Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Saturday morning we woke up to a snow storm....a pretty big one. Three inches had already fallen and there was not sign of slowing. Byron rolled over in bed and asked how he was going to get to the ski hill....it is always a question as his little car does not have 4 wheel drive. He decided the ski bus was the best option for the day as I would need the Trailblazer to get the kids to my Moms to play with their cousins. Byron said there was standing room only on the bus ride up the canyon. Lucky for him he got a seat on the way back down. Byron rarely skies alone, as the boys always want to go with him so it was a treat for him to have a whole day with the powder to himself. The kids and I enjoyed hanging out with the cousins. I got a chance to chat with my niece who is a senior and crazy busy. It was nice to catch up with her. I can't believe she is going away to college in the fall. I can hardly stand the suspense as she is waiting to find out if she got into BYU or not. As a fan of the live at the Y experience I am hoping she get the chance.

Byron and I met up later for a very delicious dinner at the Lobster Fest at Thyme and Seasons Market Place near our home. The food was amazing, and I have never been a fan of lobster but found it to be actually quite delicious. The older I get the more willing I am to try new things and admit to liking them. We stopped by the store on our way home and picked up our kids a few little Valentine goodies. That is what they are coloring on in the photo above. Happy Valentine's Day!!! It is great that a holiday is around for the simple purpose of celebrating love.

These are photos from Tyler Kindergarten party I was in charge of planning. We had a great time decorating cookies. You would not believe how many candies a five year old can pile on top of one cookie. The other Moms played pin the heart on the monkey, a sign language game about animals and they made a twisty heart pencil topper craft. It is a joy to watch these little kids change and grow so much in one year. I volunteer in the computer lab once a week and have really grown to love this class of kids. If only kids could keep their kindergarten personalities for life. This would be a very sweet world to live on.

Blue and Gold Banquet!!
So any of you who don't have kids in scouts yet, watch out!! I have a love hate relationship with the cub scouts. I love to watch the boys earn awards and be recognized for working hard and doing well. It is different than at school because they are not graded or put into groups or judged for their performance, they are merely celebrated for trying hard and being themselves. I have loved watching Carter smile his shy little grin at the praise he gets from his leaders and the other parents. If you are debating about whether or not to do scouts I would say just bite the bullet and do it. There couldn't possibly be a better self esteem builder than the boy scout program. They really need something like it for the girls. The hate part of the scouts is because I am in charge of scheduling the building for the activities and man our ward is so unorganized it drives me crazy!!! I can hardly get anyone to give us a night to use the building on.

Mischief!!!

We had been gone for a week, one glorious week of blue skies and azure seas!!! The morning had gone along rather smoothly for adjusting back into daily life is concerned. Since we had risen at 4 am to catch our flight back home I was napping contentedly in the bedroom while Byron was up milling about. Byron yells up the stairs for me....you have got to see this. I of course roll my eyes because there is pretty much nothing I have got to see when I am napping. Soon I hear him and Ali coming up the stairs. Low and behold Ali had found a tube of lipstick and made herself pretty. Really, she used the whole tube, at least what was left of it, to smear over her lips and cheeks into a perfect little clown face. By the time Byron got back upstairs with the camera she had been fighting with me to get it wiped off. For some reason after I showed her her face in the mirror she didnt think it looked so pretty anymore. We all had a good giggle, washed it off and decided maybe it was better to stick with the chapstick for now. Welcome home Mommy!!

Present Time!
Byron picked out the slingshots for the boys as a souvenir from Mexico for the boys. In the photo above he is showing them the proper technique for slinging black jelly bellies across my living room. The boys are very proud of their new aquisitions. Ali is loving her new Mexico dress as she calls it and her little doll.

Would I say I missed the kids on my vacation? No, I didn't. I had such a great time and Byron and I really just made the most of being away. I called one day to check in with my Mom and she pretty much told me I didn't need to call again. She instructed me to not worry about the kids, they were just fine and to have fun. I appreciate her so much for all she does for us but especially for keeping my kids. Who else could I leave them with and really not even worry about whether they would be okay or not. I was surprised by how little I missed my kids and at the same time I was equally surprised that I couldn't wipe the grin off my face when I saw Ali waiting for us at the airport. It was a little unnerving to go from not missing them to being so completely happy to see them again. I nearly cried when she gave me a huge hug. Byron likes to remind me that when she saw us she yelled out ,"Daddy Mommy!" With the emphasis on the daddy coming first. Which is true but she hugged me first so there!

I am going to say this again because it is worth repeating....If you haven't gone away alone with your spouse in a while you really should. It is amazing to be reminded who you are as an individual and as a couple, without any little people needing you. As we are planning a family trip to Southern California for this spring and looking forward to the future of our little family I am so grateful to be spending it with these four fine spirits I am blessed enough to live with.

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Trip

Byron and I were blessed to have a week of fun in the sun with his family in Cabo last week. We had such a great time playing, boating, painting, swimming, snorkeling, walking on the beach, etc.... If you haven't gone away without your kids lately, I would recommend putting it at the top of the to do list.

The sunset on our last night in Cabo.

I found a painting studio and am considering renting it....if only I lived in Mexico.

The vibrant colors were a feast for my eyes after the dull inversion life in Utah we have been having. I thoroughly enjoyed looking around the shops and purchasing little trinkets from the people of Cabo. It was a gorgeous refreshing vacation.

This is a locals beach called Chileno. I have never been to a beach as quaint and beautiful as this one. The colors of the ocean and the rocks jutting out into the sea were magnificent. We thoroughly enjoyed the snorkeling and sunning.

This was the lady we bought a few bowls from. She was out later in the evening than the other vendors and her setup was striking. This evening on the marina was amazing. The restaurant Solomons Landing cooked up all the fish we caught out on the boat that morning. It was so delicious. We drank pina coladas and strolled around the marina.

Byron is jamming at Gordo Lele's Restaurant. Julio considers himself the fifth Beatle and likes to serenade his customers with a little singing from home. Seriously the best chicken, fish and shrimp tacos on the whole Baja Peninsula. It was amazing food. Oh did I mention the tacos cost 18 pesos which is the equivalent of $1.25 Can't beat that!!!

Byron reeling in the big catch....HOLY MACKEREL!!! I just couldn't stop thinking that as they caught mackerel after mackerel after mackerel. Plus a Mahi Mahi fish and a Blue Marlin. it was a great day of fishing for all who were not throwing up.....I was on the sick list and hardly left my post at the side of the boat. We did see whales though which made it worth the sea sickness. Unfortunately dolphin swimming was on my list of things to do but Sunday morning I sliced my pinkie finger and ended up at the Mexican Hospital having it stitched back together. I know I was scared for my life as well. It turned out great though and my American doctor said they did a nice job. They gave me a tetanus shot just to be careful but I will not loose my pinkie and I will just have to go back again to do the dolphin swim. I seriously can not wait for that day!!!

When they say economy...they actually mean micro
This car is a Ford KA...like you are from the Boston and pronouncing car.
It did the job though it was very little. When we managed to squeeze five people in it we thought we looked quite local. :-)

Byron and Erin on the boat ride to lovers beach. We did some great snorkeling at lovers beach and even saw an octopus. Though the highlight may have been the topless French Riviera Ladies who were sunbathing down the beach from where we set up.

These flowers were in bloom everywhere....they are called Bogivelia (not sure if that is exactly correct but close to it.) This is a photo taken across the street from our beach house. It has a gorgeous view.

The famous Cabo Arch!!!
So, if you are planning a trip to Cabo...book a beach house at Pedregal, it is the gated community where we stayed and the villa we were at is called Villa Amistad. Slept 9 very comfortably, though only has three bedrooms.
We had the most fabulous trip and can't wait to go back again.
Viva Mexico!!!