Pine Valley Day Trip and Other News

Rylie on Mike's shoulders
Connor and the bill of his hat had a run-in with his fish hook!
Connor trying his luck at fishing.

Connor and Rylie having a good time just hanging out!

Laura & Rylie getting ready for a hike!

Connor & helping Shannon fish!

Pine Valley Lake

Rylie LOVES to drink our drinks!

The Family!

Doesn't Mike look so happy to be in this shot?

Connor and Rylie sharing snacks!

****************

Last Thursday we took the kids and went with Mike's parents and sister for a drive to Pine Valley, which is located about 45 minutes north-west of St. George. We needed a break from things and to get away. This was perfect! The day was BEAUTIFUL and not too hot! I love to be in the mountains. It was absolutely gorgeous!!! It helped me to forget everything going on in our lives and to clear my head! We took our fishing gear, a picnic lunch, and a carrier to hold Rylie in so we could go for a hike! It was the best day!!!! We started out fishing for a while. Then, Mike and I took the kids for a hike! That was so much fun and Connor LOVED it!!! He was so amazed by the waterfall and all the neat things to look at. He kept singing "Following the Leader", from the movie "Peter Pan" as we were hiking all over. After we got back we fished a little more but, didn't have much luck. It started to get really windy so we decided to go find a picnic ground nearby and have lunch. Well, the picnic area hadn't opened up yet from wintertime so we ended up going to a park in St. George to eat our lunch. After we ate lunch we flew Connor's kite. It was seriously the best day! It was so nice to be outside, get some fresh air, and to let the kids just have fun and let them do whatever! I can't wait to go again soon!

******************

In other news, Mike received the results from the Utah Bar Exam recently. We were so sad to learn that he didn't pass. To pass you have to have an accumulative score of 270. He received a 264, which is equal to him only missing it by 2 QUESTIONS!!!!! We'll get his test and where the missed questions, etc. were in a couple weeks. Of course we are devastated, frustrated, and very disappointed! I feel especially bad for Mike. He worked so hard and studied exceptionally hard for the exam. I truly feel he gave 110%! There's nothing more he could do. So, he'll retake it again the end of July and hope that 2nd times the charm. We're over the initial shock of the results. Now we're just trying to move forward and get through each day. We just have to try and focus on the blessings that we do have now and go from there. By the way, if anyone has the recipe for turning lemons into lemonade, we could sure use it right about now! LOL!

Baseball!

Swing batter, batter!!!!
Let the games begin!

Practicing grounders!

Catching grounders!

Rylie was going crazy with all the balls and wanted to be down playing with Connor!
Rylie already at the wheel!

*****************

We signed Connor up for baseball this year. It's a baseball class/team for 3-5 year olds. As you can imagine, it's quite entertaining. It's more of a class to teach the kids how to play baseball, a pre-baseball class. Each week they work on throwing, catching grounders, hitting, and then they'll either work on coordination, running, or some other skill. It's been a great class for Connor and something to put all of his energy in. For me, it's been a learning experience. For people who know me well, I'm VERY competitive and want to be the best at everything. Well, that competitiveness for myself being the best has overflown into the kids. I want Connor to be the best and it has taught me a great deal of patience and to take a step back and enjoy the ride more. I have to stand there and remember that Connor is only 4, that he will get better with time, and that he's catching onto this. Despite all this Connor has had so much fun and looks forward to Saturday morning when he can play baseball again. He hurries to get dressed, makes sure he has his mitt, and looks forward to hitting practice the most! While he's in the group that's working on throwing and catching he keeps on looking at the hitting group, asking when his turn is! He loves to hit the ball!!!

Easter Day 2009

Easter Day was absolutely beautiful!!! Sunday mornings are hectic for us, so the "Easter Bunny" visited the kids after church. They really had such a great time out there searching for eggs. Connor was so relaxed looking for eggs. Which, is complete opposite of how I am. I'm out for blood. He took his time finding his goodies. Rylie, of course, didn't understand what was going on so we had to guide her along. Among all the hidden eggs and candy were some golden and silver eggs. If they found these egss (which, of course they did) then they got a prize. It was a blast! Later that day some more of Mike's family came over for dinner. We had ham, turkey, funeral potatoes (which I made), and a whole bunch of salads. Then we had a ton of desserts. The chocolate covered strawberries were the yummiest of all! I love Easter! It's just such a special day. A day to remember the Savior, what he did for us, what he provided us, and what the Savior made possible for us! I'm grateful for the newness this day represents!

Bottle-Be-Gone!!!

Since Rylie turned 1 year old about a month ago I have been on a mission to get her off the bottle and onto a sippy cup! With Connor it was very easy and there were no problems at all! He loved the Nuby sippy cup! With Rylie it was a bit tougher! I COULD NOT find a cup she liked until I tried Gerber Sip n' Smile training cup. She took right to it and hasn't gone back since. I packed up her bottles 3 or 4 days ago and haven't had to bring them out once!!! Hooray for not packing around bottles or formula anymore! Yayyy and good job Rylie!!!

Trip to Vegas with Tiffany!

Standing in the gardens at the Bellagio Hotel

Shopping at the Miracle Mile shops at Planet Hollywood

Last week my freind, Tiffany, flew into to Utah from Michigan. To my advantage (ha ha!), and thanks to my in-laws, she was able to come to St. George for 4 days and visit! I am SOOOO glad it worked out that she could come! We had such a great time and it's the most fun I've had in a long time. She got her on Monday and left really early on Friday morning. On Tuesday we decided to head to Las Vegas. I am so glad we did! Mike was very nice and kept Connor home with him. So, it was a girls trip to Vegas with Tiffany, Rylie, and myself. First we headed out to Henderson to visit one of my favorite stores, Babies-R-Us. I LOVE that store!!!! So, we shopped there for a while, then we went to the Galleria Mall on Sunset Blvd. While there I found a really cute and fun phone cover for my blackberry. It's purple & silver zebra print! After that we headed down to the strip. We parked at the Bellagio hotel, where we then walked to Planet Hollywood! They have the most awesome buffet there! SO DANG GOOD (and pricey)!!!! After that we walked around and checked out the Miracle Mile Shops! I discovered a yummy perfume in Victoria Secret! It smelled fabulous!!! Anyway, after a while of cruising around there we headed back to the Bellagio where we watched a water show and then checked out the gardens in the Bellagio. Rylie had had enough so we decided it was time to head back to St. George. On the way home I realized we had forgotten to go to Jamba Juice! I LOVE JAMBA JUICE!!! So, I called Mike and he found one for us to stop at! It was the best trip!

Easter Egg Hunt with Tiffany

Connor before the hunt!

Connor with all the eggs he found! Rylie trying to eat an egg!
Connor, Rylie, and Tiffany
Connor, Rylie, and Laura

While Tiffany was visiting us in St. George (more to come) we took the kids to an Easter Egg Hunt at the Nature Park. They had the kids divided up by age. Rylie's group was allowed to gather 5 eggs. After Rylie finished we took Connor to his hunt. His age group was age 3-4 yrs. old. The silly part was that they had rules that the parents couldn't help and also, the kids could only gather 5 eggs and then they had to stop. Ok...how many 3 & 4 year olds will stop hunting for eggs after 5 eggs, on their own, without their parents telling them to stop. Well, what I suspected would happen happened! Most kids ended up with 10-12 eggs because they finally let the parents go help. So, I explained to Connor that he had too many eggs and he needed to share with the other kids who didn't get any. He understood and was willing to share. However, when we offered our eggs, people didn't want them. So, we went homoe with a TON of goodies! I could have done it without Tiff's help so it was so great to have her there!!!

Fisherman Connor

Mike took Connor fishing last week. Connor had a BLAST!!!! They caught 5 or 6 fish and brought home 2 of them! He was so proud and was so excited to show everyone! He couldn't wait to cook them up. However, as soon as he tasted it he changed his mind. He said, "Uck! That's just nasty Mom!" It was so funny! So, he wants to go fishing but, he has made it clear he doesn't want to eat it.