Visiting Utards...I mean Utah:)

Oh come on--I didn't really mean it :)
Cole is growing up so fast and I was sad that I hadn't seen my little niece who is growing at the same pace (well not in physical stature but surely in language!!) So, it was time for a trip to Utah! I was planning on hitching a ride with my dad who frequently visits as he is part of a spec home investment, but he found cheap flights and decided to fly so I said--why not! Flying with children...never really fun but they did great--three keys I've learned in flying with kids: 1-Leave PLENTY of time so you can take your time getting through all the checkpoint crap, 2- Don't give a stinkin rip what anyone thinks of your kids' behavior, or the fact that you are taking it SLOW, and 3- bring a stroller no matter what!( and invest in a Baby Ergo carrier!!!)
Cole Passed the time waiting at the airport by talking to strangers.

Allison passed the time...well...you get the picture.


Day one, we arrived in the afternoon to CAFE RIO salads!! Thanks for the welcome to Utah lunch Kace!
Day two, EARLY church! YIKES! After two baths and rushing around in the wind to get in the car, we had a very loud and distracting Sacrament meeting...one of our worst yet with the kids by far, and then a really great lesson on finances in this Family Relations class, and then a touch and go lesson in RS with Cole and Holly making a ruckus. I did enjoy one part though about how the Holy Ghost has helped us and some amazing individual experiences were shared.

Home for.....lunch and then Connor and Jody came over to entertain us with music and give a gardening lesson :) They also entertained my kids! THANK YOU! Whew--I think it was as exhausting as it looked...ready for that- full time Connor?? Not soon enough I'm sure.

Next day--off to the races...we went jumping at Kangaroo Zoo---soooo fun, the kids loved it, and so did I until I seriously almost broke my neck. I guess I should have obeyed the 6 and under sign--oops.


Climbing those ladders with one hand and a 22 lb. child in your other arm is not easy.



A visit to see Grandma at the spec house my dad is a part of--any buyers?...

cool house--except for the stairs I had to dive down head first to grab Cole from rolling down past the top 4 stairs. I got a wound---does that make me an even bigger hero? I think my adrenaline was pumping for about the next hour. Oh, and I was holding my nice camera when I flung myself face first after the crazy kid. He thinks he's such a big boy. It's a good thing I have at least one eye on him almost ALL the time!
Then as stop at GG's house.



Tuesday--yet more fun...


...a visit to the "Y" for some lunch at the Cougareat, a visit at the sight of the removed booth where my parents met at BYU, and a sweet ace game of bowling at the Wilk. :)


Half the fun for the girls was waiting for the ball to come back up.
The girls' loved that and surprisingly, Holly slept the whole time, and Cole sat in this stroller almost the whole time.
We even each got a strike on "tape!" (Videos to come!)
Dinner at my favorite--Tepanyaki! Cole was like, "What is going on here!" Allison pretty much hid her face in my lap from the time first fire rose from the grill and she stayed there until the guy left the grill clean.


...Making bows....so cute! Dad and Doug entertained us with their silliness as we worked.
had to stick in a cousins bath for posterity sake...

Time to leave :( The kids were tired and ready to get back into their regular sleeping routines...me too! Thanks for a fantastic 5 days Mollers!!!

Sweeeeet!

Ok, so I admire her abilities along with all my other talented friends....what talent...what skill. I can't say anything but just look here....and don't resist the temptation to splurge!!!!

Long awaited...

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies


*1 Cup butter (2 sticks)
*1 Cup Peanut Butter (I like chunky--Jessica does creamy Skippy)
*1 Cup sugar
*1 Cup brown sugar
*2 Eggs
*2 1/2 Cups Flour (or slightly less) (I do the full amount)
*1 1/2 teaspoon Baking SODA
*1 teaspoon Baking POWDER
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*approx. 1 tsp vanilla
Preheat 375, bake for only 8-12 min. (I do 9 1/2 min. and they seem just right)

Girl's Weekend....again!!

Shannon and I are spoiled. We hit the road once again (our second time in little over a month) and drove this time to St. George to meet up with some girlfriends from Highland, Utah where Dan and I used to live with Shannon and Andrew. After sitting in traffic for almost an hour and going less than two miles past Zyzzx Rd, we finally discovered the cause of the hold up--a melted semi that was carrying now burnt heads of lettuce. Seriously though, if the guy didn't get out, he for sure was burned to death--pretty crazy. Gavin was an excellent car baby and made for a nice trip...Shannon and I gabbed our way there in a flash but not before stopping in Vegas for a little makeover at MAC.


We stayed in a Parade of Homes home that one of the girls is trying to sell for 5.9 million dollars! I think I heard it was 10,000 square feet, but it only had for bedrooms. Shannon and I got the casita with a microwave, fridge and bar area (none of which we used). Each bedroom had an attached bathroom and shower. Downstairs there was the 4th bedroom and a cool theater room, a workout room (which actually got used while we were there--NOT by me)-with one mirrored wall . There was also a panic room that looked like a vault with storage shelves and a toilet, sink, and shower. There was a salon room downstairs with a steam shower and sauna and an area for a masseuse to come...which we DID take advantage of--I got my massage from the granddaughter-in-law of President Faust. She had some great stories--including one where she got pregnant with twin girls only four months after delivering her second boy via C-section. Yikes! She was a tiny lady too!
We had to visit our favorite food places there and we managed to hit all of them, The Pizza Factory for tasty bread sticks, Cafe Rio (of course), and Neilsons Custard for some ice cream--oh and Ice Burg for a butterfinger shake.
The night after we arrived, we were treated to a concert by Colbie Caillat. We saw her at the Tuacahn outdoor theater. It was really a cool set-up with the beautiful red cliffs behind the stage. Her lead guitarist opened for her and he was really good. His name is Tim Fagan and he was a bit better with the crowd than she was but the whole thing was still really enjoyable.



It was perfect weather so we were able to lay out by the pool and get a few shades darker....the pool was three part--a top level with a small jacuzzi, a middle level with a 2 ft. deep pool, which poured into the third bottom level deep pool. I really meant to get pictures...oops.
Our last night there, we ate at a nice Seafood Restaurant called the Painted Pony. I tasted some delicious crab cakes and some steak. Our friend Hillary showed us some hidden talents that night that were quite amusing. She has a crazy tongue that can do some crazy things like suction cup to glasses and pic them up, or roll it and actually sip from a cup like a straw.
It was fun to be "off -duty" once again and to relax and gab gab gab. I DID sleep in until like 9am but does that really count when you go to be at 2am?
Anyway, again, our husbands are amazing and sweet to let US get away while they are suffering from grueling days at work.

My kids were happier to see me this time...which made me happy. No mishaps when I got home, but my welcome home present came this morning--Cole had a major and when I say major I mean MAJOR diarrhea diaper blowout---I came in to poo all up his back, down his legs, on his sheet, crib bumper, and teddy bear. EEEEEW! I got on the gloves at the laundry room sink and scrubbed away--back to life, back to reality.

Best daddy ever...

Dan is no lazy daddy---he is so involved with our kids and is ALWAYS helping. One of their favorite things is when he gives them baths.


After long stressful days at work he loves to come home to his family...and who wouldn't when you've got kids who love their daddy as much as these guys. When Dan gets home from work, he usually plops on the floor to take a breather after dinner, and shortly after, Allison and Cole are sure to clobber him. They climb on and bounce on his back (not so fun for Dan) but sometimes they do sweet things like give back scratches and take off his shoes.
They sure love him and so do I!!!




It's nice to be able to leave the kids in good hands when I go away for a weekend. Thanks babe~I love you!

BEACH!

Yay--it's warm. It's beachtime. Thank goodness for big cars--this carpooling thing is going to save me some money this summer. A few weeks ago, we piled in Chantel's car and headed for the beach. After a pitstop at McDonalds, we found a nice spot on the sand and soaked in the rays. We had a little visit from a squirrel who tried to eat our snacks but to no avail--all ziplocked. Cole was soo tired from not taking a nap on the way down that I ended up having him sleep on me while I tanned--didn't make for much of an even tan but I kinda like those times when your little one will just sleep sweetly on you.
All the kids loved it when the cool mom (Chantel) picked up her sheet to get the sand off and played parachutes with them.



After Cole had a nice cat-nap he enjoyed picking up as many rocks as he could fit in his hands and then throwing one by one, which was quite entertaining as he would let go when he wound up behind him and then had nothing to throw forward. I'm
loving having a boy. It's silly but I was like, "Aaaawe, look! He's throwing rocks!"


A couple of Sundays ago, he was playing on the floor by me in Relief Society and he got out a little car from the diaper bag and started rolling it all over the floor...no car sounds yet but I looked back at the ladies behind me with beaming smile on my face and said, "He's never done that before! Aawwe look how cute! He's such a boy!" Fun times! :)