Yellow Belt

Daphne earned her yellow belt! We are so proud of her. I signed her up for a trial karate class to see how she liked it, and she loves it! The place is great, they stress confidence, good values, self-discipline, and kindness while learning karate. So we'll see how far she goes!

Sledding afternoon in AF canyon

We went up AF canyon and went sledding a couple weeks ago. Ryan even packed our little grill and a saucepan to make scones. He also made hot chocolate to bring with us as well. There was a perfect little slope that wasn't too scary, but it looks like someone before us built a little bump at the end to make it fun. It was a very fun afternoon and wore the girls out. The girls mostly made this snowman with help from daddy but they decorated it all by themselves. Socrates came too, and he was one tired puppy when we got home!

Merry Christmas!

We had a great Christmas! The girls got a lot of collectible figures to play with, including Mickey, Toy Story, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Princesses and friends. They also got hello kitty shoes, star wars slippers, dresses from Grandma, and a princess castle from Grandma. Ryan and I had already opened our Blendtec of course, but we also opened a few things. we tried to keep it a little low key with putting in our yard and trampoline this year. It was really fun to have the DiFrans and Bill and GayLynn over for breakfast. We had yummy French toast, dutch oven eggs, and fruit with chocolate fondue.

My Volunteer Vacation

I took a 3 day trip down to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary on October 8, which was an awesome experience. I wanted a few days to get out on my own and do something different, as well as help someone in the process. The sanctuary is awesome to volunteer at, they really make it easy and adaptable to your likes. (Like no poop scooping if you don't want to!) I worked with puppies, dogs, cats, and bunnies and all are fun in their own way, but I'll admit the dogs are the most fun and social. I made a few friends by forcing myself to come out of my shell and talk to people. After volunteer hours, I went to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park and Zion National Park and hiked around. I stayed with a family that rents a bedroom for 25 bucks a night. It was a fun time I hope to do again someday, or maybe when my girls are old enough to volunteer too!

Disneyland

We had tons of fun. We left on Friday, and then went to the Science Discovery Center with Jared, Janie, Jameson, Ethan, Brooklyn and Washington on Saturday. They were a blast to hang out with for a day and see their new SoCal place. Then on Sunday we went to the beach and my mom's cousin lent us boogie boards and beach chairs which made the beach that day tons more fun. I had lots of fun boogie boarding with Ryan, my sisters and my dad. Sunday evening we walked around Downtown Disney and saw the cool Lego statues. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were filled with over 12 hours each day of Disneyland overload. I loved it. The girls loved it. Of course, we did the princess lunch again because I think it is worth it to get a very nice meal in a nice restaurant and the princesses come around and see you. Then we don't have to wait in long lines. Daphne rode tower of terror, splash mountain, cars ride, and soarin california, which she loved. Phoebe loved the new Ariel ride. Jared and Janie came out to meet us in Disneyland Wednesday evening. Thursday was our long drive back home. We broke it up with a trip to the park in St. George, but not too long because we still had to pick up Socrates from grandma's house. It was such a fun vacation with my family.

Camping at Timpooneke

At the end of July, we camped up AF canyon. It was a fun evening to hike around and roast marshmallows and enjoy the campfire with scenic views. The girls did well in the tent, and we all slept pretty good. The next day we took a drive which ended up being much longer than anticipated, but it was still fun!

Spring Happenings

On April 28, Ryan and I ran the Thanksgiving Point 5k together. Well, not together, I totally smoked him!  I finished in 23:40 which was 2nd place in my category, 9th woman, and 42nd overall.  Pretty cool!  I even got a little trophy.  Here I am in the white shirt finishing the race.

 Here's Ryan when he finished the race.

 This is the little trophy I got.

 We got a family pass to the venues that day so we took advantage of it.  We went to the farm and the gardens.

 Ryan got interviewed for Fox 13 news.

 My little Phoebs at the tulip festival. So cute.

 The girls had a lot of fun, I love when they can run and play.

 A nice picture of the tulips in the gardens.

Phoebe's birthday on May 6.  We had a breakfast for her since it was a busy Sunday, and she really loved it.  She loved opening her gifts and got excited about each one.

 She put on her new sunglasses and put her babies in the stroller with her new sand toys and took off.

 Phoebe also got a new sand table, a good summer toy they can play with in the yard with friends.

 I made her Elmo cupcakes for her birthday.

 Happy Birthday Phoebe!!!

 


On Mother's Day this year, Ryan actually made me breakfast.  And he used his ingenuity to made fruit danishes from scratch! (well, biscuit dough). But he put diced fruit in each one and then baked them, and made a glaze that he poured over them and then arranged them on this plate with a lemon wedge.  I was incredibly impressed!!