Is it Spring yet??

I am so sick of the cold!! We have had high pressure which makes the Salt Lake Valley hazy with smog and it traps the cold in. Now, I must confess, we aren't as bad as the midwest and I would be insane at this point if I had to keep waking up to NEGATIVE degrees as my poor friend Bobbi in Iowa is doing. I hate the cold! I like it HOT! I want sunshine! I like to be so hot that putting my feet in a cool pool is refreshing. This winter just goes on and on!!!

Jalyn's ears pierced!!!

This is the video of Jalyn getting her ears pierced today. She did really well and didn't cry. Happy Birthday Jalyn!

http://pictures.sprintpcs.com/share.do?invite=5Evr2FY0kmzLzzgYak00&shareName=MMS&messageState=RETRIEVED

Winter Fun!

This is me taking the pictures from the safety of my house and Shane trying to "get me" with the snow. They were having a blast and were soaked and ready for hot chocolate when they came in.

More Pics of Jalyn's birthday...

Happy Birthday Jalyn!!!

Jalyn had her 9th (I can't believe she is 9) birthday party today. Her birthday is actually on Monday and that is a big day too because she will get her ears pierced! We had her party at the Tracy Aviary and had a great time. We watched a bird show, saw lots of birds, and fed the pelicans. Jalyn is really into birds right now and it was the perfect venue for her. She had really hoped for a "real" bird for her birthday but instead had to settle for her very own bird house, bird feeder, and stuffed bird. Happy Birthday, Jalyn!

why I went on the road trip...

Julie Lewis has been my friend since I was about 5 or 6. We went to Elementary school together and danced together and had lots of sleepovers. She had a pool in her backyard that we would swim in and we loved to sing along to the "Popeye" and "Grease" soundtracks. We even made up our own dances. We would babysit my youngest brothers and have Darren chase us with the wooden spoon. Some of my fondest memories were sitting in the top of my closet, scaring Marijah and Meghan from across the street. Good times. She found the man of her dreams and they were sealed in the Sacramento Temple on January 10th. Her grandpa did the sealing( he did ours too!) and it was beautiful. Congratulations Julie and Brian!

This is the end of the Road Trip...entering the Salt Lake Valley. It is definitely the "right place"!

I love Road Trips!

It was time to get out of the house and on to the open road! Jackson, Mariah, and I took a weekend road trip to Sacramento for my friend Julie's wedding. I wanted to share what we saw along the way so everyone would feel like they were on the trip with us!

These are the Great Salt Flats! This is my favorite stretch to drive because the mountains are so beautiful. I think the wide, white expanse is just incredible.
Someone built this "art" in the middle of the Flats. It is the Tree of Something. I looked it up once to get the details but we just call it the "tennis ball tree". It is so famous that it was a stopping point for The Amazing Race Family Edition. Pretty cool.

This is Nevada's version of Beverly Hills. It is the happening place!

A lone house on a hill on the outskirts of Winnemucca, Nevada. Why? I don't know.

I am trying to take this picture while driving and it didn't turn out so good. There is this weird house that is actually a historical monument outside of either Battle Mountain or Lovelock. I forget which (it all blends together in Nevada). It looks like it is made out of antlers, clay, and drift wood. It is one of our "points of interest" we look forward to seeing along the drive.

Wasn't that a fun trip? It was the same thing going back to Utah only on the opposite side of the freeway. It is 411 miles to cross Nevada. We always stop in Elko (the west exit because gas is about 30 cents cheaper) and Reno. The exits vary in Reno. It depends if we want In-n-Out or not. It only takes us about 9 hours and it is a great stress-free drive. The scenery can be boring but I love that drive. If anyone wants to join us on the next trip, let us know!

Happy New Year!

We started off 2009 with a bang and had a great time celebrating with the England's and the Summerhays'. Mike and Krissy brought their Rock Band and it was a huge hit. I totally did awesome on the drums and singing and I realized that Mariah is just like her mother. She was on that mic most of the night, singing loud to Livin on a Prayer and Eye of the Tiger. It was hilarious. (I guess she is like her Aunt Kori, too!) At midnight, we watched the countdown and the kids each opened a Cracker. They each got a little toy, crown, and joke in their cracker.

Q: What did the pencil say to the paper?
A: I dot my i's on you.

We had our traditional midnight breakfast (thanks Mom for the tradition) and the kids were still going strong. They were making all kinds of plans to watch movies all night. Well, that didn't last long and they were in bed and crashed by 1:30am. It was a great night and we had a blast.