I was dreaming of a White Christmas...

Ever since I was a little girl I have loved the snow. I love it, that is until after January 1st. When we moved to Vegas I thought that I would never have a white Christmas again. Well, we decided to spend this one with our families in Utah and I got my white Christmas. At about 11:00 last night it started snowing really hard. By 8:00 in the morning we had about 8 inches and then it continued until the afternoon. It was beautiful and I loved every minute of it. I don't even mind driving in it. The girls loved it too! Unfortunately their Mom doesn't really want to buy all new snow clothes for them. So they get to play in it for about 10 minutes at a time. We've had a great Christmas, spending time with our families. Hope that you all had a great one too! Merry Christmas!!!

Bittersweet feelings...

Early this morning my sweet Grandpa joined my Grandma in heaven. I'm incredibly sad to see him go but, I'm so happy that he is reunited with his forever sweetheart. How do I express my feelings for a man that I love so much? He was so sweet and I never for a second doubted that he loved me. He could tease me like no other but, I always knew that it was out of love. He never let me leave without a kiss and he was always affectionate. I'm so thankful for the people who have taken such great care to make his journey home comfortable. I'm thankful for my parents for all of their tenderness and love towards him. I love you Grandpa and will miss you more than you can ever know!

Crazy runner...

After twelve years of marriage I guess there shouldn't be much about Phil that surprises me. But, he never ceases to. We both had registered to run the Las Vegas Half Marathon. I slacked on my training the last few weeks and with Ashlie getting sick I felt like I couldn't (in good conscience) leave her with anyone, so I didn't run this morning. I know it's kind of a lame excuse but, what can I say. My husband on the other hand rolled out of bed this morning and decided to run the FULL marathon. Yes, you read that right. I told him he was crazy and rolled my eyes. I showed up at the finish about the time we figured he would be done with the half and I ended up waiting for another hour for him. He finished the full marathon at the same time he finished last year, however, with about a quarter of the training. I'm so proud of him!!!! When he puts his mind to something he does it and it's amazing how well his body follows. He felt great and hopped on a plane to Phoenix about two hours after he finished. He just called to tell me that he ate a whole 16"pizza. I think he deserves to eat whatever he wants. P.S. Ashlie is feeling better and has been eating like she just ran a marathon too. I had to keep her home from church today though. She wasn't too happy.

Philly's tag with the half crossed out.


Rounding the corner to the finish line and with a smile!!!


Phil and our good friend Brandy. He flew into Vegas yesterday and stayed with us to run the marathon. We had a great time with him.

Brandy rounding the corner to the finish line.

Catching up...

Thought I would post some pics from our Thanksgiving trip...not many because my camera has been in the hands of my two year old once again and the lens cover has been messed up. I think it's time for a new camera and it will be stored high above the reach of Livvy's curious hands.

The girls were entertaining themselves while visiting Grandpa Omer. They even got him to smile for a while. There is nothing more priceless than to see your Grandpa smile at your kids, it makes me so proud to be their mom.

Every time we go to see Duane and Bev, the girls have to go swing on their old swing that Duane made for them. They love it and the people who bought our old house don't mind a bit when we stop to swing for a bit.

One of the highlights of our trip was to stop and play with our good friend's the Packer's. The girls miss their kids so much and it is always sad to say goodbye again. Ash and Sid had a blast playing in the leaves.

Allie and Paige always have a great time together. Sorry about the picture Paige!

Shout out and a huge thank you to Amy!!!!

The new family pics are courtesy of my great friend, Amy Leavitt. She did a fantabulous job and we are so excited to share these with you all!

P.S. She is also my visiting teacher and an awesome one at that! :) Hope I didn't embarrass her.

Her website is: www.amyleavittphotography.com Check it out!

Happenings...

I've got a few so, I'll just update everyone on what's going on with us lately...

• We went to Utah for Thanksgiving. The girls and I left on November 20th and Phil joined us on the 25th. It was a trip for making memories and farewells. Some really sad. My Grandpa is not doing very well and I spent a lot of time with him. I knew that my time with him would be pretty much my last so, we had some really great bonding moments that I will always remember. Also, my parent's dog passed over the rainbow bridge to doggy heaven while we were there. We got her when I was a senior in high school and she was pretty much my baby until Phil & I got married. It was so hard to say goodbye to her. She was such a great dog, very obedient and loving. We'll miss her! See her pic in the sidebar. Knowing the likely changes to be happening (see previous post.) We spent a lot of time with family and friends, making a lot of fun memories. All in all it was a great trip for us.
• Last Saturday night, while still in Utah, Ashlie got really sick. It started with her ear hurting really bad and proceeded to vomiting. We left Sunday morning for home and made it without much problem and Ash slept most of the way home, puking a couple of times. We figured she'd get better but, by Tuesday we knew she was just getting sicker. The pediatrician sent us straight to the ER and from there they admitted her to the hospital. After an overnight stay for IV fluids and antibiotics, she is home and doing so much better. She couldn't seem to keep enough fluid in her to stay hydrated and had a slight case of pneumonia. She was one sick little girl! We're so thankful she is okay.
• Phil has been wrapping up business at Meadow Gold and has been pretty busy this week saying good-bye to his co-workers and customers. He did a great job for Meadow Gold and we're thankful for the experiences he's had. Hearing all the great things that his co-workers and customers say about him is really gratifying. I'm so proud of him!

The rumors are true...

So, here is a brief synopsis of the latest going on with us. Phil has accepted a position with National Dairy Holdings. They are a competitor with Dean Foods/Meadow Gold Dairy. His official start date is January 1st. This means that we will be moving once again. Very bittersweet! Thankfully not over the holidays though. We will be moving to Texas within a couple of months, depending on when the house sells. Needless to say my life is crazy BUSY, again. Now that that's out of the way, I can blog about normal things, when I get a minute of quiet. LOL!

Now I know....

what the hype is about Twilight. I've been a little hesitant to start reading these books and finally started last week. I'm just finishing up the second book. I can officially say that I'm hooked. I'm excited to see the movie and I'm hoping that my mom hurries and finishes the first book so, I can see the movie with her next week. Hint hint Mom!

Totally MENTAL...

Sorry for another post about running, so if you don't really want to read it, stop now. I decided today that running is completely a mental thing for me. My body is strong and can run pretty well, but it's up to my mind to make it do so. I just about swore off running this week. I struggled to finish a few three milers during the week. Every time I left, I was in a really crappy mood and didn't really want to run. Thus, my body didn't want to do it and I had to drag my self through 3 miles and back home. Quite miserable. I knew that I had to run 8 today and was wondering if I could really do it. I woke up at 5:30 and after tossing and turning for a while I got out to get my '8' miler over with. Wow, positive attitude huh? When I walked out the door the weather was perfect and the sun was just coming up. The world (even in Vegas) was quiet. My mind was clear and rather than letting anything crowd it I decided to just enjoy my solitude. I turned on my IPod and blazed my 8 miler, which turned into 10 miles. Yahoo! I felt really good physically and even better mentally. That is the one thing I LOVE about running. It can be a great mind and soul healer. I needed it. Incredibly cheap therapy. My attitude has been adjusted and I guess I just need to remember that it's really 'all in my head'. Carry on!

P.S. We are having our family pictures taken this afternoon by my good friend Amy. So, I will have some new, fun pictures to share soon. :)

The antics of a two-year old...

For the most part my kids have been pretty good about not getting into mischief. With the exception of Alivia lately. Here is a list of her latest: Feel free to laugh heartily!

• Luring Daisy to the garden area with a piece of bread and then dumping dirt on her. (Keep in mind she is a white dog and was a grey dog after this incident.) Daisy in her attempt to escape the hysterically laughing Liv, shook all the dirt all over my kitchen.
• Taking my camera card out of the camera and inserting into the wrong slot on the computer. It is now stuck in the computer and I have to buy a new camera card. Luckily I had just downloaded all of the Halloween pictures.
• I took out the waffle iron yesterday and plugged it in. I didn't realize that I needed to check the inside of it first because she had lined the inside of it with chocolate chips. Very messy!
• I asked her to go brush her teeth the other night (I had her tootbrush all ready for her.) I went to check when all was too quiet and she had opened the toothpaste and made toothpaste handprints all over Ashlie's wall. (Flat paint and toothpaste do not mix.)
• She found Phil's scripture markers in his bedside table and colored her bed with them.
• Phil got up early one morning and went to Dunkin Donuts to surprise the kids. He brought home a dozen, of which 6 were left after breakfast. I put the box on the counter (away from the reach of little hands.) I was getting dinner ready later on and watching election news intently when I suddenly realize that Livvy has taken the box of leftover donuts. She is sitting at the bar (yes within my sight) eating leftover donuts. I asked her what she was doing and she laughed with a mouthful of donuts and said, "I love donuts Mom!" She ate probably two more donuts, while I wasn't paying attention. Funny thing is later on I left to go get Allie from her friend's house and she did the same thing to Phil. So, all in all she probably had 6 donuts that day. Yikes!!!! (She did eat some salad at dinner time.) I guess the donuts need to go up on top of the refrigerator. She'll somehow figure out how to get them down though.

She is just a typically curious two-year old but, sometimes her curiosity kills this cat! I had to edit this post to add the last caper.

Our little ghouls...

This Halloween I decided to opt for an easy costume fix. So, it was a Disney Halloween for us. Allie was Hannah Montana, Ashlie was Jasmine and Alivia was Ariel. They were all so excited and counted down the days. Ash had a party at school on Tuesday and Allie had hers on Thursday. They don't get to wear their costumes in public school here so, they had a carnival a couple of weeks ago where they could wear them. Then they had class fall celebrations on Thursday. Thursday night our ward did 'Trunk or Treat'. It was a really great party! They had soup and rolls and then of course lots of candy. We invited our neighbors and had a great time. Halloween Friday was also Nevada Day so the kids didn't have school. We spent the day cooking and then carving pumpkins and of course good old trick or treating. We have really great neighbors and enjoyed chili and scones and lots of fun!!!


This is Liv less than a minute after we got her buckled after the 'Trunk or Treat'. Notice her favorite thing she got was not the candy but, the princess tooth brush.

Allie was so proud of her puppy dog pumpkin!


Ash loving the pumpkin 'guts'.


Livvy with her Jack 'o Lantern smile!

Happy Halloween!!!

I'm back...

Running once again has become enjoyable. I was able to log 20 miles total this week. For my long run today I ran 10 miles. I felt really good. My last three miles I ran at about 8:00 minute miles, which is unheard of for me. I downloaded some new music to my IPod this week and I think that made a huge diference. I wasn't so bored and I could focus on other things other than 'how many miles do I have left?' Phil and our neighbor ran 12 miles and Phil felt really good too. It helps to have cool weather to run in. Now, I think I'll have a nap.

I can now say...

that I've done my part as a responsible American citizen. I got out there and voted. It was so easy and I'm glad it's done. Now it's time to sit back and watch what happens. This next week will definitely be an interesting one for America. Hopefully we'll elect the leaders that our nation needs. In years past I've not felt such a responsibility to vote but, this one I've definitely felt the urgency. Hope everyone else does too!

School Pictures...

Allie brought home her school pics today. With the exception of the wild stray hair they turned out cute. Everytime I see her school pictures I just can't believe that she is mine. I love her so much and I can't believe how much she has grown up. The hair combing ladies wanted to comb out her hair and she didn't let them (per my instructions.) Such an obedient child.

P.S. Who do you think she looks more like, me or Phil?

G-U-I-L-T

Okay, so maybe I'm not as tough as I should be. I've run a total of 6.2 miles this week. Last Saturday my recovery really sucked and I think that I've been fighting the flu since. Yesterday my head hurt so bad that I couldn't bend over or hardly lift it off my pillow. My poor kids wonder what in the heck happened to me. Thankfully Phil has been really good about helping me in between his crazy stressful week. I finally feel like I can have a shower and act like a normal human being today. So, hopefully I can just regroup and hit it hard next week. And I can tell Livvy that my "he-ache" doesn't hurt anymore. She's been so cute trying to make sure I'm okay. Ash has been using the excuse that she has a headache to not do her dishes or clean up her messes. Oh it starts young doesn't it! Allie has been begging to go to High School Musical 3. We had to skip the little girl's outing that our ward did and I feel so bad but, she's been a trooper too. With the promise of seeing it this week sometime, she's okay.

A Message for Grandpa

Today is Grandpa's birthday and the girls wanted to send him a special message!

We love you Dad!

Commitment...

I guess that commitment=motivation. Phil got us registered for the Las Vegas Half Marathon so, I have to be motivated now. No use wasting the registration and not being ready. I have to come up with a structured 6 week training plan and stick with it. Thanks to my friends for the words of encouragement. I'm gonna need it! Maybe I can catch the emotion of it again and run another marathon next year. Maybe Ogden or Salt Lake City. Anyone wanna join me? Come on it will be fun!

Weekend away...

This past weekend we decided to get out of "Dodge" and head down to Phoenix for the Arizona Cardinals vs. Dallas Cowboys game. Fall is also considered to be "Widow" season for me but, on occasion I get to enjoy the perks of my husband's hobbies. Since he is still a Platinum rewards member at Marriott, we stayed at the Renaissance Hotel across the street from the stadium. Phil was able to get us upgraded again to the Presidential Suite. It was awesome. Two bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms and three flat screen TV's. We did some major R &R.

We happened to be in Phoenix the first weekend of the year that it hasn't been hot. So, Phil, myself and the little girls hung out in the hot tub. They still had fun!
The chilly weather didn't phase this fishy! She doesn't like to be hot so, she hangs out in the pool and comes up for air once in a while.
Saturday night we went to dinner at a place called Saddle Ranch. It was good food and fun! They had an electric bull and the girls thought it was a riot to watch. When we left the restaurant, there was a dude dressed up in a really scary costume and Liv was really concerned that he was going to come to the hotel to get her so she kept vigilant at the window watching for him. We were on the 10th floor and it didn't phase her one bit to lean on the window.

Phil and Allie got to go to the Cards game. They always have a blast together! We happened to be staying in the same hotel as the Cowboys team and had a lovely run in with one of them. We were getting on the elevator and one of the players pushed his way past the kids and I so, Phil commented that he needed to learn some manners. The guy was such a jerk! He acted like a total idiot, calling us names and acting like we were in his way. My opinion is that if guys like that weren't big, they wouldn't be playing football and making exorbitant amounts of money, they'd be stocking shelves at WalMart somewhere. After all was said and done, it was kind of funny because everyone else standing there was in disbelief of this guys arrogance and lack of decency. We had a fun time in Phoenix and the Cards beat the Cowboys in sudden death overtime. We got back to Vegas and it was 48 degrees! BRRRRRR! What happened to fall?

Running...or not?

It seems like I had no motivation at all last week! I think that I need to remember to set new goals once I accomplish them. I got out there twice is all and didn't do any resistance training. Yikes. Oh well at least it's a new week, time to start over. I got my butt out there today so, that's a good start. Let's hope I can keep it up. Phil and our neighbor are running 8 miles on Saturday so, I think I might tag along. They are talking about registering for the Las Vegas 1/2 marathon which is in about 6 weeks. Hmmm can I be ready?

Slacker weekend...

I totally slacked this weekend. As far as running goes anyways. I ran five miles on Saturday. Two with Allie. She is doing a great job! Can I just say that I love that girl? She is amazing. We changed up her two mile route to include a long hill and she ran all the way up it. She's awesome! She's on her way!

Punkin Patch

Last Thursday, Livvy and I got to go to Gilcrease Orchards with Ashlie and her preschool friends. It was pretty hot but, we had a great time. I'd never been there before and I'm so glad we know where it is now. The kids got to pick their own pumpkins out of this HUGE garden/orchard.

Ash and one of her new "best" friends Abby. Ashlie loves preschool and all of her new friends. She is a little socialite and seems to make friends quite easily.

Ash and Liv with their beautiful pumpkins. They picked one out for Allie too.

Ash with Tanner and Monte a couple of her friends.

Livvy fit right in with all of the kids too. She was so hot and dirty but, she had a blast playing in the dirt. Needless to say we were all pooped out when we got home. This was the last of the hot days. Thank goodness!

Finally Fall...

After months of at least 90 degree weather we are getting a much needed reprieve. It feels like fall. Even 86 degrees feels a little more like fall to us. We really miss the fall in Utah because it starts in early September and it happens to be our favorite season. We have a traditional yearly trek to The Big Red Barn in Santaquin, UT. They have the best apples ever! We thought for sure we'd miss out on it this year but, we got to stop there on our way home from my Grandma's funeral. We just ate the last apple today. I'm telling you they are the best. They grow the best Gala apples and we look forward to them every year. We did discover Gilcrease Orchards here in Las Vegas though. I got to go there with Ashlie's preschool yesterday. It is like a four acre garden where you can go and pick what you want. I was very happy! The kids got to roam around in the pumpkin patch and pick out their very own. I found some zuchinni, acorn squash and pears. They also press their own apple cider. For now I am content to enjoy the cooling weather and my fresh garden veggies. (I will post pics of the kids hunting in the "punkin patch")

Planting flowers...

After a really super busy two weeks, Phil took Friday off. The girls were so happy to have him home. We went to the nursery and picked up some annual flowers and some herbs. He is so good to let the kids help him and they love it. When Allie got home from school he took us all out to dinner for "Date Night with Dad."

Bangs or no bangs...

A couple of months ago I decided to grow Livvy's bangs out. She has a weird hairline though and if I didn't pull her hair up into a top knot, it hung in her face and she looked like a Muppet. So, after a lengthy debate, I decided to cut them. Here are the before and after pics. What do you think?

Hump Day!

So, I made it over the hump and ran 8.11 miles today. Not very fast though. I picked Allie up at about 7 miles and ran the last mile with her. She is fun to run with and it's refreshing to talk to her after listening to my IPod for a while. We signed her up for the Presidential Fitness Challenge and she is running three days a week and will work up to four miles in a month. We are going to run a 10K (about 6 miles) with her this fall/winter sometime. She is a good little runner! It's quite funny to run with her because people driving by watch her and smile. It makes me smile too! Here is a picture of her on her first 10K, last summer (2007)

Still feeling motivated...

Well, so far so good. I'm still motivated. This means that I got up at 5:45 this morning (keep in mind it is Monday) and hit the pavement. Sorry for blogging about running so much lately, accountability is what keeps me motivated. I ran a little bit with a friend in my ward on Saturday and ended up going 7 miles (it really helped to have her to talk to.) I haven't gone more than 7 miles since the marathon so, I've got to get over that hump. Maybe this Saturday is the magic day. I am also going to take a weight lifting class tonight. My good friend, Linda teaches it and I went last week. I left the class feeling like a champ. I guess I didn't realize how hard she really worked us because on Wednesday I hurt in places I've never hurt before. At least it's a good pain! This weeks goal: Run 4 days, at least 4 miles each day. 2 days of resistance training. Eat more fruits and veggies.

Bedtime Blues...

What happens when Mom answers the phone while trying to get little girls ready for bed? They run wild and raid my shoes. Bedtime is always quite the fiasco in our house. We get the girls all tucked in and I run as fast as I can to mine and it's not more than 3 minutes later and one is calling for me. I'm pretty sure that most of you know what I mean by, "Musical Beds." Yep I play it almost every night.

Livvy has figured out that she can get out of her bed now and does whenever she feels like it. I'm trying really hard to not make the mistake of laying down with her to get her to stay there. I just take her back to bed and tell her goodnight (about 10 times before she stays.)

We've been out of town too much lately to really get a normal routine down. So, the plan is now to stay home for an extended period and get back to normalcy so these little princesses can get some shut eye. And Mom and Dad can too!

This mornings run...

Finally it is cooling off a bit here and it is actually enjoyable to run in the mornings again. It has been incredibly hard to be motivated since it started getting hot a few months ago. I never went a week without running twice though and I'm hoping to pump it up to no less than 4 days. I read a running blog yesterday that really got me excited about running again. I'm going to register myself for a race so that I have a goal to work towards. I usually do better when I have something pushing me to get my butt out of bed in the morning and hit the pavement. I'm still mulling over what that goal will be so, I will post that when I've decided. ( Marathon, 1/2 marathon, triathlon?) We will see but, for now I'm just enjoying feeling the motivation once again. Let's hope it's not so fleeting this time.

P.S. Have you ever heard of Team Hoyt? An amazing dad/son team that runs marathons and triathlons. Really inspiring! I will also post a link to some video of them. Not only does it inspire me to be a better runner but, a better parent!

Oasis in the desert...

Finally I am posting some pictures of our backyard. It is quite the little oasis for us. Not like our yard in Salt Lake but, it will do. We will be planting our garden in February which will consist mostly of tomatoes and a few herbs. There are two different videos so you can get two different perspectives. Enjoy!

I had to include this still picture to show the "garden" area. It is small but, at least we can plant some tomatoes and herbs. There are grass clippings on top of the soil so, we are just getting it ready for planting in February. The lines that are up on the wall are the irrigation lines and we will cut those and put them down into the soil when it's time to plant. The garden is by the back gate, (it is kind of hard to see in the video.)

Some sad news...

My Grandma passed away on Sunday morning. It wasn't totally unexpected but, I can't say that I was prepared for it. My Grandma and I were always really close and I'm so glad that I had her in my life for so long. Even though I didn't get to see her as much in the last few years, I already miss her terribly. She had a love for all things beautiful. Her house was always immaculate and decorated beautifully. She loved planting her own flowers and she did it every spring up until the last one. We shared a love for the color purple. She taught me so much! Last night I went running and it was raining. About halfway through the clouds started to clear and the sun peeked through a little bit, it was still raining though and there was a gorgeous double rainbow. I couldn't help but think that she would have loved it. Then I had another thought that she was probably just enjoying it from a different perspective. I am so thankful for a gospel perspective that teaches us that we will be with her again. I'm sure that she had many joyous reunions! Please remember my Grandpa in your prayers. This is going to be a difficult time for him until he's ready to join her. I am so thankful that she isn't suffering anymore but, I will always miss her! Love you Grandma!

She's a genius!

I think that most of you fellow moms will relate to my excitement on this one. Ashlie is really into writing letters and drawing. She literally has gone through a ream of paper in the last few weeks. I hate to discourage her though. Sunday she brought this one to me. She has been writing hers and her sisters names for a while but, when she brought me Australia, I was so surprised. I asked her where she learned to write that and she said, "Oh just from the ball sitting on the desk." We have a world globe sitting on our desk. She's a crack up. We sure love this kiddo! Her favorite shows are Super Why! and WordWorld. I love her zeal for learning!

Did my 2-year old just say that?

We were walking Allie to school this morning and I was pulling Ash and Liv in the wagon. The girls like to pick the flowers on the bushes when we are walking. Liv grabbed one and said, "Mom, this flower is for Nick Jonas." I made her repeat it twice because I was surprised that she knows who Nick Jonas is. Allie and Ash love to listen to the Jonas Brothers and I guess that Liv loves them too now. It's kind of funny.

Preschool Days are FINALLY here again...

Ashlie has been dying for this day to come for a long time. After only being able to go to a half year of preschool last year because of our move, she is so happy to be back in school. She wanted to look "perfect" (as she said) for her first day. Thanks to my friend Maribeth for hooking me up with a great preschool teacher! We are so excited to see what Ash will learn this year.
This little gal was feeling a little lost without her big sis to play with. She's not quite sure about having one on one time with Mom. I'm sure that we will find some fun things to do together but, she will definitely miss Ash when she's at school.

Ms. Rebecca is going to be such a fun teacher for Ashlie!

12 years and counting...

Phil and I just celebrated our 12th anniversary this last weekend. We normally celebrate it the weekend after because of Labor Day and school starting. But, we were feeling the need to have a little Mom and Dad time. So, we took the kids to my parents house for the weekend and headed up to Midway. We stayed at my brother-in-law Jim's condo and had a fabulous time together. We love Midway and have probably celebrated over half of our anniversaries there. It was absolutely gorgeous up there and the weather was perfect. We got there on Friday night and crashed at about 10:00. We got up and worked out at the gym and went for a nice run up towards Wasatch State Park. It was tough running up but, we really enjoyed it because it was cool and sunny. When we got back we had a nice breakfast and then went to Swiss Days. I LOVE Swiss Days! It is so fun! They had the world's best caramel apples too. After that we went back to the condo and had a nice uninterrupted nap. Then we pigged out on nachos, salad and pizza and watched some football. We went back to Swiss Days a little later and it was so fun to just wander around. I can't believe that we've been married for 12 years. I'm so grateful for Phil, he is always keeping me laughing. I truly feel that he is my best friend! Love ya babe!

Grandma's & Grandpa's House

The kids had a blast hanging out at Grandma and Grandpa's house for the weekend. They sure know how to work it. They got to go to Hallmark and each pick out a new Webkin and then had lunch at McDonald's. Thanks Mom and Dad for taking such great care of them and giving me a guilt free weekend. Love ya!

The girls loved seeing Uncle Scott too!

You're it!

Tagged by Nicole...

5 things on my to-do list
1. Clean my house (deep clean)
2. Paint Ash & Liv's rooms
3. Reorganize the garage
4. Food storage!!!!
5. Run!!
5 snacks I enjoy
1. Chips
2. Popcorn
3. Triscuits w/pepper jack cheese
4. Apples and peanut butter
5. Dove Milk Chocolates
5 things I would do if I were suddenly a billionaire:
1. Buy our dream house in Salt Lake and move back.
2. Phil would retire!
3. Buy a toy hauler and four-wheelers.
4. Get caught up on food storage. (Where are my priorities?)
5. Invest some and donate some!
5 places I have lived:
1. West Valley City, UT
2. Orem, UT
3. Tooele, UT
4. Las Vegas, NV
5. Holladay, UT (my favorite!)
5 Jobs I have had:
1. Little Caesar's Pizza (fun)
2. Carousel Ice Cream (sticky and lasted two weeks.)
3. IHC Customer Relations (STRESS)
4. Cottonwood Hospital Radiology (fun)
5. Mom!!!!!!! (The best job ever!)
5 things people don't know about me:
1. I'm not really sure about these because I'm the easiest person in the world to read.
2. I "Dear Johnned" two missionaries, one of whom is now gay. Go figure!
3. I am fascinated by the Amish culture.
4. My back is so extremely sensitive.
5. I like to wind down at night by watching Leno.
5 bad habits:
1. I'm the biggest procrastinator!
2. I'm very unorganized.
3. I get very short tempered when I'm tired.
4. When I read I get really engrossed and then it's hard to do anything else.
5. I blog way too much!
5 people to tag
1. Heather
2. Melissa
3. Suzanne
4. Racquel
5. Megan

There she goes...off to 3rd Grade!

Yesterday Allie started 3rd grade. I think it was a mixture of excitement and sadness for both her and I. She was sad that summer was over, but excited to meet her new teacher and friends.

For me it's just kind of sad to see her growing up so fast. But, exciting at the same time. I'm sure most of you can relate.

Even though she is an independent kid, she wanted me to walk her all the way to her classroom. I'm secretly glad because at least I know she's not embarrassed to hug her Mom good bye in front of her friends.

Ash and Liv were so excited to take Allie to school and can't wait until they get to go to the 'big' school too. Allie had a great first day of 3rd grade! She was so excited to help me sign all the papers that her teacher sent home for her. She couldn't decide whether to sign her name in cursive or print. Oh the joys of being in 3rd grade!

Little entrepreneurs...

I've been promising Allie that she could do a lemonade stand at the park this summer. Finally we did it on the Friday before school started. She was so excited. She got her friend Sami to help her and although they didn't get much business, they had a lot of fun!

Ash and Liv willingly agreed to be the first customers.

Big girl bed!

Okay, so I'm getting kind of sad that my baby is really growing up! Last night we took the crib down for the very last time. We took Ashlie's top bunk off and put it in Livvy's room. She was excited but, I think her sisters were even more excited. She slept in her bed all night long (didn't get out once!) Hopefully she stays in her bed all of the time. Allie and Ash were praising her over and over in the morning for being such a big girl. It was so funny! We love our baby/big girl! She is so much fun!