"5 OK years"

That is Adam's reply to how long we've been married. We got so incredibly spoiled this weekend. Janet used her discount to get us a free room (it was 150 sq.ft. bigger than the apartment we lived in for two years) at Green Valley Spa for two nights, and offered to babysit the kids. WOW. Talk about relaxation. Two nights in a row with absolutely no danger whatsoever of being woken up. Going out to eat without having to protect the salt and pepper shakers, drinks, hot plates, etc etc - and having a normal conversation. Being able to empty my purse of diapers and wipes and toys and snacks and nursing covers - for TWO DAYS. Two mornings not having to get the kids ready. Two days of changing 1 diaper instead of 7 or 8 (we went back and forth so I could nurse Jack). Two days of my brain not being frazzled by two-year old tantrums. I got to sit in a hot tub. I can't remember the last time that happened. It was seriously an incredible weekend. I was able to just sit and do nothing. So awesome. Not to mention how beautiful it smelled at the spa. There was honeysuckle EVERYWHERE. It was amazing just to breathe.Lily couldn't have cared less that we were gone. She had tons of cousins to play with and tons of treats to eat. So I totally agree with my mom - "That Janet is a saint." She was also taking care of a few other babies while their parents were off relaxing as well. Here's to Mimi and Papa! Thank you so much for everything.

long gone

For our anniversary and to celebrate not having a humongous bill from Jack's hospital stay, Adam surprised me with a new do. He apparently was attached to my long hair, and also didn't trust that I could spend enough time on short hair to look good. "You know, you're going to have to spend more than 5 minutes on it." I was so nervous, but after a week of having my hair down and Jackson and Lily yanking on it every chance they got, I was ready for a change. I also ended up being able to donate my hair to Locks of Love - that made it so much easier! 13 inches - although if I had cut it before nursing Jackson it probably would have been twice as thick.

marathon

Mckay and his roommate ran the Ogden Marathon last weekend. Mckay took another friend's spot last minute - he decided the night before he would run it. Crazy!We also made a last minute decision to go and see if we could find him downtown. We had no idea when the race started or how long it would take, but he came through the finish line within 10 minutes of us getting there.Lily was very upset that Jack was in the stroller. She finally relented to walking only if she - and ONLY she - could push him. That was a long walk back to the car.

wide open spaces

It is finished.

Particularly the bathroom. Here are some before and after pics.Two and a half years and tons of help and work. I could hardly breathe I was so excited once the carpet installers left. The kids seem pretty happy about it too.

desert bloom

I love St. George in May. I don't think I ever noticed how colorful the flowers can be this time of year.

in other words....

Adam has been working until 9 pm for the past few weeks and I haven't bothered mowing the lawn.
He asked me the other day if I thought that maybe this weekend would be a pretty good time for him to work on the yard.
I said only if he felt like it.
Lily loves dandelions. I would be very happy for her except she thinks it's cool to bring them in the house.
Yes that is a screwdriver. She was helping me fix the vacuum.

sg

We are back from St. George once again. I "surprised" Adam with tickets to Brian Regan out in Tuacahn. His family had all bought tickets so he guessed what it was back in April though. It is hard to be tricky with him. It was pretty neat, although Adam and I liked the pre-show comedian the best. It was wonderful being back at Tuacahn. You can't beat the beauty of that back drop (or Ashley's gorgeous hair!). It was such nice weather too. I remember when I was younger I would sweat so bad when I went to shows out there - but that was later in the summer.We took the kids swimming out in Kayenta and at Mom and Dad's. Lily was pretty apprehensive the first time, but once she was with her cousin Brooklyn she was much less scared. Jack was easy breezy both times. He is quite a cutie and it is so freaking nice that he's not sick anymore. Janet and Terrel have a golf cart to drive to the swimming pool, and Lily loves taking rides in it. Adam lets her help him steer and choose which way to go, so she gets very involved.We got to see the Tyler's as well. Here is my cute pregnant sister Liz. Always in maternity fashion! The St. George City Library has some super fun fountains to help cool off in the heat. It was nice to be down there. I got to spend some time with my parents before Adam arrived, which is always a treat. I also got to spend an evening with Janet, Natalie, Ashley, Becca, and Mindy. We were going to go to Confessions of a Shopaholic, but the theatre was closed so we went to TJ Maxx and out for frozen yogurt. It was a lot of fun! I love girls' night out and afterwards was kind of glad the movie thing didn't work out.

fruits of fall

This pictures makes me so happy. After planting bulbs last fall with Ethan and Brooklyn, I started waking up at night having panic attacks that while helping me they put the bulbs upside down. (I have quite a few issues about gardening.)