Yummy Kiddos!

A few weeks ago I saw a link to a blog on my friend Nat's blog that said "Looking for Children Models." Intrigued, I hopped over to the blog and found this incredible photographer's site.
The photographer, Jodi, was in need of young kids (4-8) to model for her. I e-mailed her and she wanted to use Carsen! I was elated! A free photo session with my newly 5-year-old (who I needed his birthday pictures taken, but hadn't done it yet). And now, I was going to score with an excellent photographer for FREE! Yipee!

I hauled my kids downtown on a Tuesday afternoon (with the aide of my GPS, might I add. Sure, I'm born and raised in Utah...but there is something about downtown that always confuses me. Or maybe it's due to the fact I'm usually trying to correspond with my kids and not pay attention to where I'm going).... Anyhow! We found the location lickety split and headed up the stairs above Benihana's restaurant.

We met Jodi, who is the sweetest gal ever! She is young and full of wonderful ideas. And her studio!!! WOW! The most incredible array of couch's, pillows, chairs and other props to create unique photos.

We headed outside to a back alley where we shot various photos in the perfect light of day. (And it wasn't too cold!) Now, remember...this session was supposed to be for just for Carsen. I didn't want to leave Myka home with a babysitter, so I brought her along. She was pretty-much ripped out of nap time and taken with us...I thought Carsen would be the one in the photos, but that Myka is just too darn cute to leave sitting on the sidelines! Jodi wanted Myka to be in some photos too (I would've done her hair a bit more...but that's my crazy little peanut and her unruly locks!)

We had a fun time with Jodi and her camera skills. She is a natural behind the camera and was fantastic at directing the kids at what to do. Before I knew it, we were on our way back home....no tears and no tantrums!

A few days later Jodi came knocking on my door and handed me my new CD filled with beautifully edited pictures to print for my walls! How lucky is that?

Check her out and see for yourself some of the amazing photos she takes. The colors are so vibrant and natural. (And her studio is amazing!)

Garth

Of all the weekends to have forgotten my camera battery, this was not an ideal one. I have no pictures of one of the all-time greatest weekends EVER.

I have been a HUGE Garth Brooks fan since my cowgirl days back in Elementary School. (Yes, my friends...I once wanted to be a cowgirl. I wore Wranglers, brush-poppers, lace-ups and heart-shaped belt buckles. I longed (and begged my Dad) for a horse to call my own and I wished I grew up on a farm like all of my best friends. But no, I lived up on the hill with a cat named Friskers and a dog named Rebel with absolutely no room for a horse to roam.) BUT I could still love me some Country music, and I did.

When I was twelve-years-old Garth came to town, but I never could get tickets. Instead, I sat at home with my broken leg and listened to the news reports about all the crazed fans (my cousin Jill being one of them; she was even taken from her seat high up in the nosebleeds down to the front row! I have been envious of her since then!) I did end up with a Garth Brooks t-shirt, which I wore until it turned into a faded gray color!

So, here I am some fifteen plus years later and I still have a thing for Garth music. I no longer want to own a horse (too much work! My kids are enough!) My desire to wear Wranglers has passed, but I did sport some boots to the concert! Garth Brooks' music is timeless and not just for those who love Country!

My mom was able to score some SWEET tickets on the 5th row. Incredible! The theater at the Encore is a small venue; which made for a very intimate concert with the gifted Garth! My sister-in-law Kelly and I chuckled when Garth walked out on stage. We joked that his attire must have been picked up at either the local WalMart or Costco! (Nothing against either of those places! You'd just expect him to be in some flashy jeans and shirt! I loved it!) He had on some plain 'ole blue jeans, work boots, a navy blue hooded sweatshirt and a black baseball cap. All he had was was a guitar, a stool and a bottle of water (no band, no flashy lights and smoke!) Just Garth with his amazing voice and gifted guitar skills....It was truly the most incredible concert EVER. He joked, he laughed with audience and he even brought out Trisha Yearwood to sing with him and to sing solo. The best part, he ran the show. About half way through he said, "I hope you guys don't have anywhere to be tonight, because we're going to go longer than planned!" Oh yeah! Turned out to be a two hour concert with one of my all-time favorites! It felt like we were sitting in his living room having him play some of his classics!

(IPhone photos just don't come out as clear!)

Oh, and did I mention what we did before the concert....we ate some (okay, a lot) of this at the Wynn Buffet. The crab legs were to die for and their pecan dessert was scrumptious!


The weather in Vegas gave me spring fever and made me long for the warmer days to come to Utah. What a tease! The kids loved being outside and we had to visit our favorite park!


What a memorable weekend and we owe it all to my parents for their hospitality and generosity. They always go above and beyond; but we love it! We're all talking about wanting to see Garth again (soon)! In the meantime, my kids are learning young to love Garth...it's the only music we're playing right now....so either like it, or don't listen!

Ice, Ice, Baby

Have you ever....iced your face? Sound cold? Miserable? Downright dumb? Give it a try...I promise you will love it and the results you will love even more.

I started visiting an Esthetician about a year and a half ago; she is a miracle worker might I add. She has given me great facial treatments and products, but the best has been her advice to me, "Ice your face every night." It truly works! Whenever I become lax in my icing, it is clearly visible.

Okay, so here's the deal. I know there are some of you out there reading my blog, but not commenting...that's all fine and dandy; but I know you're going to get an ice cube tonight and ice your face. I want to hear back from you in a week or so about how your face looks and feels!

I just take one ice cube and ice down my entire face for about 4 minutes....(maybe start out with less if you find it positively unbearable!) And I'm sure you'll see results even if you can't muster 4 minutes!

**Okay! I guess I was not descriptive enough! As far as the benefits of icing...it is really good for breakouts (acne as you say) and just overall helps with the appearance of your skin. (Kelly, you do not need to ice your face....your skin is what we're all trying to achieve by icing!) Give your face good ice-down (paying attention to any trouble areas). Seriously, a frozen little miracle!**

I promise to do better...

They play dress-up together everyday! If it's not sports it super heroes or princesses.

(I see a tomboy!)


Myka lisening to her favorite tunes and dancing away!

Carsen turned 5 and had a fun b-day party at Jumpin Jacks.

Myka playing in Vegas.

Carsen's 1st golf tournament in St. George


I was cleaning off my computer today and was reminded of so many wonderful memories of my darling kids! They are growing up so quickly and are always doing such cute things. (Chad makes fun of me because I always cry when I look at pictures of my kids when they were younger)! I am actually quite consistent of capturing almost everything on camera, but I'm not so good about posting it to the blog. This blog really is for the dear family and friends who don't get to see what I see everyday...the school projects, playing with friends, coloring time, dress-up time, etc. etc.

I promise to do better...not as often as some people would like (mom) but often enough to keep you somewhat informed of all the great (and not so great!) things happening in our lives!

So Long Mimi!

What I thought would be the most tragic day in Myka's life, turned out to be quite the celebration! We have been talking about getting rid of the mimi (binkie) for at least a year now...I always manage to come up with a really good excuse as to why we should postpone (the biggest reason is I love my sleep and I don't want to sacrifice it!!)

My friend Jenny gave me a great idea; several years ago she tied her little boy's binkies to balloons and set them free into the sky. We were there to witness his parting with his favored binkies and he seemed to enjoy letting them float away. (I figured throwing them in the garbage would just turn Myka into a trash-digger; so we opted for the balloons!)

We made a BIG deal out of it. We prepped her all week long and told her it would be a big party with 'pinkalicious' and 'purplicious' balloons and cupcakes. We told her she would be sending her mimi's to heaven to all the little baby's there who really needed them. She requested to have her best little friend Kallee Bear at the celebration to cheer her on!

I made cupcakes with pink and purple sprinkles and Chad went and bought a bunch of balloons. Myka washed the mimi's (so the baby's in heaven would have them all fresh and clean. Clever Aleah reminded Myka of this important step!) tied them onto the balloons, gave them one last little kiss and then let them fly away while we all cheered!



I thought bed time would be a sob-fest. Nope. She whined for about 10 minutes, "I want my mimis...I want my mimis." And we asked her where they were and she said, "In heaven with the baby's." We reminded her we couldn't get to them and that seemed to settle her. She slept great! Even nap time today was almost flawless!

Can't believe my little girl is all big! Maybe a big part of me was holding onto the mimi so I could keep her little. We are so proud of her and are crossing our fingers she doesn't want to hold onto a balloon and fly to heaven to fetch back her precious mimis!!

For our Daddy

For Father's Day I gave Chad some photos of the kiddos for his office. I hadn't had their pictures taken for awhile, so my friend Laci met me at Gardner Village (during all the crazy rain storms) and we were able to capture my darling babes! Oh, how I love these kids. Yes, they drive me crazy, but my days would be boring without them!

Myka is officially potty trained! (hooray!) She did it herself and I just went along with it and capitalized on the moment. I wasn't intending on even going down that road until this fall when we were finished with pools and parks, but she has done pretty darn well! (And watch out if you are in the neighborhood...She will pull down her shorts and show off her Dora panties!) Oh she's cute!

Carsen is her number one fan when it comes to her going potty! Is it inappropriate that he's right there by the toilet when she's going and there's been a time or two when he has even hoisted her little bum up on there? I think for now we're fine! They are the best little playmates and bounce off each other (not fun to take shopping....) They turn every outing into a game of chase, tag and hide-and-seek.

Spring Briefing

I won't even apologize for the lapse in posts....As Carsen says, "You get what you get, and you don't throw a fit." So, there you have it...that will be my motto.

Here's a quick briefing of some of the things the kiddos have been up too (that took place at least a month ago!)

"Look Ma, No Training Wheels!"While I was in London Carsen decided to ditch the training wheels. Now he's popp'n wheelies, riding with one hand and telling us when he can come inside. (The helmet is a must and always on!) He has a serious obsession with riding his bike and has turned into 'one of the big kids' on the block out playing and not needing his mommy to entertain him or set-up play-dates. It's nice, but I can't believe how grown-up he seems this year!

You like his Scout shirt? Another obsession. I was put in the Scouts several months back and now with both Chad and myself sporting these awesome Scout shirts Carsen decided he needed one too. He wears it every week to Scouts and even holds his own 'pretend' den meetings where he is the scout leader and Chad and I have to be the Scouts. Pretty cute!

T-Ball Time! This year we recruited lots of neighbors to be on our same t-ball team. Chad is the assistant coach and it's a twice-a-week outing where we cheer on our little t-ballers! He has had a fun season and really improved! Only one more game left and I can't say I'm sad.


Carsen was supposed to be letting me take an Easter picture of him (before Church). But instead he grabbed his golf clubs and began practicing his swing.


Myka has her own obsessions.... toenails and fingernails. She will walk up to strangers on the street and show them her fingernails and toenails. My poor friends are always bombarded by Myka sticking her little toes in their faces so she can show them her "pretty toenails!" We have to paint hers AT LEAST three times a week. This picture was taken way back at Easter! I think she's even changed a lot since this photo was taken. She also loves "ah-me." That's chapstick or any other lip product. She refers to anything that goes on the lips "ah me." I think it's because when she was younger I would always say, "That's Mommy's." (And she thought I was saying, ah me's.) Anyhow, she loves putting things on her lips (and all over her mouth and face). I have had to chuck many beloved lipglosses and chapsticks thanks to her!


Ah, my little fire-ball. She's a sassy little thing. (Oh, and look how long her locks are getting! It's so fun to do her hair, but I have to bribe her with fingernail painting!!!)




That's the quick update for now. I have hundreds of more pictures from various other activities we've been up too. Maybe I'll get to them soon...maybe I won't:)

Salt Lake 1/2 Marathon

I really wanted to run the Moab 1/2 Marathon in March (Moab is where so many of my childhood memories are, and I love the scenery); but I didn't draw out...Bummed at the outcome, I registered for the Salt Lake Marathon in a rash decision. (Yes, Marathon. The entire 26.2 miles). But....as time progressed (and after running the Painter's 1/2 Marathon) I found myself loving just my 1/2's. For me, I have a chance to try to beat my time before and become a better, stronger runner. I have only ran 1 marathon in my life, and maybe there will be another one (or maybe not). For now, I am satisfied with the 1/2's.

Saturday was one of those spring mornings you are glad you are awake to watch the sun rise. I was joined at the starting line by my two great friends, Leslie and Natalie. (Who continued on with the training and did the entire Marathon! They are fantastic runners and take it to the next level). I, on the other hand, was finished after 13.1 miles; and fine with that!

Rachel and Jenny woke up early to be on the sidelines cheering us all on! (It's great to have such supportive friends!) Chad and the kids were also there to see me cross the finish line.

It was a beautiful (yet slightly challening course). I had some great new tunes on my Ipod and the serene Salt Lake Valley in front of me! It was a great run, and for now it holds my record.

We had to hurry back home to get on with our day; we had "Wicked" tickets that afternoon (which was phenomenal!)

England

I became extremely overwhelmed when I uploaded the photos from my camera (300+); especially knowing Kelly has just as many pictures on her camera. Alas, I am trying to make some headway and recap about the best trip ever! (There are so many more pictures, and maybe I will post some more later....or maybe not.) My mom was the brains (and the wallet) behind the trip. She arranged all the tours ahead of time (she is quite the world traveler). We invited Kelly's fun and vivacious mom, Joyce to join us on our adventure. Good times were had with 'just us girls'. Some good laughs were shared and I know this trip will be right up there as one of my all-time favorites!

We saw England in a quick 6 days. Our only down time was sitting on the long airplane ride, riding the tour bus from location to location and sleeping in our little hotel room. We were on the go go go; that's the way I like it when I travel.

When we arrived in London we were feeling slightly jet-lagged from flying all night, but we didn't let that stop us. We checked-in to our hotel which was right by Hyde Park. After grabbing a bite to eat a local Pub we walked through Hyde Park and visited Kensington Palace and took in all the beautiful greenery. Sleep came early because of the lack the night before. Plus, we knew we had some busy days ahead of us.

Our first full day in England we visited Windsor Castle, Bath and Stonehenge. I had heard from some people, "Don't waste your time going to Stonehenge." Easy for them to say; they'd been there before. This is an amazing sight that is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. I don't think I will ever need to visit Stonehenge again, but how cool to see it in person! Windsor Castle had amazing history (my favorite was the Doll House). Bath reminded me a lot of Italy with all off the Roman statues.

Our second day was spent touring Oxford, Stratford-upon-avon, the Cotswolds and Anne Hathaway's Cottage. What a beautiful part of England! When we were at Oxford we were right where Harry Potter was filmed! (How cool is that!) Anne Hathaway's Cottage is straight out of a story book with a thatched roof and all. So quaint it made me want to sit down with a cup of tea and eat some crumpets.

The third day was a London tour. We visited all the main attractions--London Bridge, the Tower of London, Westminster Abby, St. Paul's Cathedral (absolutely amazing), Big Ben, and a river boat ride on the Thames. Us and about a million other people viewed the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace (which I missed the last time I was in England because I was too busy being a mindless teenager). We even had a traditional English lunch at a Pub where we ate meat pie and fish 'n chips. (Wouldn't be a trip to London without it).

Our fourth day was spent roaming around the streets of London. We visited Harrods (and picked up some delightful English chocolates). Of course we had to visit the London H&M! We walked down to Covent Garden and browsed a few shops on Oxford Street. We took the tube down to Kings Cross Train Station where we stood at Platform 9 3/4; where Harry Potter was filmed. (No, I am not a huge Harry Potter buff, but I have read almost all of the books, and love all the references to England). We saw the Broadway show "The Lion King", which is my new favorite musical! The costumes were phenomenal and my view of the show was 'perfect.' (I say this very sarcastically, because we bought our tickets off the street and the guy who we bought them from must have spotted us from a mile away. We confirmed with him they were good seats and of course he said yes. We took our tickets and noticed later the price on them....half of what we paid him for them. And, I had a lovely bar rail right in my face for the entire first half and then Kelly was kind enough to switch me so she was able to view the bar). Besides that, it really was the best musical ever!

We ate Hobnobs (a delicious biscuit), some nasty Indian food (Kelly's brilliant idea), and every morning for breakfast we had Porridge (Kelly's and my idea. Our mom's wanted to go eat some good 'ole fashioned English breakfasts, but we wanted our "Wakey Wakey Oatmeal." We didn't want to spend our $$ or calories on breakfast). Our last morning at the airport Kelly and I slipped away for a traditional English breakfast (to get rid of the rest of our Pounds...meaning English money) while our mom's ordered healthy smoothies! Kelly and I also found another food treasure in Englahd--the best yogurt EVER. It's Greek Yogurt with organic honey and granola. Kelly found it at Starbucks and since we've been home she has researched and found the Starbuck's in the States don't carry it (yet). What a let down. It was the absolutely best thing I have ever tasted and lucky for us--just like in the States--there is a Starbuck's on every corner in London.

Our weather was perfect (didn't have to open the umbrella one time!) The company was the best part of the entire trip. It was a chance for us girls to get away from the boys and the kids and have a chance to bond and explore England. I love the bonding experience it was for all of us.

Our plane ride home was longer than long. It was an all day process, but I was anxious to see my family so I knew the end result would be worth it! (3 movies, 1 book and a few cat naps later I was finally home!)

All in all...a fantastic England adventure! I can't wait for the next mother/daughter trip. We are thinking somewhere warm next time.....

Teriffic Two's

Who said the Two's are Terrible! I have the sweetest little girl (well, most of the time!)

Myka had her big birthday while I was in England. How sad. I was heart-broken missing her big day, but luckily she's only two and she won't realize her mom wasn't there until she's much older and by that time I will hopefully have made it up to her with other wonderful birthday's.

We celebrated her 'un-birthday' the day before I left, which was a bit thrown-together and last-minute. She didn't know the difference. When we woke up Friday morning we decided to have a 'pretend' birthday for her. All day I told her it was her Birthday and she got to have cake and presents later. All that day she walked around saying, "Happy Bith-day to Myka." I asked her what kind of cake she wanted and said, "Puh pl." (her favorite color is purple). Whenever we asked her how old she is she would reply, "Big." She loved having it be her special day. We took her to breakfast and then she and Carsen played while I frantically packed for myself and the kids. (Have I ever mentioned how much I despise getting packed and ready to go).

Myka is growing-up so fast. I love her blond, long hair (which she is getting particular about me doing). Her little petite build is so cute to see running, climbing, jumping and sleeping:) She is a mimicker and says everything Carsen says. (It gets on his nerves sometimes because he'll say, "I finished first." and Myka will repeat, "No, Myka finish first." Her voice is so distinct and the way she says certain things is hilarious. I don't want to forget the way she sounds at this young age, but I know I will (because I thought the exact same thing about Carsen).

Other Myka Milestones:

• Dresses herself (quite particular about her clothing. Can't imagine where she picked up on that????)
• Wants to go potty (but sits down and then says, "All done.")
• Is obsessed with her mimis (I say that plural because she usually has at least 2 binkies in her hands and one in her mouth. I am starting soon cold turkey to get rid of those! Not excited)
• World's best sleeper. She goes to bed at 7:45 and wakes up about 7:30 and takes a two hour nap! Plus, she asks to go to bed. She'll say, "I want milky and go night night."
  
• She refers to herself in the third person. "Myka's turn." or "Myka's shoes."
  
• She loves to pester "Buddy." She's quite the little scratcher and has left her handy work on Carsen's face. He provokes her, but sometimes she does it just to be a little stinker.
• Is saying so many new words everyday! I was worried when she turned a year and had absolutely no desire to talk, but when she hit 18 months she has been turning into quite the little talker (or parrot)!
• Loves popcorn...just like me!
• Still puts everything in her mouth....crayons, sand, chalk, markers; you name it!
  
• She is Carsen's shadow. Whatever he does she wants to do too. When they ride bikes, she is out there with her helmet on wanting to be 'big.' They jump on the trampoline together and have to be pleaded with to come back inside.

I love my sweet little girl. Myka is our little spunk. She was so great while I was gone for a week and had a fun time playing with her cousins (and even went potty on the toilet for the first time! Without me!) Now that I am home she has come down with RSV. Of course. Oh well, at least her mommy is home to take care of her.