Girls Night Out

I just spent a couple hours shopping for play dresses with Alli. She got sad this morning that yet another dress of hers got too small and was passed down to Holly. (The joys of having 3 girls!) So I decided to take her out shopping tonight. I had such a good time, and it was so fun just being with Alli. She told me so many times that she loved me, and thanked me endlessly. She also picked out 2 dresses all by herself, and I have to say they're pretty darn cute. She was really funny when I would point dresses out -- she totally has an opinion on if it's cute or not. I love that!

When I asked her where she wanted to go tonight she said "well, we should go to 3 stores: Target, Kohls, and Macys." We made it to Target, Kohls, and Old Navy. It's amazing how fast I can go with one obedient child in tow.

I had such a fun time with Allison tonight. She's growing up so fast and I hope she'll always love me as much as she did tonight.

Sunday 10

1. I've been a slacker blogger lately. There are too many things that HAVE to be done right now that most other things are getting pushed aside.
2. We made the long trek back from Santa Rosa on Monday. Bad side: it was a really long drive. Good side: I finally finished "Gone With the Wind". Bad side: the van was filled to the brim and really messy. Good side: I was able to fit in a jewelry armoire from my Bedstemor (grandma).
3. We were all so very happy to get home that evening, and it was so nice to put my kids to sleep in their own beds. And more than anything, it was heaven getting to sleep in my own bed again.
4. Tuesday was spent getting everything unpacked, laundry done, luggage away, and grocery shopping.
5. Wednesday I started packing up the basement. I got a majority of the basement bedroom and storage closet done that day, and it felt good to get the process started. Lindsay called Wednesday afternoon and invited us to go to Brick Oven for lunch. It was delicious, as usual, and we had fun doing a little late birthday meal with Brooke.
6. Wednesday night Chelsea, Ashley, and Debbie came over and we had a little roommate get together. I always love those. Thanks for coming to town, Ash.
7. Thursday I packed some more, and Cindy came over in the late afternoon to hang out.
8. Friday night Alex had a campout with the scouts, and I had a massive headache. So unfortunately for the girls we did nothing fun, had oatmeal for dinner, and we all went to bed early.
9. When Alex got back Saturday, we put a lot of boxes in the van and took our first load over to the new house. We don't officially move in for almost 2 weeks, but they're letting us leave some things there now. Saturday evening we went to the Marshalls for strawberry shortcake. Definitely one of my favorite desserts.
10. Alex and I gave talks in church today. Thank goodness that's over! I always dread those days.

I promise I'll get Santa Rosa and Seattle pictures up before too long.

Sunday 10 Substitute

I'm putting off my regular Sunday 10 until I can get home and download all the pictures to my computer.  So, in the meantime, this post is dedicated to ALEX!!  Alex turned 28 today, and it's Fathers Day as well.  It's a big day of celebration around here.  So I thought I'd do a Top 10 favorite things about Alex today.

1.  He likes to get things done.  I get annoyed sometimes because he doesn't like to just sit and relax.  It drives me crazy, but in the end he gets a lot done.

2.  He is a master at the grill.  He loves throwing barbeque sauce on just about any kind of meat and grilling it.  I appreciate it for the tasty factor and the not having to cook dinner factor.

3.  He makes me laugh.  He is funny and goofy loves having a good time.  He knows what things will make me laugh and what things won't (like tickling me, yet he continues to do that, anyway).

4.  He spoils our kids.  I have to say I personally don't always love this, but my kids do, so that makes me happy.  He loves taking the older 2 girls to movies, and taking them to the park or on a run.

5.  He's turned into quite the runner in the last few years.  He's worked really hard to lose weight in the last 6 months and he's done an awesome job. 

6.  He lets me shop.  :)  I know that sounds silly, but he never cares if I go buy a new shirt every now and then.  And he loves picking out clothes for me, too.  And he does a pretty good job of it! 

7.  He is loyal, as can be seen by the friends he hangs out with.  They are still all of his friends from high school, and even elementary school in some cases.  I like to tease him about it, but I really love that about him.  

8.  He can talk to anyone about anything.  That has come in handy plenty of times when there would otherwise be awkward situations.

9.  He is really good about making sure I get a break from the kids when I need it.  Even when I tell him I don't need a break, he's good at sending me out the door to take a breather sometimes.

10.  He loves and supports me 100%.  What more could I ask for in a husband and dad of my kids?

So Happy Birthday and Fathers Day to my amazing husband.  Love you!

All in a Day's Play

Alli has been really excited to go with my mom to a local party store called "Nancy's Fancies". There's nothing too special about the place, except that its name is very similar to Alli's beloved Fancy Nancy books. They finally got to go this afternoon. When Alli got back, I asked her if she liked it. She responded, "Yeah! Except for . . . um . . . actually, it wasn't very cool."

We went to In-n-Out for lunch today. Alli and Holly were both having a hard time keeping their burgers in one piece. As Alli's burger was about to fall apart she yelled "Mom! Help! I'm having a situation!"

Meanwhile, Alex was helping Holly get her burger put back together. He told her that he was going to take the lettuce out so it wouldn't be so thick and she could take smaller bites. She said "yeah, I don't want to get my mouth all stretched out!"

I have a younger sister, Cami, who is mentally handicapped and quite the talker. She is pretty much talking from the second she wakes up until the second she goes to sleep (and even some while she's sleeping!). It's always an adjustment when we come visit to get used to the constant questions being asked over and over and over and over... This evening, Cami was asking Alli for dinner and a drink of water. Alli answered a couple times and when Cami asked again she yelled to my mom "I'm tired of Cami talking to me!" And we all laughed . . . because we have all felt that way before!

Sunday 10

1.  This week has been a whirlwind of insanity.  We've been stressed out and exhausted, but it has all been worth it.

2.  We had the appraisal and inspection on our house on Tuesday and Wednesday.  So far, so good.  

3.  Tuesday was a long, but good day, with leaving our house early for the appraiser, going to a meeting, a dentist appointment, then meeting Lindsay and Aleena for lunch at University Mall, all the while negotiating house offers with our agent over the phone.  It was hectic.

4.  Wednesday morning I took my brother Steven to the airport.  He entertained my kids in the car, and we wish he could be the car entertainment more often!

5.  Wednesday afternoon I spent making a birthday cake for our friends Mike and Ashlee's one-year-old son Jensen.  It was a fun cake to make and I was happy to be part of the birthday!  Pictures to come when I get back home.

6.  Thursday morning was busy with getting new tires for the van, getting safety and emissions done, and renewing our van registration.  Then we came home, did laundry and spent the afternoon packing for the trip.  I always dread the day before a trip because there are so many details to remember.  I somehow managed to forget Alex's birthday presents that I'd been hiding in the basement!  I'm so bummed, especially because I was really excited about the presents!  Alex turns 28 a week from today!!  Woohoo! 

7.  Many nights this week were spent out looking at houses.  I'm sure our real estate agent is tired of making the drive from Spanish Fork to Lehi, but we're grateful he did, because we are now under contract with our next house!  We're very excited about it and can't wait for the big move.  

8.  The contract got signed Thursday night, and we went in Friday morning to get our loan paperwork started.  I'm so grateful for the timing of everything, and that we were able to get things squared away before we left.

9.  Friday, late morning, we packed up the car and drove from Lehi to Auburn, CA.  We stayed at Alex's family friend's house and had a wonderful morning eating waffles on their patio.  It was perfect weather, perfect setting, and so relaxing.  We made the rest of the drive yesterday morning and got to my parents just before lunchtime.  It's always good to be home, and this trip is no exception.  We went to church this morning and I loved seeing old friends and leaders.

10.  Last, but most definitely not least, today is our 6th Anniversary!!  It's fun to be back in California where we got married, 6 years later.  I'm extremely grateful for my amazing husband and everything he does for me and our family.  I know he would do anything to make sure we're happy and taken care of and I love him a lot.  I'm also grateful that he stuck around me long enough until I came around and decided I liked him.  Good work, Alex.  Enough of the mush now.  Happy Anniversary to us.  We celebrated last night by going to Olive Garden, our anniversary tradition.  Yum and fun.

Sunday 10

1. We just finished a fun dinner/game night with my siblings. (In case you were wondering, Cindy, Steven and I pulled out a win in Taboo. I know you were curious.)
2. My youngest sibling, Steven, is in town this week. YAY! He's been in Provo for most of the time, but we took him to Liberty Land yesterday and we all had a good time. Alex's dad brought Annie, Matthew, Tyler, and Jackson along and WOW, they loved it.
3. Alex came home on Monday! Alli insisted that we go in the airport so she could see what it looked like. So we parked and waited by the escalators for everyone to come down. The girls (and I!) were so excited, and Brynne shrieked "DADA!" when she saw him. I love that she does that.
4. Tuesday afternoon we dropped the kids off at Alex's cousin's house and went to see "Angels and Demons". This is definitely one movie I wished I had seen before I read the book. But I didn't, and I still enjoyed it. I just knew too much of what was going to happen so I got a little bored in the middle of it.
5. Poor Holly fell on our two wooden stairs leading down to our family room on Wednesday. She had a nice goose-egg that night. It went down by the morning, but has since turned all sorts of lovely shades of green, purple, brown, and other bruise-ish colors. Sad day.
6. I enjoyed a delicious lunch at Kneaders with Mary on Friday. I haven't had Kneaders in so long, and it was so good. Thanks, Mary!
7. Yesterday morning I left the kids with Alex and headed down to Provo for a baby shower for Bethany. I've known Bethany since EFY about 10 years ago, and we've kept in touch ever since. I haven't seen her in awhile, and it was SO good just to chat and see her cute little belly!
8. After 12.5 long months of trying to sell our house, we finally went under contract this week. I'm really hesitant to post anything, because it doesn't seem real. I've waited so long for this that I can't picture it actually happening! But (and I realize this makes me sound crazy) the idea of packing up my house and getting set up in another house makes me all giddy. I love that sort of thing. We spent Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights looking at a kajillion houses. I'll keep you posted. Hopefully we can try to have something lined up before we leave for California this week. Which brings me to #9.
9. After the longest hiatus I've ever had, we're going to Santa Rosa this week! We haven't been there for almost a year. We usually go there 2-3 times a year, so this is really unusual for us. But I guess life just gets busier and it gets harder to travel. I'm so looking forward to spending time with my parents and visiting my Bedstemor (grandma) and letting her see my kids for the first time in a year. I miss Santa Rosa.
10. For a few days in the middle of our trip, we'll be leaving the kids with my parents and heading to Seattle with the Gardners, Marshalls, Hills, and Morris'. It sounds like a crazy, fun time to me!!

At the Park

Two teenage guys on a tandem bike. Awesome.