JUNE!

Lilly turns 1!!

Visit to Oregon!

14 hours in the car...Yeah!

Zoo Train!

As big as a Gorilla!

We can see it!!!

Well, I would have been blogging, but I have been really busy. I did want to mention some fun things we have been doing. June 4th, my sweet Lilly turned 1 year old. I have to say, she is just the best kid. I love her so much. She is so smart. She is walking and learning sign language, and when she laughs...I promise there is nothing better in the world. I truly have the best kids. They make me smile all the time.

Sierra dressed up in her pink tutu and her dancing slippers and got her pink pom poms out just the other day. She was so cute. I could hear her in her room doing her "cheers" and when I really got listening to what she was saying I realized she was cheering, "TIE HER UP! TIE HER UP! TIE HER UP!"...oh well...I guess we can't win them all!

We took our kids to Oregon to see our good friends Rusty and Collette graduate from college. It was so fun. Even the 14 hours to and from weren't too bad. Rusty and Collette had our entire weekend filled with events. And we just had the best time. We also got to stop by and visit with our good friends Barbara and Judy, who were our neighbors in when we lived in Oregon. They were doing so good, and their daughter Jessica was also graduating college and she was there and it was so wonderful to know they are just doing so well and to get to see them! There is just a special place in my heart for Oregon and the people I know and love there.

I turned 32 on the 24th....I had just recently had a conversation with Sierra about how people die when they get old, and so, not thinking I said,"Congratulations to me, I'm OLD!!" Well, of course Sierra burst into tears, because she didn't want me to be old..."AND DIE!!" But, lucky for me, I'm not quite that old, yet....My friend Becky says that since 30 is the new 20, I actually only turned 22. And that is the age I will give when you ask me how old I am...

I took my kids to the zoo. That is one of my favorite summer activities. My sister Sara and her kids were there and my Mom and Dad brought Jack and Lachlan. It was fun. Kids just love the zoo. Even Lilly loved the animals, she really loved the Monkeys, the cats, the elephants, and the bears. I thought the Giraffe would be more exciting especially because it stuck it's head right up to her, but she wasn't thrilled about that.

Sierra loves animals. She said the elephants and the giraffes were her favorite. We also had fun talking like King Julian, the ring tail lemur from Madagascar!! He is my favorite, but Sierra was a little miffed that the real ring tail lemur at the zoo didn't actually SAY anything. She said she likes "talking animals" the best...I guess that means cartoon animals are better than anything that the crappy old zoo had, but she had a good time at the zoo anyway.

We have been doing swimming lessons the last two weeks. It has been so fun. Sierra is a pretty good swimmer! She even goes under the water. She LOVES her teacher, but she did inform me that next year she hopes she gets a boy teacher...those of you who follow my blog know how scared I am for the teen years!! Lilly LOVES swimming! She is a little fish. She kicks her legs and dunks her face under and giggles the whole time!! I have never seen a kid who likes to go under water, but she doesn't even care. When we get to the pool she gets so excited and claps her hands! I am telling you, I have cute kids!

Anyway, tomorrow is the last day of June! It is just flying by!! I expect that I will probably be doing the same kind of post for July!! Hope you are enjoying your summer. Cheers!

Vegas Here Us Come!!

We went to Vegas over Memorial Weekend to visit Aunt Erica and Uncle Landon and Babies Will and Holden. It was so so much fun! I was a little worried about if maybe the kids would be scared, but no way, they loved every minute of it....well, as you can tell by the picture Lilly was a little unsure about the fountain show, but she was real tired by then too, so it could have been that. We played in the pool, we went golfing, we went to the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay, we walked the strip and watched the fountains at the Belagio and the Volcano at the Mirage. I am surprised how many family friendly things there are to do in Vegas. Everyone is so nice to you when you have your kids there, and they don't hand you any porn when you walk down the street. I thought that was very respectful of the porn dealers!! Sierra said, "Boy, there sure are a lot of cards in the road!" and I was all, "...um...yeah....cards...." Anyway, Thanks Landon and Erica for showing us a good time!

The Pics!!

Pics and Cones!

I just took my girls to Kiddie Kandids to have some spring pictures taken! I think they turned out so cute. My appointment was at 10AM this morning. I got my girls all dressed and in their cute dresses, it was all so perfect. We got right to the store (which is located in the Logan Mall) about 10 minutes before our scheduled appointment time. My girls were happy, cute, smiling, in a good mood, the whole bit. Just as we were getting checked in for our appointment the mall security came in and said that everyone had to evacuate the mall immediately, because of a gas leak!! So my kids and I spent the next 45 min. waiting in our car in the parking lot while the fire department checked out the gas leak!! After that I had to bribe the girls with an ice cream cone just so they would go back into the store with me :( ...but it actually turned out. I think the pictures turned out really cute. I'm just glad they let us back in, because it is actually a lot of work to get your kids ready for picure day, and rescheduling is NOT an option, if you get what I mean!!

P.S. My kids are not really that deprived, but after I bought the ice cream cones, Sierra thinks I am the greatest mom in all the wide world!! She has been playing "cone lady" all day long!! She just brought me a rock and told me to "just pretend it's and ice cream cone, but don't really lick it, Mom, because it's really just a rock!"

My Poor Little Lilly!

Poor Lilly! She had a double ear infection so the Doctor gave her some antibiotics. Well, the antibiotics gave her terrible diarrhea which in turn gave her the WORST diaper rash! It is so sad. If I even walk toward the changing table she starts to cry. Her bum is all blistered and the skin is peeling off!!! I have to keep giving her the antibiotics, and I have to keep changing her diaper, but I can tell it just hurts so BAD!! I feel so bad for her!! It has been going on for a couple of days now. I have a special cream I am putting on it to see if I can get it healed up faster, and I am giving her some probiotics to help with the diarrhea... so we will see how it goes the next couple of days... It is so hard for me, because I know she isn't feeling good and is hurting and I can't do anything for her! It makes me just feel terrible!!

Baby Animal Days!

Lilly asleep in the stroller

The baby bunny

The chickens...Sierra's favorite!

Lilly with the Easter bunny!

Rose and I took the kids to Baby Animal Days at the American West Heritage Center. It was really fun, but really crowded. I just thought I would share some pictures.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MINER!

Sierra put the candles on!!

Sometimes I don't think I give my husband enough credit, but he is so great! I just thought you all would like to know some of the things I admire about him.

Miner can talk to anyone. He is such a good conversationalist, he can strike up a conversation with the most random people, but he can identify with them and he makes them feel important and he is truly interested in what people have to say.

Miner is a good friend. I think the fact that he really is interested in people is what makes him a good friend, but he really does care a lot about his friends. He stays in touch and wants them to be an active part of his life.

Miner has an amazing work ethic. He is such a hard worker and he loves a project.

Miner is really smart. He has good common sense and learns new things easily. And, he has a great memory. I am so amazed, because I have to write things down to remember them, but he just has great recall...as a side note...this has also been a problem for me!! HA HA!!

Miner is really athletic. He doesn't even have to work at it!

Miner is really lucky!! If I have said it once, I have said it a thousand times...good things just happen to him. I don't know how this works...I have terrible luck (as many of you know). So I am hoping that if I stay married to him for long enough a little of this will rub off on me.

I love you, Miner! Happy 33rd Birthday!