Waking Up in Vegas

So back in the fall Southwest was having a great deal on airfare so I decided to give Bryan a trip for Christmas.  Las Vegas was $30 each way so I picked a random week in January and booked us a flight.  Last week was the week!  What a great time to go.  The sun was shining the WHOLE time we were there.  People asked before we left, What are you going to do while you are there?  I would look at them strangely and answer, Nothing!

So what did we do?  Flew in Monday night. Picked up a tiny little rental car.  Stayed in Summerlin at a condo we have stayed at a few times before.  Swam laps in the pool, yes outside.  Ate breakfast in the hot tub with my elderly Canadian friends I met. Read in the hot tub.  Read by the pool. Went running without 2 layers of clothes on.  Walked around the neighborhood.  Window shopped at Prada on the strip. Drove to Red Rock Canyon. Drove around doing nothing.  Looked for good places to eat.  Looked again and didn’t find a good place to eat.  Walked to the cupcake bakery I had wanted to go to every time we stay there to find that they had gone out of business.  Bought a piece of cake at Smith’s instead.  Read some more.  Played a dollar at the new Contemporary hotel, made back 50 cents and lost it all again.  Watched the BYU vs. San Diego State basketball game in the gaming area of a casino on a gigantic screen.  Fell asleep by the pool.  Watched the cake boss a few times on TV.  Played another dollar at Red Rock Casino, made back 75 cents and lost it again.  Talked about what we would have done if I had won 100,000 dollars.   Friday afternoon returned the car and hopped on the plane to go home.

Yep that pretty much covers it.  We had a great time and so did our kids thanks to Nate and Aliska, Tiffany and my Dad and Judi watching them. 

Finished

Finally!!!  It only took me a week and a half and now I can put all the paint stuff away and put Jacob’s room back in order.  The good part about having this going on was that 2 weeks of January went by without me having to be aware of them.

I am pretty pleased with how it turned out.  I am not a decorator or designer and I really don’t know what colors go together so this may not be pleasing to some people.

These closet doors were never ending!

Well I hope he is happy for awhile because I don’t want to do that again. 

Now as soon as noon on Sunday hits, I will be free and clear of things always on my mind that I should be doing!

Big Boy

Jonah went to Primary for the first time yesterday.  He was sick the first week and then we had Stake Conference, so yesterday was the big day.  He was so excited and apparently liked it.   They moved his “nursery friends” up from nursery teachers to sunbeam teachers.  We talked about what he did all through out the day.  One particular conversation went like this:

Me: Jonah did you sing songs in Primary?

Jonah: Yes

Me: What songs did you sing?

Jonah: A Mommy song

Me: Oh really, did they sing Evacuate the Dance Floor?

Jonah:  No, not that one.  Your other one.  The temple one.  I love to see the temple, that one.

Super cute big boy, still wearing diapers.

The Week

*Brandon took 4th place in the school Geography bee. For those of you who have never attended a Geography bee, let me give you some examples of the questions.

Which U.S. state, bordered on the east by the Connecticut River, is the leading producer of maple syrup?

or how about this one

Approximately 40 percent of the population still lives below the poverty line despite an oil and gas boom in which country where Baku is the capital?

He wouldn’t let me take his picture, surprise surprise. Pretty proud of him.

*Jacob and I got to go to the Jazz autograph party. He was so excited he could hardly contain himself.

I might have been a little excited myself!

*The potty training is not happening. I decided to wait another month or two and see what happens. I just signed him up for preschool for the fall so he HAS to by then.

*After a year of asking, I gave in and painted Jacob’s room this week. Such a project! I do not like painting and I am not very good at it. Hopefully this weekend I will get it done and we can enjoy the finished product.

*Loving this heat wave we are having, 2 days in a row of above 30 degrees. WOW!!!!

*I almost forgot.....the answers to the questions are #1 Vermont and #2 Azerbaijan (oh you have been there?????)

Potty Training????

It is not happening at our house.

2 months before Brandon turned 3, while on vacation in Florida, he said I don’t want to wear diapers anymore.  So he ran around on the beach without one and came home  potty trained.

When Jacob was 2 1/2 he decided the same thing.  He wanted to try it out and did with success (in the middle of January).

So I have always said, potty training is easy, no big deal.  That is because I haven’t ever done it!!!!  Here comes Jonah 3 1/2 years old and has NEVER peed on the toilet.  He has sat on it at least 20 times.  He has been told he can go to Yogurt Stop with Dad if he goes 5 times, he talks about it all the time but nothing.  He has Lightning McQueen underwear that he loves, but never wears. Yesterday I told him we can go to Disneyworld as soon as he is potty trained, he is all excited but that is all.  Today I said you can have one of my M & M’s (which I give him whenever he asks) if you go on the potty.  He sat and sat and wiped and wiped and nothing happened.  He is very upset about not getting the M & M.  

I am done with diapers.  Jonah is the first to wear generic diapers because I am sick of paying for Huggies. Two of my 18 year old young men friends were just telling me how expensive diapers were, REALLY??????????  I realize I only have 3 children that I have provided diapers for, but still.  I am hoping and hoping that this is just going to click for him and we can be done!

And Christmas 2010!!!!!

Hurray for Christmas morning.  I woke up probably 4 times in the night hoping that it would be 7:00 (The time I told Jacob he could wake up).  I have always had this fear that someone will break into our house on Christmas Eve and steal everything, I don’t know why but I think it every year.  So anyways between thinking that and being soooo excited for the morning, I didn’t sleep much.  At exactly 7:00 Jacob was by my bed and I hopped right out.  We had to convince Bryan, Brandon and Jonah to get up as well!  I was relieved as I got down stairs to see everything was there.

Happiness was all around.

Sometimes I worry that I don’t get enough gifts, ha ha.  My pile is ALWAYS bigger than everyone else's.

Jacob is all ready for G. Fos to take him out!

We love the Jazz, just a little bit.

Everyone was so happy with everything they got and then Bryan surprised us ALL with these!  Not going to lie…..Dance Central was made for me!!!!

We had breakfast over at the Beck’s, which wasn’t planned, but worked out wonderfully.  Then my family all came over again.  It was the best day.  Garbage everywhere, crumbs on the floor, drinks spilled on my puzzle, dishes all over the place, everyone playing the kinect…..and I didn’t mind any of it.  I love this day and everyone being together and just enjoying it!  A little surprise visit from my Brookie helped as well!!!

This year I really got everything I wanted and more.

Here is the more

and here is everything I wanted

Back together.

Christmas Eve 2010

Rather than squash everything Christmas into one post, I thought I would drag it out a bit.  Christmas Eve, I thought I was in good shape the night before and wouldn’t have too much to do on the day.  Wrong, I was cooking, cleaning, wrapping and creating all day long.  Boy was I glad once 5:00 hit and there was no more time!

My family has always had the tradition of a nice Christmas Eve dinner together.  Pretty much every year it is at my house, which is fine.  My idea is, a nice meal done the easiest way possible.  Hence why we use paper products, my BFF was alarmed at this last year.  I finally realized, I don’t need to be doing dishes late on Christmas Eve.

The kids enjoying the little time they spent actually sitting at the table.

The rest of us enjoying a little bit more time at the table.

Trying to calm the little (big) kids down for some sort of spiritual time.

Brandon was the manger.

Jonah the white dog.

Great times had by all, until I kicked them out.

My gift to the boys Christmas Eve, matching Jazz pajama pants made by me, but really made by my very helpful friends Chris and Cindy.  Thank you thank you, they loved them!

And luckily my kids go to bed very easily and they were all out by 9:00.