It's not every day we actually iron our clothes

A couple Sundays ago I had a hankerin' for some creased shirts. Don't ask me why....I usually could care less. (sue me, my kids usually go to church with their hair not combed and wrinkled shirts, but they are there) So to mark this momentous for no other reason than my kids clothes were ironed occasion, I had to take a few pictures. Notice those creases down Max's shirt......ooh ahh!!

Doesn't Jackson look extra handsome and well kept? Or is it that he is next to the shaggiest dog on the planet?

The, yes THE Sadie Lady looking pretty as ever.

I couldn't pass up posing with this little gem.

The kiddos looking cute, even if Gator is pretty much showing his man parts to the whole wide inter-web.

I'm still working on the brush the boys hair thing. One day lightening will strike twice in the same place and we will have ironed clothes and their hair will be done.

The bed brag post

It all started with a messy garage, some wood, and a dream.

Oh, and a brand spankin' new miter saw....and a dorky mini-van, but that has nothing to do with it, so forget I said anything about it. I've been looking/stalking the anna-white website for quite sometime because I've been wanting to make a bed for Miss Sadie. After we got back from our great trip westward, I decided that now was as good of time as ever, so I plunged right in.

My kids may or may have not been neglected while I was building this masterpiece. Everyone was fed and clothed, but beyond that I can't account for their whereabouts.

After the headboard and foot board were assembled I quickly stained them, and then not so patiently waited for them to dry. (dang humidity)

When the stain dried, I followed it up with some white paint and distressed the heck out of it....hammers were involved and it was quite fun.

In an unrelated note, this is Sadie's new way of posing for the camera and I'm not a big fan. What a cheese ball.

Here is the final product: (I made the quilt too!)

I'm pretty sure that it's a little bit like the Sistine Chapel or some Van Gogh painting in that it's absolutely fabulous, and pictures just don't do it justice.

All kidding aside, I think it turned out pretty good considering I didn't know what the heck I was doing and kind of made things up as I went along. (just don't look too close K?) Sadie Lady loves it and tells me that it is pretty on a daily basis, so I'm satisfied.

Nighty Night - That trip wore us all out!

Is is just me, or are kids at their sweetest when they are asleep? No matter how hard of a day I've had with this strong willed gent, catching him getting some shut eye makes me happy I'm his Mom again.

I love this pic of Max. It is the only one of the trip that you can kind of see the black eye he got up at Snowbird. In typical Max fashion, he didn't even know he had any sort of eye injury until I noticed it swelling. Tough little Mutt.

Now isn't this one the sweetest little girly girl picture ever? I love how you can see the fingernail polish starting to chip away.

More fun in Utah

After our fun weekend at Lagoon and Snowbird, John flew home. I spent the rest of the week with the kiddos and my family. It didn't take too long for Sadie to warm up to my Mom.

It did take a few days for my Dad to get in good graces with her. After a few tickling sessions, she decided Grandpa wasn't too bad after all.

I loved spending time with my Nieces Madison and Kenzie.

Sadie loved playing dress up with all of Grandma's old Halloween costumes.

A trip to Utah wouldn't be complete without spending some time at Wheeler Farm and climbing on the crazy tree.

We also went to Thanksgiving Point and spent some time at the Dinosaur Museum. You can tell how excited Max was to be there.

We were so happy to have the opportunity to visit family and friends, but I think next time we'll fly!

Onto Utah

After a fun filled week in AZ we set out to Utah to see if we could top it.

Our first adventure was to Lagoon. Sadly I only got a few pictures of Sadie. Our group split off for most of the day and I was with her and my Mom. This is probably one of my favorite pics of the trip. The first couple of rides she had this look on her face like she was about to burst into tears, but by the end of each ride she was smiling and laughing.

Me and my Lady waiting in line.

The next day we drove up to Snowbird. The views were so amazing, we were wishing that we would have spent two days there instead of Lagoon. Can you believe there is still snow up there?

I'm not sure I will ever please Max....look at that grouch!

The Vega crew on the Tram.

The kids had a blast with all the activities. They had a mechanical bull, zip line, alpine slide, ropes course, and trampoline. All three kids loved the trampoline. Check out Max doing a back flip.

Jackson catching some air.

Sadie doing what she does best, looking cute.

Part two - The mean streets of Phoenix

To say we had a fun in Phoenix would be the understatement of the year. We had a blast!!

With John's parents now in Prescott, we had no choice but to get a hotel. We jumped online and found a fabulous hotel in Scottsdale that we couldn't pass up. The best part was the amazing pool.

I love this picture. Who captures a picture of all three kids with their eyes closed?

You have to get a picture by a cactus while you're in AZ right?

Fun in the sun with my Lady. Our friends the Daw's hung out by the pool one day, but sadly I didn't get any pics of their growing brood.

You can't go wrong with cones on a hot summer day.

We stopped by the Temple and visitors center and were very tempted to jump in the reflection pool. For reals.

I know your all asking yourself......did they or didn't they? Oh yes we did. We went to Neilsen's Frozen Custard. Mmmm Hmmmm. It was still as good as I remember it. Worth the bazillion miles we drove to eat it.

We had an hour or so to spare before meeting up with the fam so we swung by the Phoenix Science Museum to lay on a bed of nails among other things.

I was sad to leave good ole AZ. I'm not sure if it was because I was dreading the car ride to UT, or if I just love the crap out of it heat and all and don't ever want to leave.

I'll decide later.

Epic Summer Vacation - Part One

Long road trips are a lot like child labor in my mind. It's long, hard, stressful, and you swear you'll never do it again when it's done. Then something happens, you get amnesia and decide it wasn't that bad and worth the hassle and plan another one....road trip or baby. It took us a few years to get road trip amnesia, but it hit, and we decided it would be a good idea to drive a few thousand miles to see the fam.

No road trip is complete without a few pit stops along the way. I think this is about the only time I am jealous that I can't stand up to pee.

We were making great time on day two of the drive to AZ so we

we decided to swing by Meteor Crater. Jackson loved it. Max, not so much.

Our first stop was to Prescott, AZ to visit John's parents. Prescott has a higher elevation and is generally a few degrees cooler than the valley. We appreciated the lower temps and were able to take a few hikes and enjoy the outdoors.

Look how happy Sadie looks. Yeah, it was short lived....about 5 minutes later she puked up the fudge we got in Sedona.

Max posing for the camera. "Look mom, I'm holding up the rock with just one finger!"

I loved spending so much time outdoors. It's something you can't plan on while in Arizona in the summer.

Up next.....Phoenix!!

Taste of his own medicine

Let's be honest. The last couple of years John has been MIA quite a bit. If he wasn't out of town on a business trip, he was at school, mutual, jet-setting to Europe, studying or at a work dinner (think Morton's and places like that). When John was in Europe for school this spring, I decided that we needed to switch places for a while when he was finished with his masters program. John graduated a couple weeks ago, and I wasted no time booking a weekend getaway to DC to visit Emily.

Boy was it rough being away from home. Now I know how John feels when he gets to fly to some interesting place and go to fancy schmancy dinners, but he just wishes he were home eating mac-n-cheese. Bah ha ha. Ya right! Don't think for a second I believe that crap he tries to feed me! Seriously though, this was one of the best meals I've ever had for around $10. The salad was delicious. I also tried something new, a Gorgonzola custard....it was amazing!

Last time I was in DC, we walked the whole mall and saw just about every monument. This time we took it easy, and went to the Newseum and drove around to a few other sights like the National Cathedral and spotted a bunch of Embassy's.

Part of the weekend was spent in West Virginia visiting Emily's Mom. Thanks Ann! I can't get over how beautiful and scenic it is. The rolling hills and green foliage are so pretty, it was unreal.

We did have some interesting moments at a spa that I will never forget. The images have been seared into my brain.....no pictures necessary! Emily and I are bonded for life. We will be forever friends because she now knows too much about me!

Thanks Em for the fun/scary/creepy/unforgettable weekend!

Thanks John for switching places with me for a few days, we'll have to do it again sometime soon.

Happy B-Day Sadie Lady

My little lady turned two last week. We had a low key celebration with the fam. I have the feeling she is going to get a lot of those through out the years since she is the last of four birthdays in a 5 week span. Good thing she didn't seem to notice that there wasn't any fanfare.

Sadie helped me make fundamiddle yellow cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and sprinkles. She knew just what to do when the candles were lit. I wonder what she would wish for if she understood that part. For her mullet to go away? Another dog? Dora on tv 24/7? A keg of apple juice all for her?

You can't tell in this picture, but she was super excited to open her gifts, and loved the little doll her Nana and Papa gave her. She carries it all over the house and sleeps with it too.

Happy Birthday Sadie! We love you!

XOXO