Another Valencia Trip

Chelsea went to Valencia and since I never see her Joe and I had to go as well for a quick trip.
Joe was trying to help Grandma with her work
JK let Joe borrow this hat and he looked like a little gangster.
Joe and his bff's, Uncle JK and Uncle Ben. He would run around the house yelling JK and Be (never put the "n" with it) until they got home from school. He followed them around the whole time we were there. My brothers are the best
How cute is my mom!? I didn't know how above and beyond she would go with Joe at the park. He kept yelling for the park, even though Mama and Papa's backyard is huge! We took him and my mom was right along with him the whole time.
At Uncle Ben's football game, Joe caught the sight of Uncle JK and demanded to be with him throughout the WHOLE game. It was great because I could talk to my good friend Linds who came along with her boyfriend Bryan. Thanks for coming to see us!

The next day we went to JK's football game and Joe couldn't walk past the bus without getting a picture. He was obsessed with the buses, trucks, cars, balls...Unfortunately we left the game early because Joe was wheezing and not feeling well. That's what happens to our little guy when the weather goes from 90 degrees to 70 overnight. We had to rush home to get his inhaler.
Loves loves loves his Aunt Chelsea
Grandpa, are you sure I can't come over the fence with you?

Almost to the freezing point...Yes we are all decked out in the red, black, and white...Not because we love the high school, but my mom went to hart, all 7 of my brothers have played football for hart, Chelsea and I cheered for hart, and my dad has always helped out coaching football for hart. It's kind of a family thing.
After the game, we came home and watched Blades of Glory. Thanks Ben for ditching out! Heidi in the middle is Chelsea's best friend from elementary school, love her! JK, thanks for watching with us and for letting us use your phone for an alarm so we didn't sleep through our flight!
The reason I flew home so quick, well aside from my hubby, was to see these blue angels perform. They practice over the bay for a few days and then performed this last weekend. Last year when they came, I was so new to the area and we only made it to the last 5 minutes so I wanted to see them this year....
In this beautiful city....(top of the picture all the way to the right, white house, Danielle Steel's monster) We live 2 streets down and 1 street to the left.

With my wonderful family! Thanks again dear for letting us go!

Thanks Stephanie and Garrett for letting us come over!

Good Intentions...

Don't you love those days when you start off with the best intentions, and then somewhere along the way you hit an obstacle!? Well yesterday Joe and I had a fun day walking to the park with our friends, Jamie and Caleb. We played at the park, looked at doggies, buses, and taxis, which happens to be very exciting to Joe and then we walked Fillmore St. Fillmore St presented more fun, not 1 but 2 lollipops from Jamie that she got from the bank and then a pumpkin spice shake and a carrot raisin muffin. I love fall, especially the festive treats! So pretty much yesterday was a good day for us and I wanted to try a fun new thing today...
We woke up and I thought that since my son has decided he wants to be potty trained, we would go buy him a big boy potty. Target is a little bit away from the city so we usually make a big trip out of it. We stopped at Babies R Us and I didn't see the device I wanted so as we were leaving I stopped in the clothes section and was browsing. Joe found a tricycle and tried to get on it and it flipped over, he hit his eye on a clothes rack and it was bleeding a fairly good amount. Not only that, but the whole left side of his face was puffing up and bruising. We were near the front where obviously associates could see and I was a bit sad that nobody helped. I am a good distance from home with obviously no ice, no water, or paper towel. I felt horrible for Joe and I had to scoop up the snacks we were buying, my poor son and hurry to check out my things. The picture doesn't do his bump justice. We proceeded to go to Target and get the potty, but by then it was almost a lost cause. I could tell Joe was hurting, tired, and done shopping. The whole reason I had driven to this certain Target was so that Joe could play in this little kid area that my friend, Heather (sigh and tear), who just moved to AZ, recommended. We finally got to the toy area and Joe LOVED it! A couple people asked what had happened to his eye, and I wanted to cry. He was a good sport through it all, but I could have done without the little accident to the start of my day!
O yeah, any suggestions on potty training are welcome since I figured I wouldn't be doing this for awhile. :) Thank you Joe for making my life easier!
I also have to write about how much I loved Conference weekend. I loved having Steve home the whole weekend. I loved the Relief Society Broadcast the week before, it got me even more excited for Conference. I loved making breakfast and hanging out with my boys all day. I even attempted homemade cinnamon rolls! I truly know that our Prophet is called of God and that everything spoken about was inspired. I always feel a couple of talks are directed at me. I loved the Primary Children's Choir. My friend Katie posted this quote on her blog, Children are 'society's most voiceless and vulnerable group' as she was writing about an article that she had found about Prop 8 and as I was watching these sweet children sing I couldn't help think about it. The topics at conference are always presented so well and are so uplifting. I loved this weekend and can't wait until the talks are printed!

For Grandma Sue...My Little Tom Cruise

So last Sunday I was talking to my mom after church, and my sweet tired son was refusin to get out of his Sunday clothes. Well he wanted to keep on his white shirt & navy socks. He reminded me of Tom Cruise from Risky Business plus he was dancing around. I thought this was a cute picture of him shaking it as he was acting like he was coming to let me get him dressed!
And then the photo shoot started! But these were not for mom, these were for "mama." He wasn't ever looking or smiling, so my mom threw out the idea of saying, smile for mama and this was what I got.

"Joe, can you fold your hands for mama?" Of course I can...

"Joe, can you smile for mama?" Sure, no prob...

"Joe, can you blow a kiss to mama?" I guess so...only if she promises to catch it

I started singing the clean up song so he could get ready for a nap, and this is what he did, folded his arms. Funny, he doesn't act this reverent in nursery when we sing the clean up song.
To my little stud: I want you to know how much I love you and how much happiness you have brought Mommy and Daddy in the last 20 1/2 months. You are such a sweet strong boy and I can only hope that you will continue to stay strong. I was talking to a couple friends last night about a scary proposition that I hope gets passed for our own good and am realizing slowly but surely that I can not control the world. Fortunately I can control what is taught in our home and I can hope that you have good friends that will help reinforce what gets taught at home. I hope that our house is a refuge for you. We love you!
For anyone living in California, please do your research on Prop 8 to protect marriage and to protect our families.

Road Trip to Grandma & Grandpa's

It's pretty obvious how much I adore my parents...I tell any of my friends who might be far from home that whenever they want to do a trip to go to Southern California to my house...Well when I got back from St George I got the sad news that our good friends the Mishler's were moving to Arizona. Heather and I had talked about going to Valencia but hadn't gone yet. I told her it was no big deal that we didn't go, but she found a couple days to squeeze in for a road trip with our 3 kids ages 21 months, 20 months and 2 months old. Are we crazy!? Yes, and was it fun? Yes, so thanks for the trip!

The ride down, I thought went pretty well. Kena and Joe read books, played with puzzles, ate snacks (so many that they didn't want McDonalds chicken nuggets, and played hide and seek. Benson slept, ate, and slept, he was such a good baby. Joe and Kena then slept after lunch until we got there. For a 5 1/2 hour drive, I was pretty impressed with how it went.
Yay, out of the car, exploring the backyard and hoping that Ellie stayed away from them.
Swimming in Grandma Sue's big bath tub.
This is what Benson thought of the bath fun, actually what he thinks of his cute mom!

Kena loves to clean up messes, kiss, nurture, be mom's helper and clean Joe...obviously no arguments from Joe

OK, Joe never wanted to sleep when the big boys, Uncle JK and Uncle Ben were playing ping pong or tennis with their friends. I had to put him in his playpen where he screamed bloody murder, and I could only do this when "mama" wasn't home. She came home and was shocked and my dad, Mr. Toughie gave her permission to go get him. Not only to get him and his blanket, but to get him a popsicle too. I try not to be too mean, but I couldn't be upset when I saw his super swollen eyes and when he came out he just kept saying mommy mommy. sigh...it was pretty sad. To help make up for it, he got to share 2 popsicles with grandpa. He would look at everyone and say nummy after every lick, like thank you for saving me!

All the kids relaxing with Grandma Sue when we were done swimming.
OK Joe, that hurts! Thanks still to Sammy for keeping this tractor at my parents. Joe just loves to sit on it!
Swimming with "mama"
Oh, the diving board! I sometimes tend to think my baby is older than he is. I was jumping off with Kena & Joe in my arms just about giving my mom a heart attack! "Jen, you are going to bla bla bla (can't remember), but Joe can't hold his breath for that long." Luckily we jumped off and because I concentrated so hard, took in a lot of water, and love these kids, they barely went under. Thanks for the relaxing couple days and mom thanks for all your help! On the way back we left at night and the kids slept. Thanks Ben for letting us borrow your family! Thanks Heather for the company and for driving!

Marriott Vegas Party

I'm a little behind, but on September 6th Steve had a Marriott Vegas party at his hotel and we were lucky to go on a date. The food was absolutely delicious and there were so many people there. We played lots of black jack with fake money, thank goodness because I lost mine very quick and we kind of danced. There were about 4 good songs and then as Steve would put it, the Asians came to the stage and started doing the train to the Mexican salsa music. It was pretty fun to watch. Thanks for a fun night Steve! I love my hot husband!
To our friends the Ben, Heather, Kena and Benson. Seriously, what will we do without you?! Thanks for adding our Joe to your group for a few hours and keeping an eye on him at the church party. It was so nice to be gone and not even need to worry about him. Thanks for taking him on piggy back rides around your place. We really appreciated it!

Say Sorry!

Joe is having a hard time learning to say sorry...For example, when he pushes his girlfriend Kena because he is upset that she is moving, he won't say sorry. When he smacks his friend Luke because he forgets Luke is littler than him and Luke's smacks are excited ones because he thinks Joe is cool, he won't say sorry. Or tonight for example when he was screaming at me because he wanted to be out of his chair and done with dinner, he wouldn't say sorry...he did this!

St George

Joe and I arrived in Vegas and to split up the traveling we were so lucky to have the opportunity to hang out with some family. My cousin Deanna was so nice to come pick us up from the airport, take us to her house, swimming and to meet up with my mother in law. Joe is so tough and strong! We just love him!
Deanna & her little 1 year old Bridgett. Thanks for the yummy lunch and for the swim time! I love your house! It was fun catching up and seeing a different part of Vegas that I never knew existed.
Me and Joe relaxing in the shallow part
Joe and Bridgett...Joe was a little shy mixed with a little feistiness, but Bridgett was a good sport.
We got to St George and Uncle Mike wasted no time getting Joe out of his comfort zone! Nice hops Mike!
St George has a few of these little splash parks! Love them love them love them! They are a great way to let the little kiddies cool off in water that they can walk and play in.
Uncle Mike was a good sport and got in on the fun with Joe
This was hilarious, the water was squirting through Joe's legs looking like he was peeing, then he'd sit it would disappear, he'd be confused stand up again and it would go like that again and again. It was cute
O Uncle Mike, I love you, can I get red rock and dirt and water all over you before you go golf?
Happy 2nd Birthday Cousin Luke! We got to celebrate Luke's 2nd birthday with a trip to Pizza Factory, splash pad and then party. This is how these 2 were for the week, following each other trying to find trouble!
Jamie & I made Luke a caterpillar cake and Luke and Joe were loving the dots and frosting.
My mother in law was so sweet to get us tickets to Les Miserables even though she couldn't go. We went with our cousins and Aunt Susan. I thought it was wonderful! This picture was taken right before the worker dropped my month old camera! Obviously she wasn't good at taking pictures or handing the camera back to someone. I was in tears when I got home since I babysat to pay for this camera. Luckily Jamie took me back to Costco the next day and I got a new one. Goodbye Canon Powershot 950, rest in peace(July 28 2008-August 28 2008), hello Canon Powershot 890 I will be so careful with you!
While the Bird's were visiting we decided to hit Jumping Jacks in the morning, McDonalds in the afternoon, and this new aquatic park after lunch. It was such a fun day. Joe loved all of the slides. At the water park I took him down a big kids slide (like 2-3 stories up) and once we were in the water he looked at me and said mo mo (more) mama! He also loved the cheese mobile, in motion or not.
Chandi and Cassidy just hanging out at the inflatable wonderland. Cassidy was perfect the entire day!
Chandi, Preston, Madalyn, and Cassidy were so sweet to drive from Orem to come see me and Joe. I met Chandi 3 years ago when I started working at Lincoln Academy as a teaching assistant. For the first couple days of testing, the teaching assistants just helped out getting kids registered and helping them find and meet their teacher. I remember seeing Chandi (kindergaten teacher) coming out with a new energy for every student she met, and these were some long days! I hoped that I would be paired with this cute teacher and luckily I was! She has been such an amazing friend to me and I was SO excited to see her!
Joe and Madalyn sliding down the huge slide together. Joe was very quick to learn that he didn't want to do the plain old on-the-bum sitting straight up ride. He was fearless and loved the slides, the bigger the better!
I thought Joe would enjoy riding the Pilot that Steve's parents had since he loves cars and driving and everything boys love. Well Grandpa took him out and Joe came back holding onto Grandpa with the death grip and he was turned the opposite way of how we put him in.
Luke couldn't get enough of the Pilot
Joe liked the Pilot when dad drove it, maybe grandpa drove it like a crazy man!
Bev, Jamie and I went to The Ledges for lunch one day. I love eating on a golf course. Thanks honey for watching Joe!
This is a new aquatic park in Washington UT. I definitely recommend it because it is so clean and big. The water around the slides is 8"-2 1/2 ft. Then there is about a 4 ft area and a lazy river, a big kids slide, a lap pool, and a splash pad outside. Inside there is rock climbing and lots of other fun stuff. I LOVE water stuff! Especially in such a hot place like St George.
Joe getting ready to go down a water slide
Joe and Luke loved the rec center. It was super nice and clean!
Since I had so much fun with Chandi's family at the inflatable wonderland we took our boys back there with Jamie's mother in law Sue, sister in law Natalie and her kids Carson & Aniston.
Luke was trying to get the basketballs out of the machine without any luck. Aniston and Joe followed him up there to try and help relieve some stress...I just decided to pay the 50 cents so that there wouldn't be a breakdown.
We went for a ride on the Gator and saw a ton of beautiful houses around Mark's parents neighborhood.
I was so glad I got to see my friend Tami in St George. She recently moved back to St George from San Francisco after her hubby Mark finished dental school and we all miss Tami tons! Fortunately every time we go to St George I will hopefully see my good friend, and I know she will keep me informed of all the cute things at Krumpets!
Joe loved this car! Thanks to CJ for letting us borrow it! Joe was very content just sitting in it and making key noises and car noises!
Thanks for a super fun trip! How lucky these boys are to have each other! Luke, 2 years, Joe 20 months, Porter 10 months. We love our family and we were lucky to get to be there at the same time!