Romantic Getaway

In December, I bought a night at the Anniversary Inn (I got a killer deal!) I have wanted to take Chris there since we got married, but "it just isn't his thing." Finally, I convinced him that he would enjoy a getaway as much as I would. I think he really didn't want to spend the money, but I guess that is why I still work! I decided to stay in Hollywood Romance. There was a really comfy chaise lounge that Chris loved, I think he wants one for our house! This room also had a soda machine in the room with unlimited drinks. We ate dinner at the Blue Canoe early, so we were hungry soon after we got to the Inn. We ordered chips and dip to be brought to our room. We also enjoyed the complimentary cheesecake. Good thing we had soda because the bottled water in the fridge was $1.5o each. Needless to say, we drank soda. When we left the next day Chris realized it wasn't such an awful idea after all.

Easter cont.

The Friday before Easter I wanted to decorate eggs and sugar cookies. It is always a bigger undertaking than we plan on. Mom and I each made a batch of sugar cookies, so there were lots to go around. We made a big batch of frosting too!

You can see the finished products turned out pretty good! We had a lot of fun.

The next day was Melba's Easter Egg Hunt, or Mad House. There are so many people. They line the kids up in age groups and have the eggs just scattered in the playground. There is no hiding these eggs! When the whistle blows, the kids just run. It was funny to watch the different age groups. The oldest kids were finished before the youngest ones were halfway through.

Jenna and Quinn with big smiles and all their loot!

Easter 2009

The first thing we did for Easter this year was the Sunday before Easter. Grandma Black's retirement center had a big Easter egg hunt for residents and their families. The had a great brunch, songs, and games. They kind of did things at a slow pace, I think they are used to dealing with older people, they aren't used to being in a hurry for kids. Overall, I think the kids had a lot of fun. They definitely got a good amount of candy!

Braden's Unlucky Day

So, most people know, but Braden was in wreck on Wednesday. Megan (his girlfriend) was driving the car and didn't see another car coming. Braden was stuck between the console and the door. The paramedics used the "jaws of life" to cut the door away and get to Braden. He was pulled out on a stretcher and he and Megan went to Mercy in the ambulance. We spent the next couple hours in the ER waiting for news of what happened. Many of Braden and Megan's friends showed up at the ER, along with family and teachers from Melba. It was a long wait before we learned he was being transferred to St. Al's trauma department. The next day he went to surgery for 7 1/2 hours. It seemed like forever. He is now recovering well, he has been up walking and even stepped up a couple stairs. Braden was able to come home today. He has a hospital bed, wheelchair, and walker at home. He can get around pretty well, but still needs supervision. We get to keep a vigil for him for awhile.

Sophia Catherine Miller

Since Deidra doesn't blog, I thought I would post some pictures of her beautiful baby. Sophia was born Wednesday, February 25 at 4:08 pm. She weighed 6 pounds 2 ounces and was 19 inches long. Deidra did great during the delivery and is now a great mom!

McCall Again!

For Valentine's Day weekend, my mom and I decided to take the kids to McCall for a break. Before we left for the weekend, Mom, Natalie, and me made Valentine's Day treats. We made sugar cookies and homemade fortune cookies. We dipped most of them in chocolate. It was a bit messy, but loads of fun.
Dad was busy with tax season and the kids didn't have school Friday or Monday. Chris willingly brought 4 snowmobiles for us. Beth and Matthew came up for a couple of days too! Friday, Chris took Zach and his friend Chrisitan for a ride. Saturday it started snowing....and snowing.....and snowing. I think there was over 6 inches by the end of the day. Of course, that is the day we decided to take the kids on a long ride! Being the great rider that I am, I loved being in the almost whiteout! (Not really, I actually hated having to drive my own sled, but I did it for Chris!) We found a hill to slide down and had a heck of a time climbing to the top. Jenna had a crazy run down the hill and had an encounter with a tree. The sled stayed in the tree and she flew over it and her helmet flew even further. Everyone ended up okay, despite the headache she had the rest of the day. The times we weren't playing in the snow, we hung out in the cabin and played the wii or watched movies. Unfortunately, when Dad tried to come up on Saturday, he wrecked Mom's Envoy. The car is still driveable and Dad is okay, it just doesn't look very good! Overall, it was a fun weekend! I love having family time!

I forgot to mention that on Valentine's day we made red pancakes, red eggs, and heart shaped sausage. Zach's friend is a foreign exchange student from Germany. I think he thinks we are all crazy after eating that meal. Zach wouldn't even eat the eggs, but Quinn and Jenna loved the heart shaped sausage! (Thanks Chris!!!!!)

Chris wanted to make sure everyone knew the rough time he had! He had to put up with us crazy snowmobilers for 2 days and on the day we went home, he had an even bigger surprise! The van wouldn't start. Mind you, we had a fifteen passenger van and a four-place enclosed trailer in a normal driveway. Needless to say, there wasn't room in there for a car to jump start us. Chris, Zach, and Christian spent Monday morning digging through the snow and pushing the van back enough to fit a Toyota in the driveway to give us a jump start! (Dad says the van needs started everyday when it's cold. I guess that's what we get for not driving to church on Sunday!) Poor Zach, Christian, and Chris : (

McCall Winter Carnival

For the last couple years we have made it a tradition to go to the Winter Carnival. Chris and I have gone every year we have been together, except one when I went with Beth, Matthew, and Deidra. The last two years, we have rented a cabin and stayed for the weekend. This year, we were lucky enough to rent Deidra's aunt's cabin. We got a killer deal and it was a beautiful place. We went snowmobiling on Saturday, the trail was perfect. I rode with Chris and Beth and Matthew rode the other one. Deidra and Joey stayed at the cabin. We played games and just hung out at the cabin the rest of the time. Sunday we drove around and looked at the sculptures! They were really great this year. Some of the castles were amazing! We are going to go back in two weeks with mom and the kids, hopefully some of the sculptures are still there! Enjoy the pictures.

Deidra's Baby Shower

So, this is a little late, but better late, then never. A couple weeks ago, Beth and I threw a baby shower for Deidra. It was a great success. The games, only a few, were fun and the food turned out great. Deidra got so much stuff and I think she had a lot of fun. All in all, it was a good day!

Jenna's Moment

Jenna missed her Christmas dance recital this year because she had pink eye and chicken pox. So we let her show us her dances at mom's house. She got all dressed up and did both of her dances for us. She is such a beautiful dancer. She didn't have much room in the basement, but she still did wonderful. It's such a bummer she had to miss the recital!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was spent with my mom's family at her house. We made homemade Clam Chowder and Brocolli Cheese soup. Aunt Joy made her bread bowls! We did our annual gift exchange and had lots of fun. The hot item this year was White Chocolate Oreos, travel blanket with pillow, and WD 40. It was fun to spend the night with all mom's family. After we ate dinner, we headed to Chris's brother's house. Cole always has great appetizers and it's a good time over there. Unfortunately, I forgot to take any pictures of us over there. We didn't exchange gifts that night, but Cole gave us the presents from her. We got an awesome blanket and pillow for our trailer. Thanks everyone for the wonderful Christmas Eve!

Everyone loved our tie dyed shirts and wanted one for themselves. I got one for Zach, Jenna, and Quinn. Quinn got a Scentsy from Beth (he was soooo excited!) Chris got Braden that cool poster of himself (We got it framed too!) Everyone had great gifts for each other! Braden tried my new coat on, and had some additions to it!

Thunder Mountain Railroad

For Dad's birthday, we went on a train ride in Horseshoe Bend! Mom has wanted to do this for some time, but it didn't work out 'til now. We went on a ride with Santa and Christmas carolers. There were Christmas lights on the train and we got to eat cookies and drink hot chocolate. The biggest bummer was that they left the lights on the train while we were riding. We couldn't see anything out the windows. They had a little village we stopped to look at on the way back to base. Overall, we had a lot of fun sitting around talking with each other.

Piano Recital

I have been teaching piano lessons since school started. I have six students and it is so much fun to watch them learn and grow. I had a Christmas recital with my mom's students on Monday. The kids did such a great job. I felt like a proud mom watching her kids accomplish something big. I had so much fun seeing how far they have come since they started. This picture shows how packed the house was. The other pictures are of my students.

My 27th Birthday

I celebrated my 27th Birthday last week. Chris and I went to Utah for the weekend. We had a wonderful family party on Saturday with his relatives. Saturday night, Grandma made me a strawberry cake. I was so excited, she makes it for the grandkids in Utah and I felt so privileged to have one too! Don't you love the tie-dyed shirts!

FHE @ Grandma's

Grandma Patty had us all over to her house last week for family home evening. She shared Christmas stories and had a wonderful dinner. One of the stories was about a blue blanket that was given to the Savior. Each family was given a blanket and asked to hand it down to each family member until Christmas. After each person has had it, we will then give it to a homeless shelter, along with anything else we have to give. The kids had a great time listening to the stories and it was a fun night all around. Don't believe the look on Beth's face, she really did have a good time too!

The After

So, Suzy had a big week and today was the biggest. She has been doing so well in her new house, new bed, new kennel. But, every once in awhile is still scared. Monday, she had to visit the vet and got a clean bill of health (and two shots!) Today she had to go to the groomer. It took 2 hours to give her a bath, clip her nails, and brush her teeth. She came home with a great haircut and a pretty purple bow in her hair! I think she feels like a new woman!