Busy Bees

Kelsey and her friend signed up for Busy Bees again this year. They did it last year during the summer and just loved it so we gave it a go for a second time. It's not as structured as preschool, but they do some learning papers at the beginning and then the rest of time is creative play, arts and crafts and cooking. She is loving it again, but poor Katelyn gets so worried about leaving Kelsey there. She just loves her sister.

Kelsey and her friends in her class before the first day. Katelyn wanted to go so bad and had to be in the picture with her big sister.

Peter Piper Pizza

A few weeks ago, the girls and I went to Peter Piper Pizza with some friends and got to make little mini pizzas. Everyone had a great time and lots of worn out kids by the end.

Getting a tour of the dishwashing room before making pizzas.


Kelsey decided to have ham on her pizza and did it all by herself.


Katelyn wanted pepperoni, but one touch of the stuff and she refused to touch it again. So I had to do it for her. Maybe next time.

Watching them go into the oven.

Don't they look good? They tasted really good, surprisingly enough!! Thanks for the invite

Bubble fun

The best $5 every spent. I found this at the store and figured I'd give it a try. The girls could hardly wait to get home and give it a whirl. And it works like a charm if I must say so myself. We got a bubble machine for Katelyn's birthday last year and were very disappointed when it didn't work very well at all. Little did we know that we should have gotten her a bubble gun in the first place.

She was just at Kelsey's level to eat the bubbles and she did not like the taste at all.

I love that she holds it like a real gun!!

Miniature Golf

Dave's brother Mark and his family came up for the weekend and we all went miniature golfing. This was the girls first time trying it out and it looks like they both take after Dave with their skills. We all had a great time.

Look at that perfect shot!!

Lining up for the putt. Once she got this close, she usually just picked up the ball and put it in the hole, so on the few occasions when she didn't we gave her less points per hole!!

Kelsey had a hard time holding the club just right, but once she got the hang of it she was on a roll!
Look at that concentration!!

At the 18th hole where you give the ball back, Katelyn was quite upset when she realized she didn't get to keep the ball. For the next week she told everyone, "Ball, gone." So then we had to go into a whole explanation about what she was talking out. Gotta love her!!

Gymnastics Showcase

Kelsey had a gymnastics program a few weeks ago and although we weren't allowed to take any pictures during the performance, we could at the end when we picked them up on the stage. Dave picked up some flowers for her and as soon as we handed them to her, she just lit up!! She did so great and did everything she practiced. We're so proud of her and love her more everyday.

And we're off

Today we are on our way to beautiful Colorado for a week. We are all so very excited for our trip and will be back to blogging as quick as we can get all the pictures organized. And hopefully we'll enjoy some cooler weather while we are there as well. See you all when we get back!!

Happy Father's Day...

...and another year under his belt. Now that I think about it, I never actually asked him if he had a good day, but he seemed to enjoy himself alright. We have made it a tradition for as long as I can remember that we boycott Mother's Day, Father's Day and Valentine's Day. We just don't do anything for those because it's not right that flower shops all over the world raise their prices astronomically for these days. And it doesn't help that he says "they're just made up holidays anyway." For any of you who don't know Dave, he's more of a "just because" kind of guy. So he comes home with flowers a few times a month (to replace the dead ones) for me and the girls. It's amazing to watch the girls faces light up when he comes home, but even more so when he hands them the bouquets he picked out especially for them!! So other than getting out of the mundane chores for the day and choosing what he wants for dinner, there's not a whole lot of hoop-la that gets sent his way.

The day started out with me making crepes for everyone. Many of you probably don't know but I am not the one to make breakfast for us on the weekends. I have 2 things I make, crepes and German pancakes. If I attempt any of the normal favorites, it gets ugly fast. Dave has greatly taken on the responsibility because if it was left up to me, we'd just have nothing, or cereal!! And we're not big cereal eaters.

Since we don't have church until 1 we opted to put in the movie, Enchanted, that we rented the night before. We'd taken all the reviews we heard about the movie with a grain of salt and threw caution to the wind. Although Patrick Dempsey is in it, we will all agree with LaNae on this one - it was "painful" I think were her exact words. I guess it's bad when Kelsey keeps asking "Is this a long movie?"

Next we had lunch and Kelsey kept asking if she could give dad his presents and I think she thought I was going to pull some present out of my hat. But lucky for her she made a footprint poem at school for him and gave him that to hold him over. She gave him her card and that seemed to satisfy her for the time being. We also had a new tie for him that the girls picked out that she was able to give him before going off to church.

At church Kelsey went up to the front and got to sing to her daddy too. This is her first year in primary so she's a little shy about it all, but since Mother's Day she's a pro and knew what to do the second time around. She was also supposed to say the 6th Article of Faith in primary but due to some other conflicts later in the day that is postponed until next week.

After sacrament meeting it was off to Dave's brother's ward. They are taking 2 wards and making a 3rd and Adam was called to be in the bishopric of the new ward created. With their dad out of the country in the UAE launching missiles, Dave was the one to ordain him a high priest. He said he was pretty nervous, but I knew he'd do just fine. I am so thankful for him that he was able to ordain him and that we were there to support Adam and his family at this time. We then headed over to his in-laws house for dinner, which was so good. There's something about food tasting better when someone else has made it, I think. The girls had a great time playing with their cousin Vance and hanging out with their family.

When we got home, I have the best husband because he gave the girls baths, even though Katelyn fell apart, even on Father's Day, especially because I usually do get a break on Mother's Day from my everyday life. Then he finally got his father's day cards from me and the girls so I think all-in-all, it was a pretty good day. A huge hug and kiss go out to you. Happy Father's Day

The loves of my life

Sidebar: He took Friday off and went fishing Friday and Saturday with the sales crew at APCO and had a great time so he was able to get in some male bonding time, along with his sister Kaylene.

The age you act

[x] You know how to make a pot of coffee
[x] You keep track of dates using a calendar
[x] You own a credit card
[x] You know how to change the oil in a car
[x] You've done your own laundry
[x] You vote in every election
[x] You can cook for yourself
[ ] You think politics are exciting
TOTAL SO FAR: 7

[ ] You show up for school late sometimes
[x]You always carry a pen in your bag/purse
[x]You've never gotten a detention
[ ] You have forgotten your own birthday at least once
[x]You like to take walks by yourself
[x]You know what credibility means, without looking it up
[x] You drink caffeine at least once a week
TOTAL SO FAR: 12

[x] You know how to do the dishes
[x] You can count to 10 in another language
[x] When you say you're going to do something you do it
[x] You can mow the lawn
[ ] You remember to water the plants
[x] You study when you have to
[x] You remember to feed your pets
TOTAL SO FAR: 18

[x] You can spell experience, without looking it up
[x] You clean up your own mess
[ ] The people at Starbucks know you by name
[ ] Your favorite kind of food is take out
[ ] The first thing you do when you wake up is get caffeine
[x]You can go to the store without getting something you don't need
[x] You understand political jokes the first time they are said
[x] You can type pretty quick
TOTAL SO FAR: 23

[x] You have realized that the weather forecast changes every hour
[ ] Your only friends are from your place of employment
[ ] You have been to a Tupperware party
[ ] You have realized that no one will take you seriously unless you are over the age of 25 and have a job
[ ] You have more bills than you can pay
[x] You have been to the beach
[x] You use the internet every day you have the chance
[x] You have been outside of the united states
[x] You can read a book and actually finish it...
TOTAL: 28

"The age I act is...28"

More bumps and bruises

So a couple weeks ago after finishing their baths, Katelyn ran full speed into the corner of the bathroom door and cut her lip. She bit it on the outside as well as the inside of her lip. It was gushing blood and I thought she'd lost a couple teeth, but after seeing that they were all still intact her lip turned purple and remained that way for about a week.

Then last week she fell out of her bed in the middle of the night. She immediately calmed down and went back to sleep but in the morning we woke up to this:

It's hard to tell, but she cut her eye and it was all red and puffy in the morning. I felt so bad for just throwing her back in bed. But what do you do when it's dark and she's not complaining and goes right back to sleep?!

Sorry for the blurriness but she just wouldn't hold still.

Las Vegas has arrived

Well, I don't necessarily mean Las Vegas, but more the northwest part of Las Vegas because I'm very pleased to announce that Cafe Rio is opening soon. This will be the third location to open up but this is practically down the street from our house. And right next to Costco so you see where I'm going with this!!

Swimming lessons

We've started swimming lessons again, but with a pool, it's a necessity. And Kaylene is giving the girls their lessons this year so they love it even more. I don't think Kelsey cares one way or another, she's just happy to be swimming, but Katelyn wouldn't get in the water with some stranger. I only got pictures of Katelyn this time, more of Kelsey to come later.

She is not afraid of the water at all so we knew she had to have lessons this year, a year earlier than when Kelsey started hers, just because she thinks she can do anything Kelsey does. And she tries.

Her feet are kicking so fast under water.



I even think her eyes are open in this shot




I love this look on her face.

Practicing big arms

Learning to grab the wall.

She is such a little daredevil who is not afraid of anything. She jumps off the edge, goes under water completely and comes up smiling everytime.

Dad's stuff is always the best

One night after cleaning up from Dave barbequing we found Katelyn like this.

She is just too darn cute. She's lucky she's cute too!!

Our newest addition

to the yard. We've talked about getting one off and on and it seems we are on the same page at the same time, but we did it anyway. Dave did a bunch of research and checked everything out and then came home after work and said we were going to pick one up. We got it from Home Depot and it came with everything except the 4x4. All the other wood needed, it came with. The girls saw the box and were so excited, but I'm pretty sure they thought it was going to come assembled once we opened up the box. Much to their dismay, it didn't. But they were happy to help, just the same. It's almost a month old, but it's still new to them.


Staining everything to keep it nice a little bit longer.


And the girls were more than willing to help with paintbrushes just their size too.


This is one of the most prized possessions around our house. Kelsey and Katelyn fight over it. I have one for me upstairs for all my projects and they still run off with it.


It took all afternoon after staining to get it set up and by about 8 pm they could finally slide down. I had a meeting to go but when I got back it was almost complete. Look at how dirty her knees are and how tired her eyes look. But the smile was worth it.

The next day...


The ladder's not part of it, but it's the highest she's ever climbed.

See how proud she is

Kelsey is finally learning to pump. And Katelyn has a look of pure enjoyment on her face. For whatever reason, both my girls from their first trip to park on they both hate the swings. I should have counted my blessings back then.

Kelsey was unsure of this at first.

There is still a little fear in her eyes but she loves it now.

The finished product.

Although I've just saved myself having to run off to the park every chance they have some extra wiggles or energy to burn, I've now sentenced myself to hours and hours of pushing them on the swings. There is also the option for a sandbox underneath the tower, but we haven't told them that yet.

We interrupt this anniversary to bring you Supercross

We didn't know how true this statement would be after we got married. We were reminded on numerous occasions during our engagement and even at our reception that my brothers were missing the last supercross race of the year and that it's in Las Vegas every year. That should have been clue enough to us that we were in for it. And it's held true that every year the first weekend in May Supercross comes to Las Vegas and even a couple of times on our actual anniversary. And this year was no exception. Dave's company has suite tickets Sam Boyd Stadium, mainly for the football games, and with that come other events throughout the coming year, and it just so happens that's where the race is. Sometime in April they start calling to see if we know about the tickets or not and we usually get some but we don't even know that until the week of the race. This year we got all 6 tickets. We've gone a couple of times in years past, but with the girls ages, we've misses a few. So my family has gotten used to living the "suite" life and this year we took the girls and my dad, brother, and Alyson came too. We all had a great time.

Here we all are, Katelyn and her popcorn bag and all!!

To you, she may look bored and wanting to leave by sitting in the isle, but on the contrary, it's the only good place for her to see the motorcycles. We asked her to come back and sit by us all night long and that is where she remained. We expected security to say that she couldn't sit there, but they never did so she was quite happy.

It was never our intention to stay the whole time...until I took Kelsey to the bathroom before the last race, the main event and the real reason you go to the race. It was almost 10:00 and even though she had a nap driving out there, we didn't want them out till 11. I told her it was over and we were going to go home. And her response was this, "No, there's one more race, and I want to stay." She was so determined and her tone of voice was priceless, I couldn't help but laugh. And since Katelyn was still doing great (nothing a little popcorn and Mt. Dew couldn't cure) so we stayed. And they didn't even fall asleep on the drive home either. We'd like to think when May comes along that my family comes up to see us, but in fact it is for the race. I guess we're just an added bonus or something!! Or the grandkids are the bonus!! We love you guys and you are welcome to come up anytime you want.

Twilight trailer, again

Well, here is the official trailer for Twilight. For all of those planning to go see Speed Racer just to see the trailer for Twilight, now you don't have to. Girls night, here we come!!

Look what happens...

...when Kelsey has the camera. At least there are people in her pictures now. Before when she would run off with it, they would just be random shots of the couch, walls, really anything she looked at through the lens. I'd say she's getting better!!

Jesse and Alyson were in town for the weekend and since Alyson carries a camera around everywhere she goes, Kelsey picked up some tips from her.

She told Katelyn to smile and say cheese.

She told Katelyn to put the bracelet in her mouth. Such a good sport.

She even figured out how to turn the lens around and take a picture of herself.

The biggest bargain

While I was getting some shorts for Kelsey the other day I found this dress and thought it was so cute. And when I went to buy it, I was ecstatic to find it was $3. That's right, the tag showed it was $10 and I thought it was still cute enough to pay that but imagine my elation when I saw it was only $3!! I would have bought more if they had them.

Isn't she so cute? She loves it because she can twirl in it like Sleeping Beauty!!

My sweet, sweet girls!!

What's wrong with this picture?

The girls were outside riding their bikes the other day and here's what I came out to find.

And Kelsey said, "But I'm so cute on Katelyn's bike." Yes, she's cute, but what you couldn't see is Katelyn's feet don't even touch the ground while on Kelsey's bike!!

8 years down, many more to come

It's been forever, and it seems like it was yesterday. Well, not yesterday but not so long ago. I still think of us as the young newlyweds that embarked on our life together eight years ago. What a journey it's been so far and it's exciting to think of what is still to come. Two girls and eight years later it's hard to believe we've come this far. I wouldn't trade my life for anything and I wouldn't miss it for the world. I love you so much Dave and here's to the many more adventures that we have together. I took pictures of some since they weren't digital photos then.