San Diego

Kiara held her doll tight on her first plane ride (that she can remember). Dereck had a break from school, so we decided to take advantage of it by going to San Diego. We had a fun, exhausting/relaxing, memorable, wonderful week! 

We spent time at the beaches and parks as well as at the very touristy attractions

(San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park, and Sea World).

We stayed at "Paradise Point" on Mission Bay. The girls loved the little patio where they fed many a duck. An occasional wild cat came by and even a skunk!

There were many opportunities to put our heads in cutouts and take photos:

The girls enjoyed morning walks and swimming. We really didn't need to go anywhere to have a good time, but they did love the San Diego Zoo especially. 

There were lots of babies at the zoo in April: monkeys, gorillas, panda, lions. It was fun to watch this baby monkey cling to its mother while she swung around the cage.

Do you wonder what this gorilla is thinking?
It was fun to feed these colorful birdies called lorakeets.

The Day My Sister Ruined My Life

I'm not going to rewrite what my sister, Alicia (Nonny), has already so eloquently written, so I will provide for you her take on this horrible event:

"The events depicted here are true and have not been embellished in any way. While recovery has been slow, Alicia is slowly healing from the horrific experience you are about to read.  

It was an ordinary Thursday, or so I thought, as I dressed myself for the day. Perhaps a nice, comfy pair of linen khakis, and the slight chill in the air seemed to call for a denim jacket. And oh, what a perfect day to wear that new shirt I just bought at Steve & Barry's, a bargain at $8.00. And so, I dressed... confidently, and out the door I went for a promising day of activity in a uniquely-me outfit. 

As I unlocked my car door, I realized that Kiara's dance class was starting in 10 minutes. I checked my schedule and decided that if I only slightly exceeded the speed limit, I could make it to the studio before warm-up was over. And so, in my one-of-a-kind wardrobe selection, off I went to the studio.  

Just a few short miles away, Adrienne was, apparently, going through the same routine. We pulled into the parking lot at, well, the exact same time. We opened our car doors at, well, the exact same time. And... we had dressed in, well, the exact same thing. I kid you not... the same khaki pants (okay, hers were capris, mine were full-length, but the SAME color, I kid you not), the same denim (okay, mine was cut long like a shirt, hers was a jacket), and the EXACT same, same SKU, same bar code, same price, same store, same size, same, same, same shirt. Yes, yes... this was the day my sister ruined my life. 

We walked in to the studio, after debating whether or not one of us should go home, fully prepared for the embarrassment that lay ahead for us. And lay ahead, it did. Yes, we were Sadie Hawkins, in all her 8th grade glory. All we lacked was Jessie, in a matching shirt." 

Colorful Cupcakes

Mistake #1: I let Kiara and her friend fill the cupcake pan using a whisk.

Mistake #2: I gave them free reign with the sprinkles.

Result=A big mess but a lot of fun

I Like to Ski!

I have always told Dereck that I hate to ski and happily sent him off to the slopes with his friends. However, I decided for once in my life to be a bit spontaneous. Dereck got 2 free lift tickets from his boss at work for Deer Valley (which are normally $80 each) and he asked me if I would go skiing with him the next day. 

My mom even offered to watch the girls overnight so we could spend the night in Park City (Thanks, Mom!). So I figured I should give it a try for Dereck's sake. The last time I had skied was with college roommates in Logan (folks, that's been over 12 years now). I knew how much Dereck loves it and I really want to have shared interests and hobbies. 

We spent the night near the resort so we could hit the slopes early. We started out on the bunny hills with the 2 and 3 year olds, who were much better skilled than I. I asked Dereck on the chair lift up for some tips and he gave me the disclaimer about how he is not a ski teacher and if I wanted a teacher I better pay for a lesson. So, I was on my own. I started out slowly and yelled at Dereck half the way down about how he needed to tell me how to turn, how to stop, etc. I was a wreck and I was ready to go have some hot chocolate in the lodge so Dereck could enjoy himself on the black diamonds. 

However, like a good husband he stayed by my side. By about my third time down this littlest bunny hill I was feeling pretty confident and excited. We decided to take a different chair lift even. As I came to the bottom of the hill I yelled, "Dereck, I did it!" And then proceeded to straddle the line divider at the chair lift. I was doing the backwards splits and laughing way too hard to do anything about it, so Dereck and the chair lift operator each grabbed an arm and pulled me up.

That was not the only stupid thing I did. I got a little more confident and we went to the very top of the mountain (to do the very easiest green route down). On a slight hill I lost control and crashed right in front of a 4-year-old. She kindly glided over to my lost ski and brought it to me. What a humbling experience!

By the end of the day I was really loving it. It was beautiful. It was sunny and warm. I was breathing fresh mountain air! I was very content to stay on the greens and Dereck was probably itching to go on the blacks so I don't know how much we will actually be able to ski together, but it was a great time! We want to get the girls in ski lessons and make it a fun family activity.

Tu Tu and Rain Boots

Wrapped Around Grandpa's Little Finger

Yes, Grandpa Jacobs is actually painting the princess's toenails! How sweet is that!

Easter in St. George

We love to spend Easter in St. George. It's just that time in Salt Lake when you are really sick of the cold and you crave the sunshine. We had a fun Easter egg hunt by the condos we were staying at. Grandpa Boyd, Lezli, Megan, Nick, Mason, Ken, and Zach were all down there.



I have the cutest Grandpa!

On Easter we went to the St. George Temple Visitor's Center. It was so sweet to watch Kiara take Kate by the hand to lead her to the Christus.

On Monday we did our traditional hike up the bluffs to the city overlook.

Bella Dancerella

Grandma Collene gave Kiara a fun birthday present. It was a dance-a-long with Bella Dancerella DVD and the girls (and their friends) have loved it.

Kate's First Haircut/Kiara's Second Haircut

Dancing Toddlers

Kiara's dance recital was one of the cutest events I have ever witnessed. (I know it's because my own daughter was in it.) Oh, the beauty of their unsynchronized free wills on stage! They danced to Frosty the Snowman and mid-song Kiara became very interested in the backdrops behind her and did her own little jive.

Happy Very Belated Valentine's!

I am playing a lot of catch up today! On Valentine's Day my cousin Megan and I took our babies to see their Great-Grandpa Boyd. What a treat to spend time with Grandpa! Here is Grandpa with Megan's baby Mason. He is so cute! Everyone loves to pet his little bald head.

Kiara in her heart tights playing with Grandpa's Glow Worm Jack-in-the Box. He is so cute to still keep toys around:

Kate with Cousin Meg:

Happy Birthday, Princess Kiara!

My little baby is 3! We celebrated with her little friends from the neighborhood co-op preschool. I made a princess cake and miniature pizzas.

I really enjoyed making a photo slideshow of Kiara. (I will try to upload it on this blog.) The process of looking at her photos from birth up really made me love her even more and made me realize how fast they grow! Dereck's parents and my mom were able to be here. Dereck was sad to miss the celebration due to school.

Christmas Traditions

Dereck and I have come a long way from the days of trying to go to every wonderful play, concert, and wholesome Christmas activity. We really slimmed down our festivities so we could enjoy nights at home sitting by the softly lit tree. Dereck was very busy with school through the holidays this year. I took the girls to one of my favorites-Festival of Trees-with my mother.


Temple Square is still an all-time favorite:


One of our favorite holiday activities this year was laying on the floor as a family and watching Polar Express:

Winter Weather

I love the winter weather! Especially since it is mid-July as I write this! The snow was so great this past winter. Dereck played like a mere child. It was wonderful. He built a "snow camel" for the girls to ride and he taught Kiara the snow angel trade. I stayed inside and made hot chocolate.




The girls were so fun this winter. We went sledding a few times, but mostly stayed warm inside.


Kiara thought licking the snow off of her mittens made a delicious treat:



Thanks to great neighborhood friends who keep me going, we found lots of indoor activities to do including Bouncin' off the Wall, the Gateway Children's Museum, and play group at the church each week. Here Kiara serves a friend some cookies and milk at the Children's Museum:


We had some great snow this winter. It almost buried Katie!