Miller Time

Girls Trip!!!

2011-01-26T08:48:00.000-07:00

In January Nancy and I were lucky enough to sneak away on a little girls trip to Jupiter Island, Florida. We stayed with Auntie Bobbi and Dick on the Jambor (Dick's boat). We had the most fabulous time! And Dick treated us all like princesses making us cappuccinos in the morning and cooking up delicious fresh caught lobster and pompaneu for dinner. Yum!! We also spent some time on the ocean on a friends fishing boat.

Pretty ladies on the beautiful beach after a wonderful bike ride on the island.

L to R: Bobbi, Nancy, Susan, Me

Man-o-war on the inter-coastal waterway. Yikes!

The Jambor

Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T09:18:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving was spent in St. George at my parents house this year. It was great being all together playing games, making dinner, and being outside in the beautiful weather.

Sammy with his green smoothie face.

A hot air balloon that landed right in our neighborhood. It was so cool that I bought a gift certificate for Dustin and I to take a hot air balloon ride in Park City!

Cute kids waiting for their turkey dinner.

Beautiful table setting.

Shupe's Halloween Party

2010-10-29T16:42:00.000-06:00

Shupe's hosted a very fun Halloween Party at their house. It was so fun to have Steph Ellerbeck in town (missed you Nick)!

Dustin and I went at Batgirl and Robin if you can't tell.

Costume Parade

2010-10-26T16:20:00.000-06:00

The grandkids all looked so cute in their costumes (except for Dane because he was a spooky dementor) that we had to go on a visiting parade. First stop was Grandma and Grandpa Allred's house.

Then we went to visit Grandpa Taylor at his office downtown.

Elphaba (Abbey), Sam (Nacho Libre), Dane (dementor), Ian (Batman)

Then, on the way home Uncle Adam sat in the car with the kids while I ran into the grocery store. He must not have been paying attention to what was going on because this is what I found when I got back. Yes that is gum in Ian's eyelashes! Some caregiver Adam is! I hope my kids accidentally cut Logan's hair one day while he is in my care. Revenge is sweet :)

Pumpkin Carving

2010-10-26T16:07:00.000-06:00

Our family pumpkin carving night was complete with soup in pumpkin bread bowls.

Ian chose to paint his pumpkin.

Dane carved his own masterpiece.

Dustin consolted Google to get just the pattern he wanted.

Finished products!

The Cool Older Brother

2010-10-22T08:42:00.005-06:00

Dane was able to make a guest appearance at Ian's school as a Royal Reader. Boy did Dane feel special being able to read 2 books to Ian's class. He read so well and the class sat and listened quietly. When Dane was in Stephanie's 4's class older siblings of kids in his class came as Royal Reader's and it was a BIG deal. So for him to be able to do this for Ian's class is pretty awesome.

When Dane and I came back to get Ian there was time to play. Ian and Abbey LOVED Dane pulling them around in the trailer.

Happy Birthday Grandpa Taylor

2010-10-16T21:11:00.002-06:00

HaPpY BiRtHdAy Grandpa Taylor!

October 16 was my favorite father's birthday. We surprised him by showing up at Stein Erikson's in Deer Valley (where he and my mom were staying) for breakfast. My dad is great and I love him so much. And regardless of what he thinks, I did listen to at least 83% of what lectured me on while growing up.

Dane and Ian love to wrestle with him. Dane enjoys golfing (or just driving the cart) with him.

After the birthday breakfast we hit the Park City dirt jump park for some fun. The kids LOVE this place! It is pretty entertaining to watch Ian ride his scoot bike with no brakes and feet up down the jumps.

Dane is a good little rider and LOVES catching big air.

One Beautiful Sunday

2010-10-10T09:06:00.002-06:00

We have enjoyed the most beautiful Autumn this year and we have spent as much time as possible outside. One beautiful Sunday we hiked to Cecret Lake with Grandma Sherrie and Grandpa Taylor. It is a really nice, easy hike with a beautiful reward at the end, Water!

After the hike, Dustin, the boys and I went to the last day of the October Fest at Snowbird for lunch and activities. The kids begged to do the alpine slide and bounce house and we all had a wonderful time. I love this weather.

Halloween Decorating

2010-10-04T11:07:00.003-06:00

HaLLoWeEn Time is here!

We had fun decorating the house and porch over the weekend. In one of the decoration boxes there was a Haunted House Gingerbread Kit that I bought at the end of the season last year. The boys worked really hard together eating and decorating. The finished product turned out really cute.

Everyone has decided on their costumes this year. Dane wants to be the joy sucking Dementor from Harry Potter, Ian wants to be Batman and I want Dustin and I to be Lego's (either the blocks or the funny people). Now I just need to get started finding, buying and/or making our costumes.

The Fabulous Weather

2010-10-02T09:29:00.000-06:00

We have been doing quite a bit of biking in this beautiful weather. The kids rode up the Freeze Creek trail. It has a nice, easy climb and then a fun down hill.

I have mountain biked with some girlfriends a few times. We have done the Mid-Mountain trail in Park City, Dry Creek, and Solitude.

These old cars have been made into jumps at the end of the Bobsled Run off of the Dry Creek trail. Wish I could say that I got some sick air off of them, but.....I didn't. I prefer to keep both wheels on the ground.

Ian's Independance

2010-09-27T09:04:00.000-06:00

Ian is in the stage where he wants to dress himself. And this shoe combination is what he came up with. The flip-flop is his but the running shoe is Dane's and is way too big. I wish I had gotten a picture of him wearing a rainbow-colored tie-dyed shirts, brown camo pants and monster truck rain boots. Classic!

There is never a dull moment with this child. So glad he's mine!

Lion King

2010-09-26T09:00:00.000-06:00

We were able to take Dane and go with the McNally's to the last showing of the Lion King at Capitol Theatre downtown. The little kids and big kids LOVED it! Dustin and I have seen it before in New York and it was just as wonderful this time. The costumes are amazing, and the songs are so powerful. I downloaded the soundtrack when I got home and have listened to it quite a bit.

After the show we walked over to Benihana for dinner. The kids were in heaven watching the chef prepare our meal right in front of us.

Golf Anyone?

2010-09-22T17:11:00.000-06:00

Grandpa Taylor, Ian, and Dane

Grandpa Bob and Dane

Ian found a good spot to ride.

Carol giving Ian, a budding golfer, some instruction.

Too bad he may never be invited back to play....

The weather has been so nice lately and we are trying to soak up as much warmth and sunshine as possible before winter comes. Golf is a perfect way to spend a warm Fall evening, right? We did have a great time with Grandpa Bob, Carol and Grandpa Taylor at Hidden Valley. Ian hit a few but enjoyed driving the cart with Grandpa Taylor. Dane had some good hits but enjoyed driving the cart all by himself. It really was a great evening despite 3 acts that may not get us invited back.

1. Dane threw his golf club about thirty feet in the air when swinging for the ball.

2. During a wonderful dinner on the patio Ian had to pee and I told him to just go behind a wall since the bathrooms were too far away. Turns out he pooped instead! Left a huge log on the grass by the parking lot.

3. Kids were bored waiting for the adults to eat so they poked sticks around in the gas fireplace. An employee told them one of the owner's of the Country Club was very nervous watching the boys play around the fire.

Maybe we will try a public course or putt-putt golf next time?

First Day of School

2010-09-01T08:48:00.001-06:00

Dane is in First Grade this year. He is finally going to school all day! His teacher is April Nielson and she is really great. Dane LOVES her already.

To get to know the kids in the class better they each have a Life Box day the first month of school. They are to decorate a small box and put 5 things in that represent them. Dane chose a giraffe, a BMX trophy, a dirt bike, a Lego, and a picture of Grandma Sherrie.

Ian is at CCNS again this year in the 3's class with Mrs. Stephanie. Of course he LOVES it! All of his friends from last year are in the same class this year so it is great to see how much they have all grown. Abbey and Sam are at CCNS this year too! They are both in Terry's class and loving it too. It is fun for Abbey and Ian to see each other at school.

Last Day of Summer

2010-08-31T14:33:00.000-06:00

On the last day of summer vacation Dane, and his buddies Patrick, Daniel and Julien, got to have a ski jumping lesson at the Olympic Winter Sports Park in Park City. Lucky kids, right?! I want to trade places with my kids some days, they are fortunate to be able to do some really cool things.

The boys had a 3 hour lesson that started with an introductory video. Then they put on their gear (helmets, wet suit, life jacket, ski's and boots) and practiced skiing down a carpet ramp. Then they practiced jumping into the water without ski's. The water was so very, very cold! And then finally it was time to put it all together and ski down the big ramp!

Dane and all the boys loved it and did so well! Dane loved doing 180's.

Tour of Utah

2010-08-17T15:39:00.000-06:00

The Tour Of Utah is a really cool 5 day stage race in Utah. This year we were lucky to play a small part in the race. Our neighborhood hosted an amateur team and we had 2 of the racers stay at our house. Sean and Kennett stole Dane and Ian's hearts from day one. They stayed with us for 8 days and when they had to leave the kids were close to tears and wanted to boys to live with us forever! Sean and Kennett were so great with the kids and never acted annoyed (even if they were) with all their questions and silliness.

Because we had racers stay with us, (and the director of the race is our friend and neighbor Karen Weiss), we were able to snag VIP tickets to the events. We chose to go to the criterium race in Park City and the finish line the final day at Snowbird. Both days were fabulous. It is really amazing to see how hard these guys ride! They are definitely not joking around!

Above is Sean sitting on his bike in a red jersey. Below is Kennett the day he left.

It was a great experience and hope we can host again next year!

Five Mile to Delta

2010-07-30T08:05:00.009-06:00

On a beautiful sunny, summer day our family, the Dawson's, and Don, Courtney and Brittney went for a fun pre-runner ride. We drove from 5 Mile (by Eagle Mountain) to Delta Utah taking the back roads. Round trip was 200 miles and our top speed was 115 mph! Can you believe it?! When we hit top speed it was on a long, straight and fairly smooth dirt road and the kids were asleep in the back seat. The ride was so smooth and didn't feel that fast! The kids really enjoyed the ride out and back except for the grasshoppers that flew in through the windows and the open holes in the floor. Dane was hysterical! It was pretty gross but I didn't want to freak out and have Dane freak out even worse.

We stopped for lunch in Delta and then went to Stephanie Dawson's parents house to play in their huge back yard before heading back to the trailers.

I Have a 7 year-old?!

2010-07-24T08:41:00.005-06:00

On July 20th I became the mom of a 7 year-old! I can't believe my baby boy is that old already! Dane asked me the other day why parent's don't want their kids to get older. I said it is because if you are getting older then that means I am getting older too and I still feel like I am 20!

Dane wanted to have a skate park birthday party this year. I must say it was the easiest and most fun party I have ever thrown. I loved making the invite. I just took this picture in the driveway and then embellished it using picnik.com. It was so easy and so much fun!

Since the party was from 10:00 to 12:00 in the morning I just provided healthy snacks. There were apples, carrots, grapes, peanut butter, pretzels, granola bars. We did have a pinata with candy so I figured that was enough sugar and didn't even have a cake.

The Skate Group

L to R: Daniel, Gavin, Skye, Patrick, Jackson, Dane, Wyatt, Ian, Roman, Izzy

The Birthday Group in their Rock Star sunglasses.

TWINKIE'S!!!!

2010-06-30T08:56:00.004-06:00

Ian enjoying his very first Twinkie! I thought I should document this momentous occasion.

It was packaged for the Shrek - Forever After movie so the filling was GREEN!

The other kid is Jason who was camping by us.

Seriously! How do their Little Minds Work?

2010-06-30T08:49:00.006-06:00

This is my conversation with Ian when I told him we were going to Taylin and Finley's house for dinner.

Ian: Do they have a playground?

Me: Yes.

Ian: Do they have a tiger?

Me: Umm....No.

Ian: Oh good! That would be scary.

Sweet Boys

2010-06-24T07:01:00.005-06:00

Last night the boys had a sleep over at Grandma Sherrie's. Dane told Grandma that he just had to call me to say goodnight. When I answered the phone I couldn't get a word in he was so excited. He said he had the perfect day! He also told me about his good, medium and bad parts of the day. We do this every night at dinner time. I love hearing what the boys remember about the day. And I think it is a good way to initiate conversation. I hope as they get older that doing this will be a good way for them to talk about things and keep the lines of communication open between us. Ian says the same thing every time. His good part was going to Abbey's house (whether he did or not). His bad part usually changes whether it was from that day or not. I just LOVE these two Boys!

The Second Day of Summer Was Better than the First

2010-06-22T20:47:00.007-06:00

I will spare you the details of the First Day of Summer. It included quite a bit of yelling coming from me and the kids. I pulled out my hair in frustration and wondered what in the heck I was going to do with these high energy kids all summer! Aaaaagh!

We started off the second day of Summer vacation by heading out for an early hike with Skadi. The boys wake up at 6:30 pretty much every morning so I figure we should make the most of the day when everyone has lots of energy. I was so proud of the kids. They hiked for an hour with minimal complaining. The view of city in the morning was beautiful.

We came home from the hike and cleaned up and then headed to Ogden to meet my friend Natalie and her kids (Lola, and Luke) for lunch. Then we headed to the Dinosaur Museum. It was a pretty cool place with an indoor museum and then an outdoor park and lots of dinosaur statues. We had a great time!

Kindergarten Graduation Celebration

2010-06-21T18:27:00.001-06:00

I must admit that I am sad that Dane has to leave kindergarten and these two fabulous teachers and move on to first grade. He had the most fantastic year and progressed immensely. He developed great self esteem, and became a good reader. Rachel and Lonnie were great at recognizing Dane's strengths and really encouraged him in the areas he excels in but also challenged him in the areas he is weaker in. Dane is definitely prepared and ready for first grade. I know he will remember Lonnie and Rachel forever. No one forgets their Kindergarten teacher because they play a huge roll in your development.

One think about Rowland Hall is they know how to throw parties. We had 3 different Kindergarten Celebrations! A class water day, a whole school Color (field) Day, and a graduation party. Phew! They were all very fun though and I am grateful I was able to volunteer at all of them. It was fun to be involved and spend the time with Dane.

At the class water day we released the butterflies that the kids have been caring for and observing since the caterpillar stage. It was a symbolic event. These kids started as caterpillars with the butterflies and throughout the year they both grew until it was time to be released. The butterflies out into the world and the kindergartener's into first grader's.

I must admit that I shed a few tears.

Ian Preschool Graduation

2010-06-20T22:00:00.004-06:00

Ian had a fantastic first year at CCNS in the 2 year-old class. I can't believe how much he has changed since the beginning of the year. He has matured into this smart and confident 3 year-old. His teacher, Mrs. Stephanie, is wonderful. She truly understands children and it is amazing watching her with them. Dane had her as a teacher in the 4's class and I am so glad Ian gets to experience Mrs. Stephanie. Next year Ian will be in the 3's class and cousin Abbey will be there too! I am so grateful I was able to co-op in the class a few times a month. It is exhausting but so rewarding to watch your child grow in the classroom setting. Co-opping is a great way to take what they are learning in the class and incorporate it in the home and everyday life. The purpose of CCNS is to give the children the skills of being a part of a group, being respectful to your fellow classmates, sharing, engaging. These are all skills they will need as they continue through school.

Lake Powell

2010-06-20T21:53:00.003-06:00

We took a trip to Lake Powell in May with Ellerbeck's, Shupe's and Epperson's. We had fantastic weather and great company. I didn't take any pictures but luckily Steph snapped this one of the family as we headed out on a Lake tour.

The trip was wonderful and injury free until Jared fell doing a sick wakeboard trick and broke his tibia. They had to leave early to get Jared to a hospital. Poor Bud!

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T21:02:00.005-06:00

Today we celebrated the WoNdErFuL and AmAzInG Father of our family. This guy does it all. He works HARD to provide us with a fantastic life, he has PLAYING down to a fine science, he puts his FAMILY first. We are so proud to call this Father and Husband ours.

We Love You Dustin!

Dustin made me these beautiful planter boxes for our back patio and today we planted some starts that will hopefully produce some yummy veggies this summer.

Dane was able to take a spin around the Miller Paving parking lot in his go-kart today. He was in heaven! Dane even pushed Ian around a little bit too.

The kids disappeared for a while in the morning and this is what Dustin and I found. They had set up a lemonade stand. Dane painstakingly spelled out lemonade in modeling clay. They were trying to sell Capri-Sun's for $5. Since we live on a deserted circle Dustin and I were their only customers and we were able to negotiate a more reasonable price of $1 each. They were so proud of themselves and even made flyers to take to neighbors that said "Come to our Lemonade Stand, at Dane and Ian's House".

Happy Birthday Grandpa A

2010-06-20T20:50:00.003-06:00

My Grandpa Allred's birthday was on June 11. I forget how old he is.....very young though. Isn't he a cutie?

Megan and I took the kids over for breakfast to celebrate. I brought fruit and Megan made her yummy whole grain berry muffins that are delicious AND nutritious.

We had a great time visiting. The kids like to sneak downstairs and jump on the small trampoline and turn on the treadmill to a slow speed and use it as a slide. If this high energy behavior bother's my grandparents they sure do hide it well!

We LOVE you Grandpa! Happy Birthday!

Five Mile

2010-05-26T17:07:00.008-06:00

Isn't she a beauty?

This is Dustin and Brandon's Class One race car.

Dustin needed to test it before a race so we joined him at a place called Five Mile. We all took turns as "co-pilot". It was so fun.

We also brought out Dad's Rhino and Dane's dirt bike and had fun messing around while waiting for our turns in the race car.

Animal House

2010-05-18T21:58:00.004-06:00

We are in LOVE with this girl! Her name is Skadi and is our neighbors dog. She stayed with us while her owner's were in Vancouver for the Olympics and we had a hard time giving her back! She is the sweetest and most well behaved dog and she brings such joy to our house. And even thought we didn't get to keep her for good she does get to come over on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We go on a lot of walks, hikes and car rides. Ian loves her and is sad on the days she doesn't come over. Yesterday he brushed her for like 10 minutes and Skadi just sat there patiently and then they shared a graham cracker. It feels good to have a dog in the house again. With Skadi around it feels like what I can imagine being a grandparent is like. Have fun, fun, fun, sugar them up, and send them home!

These little chickies visited for a weekend from Ian's preschool class. Dane loved to hold them and I caught him taking one on a ride in Ian's play Jeep down to the sand box. I was worried all weekend that we would loose one but they all returned on Monday morning unscathed. Phew! I did learn that chicken's require some work and are really messy.

All Because Two People Fell in Love.....

2010-05-13T09:11:00.009-06:00

Have you seen a more beautiful couple?!

I Love, loVe, LOVE this picture! It looks like an airline advertisement.

My Grandma Shirley and Grandpa Martin celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary this April. My parent's hosted a wonderful celebration at their newly remodeled house, which used to be my grandparent's house. It was a great turn-out with friends and family coming from out of town. I love my grandparent's so much.

*They are great cooks (I appreciate it much more now than when I was 8 and they made eggplant lasagna. Although, I still don't like eggplant).

* My grandma would help us sew Barbie clothes out of scraps of fabric she had laying around.

* They always had Apple Jack's, Cracklin' Oat Bran, Top Ramen, Tang, and a bag of hard marshmallows in their cupboards.

* My grandpa knows a lot. I feel I can ask him his opinion on most any subject.

My grandparents are a wonderful example of a loving, successful marriage and family life. They have created a legacy for their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren!

The after-party was at 'The Mansion' my mom and her siblings rented for everyone to hang out at. It was a great and fit everyone. We had fun in the hot tub, playing pool, card games, eating, and watching movies in the theatre room.

A Dane Update

2010-05-12T21:36:00.013-06:00

"Insane Dane"

My-oh-my how our first born has grown! Dane will be 7 this summer. It seems like only yesterday I was surprised to find out I was pregnant with him. Having Dane caused our lives to change immensely for the better. Dane taught Dustin and I how to be parents. Luckily he was an easy child and didn't give us too much trouble and he was forgiving when we made the many mistakes new parents make.

Dane has been enjoying Kindergarten this year and he has really blossomed. He has fantastic teachers that make learning exciting and fun. This year Dane has become a good little reader and enjoys choosing chapter books from the library. His favorite one to read is "Ricky Ricotta and his Mighty Robot". He also likes to make his own books. He wrote and illustrated one about "a yak in the dezurt, a katis (cactus) and a valkano". I love his kid writing!

Even at his young age Dane thinks that going to school is just something to do when you can't ski, dirt bike, dune buggy, BMX, or go to the skate park. Dane lacks no confidence or self-esteem in these areas and is quick to tell you that he is "the best at.......". He did have a great time skiing at Snowbird and his skills on the mountain did improve. He loves his dirt bike and figured out how to shift so now he can go really fast. BMX has started and we will be heading out to the track a couple of days a week for practices and races. I think even Dustin (and maybe me) are going to get out on the track this year too. Dane played on a coach pitch baseball team this spring with Daniel. Nancy and I were the coaches. It was fun to see the team's improvement from the first game to last.

The one thing I love about Dane is his absolute love and admiration for Dustin. Dustin is definitely a SuperHero in Dane's eyes. Dane rushes to our room each morning in hopes of cuddling with Dustin before he gets up for work. They talk about dune buggy's, snowmobiling, and anything else. Dane is so proud that his dad is a Desert Racer and is Dustin's #1 Fan!

Dane is also a very good big brother to Ian. They definitely have their fights but for the most part they get along well and enjoy each other.

We love Dane so much and are so glad to have him in our family!

Ian's 3rd Birthday!

2010-05-02T16:35:00.001-06:00

Our sweet, little Ian turned 3 on May 2. He chose a Super Hero birthday party theme and it turned out "Super" Fun!

We did Super Hero themed games. Dustin played the evil villain that was trying to ruin the birthday party and steal the cupcakes. The kids had to defend 'Justice and the Pursuit of a Happy Birthday'.

Games:

*Bean Bag toss into bins with villains faces

*Pin the super hero symbol on the cape

*Destroy the Bombs (black balloons)

*Get rid of the kryptonite

(green balloons, balls, and pompoms)

by picking it up with salad tongs

and putting it in a lead (tin foil) box

*Attack the Villain with Spider-Man web (silly string)

Food:

*Ninja Turtle Pizza

*Incredible Hulk Punch

*Spiderman Cupcakes

Each kid that came to the party got their own personalized Super Hero Cape. Grandma Janene helped me make them. I had the idea and she had the brains to make it happen. The kids loved them.

Ian was spoiled with gifts from family and friends. Dustin and I got him this ramp for bikes, and skateboards. Uncle Adam and Aunt Heidi got him the skateboard.

(*A BIG thanks to Adam who was the photographer)

Wendover BOR Race

2010-05-01T08:55:00.005-06:00

Dustin and Brandon won 1st place in their class and 1st place overall at the BOR race in Wendover. It was a great race!

My family came out to see what goes on at these races. It was so fun to have them! Thanks for coming!

Canyonlands Half Marathon - March 2010

2010-03-30T18:12:00.001-06:00

I forgot to post this momentous event that happened in March.

I RAN my FIRST HALF MARATHON!!!!!

My sis and I did it together along with Megan's bro-in-law Tommy.

The weather was perfect! Sunny and not too cold except for at the start line where it was in the shade and like 40 degrees!

I am so proud of Megan and I. We trained really hard together and ran the whole race together too. I forget what our time was but I think it was about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Give or take a few minutes.

While we were in Moab two families from Dane's class were there too. We met up for a hike near our camp site. It was fun to see Kenny, Charlie, Penelope and Nichol!

Ian and Parker always have fun together. They were little cruiser's on their Scoot Bikes.

An Ian Update

2010-01-31T08:37:00.010-07:00

Ian is fast approaching 3 years old! He is learning and growing so fast I thought I had better write some things down before I forget them.

Ian has been in preschool this year at CCNS. He goes 2 days a week and loves it! I can't believe how much older he seems from the beginning of the year.

Ian is now potty trained and it was easier than I expected. I was a little hesitant to start him before he was 3. Probably because that is when we started with Dane. What worked for Ian is that he has an obsession with gum balls from our Gumball Machine. So instead of giving him gum balls all day long he got one only when he went in the potty. It worked so well and only took a few days. It is such a wonderful freedom to be diaper free!!

Some funny things Ian says:

"Mom! What is WRONG with you?" (He says it like a teenager would if you tried to give them a hug in public.)

He can't say the letter "f" or "s" so sentence structure is kind of funny. He is also into potty language (thanks to Dane). So the other night he said, "I harted (farted) on the heat (seat)" and then both boys laughed and laughed.

He calls cousin Sam, "Ham or Hammy" and Grandma Sherrie is "Grandma Hairy".

He says upside down like this: 'Up-a-hide-down'

Getting out of the car to meet cousin's Abbey and Sam, Ian said, "Hi ya little Jerks". Another word courtesy of Dane.

Ian: "Mom! I need to tell you hump-ing (something)!"

Me: What is it?

Ian: "Everybody Poops!"

Ian: "Mom! I need to tell you hump-ing!"

Me: Ok, what?

Ian: "Everybody likes beer!"

(said while drinking root beer at a restaurant)

Ian is such a joy to have in our family. He is so mellow, happy and accomodating. I feel so lucky to be his mommy. Each morning he rushes to my side of the bed for a cuddle and I love that.

Escaping the Inversion

2010-01-31T08:19:00.005-07:00

One particularily yucky weekend this January in Salt Lake when the Inversion was so bad it had moved up to our house we jumped in the car and drove south to St. George for some sun and 55 degree weather. We stayed with Cuzzy Hannah and Josh and had a great time. The kids rode bikes, and we went to Snow Canyon State Park for some hiking.

All of us on the sandstone in Snow Canyon.

Just Girls! Me, Gma Sherrie and Cousin Hannah.

Cute Couple Ma and Pa Wray.
My parents were in St. George too!

Dane and Ian exploring the lava tube caves.

Go Speed Racer!

2010-01-28T14:26:00.003-07:00

Dane and his buddy Julien have been skiing this year on the Snowbird Devolopmental Ski Team (Devo's). This is like the pre-ski team to get you ready for the real thing. The Devo's have the option of participating in 4 races during the season and of course they both wanted to do it! I think mostly to wear the cool race outfit (I got Dane's at a garage sale for $5!). Both boys did great and even got the exact same time of 57 seconds. The fastest GIRL in their age group (she was 8 years old, i think) finished in 28 seconds. Just to put it in perspective for you. Regardless of his time Dane LOVED every minute of it and kept saying, "Thanks Mom for taking me to my race today. I had so much fun!".

The Best Day!

2010-01-06T08:17:00.004-07:00

Dane missed the first day back to school after Christmas break to go to the dentist. That experience was traumatizing and I had to bribe him with a new DS game to open his mouth. So he got a new game then we went to see Cannon at Ski & See where we rented a snowboard for Dane to try. I took both boys up to Snowbird and we played on Chickadee for the afternoon. The day was beautiful and sunny. The boys did great! Ian is skiing by himself and Dane picked up snowboarding really fast. It was such a fun day!

New Year's Resolutions

2010-01-06T08:10:00.004-07:00

1. Eat Less Crap & Exercise More

2. Complete one 1/2 Marathon

3. Learn to knit

4. Remeber my reusable bags when going to the grocery store

5. Turn the last 2 years of my blog into a book

6. Finish 'Atlas Shrugged'

The World According to Dane

2010-01-03T08:43:00.004-07:00

Dane got a hold of my camera and this is what I found. He is always flashing the Peace sign because cousin Jackson does it.

I like the way this shot looks.

The kid is OBSESSED with Red Bull for some reason. We don't let him drink it but he does see Red Bull sponsorship in the dune buggy movies he likes to watch. He wishes his daddy raced for Red Bull.

This is Filbert our Elf. He was hanging out in Dane's Construction Company he made at school when they learned about communities.

For the Love of Family!

2010-01-03T08:22:00.003-07:00

On New Year's Day we finally were able to get together with the Emmett cousins. I just LOVE these girls and we don't get to see each other often enough! Whenever we are together we always get a group picture.

(Back Row: Max, Dane, Ian, Abbey Front Row: Sam, Jack, Merrick)
Here are all the great grandkids. This was the best picture we could get. Dane is the oldest at 6 years old and Merrick is the youngest at 9 months.

Grandpa Allred with some beautiful ladies!

Christmas Concert

2010-01-02T17:13:00.003-07:00

Dane's piano teacher organized a Christmas recital and sing along at a retirement center. Dane and Daniel played the piano and Patrick and Nancy played the violin. The residents loved it.

After the recital part we did a sing along. All the boys wanted to hold up the word sign but they didn't do a very good job because one lady in the front row kept yelling at them to "HOLD IT STILL!"
Nancy gave Ian this hand-me-down sweater from her boys. Ian fell in love with it and kept pointing to his belly and saying, "My no-man".

Christmas 2009

2010-01-02T15:58:00.007-07:00

Christmas this year was wonderful. Both boys were so into Santa, making a Christmas list, finding Filbert the Elf everyday, gingerbread houses, and reading Christmas books. It was fun for Dustin and I to watch their eyes light up when they would discover Filbert in a new spot in the house or when Ian would ask about Santa coming to our house. It was like he just couldn't believe Santa would bring us presents.

This is Dane's Christmas list. I am sure you can read it but if you can't it says:

"I want the Razor dirt bike, remote control truck, montenue Bionicle, Rino, Red Bull picture, Monster Energy hat, Razor Sparks scooter, FOX hat, Fire Bionicle. And for Ian: Lightning McQueen, and dinosaurs"

Pretty cute, huh? I love how the words all run together and the spelling. He sounded out everything himself.

We started the festivities with our annual Wray/Allred Family Christmas Eve Dinner of steak, cheese and chocolate fondue. Delicious! We sang some karaoke then we opened gifts with just the immediate family. My mom is so good at finding fun, practical gifts for everyone. We were all (kids and grandkids) spoiled rotten with games, warm gloves, play dough toys, & gift certificates.

Christmas morning started early. Dustin and I tried to make the kids wait for their gifts so we could sleep a little longer but the incessant jumping on the bed and whining made it hard to relax so we got up and stumbled to the living room to see what Santa had brought. My video camera died right after the kids ran into the living room and saw all the loot. And, unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of them tearing through the wrapping paper! Ian was so cute though and kept looking around saying, "Oh, my! Oh, my!". Ian also was really into Santa's leftover cookies and Egg Nog. He finished the cookies and all day he would ask, "Santa ate cookies?". Dane was really into opening gift after gift and hardly stopping to enjoy any of them. The kids got some good stuff. The highlights being their own remote control monster trucks, Ian's scoot bike, and Dane's Star Wars Lego set. Family gifts of Wii games and board games were a hit too!

Dane disappeared for about 20 seconds during Christmas breakfast prepartion and came back looking like this. He said he looks like one of the guys from a ski video he has been watching. I am a little nervous for when he turns 18! Those are dinosaur tatoo's all over his face.

After spending the whole day at home playing with the new stuff we went to Grandma Janene's for Christmas dinner. She always puts out a wonderful spread. Then it was Christmas gifts round 2! The kids and adults were spoiled here too! More Lego Bionicle sets and a DS for Dane. A HUGE dump truck and ski helmet for Ian.

Phew! The Holiday Season was a wonderful whirlwind and we LOVED every minute of it!

Sun Valley Serenade

2010-01-01T10:07:00.008-07:00

(Miller Cuzzy's)

We had another great trip to Sun Valley this year. Oh, how we love that place! It is so magical for parents and kids alike. What couldn't you like about skiing, eating, hot tubing, ice skating, sleigh rides, caroling and spending time with friends and family?!

Matt, Jenn and Kids

Aren't they so cute and colorful?

Our attempt at a family photo but the sun was so bright it was just painful!

Ian strapped on ski's for the first time this year. He was sooooo excited and did a great job! I think we have another 'lil ripper on our hands!

Ian, Julien & Dane riding on the magic carpet. The magic carpet is the best thing invented for beginner skiiers. It is so easy for them to get on and off.

Look at that form!

Even Abbey tried skiing and she did great too. She would just squeal with joy the whole time.

Julien mid-jump
Dane post-jump

Dane and Julien are both good little skiier's. They can go down pretty much any type of terrain. They can be pretty competative with each other, too. Julien will say he skiied a double black diamond and Dane (not wanting to be outdone) will say he skiied a quadrouple black diamond. They are both excited to be starting on the Developmental Ski Team at Snowbird this year.

Our good friend Kathy took family pictures for us while in Sun Valley. I don't like how I look in ours but I love this one of the boys with their grandma, don't you?

Snow and Filbert

2009-12-16T08:35:00.005-07:00

If finally feels like winter! We had our first BIG snow storm. We had over 12 inches at our house. Thanks goodness for the bobcat plow. Shoveling sure would have been tough!

Santa dropped off this Elf on the Shelf last week and the kids are totally into it. Our elf "Filbert" watches and listens to the kids behavior every day and then fly's to the North Pole to report to Santa each night. In the morning Filbert is in a different place in the house. One morning Filbert left the kids a little treat in their stockings. It is so fun to see the kids excited about finding Filbert each morning. And it gives me some pull when they have bad behavior!

Annual Gingerbread House Making Party

2009-12-08T18:25:00.008-07:00

For the last 4 years I have hosted not one, but two, Gingerbread House Making Parties. I love hosting this party the first weekend of December. It forces me to get all my decorating done and it gets me in the Christmas spirit.

The first party is for the Miller and the Wray families about 30 people in all. The second is for our neighborhood friends, about 30 people too!

This year we hosted the party in the garage. It worked perfectly and was less clean-up!

Here is the set up.

Skye and Izzy are working hard. These two always come up with a masterpieces. Skye is very arcitectural and Izzy is creative. Hers had an outhouse this year.

Dane is just getting started. But he looks like he is already on a sugar rush!

Grandpa Taylor helped Ian with his house.

Cute Abbey and Sam

Everyone is hard at work.

Aunty Jen and her nephew Joseph

Ian is going CrAzY eating all the candy instead of putting it on his house.

Granpa Skip and Riley working hard

Hannah did a great job designing her house very symmetrically.

A good lookin' group here (except Adam's lazy eyes)!

We tried a Miller grandkid picture. Mine didn't work too well.

We also did a Miller sibling picture. I don't know why Dustin is trying to choke me. Who could hurt that angel face?

This is a really fun tradition to start. I can't wait until next year!

A Havasu Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T15:50:00.005-07:00

For Thanksgiving this year we went to Lake Havasu with Matt, Jen and Cuzzy's as well as Jamen, Mandy, Abby and Brady. There were 14 of us in all! We rented a house in the the middle of nowhere and had a great time. We all became very thankful for running water that trip! The house is on a well system and we ran the well dry. We couldn't do dishes or shower and we took water from the pool to flush the toilets. Luckily a house up the street had not been rented and we carted our dirty dishes up there to wash and shower. We didn't let that little problem ruin our fun though!
The house had a pool and we mistakingly heated the hot tub as well as the pool to a wonderful 100 degrees! It was great!
Here are all the kids eating Thanksgiving dinner on the patio. Dane said it was a "weird" Thanksgiving because we had prime rib instead of turkey.
Friday we went boating in Lake Havasu. The water was cold but the air was warm. We had lunch and played on the beach. Brady and Jackson jumped in the water for $1!

I took my maiden voyage on a dirt bike this trip. It was way fun and I can't believe I haven't tried it before. I figure if my hubby and kids like to do it then I don't want to be left in the dust. Maybe I will have to ask Santa to bring me one!

We also took a trip to the local skate park for some white trash enjoyment. The kids were shocked to see young kids smoking! They all thought it was gross (thank goodness).

On Saturday night we went to the London Bridge to see the Christmas lights and Santa. We were too late for Santa but got a cute picture still.

(Brady, Abby, Skye, Izzy, Jackson, Dane, Zoe, Ian)

Happy Birthday Tiger!

2009-11-14T11:59:00.003-07:00

Now don't go all crazy ladies cuz he's mine!

A BIG Happy 31st Birthday to

Dustin today!

We LOVE you!

One Year Older and Wiser

2009-11-11T08:43:00.003-07:00

On Sunday I turned 31 and on Monday Megan turned 25! We celebrated together with lunch from Cafe Rio, This Is It movie, and Jungle Jim's with the kids. It was a fun day! Then Dustin and I and the kids went to Gma Janene's and Gpa Skip's for a delicious birthday dinner. Dustin and the kids gave me new slippers which I have be wanting. Tuesday night was birthday dinner for me, Meg and Dustin at Megan's. Wednesday night the girls from the 'hood are doing a little birthday dinner for me. I feel so special and loved. Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes.

Welcome Home!

2009-11-05T18:45:00.003-07:00

My youngest brother, Cannon, came home from his mission October 20, 2009! He has been serving in Portland Oregon. He was a great missionary and we are so proud of him and are so glad to have him home. Ian was 6 months old and Abbey was 9 months old when he left. Sam was born while he was gone. And Adam and Heidi were married while Cannon was gone too. Cannon is looking forward to hanging with his buddies and going to Sun Valley for our annual ski trip this year.

Pumpkin Patch

2009-11-02T22:04:00.004-07:00

We went to Wheeler Farm to pick our pumpkins. For $5 you got to do a small hay maze, pick a pumpkin and go on a wagon ride. Pretty good deal and their was hardly anyone there.

Carving Pumpkins

2009-11-02T21:55:00.005-07:00

A few days before Halloween we had a few neighbors over for dinner and carving pumpkins.
Ian always has something in his mouth. Sometimes it's food and sometimes it's money, marbles, lego's, monster trucks or fingers.

Eva, Stell and Rosie

The crowd getting started.

Patrick and Nancy

Daniel

Dane working hard on his design. He drew his face and cut it out all by himself.

Happy Halloween!

The BIGGEST & Best HaLLoWeEn yet!

2009-11-02T21:27:00.009-07:00

My neighbor, Nancy, and I organize a neighborhood Halloween party each year. This was our 3rd year and it was the biggest yet. We probably had 70 people! She and I have the best time planning this shin-dig. First we meet at Nancy's and load up on the wagons for trick-or-treating. Then we go back to Nancy's for a pot luck dinner and games.
Waiting for the Wagon to pick us up

Veronique, Scott, Patrick and Miles

Rosie holding Stella, and Eva

Jayne, Lilly and Beirne

Russell and Kristen and baby Punk Rocker Lauren

Ian LoVeD trick-or-treating. He was either asking me to open the candy or he would just sit down wherever and start eating.

The kids at the after party. Notice Ian is on a sugar BUZZ!

Dustin and I went as Fred and Wilma Flinstone thanks to Nancy. It was the best we could do 2 hours before the party.

Reduce Reuse Recycle

2009-10-14T12:45:00.004-06:00

Dane's kindergarten class is learning about recycling and Dustin volunteered, or maybe I volunteered him....(I can't remember) to take on a little recycling project. Dane's teacher had 2 old hand-pull golf carts similart to the one in the picutre below, and she wanted to show the kids that you can make something new from something old. So this is what he and the MD Motorsports shop came up with. The kids were delighted and the project was the talk of the kindergarten!

This is Red testing out the finished product. Dane LOVES Red's mowhawk and wants one too. It looks great when it is standing straight up.

We Will Miss You Both!

2009-09-28T20:51:00.006-06:00

Mrs. Savannah Biglesworth

a.k.a Bigs, a.k.a Bad Bigs, a.k.a Bigsy Baby
Nattail
a.k.a Nattie, a.k.a Naughty Nattie, a.k.a Nattie-Girl

You will be missed!

Dustin and I made a very difficult decision and put our doggy children to sleep today (September 28, 2009). Bigs and Nattie were both just shy of their 10th birthdays. We got the dogs just a few months a part when they were puppies. The girls were also our flower girls/ring bearers at our wedding. Unfortunately, the last year has been rough on both the dogs and us. They were both incontinent and we had accidents almost daily.
For their last day Ian and I took them to Tanner Park. The girls grew up walking there and have nothing but good memories of those days. I walked them there all during my pregnancy with Dane and even after he was born Dane made his first appearance at the park at 5 days old. Dustin came home from work early today and we made concrete garden stones with their paw prints in them. The kids were then taken to neighbor Rosie's house to play. We have the most awesome vet (Rick - Salt Lake Vet Services) that comes to our house. It was nice to be able to sit with the girls on their dog beds while they peacefully passed through to Doggy Heaven. It was a sad but peaceful moment.

Rockin' the Red Rock Relay 2009

2009-09-09T14:51:00.004-06:00

Our whole team at the finish line!

The Girls in our van (minus Manz cuz she was running)

L to R: Andrea, Heather, Me, Abbie, Meg

Beautiful Cedar Breaks

Me and Megan

I love that my little sis and I can do these events together. I love being with her. She is truly an awesome person!

Child Prodigy

2009-09-02T19:43:00.002-06:00

Ian learned how to ride a 2-Wheeler with no training wheels today. He is less than 2 1/2 years-old. Thanks to friend Eva ,who has been letting Ian ride her Scoot bike for a few months, he learned how to balance. So when he tried out the pedel bike he already knew how to balance and the pedeling part just came naturally. He was so proud of himself and so were we. Starting out by himself is still a bit tricky though. So if you have a wee one and haven't checked out the Scoot bike yet, do it! I promise you won't ever have to mess with training wheels.

The Before and After

2009-07-28T08:14:00.003-06:00

We were able to landscape our yard this year! As you will see from the pictures it was a much needed project. It is so nice to have a place to play and sit outside. The kids love the new sand box and fire pit. I love having somewhere else for the kids to play besides the driveway. A BIG thanks to Gpa Bob, Miller Paving and Rich Picot!

Before Pictures (obviously)

The amazing After Pictures!

Lizsi's Obituary

2009-07-23T11:40:00.003-06:00

This is a picture of Lizsi swimming just a few hours before putting her to sleep. I know she doesn't quite look like a sick dog but she was. The cancer in her mouth was awful and would not stop bleeding. Isn't she so cute!
My Dad wrote a really nice obituary for her but for some reason I can't post it.

Goodbye Lizsi

2009-07-22T14:22:00.003-06:00

Today we had to say goodbye to our sweet family dog Lizsi. She was a 12 1/2 year-old Vizsla. My family bought her one month after Dustin and I started dating. In fact, Dustin is how we found Lizsi. Dustin's good friends dog had had puppies and we went to see them. They were so cute we just couldn't resist and took her home. She was such a sweet dog and so great with kids. She was a little bit neurotic but we loved her all the same. Lizsi even got to live with us for a few months while my parents were moving back from San Diego. Lizsi got bone cancer in her jaw and we noticed a lump in her mouth on Father's Day this year. The Vet said this is a fast spredding cancer and difficult to remove. So we just decided to wait it out and hoped that she would make it until Cannon got home from his mission in October. But even though she seems to feel fine the tumor just kept growing inside her mouth and then started bleeding and wouldn't stop. So we knew then that is was time to say goodbye. I took the kids over to see her and we made a garden stepping stone with her paw prints. It turned out really cute. This is much harder that I thought it would be. It is no fun to loose a family pet.

L - Loving Lap Dog

I - Insanely Cute

Z - Zippy

S - Swimmer

I - Irreplaceable

Happy Birthday!

2009-07-21T13:04:00.006-06:00

Dane

Dane chose to have is 6th birthday at the RAD Canyon BMX track. It was a great place for a party. The kids had a blast riding around the track and even some of the adult kids rode it too! I wish I had taken more pictures. It was just so crazy that I kind of forgot. Oh, well. Also, Dane chose (with only a little bit of prompting) to have his friends bring a gift that could be donated to the homeless shelter. I am so proud of Dane for doing this. And thanks to everyone who was able to come to the party and donated a gift. Dane is so lucky to have so many wonderful friends.

Dane and his motorcycle birthday cake.

At this point in the day Dane was hot and tired and he had a total meltdown while everyone was signing "Happy Birthday". He was mad that the candles wouldn't stay lit, or something. "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to..."

Some of the kids taking a break for lunch.Megan pushing Abbey over the bumps. Then Grandma Sherrie pushed her and Abbey fell and got a HUGE bump on her head :(
Gpa Taylor taking a spin around the track!
Nancy taking a spin around the track!

On Dane's actual birthday we had all the grandparents over for a spaghetti dinner.

Here is Dane with his presents.

Bob, Carol, Skip and Janene gave him a new motorcycle/snowmobile/BMX helmet. It is a Monster Energy one. For some reason Dane is into the Monster Energy stuff.

Dustin and I got him new gloves and goggles.

Gma Sherrie and Gpa Taylor gave him Heelies!

Wow! Look at him go.
It took some practicing and a few really hard falls but now he has got the Heelie thing down!

Timpanogos Cave Hike

2009-07-14T23:27:00.002-06:00

My Cousin's from Atlanta were in town last week for another cousin's wedding. We don't get to see these guys often enough so I am glad we were able to do a hike and dinner with them before they left.

This is a group picture at a resting spot hiking up to the Timpanogos Cave. This is a really fun hike if you haven't done it.

Thanks to Uncle Adam for carrying Ian all the way up and down! That kid plus the pack is easily 45 lbs. What a great Uncle he is.

Bonaire

2009-07-14T07:54:00.005-06:00

This was our 10 year anniversary going to Bonaire. Crazy to think that Dustin and I were going there even before Dane was a twinkle in our eye. And now we love (most of the time) traveling there with kids. It is an easy and fun vacation. We had a group of 30 this year (13 kids and 17 adults). I wish I had a group picture but we were rarely all in the same place at the same time.

Ian helping me pack the snorkel gear.

Dane and Dustin snorkeling. They saw a 4-foot Baracuda.

Ian Au Naturale

Dane ordering drinks and ice cream at the bar.

Our neighbors, The Weiss's who joined us this year.

Ian practicing his windsurfing skills at an early age.
Dane windsurfed this year too but I didn't get any pictures of him.

Dane and Keaton became best buds and wanted to be twiners with the same shirt, necklace, and hat.

Butterfly Cocoons at the Butterfly Farm

A Blue Morfo Butterfly. When they open their wings it is a beautiful blue on the inside.

Well, it was another great year. There is an open invitation for anyone who wants to join us next year!

Father's Day

2009-07-14T07:45:00.002-06:00

(I realize this is a totally late post)

For Father's Day Dustin wanted to go out to the sand dunes. We had a great time.
Below are Izzy, Gavin and Dane getting strapped in for a Buggy ride.

This is Dustin giving me my first buggy driving lesson. I must say I enjoyed the drivers seat. Dustin said I only went about 60 mph but it felt like 100 mph to me.

Ian is hilarious. He walked around like this most of the day. He also LoVeD riding on the four-wheeler and would hobo a ride with anyone who would take him.

Dane on his motorcycle which he only rode about 100 yards and then decided that four-wheeling was easier.

Run, Drive, Eat, Sleep?

2009-06-21T22:27:00.004-06:00

We made it!

Will Run For Food

188 Miles: 12 people: 2 vans

32 hours of pure F-U-N!

Here is our team picture at the finish line for the Wasatch Back Relay (missing Tenille and Amy). What an amazingly fun and challenging experience I had running a total of 18 miles over 32 hours with only 1 hour of sleep during the whole time. Sounds crazy, huh? But I can't wait to do it again next year. We had a great team!

Goodbye....We will miss you

2009-06-17T12:45:00.001-06:00

Valeska Sannes Black 5/12/1919 ~ 6/11/2009 "Val" Valeska Sannes Black passed away on Thursday, June 11, 2009 shortly after celebrating her 90th birthday.She was born in Vernal, Utah to Joseph Sannes and Lora Snow Sannes. She had one sister, Elsie. She is survived by four children, Sandra Hoggan (Richard), Joseph Black (Somjit), Janene Bellock (Skip), and Alesia Black, and close friend, Paul Grace; 17 grandchildren, and numerous great-grandchildren. Val graduated from Uintah High in Vernal as valedictorian. She attended Utah State University where she met her future husband, Parley Dean Black. She subsequently moved to California with her father and graduated from Los Angeles College of Chiropractic. During this period she obtained her pilot's license and flew for the Ferry Command during World War II. Dean followed her to California and also became a Chiropractic Physician and obtained his pilot's license. They married on Valentine's Day, 1945. She worked with him in his practice and they spent many happy hours flying planes, camping, boating, and snowmobiling with their four children. She was a competent skier, water-skier and swimmer and enjoyed designing and sewing clothing, playing the piano, and reading. With all of her accomplishments, she remained humble, open minded and deeply caring for her family friends and community. Val was the consummate mother; full of fun and wit. She exhibited kindness, caring, and respect for all living things. People and animals gravitated to her as a safe haven where their needs would be met. She expected nothing, took nothing for granted, and felt gratitude and appreciation for everything. Hers was a well-lived life. The love we have for her is measured in the great loss we feel at her absence. The family acknowledges and thanks Paul Grace for his love, attentiveness, humor, and enhancement of the quality of life in Val's later years. Although Val loved flowers, the family feels her desires would be better met by donations in lieu of flowers to any animal rescue service or The Humane Society. Funeral services will be held Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. at the Holbrook Mortuary, 3251 S. 2300 E., where friends and family may visit Monday evening from 6 - 8 p.m. and Tuesday morning from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. prior to the service. Interment: Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park. Online condolences to the family may be sent at: www.holbrookmortuary.com

Summer Skiing

2009-05-31T21:54:00.003-06:00

Today, Sunday May 31, we skiied at Snowbird. The resort is projected to stay open until June 14 but the snow was melting fast today and skiing top to bottom won't happen for long.

Me, Dustin, Dane, Ian, Uncle Matty and Cuzzy Jackson

Ian took one run in the backpack. Dustin carried him for half the run and I carried him for the last half. Carrying him was much harded than we thought. It was easily and extra 45 lbs and he would lean to the left and throw you off balance. He loved it though and would yell, "I like it!" and "Mommy Go!", "Daddy Go!", "Dane Go!"

Ian taking a nap on the plaza

Trophies, Trophies and More Trophies

2009-05-22T17:45:00.003-06:00

(Dane is in the red helmet)

The BMX season started two weeks ago. Dane has had 2 practices and 2 races. He now has 3 trophies. Now multiply one trophy per week by 15 weeks. I am not a math mathmatician or anything but that is a lot of trophies. Also, Ian does the BIG Wheel ride each week and gets a trophy too. Basically we will need to convert an empty room into the Trophy room.

Gavin, Julien and Dane "helping" Ian in the Big Wheel Race.

Summer Cuts

2009-05-19T15:50:00.002-06:00

Dane was set on having a Mohawk haircut and wanted he and Ian to be twins.

I like the change. Dane has never had short hair and, to be honest, I was worried about what his ears would look like.

Don't they look so cute?!

Give-Away

2009-05-03T14:02:00.002-06:00

Check out my sister's blog

www.pristinewives.blogspot.com

for a fun Give-Away from

Nanny Hats!

Happy Birthday!

2009-05-01T14:54:00.003-06:00

IAN

I can't believe my little E-Man is 2 already. We had a small party this year with only his grandparents. It was perfect and Ian felt so special. Dustin and I got him his very own Jeep. I think Dane likes it even more than Ian actually. Ian enjoys Dane taking him on rides. Ian doesn't quite get the whole steering thing so he mostly just runs into things. Dane is really a little rough with it and treats it like a real Jeep. Dane's fav thing to do is jump it and go really fast down the driveway and then spin it. This jeep may not last too long with the beating it will get but it will be the best money ever spent since it keeps the kids entertained for hours.

Ian got a cool new Harley Davidson BIG wheel from Gma Janene and Gpa Skip. This is definately a kid favorite too!

Dane decorated Ian's birthday cake and birthday poster (in the first picture). He was so proud of himself. I did help with the writing. I promise it tasted better than it looks. And I should know because I single-handedly ate 3/4 of that cake myself! I have no willpower when it comes to cake.

We LOVE you Ian!

Piano Recital

2009-04-29T13:48:00.003-06:00

Dane, Daniel and Rebecca (our piano teacher)

Dane and Mommy after the recital

Dane playing a duet with Rebecca

Dane and I have been taking piano lessons for the last few months. Dane has done really well and seems to really enjoy the piano but sometimes getting him to practice is tough. He is motivated by money so for each really good practice he gets one quarter and for each really good lesson he gets two quarters. And by "good" I mean he has to sit, listen and practice without whining. He does a pretty good job, most of the time. Rebecca is really good at harnessing his energy by doing a little work on the piano and then fun exercises with other instruments and coloring. I took piano lessons for 9 years and begged my mom to let me quit when I was a senior in high school. I have regretted that decision every since. I really enjoy playing and find it a great mental release to sit down and practice each day. I prepared and played a piece for the recital but got so nervous that I made quite a few mistakes. Dane did awesome. We played a duet together with no mistakes. I was so proud of him.

RAGE Tri - Finished!

2009-04-20T08:25:00.002-06:00

L to R: Heidi Heckmann, Rosie, ME, Heidi Hughes

The Lake Mead RAGE Tri is complete! Whew! What a whirlwind weekend. (say that 5 times fast)

Thursday night we drove to St.George and spent the night with Hannah and Josh. Friday morning we drove to Las Vegas. Dustin and Dane went to Primm, NV to watch Best In the Desert Race stuff. (Dustin wasn't able to race his desert truck on Saturday because the motor blew up during a test run earlier in the week). Ian and I hung out on the Vegas strip with Steph, Katelyn and Courtney. We went to the Flamingo Hotel and walked through the gardens, the M&M store and spent way too much money on M&M's, and had lunch at the Rainforest Cafe where Ian was so scared of all the moving wild animal replicas that he had his hands covering his eyes most of the time. Then it was off to Lake Mead. We found our Hotel, unpacked, ate dinner and went to bed early. Saturday morning I was up early to race in the triathlon and the boys met me at the finish line. Then, after cleaning up we drove to our friends cabin between Bryce Canyon and Zions. We spent the night with them and then drove home Sunday afternoon. It was a lot of driving for the weekend. Luckily the boys all traveled well thanks to movies in the car!

Now I know you all want to hear about how the Triathlon went. Here it goes.

Swim: Worst half mile of my life! Did the breast stroke the whole way.

Bike: Fun and Fast

Run: Tolerable trail run with a huge side ache

Finish! 1 hours 49 minutes 54 seconds

April Fool's Day

2009-04-01T21:25:00.002-06:00

Here are 2 April Fool's prank's I have played.

#1 I saved the pregnancy tests I took with Dane and many times I have tried to Fool Dustin into thinking I was pregnant.

#2 My sis Megan and I went skiing on April Fool's Day one year. We decided it would be fun to pull a little prank on my mom. Megan called her and said that I was on my way to the ER in an ambulance because I had been in a skiing accident. On the phone my mom and Meg were discussing a plan of who would go to the hospital and who would pick up Dane from daycare. When the plan was set. My mom was out the door and in her car in 3 seconds flat. She was ready to pull the car out of the garage and looked in her rear view mirror to see my sister and I laughing our heads off. My mom didn't think it was so funny until the adrenaline wore off. She is a good sport though.

What kind of April Fool's pranks have you played on people?s

Take a Look

2009-04-01T16:01:00.002-06:00

I stumbled across this blog today and thought you might enjoy it. Stellan's story is not unlike the babies I took care of while working at Primary Children's. This story touched my heart. Maybe because I am so far removed from the work I used to do and in a weird way I miss taking care of those sick babies. It also made me very grateful for my two healthy kids. Check it out.

www.mycharmingkids.net

Congratulations!

2009-03-29T20:47:00.003-06:00

Adam & Heidi

March 27, 2009

We are so glad to have Heidi as part of our family. She fits in so well, Their wedding was amazing with the ceremony at the beautiful Draper temple and the reception at Cactus and Tropicals. The only person missing was Cannon who is on his mission. He was really bummed he couldn't be there but my mom made a cardboard cut out of him to put up at the reception.

Mexico

2009-03-23T21:28:00.004-06:00

The Group (5 kids ages 2-7 and the parents)

We went to Cozumel with 2 other families from the neighborhood and yes, everyone stills likes each other. Amazing you ask? This was a pretty easy vacation as far as traveling with kids go. All the boys got along great and so did the parents. The best part was having a personal chef that cooked us breakfast and dinner every day. Her meals were delicious and she did the dishes too! Totally worth it and it was way cheaper than taking kids to restaurants or cooking our own food.

Love that naked bum! On the first day I let Ian get in our private pool without a swim diaper. Big mistake! He Pooped in the pool! I was so surprised because he has NEVER pooped in the bath tub or even in his diaper when I take him to the public pool in the summer. Needless to say we spent the rest of that day at the beach.

Dane and Dustin having a siesta in the pool. They looked so cozy.

Dane's first snorkeling experience. After the initial scare he loved snorkeling and even saw a sea star. Dane also became comfortable swimming without a lifejacket during the trip.

Gorgeous!

This is what happened after the relaxing vacation. All the boys passed around a cold while in Mexico. Ian got worse once we got home. He now has pneumonia AND pink eye in both eyes. This is his 3rd bought of pneumonia in the last year. Luckly we didn't have to go to the hospital but he does have to do nebulizer treatments at home for the next 2 days. And eye drops every 3 hours for the pink eye. Poor lil guy.

Children's Museum

2009-03-11T13:01:00.002-06:00

L to R: Ian, Chase, Andrew, Jack

Ian and I went to the Children's Museum with Steph and Chase who were in town from Arizona and Angie and the twins. Jack-Jack and Doo-Doo (as Dane calls them) are 7 months old, Chase is 1 year old and Ian is almost 2 years old.

The kids had a great time exploring and the mom's had a great time catching up.

Vegas Baby

2009-03-04T13:51:00.003-07:00

What can you do in Vegas for 26 hours?

Well, quite a bit actually, and you don't even have to stay up all night!

We went to Vegas for an overnighter with friends Kristen and Russell.

This is us in front of the Bellagio Hotel waiting for the water show.

We flew in to Las Vegas Monday night and headed straight to dinner at Dustin's favorite place; the Craftsteak at MGM Grand. It was delicious. Especially the desserts. Yum!

Then, it was off to a show. We saw La Reve at the Wynn. Great show! I highly recommend it. It was my second time seeing it.

Then it was off to bed.

Tuesday morning we slept in. Yay! Had a delicious breakfast then it was out to the strip. Kristen and Russell went to their favorite place to play poker while Dustin and I walked the strip. Dustin had never been in any of the other hotels besides MGM. We went to Bellagio, The Venitian, and The Paris.

The Wynn and The Venetian have exotic car collections so we took a peek. This is a Lamborghini, i think. ( I stand corrected: this is a Bently. I am a car idiot.)

This is a HUGE burger from LBS Restaurant. This is Russell's fav place to eat and I must say it was delicious and worth the calories!

Dustin and I don't enjoy gambling but I did play $2 in the penny slots and won almost $16! Hooray!

Happy Birthday!

2009-03-02T08:31:00.002-07:00

Happy Birthday to the BEST mom, grandma and friend!

WE LOVE YOU!

I Love I Hate

2009-03-02T07:29:00.004-07:00

I LOVE spring Tulips

I HATE spring MUD

These boys were covered from head-to-toe with mud. They did have a great time though and took a bubble bath after. Unfortunately, after the snow melts, our whole front yard will be one big mud pit.

Dane's Best Day of 2009

2009-02-28T20:20:00.004-07:00

Dane's first BMX race was quite the adventure. He made it to the semi finals and then came in 5th. He was so proud of himself and thought the trophy was the coolest thing ever. It was so great to see his enthusiasm. He even said he may go to BMX school instead of snowmobile school when he grows up. Way to go Dane!

1,200 Miles of Family Fun

2009-02-19T08:41:00.014-07:00

This post is long over due. It was a long trip so it will be a long post. But if you like pictures, there are plenty. We decided to escape the snowy mountains and join all the other "Snowbirds" for some warmth and sun. We had a little sun and not much warmth. Dustin had a race in Arizona so the kids and I followed to watch the race and then continue on to Phoenix for a little R&R and family fun. Dustin's 2nd love. At least I hope myself and the kids are tied for 1st :)Dane and Nick watching the race. This lasted until it started raining cats and dogs and never stopped.Check out that booger! The race was great until the transmission blew up 100 miles from the finish. Bummer! And they were in the top three up until then.After the race we drove to Phoenix for family fun and to play with our friends Nick and Steph and little Chase. We also visited my Grandma Rose and Richard for a couple of hours. It was good to see them. My camera battery had died so no pictures with them. We had a great time, going to the Phoenix Zoo, the Children's Museum, and just relaxing and being together. I was amazed at how well everyone got along during our 11 days.
Sting Ray Bay at the Zoo

Dane with his favorite animals.

Petting Zoo

Me, Steph and the kids

Dane was so proud of himself for making it to the top.

Dane and Ian at the Phoenix Children's Museum. If you ever make it to AZ with kids you definately need to check this place out. We stayed for 4 hours and never ran out of things to do. This is the only cute picture of the boys from there. I couldn't get them to sit still long enough for a picture.

Two silly boys. I swear they got along so well and had so much fun together. It made me look forward to more family vacations.
On our way home from Arizona we stopped for a night in St. George. Uncle Matty, Auntie Jen and cousins were there for Izzy's soccer tournament. We were able to watch a game and have a delicious Valentine's Day dinner with them. We also, visited my cousin Hannah and Josh who live there and my other cousin Jason and Robin and kids who were visiting from Wyoming. I didn't get a picture though.

Whew! There ya go. Hope you enjoyed it!

I love my new Nanny!

2009-01-30T17:10:00.002-07:00

For Christmas my sister got me a digital frame. This is the best gift and I suggest everyone get one. It sits on the kitchen counter and scrolls through hundreds of pictures. Ian loves to push the stool over and watch the pictures. Every 5 seconds you hear him say "Mama", or "Daddy" or "Abbey" as each person is shown. He even eats his breakfast, lunch and snacks there, too. Now if he would only sit there long enough for me to get a massage.

I love my.....

2009-01-27T13:20:00.002-07:00

.... Dry Guy boot and glove dryer. This this has been a lifesaver for Dane's wet boots and gloves. Everyday he comes home from school with soaking wet outdoor wear and in under 2 hours everything is bone dry and ready for the next adventure. This is a definate must have if it is winter and you have kids.

Weekend Get-Away

2009-01-26T09:59:00.002-07:00

The Three Stooges skiing down the driveway.
On your mark, get set, GO!

What a cute family!

The 80's called, they want their clothes back!

I love this picture of Dane and Ian.

For the long weekend due to Martin Luther King day we went south to our friends cabin near Panguitch. Dane, Patrick and Daniel were able to ride the 2 kids snowmobiles until they were dizzy from going in circles. Nancy and my favorite thing to do was sled down the 1/2 mile driveway. It was like a luge run and you never knew when you would miss a turn a slide off the road. Dustin and Dave assisted the boys snowmobiling and were able to go on an adult exploring adventure too. The weather was perfect, in the 40's and sunny.

I was blog stalking..........What did I see?

2009-01-15T19:52:00.002-07:00

Ladies check out the blog http://www.happymealsandhappyhour.blogspot.com/ and then go to pmsbuddy.com

This is too funny and I suggest you all sign your husband up!

Where have they gone???

2009-01-13T14:07:00.002-07:00

I know you have all been checking your Google Readers everyday and wondering why I haven't posted in Forever! I know you are DYING to know what the Miller's have been up to, right? Well, I have not been able to post because starting in mid-December my camera battery has been dead and I still have not been able to find my battery charger. Now, to make matters worse, the power has been off at my house for ours on end and now our DSL is out too! The power and DSL have been rumored to be back in working order somewhere between 2 hours and 10 days. Thanks Rocky Mtn Power!

A Christmas of Cereal Killers

2008-12-29T09:25:00.003-07:00

Each year my mom has a creative Christmas Eve gift for everyone. This year was a theme with clues and we had to guess what the gifts were. Everyone got a box of cereal and a t-shirt to match. Even 4 month old Sam had a POP'S onsie. Don't ask me how she found t-shirts for everyone. When she sets her mind to something, it happens. Thanks Mom for making each holiday special.

Sun Valley Serenade

2008-12-24T08:13:00.002-07:00

Every year at this time we take a trip with Dustin's family to Sun Valley. This trip is one of our very favorites. SV is a magical place. I can't show you how magical in pictures because my camera battery was dead and I didn't bring a charger. I can, however, tell you how magical and wonderful this place is.

* Enjoying the holiday season with friends and family

*Swimming in the gigantic hot tub that is so big if you are on one side you can't see over to the other side.

*Skiing and hanging out in the ski lodge

*Eating delicious food

*Taking a horse-drawn sleigh ride to a cabin for dinner

*Singing carols on the sleigh ride

*Snuggling close to your loved ones in -3 degree weather on the sleigh ride and not feeling one bit cold

*The Carolers and Santa making a visit at our cabin dinner.

** Skiing with Dane gets two stars because this kid can rip and go down pretty much any run. It is so fun to be able to ski with your kids.

*Everyone who helped me take care of Ian in the ski lodge while Dustin and I skiied with Dane.

*Watching Sun Valley Serenade

*Zoe and Berkeley for watching about 10 kids each night so the parents could go out to dinner.

*The wonderful bowling alley where the kids pretty much take care of themselves if you give them enough money to play video games.

*My brother getting engaged to his girlfriend on the ice skating rink (wedding is March 27) Welcome to the family Heidi!

You Can't Catch Me I'm the Gingerbread Man

2008-12-08T18:38:00.003-07:00

Our annual family Gingerbread House making party this year was great. Many thanks to my mom and Dustin's mom for making soup. Dustin and I couldn't do this party without lots of help. It is so fun to watch the kids get into their decorating. Skye made a house boat, Izzy a motel, Jackson a log cabin, Zoe a mansion, Dane a small house with a LARGE garage, Dustin a Frank Lloyd Wright house, Jen a white trash house, Sherrie a train and the list goes on... Everyone is so creative. We enjoy looking forward to this party every year.

Quote of the Day

2008-12-08T12:26:00.002-07:00

Sometimes I wonder...

"Why is that frisbee getting bigger?"

...and then it hits me.

Giveaway!

2008-12-03T08:28:00.001-07:00

Check out http://www.giveawaytoday.blogspot.com/ and put me as your reference!

Feast & Family

2008-11-29T18:09:00.004-07:00

Pre-Feast we burned some calories at the bowling alley.

Dustin and I hosted my family for dinner. Everyone pitched in and brought something. All we had to make were mashed potatoes and green beans. Not too bad. My grandpa made the turkey and did an awesome job as usual. All the other dishes were delicious as well. Thanks everyone for all the help.
Ian wouldn't eat ANYTHING! So he had pizza and rolls for dinner.

Dustin dressed appropriately for dinner and made a plate that was magazine worthy.

During dinner everyone wrote down 2 things they were thankful for and put them in a bowl. Then we went around the table and read one thing and everyone had to guess who wrote it. They were harder to guess than we thought.

I truly have a lot to be thankful for but won't bore you with a long list. I am thankful I was able to spend Thanksgiving with family.

A Great Little Get-Away

2008-11-18T14:26:00.004-07:00

For our birthday's this year I requested a kid-free trip to Moab instead of a big party. We had a great time hangin' with the Epperson's, Shockley's and Shupe/Huish's (missed you Angie and Mike). Here are all of us on the Poison Spider trail.

Me after I tipped Billy Goat on her side. The boys were able to turn her upright again and she didn't even have a scratch on her. I had a great time driving but have a lot to learn. Thanks Dustin for your patience and Jared for being brave enough to ride with me!

Love this picture! After a looooong wait the Jeep was ready for some serious rock crawling. She climbed up obstacles like nothin'. Even Dustin (who thought she would only be pretty to look at) ate his words after he saw what she could do.

This is Dave's Cruiser when it got a little lopsidded climbing a large shelf.

What a great birthday! Thanks to my mom, neighbor Nancy and sis-in-law Meg for helping out with boys. I owe you BIG time.

Also, I forgot to give a shout-out to my sis Megan. Her bday is the day after mine and I enjoy sharing our special days each year. Here we are with our twinner bday gifts. Love you Sis!

If this van's a rockin' don't come a knockin'

2008-11-11T15:41:00.003-07:00

From Luxury Sedan to......Minivan.

And Lovin' it!

Point and laugh if you'd like but my new ride is sweet! I, too, was a minivan hater until I was brainwashed by 3 neighbors who have them. If you want to haul around kids, groceries, bikes, bookbags, ski's, furniture, you name it, there is NOTHING better.

Happy Birthday Whitter's!

2008-11-08T13:13:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the "Dirty Thirty" Club.

We Love You!

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

2008-11-05T14:52:00.001-07:00

DaTE NiGhT!

2008-11-04T22:09:00.004-07:00

Dustin and I had a great date night. We didn't just go to dinner and a movie. We mixed it up and went to a climbing gym and then out to dinner. We had a great time doing something different and can't wait for the next Date Night! I encourage you and your spouse to "mix it up a bit" and do something out of the norm.

Is October Over Yet?!

2008-11-03T14:09:00.009-07:00

Wow! October was a crazy busy month. We had a lot of fun but I am glad it is over. Here is a recap.