Recent Happenings

I feel the need to catch up on life.  This will probably be long and rambling, so I don't know if anyone will make it through to the end, but here it goes...

My blog has been completely neglected, as well as many other things around here lately.  I was doing so well on catching up but life has gotten crazy as it sometimes does.  We have had some very life changing events in the past couple months related to Darren's work.  Things I never imagined having to deal with.  It is a long story, and one that I don't really want to post on the world wide web, but we are now in the process of purchasing the practice as Darren's business partner has passed away.  There was a lot leading up to that, but I won't go into it.  It is a very sad situation and I feel terrible for those involved.  Especially his family. It caused a lot of stress on our family and left us with a lot of questions and pretty hurt as well. I think over the course of a couple weeks, I felt just about every emotion.  I felt sad for the situation and his family, excited for us and the possiblity of having our own practice, stressed over what was going to happen and overwhelmed with everything going on and at times, I felt so alone.  It also threw our schedule into total chaos.  Things at the office changed from one day to the next, so Darren's 6 hour schedule suddenly became a 12 or 13 hour schedule in order to cover all the patients.  It was a big change!  Things are starting to settle back down and he is going to 8 or 9 hour days now.  It is still a lot different to not have him around as much and to change a lot of the way we do things.  For instance, I used to do all my volunteering at the school on his mornings off and now I'm having to scramble to find people to help with my kids and things like that.  I realize most dads work that many hours, but we just are not used to it yet and the kids are having a hard time with it.  (And I am, too)  We are excited for the opportunity though.  I think in the long run, this will be a really great thing for us.  It is just very sad that it happened the way that it did.

It is also tax season.  I hate that.  I do the books for Darren's office, but I don't keep up on it very well during the year so I end up with lots of work to get things finished up for the CPA.  I just got the file emailed today.  I feel so much better!  It means that I don't have as much time for blogging or anything else. 

I also have a new calling.  I am the Stake Women's Sports Specialist.  Or something like that.  I am not sure what the official title is.  I really like it.  It just means that I have to be at the church once a week at night to run things, even when I have other stuff to do.  It has cut into my blog time, too.  But I am having fun with it and it is a pretty perfect calling for me, although I don't really feel like I know what I am doing yet. 

And, winter is turning into spring!  Well...it started to and then it snowed...  I hate that part of Utah spring!  We seem to get MUCH busier in the Spring and it has already started.  Rylee has started figure skating.  She really likes it.  At least she did the 2nd time she went.  The first time was pretty rough.  Hopefully, it keeps getting better.  Avery is taking dance and has a recital this week.  I'm excited to see if she will actually perform on the big stage.  She is pretty excited about it though.  She has 2 rehersals and 2 performances this week!  BUSY!  And soccer starts up for Logan next week. 

It is also birthday season at our house.  Rylee lost her first tooth and turned SIX the last week of March.  She had a Hello Kitty Extravaganza party and spent the day shopping at the mall.  We even had our pictures taken in one of those photo booths and she picked out best friend necklaces for us.  I felt like I was back in Jr. High.  When she picked them, I asked who she planned to give it to and she said, "you, of course."  I wanted to bawl my eyes out!  Of course I bought it after that.  I hope that she will want to wear best friend necklaces with me when she is 16.  But chances are, she won't.  So I'm enjoying it now!  She loved her day at the mall and shopping and having her nails done - She is such a girly-girl!  And she LOVES her birthday party and loves helping me plan and has such high expectations for them!  Her Hello Kitty party was great and she loved all the decorations and everything. 

After her birthday, it was Easter, which was so fun but lots of traveling to family events and super busy.  We had a really great time though and the kids looked so cute in their outfits.  The following week was Spring Break and we took a quick trip to St George.  We had a great time enjoying the warm weather and hanging out at Grandma and Grandpa Webber's brand new home down there and spent some time hiking and hanging out with Brian and Val and their family.  It was a good trip and we were able to see some friends, too.  And have some delicious sugar cookies and Dirty Diet Coke from Swig's.  That was a highlight for sure. 

We came home from our fun Spring Break, and I turned 32 yesterday.  I think.  I kept telling people I was turning 33 and I had to be corrected.  I don't think it matters once you are 30.  Everything just kind of blends together.  I had a fabulous day and was spoiled by my family.  I love them.  The kids were so excited for my day and it made my heart feel good.  And my phone buzzed all day with Facebook notifications and texts and it just put a smile on my face.  It feels good to be remembered sometimes.  I guess Facebook is good for that.  Darren treated me to breakfast in bed from Kneeder's (Chunky French Toast...YUMMM!!!) and then surprised me and got a babysitter and took me to lunch at Paradise Bakery.  I went in to Rylee's class to volunteer and her cute class sang to me.  It was so sweet!  Darren took the kids out shopping for me and we had dinner at Cafe Sabor and then had cake.  The kids got me some lotion and lip gloss and sunglasses and Darren got me a bike and a bike trailer/jogging stroller!  I am excited to try it out.  Except that it SNOWED yesterday!  All that warm St George weather and then...snow!  No fun!  I love birthdays.  I love my kids' birthdays and mine.  There is just something so great about having a day for you.  It makes you realize how blessed you are.  And I am so blessed.  Really.  I have everything I need and I have the greatest family.  I love them. 

I felt like this rambling post needed a picture.  So, now you can see how blessed I am.  And, how cute my kids looked in their Easter outfits. 

Up next...  Darren and I are taking a trip with no kids.  I am a bit nervous, but also excited!  We haven't done that for a LONG time.  I'm just worried about leaving my Bronson.  I hope it will be OK.  I stress over that stuff so much!  And then when we get back, Bronson will turn ONE!  My baby!!!  I am freaking out a little over that, too.  Time goes much too quickly! 

Daddy's Bday

August 15 - Our Daddy turned Double 3's this year and we had a great day celebrating!  Mommy and Daddy went out the night before for dinner and a movie.  Then, we started out the morning by opening presents.  He got a new jacket, new swimsuit, some new tshirts and a button up shirt and a massage!  And some BIG hugs from these guys.  They LOVE their daddy! 

We usually celebrate birthdays by going out to dinner, but we had some plans for the night, so we went to breakfast instead.  We went to Kneader's - Daddy's choice!  Yummy chunky french toast!

Sweet little Bron.  He isn't as crazy as the other ones.  Yet....

The birthday Boy!!! 

That afternoon, we surprised Daddy at his office with a Cold Stone cake.  It was delicious!  We probably should have coordinated better with his employees because they brought in treats for him, too, but it was still fun to surprise him! 

Our youth had an activity at the Redneck Water slide so we spent the evening playing there.  Daddy is in Young Men's and they also invited all the leader's families.  First we had some dinner and then it was off to the slides! 

We had heard a lot about how fun it is, so we were really excited to go!  It was a blast and the kids went down the little slide over and over! Rylee was the first one to try it and she went over and over again! 

Logan's turn

Ry gives it a BIG thumbs up! 

Daddy playing volleyball with some of the youth. 

 Flexing some birthday muscle.  We had the youth sing Happy Birthday.  Daddy didn't like that much.  He hates to be embarrassed! 

Avery wouldn't go down the slide without Daddy. 

Daddy finally got the kids to go down the BIG slide!  They loved it!  At first they were pretty nervous.  I think Daddy just kind of grabbed them and went, but then they wanted to keep going.

Look how much fun they are having!  This activity was combined with the 10th ward, which is mostly the ward that was split off of ours at the beginning of the year.  This little girl just jumped on Darren's lap when he was getting ready to go.  We didn't even know her.  She ended up being in Rylee's Kindergarten class and they are friends, but it was kind of funny that she just jumped right in there. 

Daddy and Bronson - Bronson always seemed to be asleep when I took other pictures of the kids with Daddy. 

Playing with Daddy.  He may have missed out on the fun on the slides, but Bronson loved being out and about and got lots of attention from the youth and the other leaders there.  I love that BIG smile and those chubby cheeks! 

 

Raspberries! 

We had to talk Logan into going down the big slide and he finally did it right at the end and wanted to keep going and going...   I wish he would have tried it earlier!  He was the last one off the slides.  He would have kept going all night if he could have. 

Another birthday in the books!  I think it was another fun one.  We have the BEST daddy at our house!  I love how much the kids adore him.  He is my best friend and I am so grateful for him and all he does and loved celebrating him on his special day.  Happy 33 D! 

Viva Las Vegas!!!

October 9 - 16 - Darren and I took a much needed getaway in Las Vegas for a week in October. Every year, there is an ADA convention in a different location and they offer lots of CE credits that Darren needs for his license renewal. They also have fun things to do and the whole trip is a write-off so it is a good way to take a little vacation. We went in 2008 to San Antonio and loved it, but haven't been able to go since due to new babies and nursing babies and other things. So, we were excited to go again this year! But, then we scheduled Darren's knee surgery and thought we might need to cancel. However, after having him down and me being sick, I REALLY needed a break, so we decided to still go. Poor Darren had to cruise around everywhere on crutches, but he was a good sport and it was a great break for me! I got to get lots of sleep, some shopping, read a book and lay by the pool and it was just what I needed! Darren and I also got lots of time together and ate at some of our favorite places, saw some movies and some really good friends that we miss! It was great!

We left on Sunday, October 9th. Darren's mom was great to come and watch our kids for almost the whole week. She stayed until Thursday. It was so nice to not have to worry about them and they had a great time with Grandma. One funny story from when she was here, was the 2nd night she stayed, Rylee was saying her prayers and said, "Please bless Grandma to be nicer to me." I guess she had been bugging Avery all day and Grandma had to get after her a little. She will do that quite often to us, too, and it makes you feel so guilty! My sister, Heather was nice enough to come and stay Thursday night and all of Friday. It is so nice to have family close to help us out!

Anyway - The drive down was not my favorite. So long and I got really car sick since I was already nauseous all the time anyway. Luckily, we made it with no puking and got checked into our hotel pretty late on Sunday night. We stayed at the South Point. It was great! It is pretty nice and has its own movie theater and a great pool and it was $45 bucks a night!!! Can't beat that! It was also close to where we needed to be for classes and not right on the strip. It was just about perfect!
Monday morning (Oct 10th) we had to get up bright and early to get to the morning speaker at the Convention Center. We were a little late (no surprise!) and so we missed the entertainment, which was Terry Fator, (the ventriloquist from America's Got Talent) and I was kind of bummed about that, but we were able to hear Condoleeza Rice speak. (That is what that picture above is of. It is awful but it was the best I could do...) She was AMAZING!!! I loved listening to her! I wish she would run for Pres! She really knows her stuff. After the morning speaker, Darren had a day full of classes. I was off to meet my good friend and old room mate, Mindy, for lunch. I only got to the door and realized Darren had the car keys so I had to go back and find his class and him and get them. In my wanderings, I ran into some Elvis impersonators. What would a trip to Vegas be without some Elvis sightings??? (If you look closely, you will also see that I found a GIANT brownie! I didn't get breakfast that morning...)

Lunch with Mindy was great! It had been way too long and it was so fun to catch up! We went to a cute little cafe. It was great, but I guess it wasn't the greatest idea. Afterwards, my plan was to hit the outlet mall for a few hours but I got SO sick when I got there, that I ended up back at the hotel. Later that night, I made it to the outlets closer to our hotel for an hour or 2 and found some great deals at Carter's. Then I picked up Darren. Since I wasn't feeling too great, we just got dinner at our hotel (it was gross!) and then went and saw the movie Dream House with Daniel Craig. It was AWESOME!!! We both really liked it!

Tuesday (Oct 12), Darren had no classes. Or maybe he just had one... I can't remember, but we had a lot more free time, so we hit the pool!!!
That night we hit one of the restaurants that we have been wanting to go back to for a long time - Roy's! When we were in Dental School, Darren's mentor took us there. He told us to bring our kids and we had no idea what kind of restaurant it was until we got there. Then we wished we hadn't! Logan was 2 and Rylee was barely 1 and they made a mess when they ate and there was some poor server who was assigned to constantly clean up their mess the whole time. I was so embarrassed! Anyway - we have always wanted to go back. I ordered steak and it came out totally burnt. They felt really bad and went to great lengths to fix everything for us. I got my meal for free and they brought us a free appetizer while I was waiting for a new plate and both our desserts were also free! We ate at this really nice restaurant for less than $40! Pretty good deal!
The whole reason I wanted to go back to Roy's was this baby.... Chocolate Lava cake! The other food wasn't my favorite but THIS baby did NOT disappoint!!! Pure deliciousness!!!
Wednesday (Oct 12th) Darren had more classes so I spent the morning shopping at the outlets (my FAV Vegas activity!!!) and found some great deals! I had an afternoon class (I was WAY late for it!) and then that night, we went to dinner at Mesa Grill in Cesar's palace. It came highly recommended by several friends and it is a Bobby Flay restaurant, and that is one of Darren's food heroes. I think we both agreed it was the BEST place we have EVER eaten!!! It was AMAZING!!! I had the veal and it was SOOOO good!!! We had some delicious corn and shrimp tamale appetizers that were delicious, too. It was pricey but totally worth the splurge! Outside Caesar's Palace - After dinner, we caught a movie. We saw Contagion. We both didn't like it. It was really long and boring!
Thursday Oct 13 - Darren decided to skip his only class and we had a great morning sleeping in and hanging by the pool. Then, we decided we REALLY needed some coconut onion rings, so we went to Bahama Breeze. Seriously, these things are worth the drive alone!!! They are AMAZING!!!
After lunch, we went to pick up our tickets for the show we were going to that night at the Mirage. We also realized we needed something to take home to the kids, so we did a little shopping and bought them some stuffed animals. We got Avery a cute little monkey, Rylee a Hello Kitty and Logan an Alvin. The girls LOVED theirs. Logan asked if he could have something else.... I guess you can't please them all!
That night we had dinner at BJ's with some of our very favorite people. The White's and the Wennerlind's! (I guess we have an exclusive "W" last name club....) Here are the girls - Jen, me and Karmann - I love these ladies!!!
And the boys - Ryan, Darren and Sandy
We really wanted to see a show while we were in Vegas. We had never really been to one since we were too poor for that in dental school. We had such a hard time deciding, but after a lot of advice, we saw LOVE. It is the Beatles tribute Cirque du Soleil show. It was AMAZING!!! We had a great time!!! The picture we had someone take of us going in didn't really turn out... So... we tried one of ourselves! The phone booth at the Love theater
Oct 14 - Before we left on Friday morning, we spent one last morning at the pool! I do miss this part of Las Vegas. The pool was fabulous and I was able to read a book during my time poolside. I read Matched. It is a lot like Hunger Games, only far less violent! I LOVED it! I couldn't stop! Then I found out I had to wait a MONTH for book 2 and I was bummed!
Getting ready to leave the hotel - I missed the kids a lot, but I really enjoyed some down time and some quality time with the hubby! It was just what we needed at a crazy time! Thanks Pat and Heather for watching the kiddos and thanks D for dealing with crutches all around Vegas so I could get a little rest!