Jensen Family

Red Rock Canyon

2012-02-02T08:02:00.000-07:00

A few Saturdays ago we decided to check out Red Rock Canyon, which is only a short drive from our home. We lucked out because it was free admission to the State Parks that day, yay! We drove through the canyon and did a short hike.

Izze-isms

2012-02-01T15:56:00.000-07:00

Izze is very protective of her toys, and Addie's toys. She struggles with sharing or not getting her way, hmmm sounds like she's two! Izze can't handle just having one Barbie, but needs a whole pile. She is sure to sniff out the Barbies at any one's house and hoard them all, beware! Izze loves her princesses, especially Belle, Rapunzel, Ariel, or Sleeping "Cutie" (as we call her in our house). Izze has a mind of her own and she is not afraid to show it, she is very hard to compromise with, it's her way or the highway. She is a total Mama's girl, she won't leave my side and prefers that I do everything for her. She comes up with some pretty funny sayings and can be as cute as ever when she wants to be, we love our little Izze and her crazy antics!

Izze loves to play behind this chair with all the dolls, most likely hiding from Addie.

I asked Izze to smile for this picture and this is the result, she really thinks she is smiling!

Mermaid Show

2012-01-31T15:37:00.001-07:00

At one of the hotels here they have an aquarium and on certain days there is a mermaid who swims around with the fish. The girls and I went to check it out one afternoon, the girls loved it and stayed the entire time she was in the tank.

Silly Sleepers

2012-01-26T15:28:00.000-07:00

The girls share a room now and when we moved we ditched Izze's crib for a big girl bed. Eventually we want to get bunk beds, but in the mean time their beds are just on the floor. Izze enjoys her new found freedom and often after she is put to bed she likes to get up and continue playing with her toys. She is rather quiet, most times, so we don't mind too much. One night before going to bed I checked on the girls to find them off their beds and asleep on the floor. Izze's position cracks me up, I wish I could have seen her just fall asleep as she was playing with all those toys!

Park Fun

2012-01-11T15:02:00.000-07:00

Never thought I would have that as a title in January! We have been frequent visitors of the parks these last few weeks. We have two nice parks within walking distance, Addie asks each day if we can go to the park. Addie has conquered swinging herself on the swings, yay! Izze just loves to run around and try everything Addie does, which is sometimes a little scary.

Viva Las Vegas

2012-01-10T14:52:00.000-07:00

We have relocated to Las Vegas! Andrew was offered a job here in December and we are excited for this new adventure in our family. It was a bit crazy to move during the holidays, but we made it work and are getting all settled in our new place. We are definitely enjoying the 60 degree weather too :)

We also went to the Coca-Cola store and took our picture with the Coke Bear, Izze was so afraid of it! It was so funny...

Merry Christmas

2011-12-31T16:54:00.001-07:00

We spent Christmas morning at my parents' house this year. It was a little bit of a crazy morning since we had 9:00 church, but we made it work. We woke Izze up to do Santa presents before church, bad idea! Santa brought both girls a doll, however Addie's was Cinderella and Izze's was a Fisher Price Little Mommy doll. Izze's first response was to cry and then throw a tantrum, super fun. The rest of the morning she spent trying to hide the Cinderella doll behind her so Addie wouldn't see it. Izze loves all things princess which is different from Addie when Addie was her age, something I need to remember!

Our family exchange, Addie had me!

Izze hiding Cinderella, hasn't even touched her Santa gift as you can see in background.

Izze still hiding Cinderella!

Just what Andrew has always wanted, a Princess brush :)

Addie colored me a picture, wrapped it herself, and was so excited to give it to me. Best present ever!

This pretty much sums up our Christmas morning. Both girls in tears, better luck next year...

Jammie Party and Cookies

2011-12-23T16:46:00.000-07:00

For Addie's Christmas party at preschool they were to wear their favorite pajamas and bring their favorite Christmas thing to share for show and tell. Since we were staying at my parents' house that week Addie was able to locate a snow globe which she loved and Target was able to provide us with some cute princess pajamas since I only packed old ones. Addie loved her party and has loved going to Miss Karie's preschool. We are going to miss it so much!

We went over to Grandma Jensen's house one day to make cookies. The girls loved it, Grandma Jensen is so nice to let the girls have free reign, very hard for me to do! Addie loved pouring the sprinkles on the cookies!

Christmas Windows

2011-12-20T16:37:00.001-07:00

We went downtown to see the Christmas windows at the Grand America Hotel with my sister's family and my Mom. The scavenger hunt was a lot of fun and the new toy shop was super cute.

This is in front of huge gingerbread house! There was tons of candy on there, so fun to see! Izze refused to be in the picture, not surprised at all by this.

Waiting for TRAX, Addie was against pictures at this point.

Such a successful picture day :)

Silly Girls

2011-12-18T16:29:00.001-07:00

One night while the girls and I were at my parents' house, Izze found Grandpa's glasses and thought it would be fun to wear them. Addie had to take a turn, of course, they thought it was so fun.

(This was late at night, hence the untamed hair!)

So Tired

2011-11-28T16:26:00.001-07:00

This is how we found Addie one night while she was sleeping. I thought it was hilarious and had to take a picture!

Snow Fun

2011-11-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

It snowed a little bit over the weekend and the girls were excited to dig out the gloves, hats, coats, etc to go play in it. They lasted about 15 minutes before Izze got bored of wearing all the gear and started taking off her gloves and hat.

More Birthday Fun

2011-11-18T14:48:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Andrew's birthday as well this month. He was lucky enough to take the day off and my sister was able to watch the girls so we could go to dinner and a movie. The girls were so excited to celebrate and help open the presents. Izze kept singing Happy Birthday all day.

Birthday Fun

2011-11-09T15:25:00.000-07:00

Addie has been counting down to her birthday since January! Sometime in the summer she requested going to St. George for her birthday instead of having a party. I was all for it, seemed a whole lot easier, I think she was smarter than she realized, however. We didn't just celebrate on her birthday, but all weekend long! Addie is so excited to be 5 and makes sure we all remember how old she is each day.

Addie has wanted to go golfing with Andrew for a while now (I think just to ride in the cart), so he said he would take her this trip. Well all the golf courses were full or too much money, so we opted to go miniature golfing instead. Addie even got a hole in one! We were so glad the Warner girls could join us too, good times :)

We did a little party with Maddie, Mia, Kalea, and Izze. We had pizza and cupcakes, then headed to Jumping Jacks where the girls bounced to their heart's content!

On Saturday I ran the Snow Canyon Half Marathon with Laura (it was oh so cold!). Then Addie ran in the kids' race, she has been dying to run in a race since the summer. She did so well and is proud to show off her medal!

Addie's actual birthday was on Sunday. She was so excited to see her presents. We had to drive home so we had her open a present in each town to make her birthday more exciting. Addie loved her impromptu doughnut cake when we got home. She loves being 5 and is already talking about her next birthday!

Halloween Festivities

2011-10-31T23:29:00.000-06:00

The past few days have been filled with Halloween parties, the girls have loved every minute of it! We started out the weekend by going to Frightmares at Lagoon one last time this season, then we went to our ward Halloween party, then to my sister's house for a family party, and Addie had her preschool party. We also took the girls trick or treating, but I left the camera in the car and wish now I hadn't been so lazy because I sure wish I had a picture of them going to the doors. Both girls would say "trick or treat" and "thank you". We haven't ever officially taken them trick or treating and they loved it! They lasted about an hour or so, but that was plenty of time to fill up their pumpkins with loads of candy!

It was so chilly at Lagoon but we still enjoyed going on our favorite rides one last time!

The girls chose to be Tinkerbell this year, Addie loved getting all dressed up and putting on glitter make-up! Izze liked getting dressed up the first time, but by the end I think she was beginning to wonder why I kept waking her up from her naps to be Tinkerbell.

Halloween Party with my family. Izze would not pose for a picture with Addie. All the cousins dressed up, we played some fun games and ate yummy food, of course!

Addie's preschool parade followed by the class singing some Halloween songs and reciting some poems.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-20T10:20:00.001-06:00

We went to a local pumpkin patch for Addie's preschool field trip a week ago. Izze has loved seeing all the pumpkins this year and other Halloween decorations. We went on a tractor ride, went through a corn maze, listened to Addie and her class recite poems and sing songs. At the end the girls picked out some small pumpkins to take home.

Frightmares

2011-10-17T10:18:00.000-06:00

We have gone to Frightmares a few times this season at Lagoon. The girls love all the Halloween decorations and the kids' haunted house and maze. We discovered a few times ago that Izze is tall enough to ride the Tidal Wave, Bombora, and Egg Drop. She loves all of these new rides and giggles/screams the entire time. We can't believe another Lagoon season is coming to an end, we sure have made good use of our passes this year.

St. George Marathon

2011-10-05T17:15:00.000-06:00

I did it, I actually ran 26.2 miles in 4 hours and 10 minutes. It is insane. And so exciting. Mostly insane, I think. Since May 7, 2011 it has been in the back of my mind and now that it is over, I just keep thinking "I can't believe it is over!" The training was hard, but I loved it and am grateful for the friends who were willing to run with me at odd times and long distances. I thought for sure I would run one and be done, but I have an inkling that I may do another marathon sometime in the future. It was such a great experience and one I will never forget. I am glad Andrew pushed me to do a marathon and that my friend Janell signed up for a marathon so that I would feel the pressure to sign up too!

Camping ... Finally!

2011-09-25T16:04:00.000-06:00

We finally were able to go camping for the third time this year! We went with some friends to Wasatch State Mountain Park. It was pouring rain when we arrived there, but we managed to set up the trailer with only minor leakage. It cleared up the next morning and we went down to the visitors center where the kids tried their hands at fishing. We also went to Cascade Springs, enjoyed the campfire, played at the campground, and ate yummy food, of course.

Fishing and playing on the playground at Visitor's Center

Campground fun = dancing on the table, digging in the dirt, and eating donuts

Izze posing for the camera

Cascade Springs

Throwing Rocks

2011-09-19T15:00:00.000-06:00

One Sunday evening we decided to head up the canyon to enjoy the cool air and throw some rocks in the river. The girls insisted on wearing their pajamas which was fine by me since it was close to bedtime. We all had fun throwing rocks in the river, it just never gets old :)

Lost Tooth ... Literally

2011-09-15T14:51:00.002-06:00

The other day Addie showed us that her bottom tooth was super loose, I couldn't believe it! In my mind she is still my little girl how could she possibly have a loose tooth? We told her to watch for it to fall out and keep it so the tooth fairy could visit her. The next day I realized she had lost her tooth and asked her where it was, she didn't even realize she had lost it! We figured she swallowed it, because we searched the house for it and couldn't find it anywhere. I told her to leave a note under her pillow and the tooth fairy would still visit her. Addie asked what the tooth fairy would bring, I said most likely a quarter, to which she replied "why"? I asked her what she thought the tooth fairy would bring and she said, "On 'Super Why' she brought a toothbrush and toothpaste", so I told her maybe that is what the tooth fairy will bring you too. The tooth fairy pulled through and left an Aerial toothbrush and princess toothpaste under her pillow. Addie was so excited and loves brushing her teeth. I still can't believe she has lost her first tooth!

Capitol Reef

2011-09-13T10:20:00.000-06:00

Over Labor Day weekend we had the Jensen family reunion at Capitol Reef National Park. We stayed in Torrey, a little town outside of the park. We ate yummy food, hiked, took a scenic drive, tried some geocaching, went swimming, and enjoyed spending time together.

Our car died at the gas station a mile from our house so the girls enjoyed donuts while Andrew figured out what was wrong. We finally made it to Torrey and enjoyed lunch at Slackers Burger Joint.

We went on the Hickman Bridge hike. After we enjoyed dinner at the park and Izze stood guard over the sodas!

After church on Sunday we went on a scenic drive through the park. Then we tried our hand at geocaching, which didn't go so well for some of us so we went swimming instead.

The cousins had fun coloring in the hall of the hotel. On our way out of town we hit Slackers one more time, yum!

Almost all of the Jensen Family. We had a such a fun time and can't wait for next year!

Random

2011-08-31T16:29:00.001-06:00

As the girls were eating breakfast the other day I looked over to see this:

Izze covered her head with the ads, so Addie joined in on the fun.

Izze loves to read the ads just like her parents.

Dinosaur Museum

2011-08-30T16:21:00.000-06:00

We decided on the last $2 Tuesday of the month to join the mass chaos at Thanksgiving Point and go to the Dinosaur Museum.

Waiting outside for our friends

Cheesy grins all around!

Hanging out in the cave

Both girls were unsure of the shark and Izze wouldn't turn around for the picture, too scared I suppose.

Newport Beach!

2011-08-28T16:48:00.000-06:00

Last week I loaded the girls up and we drove to Newport Beach to visit my sister and her family for a week. I wasn't sure the girls would last 11 hours straight in the car so we stopped in Primm at Buffalo Bill's to stay the night. I'm pretty sure we should have just kept driving because right as we walked in Addie said "what is that smell?" and I don't think I slept a wink! We continued on our journey the next morning and we were all glad to make it to our destination. We went to the beach, swam a lot, played at some parks, and just had fun spending time together. Andrew flew in to help us drive home, which I am grateful for, I'm not sure I could have stayed at Buffalo Bill's again!

The barn at Buffalo Bill's in Primm

Little Corona

Addie playing at the beach which she claims to not like...

Izze loving the sand

Carousel at Balboa Pier

We stopped in Vegas on way home. We walked part of the strip and the new thing is to dress up like characters and have people tip you to make money, I guess. Addie wanted a picture but only if Andrew was in it, ha ha. We saw all sorts of "characters" on the strip!

Silly Addie

2011-08-22T16:50:00.000-06:00

We had some car seats in our front room for a bit, don't really know why, and Addie loved playing with them. I thought it was cute she strapped in all her barbies and then herself...

Happy Birthday!

2011-07-31T21:51:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Izze's second birthday on Friday! I can't believe it has been two years already, she is growing up so fast. She says so many words and is stringing words together. She has quite the strong personality, but is still shy until she is comfortable in situations. We went to Lagoon for her birthday, Izze loves the rides and gets so excited to stand in line all by herself. When we ride Puff her arms shoot straight in the air as soon as the ride starts and remain there the entire time. We also went over to my sister's house in the afternoon so she could play with some of her cousins and have cupcakes. We took her to dinner at her favorite place, Chick-Fil-A, she loves playing on the slide. Addie was so nice to help her open all of her presents and play with them too!

Park Fun

2011-07-17T15:28:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago we went to a park we had never been to by the Jordan River. The girls had a great time and loved swinging, going down the slides, looking at ducks, and just being outside.

Camping ... Finally!!!

2011-07-10T16:03:00.000-06:00

We were finally able to take out the Flying Dutchmen this past weekend, we have been too busy and the weather has been too stormy before now. It still rained on us a little, but we survived and the tent trailer survived the winter with only a few minor repairs. We went to Wasatch Mountain State Park, just a few miles from the town of Midway.

We had fun hanging out at our campground.

We took a self-guided tour around the Huber Home in Midway.

We hiked to see an overlook of Heber Valley, the girls actually made it most of the way. Thanks goodness for cloud cover!

It sure warmed up in the afternoon and since we had a water spout in our campground, the girls decided to make the most of it ... several times. The cold water was very refreshing!

We decided to take advantage of having the town so close and chose to eat at Cafe Galleria one night. They specialize in wood-fired pizza, it was pretty tasty.

We were so close to Guardsman Pass so we drove from Midway to Park City one morning via the pass. It was very pretty! We saw a few snowmobiles that looked as though they had been ditched in the winter, they were in the strangest places and positions.

View from the top...

We completed our trip with a visit down memory lane for myself by eating at Dairy Keen in Heber. Growing up I would stop here with my friend and her family on the way to her cabin several weekends every summer. The food tastes the same and the train is the same, the restaurant has expanded a bit. We loved our camping trip and will definitely camp here again in the future.

4th of July Festivities

2011-07-05T13:28:00.000-06:00

We spent the 4th of July by going to the Murray Parade, where the girls loved collecting all the candy that was thrown at us. We then went to a BBQ at my parent's house, where we celebrated one of Addie's cousin's birthdays and ate some yummy food in the rain! We took a break for Izze's nap then headed over to Andrew's parent's house for another BBQ and some fireworks. Addie could hardly contain herself all day wondering when it was going to be firework time. She loved setting out the fireworks and playing with the sparklers. Izze was unsure of the whole thing and chose to sit on my lap most of the night, which was fine by me. As we were driving home we had another firework show as we watched all the aerial fireworks from lots of neighborhoods. Once we hit our neighborhood we could barely make it to our house for all of the fireworks in the streets, it sounded like a war zone out there.

At the parade, Izze still in shy mode

Ben and Addie

Addie playing in the pool at Grandma Jensen's house

Izze refusing to play in the pool

Our Family

Sparklers!

Family Reunion

2011-06-30T16:44:00.000-06:00

My family reunion was in Park City this last weekend. We stayed at Westgate Resort and had a blast, as usual. We went to the Olympic Park and watched the ski jumpers practice, rode the chairlift, hiked around a bit, and checked out the museum. We also did a lot of swimming, the boys went golfing, ate some yummy food, and we rode the Alpine Slide.

Some of the clan at Olympic Park

On chairlift to Alpine Slide

Park City

Izze learning how to golf

After reunion was over, some of us went to see Cars 2, this is Izze before the movie started, sure wish she had stayed this way throughout the whole movie!

Wasatch Back

2011-06-21T16:32:00.000-06:00

My sister's friend threw together a Ragnar team at the last minute, and I was lucky enough to be a part of it. I found out exactly a week before the race! It was an incredible experience and I loved every minute of it, well maybe not running up a canyon road for 7 miles, but close to every minute of it. The backside of the mountains are so pretty this year from all the rain and I enjoyed traversing terrain I haven't seen before even though I have lived here most of my life. I had so much fun getting know some fun new people and of course spending time with my sister!

Van 1 - Ben, Trisha, Cyndi, Zalia, Tamra, Anna

It was so cold in Logan at the start line, we were all freezing!

Line of vans on tough uphill run, so glad this was my sister's leg and not mine!

Going into Liberty and Eden

At Snowbasin

We love those Honey Buckets!

Team Name

All finished and waiting for van 2 to finish

Super Silly Sisters

2011-06-19T13:57:00.000-06:00

Here are some random pictures of Addie and Izze being silly or just being themselves ...

Addie dressing up and ...

showing off!

This is how I found Izze eating her lunch one day,

and because it was so funny Addie joined in on the fun.

I banished Addie to play in her room one afternoon and this is how I found her.

The girls and I went to Lagoon one afternoon, they both love this ride.

Izze's first time on the bumper cars and every time Addie ran into another car, Izze would just laugh and laugh.

There was no line so we ended with a boat ride.

It's What Fun Is ... Again!

2011-06-05T07:00:00.000-06:00

We had so much fun at Lagoon last year, we decided to get season passports again this year! We surprised Addie and when we drove into the parking lot she was so excited and didn't stop talking until she went to bed that night. Izze was equally excited and does not like to wait in line, but loves every ride. It was a cloudy, cold day but we made the most of it, we had a few hours before it started raining.

Girls patiently waiting in line

Helicopter Ride

Airplane Ride

Izze with the "All Day" mug

Addie on Flying Aces, she loves this ride!

U2 Concert

2011-05-31T15:02:00.001-06:00

Last week I was lucky enough to join in with some of my siblings and go to the U2 360 degree concert! I haven't been to a concert since college and I was super excited. This concert, however, surpassed anything I have ever been too, it was incredible and I loved every minute of it!

Promotion

2011-05-26T14:47:00.000-06:00

Addie had her preschool promotion earlier this week, I can't believe she has completed a year of preschool! It was fun to see her sing the songs and recite a poem. We are so glad her friend Oliver was in her class along with all the new friends she made. All of the kids were sitting on the floor in a circle eating their refreshments, I asked Addie if she wanted to sit on a chair by me, she quickly said she wanted to sit by her friends. It was cute and sad all at the same time, she is growing up so fast! For her last day of preschool they had a carnival, I forgot my camera :( It was fun to watch her interact with her friends, and she was able to show off some of her tumbling skills.

Izze wanted to be in every picture.

I wanted a picture by the red door since that is where I took her first day of school picture, but it was cold and raining outside so I took it inside; clearly I have no photographic skills.

Addie on the back row looking all cool and stuff

Ms. Karie and Addie

It is blurry, but this is the friend circle.

Addie and Oliver

Birthday Trip

2011-05-18T15:13:00.000-06:00

A few months ago I started hinting to Andrew that a trip to Disneyland would be so fun for my birthday...and it was so fun!!! We lucked out by staying at my sister's house and getting discount park hopper tickets from a lady at Andrew's work. The weather was great, the drive was long, the girls loved most of the trip, and I wish we were still there :)

We stopped in Vegas for dinner at Raising Cane's, Izze piled all of this food onto her napkin to eat.

We went to Ruby's Diner for my birthday lunch, so yummy and fun! They even sang to me and gave me a hat to wear.

Walking down the pier back to the beach

Addie and her cousin at Newport Beach

Playing in the waves and sand

Oh I love this place :)

Izze loved the carousel at California Adventure, she could not get enough of it.

Disneyland on my birthday, yay!!! We didn't take many pictures this day, too much fun.

We stayed to see Color of Wonder only to have it stop working after 2 minutes :(, so bummed. Addie fell asleep on Andrew's shoulder as we were walking back to the car.

Izze was wide awake and yelling most of the walk back to the car, then fell instantly asleep.

Izze wanted nothing to do with the water, which was fine by me, she loved playing in the sand and sitting on the towels.

Addie loved the beach until it was time to go and she had to be cleaned up, her current opinion of the beach is that she never wants to go back, oh that will just have to change!

Addie and Izze loved playing with their cousins and having freedom to play outside whenever they wanted to since the weather was so pleasant. We had such a fun trip, I'm already trying to figure out when we can go back!!!

Funny Girls

2011-05-02T16:19:00.000-06:00

Izze loves wearing these shoes around the house, she walks better in them than me!

Reading books in the morning!

Addie loves to dress up all the time.

Thanksgiving Point

2011-04-30T16:20:00.000-06:00

My friend Jen and I ran the Thanksgiving Point Half Marathon in the snow! When we signed up in January we thought for sure the end of April would mean springish weather and at least dry ground, boy were we wrong. I don't have any pictures before the race and most of the snow melted by the time we were finished. It was super chilly, but I'm glad I did it and glad to be done :)

Spring Break & Easter

2011-04-26T14:22:00.000-06:00

Last week Addie only had preschool on Tuesday, so we took advantage of the extra days and headed south to find the sun. We found it sure enough and enjoyed six whole days of warmth before heading back to the frozen tundra. We had so much fun seeing our friends and hanging out with family too. Addie was super excited to see Maddie and play with her lots. We kept busy and the days flew by, a bit too fast in my opinion.

We had fun going to splash park with some friends and playing in the water.

Izze loved the freedom of running in the water and away from me!

Four-wheeling at Addie's cousins' house, good times.

Izze thought she was so cool!

A chilly morning right before the Easter Egg Hunt.

Izze was too concerned with the candy to ever look at the camera and smile. I think she ate all her candy before we left.

Another Easter egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Coloring eggs

Easter morning, Addie loved hunting for her basket and was so excited to get a Barbie, lip stuff, and nail polish.

Izze didn't care about her stacking blocks, only the candy and Addie's Barbie.

All dressed up!

I can't believe how grown up Addie is getting, ahhh!

Goblin Valley

2011-04-18T15:47:00.000-06:00

We were lucky enough to go camping last weekend with some good friends and the weather was perfect! The girls absolutely loved running around and playing in the dirt and rocks. Goblin Valley is very kid-friendly in my opinion which made the trip so enjoyable. We wandered around the goblin rocks, went on a hike, sat around the campfire, ate yummy food, and basked in the sun. It was a fun weekend, so glad we could escape for a few days!

Izze loved climbing on all the rocks, she wanted to be just like the big kids.

Addie's new favorite pose

A rare smile for the camera

Hanging out at Goblin Valley

The girls loved playing in the rocks

Addie was so tuckered out on the hike, this was only halfway back, there was no chance for a smile.

At the campsite, the girls loved sitting under the rocks.

Playing with water

Playing with dirt, oh there was dirt everywhere on this trip!

Family picture-Izze did not want to be held, she wanted to be on the move.

Dry Spell

2011-04-04T09:23:00.000-06:00

No I am not talking about the weather, sure wish I was! I have nothing to post about we haven't been doing anything, at least to take pictures of to share. The weather teased us with a few nice days, but now the snow is back and it feels like January again, talk about depressing. Oh well, I did find a few pictures that make me laugh of Addie and Izze. Maybe we'll have more to post about another day :)

St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-22T16:00:00.000-06:00

Addie and I made green cupcakes on St. Patrick's Day for fun. I really have no skills in making cute cupcakes, but Addie thought it was cool to turn the batter green and they tasted yummy! Addie also made a clover hat in preschool and a leprechaun left some candy on the stairs at her preschool, which she thought was pretty awesome and in turn wondered why the leprechaun didn't visit our house. I told her he got busy but will most likely visit us next year, who knew leprechaun's left candy, I will be more prepared next year for sure. That was about the extent of our holiday celebrations besides wearing green!

Disney on Ice

2011-03-15T16:43:00.000-06:00

Addie was lucky to be able to go to Disney on Ice again, this time with her two Grandmas. I think she was in heaven the whole night; she wore her princess dress which I denied her last time, she had the full attention of both Grandmas and her Mom, and she was able to see almost all of the princesses. We had such a good time and Addie was so worn out by the end, she fell asleep before we were halfway home. (I only got a few pictures while sitting down, I am so mad that I didn't take more pictures, oh well there's always next time :) ).

Zoo Day

2011-03-12T16:35:00.000-07:00

Our zoo pass expired at the end of February so we decided to go one last time even though it was chilly and it had recently snowed. Addie's cousin, Ben, joined us and we enjoyed walking around seeing the animals. A lot of the animals were inside because of the weather, so that was a bit of a bust. We ate lunch by the tiger area and watched the tiger pace back and forth behind the window. When we were frozen we went inside the "stinky building" to check out the spiders, snakes, crocodiles, etc. We ended by the gorillas who were also inside, one was sitting right by the window and Addie asked why he wasn't thumping his chest. I only snapped a few photos and all in the same spot! We sure have loved our pass and once half of the zoo isn't under construction hopefully we will go back.

Reading Books

2011-03-01T16:55:00.000-07:00

Addie and Izze love to read books, I often find them in Addie's room with books scattered everywhere. The other night I went in to put them to bed and found both of them on Addie's bed reading books together. Izze often lays on Addie's bed at night time thinking I won't banish her to her crib, ha ha, not happening anytime soon.

Valentine's Day

2011-02-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

Andrew was lucky enough to get Valentine's Day off this year, which was random but we were happy to have him home. We decided to head to the zoo before our pass expires. The girls were very excited to be outside, even if it was a little chilly. The monkeys were going crazy in their cages, howling and making all sorts of loud noises. After spending a few hours at the zoo we went to lunch at The Pie, so yummy! Too bad I didn't think to take any pictures there, it was a fun atmosphere.

Pink Eye

2011-02-22T14:24:00.000-07:00

Addie contracted pink eye a few weekends ago :( I was so bummed because that meant we were home bound and I had a whole day of fun planned out in my head which was all canceled when she woke up with one eye swollen shut. We made the best of it, however, by bringing out the dress up clothes. Izze loves to dress up now too, which is fun. She was wearing a dance leotard at one point, but I didn't get a picture, I'm sure there will be a next time though.

Cheese!

2011-02-05T14:25:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when we tell Addie and Izze to say "cheese" for a picture they actually listen! We were so excited they listened that we gave them more cheese in the form of Cheetos. Izze was so excited to eat Cheetos (I do believe this is her first experience), she devoured them and it shows. A few days later I pulled out the Cheetos bag for lunch and Izze was so excited I couldn't put the Cheetos on her plate fast enough.

18 months & counting

2011-02-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

Izze is now 18 months, although some days I wonder if she is already in her terrible twos! She definitely has a mind of her own, she shakes her head no and squints her eyes if she doesn't want something. If she is thirsty she knows to stand by the refrigerator and say "unh unh" (I have no idea how to spell what I am trying to say) until I get her a drink. Izze loves to do whatever Addie is doing and follows her every move, sometimes it's nice sometimes it's not so nice. She loves her blankets and loves to snuggle when she wakes up from her nap. Izze loves to brush her teeth and talk really loud. She is not a fan of nursery so far :( and is sure to be my little shadow most of the day. We love our little Izze, you make us laugh!

Some Sun

2011-01-31T10:07:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to go to St. George a week or so ago to see the sun! The minute Addie heard we were going she was so excited to see Maddie, of course, and to go swimming. I tried to explain to her that it wasn't that warm yet, but she was adamant to bring her swimming suits (yep both of them). Luckily Andrew was kind enough to take Addie and Izze swimming at an indoor pool and they were in heaven.

We also had fun hanging out with our friends, the Warner's, we always manage to have a good time! All the girls played so well together and we even managed to get a few pictures with all of them.

As we were driving home on Sunday Andrew said "bye St. George" which got Addie's attention who in turn said, "no I don't want to go home, take me back to St. George", to which we sort of giggled, and then she said "I'm serious, take me back to St. George".

Silly Girls

2011-01-25T16:50:00.000-07:00

Izze loves to take a bath, mostly so she can splash water and torture Addie. The other day I ran the water but didn't want to put Izze in the tub until I had finished something in the other room (Izze likes to lay on her stomach in the tub, worries me a bit), well I came back in to find Izze had climbed into the tub pajamas and all! She was so proud of herself and I couldn't help but laugh and grab the camera, of course.

The girls love to play together and they do pretty well especially in the mornings after a good night's rest. I came into the room to find them with all of their baby dolls and animals all snuggled on the bed waiting to watch a movie.

Winter Blues

2011-01-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

How do you spend your winter days? Here's a look into what we do to pass away the time until we can head outdoors again without freezing to death...

Play peek-a-boo with beanie hats

Where is Addie?

There she is...

Izze loves to do anything Addie does, she follows her every move.

Silly Girls

Baked some mini brownies, turned out hard as a rock, my bad! Luckily my new brownie pan worked so it wasn't a total loss.

Addie loves to line up all her dolls on the stairs, it must have been a cold day because she found blankets for each one of them. Wait who am I kidding, of course it was a cold day!

Snow Angels

2011-01-03T15:01:00.000-07:00

Since the big snow storm last week Addie has been begging to go outside and make snow angels. Every day I have come up with some excuse, but then starting feeling guilty, so we bundled up and off we went to make snow angels in 15 degree weather! Addie loved every minute of it and I thought it was pretty fun too, surprisingly. I thought she would give up after 10 maybe 15 minutes because it was so cold, but she was out there for a good hour! Andrew and I tag teamed it, because it was so cold and I am a whimp :) Izze kept looking out the window and finally got her chance to join us, I think we are made of the same blood because she grabbed my hand and led me to the door not long after she came outside.

Downtown Fun

2010-12-30T14:07:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week (before all the snow made us home bound) we ventured downtown to see the decorated Christmas windows at the Grand America Hotel. Addie was so excited to be able to see her cousins, she keeps asking why she hasn't had school--still trying to comprehend the whole Christmas break thing. We had fun riding trax, checking out the windows, shopping at the Gateway, and lunch.

Christmas Day

2010-12-27T14:36:00.000-07:00

We had a fun Christmas Day together as a family and then we went over to spend the afternoon with Andrew's family. The girls loved their presents and we loved watching them open all of them. The favorites would be the Barbie guitar and Princess piano, it has turned into a regular dance party/music fest at our house. We are so grateful for this wonderful time of year and all of our family and friends, we hope you had a very Merry Christmas as well.

Izze attempting to talk on the phone.

Addie has loved drawing on this chalkboard/white board. I had no idea the things she has learned to draw, so fun to see all of the various pictures.

This is the infamous pretend elephant, Addie was so excited!

Let the music fest begin...

This is how we found Addie after church, somewhere she ditched her skirt and shoes and felt inclined to jam out before changing the rest of her clothes!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-27T14:24:00.000-07:00

On Christmas Eve we went to Chick-a-lay (Addie's pronunciation) for lunch. The cow was dressed up outside as Santa and Addie wanted to go say hi, so I figured we should take a picture too.

We spent the day with Andrew's family and then came home to open our family exchange presents and pajamas, then put out cookies and a brewsky for Santa.

Cabela's Santa

2010-12-23T14:17:00.000-07:00

The Saturday before Christmas we met our friends at Cabela's so the girls could visit Santa and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. We got there early and only had to stand in line for a little bit, such the way to go! Before Addie sat on Santa's lap I asked her what she was going to ask Santa for, mostly to make sure she understood what was about to happen and to make sure she would say something instead of just sitting there. I don't remember what she told me, but it doesn't matter because after she spoke with Santa she told me she asked for a "pretend elephant". I have no idea where this idea came from, but for the next week all she told us and those who asked is that Santa was bringing her a pretend elephant. In case you are wondering there are not that many pretend elephants hanging around at Christmas time, lots of puppies, monkeys, bears but no elephants. Luckily Santa was able to pull through with a pretend elephant on Christmas morning, and thank goodness because that is the first thing Addie asked for when she woke up that day. On a side note, Izze would have nothing to do with Santa, she clung to my jacket and would go no where near him, it was hilarious!

This is one huge camping chair! The girls thought it was so fun to sit in :)

So Random...

2010-12-22T15:41:00.000-07:00

These are some random pictures from the month...

This is Addie's new way to ride in cart! You can't see but Izze has been introduced to Target popcorn and she loves it!

This is a daily occurrence, Addie and Izze love to fill up their strollers with the food from the pantry and spread it all over the front room. So fun.

This is our tree, Izze has managed to break a few ornaments and dismantle the bottom half of the tree. I quit putting it back together weeks ago, hence the pile of ornaments in middle part of the tree.

Hide and Seek, Addie's new favorite game.

Andrew was hiding in the bathroom with the camera and caught Addie by surprise!

Just killin' time before church, so excited to have 9:00 church next year.

Christmas Lights

2010-12-20T15:37:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to see the lights at Temple Square, luckily we chose a pretty mild weather night. We went with our friends and took a quick tour so the husbands and eldest children could rush off to the Jazz game. Izze had the same expression the entire time and Addie loved seeing all the lights, but was most excited for her churro at the game.

Jazz Man

2010-12-14T10:50:00.000-07:00

Last week Andrew was called into his boss' office, not to be fired, but to be offered an all day pass to the ESA to watch the Jazz practice, shoot some hoops, and eat a lot of food! He was so excited and could hardly wait, I think he was most excited to miss a day of work :)

Six Years ...

2010-12-09T16:27:00.000-07:00

Six years ago while we were freezing our buns off in Logan we invited our friends, the Harr's, over to make gingerbread houses. Six years later we are still freezing our buns off in Salt Lake and we invited our friends, the Harr's, over to make gingerbread houses. There are many similarities between the houses of six years agoand now, which I found amusing...

Same design with a little scraps of graham crackers on top instead of whole crackers and my wheat chex shingles, of course :)

Jason's are always structurally clean and neat.

Always a silly face, this one actually looks like a house, but still has globs of candy on it.

We didn't get a picture of just Cookie and her house, but you can see it has the same shape!

With four girls between us we didn't have oodles of time to landscape and decorate, it was pretty much just get it done and hope it stays together! The fourth house in the back is Addie's, she loved putting all the candy on it and eating the candy too, of course.

Snow Nuts

2010-11-23T14:19:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning we woke up to a winter wonderland! The girls were so excited, Andrew and I not so much. Addie was so excited to help Andrew shovel, I opted to stay inside with Izze. Izze had other plans, however, she would stand at the window and point, then walk to the door and try to open it. I couldn't resist and so dug through the shoe box to find some boots for her (just 2 sizes too big), put on her coat, hat, and we ventured outside. Izze was so excited and even managed to walk pretty well in the boots, Addie couldn't wait to play with her in the snow. It was fun to see all the snow, now we wish it was melted and summer again :)

Thunderbirds

2010-11-18T14:12:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to St. George where we were reminded of the wonderful weather down there! Our main purpose in going was for the Thunderbird Air Show in Vegas on Saturday. We had such a fun time and we were glad part of my family was also able to meet us there. The weather was perfect and on Sunday reality hit when we drove home in snow :(

We were also lucky enough to visit our friends, the Warners, yay! The girls had so much fun playing together. And they even treated us to a sno cone in November, yummy!

Disney on Ice

2010-11-18T13:49:00.000-07:00

This year for Addie's birthday present Andrew bought Addie and me tickets to Disney on Ice. Addie was so excited when she saw the tickets because she thought we were going to Disneyland again, we had a little explaining to do. We were lucky enough to be on the second row! A nice lady in front of us gave Addie the

cool Tinkerbell twirling toy, Addie was so excited when she realized she could keep it!

The Fate of the Cake

2010-11-18T13:40:00.000-07:00

We loved Addie's birthday cake so much that I didn't want to cut into it. My parents were coming over a few nights after the party and I wanted them to see the cake. The morning before they were coming, I came downstairs to see Izze on top of the table with a big chunk out of the cake! She had scooted the chairs to the table (they were not by the table because she likes to climb on the table) and climbed up on the table. She was so proud of herself, I could only be slightly mad.

Dead Horse Point

2010-11-15T15:42:00.000-07:00

For Addie's birthday weekend we decided to take out the Flying Dutchmen one last time this year. Addie was excited to celebrate her birthday camping, she loves it! We knew we had to go further south so we didn't freeze, so we headed to Moab. We actually camped at Dead Horse Point State Park where we enjoyed electrical hook-ups, luckily so we could use our heater, it was a bit chilly at night.
We let Addie choose where to eat for lunch and she thought the Moab Diner looked like fun. The food was okay, the ice cream cones were huge, and Izze was a complete mess by the end.

Addie loved blowing her candles out in the tent trailer and eating our cupcakes. She thought it was fun to open her presents outside on the rock too.

We went to Arches the next day where we drove around and took short hikes to the arches. We really wanted to hike to the Delicate Arch, but both girls were up half of the night and were tired so we opted for the view hike instead of getting super close. The weather was perfect and we had a lot of fun.

One of Addie's presents was nail polish and she loves to paint her nails all by herself. I figured it was harmless outside on a rock. She loved every minute of it and I was impressed with her skills :)

See ya next year Flying Dutchmen!

Special Agents

2010-11-10T09:10:00.000-07:00

For Addie's party this year we did a special agent theme. Since party planning has never been my forte, my sister was kind enough to help me out :) She did the invitations, thought of the games, and helped me execute the party. I also have no cake decorating skills. Lucky for me I have been blessed to have cake-making friends. This year Addie's cake was made by my friend Janell. We absolutely loved it! There is so much detail and the little figurine looks just like Addie, so fun!

We made decoder watches/bracelets, went on a treasure hunt, pinned the nose on the mystery face, played "special special agent" (duck duck goose), and had some special agent snacks. We are so glad her friends could come over for a fun time!

Happy Birthday!

2010-11-06T06:01:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to my silly 4 year old!!!

A Witch, An Elephant, and a few Things

2010-11-01T10:50:00.000-06:00

Addie's preschool parade ... I was trying to film, capture pictures, and keep Izze from running into the street, something had to suffer and it was the photos.

This is the best picture I could capture of her at preschool, we need to work on posing on command!

We went with our friends, the Harr's, to their ward's trunk or treat. It was raining so hard they held it inside. They went treating around to the different classrooms, it was fun!

Addie did not want to smile, she wanted to get some candy!

We had a spooky dinner/Halloween party at my sister's house on Halloween. We ate some yummy food and played some fun games and of course dressed up in our costumes.

Izze, the Elephant


Addie, the Pinkalicious Witch

My friend and I ran the Halloween Half Marathon in Provo on Saturday morning. It was such a fun run! I cut six minutes off my previous record, I was so excited! There were some crazy costumes, this is sure to be a tradition!

Anna, Thing 1

Gardner Village

2010-10-28T10:00:00.000-06:00

We had a lot of fun visiting Gardner Village this past month. We were lucky enough to go with Ben, then Oliver and Ruby, then Olivia and Mya! Izze loved the witches and would point at them and would say "ooo", it was cute. Addie's favorite witch ended up being the one in the outhouse going potty, she thought it was so funny. It was also fun to stop at the candy store and pick out a little treat.

Cornbellys

2010-10-27T14:59:00.000-06:00

Last week the girls and I met up with my friends, Jen and Heather and their boys at Cornbellys by Thanksgiving Point. There were so many activities for the kids! Addie loved every minute of it and cried her eyes out when I told her it was time to leave after four hours! Izze was a trooper and by the end did not want to be in her stroller, but running around with the big kids.

Frightmares!

2010-10-25T15:49:00.000-06:00

We have enjoyed our season passes to Lagoon so much this year. The weather has been perfect for Frightmares this year too. Izze is now big enough to ride some of the rides, she absolutely loves them and hates waiting in line! She is all smiles and squirmy waiting for the ride to start and once it starts she sits back and holds on with a big smile on her face and a few laughs. Addie is a pro at getting herself on the ride, buckling herself in, and taking care of Izze on the ride. Her favorite ride is the Tidal Wave, where she screams as loud as she can and lifts her arms way up in the air. I think her record is five times in a row! We sure will miss going to Lagoon during the off season, what will we do on the weekends??? I guess just sit in our house and freeze, oh blah.

Fall Fun

2010-10-19T15:43:00.000-06:00

We have been enjoying the fall season here so much. We frequently go on drives in the canyons to see the changing colors of the leaves. We have found Little Cottonwood Canyon to have the best variety and vibrant color. We hiked part of Bell's Canyon the other night and loved it! What a beautiful time of year, too bad old man winter has to follow it.

Silly Girls

2010-10-06T15:36:00.000-06:00

This is how I found Addie and Izze the other day ... Izze climbed up on the toilet herself and managed to swipe the toilet paper-she loves unrolling it! Addie found some make-up and decided to apply it herself, it is very faint in this picture. When she was done her eyebrows were dark blue and Izze's were too, I had to use makeup remover to get it off, no joke.

Heritage Park

2010-10-01T09:28:00.000-06:00

We went to Heritage Park last week with our friends and had such a fun time! We were able to walk around with the lambs and even pet them, well Addie did. The girls played in a cute little town just their size. Addie and Olivia got a shave, too funny. We rode the train and panned for gold in exchange for some taffy at the bank. Addie and Olivia were also able to ride a horse, what fun! We will definitely have to go back again for more fun.

Giddy Up

2010-09-27T20:39:00.000-06:00

Addie was so lucky to go to her friend Oliver's grandparents' house and ride a horse last week after preschool. She had no fear whatsoever and couldn't wait to go for a ride! Izze had fun running around, she wanted nothing to do with such a big animal. I wasn't quite as brave as Addie, so I opted for the photo shot with Izze crying and a quick walk around the lawn. We had such a fun afternoon playing games, jumping on the trampoline, and climbing trees. No wonder Addie cried when I told her it was time to go home and she keeps asking when we get to go back!

Fall Fun

2010-09-23T16:50:00.000-06:00

I must admit that I am enjoying the fall weather! It is so pleasant here with the cool mornings, warm days, cool nights - I'm so afraid of the day when it will end. We have been keeping super busy these days with canyon outings, Addie starting preschool (which she loves), Izze walking and getting into everything, a trip to Discovery Gateway, mother/daughter luau at church, a princess party, and playing at the park!

California!!!

2010-09-14T14:24:00.000-06:00

We just got back from our super fun trip to California! We had such a fun time and wish we could still be there. We stayed in Newport Beach and went to Disneyland one day, Addie continues to ask when we are going again :) I have so many pictures that I find it will be easier to show what we did then tell it...
We went swimming in our hotel pool once, it was a bit chilly!

We walked around the hotel grounds, complete with a golf course, volleyball sandpit, ping pong tables, and shuffleboard. We were never bored :)

We went to the beach several times, Izze didn't love the water, but loved the sand. Addie loved the water and sand. I loved watching the waves and Andrew loved jumping into the waves.

We ate at Ruby's Diner on the pier at Newport Beach. It was so fun to sit there and watch the ocean while waiting for our food.

We also enjoyed walking along the pier and watching all the fishermen. Did I mention Izze is walking now??? Yep, she started a few weeks ago and is getting better each day!

We also went to Disneyland for a day. Addie loved it, Izze loved it, I loved it, and I think Andrew just tolerated it :) I thought Addie would be all for the rides since she loves Lagoon, but she was more about seeing Sleeping "Cutie" (this is what she calls Sleeping Beauty) and all the other princesses. We started the day with the traditional picture...

I was surprised at how many rides Izze could go on, her favorite one was the merry-go-round, of course.

Addie loved the parade and was excited to be able to dance in it too! We enjoyed it so much we watched it twice :)

I thought all of the princesses would be in the parade, they were not. Addie was very distraught that she had not seen her princesses by late afternoon. We went on a princess search and after a princess show and waiting in line for princess photos we were able to see all of the princesses, except Jasmine. (Luckily Jasmine was in the Fantasmic show later that night.)

Izze was just content to be able to get her hands on some merchandise!

We had a lot of fun at Disneyland and I personally can't wait to go again!

This was Izze trying to wake up the whole hotel on our final morning. She was talking so loud and wandering around aimlessly, it was hilarious.

Labor Day

2010-09-13T14:40:00.000-06:00

We went camping over Labor Day weekend with some friends and had a grand time. The weather was much more cooperative this time, cool in the mornings and warm days. We kept ourselves busy throwing rocks in the nearby river, driving into town - if you can call it that -, driving some dirt trails to find a lake, eating lunch in some random cafe in Duchense, and reading books. Andrew and I even managed to play a card game!

Silver Lake

2010-09-13T11:47:00.000-06:00

We drove up to Silver Lake with some friends to do a little hike and walk around the lake. As we were approaching the turnoff, there was a huge moose in the road! I told Addie to check it out and for the remainder of the hike she kept asking where the moose was, it was so crazy to see one so close. Addie loved running around the lake and Izze enjoyed the ride in the backpack. We stopped at one point to take some pictures. Izze had to get out and be like the big kids checking out the ducks swimming in the lake.

Smith and Morehouse

2010-09-13T11:38:00.000-06:00

A few weekends ago we took out the Flying Dutchmen once again to Smith and Morehouse. We had booked our campsite a few weeks prior, so how were we to know of the crazy thunderstorm/rainstorm we would experience. I guess we should have thought twice since it was raining when we left and only got worse the closer we got to the campground. Luckily Andrew's Mom joined us and came prepared with ponchos and umbrellas! Once the trailer was all set up we transferred the girls and gear inside only to realize our tinfoil dinners would have to wait until the next day. During the night it continued to rain and then came the lightening and thunder, oh my, I thought we were going to get struck for sure! It was so loud and so close to us and then the rain poured down even harder. Addie and Izze slept through the entire storm, surprisingly! Saturday was much better, it was cool, but at least it was clear except for a small thunderstorm during breakfast. The cooler weather foiled our plans to go on the lake in our raft, we opted to walk around it instead and throw rocks in the water. We had a good time and enjoyed the cooler weather. Just for the record our tent trailer does not leak, phew, that is one thing we were uncertain of before this trip.

Splash Park

2010-09-03T15:33:00.000-06:00

It is the end of August, basically the end of summer as we know it up here, and we made it to a splash park for the first time this summer. How sad. If we were still in St. George, I think it would have been our 100th time, oh well. Addie loved it, but kept complaining that she was cold - not quite the same without the southern heat. Izze had the time of her life splashing in the water and spraying other unsuspecting kids with the water. Addie and Izze were both glad to have their friends Oliver and Ruby there to run around and splash in the water with them.

Fun Run & Some Sun

2010-08-31T14:31:00.000-06:00

A few weekends ago our stake did a fun run for adults and kids. Addie loved running in the kids' race, so much in fact she did it twice! I think she just wanted two Popsicles :)

Later that day we went to Lagoon A Beach, we thought we should at least try it out this summer with our passes. Izze loved riding in the tube on the lazy river and Addie loved going down the kid slides. It sure fills up with a lot of people by the afternoon so we opted to go ride some regular rides too. We sure have loved our season passes and are excited they last until the end of October.

Sticky Mess

2010-08-27T09:56:00.000-06:00

This morning I gave Izze a waffle with plenty of syrup for breakfast. She proceeded to throw the nicely cut up bites onto the floor, aargh. I wasn't ready to get her down yet so I gave her some fruit loops to distract her. I didn't realize she had bathed herself in the syrup and I turned around to find a fruit loop stuck to the side of her eye. I couldn't stop laughing, because she kept trying to get it off but she was so sticky it didn't work.

Ridin' Bikes & Takin' Hikes

2010-08-23T10:25:00.000-06:00

In the past couple of weeks Addie has enjoyed riding her bike any chance she can get it. We have enjoyed going to the parkway with some friends and Addie is getting a little faster each time. She is getting better at finding her strength to pedal up the hills and she has even managed to ride with no hands for a few seconds. Addie loves to wear her helmet, even into stores :), and she always asks if she can ride her bike in the store.

We have also enjoyed some time up in the Big Cottonwood Canyon. Last week we went with some friends and lots of little kiddos to hike Donut Falls. It was so pretty and Addie did the entire hike herself with only one little meltdown. It sure is pretty up there and we hope to get up there again soon!

The Climber

2010-08-10T11:26:00.000-06:00

For the past month or so Izze has taken to climbing on top of things, either to conquer it or just to sit there. I have tried to capture each one with a picture, but some I just didn't dare leave her to get the camera :) Izze has also managed to fall in the tub, clothes and all, it rather scared her for it hasn't happened again.

I also took a video of her sitting on the tote, it is well worth the watch for the last second, too funny!

And this video is of her dancing to "Hairspray" and doing her shimmy shakes as we like to call them.

St. George or Bust

2010-08-02T10:14:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we went to St. George to meet up with some of Andrew's family to celebrate the July birthdays. We were able to meet up with our good friends, the Warner's, and of course sweet Laura did a birthday celebration for Izze - thanks again :) We had so much fun hanging out and watching the kids play.

On Saturday we went to the city pool with Andrew's family for some fun in the sun. Addie loved playing with her cousins and jumping off the side of the pool, she was even brave enough to ditch the life jacket, yay! Izze loved being in her floaty and splashing in the water as well. That night we celebrated Kai's birthday and Izze's birthday with cake, presents, and good times. On Sunday we celebrated Katie's birthday and then sadly we drove back home :( We sure do miss St. George, but I'm sure we'll visit again soon enough.

Twelve Months Old

2010-07-29T21:49:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to our little Izze!!! We can't believe it has been a year since you were born in sunny St. George. Izze loves to climb on everything these days, she loves to be the center of attention, she loves to play with anything but toys, she is starting to walk along things and standing on her own for a few seconds. Izze also loves to eat food and drink water from her sippy cup. Izze loves to entertain us with her silly ways :)

July 24th Fun

2010-07-27T09:25:00.000-06:00

We met up with some of Andrew's family for a BBQ in Provo Canyon last weekend. The kids had fun playing in the river, while Andrew and Jed cooked up some hamburgers with plastic forks! It was nice to be in the mountains with some cooler air. Afterward we headed back to Jed's house for

some fun and fireworks.

On Pioneer Day our ward had a breakfast and then a kid's parade. Addie loved riding her bike in the parade and around the parking lot, she thought she was so cool. Izze enjoyed it from her stroller, as usual :)

Dressing Up is Fun to Do

2010-07-23T12:04:00.000-06:00

Recently Addie was the recipient of some stellar dress-up clothes and she was so excited she tried them all on in the course of an hour. I decided to take pictures half-way through so I don't have all of the fun outfits. And since my child will not smile when I ask her to, there are some fun shots of her posing in her own way.

Later that day this is how I discovered Addie when the house became strangely silent for longer than I thought safe. She is asleep in this picture, I thought it was hilarious.

Flying Dutchmen

2010-07-19T07:56:00.000-06:00

For my birthday this year Andrew surprised me with a tent trailer! We were finally able to take it out last weekend with our friends, the Harr's. We went up to Logan Canyon and found a spot after much searching, luckily it is a pretty canyon since we drove through it several times :) Izze slept better in the trailer then at home and Addie only fell off the bed once!

On Saturday we went to Bear Lake to play in the water and for a famous raspberry shake, of course. The lake was higher this year so the sand was really more like mud and the water was freezing! It made us miss the red sand and warm water of Sand Hollow. The temperature of the water did not deter Addie or the boys though! Andrew even volunteered to be buried by the sand, yet again.

Later that night we drove to Tony Grove, it was so pretty with the wildflowers and everything is so green up there. We had so much fun camping and can't wait to go again soon.

Peace Gardens

2010-07-16T09:27:00.000-06:00

Last week we went with some of my family to the International Peace Gardens. We all had a good time walking around trying to find the flags on our paper. I realized I don't know too many of the flags from other countries. Then we went to Liberty Park for a picnic and play in the splash park.

Denver Trip

2010-07-12T11:25:00.002-06:00

Over July 4th weekend we went to visit Andrew's brother and family in Denver, Colorado. Andrew found a sweet deal on a hotel in downtown Denver and we had so much fun staying there. Izze loved her crib so much she decided to eat it, literally, she sucked the warning sticker right off!

We also went to a Rockies game which was a lot of fun. After the game they had the best fireworks show we have ever seen! It was so loud and yet Izze slept through the whole thing.

We spent Saturday at Waterworld Water Park. We didn't even see half of it I think, it is so big. Addie loved playing in the water and she even found a slide she could go down all by herself. We did some family tube rides, but Izze was not loving it at all. She did love splashing in the water though. We were so busy having fun, I didn't get any decent pictures :(
On Sunday we went to the baby blessing of Evan and if you can believe it the whole reason for our trip and I don't even have a picture of him, how sad. It was a very nice day though and we are glad we could be there.

On Monday before we left we went geocaching, played at a park, and went to lunch before driving through the lone hills of Wyoming.

Eleven Months

2010-06-29T22:22:00.000-06:00

Wow our little Izze is almost a year old!!! She is definitely developing her personality and cracks us up all the time. Izze loves to have her blanket and snuggle on my shoulder at random times during the day, so fun. She loves to torture Addie by stealing her toys or pulling her hair. She loves to spit out her food and throw it on the floor, super fun. Izze pulls herself to standing on whatever she can find. She loves to take a bath and splash in the water.

Summer Fun

2010-06-27T18:17:00.008-06:00

We have been keeping super busy this summer and having so much fun. We bought a little pool for the girls to play in now that it is actually warm here! Izze loves the water, mostly to drink it and splash Addie.Addie and Izze love to play with each other, or should I say Addie loves to smother Izze, but Izze loves every minute of it.Izze's new fetish is putting her socks in her mouth and crawling all over the place. At her 9 month check-up she sat on the scale with a sock in her mouth like it was normal, it was hilarious.We have been to the zoo a few times, we took Grandma Karen with us one time and met up with some of Addie's cousins. We love going to see the baby elephant, being squirted by the pretend elephant, and going to the bird show.We have also enjoyed going to the farm at Thanksgiving Point a few times. Addie loves to ride the horse and look at the animals. Mostly she just loves hanging out with her cousins and is constantly asking when we will see them again. Izze also enjoys all of these activities from the comfort of her stroller, luckily she is content to hang out there for hours on end :)

Utah Valley Half Marathon

2010-06-12T18:49:00.006-06:00

This morning I ran my first half marathon and loved it! We loaded the bus about 3:45 am and got to the starting point around 4:30 am. The race was to start at 5:30, but ended up starting at about 5:45 am. It was raining and quite chilly but once I started running it didn't seem to bother me as much. I still find it funny that I had to wear gloves and ear warmers in the middle of June! My sister ran it as well and we had a good time. At about mile 11 my knee started killing me, but I figured "no pain, no gain" so I pushed through and finished! I'm glad I took on this challenge and accomplished it ... I'm even considering doing another one but I'll think about that when I can actually walk up the stairs without squealing from pain :)

Camping

2010-06-09T16:32:00.005-06:00

Last weekend we went to our ward camp out in Honeyville. We had a good time even though it rained on us Friday night. Izze loved playing in the tent and bouncing on the mattresses. Addie loved roasting marshmallows and starburst. On Saturday we went swimming at Crystal Hot Springs. Addie loved swimming and was brave enough to go in the cold pool and play. Even Izze loved the water, mostly to lick though. On our way home we stopped at Lagoon and had a lot of fun. We even ran into some of our friends who live in St. George, oh what a small world.

Family Reunion

2010-06-03T12:59:00.007-06:00

On Memorial Day we went up to Hyrum for a reunion with Andrew's family. Luckily the weather was nicer this time (we went two years ago and froze!). Addie loved running around the park with her cousins. We enjoyed some good food, fun games, and a little family history.After the reunion we drove through Logan and reminisced our college days. We even tried to get Aggie ice cream but the line was long and so we ended up at A&W instead. You may wonder why A&W??? It is the only one we will go to, the food there is always good and never disappoints and of course it's a trip down memory lane. On the drive home we even said we wouldn't mind living in Logan again, and then we remembered the winter weather and quickly changed our minds.

10 Months and Farm Fun

2010-05-29T22:38:00.000-06:00

Wow how time flies, we can't believe it has been 10 months since little Izze came to join our family. She sure has developed quite the personality and cracks us up with her funny quirks. She has taken to moving around rather speedily now and manages to find a way to get what she wants. Izze has already learned how to be a picky eater, such a joy at meal times :) She loves to dance when music is playing and she loves to torture her sister by trying to bite her. Addie went to Wheeler Farm with some of her cousins and had a blast. She was even brave enough to pet the horse and almost the pig! The kids loved feeding the ducks four loaves of bread, I think they will be full for days. To finish off the day she had to prove she could climb into the baby swing at her Grandma's house, but once she realized she was stuck she wasn't so happy.