Memories from P-Town

Things that came to my mind prior to my trip to Portland

1-5th grade state report
2-site of my dental hygiene board exam August 2002
3-home to Rusty, Collette, and Rick

Things that come to my mind after my trip to Portland

1-The Allison Resort and Spa

We ate lunch at this ultra swanky hotel and enjoyed the best food I've had in a long time.

Randy won't stop talking about his gourmet pinot burger. It was AMAZING!

2-Wine Country

I had no idea how many vineyards Oregon has. Rusty loved educating us on the types of soil in these regions. I'm pretty stoked I have another beautiful landscape photo for my yoga room.

Breath taking views

Randy wanted to fight a guy here...not pictured. I calmed him down but Rusty totally had his back....cute brothers!

3- Fantastic Food

We ate some of the best food I've ever had on this trip. Every meal was a delicious dining experience, combined with excellent company made it true perfection.

4-Yoga

I love trying out yoga studios in different cities. I made Collette come with me and she endured a pretty challenging power yoga class, taught in a 95 degree room!
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Hopefully I didn't turn her off to the whole yoga thing!

5- Brotherly Love

These three are complete entertainment. They can even make a world cup soccer game interesting!

6-KARAOKE

"I believe in miracles...where you from, you sexy thing!"
Hilarious

Wait a minute...who is that , I'm not sure how this sweet girl ended up with a mic in her hand!

Imagine the crowd's face when they heard Rage against the Machine belted by this unidentified girl. She was really into it! "Now TESTIFY!"

Good thing the freaky DJ was in love at first sight!
(she is pictured on the right)

Rick and Randy channeled their inner Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg

7- Oregon Coast/Twilight Set

Maybe I was the only one pretending to be Bella! It was hard not to imagine being a vampire while in these spectacular surroundings.

P-Town Crew

Rusty trying to perfect Randy's infamous finger point.

Chelsea, Rick and I

Rusty and Rick most definitely give me an idea of what life would be like with brothers!

As you can see Randy and I had a fantastic time in Portland, thanks to our incredible hosts. They really showed us the best parts of the city. I didn't wash a dish, mop a floor, put in a load of laundry, make a meal, or drive a car for nearly 5 days and it was heaven, yet I was ready to get home to my babies!

Vacations are always hard to come home from, but when you have adorable children like this to greet you, it's much easier! I can't thank Rusty, Collette, and Rick enough for the great times this weekend. Come visit us real soon. I also must thank everyone who helped out with our kids while we were gone. I didn't worry for a second, as I knew they were in very capable hands. I could do a whole other post on what my kids did while we were gone. They had a mini vacation as well!
Next up...4th of July celebrations in Zion's!

Rain or Shine

In true Utah fashion, we have had snow, rain, and a random day of 90 degrees all in the month of June. That hasn't stopped us from enjoying our summer thus far.

Example A

Splash Park

I'm not saying it was ideal to run through ice cold water in low 70 degree weather but the kids didn't seem to mind. We decided to call it a day once their lips turned purple.

Mino kept saying "Mom, I'm cold freezing!"

Example B

Cruisin' in the "Burb"
My kids can't get enough of Sarah's newly acquired vehicle. It is our method of transportation this summer, seeing as we can all ride together and jam out to mix CD's from 10 years ago.

No ride would be complete without a stop to the frozen yogurt joint.

Example C

BBQ at the Griffin's
We may have been shivering outside but the weather wasn't going to stop us from grilling a delicious burger and listening to classic hits on the deck. Max also insisted we jam out to "Imma Be".

(I just found this picture on my camera)

On a totally unrelated note...
Hank was supposed to be part of a demo for his Tae Kwon Do studio for the Saratoga Splash Days but it was canceled due to rain. On our way home he kept saying "Stop being scared, stop being scared". I asked him why he was saying that and this was his reply, " My performance got canceled but I'm still nervous so I'm telling myself I can stop being scared now". Classic Hank right there. I love it!

Good Morning

The boys didn't want to face the day this morning. Instead they lounged in Hank's bed. I could hear them giggling and Hank said "Max lets just love each other". Great idea!

It reminds me of a picture I took not long ago. The sheets are the same, the bed is the same but somehow my babies are growing at an alarming rate. STOP, or at least slow down a bit...sheesh!

Boys Gone Wild...St. George Edition

Randy and I took the kids on a spontaneous trip to St. George last weekend and despite only being there one day...we wasted no time partying it up! Here's a recap of the boy's fun filled weekend.

Lovin' the hotel beds and sleeping in

Chillin' in the hot tub, even though it was 90 degrees outside

Finding some hot babe to hang with pool side

All the pina colada's and shirley temples you can drink

Max had one too many

Drag races

Max was some stiff competition

Arcade action

Mini Golf

Bumper boats...squirting innocent women and children (Max wasn't into it)

Cannon Ball

Hour upon hours of swimming

Pool volleyball with a cute little girl

Winning his volleyball match even though he was the only one keeping score

Lots of laughter (who wouldn't laugh at that crazy lady)

Passing out in the car

My little family totally rules! This is what it's all about...quality time with the family. It doesn't get any better than that.

Farewell Bear Hollow

Hank has officially graduated with flying colors from Bear Hollow Preschool. I can't believe how much my little guy has grown up this past year in school. Although he is still pretty soft spoken and shy, I've seen him start to come out of his shell and make some new friends. He took his role as Jack Be Nimble quite seriously in their end of the year program. He held on to that candlestick for dear life and was more than ready when his part came up. He chose to be Jack because of his cousin Jack, obviously!

His buddy Jackson was Jack be Nimble as well.

He is quite the jumper!

There were parts of the program where he was belting the words with such conviction, I thought he might pop a blood vessel! Towards the end, Miss Molly had awards for each of the kids; for example, most improved reader, best counter, best at coloring, and fastest runner. After nearly 30 awards, Hank was left sitting alone. She told the crowd she left Hank for last. She said, "notice how patiently Hank has been waiting, I saved him for the last for a reason...this is how he is every day at school. When the rest of the class is shouting for my help, Hank quietly waits for his turn and politely asks for some help. He is so respectful and sweet." So what award did he win.....drum roll please!

What more could a mother want? I am so proud of my little guy I feel like I could burst at the seams! At his final parent teacher conference she told me he is more than ready for Kindergarten. No surprise there. I have to admit I got a bit emotional telling Molly good bye. She has been such a big part of our lives for the past two years. I told her to take the next year to rest and prepare for this little monster!

He had quite a break through during Hank's program. He announced to the entire crowd he had to poo so Randy took him in Molly's house and he pooped on her toilet!! He has overcome his fear for sure! Yeah Max!

Hank and his two proud mothers

Hank with his two proud grandmas
His proud dad was there also but busy taking Max to the bathroom!

Hank also passed his belt test and is graduating to the Junior Dragon class. This is his best friend in Tae Kwon Do, Cody. Hank's ideal treat to celebrate...a cotton candy snow cone! We've had one pretty much every day this week. What a great kid! I love you buddy!