A Pharmacy Conference in St. George.

Nick had a pharmacy conference in St. George, UT.  I thought it sounded like a good excuse for a vacation!

Rather than staying at the Marriott this time, I decided on a more budget-friendly option; and booked a condo through VRBO.

I made the reservation at the beginning of January.  I started to get nervous when it was 10 days before our scheduled stay, and I hadn't heard anything from the owners.  Turns out, the condo was sold the week before our stay, and the new owners were very inept, when it comes to customer service.  It was not a pleasant experience.  Up until the moment we arrived at the condo, I still was not certain that we'd have a place to stay.

The condo we booked was at the Sports Village.  In the VRBO listing it said that the complex has 3 pools, and a playground.  I guess, technically, this is true.  But one of the pools was a hot tub.  And the other was a kiddie pool that was 2 feet deep, and the size of two bathtubs put together.

We spent a total of 15 minutes at the pool.  Definitely not a selling point!

The condo was dated.  Functional, but dated.

The next time we have to go to St. George for a pharmacy conference, I will pay extra to stay at the Las Palmas condo complex.  It was across the street from where we were staying, and looked a LOT nicer.

So, Nick was in class all day.  This left me with kids to entertain.  St. George, fortunately, has a lot of nice parks.  We visited several of them.

One morning, I took the kids to the LDS temple in St. George.  We wandered the grounds, and took in the beauty.  I tried to get a picture of my three little ones.  But never could get one where they were all looking at me, at the same time.

I did drag the kids shopping with me, at the outlet mall one day.  None of us enjoyed that outing.  I bought a few things at the Children's Place.  But that was the end of it.  My kids don't like to shop.  They must get that from their father.

I did a little research online, to find places to eat; but that search didn't turn up too many "must try" places.  On the way to St. George, we stopped in Fillmore, and had lunch at Cluff's Drive-In.  That was good.  In St. George we found a wood-fired pizza place, called Rigatti's.  It was A-MAZ-ING!  We ordered pizza there twice on our trip.  It was the highlight of our trip!

Beyond that, yes we were boring.  I took the kids to McDonald's for lunch one day.  At least this McDonald's had a good play place.

Cohen could get on this slide, and slide down all by himself.  He found it very entertaining.

The kids did really well in the car.  Cohen surprised me, and probably was the best behaved of my children!  We had a nice time, and we all enjoyed the sunshine.  I told Nick (more than once) that I could certainly live in St. George.  Nick's response?  That he would much rather live in a rainy/lush place (ie-Seattle), than a desert.  I guess we won't be relocating south any time soon.

Spring Break 2013.

We were on the go!  The entire week.  It was great.

One of the days, I met up with an old friend, and coworker from my Zions Bank days.  Aimee. She brought her two little boys, and we had lunch at Sugarhouse Park.  I left Cohen at home with Nick, and I am glad I did!  The girls were more than I could handle.  They wanted nothing to do with the picnic lunch, or even the playground.  It was 60 degrees outside,and all they wanted to do was get in the water.

Of course, Elsa, ever my accident-prone child.  Fell in.  She was soaking wet, and muddy by the time I was ready to leave.  Because Cohen wasn't with me, I hadn't bothered to bring any diapers.  Elsa's pull-up was falling apart.  So, I was scouring my car, trying to find something to use to cover her bum.  I found some newborn size diapers in my first aid kit.  It's a good thing Elsa is so skinny.  I put the diaper on her.  It fit.  Barely.  She looked like a mini-sumo wrestler.  It was funny!

Another day, a neighbor had a bounce house set-up.  In the afternoon she invited my kids over to play. 
Reagan and Elsa LOVED it!  

Then, there was the day when I grabbed my (new) neighborhood friend, Karen, and we took our kids to Thanksgiving Point.

Cohen doesn't really love animals. He hated the pony ride!  I tried to get him to pet a goat, and he didn't like that one bit!

It was a fun, but very exhausting week!

When the week was over, I was surprisingly sad.  In the past, spring break hasn't really even registered on my radar.  But this year, Reagan didn't have pre-school all week, or dance class either.  It was so relaxing to be able to get ready at our own pace in the morning.  It made me realize that I am excited for summer to come!  My kids are so fun (most of the time)!

Elsa's First Haircut!

This is BIG news!  Elsa had her first haircut!  Yes, her first haircut at almost three years of age.  Elsa kept asking to get her hair cut, and I finally relented.  I took her to see Suzanne.  Elsa did amazingly well.  She let Suzanne wash her hair, and she sat so still while Suzanne cut and styled her hair.

 Suzanne talked me in to doing an A-line cut on Elsa.  And I am so glad she did.  It is adorable!
Here are some pictures of Elsa after her haircut.

 I think her hair is even more curly, after the haircut.  And that's fine by me.  Isn't she adorable?!

She wouldn't let me get a picture of the back of her hair.  But that's OK, it is cute from any angle.

Daddy-Daughter Dates.

Every Monday (Nick's only guaranteed day off during the week), Nick has been taking the girls on "dates".  Reagan and Elsa have been LIVING for these excursions!  They've been to a park, Kangaroo Zoo, out for Ice Cream, Etc.  They trade-off weeks.  So, one week it's Reagan's turn, and the next week it's Elsa's turn.

A few weeks ago, Nick and Reagan rode the train in to Salt Lake, and went to the planetarium.  This activity has been so popular, the girls have both requested it for three weeks straight!

 The first time Reagan went, the treat she picked was a sucker with a scorpion in it.

Reagan had no problem eating it.  Elsa, on the other hand, wasn't so sure.....  She examined it.  And smelled it...

 Before she finally took a taste.   She wasn't in love with it.  But Cohen didn't have any reservations.

Like I said, Reagan loved the planetarium.

These pictures are from one of Elsa's trips.  I don't know whether they both really like riding the train, or the actual planetarium?  Maybe both.

 Elsa can make some AWESOME faces.  Here is one of the many:

Nick specified that he wanted me to mention the stuffed animals in the bin (picture below).  They are stuffed animal germs.   The likes of which are: gonorrhea, HPV, and chlamydia.

Reagan told Nick, "I don't want chlamydia!" (meaning the stuffed animal).  And Nick said, "No, Reagan.  You definitely don't".
It is completely baffling to me, (and a little bit funny) that such a product is even made.  And the fact that they sell it in Utah....  Well, that really puzzles me.

It's My Party, and I'll Cry If I Want To.

I wished I could forget my birthday this year.  And not because I'm concerned about my age.  I couldn't care less that I turned 33 on March 29, 2013.  Or, that I am exactly two months older than Nick.

This year, my birthday was less-than ideal.

Nick had to work, the morning of my birthday.  So, it was pretty much business as usual around the house.  Except, I swear, the kids were more ornery than normal.  No one wanted to cooperate.  I didn't end up taking Reagan to dance class, because I just didn't feel like fighting with her, to get her to go.  Usually, she loves dance.  But this particular Friday, she wasn't feeling it.

I had some friends send me birthday wishes. And Family too.  My Mom was in town looking for houses (see previous post), and asked if she could take me to lunch.

We went to small cafe called, Bite Sized, in Farmington.  It is my new favorite lunch place.  They have an artichoke, chicken Caesar salad that is delish.  It was the middle of the day, so the kids had to accompany us.  Reagan and Elsa kept running out of the cafe after we ordered.  Chasing them around was so much fun!  Not.  Mom and I ended up getting our lunch to go, and eating it in the car.

Cohen enjoyed his flutternutter sandwich.

Nick had told me that he was getting off work early, to do some birthday shopping for me, and so that he could make it home in time to take me to dinner at a restaurant I'd been wanting to try, Franck's.

None of the kids wanted to nap.  Any time this happens, it makes life far more difficult for me.

The afternoon of my birthday was also the day of the neighborhood Easter egg hunt.  I hauled all three little ones up the street to seek out Easter eggs.  The hunt itself was good.  But after the activity Elsa ran off, and when I found her she was throwing enormous clumps of concrete in to a deep hole, in one of the neighbors yard's.  Apparently, that neighbor had dug the hole to reach a water line.  I had to jump down in the hole to remove all of the rock that had been put back in it.  In Elsa's defense, I ought to say that I am not certain she threw anything in.  There was another boy near the hole with her, so I don't know if Elsa was participating, or trying to stop the other kid?

Anyway, I brought the kids home.  When I got there I discovered that Nick was not home.  Quite the contrary.  He was still at work.  The other pharmacist that was supposed to work had called in sick.  And Nick wasn't sure if a replacement had been found?  Rather than being early, he was going to be late.  And he didn't know how late.

I called the babysitter, to delay.  And this was when I started to feel a twinge of "sorry for myself".

The kids were all dirty from playing outside.  I figured, that while I was waiting for Nick to get home, I'd bathe them.

I put Reagan and Cohen in the tub.  While I was doing this, unbeknownst to me, Elsa stripped down.  She whipped off her pull-up right outside the bathroom door.  It had poop in it (another thing I did not know).  I started to cry a little bit, while I was cleaning up Elsa's mess.  Then, insult to injury, Reagan yelled from the bathtub that Cohen was pooping!

He pooped in the tub, and it wasn't a small amount.

At that point in time I started sobbing.  Like, body-wracking, heaving, so-not-pretty sobs.  I cannot even remember the last time I lost it like that?

I bawled as I cleaned the tub.  It was a full-on pity party!



I texted Nick that I didn't want to bother with dinner.  We had missed our reservations at Franck's anyway.

Nick made it home around 5:30PM, he brought me red roses.  I was still mad, and disappointed.  I kept telling myself that Nick's arrival time wasn't his fault.  Eventually, I took a deep breath and decided to stop punishing him.  And me.

The babysitter came over, and Nick and I went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse.

While I was gone, the babysitter helped the kids make me birthday cards.  It was very sweet.  And the babysitters Mom (who is also my visiting teaching partner, and good friend) brought over a bouquet of flowers, and a balloon.

The next morning, Nick surprised me with breakfast in bed.  He made blueberry cream cheese sandwich pockets, and bacon and avocado breakfast wraps.  I love that Nick can cook.  I also love that Nick knows me well, and can forgive me when I act like a juvenile.

In the afternoon, my Mom paid for take-out from our favorite local Indian restaurant.  Heather brought two pies (I prefer pie to cake) over, and we all celebrated.  The day after my birthday was a lot better.

Big News!

Of course, we aren't adding any members to our family.  We're done in the baby department.  And Nick knew, before he married me, that I wasn't fond of animals (he married me anyway).  So, we aren't getting a dog.  Now, or EVER!
No, the big news is that my parent's are going to be making UT their permanent address again!  In May, they will be moving back from NYC/New Jersey.  My Dad got a new job, and will be working out of an office in the Sugarhouse area!
We are thrilled, thrilled, thrilled!

The pictures, don't have anything to do with this post.  They are just extra's I have that I've never been able to work in to a blog post.

There you go.  Cute kids, and good news!  It always makes for a good post!

Easter 2013

The Friday before Easter, a few families in our neighborhood hosted an Easter Egg hunt.  It was amazing!  The kids got an even amount of candy, and fun prizes like: bubbles, and slinky's.  I felt like the kids did well enough at that hunt, that I didn't need to take them to a city-sponsored hunt the following morning.  So Saturday, we slept in.

Saturday afternoon, my Mom came to my house and set up an Easter egg hunt in my backyard, for my kids and my nephews.  After the hunt, my Mom decorated sugar cookies with the kids.

Easter Sunday.  The Easter bunny brought Easter baskets that were light on candy.  The kids had plenty of it already from the two Easter egg Hunts they had been on before.

Even still, Elsa went straight for the chocolate Easter bunny in her basket.

Reagan wanted to show off the Chuggington DVD.  It was actually in Cohen's basket.  But she was excited about it, nonetheless.  The DVD in Reagan's basket was an animated version of Transformers, and Elsa was given a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang DVD. 

The kids also got books, Hot Wheels cars, Play Doh, and toys (that I found on clearance) at the Disney Store.  Cohen went straightaway for the chocolate as well.

I guess it was only a matter of time before Reagan went after the chocolate in her basket as well.  She had a giant chocolate Easter Bunny.  I allowed her to eat the ears off of it that morning.

A few of the toys that the kids received needed tools to get them out of the packaging.  Nick headed downstairs to get a screwdriver.  He slipped on the top step of the stairs, and went "ass over teakettle" all of the way down!  It was scary!  Nick had carpet burns on his arms, and one of his thighs was bruised black and blue. 

The Easter bunny also had color-coordinated formal wear for the kids to wear to church.  But after Nick took a tumble; Elsa and I were the only ones that ended up going to church.  Nick's brother, Nate, came up to the house to help out with Reagan, and Cohen while I was gone. 

Nick was feeling better by the next day, but his besides his leg, his ego was also bruised.  Poor guy.  My Mom came over to have dinner with us on Easter.  We ended up eating Ham, and potatoes.  Nothing too creative, since I was the one cooking; due to Nick being laid-up.  My Mom helped me bathe the kids, and she read them many stories after their bath's.

It was an eventful, memorable day.  We hope to celebrate Easter without any physical mishaps next year.

8 Years.

On March 5th Nick and I celebrated our 8th Wedding Anniversary.  We "went big" and decided a trip to Seattle was in order.  At Christmas, Nick gave Lance (our nephew) his extra XBOX 360.  Don't ask why Nick even had an "extra" XBOX 360.  It's one of those things that you learn to overlook when you're married.  The same way Nick just shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head at my collection of handbags.

Anyway, Jeff asked if he could pay us for the XBOX?  I told him that he could repay us in childcare!  So, Heather and Jeff ended up watching my kids for 3 days while Nick and I went on our trip.

Nick and I went straight to Duke's Chowder House, on Lake Union, from the airport.  Of course, eating good food was ONE of the priorities on this trip.

We booked a room at the Courtyard hotel in Kirkland.  The pictures on the Internet were a lot nicer than the hotel was, in person.  Of course, the hotel wasn't a dump, but in hindsight I wished I had paid a little extra and reserved a room at a Marriott property in downton Seattle.

That first evening, we went to dinner with my "bestie", Kris, and her husband, Phil.  They treated us to dinner at La Rustica.  The Italian cuisine was heaven on earth!  I had the spaghetti with meatballs, but the meatballs were made of lamb, and were seasoned with mint!  Divine, I tell you!  If you are ever in Seattle, seek this place out (and get there early!  There are only a dozen, if that, tables available).

The next morning Nick and I resurrected an old tradition.  We got up early headed to Pike's Place Market.  We meandered through the market and partook in all of our favorite foods.  Of course, the mini donuts are my own favorite.  We used to do Pike's for breakfast, at least once a month, when we lived in Seattle.  It never gets old.  

Around lunchtime I forced Nick in to going shopping.  We went to the outlets in Marysville.  I really wanted to visit the Kate Spade store.  I have always loved her handbags!  Her style is just up my alley!  I adore the clean lines, and structure she uses in her designs.  Nick kindly purchased a purse for me, but I have to wait until my birthday, before I get it.

While we were shopping I started getting queasy.  I tried to ignore it.  Because, we were in the land of culinary delights!  Nothing was going to keep me from my food!
We drove to Bellevue, and went to McCormick & Schmicks to get an early dinner.  I had been looking forward to this meal, most of all.  Nick and I are "Preferred Guests/members" at McCormick, and I had a $25 birthday credit on my McCormick account.
I ordered my meal, and had started on my salad when I realized I couldn't fight my sickness any longer.  I excused myself from the table and high-tailed it to the bathroom.  After I threw up, I felt better, but I couldn't eat.  I sat at the table and watched Nick eat, not only, his entire entree, but mine as well.

Since I wasn't feeling up to participating in any nightlife.... We went back to the hotel.  I talked Nick in to renting Argo (he hates Ben Affleck, so this took some doing, on my part).  We watched the movie, and I can say that I liked it.  I think Nick still hates Ben Affleck.  Also, I had a few more incidents with vomiting.
Apparently, I came by my tummy-troubles honestly.  My sister told me that my children were puking while I was gone.
Of course, I felt bad that my sister had been cursed with MY sick children.  But I wasn't as mortified as I would have been if I had left my kids with just a friend.  Is that a double-standard?  While I'm at it, I might as well admit that my first thought was, "Hooray, this time around it doesn't mean extra laundry for me to do!".  My second thought was, "My poor sister, and my poor kids!".
That sister of mine, she's a good egg.    I'm lucky to have her.

The next morning, my stomach was feeling better.  I really wanted to go to Sunflour Bakery, or Voula's for breakfast.  But the whole "Reagan and Nick missing their flight in Tampa, and having to fly standby" incident was still fresh on Nick's mind.  So, Nick wanted to be to the airport as early as possible, just to be (in my opinion, unnecessarily) early for our flight.  On the way to the airport we stopped at Top Pot Donuts and picked up breakfast.  I don't think Donuts, in any form, are anything to sneer at; so I was happy with breakfast.

The airplane, on the way home was very close to Mt. Rainier.  It was pretty cool.

Our kids were happy to see us, and us them, when we got home.  I think it will be a while before we venture out without our children again.  Having adults-only time away is fun.  But vacationing with our kids is even more fun!

It Hasn't Been All Bad...

The end of February and beginning of March were tough to get through.  This past winter was the most miserable I can remember experiencing in, well, ever!  I thought the cold and snow would never end.  I felt like everyone in our neighborhood was hibernating (my family included).

Stir-crazy, cabin-fever, whatever you want to call it; we had it!

I made an appointment for haircuts.  Reagan, Cohen, and I had trims.  Elsa has still not had a pair of scissors touch her hair, and it may yet be a while before she does!  So, at least we looked presentable, even though there was no one to look good for. 

My carpet cleaner was working massive overtime!  Not only was it doing "the usual" cleaning of the carpet due to dirt/snow being tracked in the house... But it also did stints cleaning up (on multiple occasions): Reagan's throw-up, "accidents" from (STILL) trying to potty-train Elsa, and milk that spilled on the upholstery in my car (OK, fortunately that was only a one-time thing).  One morning, in early March, things started to warm up; and all of the snow was rapidly melting.  The drain in the outside stairwell filled up very quickly, and then, so did the stairwell itself!  To prevent our basement from flooding, Nick hooked some plastic tubing up to my carpet cleaner, and started suctioning water from the drain.  He and I took turns "bailing".  We were at it for hours!  Boy, was the snow thawing at a rate equal to our water removal!  In the end, Nick and I figure we moved about 200 Gallons out of that stairwell drain.  It took a lot of work, but at least our basement stayed dry!

The hardest event of the past month was having one of my best friends, move.   Emily, and her wonderful family moved back to Washington State.  Emily was my next-door-neighbor when Nick and I lived in South Ogden.  So, Reagan has known Connor (Emily's son) since she was 6 months old.  They are a month apart in age.  And they have grown in to such good friends.  Emily moved to Kaysville right before we moved to Fruit Heights.  And for a while now, she has been only a two-minute drive from me.  We did a lot together.  I miss her deeply.  Of course, we still chat on a regular basis; and we'll always be friends.  But it is different now that I can't call her on a moments-notice, to hang out.

And these pictures illustrate the kind of relationship Reagan and Connor had.  One minute they loved each other:

 And the next they were rough-housing.  Typical.

Since we couldn't venture outside, I took the kids to a lot of indoor play places.

By mid-March it was plain that the winter had made us all a little nutty!  Elsa was taking her socks off, in the car, and using them as gloves.

 And all of the stickers we acquired, on a trip to Trader Joe's, ended up in the oddest places.

Yessireeeeee, everyone in our household is dying for spring to come!