Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day everyone! I just wanted to say thank you to all the military individuals and their families that sacrifice so we can have our freedoms!

I also wanted to share a cute little experience we had yesterday. I went with my mom to take flowers to my nephews' (the triplets) grave. Conni was with us of course. I talked to Conni before we got out of the car about how we act at the cemetery. She got out and did a great job - it was cute to watch her be so careful to go around the headstones and try not to step on them. She wandered a little while I helped Mom get the flowers situated. I brought her to the headstone and talked to her about her special cousins that live in heaven. (We have a picture of them at home that Conni sees regularly that I tried to refer to, but I don't know if she got it). Then I tried to keep Conni from going too far and give my mom a moment there.

After a few minutes, we needed to get going, so my mom called Conni over to tell the angel boys goodbye. (There is an engraving on the stone of three sleeping babies with an angel watching over them). Conni leaned in and, without any coaching, said "Shh, night night cute babies. I love you!" and blew a kiss to them. It was so tender, and Mom and I had held it all together until then.

I love how in tune little children are. Conni was born about three years after the triplets, so I like to think they had some time together "up there". She is such a good little girl, and she has such a sweet spirit about her, and I am so happy that I can share these times with her. I hope that we will always remember those who have gone before us. I hope to be able to share their stories with Conni and help her realize the wonderful legacy that our family has.

The Inn at Snow Meadows

As I mentioned in the post below, Dave and I ran away this weekend to celebrate our 9th Anniversary. We went to a B&B in Garden City (by Bear Lake) called the Inn at Snow Meadows. My brother and his wife recommended it to us.

Can I just say - this is now my all time favorite place we have ever stayed! Carol and Greg Bills are the proprietors of the Inn, and we felt like we were welcomed as guests into their home. The Inn is beautiful! We instantly felt like we were old friends.

We stayed in the Fishing Suite. I didn't take any pictures so I took these from the Inn's website. These pictures don't do it justice though. There is a walk in closet, the bathroom is huge, and the room is spacious enough that you don't feel cramped but you aren't staying in something too big either.

The Inn has a pool table, an air hockey table, Xbox, a hot tub and beautiful grounds. We got there around dinner time and Carol recommended several local restaurants. She even had the menus for us to peruse before we left.

After dinner we headed back and played some pool. We used to play all the time at the institute while we were dating, so that was fun. We were both kind of exhausted from the long drive, so after a few games we raided the Inn's DVD selection and settled in to watch some shows and call it a night. The Inn had complimentary popcorn, cookies, other treats and hot chocolate, etc. too. They also offered smores that could be roasted on the fire pit out back.

I loved that we basically had the run of the place. Carol gave us a tour when we first arrived to show us everything. The doors that were locked she told us what was behind them and why she kept them locked and everything. Again, we felt like we were guests in their home.

In the morning, we slept late and enjoyed not having to get up and be parents right away. Then we headed downstairs for the breakfast bar. I don't even know how to describe it! It was $10 per person, but so worth it! Greg made omelets to order. Fresh Belgian waffles. Hash browns, sausage, bacon, biscuits, gravy, fruit, etc., etc., etc. The food was so good! It was all fresh and "fluffy" - you could tell everything was made there in the Inn.

After breakfast we checked out and headed home. I cannot say enough how much we loved the Inn at Snow Meadows! We are looking forward to the next time we can run away up there.

If you are looking for a place to go, check it out at http://www.bearlakeutahspecialevents.com/default.html. Tell Carol I said hello!

9 Wonderful Years

This weekend Dave and I celebrated our 9th Anniversary! It was a great weekend - pretty full, but lots of fun.

We started out doing family pictures at Murray Park. Conni kind of participated - she was more interested in exploring than saying "cheese". Her phrase of the day - "No Mom, I not say cheese, I get down." But no tantrums or melt downs, and we got a few cute shots. We may have to try a second session. Our photographers were fantastic - they were a couple from our ward. The husband would keep track of Conni while we tried to get a few shots of Dave and I and he was so sweet with her. I'll post pictures when I get the disk.

Then we took Conni to my brother and sister-in-laws to stay for the night. She was so excited to go play with "Aunt Chell and Uncle Chris". When we got to their house, I was a little nervous about how the drop off would go because this is only the second or third time I've left her at their house (more because of distance than anything else). But we headed up to the playroom and she was too interested in the toys to be upset. She actually told us goodbye with kisses and everything and no tears. She even walked us to the door and blew kisses as we drove away.

The next stop on our weekend was Logan to see my dear friend Renee and her family. We were neighbors in our apartment complex and now live much too far away from each other. We met for a late lunch and then went to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. I have to admit, I enjoyed the movie, but it wasn't my favorite. But it was so good to see Renee and Brandon and have just a few minutes together to catch up and reminisce.

After our stop in Logan, we headed to Bear Lake. We stayed and the best Bed and Breakfast - the Inn at Snow Meadows. They were so wonderful - they will get their own post (above)!

Sunday morning we slept late, had a terrific breakfast (see the post about the Inn). Then we took a leisure drive home. Michelle kept Conni since we had a trek meeting right during her nap time. Once we got home we vegged and played Lego Star Wars on the Wii and just enjoyed being together.

Thanks to Chris and Michelle for suggesting the B&B and for taking Conni so that we could run away. We appreciate all your love and support and the good times we've had together over the last nine plus years.

I am so happy that I have Dave as my husband. We have had an eventful nine years - not as stressed as some, but with our own trials. I am so grateful that you have been at my side thru it all sweetheart. Here's to many many more years together!

Conni's New Bedding

I finished this a while ago, but finally got some pictures to put up. We wanted to get Conni some more traditional bedding instead of just her little toddler blanket. But, I couldn't find any Minnie Mouse bedding for a toddler bed that wasn't outrageously expensive. So I figured I'd make some!

I figured out the pattern for the blanket, and my sweet husband helped me figure out the math so the finished dimensions would be correct. It took me about six weeks to crochet everything for the blanket. Then I found some pink and white polka-dot fabric to make a sheet with. I love how it turned out!

Conni's new bedding

Conni enjoying her new bedding

Playing Basketball

We bought a little toddler basketball set. (We originally bought it for my mom for Mother's Day, but since my sister had the same idea we kept ours and will get Mom something else.)

Conni loves basketball! Here are some cute stills of her playing with the full size basketball set. The video is her playing with a little set the Easter Bunny brought.

Dave is one proud poppa!

Her stance

"Cheese!"

Getting ready to dunk it

Look at that shot I'm gonna make!

WRCNU Baby Shower

My brother is on the board of directors at the WRCNU - Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah. They take wild animals who have been injured or whatever - like hawks, owls, chipmunks, raccoons, etc - and rehabilitate them to be able to survive back in the wild.

Well, a couple of weeks ago, the Center had a baby shower of sorts to raise funds for the facility. We took Conni up to check it out. She did really well on the hour long ride.

Playing with Jessie and Bullseye on the drive up.

I love her sunglasses!

Once we got to the Center they had a bunch of fun stuff to see and do. They had birds to look at and ask questions about - the three they had out were a Kestrel, a Barn Owl, and a Red Tail hawk. Conni was intrigued by the live birds, but very wary to get close enough to really see them. They also had crafts for the kids to make about birds. The volunteers were all spectacularly helpful and basically made the crafts for Conni so that I didn't have to try to keep track of her and make her the craft she wanted to have but not make. (If that even makes sense!) Her favorite craft from the day was a pom-pom bird.

They also had face painting for the kids. I didn't think Conni would like it, but when it was her turn she climbed right up.

The gal did Conni's hand, not knowing if she would sit for her face.

Conni sat perfectly still the entire time, fascinated by the whole thing.

This is the flower she painted on Conni's hand. This only took a few minutes - amazing!

After Conni had her hand painted, she asked to have it on her face. The gal was nice enough to oblige. Again, Conni sat perfectly still the whole time she was painting.

Another shot of the work in progress.

I think this looks a little like a mug shot, but it was the best we got of the face painting. It was so beautiful I had to get a picture! Sorry its kind of blurry :)

Overall we had a great time at the WRCNU Baby Shower. The Center had a ton of people come up over the three days and they were able to raise a good amount for the facility. We had a blast as a family making some memories and spending some time with my brother.

Ipod Pouch

I got a new purse and my ipod was just floating around in there. Worried about it getting scratched (and feeling like making something one afternoon) I whipped up this little pouch. It has an opening on each end - one for the ipod and one for the ear buds. It was a fun little project and I love how it turned out. Hopefully the pictures do it justice!

All tucked away

There's one opening on each end, making on side for the ipod and one for the ear buds

Her Own Style

Conni definitely has her own sense of style. She still wears that red sweater every chance she gets. Lately, she has discovered (now that the snow is gone) that she likes to wear her snow boots. She will go to the back porch and get them on all by herself. Most days I will let her wear them if we are just on our way to Grandma's. I figure she got them on by herself, she did what I asked when she put them on, we should be good. Of course, I try to also take her sneakers to Grandma's too.

We got Conni a little two-wheeler bike last year, but she didn't really get the hang of it. We've pulled it out a few times to start working on it again. Conni is great about wearing her helmet and pads - she will sometimes just wear them around the house.

Notice that the boots are ever present still :)

Easter

I know it was a month ago, but we sure had a fun Easter! Dave whisked me away on Friday night for my birthday, and then when we came home on Saturday we got Conni and colored Easter eggs. I was concerned she wouldn't want to be involved, because she doesn't have much of an attention span for crafts. But, after coloring ten eggs she was still asking for more!

Here's some videos of her with Mom and Dad coloring. They are a little long, but so cute!

Then we all crashed for naps. While Conni slept, the Easter bunny came and hid eggs down the hall and in the front room! We asked him to keep it simple. Conni came out of her room and started gathering eggs and got really excited! When we were finished, we showed her how the plastic eggs had treats inside, and she kept looking for more candy.

It was all over way too fast, but I feel like we were able to start another tradition in our little family and set the groundwork for lots of memories to come.

Sunday we spent visiting family and trying to teach Conni about the Resurrection. It was a nice quiet day.

Catching Up

I am finally catching up with some pictures and stories on the blog! Watch for some fun posts!

Coping Bucket

I have a friend. She is someone that I truly respect and admire. I don't get a chance to talk to her often, and we only lived near each other for a short while. I have gotten to know her more thru her blog than when we saw each other in person. She is a vibrant, fun loving personality that, when I met her, I thought "She would be a fun person to be friends with!"

Well, my friend Tami also has a gift for being honest and facing the hard things. She has a blog about her struggles with compulsive eating and depression. She recently shared a post about her "coping bucket" here where she talks about the bucket she created to turn to with ideas of things to do instead of eating when she is tempted to eat for comfort.

I know that I am guilting of "comfort eating" - or just eating because I am bored. I think an idea bucket is a fantastic idea. The greatest thing is - my friend is offering to make and send a coping bucket to anyone who needs one free of charge!

Check out the button on the side of my blog for more info.

Tami - thank you. You are truly amazing and some day I wish to grow up to be like you!