Summer Birthdays

Eric and I are both born in the lovely summer season. We always try to have a good time celebrating each other being born. June 27th was a  fantastic day. Eric took the day off. My job share partner worked the day for me. We dropped the kids off at the baby sitter and played all day. First we were spiritual and went to the temple. Then we had a yummy lunch and then we were off to the water park. Best place to go and feel young. After we picked up the girls, we had dinner at home with some cake. It was a sweet end to a splendid day! Lets not forget to mention the sweet hammock that I got. Best place to read, sleep, or just chill!

On August 2nd, Eric's day, the girls and I had some things in store for him. We let him sleep in. He came down and we had a "cake" waiting for him. This cake involved a lot of his favorite treats as well as tickets to 3 of his Utah football games. He was a happy man! We went swimming and spent the day with the girls. That evening we went out to dinner just the two of us. Due to it being Eric's special day, I was going to be open minded and try sushi which brings him joy. Umm...lets just say...I tried it! Not my favorite. Oh well! He had a great birthday and feels like we are still celebrating as we went to the first game this past weekend. He was definitely in his happy place!

Camp Out

So Clara and Dad went on a little camping adventure. They traveled far far away into the backyard one Friday night. They got the tent all set up. They partook of the proper camping dessert and then headed to bed for the night. All the while, Gracie and I slept comfy in our beds. Clara was in absolute heaven and slept pretty well once she finally decided to go to sleep. The plan is to try it another time or two before it gets cold.

Mothers/Fathers

Needless to say we had a great couple of holidays where we felt the love and felt lucky to have these girls in our lives. We wouldn't trade them for anything!

Gracie is One!

Okay, so the first year goes by so much faster with the second. It flew. Our little Gracie turned one last Wednesday. On her actual day of birth, Daddy had work and Mommy had a young womens activity she was in charge of. However, she was decked out in her birthday shirt and we sang to her all throughout the day. She would bounce and smile...I think she digged the song!
On Saturday we had a little family shin dig with cake and ice cream. I was excited to see if Gracie would give us more of show than Clara did with her smash cake! WRONG! The girl put her hand in a little bit of frosting...shook it off and turned to me to hold her. We are 0 for 2! Is it the female gender? Oh well! It was a great day! Howver, big sister did not so much appreciate her little sister getting all of the attention, the birthday cake, and the presents. There were many tears shed on her part....and not the happy kind!

Easter

The holiday came and we were of a festive nature. Thursday we had our neighborhood flashlight egg hunt. Clara Jo scored while Gracie cheered her on. Next year, Gracie will be all over it. On Easter eve, we went and did eggs with Eric's parents in Wallsburg. Clara definitely has learned to softly place the egg in the cups which was a big improvement from last year. On Easter, the Easter Bunny dropped by our house, we went to church, gave talks, and then headed to Mama Jo's for family dinner! Yumm! Through it all, I was there with the camera. Here are some cute Easter pictures for your viewing pleasure.

 

 

Viva Las Vegas

So...the big news... Eric and I have survived 5 years of marriage. Quite the accomplishment eh? Well, we feel good about it. Last year on our anniversary, I was very large and with child. Over our Texas Roadhouse dinner, I told Eric that next year for the big 5, we needed to be more festive! Thus...our little getaway to Las Vegas.

We drove up on the morning of our anniversary eve. It was a fun and pretty drive. Not to boast, but  I was quite an amazing d.j. Eric would pick an artist and I would pick 5 of their songs since we were celebrating 5 years. Tender. After a yummy early dinner in St. George, we pulled in to Las Vegas about the time of rush hour traffic. We found our hotel...the Flamingo and dropped all of our stuff off. Then we hit the strip. We walked to New York, New York and rode the roller coaster on top. It brought us great joy! We hung out a little while before we headed up to our pink and black room.

The next day, we slept in and that was amazing. We hit M&M World, the Coke Factory, and the Hard Rock Cafe. We spent the day just walking around and hanging out. For lunch, we stopped at Toby Keith's Bar and Grill. I got me some "Getcha Some" Fajitas. They were delightful. After more sightseeing and a much enjoyed afternoon nap, we head to see the light and fountain show at the Bellagio. It was awesome. Then it was time for...wait for it... The Donny and Marie Show. Oh yes, we went. We enjoyed, We were easily the youngest people there. It was a great show. It was a fabulous outing for our anniversary.

The next day, after sleeping in again, we got up and got dressed and checked out. We walked the strip for a little bit more before we headed out. But don't worry, the vackay was not over. One of my best friends from Ricks College lived nearby and we were going to spend the night with them and get some bonding in. We have kept in pretty good contact with emails and such but hadn't seen each other much since before my mission.We had a great time of good eating, cooking lessons, playing games, and catching up. Love her and her cute family.

The next day we woke up and headed back to the land of Zion. It was such a great trip and so fun to have some Eric and Sommer time. I sure do like him. Being able to visit an old friend was just icing on the cake! Until next time Sin City! Here are some pictures of our 5 year getaway!

As hard as it was to come back, it was so good to see our little girls again. When we walked through the door, Clara Jo squealed. "Mom and Dad....I don't believe it!" Love her!
Also, please know that we did get a picture of Eric with a couple of show girls. While he said I couldn't post them on the blog or facebook (party pooper), I am willing to email it to you for your viewing pleasure! :)