He Doesn't Get It From Me

Backstory: Will has been throwing his toys down our window wells and I keep telling him not to, so the last time I saw toys down there I told him that they were gone forever cause I wasn't going to go get them when I keep telling him not to throw them down there. He kept saying, "Mommy go get them!" But I stood my ground to teach a lesson. Joke's on me! I just gave him more motivation. I underestimated the power of Will on a mission to get his toys. This was a few days ago and I had forgotten about it, and I just went outside to check on him in the backyard and I hear rumblings coming from the window well and Will is nowhere to be seen, so I walk over and find this...

Now remember there was no crying, which eased my immediate instincts to be totally freaked out that he had fallen down there and broken a leg or something. When I asked in a concerned voice if he had fallen or climbed down, he informed me that he went down to get his toy. You can see by the picture how deep our window wells are. They are easily twice his height. I am sure he held onto the side and lowered himself down cause I have seen him do things like that before on the playground, etc. Needless to say, our lives are full of adventure and he is incredibly pain tolerant. He is barefoot and the rocks he landed on from at least a 3-foot drop aren't exactly smooth and soft. He has always handled pain really well. He rarely cries when he gets hurt unless it's really bad or he is purposefully trying to milk it, which is a pretty obvious fake cry and very funny.

I cannot believe the ways he finds to get around rules I make for him. The kid is stinkin' stubborn!

Pausch vs. Stanton

(I wrote this a few weeks ago but haven't been able to post it until now, as I was looking for a picture to scan to go along with this.)

If you are my friend on Goodreads, you may or may not know that I have given 5 stars to The Last Lecture by RandyPausch. I decided recently to read it again, more for the sake of having nothing else on my iPod as I was traveling for hours to Vegas alone than because I was aching to re-read a novel, which I don't really do. This morning as I was jogging along, bouncing to the beat of Pauschisms for a painful 9 miles, I realized something of why I tear up and/or full on sob an average of every 5 minutes when reading this book. Ok, I admit that I am a bawl baby. I lose it in church about every other week, and probably more often during the week. But this isn't because of sadness as much as it is that I just get very emotional in witnessing or hearing about the goodness of people. I have this deep rooted belief that the majority of people are very good, but we let factors get in the way, and that causes us to make not so good decisions sometimes. But I feel like when we get our heads on straight we always return to that goodness. Any way, that could be reason enough to explain my total lack of togetherness when reading this particular novel. But, today I realized it is so much more.

(My father, Stan, when he was in college, I believe)

Every time Pausch reveals an inherent truth that he has learned and lived by, I picture my father speaking those words to me. I realized that this is because many of the lessons Pausch has learned are lessons my father taught me in our short time together on this earth. Pausch talks about his baby and how he wanted to leave something for her to know her father by since he won't be there to raise her and teach her these things, but I had my father for 17 years of my life, over which period I learned almost all of these same lessons. Pausch talks about using thin mints to thank the people doing him a favor and when he needed to check up on the favor to see if it was done, he would simply ask if they ate the thin mints yet. I have to smile at the many times my father would use this tactic. He was a man that enjoyed the simple things in life as well as making others happy. One time he had to take our pool pump in to get fixed in the dead heat of the Vegas summer. You have to know that I was a fish growing up. Living in Vegas, this made sense. We lived in the pool during those scortching summer months, and when the pool was busted that was the worst torture we had to endure (other than when our a/c went out in the summer, which happened frequently, but that's a whole different, sweaty tale). Any way, the men at the pool fixer upper shop or whatever it was said it would be some insane amount of time that I don't remember to fix it. My father left the part and we happened to be by his favorite doughnut shop. He got a thought and quickly stopped in and picked up a dozen and dropped it back to the guys in the warehouse, just to say thanks for helping us out. Surprisingly enough, I remember our pump was ready in half the time :) He also was a dental lab tech and took these same doughnuts to the ladies at the dental office where he would drop off cases. You see, my dad was an extreme perfectionist and as a result the doctors he worked for wouldn't get their work done by anyone else, but they lamented at the tardiness that sometimes ensued with my dad's work. The arrival of doughnuts, a smile, and a touch of kindness with each on time or tardy deliver of cases always helped ease the tension. You see, my dad realized that he could be stressed out bringing the work in and apologize and make a whole big scene resulting in dirty looks from the secretaries each time he stepped through the door, or he could be himself and kill them with kindness (and a little bit of sugar). My dad realized the importance of doing things with love and everyone loved when Stan was visiting, doughnuts or not.

Perhaps my favorite memory of my father was the wedding day of my oldest married brother, Richard. I am told that he pulled Richard aside to give the old father to son advice as my brother was flying the coop of childhood and entering the realm of husbandhood. My father told him no matter the situation, whether she wrecks the car or tells you she is pregnant when you don't have any money and are totally scared out of your mind, your first reaction is the one she will always remember. And I like to add my own little thought, "So react with love", because that's what my dad always did. When people have asked me to reflect on what my dad taught me this one point takes the cake by a landslide. I believe Pausch puts it as, "People are more important than things." But what I loved most about hearing that my dad said this was that he said it cause he could. He was the type of man who lived that way. He wasn't the type of parent that I am who says, "Do what I say and not what I do." He lived every single day as an optimistic, generous person who understood people and was aware of all those around him, but especially his family. This kind of unconditional love and selflessness is so rare to see. If I can ever even achieve half of the things he tried to teach me I will feel like a success.

When I was in Vegas this week I had an opportunity to sit and visit with my grandparents, and I found my grandpa commenting on what a happy guy my father always was. He kept saying how my dad just lived life as a happy person, and I was glad to have that validated by someone who knew him longer than I did, as I always thought of my father that way but at times thought maybe I was just immortalizing him. He really taught me that it just does you no good to be sad, period. I have never met someone outside of Ryan who is so optimistic. I guess I did pretty well for myself in choosing a husband, and I just got lucky in the parent lottery, as Pausch puts it.

I could go on for hours and fear that I haven't even done him justice here, but I have to go and I just wanted to make sure I got this thought down before it leaves me. In the beginning of the novel there's a line that says something to the effect of you don't have to be alive for someone to know that you love them, and that could not be more true. I really feel that my dad is up in the heavens hoping that I didn't miss that sentence in my focus on the next hill I am battling. I know that he did everything in life to show me he loved me, and it was a job well done.

So sorry Pausch, but these 5 stars go to "Life Lessons for My Baby Girl" by Stan S.

SLC Half 2010

In April I ran the SLC Half Marathon for the second year in a row. As mentioned previously, in the fall I came in just over 2 hrs in the Snow Canyon Half and was determined to make my next race in under 2. I am sad to have to admit that this did not happen, although I knew that going into it on race morning. I simply had gotten lazy and just did not train to finish in that time. Nonetheless, it was another great race for a couple of reasons: 1. I had my running buddy back. Saff and I trained and ran part of the race together. 2. Liz, one of my lifelong friends from growing up, came up from Vegas with a couple of her friends to run it with me! Liz and I ran together in high school (me for track and her for soccer), yet we have never run a race together, so it was something we had both dreamed of for years.

Day-before-the-race traditional packet pick up at Salt Palace. Liz wanted a pic with our numbers and I would have never thought of that but it turned out cute. She's the master picture taker/blogger ;)

Pre-race photo op (Saffron in left pic, Liz in right). Love the energy at the beginning of this race! It starts out running under the Olympic Legacy Bridge up by the U and the SLC mayor as well as a gospel choir are standing above you on the bridge in the moments prior to the gunshot start, singing and giving words of encouragement.

For yet another year, I am in my finishing moments of adrenaline, exhaustion, euphoria, and who can even remember what else as I am about to cross the finish line, while everyone in the crowd just peers right past me as the marathon winner is coming down the last stretch. I swear this happened last year too and I thought everyone was cheering for me but Ry informed me of the truth. I thought I was just that amazing, then seeing the pics I realized nobody even cared about me. How rude...at least I had my cheering section in Ryan and Will, as usual. They are devoted fans.

(Side note: yes, I realize how utterly deflating it is to realize the marathon winner is finishing at the same time I am after only running HALF the distance he did!)

Another successful race and it feels good to be done!

Seriously that apple was pretty much the most amazing apple I've had in my whole life! Not even kidding. Also, my cheering squad and Ty and Saff.

Ok hilarious story about this massage therapist. He worked on me last year after the race and was so good that when I got to the front of the line I requested to wait for him. When he came over he literally picked me up, threw me over his shoulder, and carried me to the table! Then he set me down and made quite the scene, calling everyone within 40 ft to attention and making them all say,"Hello Dawn!" in unison. He saw me waiting for him so I guess he figured he would make me never forget the moment cause he was so flattered. He is the instructor for all the students there giving massages after the race, hence why he is so good. I remembered him being pretty fun and quirky last year, so I wasn't very surprised, but I was incredibly embarrassed, which isn't the most common thing for me. It was fun though. I got him back by telling him I just asked the guy at the front of the line if I could wait for the "old man" to massage me.

Results:

Time 2:09:25

Pace 9:52

Age Division 277/623

Place Overall 2274/4632

Gender Overall 1097/2886

So like I said, not my goal but not my worst either. I am currently training for the Top of Utah Half in the end of August that takes places up a canyon by Logan. It's Saffron's favorite (NE Utah canyon in the fall, can you say GORGEOUS?) and she said it's a fast course so I should easily make it under 2 hours. Once again, the bar is set!

Easter

I can't believe I am blogging about Easter on June 1st. I guess my excuse for everything these days is the QUEEN sized quilt I am sewing for my family reunion to be raffled off! This past week I have been a ghost to my poor little Will as I have spent literally probably 8 hrs/day on it cause my goal was to have it done by June 1st. It is comprised of 80 eight inch blocks! I have about 68 done, so I am glad to say I could finish it all by tonight if I spend a few hours after Will goes to bed. I will have to post pictures later. On to Easter...

Since Easter was on conference weekend this year we took the opportunity to go spend the night at Ryan's mom's house Sat night and watch conference with them and spend all of Easter day with her and his sisters. Addy came over with Jon and Jen Sat night since they were going to be with Jen's family Easter day, so Addy and Will had some fun playing with blocks while the boys went to the priesthood session. Will also colored some eggs, with the help of grandma, Angie and Jess of course!

Sat between sessions our ward had an egg hunt on the church lawn with something like 1000 eggs! Since we have about 200 children in our ward it was a pretty eventful spectacle. They are all very young children, so there wasn't much "hiding" of the eggs. As we walked up we saw hundreds of eggs spewn all over the grass with almost as many parents trying to hold children back from grabbing them before they said we could go. It was quite humorous actually. Just seeing the temptation on their little faces as they stared at the eggs just outside of their reach with only one or two silly parents standing between them and that precious egg was priceless! Will made a balloon bunny at story time earlier in the week, and the top left pic is just a depiction of what we experience in our house daily. He got the sequential thinking from me, and the OCD from his dad!

Sunday while at Ry's mom's in between sessions we went on a walk. We found a fun swing at the neighbor's along the way, and Will had a fabulous time dragging poor old Toby down the path. Since Toby is getting so old and worn out, it is quite the opposite experience of when we walk Rusty, er, when Rusty walks us!

I also brought my sewing machine and finished a bunch of the quilt blocks for the quilt I mentioned earlier while listening to conference, and I have decided I really get so much more out of it when I keep my hands busy with something I don't have to think about so I can listen to the speakers. It's quite helpful really, as I was one of the few who didn't fall asleep!

We colored eggs with Will for the first time ever Friday night of Easter weekend (yes, I realize I am going backwards in time). It was SO fun. He seriously dropped them all in on his own so carefully without cracking them (for the most part) and loved it. We let him crack one, peel it, and eat it, and to this day every time I take the egg carton out of the fridge he says, "Want easter egg!" I have to tell him that these aren't Easter eggs, they are just normal eggs. One time he even tried to crack a raw egg and was so shocked at what came out. So every now and again I have to hard boil some eggs so Will can peel and eat an "Easter egg".

Finally, the weekend after Easter we celebrated with my family. The Easter picnic is a big tradition with my mom cause her mom always did a huge picnic/egg hunt when she was alive. Part of the tradition is that everyone hides baskets for each other, including ALL the adults. My brothers and Ryan have had this battle to see who can hide each other's in the hardest to get to spots ever since the first year when Ry climbed on top of the church and put my bro's basket on top of the base for the steeple! The last few years that has kind of died out, so I have taken it upon myself to at least try to hide Ryan's in a semi-difficult-to-find spot. You can see him climbing through shrubbery and boxes to find his, and I was quite proud of that since that's not where I hid it :)

Will got to be the first in line to go out the door since he was the youngest. He was so adorable. Every time he would find one he would hold it up in the air and wave it around for the whole world to see. So proud of his accomplishments. The whole time I kept telling him to look at the camera and say "cheese", so by the end he had just about had it. You can view this sentiment in one of the bottom pics of him and Ryan right after he found his basket. That was the last time I asked him to say cheese for the day for obvious reasons. In true male fashion, he had had enough of the pictures. What's a mom to do?

Dinner...Impossible?

Not anymore! A friend turned me to this website and I haven't looked back since. This is a little gem in the sea of all the couponing and recipe websites out there that never worked for me (because couponing does NOT work for me). I love that they build your food storage, save you money, and give you recipes from all the foods you bought that week that saved you $$$ all at the same time! (And it doesn't hurt that by doing this post I am getting entered into a drawing to win a free Bosch mixer...another reason to love these guys.)

http://dealstomeals.com/

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By the way, their fee is only $4.95/month which works out to be nothing by time they seriously save you so much dough! Even for this penny pincher I was and still am sold. If you are sold too and end up signing up, please send them an email telling them I am the one who referred you, then you and I will both be entered in the drawing for the mixer! (You still have to be signed up in July when they announce the winner in order for it to be valid.)

California Dreamin'

Fasten your seat belts, we are preparing for a long ride...

What do you get when you mix a FREE visit to the Disneyland Park, a stroll around one of the most notable museums in the country, an unforgettable sealing at the LA temple, a fabulous morning at the beach, and a non-stop, booty shakin' party at one of the hippest hotels in Beverly Hills? California, baby! (Being from Vegas myself, I say that with all the enthusiasm usually reserved for the latter city.)

As mentioned in an earlier post, we knew we were flying to LA in March for Mitra's wedding, so we signed up for the Disney give a day get a day program to do some service and take advantage of a free day in the park while we were there. As Disney always is and forever will be, it was absolutely magical. I don't get how they seem to have this power over us, but I love it! I am such a nostalgic person and the sights, smells, and sounds remind me of my childhood. Granted, I only visited there once (maybe twice?) as a child, but nonetheless it seems to completely take control.

Jacquelynn and I organized our trips so we could both be there with our families the same day. It was so great to be there with friends, and especially cause Jack didn't care to ride some of the adult rides, so we got to go while she sat with the kids. She was so wonderful! It being Will's first time ever, I was kind of torn between doing what we wanted and just taking him around to all the kiddie stuff, since we only had one day there. As an adult you can totally do Disneyland in a day. After a couple hours in the park and only achieving visiting Mickey's house, I soon decided with children it is a whole different ball game. We met up with my SIL Jess in the afternoon and in the evening hours she took Will on the whale's mouth ride that Will had been dying to go on while Ry and I did the one last ride we wanted. With the help of Jack and Jess, we all (including Will-ster) got to go on all the fun rides we wanted and totally had a blast.

Picture note: the bottom right pic is an example of Will's new fascination with the idea that you can watch movies ANYWHERE, not just at home! Aha! What a revelation! We borrowed Jon and Jen's (Ry's bro and wife) DVD player for the plane and all weekend, wherever we went in the car, all we heard from the backseat was a little voice, repeating over and over, "Watch credibles?!?" Meaning," The Incredibles" if you don't speak toddler. I have to say that it is a truly remarkable invention, but one I think I am opposed to having installed in my vehicle at this point, as there would be no end to the mindless viewing and/or fights when we refuse the right to watch. He was so horrible all weekend whenever he couldn't watch it since he now knew it was an option. Yikes! Jury is still out on this one for me I think.

Friday we woke up before the sealing and went to the Getty. I was so grateful to Jeff and Jacquelynn for taking us there, for we had no idea it existed. It was incredible! It sits on the hill overlooking Hollywood and you ride a tram fully operated by magnets to get from the parking lot to the museum. The museum consists of a whole collection of buildings and gardens. It is almost like you are on a mini college campus, but with a more spectacular view and architecture you have never beheld. The buildings are purely made up of white travertine. I don't have any pictures here of the buildings that do it justice. The gardens sound phenomenal in full bloom, but we were there too early in the year. Oh yeah, and they have amazing art :)

Picture note: in the middle left pic I am standing next to, basically, one-hundred-million-dollars! It is Van Gogh's Irises if you are not familiar with it, and I have to say walking up to a painting that I have only read about in college courses and is that insanely famous was a MOMENT. I don't think it hit me until after viewing it for a few moments I glanced down to the bottom right corner and almost covered by the frame was lightly scribbled in paint, "Vincent". It was like when they describe in novels a moment where the character's knees wobble and you are thinking, "how dramatic, come on." No, it really happens. (If you are thinking that is a pretty harsh statement considering all the amazing moments I have had in my life i.e. proposal by Ryan, finding out I was prego with Will, etc, just know that I was always sitting down during those occasions :)

Back from the Getty and on to the temple. The sealing was as emotional and beautiful as expected, excepting some minor delays and quirky temple workers. Mitra and Matt were the cutest; all bliss and kisses. These two really were made for each other. Ry was fabulous with Will as he walked him around the temple so I could wait and get a pic with all the girls and Mitra. I was able to catch up with them after and grab a few cute shots of them walking hand in hand, as well as Will being the opposite of what he had been all morning: absolutely charming and adorable, smelling roses and posing under a big tree.

Saturday was the big day of the ring ceremony and reception, or in other words, PAR-TAY! We woke and went to the LA fashion district with Emily, then off to the beach because Will really needed some Will time and not to be drug around doing adult things anymore. It was the PERFECT reprieve. He was so happy and cute, I almost can't stand it. We had bought some bubbles and sand toys and we just sat and watched him dig and dig and just crack up. He was so happy and after a few days of terrible tantrums as a result of all that's involved with taking a toddler on a busy vacation, it was heaven. It was another one of those moments where I just have to look to the skies and thank Him for the chance to be a mom to such an incredible little person. Will fills my life with so much joy. It truly just made me so happy to see him so happy after all the stress he had gone through the past 2 days. I was just soaking it all in. Being there with my 2 favorite boys, just relaxed and not rushing anywhere, was probably one of the highlights of the whole trip.

Picture note: you may be asking yourself what in the world he is doing in the top left pic. He was so happy digging in the sand that he literally threw his face in it and started throwing sand on top of his head and giggling. I am telling you, this was SO needed at this point!

The culmination of events was that night at a Beverly Hills hotel called Sofitel. Suffice it to say it was fabulous, from all the Persian food and dancing, to just chillin' at the tables chatting with my lifelong pals. Ryan was again a saint and entertained Will all night while me and the girls hit the dance floor. Mitra was radiant and her husband, Matt, was adorable.

I have to say that the weekend was not without its extreme challenges. Previously I had underestimated the effects of lack of sleep on a toddler. But more than anything, it made me realize how blessed I am with such a Christlike husband. He truly is. He was nothing but patience and kindness amongst Will's fits and my "end-of-my-rope" demeanor. It was so fun to have a few days before the wedding stuff with some of our best friends, the Sokols. It was so great to be able to witness Mitra's sealing for time and all eternity to her soulmate. Witnessing the effects of Disney to one who had never experienced it all was truly a treat. Being with my girls, my sisters, is always a blessing. I am just overwhelmed at how this trip brought out so many feelings of gratitude for the family I have been given and the friends I will always keep.

I love you all.

Celebrities & Rock Stars

Ryan and LeBron kickin' it at the Jazz game. They're like BFF.

Girls night out with a little Rock Band...the theme was 80's rockers. Being the rock star that I am I had the perfect outfit, although the Madonna look-alikes had to be my fav!

Top pics-we had a mini Legoland of sorts at Thanksgiving Point. It was pretty amazing. Bottom left-Will was so determined to get that sucker from me, but in all the effort he became too exhausted to finish it. Bottom right-one of the two quilts I made for the Disney "give a day get a day" that got us into the park for FREE! Post of that day as well as Mitra's entire wedding coming up soon!

Ry gets invited each year to an overnight retreat with all the hospital execs for one of the major hospital systems here in Utah. It is at a place called Daniel's Summit, which is basically the very TOP of the mountain outside of Heber. It is so beautiful up there, the lodge is great, the food is never-ending, and this year they had some fun entertainment. They had a "Monte Carlo Night" where they hired a company that set up the room Vegas-style and we played blackjack after dinner. At first I was kind of skeptical since I have never gambled and never intend to, but since we were just playing for points for the raffle at the end of the night we decided to jump in on the action, and it was pretty fun. Our dealer was just a nice, funny guy and he basically made us win all night by telling us what to do. We didn't end up with any prizes, but it was fun to get to chat with some people we otherwise wouldn't have while we stood at the tables. Then the next morning we woke, had more food, and went on a gorgeous snowmobile ride. It was kind of snowing that morning, so you can see in the bottom left that we rode through a complete whiteout, which was scary and fun all at the same time. Ry was being a daredevil as you can see in a few shots of him at the top of a huge, vertical hill, and by the end of the trail the weather had cleared and it was just breathtaking, as shown in the bottom right. I don't remember actually driving my own snowmobile ever, I have only been the rider on one for short trips in the past, and this was such a fun experience that I will never forget!

Mitra's Shower

The last of The Posse is getting married. What a day. We threw her a shower in Vegas since most of the girls are still there. I was able to go without Will and stay with Liz, which is always a treat for me since she's one of my very besties. The theme was a dress up tea party. It was fabulously done, thanks to Jacquelynn, but mostly it was just great to be with the girls once again. I never realize how much I miss these girls until we are together, laughing til we cry. Mitra is moving to China after the wedding since Matt is working at Peking University right now, so we relish the chance to get to spend some quality girl time together before she's gone!

Guest of honor. I love this girl!

The top pics were taken by Jack's sister, who is a pro photographer. Too bad all the girls weren't there yet when we got to have those taken! The full posse is pictured in the bottom right.

Mitra planned going through the temple for the first time in the Vegas Temple the day before the shower so all of us out-of-towners could be there. It was one of the more spiritual experiences I can remember, with 5 of my very best friends in the whole world standing in the celestial room together, arms wrapped around each other. Those are the moments I live for. I will also never forget running into her for the first time in the dressing room right before we were headed into the chapel. Her eyes teared up and she gave me the biggest hug. It was that moment that I was so very proud of her. It reminded me of when I went to the temple for the first time and how proud I was of myself. I am so lucky to have such great friends from my childhood that teach me so much and that I truly call my sisters. I love you Mitra, and I am so proud of all that you have overcome!!

Will Turns 2

I have to warn you that this is one of those boring old all-about-my-kid kind of posts. But hey, it was his 2-yr birthday after all, and the kid just can't get any dang cuter if you ask me!

Birthday party with my family. In the top left picture someone was asking how old he was, and that is his signal for saying "2"!

Birthday party with Ry's family. The many faces of Will eating a cupcake. He didn't like the nerds on top of the cupcakes at all, as you can see.

Opening presents. I don't know what was going on with my face in the bottom left corner, but apparently the gift was just that amazing!

On Will's actual birthday we took him to Jungle Jim's and had a great time with just the 3 of us. I love it there cause parents to get to ride on the rides with their kids, but on the ride in the bottom left corner both he and Ry got super sick and almost lost their dinners. I have a picture that shows both of them on the verge of vomiting, and I spared them the pain of posting it here, although it is quite humorous. It wasn't at the time though, watching Will's head flop around as I yelled to them to see if they needed to stop the ride!

As most kids do, Will loves these little ride on cars/trucks/trains/planes. In the bottom left corner picture he was practicing "Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes" during the train ride.

Dinos...Not Just For Kids Anymore

Can I tell you how much I love an awesome "Farm Country" petting zoo, a Noah's ark swimming pool and discovery gardens in the summertime, and an absolute dinosaur wonderland?! I used to laugh at my neighbors that would exclaim with gusto how much they luh-huved Thanksgiving Point and thinking I would never be that kind of parent who got kicks out of taking my kids to do fun things like that. Not because I didn't think it was a great thing to do, but because I'm just sort of generally lame about finding ways to have a good time with children. I always swore before I had Will that I was going to be the worst mother because I only really enjoyed adult "stuff" and never really saw the novelty in children's activities. Boy, was I wrong on that one! Not only about the being a crappy mom part :) but I love doing kid stuff now! And Thanksgiving Point is just one of the many fun places we go that fills up my time these days.

So if any of you have a pass like we do (I totally splurged last year and bought one when I discovered how great the place is) and ever want to go with me and Will, give me a call! And if you don't have a pass, you should seriously consider it. Laugh all you want. I used to. Now I'm a believer.

I was going to add a cheesy caption like,"Watch Out!" or "Dinnertime!", but I am way too cool for that.

Can't hold still long enough for a pic on the posed dino. Big shocker.

We were here at the dino museum with our good friends, Rob & Stacie, and their 2 boys. Can't decide if Rob & Ryan had more fun playing in the sand...

...or if Will & a blurry Austin did.

We LUH-HUV Thanksgiving Point!

My Baby

Will had his 2 year well check today and I swore I would never do this, but I totally am posting his stats!

Weight: 27.5 lbs (40th percentile)

Head: 19.5 in (75th percentile)

Height: 36 in (90th percentile)

The doctor always says what a string bean he is, just like his daddy. I love this little guy!

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

Christmas morning Will & Ry had fun together on the rocking dog we got him and the bouncy horse Grandma B gave him on Christmas Eve.

My Christmas present this year was new goggles-ready to hit the slopes!

After opening presents Christmas morning we took Will out sledding on our favorite hill 2 minutes away from our house (on the golf course...shh!). I pulled him back up the hill, then he pulled dad down it.

This year for the B Family Annual New Year's Rockin Eve Party we had fondue, as usual, and Chris's brother Mark brought his band setup. Look at Ryan rockin out at the drums and Chris croonin' like the rock star he is!

Will didn't get to join all the festivities for the New Year's party, but he did enjoy the noisemakers the next morning! Happy New Year!

Traditions

Ever since the first year we were married we have wanted to have our own Christmas traditions. That first year we thought of the tradition to buy a new ornament for the tree (typical) that is in the shape of a silver star (not so typical) each year. So our tree is only decorated with silver stars (and one particular silver snowflake that I didn't even realize wasn't a star until Ry unwrapped it Christmas morning and through fits of smirking pointed it out to me. Oops.) Outside of that, not much has come to us in 5 years of Christmases together. Until now. On Christmas Eve we woke up and decided to take Will swimming, and a new tradition was born. What's more Christmas-y than a cannonball into the deep end?? So every Christmas Eve, whether in Utah or Jamaica, you will find us at the closest swimming pool.

That evening we joined Ryan's family for a candlelit dinner and a walk around temple square, which are their traditions on Christmas Eve that I love! I was trying to save this post until I got some of the pictures of that from Jessica, but that will have to wait for another time.

In his snow boots & swimsuit ready for the pool! Classic.

He has now mastered the art of going down the slide without coercion, and I think every time he does it he thinks, "Why didn't I figure out how fun this was earlier?!"

Doing his "Spidey crawl" along the edge that he learned in swim lessons.

Good lookin' dudes, although Will looks a little scared in this one.

Our own little version of The Joker.

As Seen on TV

Not quite sure when all the "As Seen on TV" items went from being the latest joke to actual products that people were purchasing in stores. Nonetheless, we now have our very own, personalized Snuggies sewn by the illustrious Sarah! She did a fantastic job!

The night we got together with our friends for a gift exchange and that fateful night of Snuggie receival.

Will lined up all of our DVDs while we admired our treasures.