own Thanksgiving dinner

on Tues. ALL BY HIMSELF!

Emery playing with the asparagus ends.

Good enough toy. Kept her occupied.

Our Thanksgiving feast.

Jeremy made: Turkey, home-made stuffing,

sweet potato soufle, mashed potatoes and corn.

Thanksgiving 2011

Turkey time!

On actual Thanksgiving Day.

I always bring a dip and we snack while GG makes

the finishing touches on our Thanksgiving meal.

Shelly, Valyn and GG

The girls loved the tiny table.

Starting to eat our feast.

The kids played and played.

Can you see the disaster we make pouring over

the Black Friday ads?

It is tradition to lay them all over the floor and

make our plan of action.

{which this year I am not even going out}

Nancy and "baby Cracker" Ryker.

We had fun activities for the kids.

They made gingerbread houses.

Ellie's creation

I think the kids ate as much candy as they decorated

with, but they loved making them.

Thanksgiving's festivities lasted a few days this year. Jeremy and I always make a turkey breast and some of the sides so that he still gets a Thanksgiving dinner. He is always flying on Thanksgiving. This year Jeremy took on the task of making the WHOLE dinner by himself. He was also watching the girls since I was working. It was amazing! He did a really good job.

I came home and made asparagus gratin and the gravy, but other than that he made it all.

Ellie loves that we get out our fancy goblets and drink Sparkling Apple Juice.

Then today on actual Thanksgiving we kept with tradition and went to GG's house. I take a dip down every year, this year was cream cheese with peach jalapeno jam on top and crackers. It was a hit. Steve bought me the jam in Jefferson Texas, I can't wait to serve it again.

We always pour over the ads and look at the Black Friday deals. Then eat an amazing meal made by Grandma. After pie we let the kids do a craft.

I have so much to be thankful for! I have the most amazing children and husband. I mean really how many men would watch the kids and cook all day. I am so blessed to marry into such an amazing family. I love my parents and siblings I am lucky to have each of them in my life.

Laundry room redo

2011-11-12T21:53:00.006-07:00

Thanks to sitting on Pinterest and finding lots

of ideas I decided to paint our laundry room.

Before.

Boring! Bland, white!

During.

{I painted the laundry room grey}

After.

I still need to get matching baskets to

complete the look. But this is a start.

I love the contrast against the white door and trim.

I got the idea last night to paint the laundry room. So today I went and got paint, I wasn't even sure what color I was going to do. But while there I chose a grey, I love it. I really want to paint my whole house grey. I am sick of the brown. I guess next house. We really do hope to move closer to the airport some day soon, so I figured I was done making changes in the house, but when I get an idea in my mind I just have to do it. I have to say I am loving having it done. The white was boring, boring, boring. It was the only room in the house still the original white.

Jeremy doesn't even know I did it yet, I can't wait for him to see it.

Our quick Shreveport trip

2011-11-12T20:11:00.012-07:00

I traveled with the girls to Shreveport

a day earlier than Jeremy. It is hard work

but the girls travel really good.

Ellie loved picking up TONS of pine cones

while at Grandma and Grandpa's.

{Emery telling me more}

We surprised Grandma and Grandpa on Sunday.

They didn't think we were getting in until

later on Sunday. We actually got in Saturday,

but after traveling all day we were tired.

Once Daddy was there we had lots

of time for karaoke.

Emery really getting into it.

I just happened to capture this pose,

so funny!

Off we go to Jefferson Texas.

Louisiana likes it HOT!

All flavors are hot, hot and hot.

At our favorite little gas station to

stop along the way.

All drinks in glass bottles.

Sweet tea in a huge can!

Jefferson Texas is such a cute little

old historic town. The whole place looks like this.

At the Jefferson General store

Old soda fountain

I can't wait to bring my Dad he

we will go nuts, it is all up his alley.

Emery and Pappy Steve.

I think the kids used to be tiny,

look at this little table and chairs.

Also we saw some antique high chairs

they were itty bitty.

I wanted to take home some old

windows. But not possible on the plane.

They have lots and they were like $8

Kevin and Jeremy

in front of the restaurant we had lunch at.

It was super good.

While at Grandma and Grandpa's we did lots of playing.

Both the girls had so much fun.

Our chefs for the evening,

Kevin and Steve.

{we love every thing they fix, it is always

super delicious}

Either I caught Grandpa at the

wrong moment or he really doesn't

want to be by Jeremy :)

Emery being super wiggly and not

wanting her pic taken

We had a fun shopping day at this cute

open air mall that is along the river

that we like to go to.

Thanks for a wonderful trip!

I am so glad we got to go down and see Grandma, Grandpa, Steve and Kevin in Shreveport.

Jeremy never gets time off over the holidays, it is the airline's busy time and he will be flying tons. He never gets to be with his family over Thanksgiving so it was nice to see them right before the holidays come. We had good weather there and left Utah during a storm so it was nice to be in warmer weather. We spent lots of time going over and seeing Grandma and Grandpa. We went to my favorite place to visit, Jefferson Texas. It is the cutest little town ever. Tons and tons of antique shops that are fun to roam around in.

Halloween Festivities 2011

2011-11-02T20:09:00.013-06:00

On our way to a Halloween party

at the Christensen's house.

This year we were a witch, ladybug,

Dorothy and Clark Kent.

The Bills' dressed up as

Freaky Jason, a fairy,

Rapunzel and Spiderman.

The Christensen's dressed as

Bin-Ladin (j.k. Arabian Knight), a witch

a puppy and sheriff.

The girls.

Jessica's" impressive wing span."

Seriously doesn't Joe look exactly like

Jason?

.....he looked scary enough to scare Ellie.

Thumbs up for Uncle Jeremy.

Krista had a yummy dinner and it was all

decorated so cute.

{My favorite part, the Dr. Pepper 10}

Krista started with a scary story.

{this and Joe's costume did not go over will with Ellie}

We played lots of fun

Minute to Win It games.

The best game of the night

"Elephant nose"

hitting over water bottles with a softball

in a nylon attached to your head.

HILARIOUS!

Jeremy as Clark Kent.

The costume I had to talk him into wearing,

then he ended up really getting into.

Halloween day

10-31-2011

Dorothy found the Tinman.

Stopping at GG's to show her our costumes.

Emery did lots of this....eating her candy as

soon as it hit her bag.

Heading down to Springville's

Main Street trick-or-treating.

How sweet is this?

The crowds were insane.

But the kids loved it and actually got

lots of good candy.

This was our first year going to

Main Street, we really liked it.

I think we'll do it again.

My sweet little Dorothy.

The whole ride over she told me

"there's no place like home"

Who's excited to be getting candy?

Ellie and Addy

The Main Street meltdown!

Between Main Street and

trick-or-treating in Jessica's neighborhood

we ate pizza and recouped before heading out again.

Crew!

Doesn't he make the cutest Spiderman!

And he kept his mask on almost the whole time.

Lincoln and Emery

Can we please just go and not take any pictures Moms?!

The spoooky house!

Emery's very first house going up

all by herself with her basket.

She got the concept down quick.

As his treat Jessica' neighbor who is a

photographer took pics. Then you could go

and download them for free.

Everyone except Ellie who would NOT get in the picture.

How cool is this idea though? Loved it.

Our Halloween party and Trick-or-treating this year was so much fun. I think this was the first year Ellie actually understood what was going on. Everyone looked so cute. Krista threw a fun party. I wish I had on video all the games, they were hilarious. I can't believe it is all over and Thanksgiving is almost here. I feel fall just fading so fast. Especially since we got snow the day after Halloween. On Halloween the weather was perfect, actually warm. When we were on Main Street I had to take my sweater off it got so warm. Perfect day!

The Mall of America

2011-10-30T20:08:00.014-06:00

The Mall of America!

{I really did not have any idea how big this really would be.

Big enough for an amusement park inside.}

Ellie got to go all by herself with me and fly out

to meet Jeremy in Minneapolis.

She is the BEST little traveler. I woke her up at

4 a.m. to get on a 6 a.m. flight and she was an angel.

Welcome to Minneapolis!

A short 2 hour and 1 minute direct flight.

Minneapolis airport.

They had a fun shopping mall down the center.

Ellie was obsessed with carrying her "case."

Not sure why she called it her case.

But she wanted to take it everywhere, even the mall.

We had to convince her to leave it behind.

She loved putting it on the belt for security, and pulling it by herself.

Skywest actually puts the pilots up in a hotel in

St. Paul which is about 20 minutes from the airport.

They do stay closer if it is a short overnight.

But the hotel was awesome! Ellie loved the water and

ducks that were inside!

Not often do you get to see ducks inside your hotel.

At first I was disappointed that the hotel was

a bit away, but the drive there was gorgeous.

Then we were downtown by all these

amazing buildings and churches.

I loved the architecture. The history of the

old buildings. We got to walk by them on the way to the bus stop.

{yup we rode the city bus, that is a story itself}

Some cathedral. Stunning.

I loved how "back East" being in Minneapolis and

St. Paul felt. How I picture cities with big Eastern colleges and campuses are.

Seriously loved it!

Finally made it to the mall.

The bus ride was about 35 minutes.

It really wasn't bad, and it was super cheap.

In front of American Girl, luckily for me

Ellie wanted nothing to do with them.

Dora on the other hand she loved.

The mall seriously has an amusement park

inside. Ellie got to ride some rides.

Thumbs up!

Woody!

In the Lego store.

Just her size.

The park is Nickelodeon themed so Ellie

knew all the characters everywhere which was fun.

By one of the Backyardigans.

Drool!

Okay I am still craving this meal.

We ate at Tucci Benucch.

We just decided to eat here because it smelled amazing.

{there were LOTS of places to choose from to eat}

We shared an amazing chopped salad, and this is half of the lunch

size baked spaghetti we shared. I cannot even tell you how good it was.

The creamiest, softest noodles, yummiest sauce I have tasted.

If you go to The Mall of America eat here!

Get the Baked Spaghetti, go for lunch hours.

Did I say I am still craving it?

The result of waking up at 4 a.m. and having

a crammed packed day of fun.

Elliette zonked while shopping.

Time to say goodbye.

The airport has this really fun play area

for kids. With lots to climb on, a big

airplane and slide.

Captain Elliette flying the plane.

When Jeremy asked if I wanted to fly out and bring Ellie to Minneapolis then go to the Mall of America, of course I said HECK YES!! But I had no idea how much fun this little quick trip would be. We landed at about 9:30 in the morning and amazingly so did Jeremy. So we met at the airport and rode the shuttle with him and the crew to the hotel in St. Paul. The drive was fun, I was checking out all the cute shops, restaurants and city life. The hotel had a huge atrium inside with a duck pond. We were early enough to still get breakfast {which was good we had not eaten yet} the hotel provides a nice breakfast. Omlet station, hot grill and lots to choose from. We ate and headed to the mall, on the city bus! I wasn't sure about the bus, but it is not a far ride and only $1.75 a person, and Ellie was free. Gotta get some diverse exposure somehow. What better way then all the characters on the city bus. {there is a train directly form the airport and only 10 minutes away if you ever have a long layover} It dropped us off and we just followed the crowd, we had no idea where we were going. It is so huge! It funnels you right into the mall. At first is is overwhelming, but after a bit I got my bearings. We hit the rides first. Then shopping, snacks and lunch. My favorite store was not even one for me, but P.S. by Aeropostale, it starts at 4T, we got Ellie some stinkin cute things, wish they had one in Utah. I actually ran into someone I know at the mall, crazy huh! Alison Clyde Henrie just moved to Minneapolis on Wed, so that was fun to see her. We took the bus back to the hotel. They do a happy hour with snacks and drinks. So Ellie and Jer went down and got us some Pepsi and popcorn. I loved the hotel for all the extras they do. I think she liked being the only one with Mom and Dad. We did a late night run to Jimmy Johns right on the corner and relaxed in the room watching TV.

Summary=

-The Mall was more than I ever expected, can't wait to go back.

-I have the worst feet ever! My foot I had surgery on was going numb while walking.

-Bring a big bag for ALL the stuff you will buy at the mall!

-Go back just for the Baked Spaghetti.

-Rent a car next time to explore more.

-Tell all the people you know the story of the crazy guy on the bus ride home.

Pumpkin painting 2011

2011-10-16T19:18:00.005-06:00

I look forward to this every year.

I started painting my pumpkins a few years back.

Now it is a tradition to have a pumpkin painting party

at my house every October.

As time goes on we get more and more creative.

This one turned out so cute with glue and glitter.

For some reason every year we paint our pumpkins it

is really warm, which is good since we do it outside.

But I end up hauling my umbrella for some shade.

Krista did a super cute star pumpkin.

This was Shelly's first time coming.

Utah is getting to this California girl.

Pumpkin painting chaos.

This year's creations.

I glittered around the circles with orange and green.

It turned out so stinkin cute.

I love to see the pumpkins from year to year.

"B" for Bogard

Candice and a few of her pumpkins.

"A" for Allred and "R" for Ryah.

I really really look forward to painting my pumpkins each year. It has turned into quite the event. I have done it for a few years now, and each year we get more and more creative. I had picked out lots of perfect pumpkins to paint {they have to have long stems to tie ribbon around.} Just one step closer to Halloween. I just LOVE Fall!

Grandma Linda's Visit

2011-10-12T20:03:00.010-06:00

We LOVE when Grandma comes to visit.

Linda always comes to visit us in the Fall,

while she was here we visited the pumpkin patch.

Grandma with Ellie and Eme

Fall 2011

Seeing leaves on the Alpine Loop.

Linda, Jeremy and Elliette.

A group shot.

Me and my girls.

With the cold front we had gotten the leaves

were not at "peak" I think it got too cold

too fast. But it was still pretty.

The girls getting out stretching their legs.

Ellie is really excited to be out of the car.

Leaves and snow

it was beautiful.

Next stop the witch fest

at Gardner's Village.

We love seeing all the witches.

Jer and the girls.

The girls were so funny watching the cat

running under the Witch's dress.

Emery couldn't figure out how to get in to touch it.

Emery wanted to touch all of the Witches.

Doesn't Ellie look happy :)

Gardner's Village 2011

Nanny and Grandma Linda took Ellie, Eme and

cousin Ryah to pumpkin patch in Santquin.

They got to take a hay ride to the patch.

Then got to pick their own pumpkins.

Like I have said before Fall is my favorite time of year. I think it is Linda's too. She comes out a few times a year, but Fall is the best time to visit. We always hit Gardner's Village, see the leaves and pick pumpkins. The first few days she was here it was cold, freezing, it actually snowed. Then it warmed up and was beautiful. A week always goes way too fast. We did lots of fun things while she was here. The leaves were not at their peak. I am not sure we will see them at peak. We got that snow storm early and I think they are going to fall instead of change. We actually talked about going to Vermont next Fall to see the foilage, I hope it happens.

Fall is in the air

2011-10-02T10:00:00.010-06:00

Elliette dancing across the bridge. We went up the canyon with Katelyn to take pics of Bridgette and her cute girls. Ellie loved the leaves. I can't believe how much they have changed already. We stopped on the way home at the pumpkin patch. Ellie picked out lots just her size.

First trip of the season to the pumpkin

patch. I am sure we'll make many more. Emery thought the pumkins were fun to play with. Wait until we paint them and get more. "Emery and Ellie" Elliette picked these out and told me just like me and Eme. A little project {quick project} I did. I made a cake plate for my new glitter skull. Fall is my absolute FAVORITE season. I LOVE Halloween! I thnk a combination of the cool air, getting to wear sweaters, pumpkins patches, drives to see changing leaves and the fun decorations all make it my favorite season. I look forward to spray painting pumpkins every year. This has become a new tradition. After we went on our short drive to take pics with Katelyn, Ellie was sad we didn't get to see any more leaves. So we stopped by the house on Springville Main Street and Ellie got to pick out her first pumpkins on the season. Emery was asleep, but she won't miss out we'll hit a few pumpkin patches this month I am sure.

Lion King 3D

2011-09-23T17:56:00.006-06:00

Getting ready to leave the house. Doesn't someone look excited to be going to the movies?

For the very first time ever we took

Elliette to a movie in the theater. Ellie buying tickets with Dad

Popcorn! I don't think Ellie fully understood what "going to the movies" meant. But once we got there it didn't take long to be excited about popcorn, treats and sitting in a big chair.

It was funny, Ellie was too small so the chair kept folding on her. We got a booster but she eventually ended up on Jeremy's lap the whole movie.

Lion King 3D Let's get this movie started! Ellie thought wearing the glasses was pretty cool.

Ellie and Jer. I wasn't a crazy person in the theater snapping a million pics. There was absolutely no one in the theater for the first 15 minutes. Then it didn't fill up much after that.Elliette fell asleep about 20 minutes before the end. The movie itself wasn't super long, but tons of previews made it really long. This was Ellie's very first movie in the theater. Lion King was back in theaters for 2 weeks only. We saw it in 3D. This was Jeremy's and my very first time watching a 3D movie too. I loved it. It was fun to practically have the whole theater to ourselves. It didn't take Ellie long to figure out going to the movies is fun. Buying tickets, getting glasses, and standing in front of a huge counter of candy and popcorn is lots of fun. Ellie did really good, she stayed in her seat and it was fun seeing the excitement in her eyes. Next time we'll do an earlier movie so she stays awake.

Just keep swimming

2011-09-23T16:58:00.005-06:00

@ The Living Planet Aquarium. Best shot I got of all 4 busy kids

These are back from July, Jess and I took the kids to the aquarium one day. It was such a good deal to get a year pass we did.

Emery loving the fishies

Addy is not scared of anything, she was all about touching the sting ray.

We hadn't been back since that day in July with Jess and kids. So this week I took the girls. We explored with the aquarium practically to ourselves.

Emery loved splashing in the water, but didn't want to touch the sting ray

NEMO! This tank had lots of different fish, including lots of "Nemos" I hope we use our pass to The Living Planet Aquarium lots. The kids love going, and I love wearing the kids out. The girls and I headed up Monday, explored and waited for Jeremy to land and join us for lunch. The kids absolutely love the aquarium, both of them get so excited about all the fish. They especially love the penguin exhibit. Ellie could watch them swim all day, it is fun because they are very playful.

Keepsake boxes

2011-09-11T21:39:00.004-06:00

I have had these boxes and decided to make a keepsake box for each of the girls. To hold sweet things like these little booties of Emery's.

I am putting things in each of them that they have worn and are special, or just too dang cute not to hang onto.

This is how I feel about them getting big. Going through boxes of their cute clothes remembering when they wore them. It is all going way too fast.

Each of the girls' boxes with their names on them. I will continue to keep putting things in them as the years go by. I was getting out a box of Ellie's clothes that will fit Emery now. It is fun to see all the things you have forgotten about. I was also looking at all Emery's shoes and booties and decided to finally start sorting them into the boxes I had and make keepsake boxes for both of them. They will have things worn in newborn pics, bracelets and anything sentimental in them. I love that I will have these things for them, but it really does make me sad knowing they are getting big fast. They are just my sweet baby girls. I want them to stay small forever.

Camping with the Christensens and Bills'

2011-09-10T11:09:00.006-06:00

Over Labor Day weekend The Christensens went camping

with the Bills'. I had to work Fri and Jer left for a trip on Sat so we decided to drive up and spend Thur evening with them to eat dinner and sit around the camp fire.

This is why you go with these guys, you get to eat "cooking with the Christensens yummy cooking." Krista the cook for the evening.

"Camping with the Christensens" this was the theme of their camping trip

Crewman!

Jason being the fire master. He found a pitchfork log.

The kids LOVED playing in the dirt.

Getting ready to eat.

Talan and his first smore on the night.

Elliette loved roasting marshmallows. It was fun times with all the kids and sharp pointy sticks, the kids would put it in for 10 seconds and think it was done.

So the adults took over the roasting, and the kids the eating.

Smores King. Jeremy had the perfect marshmallow roasting down to an art.

Ellie and Addy.

Ellie and Eme crashed coming home.

Ellie fell asleep with her lantern on.Saturday. On Saturday I asked Ellie do you want to go to the water park, go to Trafalga or see the kids camping. She chose the kids camping. So I headed back up the canyon alone with the girls, Jer was flying.

We got to go on a 4-wheeler ride up to a fun look out point. Addy, Talan, Ellie

When we came to this ridge we were getting off the 4-wheelers and parked were a few trailers.

All the sudden I hear "Ashley" I was like who knows me up here. It was Whit! Crazy huh. What are the chances!

The kids played in the creek. The loved getting soaking wet. The water was cool and felt good on a hot day.

For some reason Jason and Joe decided to change the course of the dam and build their own. They worked like dirty dogs building their dam, hauling rocks and sticks from all over. It honestly changed the flow of the river. That was crazy to see.

Talan and Ellie back in camp playing with my camera.

"say cheese Ellie"

"say cheese Talan"

Talan had to get props for his pic. Not enough hands for his fishing pole, between the legs will do. :)

We had so much fun crashing the camping trip. They had picked a site up Diamond Fork, so for us it was a quick ride up to where they were camping. We have been wanting to go camping, but due to schedules and Emery being small, and not knowing how she will do, we have not gone this year. We really would have gone at least one night if I wasn't working on Friday. Next year. It was actually nice to enjoy good camping food, the fire and being up the canyon, then coming home to shower and sleep in our own beds. Ellie loved it so much she wanted to go up again, and that was fun because we got to go 4-wheeling. Which she loved. That was her very first time riding a 4-wheeler. She did really good. Next year hopefully we have several camping trips.

Elliette's 1st day of Preschool

2011-09-06T22:02:00.005-06:00

The night before Ellie's 1st day of preschool. She was so excited, we read books, set out her clothes and new backpack.

When she woke up she was so excited to go to school, almost too excited to actually sit down and eat.

She even wore her backpack while eating breakfast, she didn't want to take it off.

Elliette Avarie 1st day of preschool Tues 9-6-11

She was so excited that she got to wear a name tag.

Her little tiny back pack. Our little baby girl. How it is possible she is old enough for preschool?

Finally at school! She thought it was fun to hang her backpack up on the little hooks.

Doesn't she look happy? She was not even scared at all. She wanted to start her project right away. Elliette started Little Wizards Preschool today. Mrs. Amber is her teacher. We have been talking about school for a long time, and she got to go to orientation which made her even more excited. She loves school and her teacher already after just one day. She got to make a mosiac picture of her name, spell her name several times and play. Jeremy picked her up and she was excited to tell him about her day. {which is only 2 hours every Tues and Thurs} I just don't know how it is possible that she is old enough to start preschool. She is just my little baby girl. But she will learn so much and have so much fun. She loves little projects so this is perfect for her. I dropped her off and snapped a few pictures, which there were several Mom's doing this, so I didn't feel dumb. Elliette was telling me Bye Mom, love you. She was so excited to get going. I drove off and headed to work, and yes I did cry. She is just growing up so fast, and is the sweetest little thing I could have even asked for.

The Birthday Sisters- Anchors Away Party

2011-09-03T21:41:00.008-06:00

When Katelyn sent me a cute cake idea that was navy and hot pink anchors and said "this will be cute for my Bday" I knew I would be planning a party, I mean did I have a choice? haha

The cake and subway art. I told my Mom hot pink for the anchors, they were more baby pink. But still turned out cute. I ordered the cake at Walmart kind of last minute they never get it how I really want, but oh well.

Bryn, one of Kat's BF's

Katelyn turns 22 on Sept 7th

AHOY!

My little party princesses.

This sign was cute in the Life Savers

We even had the soda match the color scheme.

Jer with the girls

Katelyn opening one of my gifts for her. An anchor necklace hot pink and navy.

Even Emery had anchors on.

SHASTA!

Salad shots. These were cute salad shots with chicken salad on the bottom.

The spread: hamburger sliders home-made thousand island dressing for buns home-made mac and cheese salad shots the yummiest deviled eggs ever And my fave caprese salad!

The cake

Kat and Ellie. Elliette was really excited for Katelyn and Sid's Bday party.

The Birthday girls. Sid 26 Kat 22

The Hatch's Levi, Nancy and Ryker

The fam {minus a few}

Everyone is always so good to color

coordinate. We all looked very festive!

Cake time!

Make a wish

Kat opening more presents.

Emery went around to every person she could to get some cake and ice cream. She was working the cake scene for sure.

A pic of the necklace. Since Katelyn and Sid's Birthdays are only 4 days apart we have celebrated their Bdays together the last few years. It is always fun with lots of friends and family. This year's color and theme was so fun and darling. Sid cooked all day, and the food was AMAZING! Seriously I think everyone kept commenting like "this is the best mac and cheese I have ever put in my mouth" and "can I get the recipe for these deviled eggs?" The party was a hit! I Love my sisters! Happy Birthday guys!

Lazy Sunday, in preps for manic Monday

2011-08-28T18:42:00.003-06:00

My day started by Jeremy accidentally waking me up at 4 a.m.

He was off to work and called me by accident. It took a while to go back to bed after I was woken up. Then the rest of my day has been running downstairs 10 times for the same thing, and forgetting it each time. When I ran to get food, and Katelyn was here with the girls Ellie had an accident on my bed. So now washing ALL my bedding, even though I just did it a few days ago. Putting the girls in the bath, even though they had one last night, because they both got slime/putty stuff in their hair. I just started laundry from Florida, I don't stress about that stuff. I am not going to lie I still have not washed a few things from Cancun. {in my defense they are hand washables} I just wanted a relaxing day because tomorrow is lunch with a friend, running to Costco, a Birthday party Ellie is invited to, then 7-Peaks. So I know tomorrow will be crazy.

Emery LOVED the tube! This was Saturday at 7-Peaks we bought the pass of all passes, so can't wait to do the water park all next summer. Along with ice skating and all the other venues it includes.

Getting a Saturday in on our pass before they close the park down next week.

Dippin Dots!

Emery Crashed out. She swam in all the kids pools, the lazy river and wave pool. She wore herself right out.

Florida in August...Hot, Hot, Hot!

2011-08-23T20:54:00.025-06:00

Flying with the girls solo to Florida.

We left on Friday Jeremy met up with us on Sunday.

Yeah!! We got on both our flights and made it to Orlando. Flying with both the girls alone was easier than I thought. They were both really good.

Triple trouble! Cooper, Elliette and Croix

Dinner at Dolphin View Restaurant. We sat right on the water to eat, and actually saw several dolphins. {dinner with Donna's parents is always a must when we go}

Donna and I with the all the kids, being outnumbered by little ones.

Oh how I love Donna's parents so much!! We have just grafted ourselves into their family.

This one is for Jer! Thumbs up all around

Bob, Cooper, Donna, Croix {not sure why my flash wouldn't work, sorry guys for the dark pic}

Searching for dolphins

Grandpa!! Isn't that just so sweet.

After dinner we hit up Dairy Queen I should have taken a pic of it. It is outdoors and you walk up to the window to order, so much fun. Kids loved it.

The kids being silly running around.

Strike a pose!

Day 2

We hit the Sanford Zoo, mainly to play in the

splash pad. It was melting hot!

The kids petting some lizard thing

The snakes were in the air-conditioned room! Yes kids look at yucky snakes as long as you want.

Croix and Ellie

3 little monkeys sitting in a tree!

Time to cool off.

We let the kids just run around in the water and play for awhile.

Snow cones were a must on a HOT August day in Florida.

The kids loved the splash pad, the B&D have year passes so the boys get to go lots. Ellie loved it, Emery just wanted to sit by Mom and eat her snow cone.

Not quite sure about the squirting frog.

The best part of B&D's house is just letting the kids all play together. There is NO lack of toys anywhere. Even here on the closed in patio.

Emery loved pushing the alligators around. She gets frustrated when trapped in a corner and can't get out, it is so funny.

Cooper and Ellie started pushing each other in the big dump truck, occasionally missing slamming into the wall. This occupied them all for a while.

...and jumping on the couches

Emery playing with the massive train set.

SNOW CONES at home!

Donna saw this idea to make the cups glow by putting glow bracelets in the bottom of the cups then putting a clear one on top. {not glowing with the lights on obviously}

Cool huh?! The kids had so much fun with this fun treat. We took them to the neighbors for all the kids to eat.

Day 3 Daytona Beach

Bob was cracking me up, he always digs a big deep hole for the kids to play in. Immediately when we got there he started digging. We were like, no worries we got this, the kids, umbrella, snacks etc. LOL Dig the hole, dig the hole

Jeremy was put right to work by Ellie to build her a castle.

Seriously still laughing, here is Bob getting a little deeper. He worked like crazy on that hole.

The fam.

Awwww, how cute is this! Ellie is so lucky to have Jeremy as such an involved Daddy.

I found a star fish...in the wild! I have ALWAYS wanted to find one. Mark that off the bucket list.

Okay so I found a "defective" one but still. It was missing a leg, but it had a nubbin growing one back.

Most of the kids held it. Emery just touched it.

Elliette and Cooper being brave holding it. It sucked on your hand, it was weird. I may have been even more excited than the kids were to have found one.

Thanks Uncle Bob for digging us an awesome hole to play in. The hole turned into a slide toward the end of the day. The kids loved sliding into the water.

@Boondocks! After the beach we hit up our fave hole-in-the-wall place to eat.

Boondocks was slightly under construction. They were working on the sidewalk by the water. The kids loved watching the big barge parked there.

The boys were really into watching all the machinery.

We had to take our annual picture at Boondocks. It is a tradition. Too bad we had been at the beach all day and looked fabulous.

Day 4 Our second time to eat at Dolphin View

Jeremy was not there the first time we ate here, so we had to go back just for him. Of course the 2nd time we went, we didn't see any dolphins. Poor Jer missed out.

Pretty girl!

After Dolphin View we cooled off in the neighbor's pool until time to meet friends for dinner.

Water baby. Emery loved the water.

Happy girl. We swam lots this trip, between pools, the beach and a resort B&D stayed at.

Elliette and Madison. Not sure what Ellie is doing here, Madison was trying to hug her. {That is a lot of hair between 2 small ones}

Xavier, Madison and Tonya.

Missing this time was Ben and Diana. Ben had school stuff, we missed them. We ate at Houligans, and they had amazing grilled wings.

Day 5 We finally made it over to Oldsmar to visit Jeremy's family. Grandma Linda reading books to Ellie before bed.

Day 6 Another beach day. @ Dunedin Beach {Honeymoon Island}

Me, Joelle and the kiddos.

Ellie putting Jeremy to work again.

The group before dinner. Grandma stayed home with 4 kids Shaelyn, Ellie, Emery and Braden.

Jordan, Courtney, Brinna, Joelle, Me, Jer @ Molly Goodheads for dinner. {not pictured is Jon}

At Grandma's you get to do whatever you want, including riding the bike inside the house. {Thanks Linda for giving us all a night out and watching the kids for us!}

Someone thought they could feed themselves.

The three girls playing play dough. Ellie and Shaelyn got along so good. Ellie didn't want to leave her.

Day 7 At another of our favorite places Fairway Pizza. The absolute BEST greek salad and pizza you will ever put in your mouth.

Lunch with the kids always a good time.

Day 8 Bob and Donna came over to Tampa side to go car shopping {which they did end up getting a Volvo SUV, XC 90, so nice!!!} But they stayed at Innisbrook Resort and we all came over to swim.

The boys didn't want to sit still for 2 seconds to get their picture taken. Can you blame them? This place was awesome.

Doesn't Elliette look like a little lifeguard?

Bob and Donna had stayed here before so we knew it had an awesome pool. Thanks for letting us come play!

Is there anything better than eating otter pops in the pool?

The resort came around and had cute sand buckets full of popsicles for the kids. So refreshing, and easy clean up!

Ahhhh this is the life!

The B&D chillaxin in the pool.

Day 9 Bogard Family Pictures 2011 That is one good-looking group.

Grandma Linda with Ellie and Emery all matching so cute.

Ready to go. Please stay clean until we get there.

Day 10 {The day we left} Usually we are up and at the airport for the earliest flight they have, which is not fun. This time flights in the pm looked better. So we had time to pack and relax before we left. Emery played so hard she just collapsed sitting up right in the chair.

Ellie did NOT want to go. She wanted to stay and play with Shaelyn and Grandma. She asked "Grandma I stay here?" She told me "I stay here, Eme stay here, you and Dad go home" I asked her if she would be sad and she said "I not be sad" This was one of the best trips down to Florida. Probably because we were not so rushed like usual. With 2 travel days and trying to see friends in Daytona then drive to Tampa it is always hard to fit it all in. But with 10 days we had plenty of time to do it all. I was ready to be home though after that long. We usually go down in the Spring and Fall when it is not so scorching hot. And yes it was melting hot the whole time, well so humid you melted. Jeremy loves it, me not so much. You can see why Elliette did not want to leave, she played with so many friends and cousins, got spoiled by Grandma, swam lots and went to the beach twice. She is already asking to go back. We love being at Bob and Donna's house, we just let the kids run wild and we get to talk and just all be together. We even have our own room there, see we have just grafted ourselves into their family...and house too. Love and miss all our friends and family!