Las Vegas!

After leaving the kids at the in-laws the day after the 4th, Jon and I hopped a plane to Vegas for a few days! It was an early 10 year anniversary celebration. We stayed at The Trump International. I found a fantastic deal on Hotwire and the room was awesome. My only complaint was that our room faced the pool and you could hear the music blaring all day. But, we weren't in the room that much anyway. I did get a chance to soak in the amazing bathtub each day we were there though! That was my favorite part of our room. It was huge and they had big, comfy robes to wear! I was loving it!



After checking into the hotel we ate at Stripburger, recommended by my sister. It was really good. And I finished it off with a chocolate fudge shake...mmm!



After lunch we walked around for a bit and then spent some time at the pool. After the pool we took a nap (because that doesn't happen at home!). That night we celebrated our anniversary by going to dinner at Mesa Grill. It's Bobby Flay's restaurant and I knew I would not enjoy it...but I went for Jon. My food was not very good but Jon loved his appetizer (grits) and wasn't so thrilled with his chile relleno. The dessert however was very good! I got to pick, so I chose strawberry and gooseberry shortcake. It was delicious! If you've never had gooseberries, you have to try them!



After dinner we went to the Bellagio to watch the fountain show. This is my very favorite part of Vegas! I could watch it over and over again!






The next day we ate breakfast at the Paris buffet. It was actually reasonably priced and there was lots of yummy food to eat! After breakfast we waited in the half price ticket line to get tickets to Blue Man Group. It was so hot outside! So we went to the pool again. While Jon stayed and burned himself in the hot sun, I went shopping at the mall which was right across the street from our hotel. I was trying to find a new swimsuit. I bought one, but took it back when we got home because I decided I didn't like it. Swim suit shopping is such a pain! That night we ate dinner at The Steak House at Circus Circus. I was excited to eat a good steak, but ended up being disappointed again. They dry age their beef right there in the restaurant, which Jon loved! But it gives the steak a very beefy flavor, that I'm just not a fan of. So, again I got to pick dessert...chocolate covered strawberries. They were wonderful! After dinner we walked around the Venetian and waited for Blue Man Group to start. They had a really cool umbrella display. So, we took some pictures and just people watched! (My other favorite thing to do in Vegas!) We were a little disappointed in Blue Man Group. It was fun and entertaining, but there were parts that were kind of slow. We both kind of felt like you can watch the dvd and get the same experience for a lot cheaper!





We had a great trip! And the kids had a blast at Grandma and Grandpa's. It was kind of strange to be in the house for 2 nights without the kids there. I found myself pausing the tv thinking I heard one of the kids and going to their rooms to check on them before I went to bed. Little habits I've formed as a mom! But, get aways are nice!

4th of July

This year, just like last year, we headed up to Young for the 4th. It was a good time with family and there was an added bonus this year...the kids were staying there for a few days after the holiday weekend while Jon and I went to Vegas! On the 4th we drove up to Heber and enjoyed delicious bar-b-que at the Seminary building. Having a father-in-law who is a Branch President has it's advantages! :) Emma dressed up this year. She always wants to wear dress ups, so any occasion where she can...she will. I decided to make her a festive red, white and blue tutu. She loved it and it was really easy to make. We had front row seats to the fireworks show. We were there quite early, so the kids danced, hung out and collected rocks. The fireworks were great! Derrick instantly bonded with his cousin Jenny and sat on her lap for the entire show! I love covering up with blankets watching fireworks on the 4th of July! So much better than sweating it out in the valley's 100 degree weather. And of course, I am thankful to live in this wonderful country. I feel truly blessed and am thankful for those who have given and are still giving their lives for freedom.

Salt Lake City

On June 25th we packed up and left for a quick trip to Utah. Jon's old mission companion and dear friend from Sweden was going to be there with his family. Jon has not seen him since their mission, so I have never met him. Jon was very excited and I was too. The kids did great on the almost 11 hour drive and Andrea and Blake were kind enough to let us crash on their floor for a few nights. (thanks guys!) The first day we drove to the Great Salt Lake and it was the worst smelling place I have ever been to. We didn't even go up on the beach because it was so stinky! So we took some pictures from afar and went to the gift shop. Jon bought some salt and the kids got some salt water taffy. Then we drove to Jon's old house in West Valley City. He lived there when he 3 until he was 7. It was fun to hear him reminisce about his childhood there. Some stories that I hope Derrick never hears. I don't want him getting any ideas! Then we went to meet up with The Syvanen Family. I knew how happy Jon was to see Antti and it was such a pleasure for me to meet him and his wife Linda and their 3 beautiful children. Antti and Linda speak English very well but their children don't speak any. When we told Emma she wouldn't be able to understand the kids she was a little freaked out by it. But then after about 5 minutes of being with them Emma came up and whispered in my ear, "I actually do like them!" She's a funny girl! Kids can play no matter what language they speak! We toured Temple Square with them and then went to dinner at Jon's old Mission Presidents house. The Taggert's are amazing people. I don't think I have ever been into a strangers home and felt more welcome and at home. We had dinner with them and the Syvanen's and another of Jon's companions, Eric Price. It was fun to listen to them talk about "The good ole days". The kids enjoyed pizza and played outside. It was a really great visit.
The second day we took the kids to the Hogle Zoo. They had so much fun! Derrick's favorite part was, of course, the train ride! That night Andrea watched the kids for us so we could have an adult dinner with Antti and Linda. We went to The Garden Restaurant at the top of The Joseph Smith Memorial building. It was good food and the view was gorgeous! It was fun to just talk with Antti and Linda without the interruption of kids. We are going to try and meet up again in April for General Conference.
We left on Sunday morning and told the kids we would stop at The Grand Canyon on the way home. Well, we didn't realize how far off the highway it was. So we promised them a special trip just to the Grand Canyon and as soon as we mentioned a train ride, Derrick agreed! So that is another trip in our future! We had such a great trip to Utah. The kids really did awesome in the car for that long and running all day long. I'm glad we were able to make it a family trip and I look forward to going back!

Swim Lessons

I am so far behind on blogging! So I will post a new blog every few days until I get caught up! I'll start with swim lessons. The kids took 3 weeks of lessons in June. It was freezing the first week, but then it got better and the kids did too. I signed them up to take 2 more weeks at the end of July. On the 2nd to last day Derrick finally jumped into the pool all by himself. So then on the last day he was good to go. His first jump he jumped straight up into the air, sat down on the pool deck with one foot in the water and then kind of slid down! I got it on video...it was pretty funny! His teacher made him do it again! He had the biggest smile on his face after he jumped in! He still needs to work on his kicking. He apparently thinks he can just float to the steps or the wall!





Emma is slowly progressing and getting a lot braver. She thinks she can do more than she can. But I'm glad she is not scared anymore. A couple weeks ago we went swimming at a pool where there was a grotto and a slide. Emma went down the slide several times by herself and almost managed to swim to the wall after sliding in. She also jumped off the top of the grotto! She had a blast! I think with a little more practice she could be swimming this summer. We'll see! I hope she can! The kids favorite part of swim lessons is the last day Miss Sharisse brings a slide so the kids can slide in the pool! Emma was very brave and went on her stomach which she calls "Princess Arms First"!