family

bOoNdOcKs!!

2012-01-27T21:04:00.002-07:00

On New Year's Eve we took the kids to Boondocks with the cousins! They always have a fun time there...we stayed for over 4 hours! Thanks to Aunt Carla for the passes~ so nice!

Avery's looses her first tooth!

2012-01-17T15:32:00.002-07:00

Avery got to meet the pilots on our way back to Salt Lake~ pretty cool! AND, as soon as we landed, and got down to baggage claim,she lost her first tooth!!

Christmas in Louisiana

2012-01-17T15:18:00.003-07:00

We arrived in New Orleans about 9pm on Christmas Eve...and of course, the airline lost both carseats...ya, I knew something would happen, that's one of the reasons we carried on our other luggage. So, with "loaner" carseats, and a ride from Johnny's sis, we headed to Grandma and Grandpa Nobles house. We had a fun Christmas with cousins, Aunts and Uncles and friends. Lucky for me~ I got to wear flip-flops the whole time... :) Winter is the best time to visit there...little humidity, but decently warm! The kids had tons of fun with cousins and Grandma and Grandpa, and especially enjoyed picking and eating oranges.

santa came early!

2012-01-17T15:06:00.003-07:00

Santa came to our home early, on Christmas Eve, because he knew we were going to Louisiana for Christmas. So, we celebrated Christmas Eve morning and then headed for the airport around noon. We also stopped by Grandma and Grandpa Jeppson's and opened gifts with cousins, before leaving. Avery was thrilled to get and American girl "like" doll and a Nintendo DS, and Grandma even got her the Monster High Doll she wanted. Wyatt LOVES his new cars and race track, we play everyday!

school play :)

2012-01-17T15:02:00.002-07:00

Avery tried out for the school (Pirates of Penzance jr.) and was cast as one of the daughters. She has always wanted to be in a play, so this should be fun for her! The pictures are from audition day~ she had to say a few lines and sing a song, by herself! She did fabulous!

just hangin' on a Saturday morn...

2012-01-06T21:51:00.001-07:00

Love Saturday mornings when we just lounge in our pj's...so do the kiddos :)

mom and wy~ baking!

2012-01-06T21:47:00.004-07:00

Wyatt loves to be in the kitchen with me...he is my little helper. This day we were making cookies and cinnamon rolls for Daddy to take to work for Christmas.

Christmas time @ The Grand America Hotel

2011-12-18T10:25:00.003-07:00

This is our 3rd year in a row we have enjoyed the Christmas festivities at the Grand America in downtown Salt Lake. It is such a beautiful hotel and it is even more beautiful during the holiday season. They decorate windows throughout the main floor of the hotel, each window this year, was a part of a story. So, we went through the hotel reading the story, finding clues in each window also~ to fill out for the game card~ that we redeemed in the hotel's bake shop for treat. There was also a life size gingerbread house on display~ pretty amazing! We took my parents, Laura and Cait and Jared with us this year~ loved it!!

sleeping angels

2011-12-10T21:45:00.002-07:00

the kids love to fall asleep together; they have the sweetest bond~

fUn FaMiLy NiGhT

2011-12-10T21:33:00.002-07:00

We had a fun Family night last Monday night...in the bitter cold, at a Christmas Celebration in Bountiful. "The Square" @ 2600 South put on a fabulous family event, which included horse-drawn carriage rides, pictures w/ Santa that they printed on the spot and gave to us, fire-pits to keep us warm, hot chocolate, cookies, popcorn, frozen yogurt, music, and a visit w/ Mrs. Claus too. (oh, and it was all FREE!) It was a great night...we will be back next year for sure!

Santa!

2011-12-10T21:27:00.002-07:00

Every year, the kids get to go see Santa at Daddy's work~ what a treat! ...thes best part is, they have had the same Santa for years. Surprisingly, Wyatt did not want to sit in his lap,...but he was willing to share his cheetos with him :)

Tracy Aviary

2011-11-30T22:15:00.002-07:00

We visited the Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake last week, with some friends. What a fun day! We saw some really neat birds, and it was a beautiful sunny day :)

missing avery

2011-11-30T22:11:00.002-07:00

Wyatt and I are sad every morning when Avery has to go to school, we miss her! Wyatt loves to see her off...he waves good-bye, then walks around aimlessly...

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-06T22:30:00.004-07:00

This was our first year in Farmington for Halloween ( the past 2, we have been in Newport Beach) So, I must say I was a little sad that we weren't partying it up in So.Cal.~ cause it's a blast there...but our neighborhood was awesome! A family down the street from us has an annual "Halloweenie" roast...hot dogs for all! Then all the kiddos trick-or-treated for hours~ ya, we are STOCKED UP on Reese's peanut butter cups :) I handed out candy for while too~ I love to see all the little kiddos in their cute costumes. I loved that our streets were just lined with families~ so fun to see. When my kids were just about done, we headed over to the "famous" Farmington house that home-makes donuts every Halloween~ YUM! It was a great night!

p.s.~ Wyatt absolutely refused to put a costume on~ yep, that's my boy, MIND OF HIS OWN!! ( however, he did split his head open that morning, so he had a bit of a "frankenstein" look going on with the bandage on his forehead...

PuMpKiN wAlK

2011-11-06T22:23:00.002-07:00

Once again, I must say, I love small town livin'...we went to a "pumpkin walk" --where anyone in town could drop off a carved pumpkin and at the "walk" that night, the town youth council put candles in all of them for display. It was too cute~ we carved a Scooby Doo face in our pumpkin~ one of Ave's faves :) The kiddos also played at the park and we had hot cider and donuts~ such a fun night, a few nights before Halloween.

Avery's annual Halloween party

2011-11-06T22:17:00.004-07:00

I think this is the 4th year I've let Avery have a Halloween party, it's kind of become a tradition. We decorate sugar cookies, play Halloween games, read Halloween books and whatever other fun thing we come up with! This year we got to have it outside~ we haven't been able to do that since we lived in California, we got lucky with the weather this year! I love Avery and her cute little friends :)

Wyatt's morning routine

2011-11-06T22:15:00.001-07:00

Wyatt's morning's are: milk and Mickey Mouse, on our bed :) so stinkin' cute...

Raspberries!

2011-11-06T22:12:00.001-07:00

My kids LOVE raspberries! Great-Grandpa has a beautiful patch of them in his yard and has been bringing down TONS of berries for the past 1-2 months. I made a bunch of raspberry jam, but let the kiddos eat lots too :)

Newport Beach

2011-11-06T21:52:00.003-07:00

For our annual fall trip to So.Cal./Disney we always stay in Newport Beach @ Marriott's Newport Coast Villas. It is so gorgeous...kind of our home away from home. We played at the beach, roasted marshmallows, lounged at the pool, played tennis...ya, tennis didn't turn out to be the best idea...My very competitive Dad and equally competitive brother were playing when my brother hit a ball that my Dad went way back for, he hit the fence really hard, fell, split his head open, passed out...ya, we were all there, minus my Mom, who was in the room reading, but the 5 grandkids watched it all in terror...my brother is yelling to my Dad to try and get him to wake up, we are all yelling "call 911"...meanwhile the kids are all hysterically crying, thinking Grandpa was a goner...oh, it was bad...paramedics came, took him ( he was awake and responding at this point ), 6 hours later we found he had broken his arm and had to get his head stitched up...quite the day...oh, it's been 3 1/2 weeks and he is still hurting, and will hopefully regain full use of his arm. The best part is, he walked onto the tennis court just 10 minutes before and said, "I use to play tennis in high school"...ya, he's not 15 anymore! ...I think the kids are scarred for life and will always hate tennis, seriously. Other than that, and luckily it was the day before we left, we had a fabulous time!

annual fall trek to disneyland :)

2011-11-06T21:32:00.002-07:00

We took our annual trip to Disneyland/Newport Beach with the fam, the 2nd week of October. It was actually so warm this year~ 103 at Disneyland one day! (I'd much rather sun than cold though) We had a blast, both my kids LOVE to see characters, so we did lots of that. Wyatt is so funny, as soon as he sees a character, he "backs" into them and gets ready for a picture! I love that we are able to go to one of our favorite places atleast once a year! Johnny didn't make this trip~ that's what happens when you have too many vacations planned in one year~ next year for sure :)

my silly boy :)

2011-10-23T12:41:00.001-06:00

thought I'd share my little "photo shoot" of Wyatt~ he's such a funny kid :)

Pepsi Play Day

2011-10-23T12:37:00.001-06:00

Pepsi had a play day/picnic a few couple weeks ago~ bounce houses, face painting, softball game and yummy food!

fishin w/ daddy

2011-10-23T12:34:00.002-06:00

Johhny and Avery went fishing a few weekends ago~ she loves her Daddy/Avery time.

apple picking at Great Grandpa's

2011-10-23T12:30:00.003-06:00

We spent a recent Saturday morning picking apples in Morgan at Great Grandpa's house. The kids had a blast~ and were especially cute holding hands and singing on the way home.

sneak away to park city!

2011-10-23T12:27:00.002-06:00

My parents took the kids for a night so Johnny and I could sneak away to Park City~ much needed little break! We took a little hike, relaxed by the pool and had a fabulous meal on Main Street.

Snowbird~ fall time fun

2011-10-23T12:21:00.002-06:00

We took my parents up to Snowbird Resort for a ride on the tram/gondola and a picnic lunch. Avery and Grandpa also went down the alpine slide. It was a beautiful sunny day!

Davis County Fair

2011-10-22T23:01:00.001-06:00

1st grade!

2011-10-22T22:59:00.001-06:00

silly kiddos :)

2011-10-22T22:58:00.000-06:00

Chuck E. Cheese

2011-10-22T22:54:00.002-06:00

Avery loves to go to Chuck E. Cheese, and we got to go w/ Gage and Madison, and their cousin, at the end of the summer. Wyatt loved it as well :)

Park City w/ the fam...and more friends :)

2011-10-22T22:40:00.007-06:00

We spent a week in Park City w/ my fam, and our friends/neighbors. We had such a fun week~ with perfect sunny weather. We roasted marshmallows for s'mores, took a ride in a small gondola, went to the Farmer's Market, rode the trolley, had a picnic, swam, watched a movie at the pool one night, went to an outdoor concert...ya, we packed it all in! Thanks to all who joined us for such a fun time!

Park City w/ friends

2011-10-02T09:02:00.004-06:00

Johnny and I reserved our Marriott condo for a week in Park City. He, and my fam, were nice enough to take the kids so I could go up with friends for a night and enjoy some girl time.

yep, another bike parade

2011-10-02T09:00:00.001-06:00

At the end of summer, our neighborhood has a little bike parade for the kids. This is our 3rd year joining in the fun!

Summer swimming

2011-10-02T08:56:00.002-06:00

We went to the pool in Farmington a few times this summer, luckily my friends Caitlyn and Jonna came and helped me out with the kiddos...mainly Wyatt, he is a wild little man, especially at the pool. He will just jump right in, go down the slides...he thinks he can swim! It sure made for good nap times for him :)

Shoshone Falls

2011-10-02T08:53:00.002-06:00

We stayed the night with my Mom's Aunt and Uncle in Boise, ID on our way home from Oregon and then stopped at these water falls the next day, the last day of our trip.

Multnomah Falls

2011-10-02T08:47:00.002-06:00

On our way home from Oregon, we stopped at this beautiful water fall--LOVED IT!!

Oregon Coast

2011-10-02T08:32:00.004-06:00

We have wanted to see the Oregon Coast for a few years and finally got a chance to do it this year. Wow, it is beautiful! We all LOVED the beach, and had perfect weather there. My sister Michelle and her fam, my sister Laura and my parents and us all stayed in beach house in Lincoln City. We celebrated Ryan's bday, went to a small aquarium, roasted marshmallows in the back yard and of course had plenty of beach time.

only in utah

2011-08-23T21:29:00.002-06:00

I love bonus holidays! 24th of July! (Pioneer Day) Great! I'll take it! We spent the evening doing fireworks with the neighbors~ too fun!

Yee-haw

2011-08-23T21:23:00.002-06:00

We got to go to the rodeo over the 24th of July holiday, thanks to PepsiCo. We had a great suite at the Maverik Center and enjoyed great company too. Johnny was entertaining some clients from the Larry H. Miller group. Carla was there also. It was fun to do something a little different :)

this is what you get when you give your kid your camera:

2011-07-27T22:27:00.000-06:00

Our 2nd annual Radio Disney Water Day!

2011-07-27T22:14:00.004-06:00

Too much fun was had last year, so this year, my friend Sarah and I added a bonus of taking the Front Runner train to downtown. The kiddos LOVED it! Radio Disney puts on this awesome free event every summer, and yep, we will be there next year too! Water guns, water slides, snacks, tattoos, stickers, music, balloons, petting zoo...complete FUN!

SpLaSh TiMe!

2011-07-27T22:08:00.003-06:00

We are enjoying the new splash pad/park in North Salt Lake. This particular day we went with some friends. ...as you can see, the girls loved standing in the showers, meant for rinsing off, but they spent most of their time there!

Farmington Festival Days and Parade

2011-07-27T22:01:00.002-06:00

The week following 4th of July, Farmington has a bunch of festivities. We enjoyed the parade and fair on a hot Saturday afternoon :)

Farmington Kids Bike Parade

2011-07-27T21:56:00.002-06:00

Utah seems to love it's "kids bike parades"...so do we! So, here we are at another one--this time in our little town of Farmington. Avery, as usual, is joined by her friends Katelyn and Audrey.

fun summer days :)

2011-07-20T14:54:00.001-06:00

cousins, friends, snacks, movies, slip-n-slide... we are lovin' summer :)

...chasin' grandpa

2011-07-20T14:42:00.004-06:00

On Monday, the actual 4th of July, as if we hadn't been to enough parades and such, we decided to head up to Morgan to see my Grandpa ride in the parade as a Veteran. So, we went up, we even got there early, according to the time that Grandpa said it started, only to find, we were late! It apparently had started earlier than he thought...so we literally chased that dang parade all through town (good thing it's a small place) and ended right back where we started...as the parade made a complete circle...yep, it's one story I can tell my grandkids :) In the end, we saw Grandpa getting off the float and took a picture with him-- so cute for 91 years old huh?!

Centerville 4th of July parade

2011-07-20T14:35:00.003-06:00

Yep, it has become tradition to go to the Centerville Parade with fam over the weekend of the 4th. Always fun and lots of candy :)

Centerville 4th of July Festivities

2011-07-20T14:18:00.004-06:00

We always enjoy the fun events that Centerville has for Independence Day. We started the weekend of the 4th with the kids bike parade. The parade ended at the park where we had a picnic dinner, a band played, the kids ran around and finally ended the night with fireworks. It is so fun every year to meet up with friends and family at this event.

Boondocks w/ cousins

2011-07-20T13:47:00.003-06:00

Steven, Brooke and kids came into town over 4th of July and we had tons of fun hanging out with them! We got to go to Boondocks with them, Grandpa, Grandma and Laura. We had so much fun go-karting, playing mini-golf, bumper boats and arcades. All the kids enjoyed playing in the "little kid" zone too :)

Water fun at the Gateway!

2011-07-13T22:12:00.005-06:00

We spent an afternoon running through the fountains at the Gateway with friends. ...wore the kids out!! Love it!

Avery's tree

2011-07-05T16:16:00.002-06:00

This tree has been the center of many activities so far this summer: dinner, ice-cream, popsicles, swinging, climbing...too much fun! Johnny built a little bench in the tree for Ave and friends...yep, they spend lots of time up there...and we hang out below and watch :)

disneyland (first time this year!)

2011-07-05T16:02:00.003-06:00

wow, it's been a while, for me atleast...i like me some disney! i took the kids and my parents :) couldn't have done it without my parents...wyatt was one piece of work...phew...he was NONSTOP! i followed him one day as he walked, swinging his arms, HALF WAY AROUND California Adventure park, seriously, without looking back...he didn't have a care in the world...just wanted to be FREE!! the kids had a blast, and we had fun chasing them :)

summer time is finally here!!

2011-07-05T15:57:00.002-06:00

we are spending many evenings in the yard, bbq'ing and playing :) Avery is loving climbing the trees and Wyatt is loving chasing the chickens!

Avery graduates :) from Kindergarten...

2011-07-05T14:44:00.002-06:00

What a fun and happy day! Avery's Kindergarten graduation program was adorable. The 3 Kindergarten classes sang songs (several of them they also used sign language) and each child had a speaking part. We are so proud of Avery and have seen her grow so much this past year...she is excited for 1st grade.

Memorial Day in Park City

2011-06-15T21:21:00.002-06:00

We spent a fun (but cold!) Memorial Day weekend in Park City with friends and family. The Marriott Mountainside Resort is such a great place --especially for kids! The kids swam, played life size checkers, and did crafts in the kids hangout room. We bbq'd (in the snow) and had a game night complete with WAY too many treats! It was really fun to spend time with our friends and family away from everyday life :)

date night :)

2011-06-04T23:53:00.002-06:00

Johnny and I took a quick hike in the Farmington hills up to a rushing waterfall. Wow, it sure felt good to get out and enjoy a warm evening w/ my hubby :)

finally some SUN!

2011-06-04T23:49:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago we had a beautiful sunny Friday afternoon that the kids (Avery, her friend, and Wyatt) enjoyed playing with the "slip and slide" in the back yard. Wyatt even had his first popsicle :)

What's next?!

2011-06-04T23:45:00.002-06:00

Avery broke her arm just 2 months ago...and now, HIVES!! What's up?! This is the girl that NEVER GETS SICK!! Random, crazy hives, lasted 3 days, and then were completely gone. Poor Ave was miserable for the first 2 days though :(

non-stop hammin' it up!

2011-06-04T23:44:00.000-06:00

cousins!

2011-06-04T23:38:00.001-06:00

We love having cousins on town! We were so happy to see Michelle, Brooklyn, Jeremy and Ryan for a few days. Can't wait for our beach house trip this summer!!

2011-05-11T14:23:00.002-06:00

We celebrated Avery's birthday again while Aunt Michelle and kids were in town--what a treat!

Avery's 6th Birthday!!

2011-05-11T14:09:00.003-06:00

I can't believe it's been 6 years! Wow! We celebrated in style with many of Avery's friends--including boys! (she HAD to have boys at her party this year) She also HAD to have a Scooby Doo cake...so, I complied. We even played Scooby Doo games...wrapping the kids up in t.p. to look like mummy's! She had a great day! Just before school, she got a package in the mail from Grandma and Grandpa Nobles, that was a fun surprise too! I got to go the school and do a "spotlight" all about Avery (which we made the poster--pictured--for, for her class. That was really fun for me! Her treat that she passed out to the kids in her class was strawberries--her current favorite food. (her fave is always a fruit, it just changes from grapes to strawberries to kiwi to...) Love my little fruit lovin girl! Happy Birthday Avery! We love you!

:)

2011-05-11T14:08:00.000-06:00

Easter weekend 2011

2011-05-11T13:52:00.004-06:00

We had a fun-filled and busy Easter weekend. It started on Friday night, we had our friends over for a kid-friendly, real meaning of Easter lesson, and then decorating sugared Easter eggs that my friend made. The next morning we went to a huge Easter egg hunt put on by Farmington City--there were 15000 eggs! wow! Next, the best part of Easter weekend- Uncle Zach came for a visit! It was really fun to see him and hang out! The kids woke up and had a fun Easter morning- and later we had a yummy dinner with the fam.

poor ave

2011-05-11T13:49:00.002-06:00

My little Avery fell of her scooter, landed on her arm/elbow and broke her ulna bone. She only had to wear a cast for 2 weeks and is healing just fine. (yes, of course, she picked the rainbow cast...)

Easter Egg Hunt

2011-05-11T13:44:00.002-06:00

We got invited to participate in a neighborhood Easter Egg hunt, the weekend before Easter. The kids had fun, although, Wyatt had no interest in finding eggs, after the first one--he just wanted to carry that one around. We had a pot-luck breakfast after. What a great start to a weekend!

Getaway!

2011-05-11T13:28:00.003-06:00

Johnny and I got treated to an "all expenses paid" getaway for a weekend in downtown Denver. It was a thank you from Pepsi for all Johnny's hard work on the Gatorade launch. I am so proud of him, he did a great job, and it was LOTS of long hours and extra work. So, we enjoyed a weekend in Denver, with a few other Pepsi peeps! The first night they took us to a fantastic bowling alley (I know what you're thinking...bowling alley?!) It was a totally upscale place, even had a dress code! So, ya, it wasn't your average bowling alley. They fed us all night...pizza, chicken, veggies, chocolate chip cookies... We played a few games of "funky bowling" (bowl w/ your left hand, bowl lying down, bowl backwards...) It made it much more fun, and yes, I bowl the best lying down! Crazy... The next night we went to a Hockey game at the Pepsi Center and enjoyed more fabulous food in the Pepsi Suite. We had a decent amount of down time and got to walk around Denver, it was a really nice town--very clean and not overly crowded. The best part was just getting away with my hubby!

heaven help me...

2011-05-08T21:56:00.002-06:00

On, in, on top of...you name it, he's doing it...thank goodness for a hard head and that knock out smile :)

Happy Birthday Johnny!

2011-05-06T14:45:00.003-06:00

Yep, I'm still a month behind here...but I'm slowly catching up... Johnny's birthday was the 2nd of April~ Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband and the fabulous father to our children. We went and enjoyed a yummy lunch at Tucano's at the Gateway and then had birthday cake (homemade pecan pie--Johnny's fave) that evening :)

My Dad is RETIRED!

2011-04-26T07:52:00.002-06:00

that's retired, not retarded... :) We got to attend a retirement party for my Dad at his office--so glad we went! My Dad worked for Allstate for 37 years--WOW! The party was so nice, everyone who spoke about my Dad had wonderful things to say about him--mainly that he ALWAYS DID THE RIGHT THING, no matter what. Happy Retirement Dad! (thanks for all the help with the kiddos now!) Love you!

Day Trip to Ogden

2011-04-17T13:54:00.003-06:00

Ok, Ogden, I know, doesn't sound too thrilling--but we had a really good time! We had a fabulous lunch at Bistro 258 (thanks Jared for that idea), then took a free trolley ride around the downtown area ( learned a little bit of Ogden history too). Lastly we played on the trains at Union Station--the kids loved it!

"Round-Up" at the library

2011-04-17T13:49:00.002-06:00

We took Avery and her friend Dylan to a cowboy/indian themed night at the library a couple weeks ago. The library puts together a family night once a year, complete w/ games, reading, crafts, etc. It's a great free event :)

Miller Motorsports Park

2011-04-17T13:37:00.003-06:00

For Christmas, I gave Johnny a "Ford Mustang driving experience" at Miller Motorsport Park. After some classroom instruction, he got to take the car out for 10 laps on a 2.2 mile course. He LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!! The kids and I got to go and spend the day with him too :)

Hawaii, day 9

2011-04-03T13:42:00.003-06:00

Yes, we spent 9 days in Hawaii--it was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here are pics of our last day, spent by the beach, with Caitlin and Jared. We did a little bit of snorkeling and just hung out this day. We had an 11pm flight, so we had all day/ evening to still enjoy! It was such a fun trip! It was great to see Cait and Jared. We missed our little man, and were so excited to see him when we got home. Thanks to Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Laura for taking good care of him while we were gone.

Hawaii, day 8

2011-04-03T13:34:00.003-06:00

Second to last day...spent at the beach! We played with our friends from Mongolia (they have 3 kids) and then Cait and Jared came and stayed the last night at our resort with us! (pics of our villa and the view from the villa)

Hawaii, day 7

2011-04-03T13:21:00.004-06:00

We went back up to Laie this day, where Cait and Jared live. On the way, stopped at the Macadamia Nut Farm...met some natives :), spent a few minutes at Kualoa Ranch, took a few pics at the Laie Temple, had lunch at a shrimp shack and then went to the Polynesian Cultural Center for a fun day of, well, Polynesian Culture! That evening at the Cultural Center we enjoyed a luau and night show--we really loved it! We stopped and Cait and Jared's for a few minutes before heading back down to Ko'Olina.

Hawaii, day 6

2011-04-03T13:14:00.004-06:00

This day was my birthday! We spent the day at the pool and the beach--of course! We met a cute family from Mongolia, that we actually spent a good deal of time with for the rest of the week. ( We also ended up exchanging emails and have been keeping in touch) That evening we went to Waikiki for dinner...let's just say, I've seen enough of Waikiki to last a lifetime...I'll stick with the slower paced part of Hawaii...more my style.

Hawaii, day 5

2011-04-03T13:03:00.003-06:00

We visited Pearl Harbor in the morning this day, and I was glad we did. I thought I would be bored out of my mind, but I actually really enjoyed myself. The great thing about the Pearl Harbor tour is...they get you in and out, quickly! I was giving Johnny a time limit of like 4 hours...ugh...however, you, get in, got done and get on!! But, while we were there, it was very nice, really.

After that we hiked Diamond Head, now this I could do everyday. It was so gorgeous and a great hike. Did you see the staircase in the pictures? That was at the very end of the hike...woah...it's a little tough, but we did it!

Hawaii, day 4

2011-04-03T12:57:00.002-06:00

Beach, beach, beach...can you say beach?, sand?, water?!! It was a perfect 83 degrees nearly everyday we were in Hawaii...what more can I say?!

That evening the resort put on a mini luau--with the awesome Chief Sielu. We met some cool people and hung out with them for the afternoon/evening.

Hawaii, day 3

2011-04-03T12:47:00.004-06:00

Marriott's Ko'Olina, wow! We got to stay here for a full week...and didn't want to leave! Johnny and I spent the day at the beach and Jared, Caitlin and Avery met us that afternoon and spent the rest of the day/evening together. Avery had gotten to go to church w/ Cait and Jared, and had fun staying the night with them. (seeing Aunt Cait was THE reason Avery wanted to go to Hawaii) Thanks Cait and Jared for letting her stay the night and giving us a little alone time!
While Cait and Jared were there we went a took some pics in front of one of the ships used for the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean movie--how cool is that?! We also made some yummy brownies and celebrated my birthday while Jared and Cait were with us.

Hawaii, day 2 (crossing the top thing off my bucket list)

2011-04-03T12:36:00.003-06:00

Surfing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!!! Ok, not that I actually stood up, but it was awesome, exhilarating, and oh so much fun!! Thanks to our great teacher, Jared, we got free surf lessons! We seriously had such a blast--can't wait to do it again. Surfing has been at the top of my bucket list for years, and now, at least I have attempted it. Later that day we saw a sea turtle, went to the awesome little surf town of Hale'iwa (my kinda town). We had some shave ice and enjoyed a yummy dinner with Cait and Jared. We had stayed that first night with them, then Avery stayed a 2nd night with them, while Johnny and I got a mini-vaca at the Marriott resort in Ko'Olina.

Hawaii, day 1

2011-04-03T12:24:00.003-06:00

We arrived in Oahu on a Friday at 6am, after an all night flight. Boy did it feel great to get out of that plane! There was a person on the flight that was coughing, hacking really, all night long. The flight attendants even called for a doctor on the flight several times to try and help this person out. Anyway, at 6am, it was beautifully warm outside. Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! We got our rental car--I was thrilled that I had secured a car for 9 days for $150.00--woohoo! We started on our journey to Cait's house, about an hour away. The drive was incredible--green, green, green! Cait was waiting outside for us--it was so good to see my sis!! Her and Jared have a cute little apartment just a block or so from the beach, BYU Hawaii, The Polynesian Cultural Center and The Oahu Temple. We chatted for a while and then walked down to the beach. (Jared had to go to work and Johnny took a nap, so just us girls beached it) Yep, the beach at 10am, loved it. Later that day though, we all met up at the beach at Turtle Bay, where Jared works.

i am soooooooooo behind...

2011-04-03T12:19:00.002-06:00

i know i'm way behind--i can't seem to find the time to catch up--see??, i don't even have time to use capital letters!! (the least of my worries...) since we got back from Hawaii, life has been rather stressful--coming home to a major water leak in the house is 90% of it. And two months later we are still dealing with it--the floor, the walls, the carpet...when will it end?...

enough of that though, finally, today, i am updating!! pics of Hawaii--gorgeous Hawaii!! ...here they are!

Wyatt's 1 year pictures

2011-03-09T14:09:00.002-07:00

Check out my sister's photo blog @ rubyredphotos.blogspot.com for the amazing pictures she took of Wyatt for his first birthday!

Happy 1st Birthday little man!!

2011-03-09T13:35:00.002-07:00

First birthday's are so much fun! --and I think Wyatt will agree--he LOVED his chocolate cake! We had a great time with family and friends celebrating Wyatt's 1st birthday. I can't believe it's been a year since we got the call that a baby boy was born and we had been chosen to be his parents. THAT was one of the best day's ever. And now, watching how he has grown and changed over the past year, is another reason to celebrate. He is a charmer, a thinker, a curious kid. His smile lights up EVERYONE'S day---every time we are out, Wyatt gets a compliment, or two...or three... :) He's such a busy little boy and loves to be around people. He loves his sister and giggles each morning when he sees her. He loves when Daddy walks in the door each night after work, and can't wait for his wrestling match with him and Avery. Yes, he loves them both tons, but I have to say, I think he is a Momma's boy! If not in my arms, he is at my legs most of the time~ he's my little sidekick. He loves to be outside--and even thinks the dirt tastes good... He LOVES to eat--especially chicken, peaches, bananas, veggie puffs, cheese and CHOCOLATE. He also adores Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Laura--and has fun ransacking their house!
We love this little guy and are so happy he is in our family. LOVE YOU WYATT!!

New Years Eve

2011-02-06T22:40:00.004-07:00

We had a fun party at my cousins Kari's house--and managed to stay awake to ring in the new year! All the girls each whipped their hubby's butt's in Fencing on the Wii...woohoo!!!!!!!!! The kids played great all night and especially enjoyed dancing to the Wii songs. A great time was had--thanks Kari and Arley!

Christmas Day...yes, I know I am WAY behind

2011-02-06T22:34:00.003-07:00

Santa was good to us! We had a wonderful morning at home and then spent the afternoon and evening at my parents. Wyatt's first Christmas--too fun!

Christmas Eve

2011-01-11T14:43:00.002-07:00

We had a fun Christmas Eve at my Mom and Dad's house--along with Steven, Brooke and kids. Dad read our family Christmas story, like we do every year, as the grandkids sat around him :) We had a traditional Christmas Eve "taco" dinner!!! ...yep, that's the way the Jeppson's do it :) Great Grandpa came to visit also for the afternoon. The kids got to open a couple gifts too!

makin' cookies for Santa

2011-01-08T23:01:00.002-07:00

We were lucky to have Sydnee and Dylan here to help us make cookies for Santa. Love my little bakers :)

Christmas lights

2011-01-08T22:57:00.002-07:00

We drove through a park in Layton that had thousand of lights! Avery loved all the light animals :) After that, we went to our favorite frozen yogurt shop--Wyatt lovessssssssssss him some fro yo :)

Candy making party!

2011-01-08T22:52:00.002-07:00

We enjoyed a fun candy making party at my cousins Kari's house over the holidays. We made chocolate covered...well, chocolate covered EVERYTHING!! --peanuts, almonds, pecans.....yummmmmmmmmmmmmmm. The kids had a fun gift exchange as well. What a fun night!

Pepsi Holiday Party

2011-01-08T22:48:00.004-07:00

Johnny and I attended a great party at the Snowbird Resort. We had a great night hanging with friends and...got to stay the night up there--thanks to my sister Laura for watching the kids for us!

"light's on"

2011-01-08T22:43:00.004-07:00

We enjoyed the wet, rainy night at Founder's Park in Centerville for the "light's on" ceremony for the Christmas season--with my parents and our neighbors. I love small towns :)

Jazz game

2010-12-20T22:24:00.003-07:00

Avery attended her first NBA game!! ...it was a little loud for her, but she had been asking to go, and finally got to!

gettin' ready for Christmas!

2010-12-20T22:15:00.001-07:00

Grand America @ Christmas

2010-12-20T22:06:00.002-07:00

We LOVE LOVE the Grand America hotel--especially at Christmas time. They put on an amazing displays of gingerbread houses, decorated windows and beautiful Christmas trees. The presidential suite is filled with hundreds of Teddy Bears--all being donated to The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Avery was excited to bring a bear to donate again this year. Our friend Jenna, my sister Laura and my parents joined us this year.

Santa!!

2010-12-20T22:03:00.002-07:00

We got to see Santa @ Pepsi--fun fun!! Wyatt loved him--just didn't want to sit on his lap--he was was crawling like a mad man everywhere!!

Park City weekend :)

2010-12-06T23:19:00.003-07:00

Johnny and I were able to have a great (snow-filled!) weekend in Park City to celebrate our 8 year anniversary! (Thanks Mom, Dad and Laura for watching the kiddos...sorry Wyatt puked!)

i don't get tired of this smile :)

2010-12-06T23:17:00.002-07:00

Avery's 1st gymnastics meet

2010-12-06T23:10:00.004-07:00

It was so fun to watch her show off all she has been learning! She eats, sleeps, breathes gymnastics :) ( it was a "fun meet" for the younger kids to start learning what it is like to compete--they all won! )