Public vs. Private

I've been going back and forth on this little issue for the past few days. I'll admit, it use to bug me when people would put their blogs private. I figured I was an open book, why couldn't they be!



I've been blogging for almost 3 years now and the "newness" of it has wore off, I find it actually difficult for me to sit down and write a post (just check out how many posts I had in October). Our boring lives could be partially at fault for that!! I've always been very cautious about mentioning our trips until we're back. But now, I'm more cautious about mentioning anything about the kiddos. I've seen to many stories recently.



Having a public blog has its advantages too... reconnecting with long lost friends, family, etc. Reading some of the most amazing stories, ever! Checking the blogs without actually having to go to them (thank you RSS feeds!) Although, that has made me completely lazy cause I hardly ever leave comments now... sorry about that!



In the end, the safety of my family won out. I know it may be an inconvenience for some, but I've decided to publicly announce we're going private!! :)



If you'd like to continue reading our epic journey through this life (which I'm sure will have movie rights one day), leave your email in the comments (or email it to me) and I'll make sure to get you added. I'm giving you a week (possibly more)!

Happy Halloween

It's a little beside the fact now, but still needed to document the cuteness of my pirate and octopus! Grandpa & Grandma Nic came down to celebrate. Our ward did a trunk or treat at the church. I love being able to get it all done at once. Maybe one day we'll do the traditional way, but for now, I prefer fast and easy! Lucas was so excited to be a pirate. He's been talking about it for months. He came away with lots of loot. Kodes wasn't so sure about all the hype. He preferred to stare rather than take! It's a good thing grama was there to make sure he didn't leave empty handed! We even got a few stragglers knocking on our door. Although Halloween is not my favorite holiday, it's still fun to watch the kiddos get so excited! We loved having grampa Mark & grama Carole here with us. And even Tawn & Minnie (Reese) stayed the night. One big sleep over! Lucas went home with my parents and Tawnya on Saturday and will come back in a couple of days. Jed had to work all day Saturday which I didn't think was much fun. We did enjoy the nice outcome of the BYU game!

Adults Only...

It's taken me forever to finally get this post done! Last Sunday, Jed & I returned from San Diego. This would be my first time stepping foot into the sunny state! Me and my sisters decided it was time we take a couples vacation. We left the kids at home (technically in St. George with Grandpa & Grandma Valentine) and enjoyed every minute of our kids-less adventure. I missed my boys and I especially loved hearing Lucas' voice over the phone... seriously the cutest thing ever, but it was great to spend to with just Jed.

We left Salt Lake on Wednesday morning flying the luxurious Jet Blue. It should be mandatory that all airlines have a built in TV and an extra 3 inches of legroom! Our motel was perfectly located within minutes (literally) of almost everything we did. We walked to Old Town for some yummy Mexican food while we waited for our rooms to be available. We visited Mission beach to explore the possibilities. The boys & Nappy were enticed by the Flowrider and made plans to ride it on "beach day"! We also visited the San Diego temple that night. They aren't kidding when they say you drive around a corner and there it is. It was beautiful.

Thursday began at "Breakfast with Shamu". The best orange juice ever, yummy biscuits and gravy and our own personal show from two of the "shamu family". We spent the rest of the day at Sea World checking out as much as we could. All the shows were awesome. It's incredible to watch them work with such amazingly large animals and teach them with just a simple hand gesture. We rode the Atlantis and Jess & I was officially soaked from head to toe. Everyone else became just as wet when we rode Shipwreck. We laughed hard! That night we ate in Little Italy.

Friday morning we went down to Seaport Village. We saw the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier, Star of India & other not so significant boats in between. Jed and I bought an expensive Ben & Jerry's small cup of ice cream, but it validated our parking so it was worth it! After that we headed to the beach where Jed, Aaron, Landon & Nappy wanted to impress us with there surfing skills. nananananananananana.....WIPE OUT! Laugh. Out. Loud. Funny! I was just glad no one broke a bone. San Diego is not an in-network provider! They had a blast though. We spent the next couple of hours hanging on the beach. A few decided to venture in the water, but it was much to cold for this gal! Jed, Landon & Tawn had fun trying to catch the waves on a boogie board. That night we drove to La Jolla to the tide pools, although we didn't get there with much light left, it was still fun to see the outline of the seals sitting on the rocks.

We spent Saturday at Sea World again seeing the sites we didn't get to the first time. We rode Atlantis again, but came prepared with ponchos (thanks Mom!) We ate lunch in Old Town at another Mexican restaurant and than when back to Sea World for Shamu Rocks! Very cool.

Late nights were out of the question, everyone was falling asleep, but the days were jam packed and we loved it! Other than getting sick and throwing up in a paper bag on the plane while waiting to get off, our Sunday was quite uneventful. Shara, Aaron & Nappy, on the other hand, had an awful time getting home!

We want to thank Shara & Aaron for a terrific 1st couples vacation. And thank you Aaron for being an awesome navigator. If it had been us, we would have never left the motel room! Thank you also to Steve & Paulette for watching the boys, they had a blast down there. We really appreciate it. Apparently it's our turn in 2 years... Spanish Fork Canyon, here we come!

Prepare for a serious picture overload...

THE END!

So Funny, I Cried...

A friend sent these to me over email and I thought they were hilarous. You may or may not have seen these before, but I hope you get as much kick out of them as I did!

hates the camera...

This is about the closest I can get him to look at me when the camera's in my hands. Such a turkey!

Does he not look so grown up?! I saw this pictures and was amazed at old he looks (for a 3 soon to be 4 year old). Oh man, I sure do love him! He is chuck full of the funnest personality and is really good at making sure he has at least one naughty moment a day! (Peeing on the carpet, peeing in the toy box (luckily he emptied it first), spreading toothpaste on my bed, etc.) He's extremely smart (sometimes to smart) and he's very good at thinking things through. When he knows he wants to do something not good, he'll request that I go down/upstairs stairs for a few minutes! Ha... I'm on to you little one!

There is nothing I love more than his hugs and kisses, hearing him read a book out loud, listening to his cute little voice and hearing him refer to his Sunbeam teachers as Sister McConnell and Big Guy! Love it!

Salt Lake Wedding

Yesterday, my cousin Calie was married in the Salt Lake Temple. Tawn, me and the boys met my mom & Nappy there. It's been awhile since I've been to Temple Square and it's beautiful! Jess watched the boys while we went to the sealing. It's always nice to go to another sealing be reminded of the important promises we've made. The dinner was at the Lion House and the food was delicious (plus we were all starving). It was great getting to see and visit with family again. My mom and dad were headed to Rockland for the reception today, but it was a little far for us to go.