We went swimming today with some friends. I was telling them how Maya is such "the boy who cried wolf" in the pool so I try to teach her to say "super hero save me" if she is just playing and save "help" for when there is a real emergency. The following conversation then took place:

Friend: "Maya, who is your favorite super hero?"
Maya: "My mom," and then just went on swimming.

I sure love that girl!

A really great day!

Today I turned 29 years old. My mom kept my kids overnight so I was able to sleep in, go shopping, meet some friends for lunch, and pick up my kids and bring them home for naps. The day was perfect... until Kenyon woke up from his nap with a high fever. I guess you can't have a completely perfect birthday, but it sure was close to it! Really, it has been a birthday week. My parents took the adults out to Flemings Steak House over the weekend. I went shopping and swimming on Monday, to the zoo on Tuesday and then had my fun-filled day today complete with cake and ice cream with my family tonight. I love my life!

One more year to live up my twenties - here's to it!

WANTED

...For sending his Mama to the psychiatric hospital!

Has been known to:

pull his sister's hair (notice his hand in the picture)

hit his Mommy's new eyes with a plastic bottle resulting in another trip to the surgeon (thankfully everything was okay!)

throw food at every meal

tackle kids twice his size to the ground

hit kids (especially girl cousins that don't want to be hit) with books, spoons, and anything else he can get his hands on

launch rocks, golf clubs, and golf balls into papa's pool even when it results in time out every time

play in the mud

run away when I call for him

chase after poor animals

Please help us rescue this monster! When did he turn into such a... BOY!

Dinner Swap

We dinner swap every other Monday night with our friends Kyle and Tatum (Tatum's and Jer's parents were friends when they were newlyweds so Jer and Tatum have known each other all of their lives!). Here is how it works: when you host you are in charge of preparing a light, simple meal for both families. We eat dinner, let the kids play, talk, laugh and have a fabulous time! I love that when I don't host, I get dinner made for us and when I do, I just make extras of what I am already doing. Anyone else interested in setting up swaps for every night of the week??!! :)

This week we went even more simple and ordered pizza and swam at Tatum's sister Tiffany's super fun pool:

He fell asleep on the way there, transferred to the house, transferred to the cement and kept on sleeping - AMAZING!

Grandkid Pics

While in Utah, Nana arranged for some grandkid pictures. We went to a beautiful spot just above where they live.

Most of the pictures looked like this - all 4 of them looking in different directions!

Aunt Tiff and the kids

Maya

Kai

Kenyon

Olivia

Kenyon is always giving Maya loves so I am so glad she captured it!

I also had my friend from high school, Mel, take some pictures of my kids while we were there. I can't wait to get those and post them as well!

Go D-Backs!

My parents went to Vegas this weekend to help my younger brother and his wife and daughter move here to AZ - We are so excited!!! So my dad had Diamondbacks tickets for tonight that he couldn't use. We gladly accepted them. When he gave us the tickets, I noticed that they came with a valet parking pass and were $360 each. I figured they must be good seats, but didn't realize how good:

We entered through this door:

Here was our view (yep, we could even see their underwear lines!):

Front row baby! The usher said, "To get any closer you need to put on a uniform!"

We had so much fun with Chris and Auburn!!

And it ended up being a close game. Brandon Lyon saved the game. Side note about Brandon Lyon: I grew up around the corner from him and went to school with him. I probably haven't spoken to him since Elementary or Junior High, but we were really close to him tonight. When they were running off of the field, Jeremy was yelling something like, "Taylorsville High's finest," but he didn't look at us. There is my claim to fame!!! :)

Thanks Dad for the tickets! I know you were worried that we might be sitting by the mayor and make drunken fools of ourselves, but we played it real cool - you would have been proud!

I can see!!!

Yesterday was my eye surgery and guess what??? I now have 20/20 vision! It is amazing! I went back in for a follow-up appointment today and I could read the bottom row of letters. I could never see that with my contacts or glasses. Very exciting!

The surgery was easy - no pain involved. The only problem was that the anesthesia made me so, so, so sick! I was throwing up in the recovery room. Then I was sick all night and have still been nauseous and weak today. Not fun! I took a 3 1/2 hour nap and am still tired. So I don't feel like I have had a chance to truly appreciate my new eyes yet, but I have the rest of my life too!!

Here is what my eye looks like for now (the little red spot at the top will heal and go away):

And the stylin' goggles that I have to sleep in every night for a week:

As far as follow-up, I go back next week and then every month for a couple of months, but that is all. I have to use eye drops every day for 2 weeks and then I am good to go!

An insane amount of pictures...

DISCLAIMER: I know there are a ton of pictures, more than you care to see, but I didn't want to do them in a slide show because then I can't print them off and put them in a book later on. Also, it is my little scrapbook so I needed to include everything. Feel free to skip this post!!! :)

Let's start with swim lessons - Kenyon grew to love them:

Very excited to go off of the diving board

On the way on what Maya called "Our summer vacation"

Kenyon and cousin Olivia G. (there are 2 cousin Olivias) playing peek-a-boo

The men at Rowdy's wedding!

Do you see that their sons are plotting how to climb in that pond and the dads are oblivious?!

Give Kenyon a stick and he is entertained for hours!

Of course I had to include a pic of me and my pina colada slurpee

Camping at Smith and Moorehouse

Tiff wanted to go for a ride and I was cold and tired so she took me around the lake. I look like the most pathetic city girl!! :)

Lovin' her Aunt Tiff!

We headed out on an adventure with sticks in hand

Anyone want a smore?

Grandpa loves his popsicles, but is always willing to share!

Grandparents house in Wyoming - The kids loved the cats. Thankfully they stay outside because I am terribly allergic!

Aunt Vanesia's House in Idaho - Maya hanging out with "the crew" - (CONGRATULATIONS ON THE BABY ON THE WAY KASSIDY!! :)

Pocatello Zoo

Maya loves my cousin Koby and his medals!!

And loves him even more when he takes her for a ride!

Care to try Kenyon's sand-covered sucker from the park in Wyoming?!

Or how about the watermelon rhine he ate at the family reunion in Riverton?!

Dirty ice him and Olivia W. were going after?!

Taylorsville Days fireworks

At home s whisper will wake him, but not the fireworks (Yes, he is wearing Christmas PJs - we were not planning on going out in public that night so we looked really ghetto!!! :)

My almost 16 year old cousin Danielle was telling me about these cool shoes that everyone is buying at Wal-Mart and wearing. When she showed them to me, this is what I saw:

(Anyone having flashbacks to the 90s????!!! I think I had every color! :)

Playing at Adam and Katie's House

Maya and Ellee pretending to sleep at their slumber party

And when I checked on them a while later they were peering out the window at the neighbor's fireworks!

Maya cruising the zipline at the park in Park City

Serious fun with cousins!

The girls at the parade

Kenyon was constantly attacking Corbin and he was such a good sport about it!

Kenyon would get jealous when Grandma Bev held other grandkids and would try to hop on her lap too!

I had fun braiding Chelsey's hair to look like Maya's

Kenyon and Olivia sharing a book

Lunch with my Park City friends - such an amazing group of women!!!

More fun rides!

The slide at the rec center by Jer's parents house that Maya would go down time and time again by herself!

And she also went off of the high dive!

Fish Farm also by Jer's parents - my kind of fishing!!

Okay, no fishing is my kind of fishing. I would not touch the worms - that was Midori's job!! :)

When I caught a fish, he came off of the hook and was flapping all over the walk. I had to kick him to keep him from going back in the water.

And my kids were clinging to me for dear life!!

But the farmer in the background kept helping us city slickers out! Midori had such incredible fishing moves!! She was a real pro!! :)

Touching the worm

My friend Molly sharing a popsicle when we went and hung out at her house.

Oh aren't they cute?!

Jer's cousin Jessica's wedding

Fun with Grandpa!





Playing with our friends' Wacey and Beau Dee's kids in Nana and Grandpa's backyard

Yet another roasted marshmallow
Grandpa, Nana, Kai, and my kiddos

They were having a race!

After being in the car for a while on the way home, we decided he was delirious because he just kept laughing!

We stayed in Vegas on the way home. This made me a little nervous as he looked out our hotel window.

Riding the monorail

Completely exhausted from so much vacationing

Waiting for the Bellagio fountains to start

They won!

And for the last couple of days, Jer's Aunt Valerie and Uncle Doug have been in town. Here they are singing Itsy Bitsy Spider. The kids love them!

There you have it. If you are still looking and reading, you are a real trooper!!