The Palmers

Fall Fun!

2009-10-22T10:41:00.002-06:00

Emma & Mia having a great time playing with the neighbors in the leaves. We love the fall!

2009-09-07T20:03:00.002-06:00

New family pics!

What big girls - growin like weeds!

Happy Anniversary...35 Years!

2009-08-03T14:14:00.004-06:00

My mom and dad celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary on July 6th this year. I decided that it would be nice to invite a few of their friends over for a bar-b-q to help them celebrate. Miland and I worked hard on the house and the yard to get ready for the party. I had a fun time decorating the backyard for the event. Everything went off without a hitch and I think that a fun time was had by all.

Take me out to the Ball Game!

2009-08-03T14:08:00.003-06:00

We went with some friends to see a Raptors baseball game in Ogden. We had a great time yelling and screaming, eating our baseball junk food, and watching the Raptors play a great game!

First Day of School

2009-08-03T14:03:00.003-06:00

Emma looks too grown up in her new outfit for school. She started second grade two weeks ago. She loves her new teacher and has already gone on a field trip. She is working hard on her reading and math and is very excited to be in school again. (I am very excited to have her back in school again, we spent two weeks of summer doing as much as we possibly could while she was off and it is nice to get back into a routine again.)

2009-07-24T20:13:00.002-06:00

Oh the fruits of our labor. Potatoes, carrots, zucchini, and peppers from our garden! Don't they look yummy!

Train ridin'

2009-07-04T15:33:00.002-06:00

So.... I have been a little behind on getting some posts on here, the summer is busy, I am starting a new job and I have been planning a 35th wedding anniversary party for my parents. I thought that I would take a litte time to put a few things on here. Barbara, Em and Mimi went on the Front Runner down to Gateway. We had lunch and did some shopping. We had a good time. We walked Mimi's legs right off. This picture was taken while we were on the train, headed down there of course... they are all full of energy and excited to be going, the ride home was a little different, we were all tired and ready for a nap!

Mmmm! The sweet taste of summer!

2009-07-04T15:28:00.002-06:00

We had a ton of beautiful ripe strawberries in our back yard. We picked them and Miland cleaned them up and cut them up to make this georgeous strawberry pie. He made the crust by scratch and everything. It was so yummy. Emma is the photographer on this, she does a pretty good job (minus cutting Miland's head off a bit, but I guess that it is hard to point the camera that tall when you are only 7). Thanks for the yummy pie!

2009-06-26T10:33:00.006-06:00

Last weekend we packed up the whole family and went to Strawberry reservoir. We had a great time, but it was wet and a little cold. We went with the family of Emma's friend Mitchell. The girls had a great time hiking and going in the boat. I love spending time with the family.

Weight Watchers Update...

2009-06-23T09:28:00.004-06:00

I started to write this post, and now it is July 4th and I have been doing Weight watchers for 5 weeks now and have lost 13.4 pounds... add that to the 15 I had lost since December and I have now lost 28.4 pounds! I am so excited. The last time that I had lost this much weight was my senior year in high school. I am going to keep on trucking... want to make my 15 lb mark by my next weigh in! Wish me luck... it is so hard not to eat all the fun BBQ foods!

Weight just a minute!

2009-06-15T12:59:00.002-06:00

So... I finally decided, with the push from our health insurance,to work on being healthier. I joined Weight Watchers and have made a real effort to begin an exercise routine... however, while doing my first yoga class, I twisted funny and hurt my back once again. I feel so dumb and am frustrated with myself. I know that it will heal, as it already is starting to feel better, but it is difficult to have to cut back on my activity already. I lost 7 lbs my first week at Weight Watchers, injured myself the beginning of my second week and gained back .6 lb. I know that isn't that big of a deal, but the goal here is to go down each week. My dad has lost nearly 45 lbs in 16 months and I hope that I can do as well as he has. I had to write this all out so that I can get over myself and get on with it. Wish me luck!

My Goodbye to "Motorcycle Dave"

2009-05-27T08:11:00.003-06:00

I am writing this post on my blog to say goodbye to my employer and friend of six years. My family and I left for vacation to Seaside Oregon to have fun on the beach for a week on Friday May 15th. I took in the payroll to Dave as we headed out of town, not knowing that it would be the last time I would see him. On Sunday, as we were looking at the beautiful Multnoma falls in Oregon, only an hour or so away from our destination, Josh, Dave's son called me and told me that his dad died Saturday night out at the Knolls while riding his ATV. Apparently, he was trying to go up an embankment too fast and rolled his Tyrex. The roll bar crushed in and according to the coroner, Dave died from "Extreme Whiplash" or I guess it is something just short of a broken neck. I was devastated. Dave made me crazy some days with his wacky finance strategies, but never failed to make me laugh. He told me things would be okay when I was stressing, and enjoyed seeing my girls twice a week. His shop was a huge part of my life for 6 years and I am having a hard time trying to come to the realization that my friend and my job are now gone. I am so grateful to have worked for Dave, he gave me the chance to stay at home to raise my girls while earning a paycheck. I missed his memorial service because we were in Oregon, and it was so hard for me, not being able to say goodbye. I had to pack up all of his files and take them to his son, sister and ex-wife for them to try to figure out what to do now. I see a lesson in this... be prepared. Dave had no life insurance, no co-signers on any of his bank accounts, no will or trust, no list of his debtors, he really left his family no clue where to start to close his business. Now it is going to take lawyers and time to get all of his things sorted out. If I can say anything to everyone out there it is: Please think of the future and your family and friends. Make sure that people know what you want and where your documents are. If you are not organized in any part of your life, make sure that you are in this one part. Nobody likes to think about their death, but it is so important that you do and prepare for it. I'll miss you Dave and I know that you went out the way you wanted to... having fun! Love ya!

Happy Birthday to my Big Girl!

2009-05-14T09:36:00.002-06:00

My Emma was born 7 years ago today. I was kidding with her yesterday and told her that I was going to wake her up at 3:24 am to tell her happy birthday since that is the time that she was born. She did not like that idea very much. Funny thing is... Mia woke up at 3:30 this morning and had to come in to tell us that her diaper had leaked and she needed to be changed and her bed changed. Hilarious, we were all awake except Emma. I remember how long we had to wait to have this precious child come into our lives. I am grateful to her birthmother for making the decision to place Emma with us. We love her (stubborness and all) and are so happy to have her in our family. I can't believe how fast our kids grow. They always said that you blink and your children will be grown... but I never believed it, especially when you think that some days will never end, but it is the truth. I love you Emma and I am so happy that you are my daughter.

Emma's Learning to Ride a Big Bike

2009-05-12T20:17:00.001-06:00

We have been trying to help Emma learn how to ride a big bike with no training wheels. Wow, I never knew how frustrating that could be! She is doing well though, she just has trouble getting started. Hopefully the whole family can go on some good bike rides this summer. Of course Mia will have to ride in the trunk.

Workin Hard in the Yard!

2009-05-12T20:13:00.001-06:00

I have been working hard to make our yard look nice. I replaced our weed patch with some nice garden boxes and some bark. Hopefully there will be no more weeds, only yummy vegetables.

Scrap it!

2009-04-21T06:56:00.003-06:00

I had a great weekend! I got to go up to Wolfcreek with my mom and grandma and spend Saturday and Sunday scrapbooking, watching chick flicks and just hangin' out. It was so nice to have that time to relax and just worry about me. I also have 15 new pages in my scrapbook, (I'm now up to Emma's first Halloween, she was 5 months old. Only 6 1/2 years left to catch up on. ) Miland took the girls to the zoo on Saturday. Emma has an animal report to do, so he calls the zoo visit "research". They said that they had a good time. Mia tells everyone that looks at her that they went to the zoo and saw the tigers.
I wanted to write a little about my cousin Philip. My aunt Peg (Philip's mom) was supposed to be with us this weekend, but had to go back to Alaska unexpectedly. My cousin Philip was having headaches and went to the Dr, and they found a brain tumor. He was flown down to Ancorage from Fairbanks and they put a shunt in his head to drain the fluid/swelling and relieve the pressure. He is back home in Fairbanks waiting for news from a Dr. in Seattle. They have some sort of Gamma Ray that can zap brain tumors with one treatment. I'm sure that the waiting is so hard. We think about Philip and his family alot and hope that he gets the very best treatment in Seattle. I also wanted to say congrats on the wedding! Our prayers are with him and all of his family.

Weekend in Idaho

2009-03-31T06:46:00.002-06:00

We went up to Paul Idaho to visit my Grandma Renz (also known as Grandma Great). We took my niece Chloe with us, and we had a good time. We went to Twin Falls on Saturday. We watched the crazy guys base jump off of the bridge that takes you into town that goes over the Snake River Gorge. It is a beautiful canyon. It was windy, but fun to watch the dare-devils go nuts off of the bridge. We went shopping at the mall, had lunch at Applebees and then went to see the Shoshone Falls. (also known as the Niagra Falls of the West) They havn't opened the spillway, so the falls weren't all big and grand, but they were still pretty. I'm glad that we went to visist my grandma, this time is precious.

Oh so Wicked in San Francisco!

2009-03-19T15:30:00.003-06:00

My sweet husband bought tickets for he and I to go to San Francisco and see Wicked. We went last weekend and saw it... and it was FABULOUS!! I had tears in my eyes nearly the whole 3 hours. If you ever get the chance to see a broadway show, with a broadway cast... you have to do it, there is no experience like it. We got to do a whole bunch of other fun things like go to fishermans warf, visit Alcatraz, go over the Golden Gate Bridge, visit China Town, walk (carefully) down Lomard Street, jump a ride on the Trolly Car and shop in the Famous Union Square area. We packed as much as we possibly could in our 3 days of bliss! We stayed at a nice local hotel called the Milano. It was on 5th and Jessie, right downtown in the thick of it. We were within walking distance to just about everything, and if we were not, we were only a block away from the transportation hub. It is a fun town, some very interesting people there... but fun! I enjoyed spending time with my husband, just being a couple. I am so lucky!

March for Babies

2009-03-18T18:48:00.005-06:00

Hi Everyone!
It has been a while since I have posted anything. Linda usually does all of our blogging. It is that time of year again for the March of Dimes, March for Babies. On the right side of our blog you will find a link where you can donate. If that is not enough of a persuasion please read on.

Our family has been affected by prematurity and birth defects more than once. My sister Trudy was born with a lethal heart defect. My sister Emma was also born with a severe form of spina bifida with hydrocephalus which was also lethal. Our nephew Boston was born at 32 weeks and spent weeks in the NICU. Amelia also spent a few days in the NICU due to complications.

Needless to say, birth defects and prematurity can be devistating to a family and they can affect any family - even ours. The March of Dimes is one of the few advocacy groups out there fighting for birth defects and prematurity.

I know that times are hard, but I would ask you to please follow the link on the right and give to the March of Dimes this year. You don't need to give a lot. Every little bit helps.

Please let me know if you have any questions about birth defects or prematurity in Utah. I could go on for days.

Thanks for reading - and thank you for your donation!
Miland

The ROOT of all evil!

2009-03-08T15:49:00.002-06:00

So I had to write my little "oh poor me" post. I had a tooth ache 2 weeks ago and thought that it was just sinus pressure ( as it has been before). So after 3 days I decided to call the dentist. I called and he told me that he thought that I needed to have a root canal done. I freaked out. Going to the dentist is one of those things that I can not handle well... so anyway. I made an appointment with and Endodontist (Dr. Chad Christensen, in Syracuse for anyone who need a great one) and had the root canal done one Thursday, 5 days after the initial pain started. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be to have it done, but after, not so fun. The pain was not good, there are all kinds of bacteria that form in the tooth, and when exposed to air, they go nuts. So on Saturday, when I had been in tears for a few hours, Miland called the dentist and asked what to do. He said to come in and he would help. He had to drill my tooth down so that it wouldn't hit everytime I tried to close my mouth. He gave me some good drugs for a few days and and antibiotic. Well, I am alergic to everything and so of course this antibiotic made me sick. It was a slow build up of stomach discomfort and then turned into awful heartburn and indegestion. I finally realized (on the 6th day of taking it) that it was the antibiotic that was making me sick. I got sick and vomited so hard that I burst blood vessels in my eye and in my face around both eyes, on my forehead and on my cheeks. That is attractive. I am feeling much better now, only a fell blood vessels not healed up yet. All of this because of a little tooth. I still have to go back to get the root canal finished and have a cap put on! I am not looking forward to that.

Here fishy fishy fishy!

2009-02-17T18:28:00.008-07:00

We decided to go ice fishing with mamas and papa on Sunday. We went to Farmington Pond. The ice was still really thick for February, (or else there is no way I was stepping foot out there) Mia was having a great time looking down the hole waiting to see a fish. Last time we went fishing the fish were up near the ice and if you looked down the hole you could see the fish swimming around. Emma had fun playing in the snow and the slush. She sat in the snow until it soaked her clean through. It was a very nice day outside, the sun was shining and we didn't have any snow. Papa caught a fish while we were there, which was fun for the girls to see... we kissed it and put it back. Papa won the first-fish dollar. When every the guys go fishing, whoever catches the first fish gets a dollar from everyone who is fishing. It makes it fun. I love to go do things with the girls and make memories. This was a fun thing to go and do that the kids love. We are outdoors people... so hopefully the girls will still like the outdoors when they get older. The Sunday before, mamas and papa took the girls out to Antelope Island and they got to see the buffalo and chickens and other various wild life out there. Mia did nothing but talk about the "buffalos and chickens on the island". She had to tell everyone about it. How lucky we are to have our parents close to spend time with our children.

Fresh Air

2009-01-28T11:05:00.003-07:00

In the valley we experience a horrible thing during the winter months called an inversion. The high pressure in the upper atmosphere holds down all of the bad air until we have a lovely smog hanging around every day all day. The only way to get around the ick is to go up into the mountains and enjoy the fresh air. We have been pretty lucky to only have a week or so of the smog this winter, but it is still gross and makes it hard to breath. We decided to go for a drive up the canyon to get our clean air. It was georgeous up there. We love Snowbasin, so we went up there to watch people ski and enjoy the sunshine and blue sky. When we got there all the lots were full, but we managed to find a spot to park. They have a fun tubing hill. We sent Emma down just once to the tune of $5 each ride down. She had a great time though and we hope to go spend a day up there letting her go up and down the hill till she's ready to fall over. We had a great time there, looked into lessons for Emma, it costs about $65 for a 2 hour lesson and $15 to rent equipment. A little much for us to afford right now. A full day lift pass costs $68 dollars, we considered Miland getting a lift pass and teaching her himself, but they recomend getting the lessons.

Anyway, it was a good afternoon! We can't wait to go up there again!

Bubbles bubbles everywhere!!

2009-01-28T10:55:00.003-07:00

Ever wonder how they get so may bubbles in the tubs to cover the actresses in the movies? I know one way. All you have to do is but a lid full of bubble bath in the tub and turn on your jets... before you know it you have 10 inches of bubbles on top of the water and children getting lost in them. The girls thought that it was a great thing and now want to take the super bubble bath all the time. (it takes forever to wash all the bubbles down, so I don't recomend it unless you have half an hour to wash the tub out after)

Ahh... a New Year!

2009-01-05T12:18:00.001-07:00

We had a New Years party that was going to be a few people to play games and hang out (by few people... I mean Gary and Dana and fam, as well as my mom and dad). Well, turns out that a few others had no plans for the night so we just kept inviting and ended up with 22 people at our house! We had a blast! We ordered chinese food from Dragon hill and it was yummy! I was afraid that we would not have enough food, but we had so much left over that we have been eating it for four days. We played games ate tons of junk and had a great time. We still can't believe that 2008 is over. We are grateful for all that we have, for our jobs, for our health and for our family and friends. We are so glad that we were able to fill our house with so much love with our family and friends. We only hope that 2009 will be better than the last year!

Naughty Christmas Kids!

2008-12-23T06:39:00.003-07:00

I don't know if it is just me, but did you ever notice that children get naughtier as it gets closer to Christmas? One would think that with all of the threats that happen from parents to children... promises that Santa will get a call and Christmas will be canceled, kids would be on their very best behavior?... I think not. I am certain that the sheer expectation is eating away at them every second not letting them behave, it's all they can do to be still once in a while! My little Emma changes her mind every 3 minutes as to what she wants and has told half a dozen Santa's something different each time she sat down on a lap. If you were to ask her what she wants for Christmas today, 2 days before the big day, who knows what her answer would be. As parents, we just hope that her wish list from 2 months ago will do, because that is what she gets! We hope that you all have a Merry Christmas and a better New Year!

New family pictures!

2008-12-11T07:01:00.003-07:00

Miland and I were planning on taking these great snow pictures this year with all of us in our cute puffy vests and boots... well, no snow is in our forcast any time soon... so we took our indoor, mock studio pictures instead. They are not really our style, but they will do for christmas cards and updated pictures for grandma... but we are still hoping for the snow in late December or January to take our great photos! We did manage to get some picutes of my girls and their cousin Victor. They are pretty cute if I don't say so myself ( i took these pictures, still learing the new camera) Hope you like...

Thanksgiving for our life!

2008-11-18T14:41:00.002-07:00

We are getting excited for the holidays that are coming up. We go to the Kurt Bestor concert every year, this is my 10th or 11th year out of the 20 years that he has been doing it. He has a song that he sings every year called "Prayer of the Children". I couldn't find his version of this song, but I found a version that is ok. It always reminds me how lucky we are to have the life we have. I am grateful for my children, my family, our home, our friends, our jobs and all of the wonderful things that we have. I put the song on the blog for you to hear, listen to the words, it is a great song.

Butt Glue?

2008-11-17T11:26:00.004-07:00

Pagents, pagents, pagents....

I never thought that I would be involved in placing glue on another persons butt and blowing on it to make it tacky and then gently placing their swim bottoms in the proper spot and then rubbing to stick in firmly in place. Confused? I was a contestant chaperon, along with my sister-in-law Dana and mother in law Kathy at the Miss Utah USA pagent. We thought that we had signed up for helping the girls with zippers, hair and reminding them to smile and wear their sash. Boy were we in for a suprise. We had to escort them to the bathroom when in public, tape up boobs with duct tape ( no kidding 1001 uses!) and butt glue their swim suits on. Those girls used spray adhesive to hold shoes on, swim suits in place, dresses from falling off and all kinds of crazy stuff. I have never been exposed to so much hair spray! It was crazy and fun! We had a fun time getting to help these girls. We were exhausted at the end of each night, but what a fun experience. I want to thank Marie for the chance to experience a little of this crazy world. Miland's cousin Julia was Miss Utah USA last year and gave up her title during this experience. She was in the top 15 at the National contest last February. We have had a blast rooting for her and supporting her in the pagents that she has been in. Next time anyone needs some butt glue or the creation of cleavage, let me know... i'm your gal!!

We love Halloween!

2008-11-03T13:04:00.003-07:00

We had a good time this year for halloween. Miland dressed up as a pimp daddy, I dressed up as an 80's punk rocker, Emma was a "cute" witch, Mia was Fi Fi the poodle, Gloria was "holiday fashion", and Dennis was a cowboy. We got to go to a party in Salt Lake this year, Mia won the best kid's costume. We got to go trick-or-treating for a little while before it started raining on us. The girls had a great time. We made our yearly crock pot of chili. It is fun to have traditions. We hope that everyone had a fun and safe halloween!

Never a dull moment!

2008-10-15T09:03:00.002-06:00

Dress up is just a way of life at our house. The girls always have on a costume, princess dress, glasses or wig of some sort. They even got Mamas into the dress up party. Mia got Nana's shower cap and decided that it was this years newest fashion head piece for the fall. I love Mia's upside down glasses. What a trip, I wish I looked this cute in such silly glasses!

Crazy Hair Day!

2008-10-15T09:00:00.001-06:00

Emma had to have crazy hair for school last week as part of red ribbon week. We did a crazy fohawk and some pippy braids on the side. She was quite happy with her do for the day!

Fall Leaves

2008-10-15T08:52:00.001-06:00

We went up to Snobasin Ski resort a few weekends ago to see the fall leaves. It was so pretty up there and almost so hot that it was uncomfortable. We rode the tram up to the top and walked around the trails up there and spent a few minutes in the lodge up top. What a spectacular view. Everyone should take the opportunity to go up there once. This is the 4th or 5th year that we have gone up there in the fall just before they close down to get ready for winter. It is nice to get fresh air and enjoy nature.

This is Amelia and Emma on the tram as we were going up the hill. They love riding the tram.

Powder Fresh!

2008-10-02T10:58:00.002-06:00

Ever wish that your house could smell powder fresh? I am now renting my daughter to come and freshen your house for a nominal fee. She is very thorough. She managed to find a bottle of baby powder in her bedroom and she powdered herself, her bed, the big bed, the carpet, rocking chair and all of her toys! Awesome! She had powder all over her face, arms and clothes. I really should have taken a picture, but all I could think of was cleaning up the mess. I'm kicking my self for not getting that picture, blackmail opportunity lost!!! I guess the bright side is that she smells good and so does her room!

Gettin' back into the swing of things.

2008-09-23T06:56:00.001-06:00

Had to put a little post to say how hard it is to get back into the daily grind after being on such a fun trip. I was swaying for 5 days after we got off of the ship... kinda funny. It is good to be with the girls again, I missed their cute little faces... Mia saying "Chicken Muggets" and Emma asking to help with everything. Emma is back to school after being off track for 3 weeks. She is happy about that and so am I. I apparently am not that great of an entertainment staff... according to my daughter, we here at the Palmer household are BORING! Whoever said that a person needs a vacation at home after their vacation sure knew what they were talking about.

Cruisin' on the Star Princess!

2008-09-19T13:20:00.025-06:00

The first picture here is of the beautiful skyline in Seattle. We love to go to Seattle, it is a fun place.

The second picture is of the Lido deck on the ship. This is where we spent a lot of time looking and the beautiful scenery... and it was close to the food as well! Yummy!

We spent the whole first day out to sea on our way up to Ketchikan. What a beautiful town. We got to go on a tour to see the Totems.

Miland, as you can see, is the low man on the totem pole, which contrary to the saying is actually the most prestigious place to be on a totem pole. There were a few tribes that had thier poles in this park, they were very interesting to look at and it was to learn the stories that they tell.

The picture of the Eagle downtown was also very cool, you can't see it but it has a smiley face painted on its tail feather. The natives have a sense of humor. We had a fun time shopping in town. Miland was a sweetheart and bought me a beautiful tanazanite and diamond ring while we were in Ketchikan. Happy anniversary to me! Yeah!

The next morning we got to travel through the Tracy Arm of Alaska to see a few glaciers. It was cloudy so we couldn't see much, but what we did see was beautiful.

Our second stop was in the Capital City of Alaska, Juneau. It was rainy and cold, but still beautiful. We got to go on a tour of an old Gold Mine. It was very interesting to see how they mined the gold. We also got to pan for gold in soil that they brought up from the river beds. Miland and I both got about 10 or so FLAKES of gold and a few small garnets. It was fun and addicting!

After our mine tour we got to walk through town and shop a little bit. It was kinda cold so we didn't spend too much time in town, but is sure was pretty. We saw something that was really funny... they name their stairways there. Because they are on the side of a mountain, they really only have a few streets that all run the same direction, you have to climb a million stairs to get to the homes build above the town, so they named the stair cases to help people find where they wanted to go.

We went to Skagway next. This was our favorite town to visit. They have really cool train, called the White Pass Train. We didn't ride the train, but took a bus tour instead, we got to see a little more than we would have on the train. We got to see the Gold Miners Cemetary. It was pretty cool to see such old headstones. We learned about all of the people that flooded the area in search of gold and wealth. We saw some beautiful sights. This is a picture of where the train passes over a beautiful waterfall.

We got to go into Canada at the top of the White Pass and on our way back in our driver took a picture of us infront of the Alaska sign.

We spent 48 hours cruising after Skagway. It was nice to spend a little time relaxing. Our last port was Victoria Island. We went on a tour to the Buschart Gardens. What an amazing place. The best tour we went on by far. They had a sunken garden and a japanese garden that were my favorites. There were so many beautiful places that I did not know how to choose what to put on the blog... so here are just two. You'll have to come and see us to see the rest.

The water fountain was down at the back end of the sunken garden. It was breath taking. We were surprised to see the flowers still so beautiful, even in September.

Here is one last picture... it is of Miland and I on one of our formal nights. We had the ship photographer take a picture, it was lame... so we had just some Joe Blow take it for us with the beautiful sunset in the background and it turned out great. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to do this with my husband!

Bon Voyage!!!

2008-09-16T17:19:00.006-06:00

And that it was! - A great journey through Alaska with the love of my life! I could not have asked for a better anniversary present. Linda and I sailed from Seattle stopping in Ketchikan, Jeneau, Skagway, Victoria Island, and back to Seattle. Seven days of beautiful bliss. I only have one picture for now - but will post more later. I just wanted to be the first to say that we had a great time - and if we could go again tomorrow we would! (even though the kids and the Vega's probably wouldn't appreciate that - thanks for taking care of the kids Mom & Dad!) - Anyway -more to come later but here is your teaser......

Happy Anniversary!

2008-09-04T07:13:00.008-06:00

Today is our 10th anniversary. We have been together all together for 15 years, nearly half our lives. Time seems to go so quickly. If you have a weak stomach, be prepared... mushy stuff up ahead! I am so grateful for Miland and all that he has done to take care of me and our family. He has already had to endure many things that a man his age shouldn't have had to... he has had to take care of me through back surgery, knee surgery, infertility treatments, adoption, infertility treatments (again), child birth and a strange grouping of other strange ailments that I have managed to aquire. I am so grateful for his positive - glass half full - attitude, without it I would never have made it through. (as my glass seems to be half empty alot of the time) I am grateful that he was able to push through going to school full time and work full time while doing it.. it is paying off. I am grateful to him for having patience, for mine runs quite low at times. We really are a good match. He is working today, and we are going to celebrate our anniversary this year on a Princess Cruise Ship on voyage to Alaska. We leave on Sunday and we am so excited. We are grateful to my parents who are going to keep the children for 7 long days! Thanks Mom and Dad! We have spent an anniversary in the hospital (when I had Mia) and one with me in a leg brace with permanant residence in the recliner, so I am glad that we have this anniversary to really enjoy time together having fun. Here's to an eternity of love, laughter and joy!

Terrible Two's Here We Come!

2008-09-03T14:55:00.002-06:00

We celebrated Amelia's birthday on Sunday. She was so fun to watch open gifts. We are so grateful for all the great stuff that everyone gave her. She will be the most stylin' baby on the block! She enjoyed her party, loved her cupcakes with Hanna Montana decor on them, and didn't even make too big of a mess. Today is acutally Mia's birthday and we have just been having a quiet day. We went to the park for a couple of hours and played as well as enjoyed our lunch there. She got to choose her clothes to wear today and what she ate for breakfast and lunch. We are so blessed to have our little miracle, and all of her two year old crazy quarks.

Island Fun!

2008-09-03T14:49:00.002-06:00

We were able to go out to Antelope Island over the Labor Day weekend and have a little picnic. We got some KFC and headed out to the Ranch on the island. We had a good time roping cattle and looking at all the various wildlife on the island. We saw buffalo, antelope, deer, cows, horeses, chickens, spiders and the wildest animals of all... my children! The whole Vega clan was there and it was nice to get together, since it doesn't happen too often anymore. What a fun way to spend an afternoon.

Bunko'd Out of the House

2008-08-28T17:30:00.007-06:00

Thats right - the kids and I were banished to the park so the Bunko party could go on uninterupted in the back yard. But that is OK we took our box lunches and had a fun picknic with Mamas. Emma and Amelia had a great time playing on the playgroud. We did discover, however, that Mia has a new found fear of hights. She would not climb on the big toys without someone holding on to her. She has had a few minor falls lately but none were from very high - so we can't figure out the origins of this new fear. Anyway - we had a fun time with an icecream finish.

Thanks for the icecream Mamas!

Up Up and Away!

2008-08-18T12:28:00.003-06:00

Every year we have a Balloon Festival that goes on in Eden, up the canyon from where we live. It is so much fun to go and watch the balloons go up. We try to go to at least 2 of the 3 mornings that they launch balloons and one night to watch them glow. Above is a glow picture, they look like chinese lanters all lit up, bigger than life. It is so cool and addicting.

We have been going to the Festival for about 5 years now. They are so fun to go to. The girls love to go too. Mia really understood what was going on this year and had a great time. We try to drag as many people as we can tell up there to share something that we love. I am determined to go up once in my life, we havn't done it yet because it is $175 dollars a person and needless to say, we decided that we should use our money to feed the children, not fly! We hope that everyone can go see balloons launch once in their lives... it's truly breathtaking!

I want chicken nuggets

2008-08-12T20:13:00.003-06:00

Just like a Timex Watch

2008-08-12T16:50:00.002-06:00

This poor child "takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'!" I swear that Mia is going to give me a heart attack. She scares me half to death. She was jumping on a friend's trampoline and decided to get off all by herself. She fell and ate it into a bunch of wood chips. Luckily all she got was a bunch of scrapes on her face, I thought for sure she had broken her head. She has no fear. Sometimes I think that she was supposed to be a boy. (then I remember how I was as a kid... can you say TOMBOY!!) I am just grateful that she is okay. Pretty soon people are going to start to wonder if we acutally watch our kids or inflict these wounds on them.

Changing Diapers Pay's Off...

2008-08-11T13:50:00.002-06:00

Mia had been getting a little irritated with diapers lately. We think that she is in the beginning stages of wanting to be potty trained. (we hope!) I went to change her this afternoon and found that she had stuck a dime in her diaper!! I have never gotten paid for changing my kids diaper... what a trip! She is having all kinds of diaper trauma lately. Last night we were downstairs changing out laundry, she came down with her diaper half off screeching "oh no!, what do I do?" over and over. it was rather hilarious. I had to get a picture... but it is a little questionable for the internet.... The things kids do and say. I'm pretty sure that I was never that smart when I was her age.

Phot"OH SHOOT"!!

2008-08-04T12:01:00.004-06:00

We spent a few hours taking pictures of the girls. We havn't taken them in a year... just like the mechanic that has the broken down car, we are the photographers that don't take picutes of their family ever. We took nearly 400 shots, narrowed our proof set to 54. I managed to narrow it down to three to publish for now... I may put more on later. Can I just tell you how hard it is to take pictures of toddlers!! My child never holds still. Our camera is pretty fast and we still only managed to get 5 or 6 pictures of Ameila that are clear. ALWAYS on the go! Emma is a little model, loves to have her pictures done, and photographs well. We are so lucky to have our girls, different as night and day in every way possible.

First Day of First Grade!

2008-07-30T14:11:00.002-06:00

Emma looked so cute for her first day of first grade. She was very excited to start school this year. She was most excited that she was going to be able to eat lunch at school this year. She was also excited to be able to wear all of her new school clothes. It is so hard to believe that she is in school all day long. Mia and I miss having her at home with us during the day.

2008-07-30T14:09:00.000-06:00

Thank goodness for super glue!

2008-07-30T13:53:00.003-06:00

We decided to ride the new Front Runner train to Salt Lake so that we could go shopping at the Gateway plaza downtown. We decided to get some food in the food court there and just as we were finished and getting up from our table... Mia pushed out her chair and it fell backwards. She leaned forward and cut her chin on the front of the chair seat. She screamed (of course). I thought that she was just scared when Emma informed me that she was bleeding. In 30 seconds she managed to bleed all over her shirt, mine and Miland's. Do you think that the bathrooms would have paper towels? Nope. I didn't have a bandaid either. So... after searching the mall, a kind employee at Bath and Body Works had a first aid kit and grabbed us a bandaid. She bled through it in a matter of minutes and we still had to ride the train home (a 45 minute trip). Luckily we were able to get right into the Dr. and he glued her little chin shut. Thank goodness for super glue - it kept us from having to traumatize our child any further that day! Now Mia has her first scar... I'm sure it will not be her last.

Good Old Lagoon

2008-07-10T15:06:00.000-06:00

I know that I rode on boats just like this when I was little. (And I think that I even have a picture for proof.) The rides at Lagoon's kiddie land havn't changed much over the last 25 years. The girls thought they were as fun as I'm sure I did all that time ago.

New blogger here...

2008-07-10T14:10:00.001-06:00

A few of our family and friends decided to start blogs, so I guess I will try to do the same, I enjoy looking at them and staying up to date on what is going on with their families. Here it goes...