Cruising...and Lovin' it!

So...Larry and I are trying to recover from an amazing 8 night cruise to the Eastern Caribbean. We went on the Independence of the Seas (Royal Caribbean)...and it is currently the largest, newest ship in the world. It was beautiful and we recommend it to anyone!!! We had way more fun than our pics show, because most of the fun things we did...we didn't carry around our cameras...so I apologize for all of the "posed" shots. It is the best we had.

We had a blast on the islands...we rented Segways in St. Maarten and cruised around the island.

This is the view from our balcony in our room.

We went Rock climbing on the boat!

I bought this hat in Haiti...at their market.


St. Thomas

Larry boogie boarding on the ship. They had an amazing surf simulator. I did this, but also did stand up surfing...and it was a blast. I think Larry didn't take a pic so that I wouldn't show him up! :)

We took a boat out to go snorkeling in both St. Johns and also in Haiti. I really loved that...the oceanlife is amazing!

Just beautiful...

This was the capital in Puerto Rico.

This was our favorite of the animals our room attendant made each night.








There are several things NOT pictured that were large parts of our fun. We ice skated, played volleyball, ping pong, minature golf, went to amazing shows, and so much more! The food...it was amazing. We both frequented the frozen yogurt self serve by the pool several times a day. Our last cruise was our honeymoon 8 years ago and we have decided we definitely aren't waiting that long again! It was amazing! (and I can't go without publicly thanking my parents who willingly and lovingly cared for our girls while we were away!)

Too important not to blog...LARRY TURNED 30!

March 5th, my amazing husband crossed a new threshold...into the 30's! It was a big and important day that I needed to recognize on our blog...but didn't have time as it was the day before we left for our cruise. We celebrated by having dinner at Anthony's with the family and he got a big Craftsman tool chest...

But I didn't want it to pass so quickly, so I wanted to list 30 reasons why the girls and I are grateful for Larry:

He looks good in a baithing suit! (he will kill me for posting that pic)

He is easy going.

He keeps us laughing (mostly at him..but laughing)

He works hard

He irons his own clothes.

He is always optimistic.

He is a great dad!

He isn't a picky eater

He is a great provider for our family

He changes diapers!!

He is full of cheezy jokes the kids love.

He is smart.

He is very proud of being a BYU fan!

He is the only boy in our house...and we need balance

He always figures out our video game, computer, and electronic problems.

He is good at reading bedtime stories

He loves chocolate as much as I do.

He read Twilight!

He shows us how much he loves us.

He never forgets to take out the trash.

He is a good "cuddler" (says Aana)

He is "naturally athletic" (inside joke!)

He is very good at soduko puzzles.

He supports the girls and I in all that we do.
He is easy to buy clothes for...if it is blue...he will like it!

He gets along with everybody!

He does great magic tricks!

He watches American Idol with us!

He is great at cleaning up the fridge.

He is a good example for our children.

We love you Larry...Happy Birthday!

St. POTTY's Day at our house!

No...that wasn't a misspelling...today was officially St. POTTY's day! I had put off potty training Addie until we returned from our cruise. So yesterday we began the fun. We had a Potty party, did several potty dances, sang potty songs, read potty books, bought potty candy...and lived by the toilet. You are all jealous, I know!

I must report that she had 8 accidents (unless that was the leprechauns "pot of GOLD" for me) and finally went in the toilet for the first time at 8:15 pm on the way to bed. (Aana basically potty trained herself at 17 months...so I had a sneaky suspicion that this one would be challenging...just because!) Addie knows exactly what to do...she is just stubborn....but I can't give in. She just turned 2, and I am done buying diapers, so the battle begins! I will keep you posted on our progress!

I know..I know!

My blog has tanked, but I am promising a strong return. February flew by....Aana and Addison's birthdays, Valentines, our anniversary, work, illness, etc.

At this moment, Larry and I are leaving for 10 days for a cruise. The girls will be at Grandma and Grandpa's house! This is our first real trip since our honeymoon 8 years ago. We are excited and will post pics.

I promise I will redeem myself as a blogger...just not until later!

PS- Kelly, if you read this blog in the mean time...Happy birthday on March 15th. I would call you, but I'll be out of the country. I am thinking about you though!

Belated but important: Aana turns 6...and Addie turns 2!

The oldest of my birthday girls, Aana, had a birthday party this year. She had some friends over from her class at school, and it was nice to get to know some of the girls she plays with everyday. We kept it simple, because that is what Aana wanted. She loves the classic birthday party...she likes it at home, with the hokey pokey, limbo, YMCA, bingo, cupcakes...and her absolute favorite part is always the "goodie bags!" We had a great time and I think Aana enjoyed every minute!

Addie didn't get a party this year, because she is still a a little young, but maybe next year. After we cleaned up Aana's party we had the family come over and we ate dinner and celebrated a even more. The girls wanted cream puffs instead of a cake...which made me laugh! Overall we had a great day and both girls had a blast!

The Great Wolf Lodge...and the beginning of the birthday fun!

Larry had to work on the girls' birthday so we decided to leave a week early and head up near Olympia to the Great Wolf Lodge. We had been to one in Cleveland and knew how fun it would be so we were so excited when the built one here. We headed out Saturday morning and got there as soon as they would let us in the park. The girls had a blast and took to the water like fish! It made me really excited to use the pool this summer!!!

Aana also took a ton of pictures with her new camera...Thanks Lynette and Dave...she is loving it!

The girls enjoyed craft time, bingo, story time with all of the other kids, a fun birthday dinner with chocolate cupcakes...and of course, the waterpark. Addie loved the wave pool and Larry and Aana enjoyed the bigger slides. We were all exhausted by the time we spent two days there...and we loved the ride home in the new family van. (I am amazed at all that you can put in that thing!!!)

I had pictures of some of the things I witnessed. There are always the people in tiny bikinis that shouldn't be wearing them...but I was also lucky to witness a grown man picking his nose and eating it...over and over. I love people watching in large, public places, but this place was just full of entertainment!! (RANDOM...I know. That is just how I am !)

Long lost $ I never even missed...

So, I had found a link that I am sure you have all seen about searching a database for unclaimed money or property. I didn't expect in a million years that I would find anything on there, but guess what... I DID! I found a $300 check from who knows what from when I was in college at BYU...

I filed a quick claim and the check is coming my way... I LOVE that little surprise and won't let that money go to waste. I also found $5.42 owed to my dad from over 30 years ago in Texas, but there was an awful lot of paperwork needed to claim it...so we passed. I am not sure you will be so lucky...but you might as well check it out. I was pleasantly suprised!

www.unclaimed.org

A long overdue Girls Night...

Sophia and Thera catching air...

There are times that girls just need to be girls...and this weekend was one of them. We rocked out to Guitar Hero...played a karaoke American Idol game on another tv...ate CHOCOLATE...of course... and had a fun night! Thanks ladies for coming...and lets do it again soon!

Crap Happens! (Warning: Nudity and VERY disgusting images!)

Need I say more!

I just feel bad for Aana...who was also in the tub...and jumped out as fast as she could!!! I'm gagging just thinking about it!

Going once, Going twice...GONE!

Christmas crept up on our family and flew by...then New Years where we spent the evening in a car dealership a couple hours away from home. Now it is already Jan. 11th and I have not sat down long enough to write a decent blog post. Where has the time gone?

It never ceases to amaze me how much time can pass just doing the "normal" daily tasks...beyond that we didn't do anything monumental, but we have been insanely busy. Larry picked up a couple of extra days to make up for time off during the holidays. I sold our Civic and a ton of other things on Craigslist. (For those that don't know what that is...you need to check it out www. craigslist.com. Click on your state and find one in your town. Don't look around too much or you might wander into a men seeking men section, but the places I like to look are the local items for sale...like furniture, tickets, children items, etc. ) I have bought and sold on Craigslist for about 5 years now and it has been a wonderful experience. I made quite a bit of room in our garage and made some cash in the process. That is also where I sold our car.

I have scored some amazing things there. This fall, I bought a group of "gift certificates" on Craigslist from a lady that had won too many silent auctions. I scored 13 nights in different Bed and Breakfasts and resorts in our area...dinner certificates, zoo passes, massages, horseback riding excursions, and more..and all of it cost me $200. We have used several already and it has been so fun! What a cheap way to travel!!! It isn't all that lucky...but persistence pays off, I have learned!

Other than that, I have spent a lot of time in my calling in the church as Primary President. (which means I am over the kids programs for our church.) It is such a blessing to have this opportunity to serve, but it does take a lot of time!!

Larry works, works, and works...and has done a great job of supporting our family and working extra hours constantly to earn more to pay back those enormous student loans. I don't think he will continue with these long hous forever, but he has been a great sport this last year.

The girls are counting down the days until their birthdays (both Feb. 7th!) We are thinking about going to the Great Wolf Lodge as a family to celebrate...but I am having a hard time finding a discount and it just kills me to pay full price. So that is yet to be determined.

There has been a ton more going on...but that is all I can think of right now. Goodnight!

It just makes sense...

We needed a new car to replace my 11 year old Civic and after a lot of looking, we took the plunge and decided to buy a new van for the family.

Here she is... We are trying to think of a name, because I am having personal issues with the idea of saying "girls, get in the VAN!" It drives wonderful, had fantastic features, and is so family friendly that I have gotten past the "van" stigma and bought one. I actually love it!

And Christmas...

This was our first Christmas where we woke up to our own tree at OUR house...which was so much fun!!! We had a wonderful holiday and felt so fortunate to be so blessed. We had fun being with the family and the kids had a blast!

And the stocking were laid on the couch with care..

Reading a special story to keep the true spirit of the holiday before all of the gluttony of the presents...

Our tree...once the presents were all loaded in. (take note...there were 11 of us...just so you don't think we are that spoiled!)

When Santa Comes to Town...

Addie definitely wasn't too sure about wanting to sit on his lap...

Happy Grandparents with all of their grandkids and Santa!

One more attempt at a family picture....but not good!