Happiness Is...

Monday, November 3, 2008

Viva Las Vegas!

WARNING: NUMEROUS PICTURES CAN BE FOUND BELOW. IF YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT MY AWESOME PICTURES...YOU CAN KINDLY SKIP OVER THIS POST.

A few weeks ago I had this great idea to plan a spontaneous vacation, so I did! Matt keeps really busy with school and work and really needed a break. I kept the whole thing a surprise, got Matt's bosses to let him off work, booked the hotel (non-refundable) and was so excited about my fancy little plan!

A couple nights before we left I was talking to Matt about how busy he had been, and how nice it would be for him to relax over the weekend. He then told me that he was so busy that he wouldn't be able to relax at all, based on all the homework he had due Monday morning. I immediately panicked and had to tell him about the trip! I was bummed about having to ruin the whole thing, but we ended up getting it worked out in the end and had a great time. Here are the highlights!

We started out going to In-N-Out Burger because I had never been there and we've heard all kinds of great things about it. I have to admit...neither of us was very impressed.

What a big mouth! Just kidding Matt!

After about 5 1/2 hours of driving we arrived in Las Vegas! We headed straight out for some sight seeing. Our first stop was the Bellagio where we watched the fountain show, which we loved.

This is near the fountains with the Paris hotel behind me.

The next morning we went to Denny's. Matt was apparently very excited...

Outside the Venetian

Inside the Venetian. It is dark, but you can see a gondola behind me if you look closely. They were really fun to watch.

This is also inside the Venetian where we stopped to watch some street performers.

Treasure Island

The Mirage...I think that was what it was called...?

I made a new friend inside Caesar's Palace...awww....

Matt made a new friend too...sort of...

We splurged and bought tickets to Phantom of the Opera! This is inside the Venetian while we were waiting to go to the performance

We stopped for a chat with Humpty Dumpty

Ran into Whoopie Goldberg

And then Nicholas Cage. Both, of course, asked to have their pictures taken with us (naturally)

This was after the show. It was amazing! We both loved it and it was definitely the highlight of the trip.

Matt cooking up some good eatin' in his tennis shoes

The Las Vegas Temple

We visited there on Sunday after church

GRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!

Outside the Luxor

Me next to a giant dude

Matt, making another strange friend...

I can't remember the name of this hotel...

Inside New York New York

After all the sight seeing we were dead tired. It was so nice to have a little vacation, and we had a blast!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

October

What were we up to during the month of October? Here are just a few things:

Mission reunion
Baking cookies
Playing cards
Building towers
Babysitting
Soccer games
Visiting the hospital to see a new baby
Conference
Enrichment activities
Fun, fun, fun
Etc., etc., etc.
Vegas, Vegas Vegas (please see the next post!)

Introducing our dear friends Ryan and Nikki, and their beautiful new baby girl, Maylee Souter!

Smiley Andrew

The tower, shortly before it crashed

Poker face!

This is Andrew eating baking soda. He claims that it was "nummy"...

A couple of Matt's mission buddies

Back From Vacation

I have been on yet another blogging vacation...sigh...
Life really does come at you so, so, so fast and it is hard to get everything in the 16 hours I am awake everyday...sounds crazy, but its true.

Anyway, I'm back tracking here to Conference Weekend. That Saturday was a particularly busy day, and a very rewarding one.

On Friday night we picked up my niece Lizzy, and nephew Andrew and took them to our place where they spent the night. They were both perfect angels, and went to bed when they were supposed to, with Andrew only waking up a couple of time during the night.

Saturday morning I got up and took Lizzy to her soccer game. Watching 4 year olds play soccer has got to be one of the best activities ever...it was adorable and Lizzy was very proud of herself. Andrew had a grand old time playing on the playground, running around my legs, and throwing grass in my hair...good times.

After the soccer game I took Lizzy, Andrew, and Lizzy's friend Lydia to a primary party at Wheeler Farm. It was a lot of fun, and the three of those kids are so funny together. The song "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" was playing on the radio, so I taught Lizzy and Lydia the words and they were singing at the tops of their lungs, while Andrew sang, "BOYS just wanna have fun!"

After Wheeler Farm, I took the kids to their Primary program practice at the church and then back to Aaron and Rachelle's new place (only 2 blocks from us!) and helped them move in a little bit. I don't know that I was actually much help, but I gave it my best effort!

Finally I went home to recuperate and get ready for the General Relief Society Broadcast. I was able to get tickets my myself, Mom, and all my sisters. The conference was amazing and there were so many wonderful messages shared.

We finished off the night with some yummy Cafe Rio (thanks Mom!) Matt and I joked that we felt like regular old parents. Luckily we were able to take the kiddos home at the end of the day and rest a little, which you can't really do when they really ARE yours!

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Here comes the bride!

My lovely friend Amy is getting married tomorrow!! I went to her bridal shower on Friday, and this is the only picture I was able to get of her. Everytime she answered a question wrong about her husband-to-be, she had to chew a ginormous piece of bubbalicious. Let me tell you, Amy has a huge mouth (I'm not being mean...even she admits it) and she was still struggling with the wad of gum. She missed A LOT of questions....hmmmmmm............

I'm Singing in the Rain (literally)

A couple of weeks ago my Mom threw together a spontaneous picnic up the canyon. The entire day as we were planning to go it was pouring outside, but somehow we ended up going away and I will say that it was probably the most fun I have had on a picnic in the canyon in ages (except that Matt had too much homework and couldn't come).

We had some yummy fried chicken, fruit, pasta and chips and stood around the blazing fire (how it was blazing in the pouring rain...I don't know) talking and laughing, and even singing the family song (yes, it does exist). Before we left, we even played a good old fashioned game of "kids in a blanket". You guys know that game, right? The one where you put little kids in a blanket and flip them as high as you can? Yeah, its a good one.

We finally decided to bail when the lightning and thunder just got too close for comfort.

The kids played in the car with Grandma. This is Andrew pretending that he is driving through a dark cave. Notice the face of terror.

We attempted a game of "Camille in a blanket", but I was a little too big. My bottom hit the ground everytime I landed...ouch.

The Sensational Six in September

For our sensational six activity of the month, we went up Provo Canyon to eat, chat, and play frisbee. We had a delicious dinner, but quickly learned that it is kind of difficult to plan for feeding 12 people...it is a lot more than you think it is. We had to tease Bryan especially, because first he showed up without the buns for the chicken sandwiches. He quickly ran to find them, thankfully. Then he discovered that he may have under planned both the quantity and the size of the chicken. Hopefully Bryan won't be embarrassed. We all love him for his little quirks!

While the guys all played frisbee, some of the girls sat around chatting. We are a regular old "Wives' Club" these days.

Hanging out at the park with a hunk.

After a scary experience with a spider, we all decided to head to the safety of the indoors at Ryan and Nikki's house. We played some fun games, got a cool new cooking toy from Ryan, and saw the baby room...it is sooooo cute!

Yes...that would be James and Allison kissing in the picture (sigh)......newlyweds! Just teasing!

What Happened to My Molly?

I just love this picture...

Molly almost never sits still.
Yet, here she is on her birthday, eating an apple on my lap.
I just plain like it.
That's all.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

1/30/13- Cam heard Sid the Science Kid say, "everybody can do something special!" He turned to me and said, "even I can do something special? Like fly to Mr. Clawson's (our neighbor SISTER Clawson) and play with all her toys, and when I am finished I could fly back? Wow! That would be really cool!"

Awhile ago- Cam and I were looking at a picture of Jesus, when Cam reached out and poked His nose and said, "honk!"

Awhile ago- I was helping Cam put on his shirt when he started saying, "sings...are doing?" Translation: fingers, what are you doing? Because he got his fingers stuck inside his sleeve.

Awhile ago- We went to the store as a family. After we pulled into a parking garage and got out of the car, Cameron looked up and yelled at the top of his lungs, "HABITAT!"

2/4/13- I laid my head down on Matt's shoulder. Riley walked up and gave me his dirty look and said, "no Mom. My Dad."

2/6/13- Cam did his first poop in the toilet today-yay! We were cheering and getting really excited! He walked back over to the toilet to look at his poop and said, "Wow! It is so beautiful!"

2/10/13- Cam woke up a little groggy this morning and stumbled as he walked. "Mom, I am having a pretty wibbly wobbly day today!"

3/4/13 - Cam learned the word resourceful from Super Why. When I asked him to go upstairs for quiet time, he told me he needed a treat, and I told him not right now. He started to cry and said, "but Mom...I will find a way to get one, because I am gonna be asourceful!"

3/10/13 - Cam while walking up to a large group of strangers: "Everybody! We are here! I am Cameron, this is Riley, and that is Camille."

3/10/13 - Cam: "Mom, can we go buy a cupcake at a....cupcakery?"

3/22/13 - I had Cam and Riley sit down on the couch and I told them I would play them a bedtime song on the piano. It ended up being a pretty long song, that I needed to practice. They sat there the entire time and didn't budge. When I finished, Cam said, "Mom, that was a beautiful bedtime song, but I was just thinking about hampsters!"

4/25/13 - As Riley and I were walking home after dropping Cam off at school, we passed a man who had long brown hair, and a beard. Riley yelled out "Mom! Its Jesus!" Ironically we saw him on our way to pick up Cam as well. It was so funny, I had to tell him. He did kind of look like Jesus, if you don't count the cigarette....

4/28/13 - In primary, Cam was asked what he loves about his Mom. He said, "I like that she cleans up the house for me." Glad to know I'm doing something right.

4/28/13 - The teacher in sharing time said that Joseph Smith was a prophet. Cam yelled out, "No! Smiths is a grocery store!"

5/24/13 - I asked Cam his favorite thing about himself (giving him examples, like, you have a nice smile, good at sharing, fast runner). He finally said, "Mom, I don't like any of those things. I just like my toots."

6/27/13 - While putting Ry to bed, he was singing his ABC's.

"QRSTUVWXY and Z. Now I know my ABC's, next time I want some help."

8/30/13 - Cam: "Mom, when I was 3 legs tall, I didn't know how to read this book. Now I do". Referring to 3 FEET tall.

10/30/13 - Riley said to a GIRL wearing an Ariel shirt, "see? These is my spider rings, Mermaid Boy!"

2/24/14 - Cam: "Mom, are there real bad guys on earth?"

Mom: "Yes. There are some people on earth who make really bad choices and do things that aren't kind."

Cam: "Like...throw up on your head?"

2/26/14 - As Matt was washing Riley in the tub and poured water over his head, Riley said, "Dad! You are being so insensitive!"

2/26/14 - Riley asked where Dad and Cam were. I said they went to work and school, but they would be home later.

"Mom, I believe it is possible that I will never see them again!"

3/10/14 - Riley kept asking me for a snack while I was feeding Micah. He finally said, "Mom, how many times I gonna have to tell you? I meed (need) a snack!"

2013-2014 - Cameron can't say remember. Instead it's "benember?"

3/15/14 - Riley in the bathtub: "Mom, this is a Mommy and a Daddy duck and 2 baby ducks, and they have a baby kitty, and a baby horse that's like a fish, and a sheep!"

3/14/14 - I shushed the boys because I heard a funny noise and Riley said, "what is it Mom? Is it the Holy Ghost?"

3/13/14 - Matt says all the time as a joke, "You know what I always say" and then proceeds to say something he has probably never said in his life. Apparently Cam picked up on it. We were talking about something at dinner time when he turned to me and said, "you know what I always say Mom..."

4/5/14 - Micah was crying in the boys room, and Cameron said to Riley: "Riley, you should probably go down there and nurse him!"

4/7/14 - I wasn't feeling very well, and Riley noticed and said, "Mom, I will take care of you today. Dad and Riley and Cameron will take care of you and Micah, ok?"

I asked Riley who would take care of him and he said, "I don't know. But...I will take care of you!"

4/6/14 - Cameron was having a rough little moment while we were at my parents house for conference. He gets a little overwhelmed when there are lots of people around. He came and asked me to spend a little time with him, away from everybody else. Later that night my Mom was asking him about it, and said, "sometimes you just need to be alone, don't you?" Cam answered, "No, Grandma. Sometimes I just need to be with my Mom." Melt my heart!

4/8/14 - Cam sure know what he wants! He wasn't feeling well last night, and wanted to go to bed early. As I put him to bed, he gave me a full list of his wishes:

"I want socks tonight, and music, and I want you to lay with me, but only for 1 minute. And I want a mask from the doctor so I don't share my germs, and I want my special blanket that you made for Dad, and I want Riley to be quiet, and you to draw on my back." Whew! Whatever the little prince desires...

4/5/14 - Cameron was so excited that we set up the bunkbeds today! We were hanging up his favorite pictures around his bed when he suddenly had to go to the bathroom. He ran out of the room and said, "I will go potty, and when I get back, I will be so surprised by SpiderMan, and Jesus!!"

We were also putting up the beds while we listened to conference. He was so excited that he would hear a word the speaker would say, and yell out, "Yay! The Atonement! Yay! Testify!"

4/6/14 - As Cam was playing with his cousins during Conference, Aunt Megan was telling them to pretend they were in tents listening to the Prophet, just like King Benjamin. Cam got so excited, pumped his arm in the air, and shouted, "Yes! Let's learn the gospel!"

3/28/14 - Matt's Mom was watching the kids. Apparently they took her downstairs to our play house. Cam said, "Grandma, lets pretend this is Heaven. Now we can teach you the gospel!" Riley said, "yeah...the gospel of...poop!" And Cam angrily answered, "no Riley, not the gospel of poop, the gospel of super heroes!"

4/18/14 - Cam: "Guys, I want to tell you my dream. I wish that turkey fell from the sky. I would eat all the turkey on the sidewalks."

4/18/14 - Cam was carrying a blanket and pillow downstairs for a family sleepover when he said, "I am being really big and strong about this!" Suddenly this look of realization came over his face and he said, "maybe I really AM the real spiderman!"

5/3/14 - Riley was jabbering and jabbering in the car-nonstop, to the point that everybody was getting kind of annoyed. When we all finally gave up on talking to each other and the car got quiet, Riley said, "Everybody? Are you enjoying me??"

5/23/14 - Cameron: "Dad, you need to start wearing your underwear on the outside everyday, cause you are really strong!"

5/27/14 - Me putting on fake glasses and playing with Cam: "how are you today sir?" Cameron: "I'm doing good, I suppose."

5/29/14 - Riley was looking at a cat at the zoo and said (in a high sweet voice) "Oh...his name is Kitty Kat, and he has beautiful stripes."

Me: "those are spots, Riley"

Riley: "Yeah, I know...spikes."

5/31/14 - Cameron: "Dad, you should really start wearing your underwear on the outside, cause you are REALLY strong!"

6/19/14 - Riley as he picked a booger out of his nose and showed it to Matt: "Dad, do you want a bite of my golden fruit?"

7/14/14 - Cameron: "Mom, you should pray that you can be a pretty pony when you grow up. Yeah. That's what you should be praying for."

10/17/14 - Cameron: I was telling Cam that the letter "c" can make 2 different sounds. "Yep Mom! It's a pretty powerful letter!"

10/21/14 - Riley: Riley was eating a cookie and getting ready to play the ipad. Cece was sitting in front of him staring him down (obviously, because of the cookie). Riley made a grumpy face and said, "no, no Cece! It isn't your turn to play the ipad!"

10/22/14 - Cameron: "Mom, do the weather people think it is going to be really smooky (spooky) this Halloween?"

11/4/14 - Cameron: "Mom, is it sometimes right now?

Me: "No, sometimes isn't exactly a time-it just means not all the occasionally."

Cam: "What is occasionally?"

Me: "It means every once in a while."
Cam: "What is every once in a while."

Me: "Every now and then."

Cam" What is every now and then."

Me: "Think about going to the park. We don't go all the time, we just go sometimes-and we don't always know exactly when it wil be."
Cam: "So, can we go to the park now?"

11/4/14 - Riley: "Super doggie gets super hero bad guys, and he doesn't cry about it, and he doesn't have a grumpy face about it and he has a happy face about it."

11/5/14 - Cameron during his prayer: "please bless that I won't shoot Riley with that type of nerf gun I'm going to get for Christmas. And please bless that it's the one not with balls, but the one with darts, and please bless..."

November 2014 - Mom- "What should we do for Dad's birthday?"

Cam- "Let's tie him up!"

November 2014 - After I set lunch down, Cameron reminded me that we need to pray. I thanked him for reminding us, and Cam said, "I'm just always trying to make Heavenly Father happy!"

11/21/14 - Riley came all the way from the breakfast table downstairs to my room to use the potty. When I asked him why he couldn't just use the bathroom downstairs, he answered, "because then it might make me have feelings?"

December 2014 - While listening to Christmas music, Cam heard, "I don't know if there'll be snow, but have a cup a cheer!" He asked me to repeat what it said, and then got a confused look on his face. "Mom, does Heavenly Father ask us not to drink cheer?"

December 2014 - Cameron: "My favorite Christmas story is the one about Jesus being born."

December 2014 - Cameron gave me a great big hug and then said, "Mmmm. Now I know what hair tastes like!"

12/23/14 - "Mom, do killers come out on Christmas?" Cameron trying to ask if CAROLERS come out on Christmas.

1/13/15 - We lost Cece for a little while, and after we found her I mentioned that it was a little bit scary that she was lost. Riley said, "she wasn't lost. I knowed where she were!"

January 2015 - Riley: "You know, Jesus is bigger than the wookie man."

2/3/15 - Riley: "When I had a little boy when I was a mudder (mother), my little boy didn't eat."

2/4/15 - Cameron: "Mom, is first grade when I will make a wife?"

2/7/15 - Cameron: "Mom, when I breathe, it feels kind of....boring."

2/11/15 - As I sat down taking a break from a hectic day, Cameron said, "Mom, Heavenly Father doesn't like us to be lazy!"

Riley age 3 - "To inbinify and beyond!"