Chillaxin'

I love my boys... but I look forward to nap/quiet time. My boys are the go, go, go type. Very little slows them down, but in the afternoons I try to get both to slow down for an hour or two. The other day before I put Xander down, they both decided to watch the movie I had put on for Gavin. It was so cute just to see them relaxing on the floor together as brothers.

And what more could be a more cozy than snuggling up to watch a good movie with your pillow and quilt and chewing on your favorite blanket! I don't think I'm the only one that likes this time of the day ;)

Is it bedtime yet?

This is just a little of the fun chaos that ensues
between bath time and bedtime....



Needless to say, Ben and I are ready for the boys' bedtime
when 8 o'clock rolls around!

Are you four wheel?

The Friday before Labor Day and our Disneyland vacation, was to say the least ... a little crazy. Ben, who had been having problems with his ear for a while, found out at 9 that morning he needed surgery. After meeting with the school district, to find out what services Gavin would receive, Ben checked into the hospital at noon. While Ben had a tube put in his ear and hole patched in his eardrum, I packed the family up to go Henry's Lake for a family reunion. Luckily, Ann took the boys for the afternoon for me. It was just one of those days... this paragraph doesn't cover the half of it...

After such a crazy day, it was nice to relax with family for a little while. Gavin, who loves all things wheels, got over his initial nervousness of riding on a 4-wheeler and ended up loving it. He rode around with daddy, grandpa, mommy, and anyone else who would take him for a ride. Here's Jacob, Aiden, Ben, and Gavin enjoying a morning ride.

3 + 28 = Birthdays!

Now that the only way I can get Gavin to take a nap is to turn on a short movie like Kidsongs, my blogging is behind... it's hard to get stuff done when you're three year old is asleep in the middle of your living room floor.

And yes, I did say 3 year old! Last week, on the 14th, Gavin celebrated his third birthday. Monday was pretty calm... we were saving the festivities for when family came! We had pizza for dinner. Tyler and Beth showed up with a present... a lawn mower of the bubble blowing variety. He LOVES it! He couldn't stop saying lawn mower all night long, and it was the first thing he asked for the next morning. Now that there so close by, there might be a run on the favorite aunt and uncle positions! ;)

On Friday, Melissa, Thomas, Macey, and Sarah all showed up from Utah for a weekend visit. With Beth and Tyler here too, we all sat around and chatted until late. It was so fun to have four siblings together in one house for a weekend... that doesn't get to happen near enough.

Then on Saturday morning, we played at Porter Park in Rexburg and got to check out Tyler and Beth's cute little first apartment. After lunch it was party time! I spent the afternoon decorating a dump truck and bulldozer cake... they didn't turn out quite like I thought they would, but when Gavin saw them he knew what they were and loved them, so I guess I did my job. We gathered our family... the siblings visiting, Ben's family, and even my family on the web cam, sang Gavin "Happy Birthday" and watched him blow out the candles. Then his favorite part... opening presents, and boy this kid had plenty to open. Thanks for spoiling my birthday boy everyone! After enjoying cake and ice cream and being surrounded by family we had to see everyone go... much too short of a visit, but worth it!

Besides my little boy growing up, there was another important birthday last week. My handsome husband turned 28! I had a nice dinner almost ready when Ben came home from work. He chose grilled chicken, brown rice, and carrots (from our garden) as his birthday meal. After dinner, it was cupcake time. Before Ben could blow out his candles though, Gavin already had the job done. So we re-lit the candles, and with some careful guarding, Ben got to blow out his candles. He enjoyed opening his presents almost as much as Gavin enjoyed watching and trying to get to dad's presents. It was a quiet evening at home as a family, but we had a great night celebrating together!

When the Parents Go Out to Play

When you wish upon a star... Or just have really nice in-laws close by... you get the chance to get a way for a week with the out the kids. Can I just say Aaah-mazing!! Last week we headed out to sunny SoCal for six days of fun. (Warning: Long Post Ahead)

After dropping of our boys Sunday night with Grandma Ann and Grandpa Kevin. We flew out of Salt Lake City Monday morning to San Diego, where we rented a car and drove up to Anaheim. After checking into the hotel, we went straight to Disneyland. I've never been Disneyland before, and there really is something "magical" about that place. (And as you'll see I took a ton of pictures trying to capture it all!... Ben was a good sport about some many pictures ;) ) We enjoyed 3 1/2 days in Disneyland and California Adventure. We rode Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, and Pirates of the Caribbean the most, but we also enjoyed a lot more. We even tried out some of the smaller rides Ben had never been on. We even splurged and ate at the Blue Bayou Restaurant which has an amazing atmosphere because you're actually inside next to the beginning of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride... it's like you're really in the South next to the bayou having a scrumptious meal... all without the humidity and bugs!

Ben had never been to California Adventure, so we spent one afternoon there. We loved Grizzly River Run and California Screaming. And their "Disney's Aladdin - A Musical Spectacular" was a lot of fun. The Genie was hilarious. CA has more stomach droppers (like the Tower of Terror) than Disneyland, and by the end of the day our heads were starting to swim, but it was so fun!

Tuesday night we went to Medieval Times. It's a dinner and a show. The dinner is Medieval... soup, bread, chicken, a rib, and potato, and turnover for dessert... all eaten with no utensils. We were seated in the yellow section, so our knight for the night was the Yellow Knight. They follow a storyline while showing off the horses, jousting, and fighting in a tournament. Our knight wasn't the victor, but it was still a lot of fun.

Friday morning, we checked out of the hotel, and headed back to San Diego. We made a stop at the San Diego Temple and thoroughly enjoyed the peace and beauty of this special place.

After the temple and before we checked into our hotel for the night we headed to Coronado Island and enjoyed the beach for a few hours. It was so relaxing... I love being at the beach! Though the water is a little too cold for my liking, so we just walked along the shoreline. So if you wonder why I'm wearing a shirt over my swimsuit... let's just say after a week in the sun... two words... farmer's tan.

If you're interested zoom in on these just beach pictures, there are some cool details. I was quite proud of my photo skills... our my luck anyway. ;)

Once we checked into the hotel Friday night, we relaxed and took it easy... checking out Pirates of the Caribbean from the hotel to watch... wonder why we were in the mood for that one! ;) Then Saturday we flew home and drove up to Rexburg to find two happy little boys that were well-behaved for their grandma. It made my week even better to know that boys were well taken care of and that they had a good week. Thanks again to all of Ben's family that helped watch my boys, so I could spend a week with just my handsome hubby. It was a much needed vacation and every minute was enjoyed(including nighttime... with it's uninterrupted sleep)!

Warm Fuzzies

For Christmas last year, I got a warm fuzzy robe, not only do I love it, but so do my boys. Gavin just the other morning brought it to me and wanted help putting it on. I rolled up the sleeves and tied it up tight, so he could "wear" it. It was so adorable I had to take a picture! Recently, when we ask Gavin to smile or to say cheese this is the face we get.... GOTTA LOVE IT! Little kid forced grins are the best.