Celebrate good times....come on!!

While we were in Utah for Grandma Amy's funeral, Maddy turned the big 2!! She is not our little baby anymore, but a full-blown toddler!! She celebrated her big day with bananas and sprinkles for breakfast, a fun-filled trip to Chuck E. Cheese's with cousins, a turtle ice-cream cake and presents with some of my family, and then to McDonald's play land that night for an ice cream cone before bed. She was worn out by the end of the night. What a fun birthday for a cute BIG girl!!

Chuck E. Cheese's--where a kid can be a kid!!

Since all of my sisters and mom were in town for the funeral, we got in a lot of good, quality family bonding time. There was a bit of shopping done, good eating (thanks mostly to Ally), movies, game playing, staying up WAY too late,(do I ever go to bed before 2 am while on vacation?!), reminiscing, and making great new memories and we also got to meet my sister Mandy's new boyfriend! This was the first time that all 5 of the grand kids were together. Everyone got along pretty well, considering that there were 11 of us all under the same roof for a whole week.

We also got to visit my Grandma Betty for a bit while in town. She has been redecorating her house and we enjoyed seeing all the new updates.

We stopped in Ogden to visit with my sis-in-law Melanie and her kids and also got a surprise visit from Grandma Connie, who we thought would still be in Phoenix for the extent of our UT visit.

The girls had to take "Big Pete" for a spin. This was Mark's little ride-on truck when he was a little boy.

**Not pictured, but we were also able...

~to attend my cousin Shelby's little daughter Maya's baby blessing. That was such a nice way to get get to see lots of extended family.
~to go out to lunch with my sis-in-law Leanne and niece Jessica and enjoy their company while hitting a couple of boutiques.

~go to my favorite restaurant in Utah--the MANDARIN!! Best Chinese food EVER!! It was so worth the 1 1/2 hr wait--even with all 5 kids :) Thanks girls!!!

~and run into a few old friends randomly while out and about.

~And no trip to Utah is ever complete without a quick trip to Roberts crafts, and dinner at Cafe Rio!

**As always, we wished we could have seen more of you Utahans (and done some more shopping!). But you are always welcome to come and visit us...

When we arrived back in WARM San Diego a week later, even though we were completely exhausted, we had to celebrate Maddy's big day with daddy. We opened up more of Maddy's birthday presents and had banana splits. YUMMY!! Happy 2nd birthday Maddy!!

Bittersweet...

My dear, sweet Grandmother passed away on October 30. She was always such a true "lady"--one that never spoke poorly of anyone, was always optimistic, and always cheerful. She had an eye for beauty and everything she did in her life had a certain grandeur about it. I remember her always looking "put together" and perfect, and always having a smile on her face. She could talk to anyone--and she usually did :) She took delight in her family and they in her. My aunt Judy, who will truly be blessed for her selfless act of love, had cared for Grandma for the last 10 years of her life while she had been battling Alzheimer's and was in a wheelchair for the past 4 years.

The girls and I were able to fly out to UT to attend her funeral. It was very sad to finally say goodbye to her. Her funeral service was beautiful, and even though it snowed over 6 inches that day in SLC, the day had a certain charming, peacefulness to it. My happiness in all this is knowing that she is so much better off in the next world. She no longer struggles to communicate her needs and wants, her thoughts and feelings, her pains and sufferings. I know she is amazingly happy and free now. She is, no doubt, strolling hand in hand with her sweetheart of over 50 years through beautiful gardens more amazing than we on earth can ever imagine. She is enjoying being surrounded by loved ones that had gone on before her. And she is once again in our Heavenly Father's presence. Grandma Amy, you will be missed.

A Frightful Halloween Night!

Our two little fairy princesses ready for some trick-or-treating

After about 5 costume changes, Ellie finally pulled together this little number, because she just "HAD to be a fairy princess like Maddy"

Maddy was just itching to get out and get herself some loot

Our Halloween night was jam packed with lots of fun. We had two parties to attend and then off around the neighborhood for some trick-or-treating.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Carving Pumpkins!

Our 2 little punkin's

We had a great family night of carving up our pumpkins. Maddy and Mommy made the Pirate Pumpkin and Ellie and Daddy were much more technical and made theirs into Sleeping Beauty. (unfortunately, we have no pics of Sleeping Beauty...)

Happy Halloween!!

These pics were taken at our church's Trunk-or-treat night. Ellie was Love-a-lot Bear (A Care Bear--courtesy of Grandma Trish circa 1984) and Maddy was a little BYU cheerleader. The girls had a blast, ate WAY too much candy (ok...so did I!), had fun running around with their friends and can't wait for the "real thing."

We hope everyone has a fabulous Halloween!!

Go Cougs!!!

Time for the Care Bear stare!!

Mexican Fiesta!!!

We were so blessed to be able to spend a wonderful 4 days in San Felipe, Mexico as a family and with some good friends! It was the perfect trip--no one got kidnapped, the weather was great, the food was delicious, we stayed at a beautiful beach house complete with it's own private beach, and everyone got along so wonderfully!

Since our gorgeous beach house (almost 4000 sq ft) opened right up to it's own private beach, our days were filled with kayaking, floating/swimming in the ocean, bogey boarding, fishing, dune sliding, sea shelling, boccie ball, football, laughing, eating great food, relaxing on the beach while the kids ran wild, breathing in the fresh saltwater air, basking in the sunshine, and just enjoying great company.

The gang--all the kids got along so well the whole time.

Our nights were spent at the "kid pool" (as named by Ellie) where the tide had gone out and left a big shallow pool where the dads pulled the kids on bogey boards and then the kids took turns pulling each other. We ate yummy dinners, played some great games (Go Joseph!!), played the Wii and guitar hero, watched the sunset from the house, made s'mores around the campfire, watched movies, ate way too much junk food, almost got attacked by pirates (ok..so it ended up being this amazing lighting storm out over the ocean...), and stayed up until almost 3 am every night chatting (well...at least the moms did--sorry girls!). As you can see in the last pic, our girls were worn right out after their fun-filled days at the beach.

Now, for those of you who know me well, no trip with Alicia would ever be complete without a little drama. (i.e. hurricanes in both the Virgin Islands and Cabo San Lucas, "skunk" and the golf ball murderer, getting a ticket in CO, etc...), so of course this trip was not exempt from a little drama of it's own...

Our first night in San Felipe, a little mouse decided to move itself into the house's dishwasher--right next to my bare feet!! And then that same night, I see a cockroach almost the size of a playing card lurking around right where we were sitting! And who could forget that as the adults were sitting around the fire pit late one night, this little guy (really, not so little--he was the size of my hand!) goes creeping by???

Lucky for us, "Tom the Terminator" was quick on his feet and ran inside and trapped him in a glass. Then enters Allan, the next door neighbor, who, without a shirt on, picks up the tarantula and lets him crawl all over him (I still get the willies thinking about it!--"Come on little guy, you can come home with me and keep me company!")

And I want to know, how come I am always the one to spot all of these uninvited little guests??!!

Later on, (still the same night believe it or not), this big fella (all six inches of him), came scurrying across the floor as we were watching "Iron Man." You have never in all your life seen 6 adults jump up on chairs so quickly!! Again, "Tom the Terminator" came to the rescue and he quickly smashed that scorpion to smithereens!! YIKES!!

For the rest of the trip though, all the other wild life got the message to steer clear of our house, and we didn't see anything creepy or crawly again!

We had such a fabulous trip and would love to turn this into an annual get-away (minus the wild creatures of course)!

Meeting Baby Kai...

We were able to fly out and visit my sister and her family...and to meet her new baby boy, KAI!! We instantly fell in love with this sweet, adorable, happy little baby who was all smiles. All week, my girls (and myself included!) couldn't stop holding and kissing this little lovable baby--that was, in between all the fun activities Angie had planned for us!

Meeting Kai--see why we just couldn't get enough of him??

We spent the day at the WOW children's museum in Denver, where the kids had a blast! They put on various plays, dug in the sand, pretended to be pirates, rode in the jeep, played with the giant bubble maker, danced, played with the trains, and played in the music, science and art rooms.

We went to Berry Patch Farms and picked the yummiest raspberries I've ever tasted! Have you ever tasted "golden" raspberries straight off the vine?? YUMMY!! I think we ate more than we took home!

Our trip wouldn't be complete without a stop at the famous Denver zoo! The kids were great and the animals were fun to watch, and no trip to the zoo is ever complete without a spin on the carousel and a ride on the train!

Angie and family, thanks so much for another great trip to the "Mile High City"!! So many great memories! We sure miss and love you guys!!

Birthday Bash!

I just wanted to tell everyone thank you for making my birthday so much fun!! Among so many exciting activites and surprises, I was taken out to breakfast by some friends at one of my favorite little cafes, got a fabulous new camera (sorry, I have just barely begun to use it, so you will have to suffer through my old camera's lousy pictures for a bit more...) and got to spend 2 days and a night at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad where we got to stay in this really nice suite. (Check out the pics below--we had a 2 bedroom suite, and on top of a little patio, it had a backyard! Then we had our own little gate leading out to the pool, water slides and beach area! The only crazy thing, was that at 8:30 the next morning, the fire alarm went off and so we had to leave the room a little indecent, and when we got locked out of our room we ended up in their fancy lobby in our pj's!!) Thank you to everyone for a fabulous birthday--(especially Mark and the girls!)

Getting to know me...

Getting to know ALL about me...

Me at few months old.

Ok, so I have been tagged a few times over the past little while and I kept putting replying off. #1--Because I think that I am kind of a shy, private person, and #2--I didn't know if I wanted to share some of the things that I was asked to... But, I figure since it is my big day tomorrow, what better way to write a quick little autobiography than to divulge...

The ABC's of ME...

A. Age? 29 tomorrow!!
B. Best friend? Besides Mark of course right?! I have a different BFF from each place I have ever lived in life. And of course my sisters. I have lots of good friends here in SD, but am currently looking for a true BFF (or as Mark calls it—my “girl soul mate”)…

C. Cake or pie? Can it be ice cream cake?

D. Daredevil or wimp? I don’t know if I am strongly one or the other, but I do like a fun adventure from time to time. I was supposed to go paragliding until I found out I am prego.

E. Essential Item? MASCARA!! I don’t wear lots of makeup, but w.o./ it, my eyelashes are invisible.

F. Favorite color? BLUE

G. Goals in life. Explore the world—including, go on a walk-about in Australia and go on a safari in Africa, be healthier, be more optimistic, execute a good "life schedule", learn photography, be a better friend, write a book, and possibly ?? get my masters degree. And even though it sounds crazy, I think it would be fun to be in a play or musical (even though I am not the best singer)--Live a life with no regrets.

H. Homebody or on the go? Depends on the day. We would never be home if Ellie had her way. “Mom, where are we going today and who are we playing with?”

I. Favorite indulgence? SLEEP!!

J. Jobs? In HS I worked at our little town’s movie theater—the Kaysville Theater and I have worked at 3 restaurants, the BYU library (as Mark's secretary), at Saratoga Springs Academy, Avalon Dentistry and since we have moved around much of our married life, I have had TONS of temp jobs, but my favorites were working in Laguna Beach and being on the Dr. Laura tv show 5 times! I’m famous!! And of course my current position—the best ever--A mom!

K. Kids? 2 beautiful little girls –Elizabeth 4 ½ and Madelyn 22 months and another baby due April 6th!
L. Life isn't complete without? My family and fun

M. Marriage Date? July 29, 1999 in SLC, UT.

N. Number of brothers and sisters? 2 older sisters, 1 younger sis and 2 younger brothers—I am a typical middle child!

O. OCD or messy? Both. I love to organize, but I tend to let the house slip in favor of going out to play!

P. Phobias? SPIDERS!!!!! (and bees)

Q. Quote—“Life is meant to be enjoyed, not just endured”

R. Reason to smile? Mark is home early!
S. Season of choice? I LOVE LOVE LOVE the autumn in Utah. I love the crisp feel in the air and the smell of a camp fire far off (and it’s my birthday season). But, I also LOVE SD weather—beautiful all year long! I crave the sun!
T. Tag 5 people: My sisters, Robin, Erin, my cousins, and anyone else who wants to play—it would be fun to read what you all write.

U. Unknown gross fact about me? Do I dare admit that I can make myself burp L-O-U-D? Louder than most grown men… ??

V. Very favorite food? Does candy count? I have a major sweet tooth! But I love Chinese and seafood! (We miss the Mandarin!!)
W. Where were you born? Layton, UT
X. X-ray or ultrasound? Ultrasound. I love seeing my babies before they are born. I just had my first one last week for this baby! It was amazing—my “little prune" was waving to me!!

Y. Your perfect day? Mark stays home from work, the whole family sleeps in, and then we go to the beach for brunch, just hang out and be together, lots of sunshine and smiles. A fun day activity someplace, a little snooze for all and then a babysitter at night and Mark and I go on a nice date. No cares in the world…
Z. Zodiac sign? LIBRA!

Too cool for school!

Monday was Ellie's first day back to preschool. She wasn't quite sure if she wanted to go back to school, but on our way up the hill, she got all excited and exclaimed "I am SOOOO glad to be going back to my preschool again!" Her new teacher seems really fun, and Ellie's teacher from last year (who she really liked) is the teacher's aide for the class. Even though it is a full class this year, (12 vs 7 kids last year), there are some really great kids in there. I know this will be a great year for her!

Ellie and the traditional door knob shot. We took a pic in this exact spot last year on the first day of school and then the last day of school and then compared the two. I think the pastor was a little embarrassed by how ugly the door was and tried to get us to take a pic in another spot, but I told him it was tradition!

Ellie and her new teacher, Mrs. Turner.

Ellie and her new friend Lily. I think they are going to be best friends! They have totally hit it off already!

Here's to a great year!!!