Tiffany & Co.

To St. George, Dallas, and back

2012-07-02T10:23:00.003-07:00

Mother's Day in St. George

Dallas Temple...we did a session with Mark and Lindsey

Spent lots of time cooling off at the pool

Uncle Phillip with the nephews and girls

Lindsey and boys waiting to eat in the cutest little town of Roanoak, TX

Hot but worth the wait to eat at Bubba's

Lindsey and Mark treated us to a Ranger Game

The kids had fun (Pais hated the firworks when they scored a home run). I'm not sure what they liked more...the baseball game or the gajillion snacks we brought.

When we got back to Utah, we went up to Nana's grave to visit and see the new marker. It turned out perfect.

Jane drew a picture of her and Nana

"Just call me 'cute little fairy' if you need me"

Haven't missed a FHE yet this year. Jane wouldn't let me and I honestly look forward to them too. This is our Testimony Tower.

Darren, Heather, and Stockton came to town. We had a great time with them. I love this little guy. He is so cute in all the different hats he wears. He must know it because he doesn't take them off.

Happy First Birthday Stockton. You eat that cake!

Went to the zoo with daddy, Dar, and Heather.

Sporting the shades!

Aunts and Uncles are so cool and fun.

They love this stupid elephant that squirts water.

Trouble

Painting rocks

Painting rocks for the garden

Last year G&G Tintle gave Paisley this outdoor table and chairs with the umbrella. One of the best presents ever. We make all sorts of crafts and messes on it. Pretty much every meal is outside. We love it.

I love going to garage sales in the summer. I love to score barely used toys that still have all the pieces. It's the only way to buy them...toys are way too expensive don't you think?

I've noticed a ton of silly/random pictures on my phone lately...Jane loves to go through the house and take them. They make me laugh.

Why a picture of a truck? Well, two weeks ago, Phillip got a "temporary" job with Strata. He goes up to Grand Teton National Forest during the week and works on roads, the design/quality control part of them. Being away from family is not ideal and I'm seriously hating it. I do much better when we are together. I know I have been spoiled having him home the last four months looking for a job, but I have liked every minute of it. Being together was the sunshine amongst the stormy clouds that seem to be hanging over us the last 6 months. This job ends when he finds another one or when the weather get's bad (Novemeber?). He does get to drive this truck up and back (6 hours each way) on the weekends. The job is stressful, demanding, tiring, and lonely. I'm proud of my hard working husband though. That's a wonderful quality to have and one of the main reasons I married him.

What we have been up to...

2012-04-23T15:21:00.002-07:00

I need a good laugh

2012-02-29T11:01:00.005-08:00

That's these girls job right now, and they are pretty good at it.

Jane is showing us her owey on her finger...

I was doing dishes, turned around and there she was...standing on the dishwasher. Quickly got my camera and this is her "cheese". Trouble.

Marilee Ann Waite Packer

2011-12-22T20:14:00.000-08:00

Nana Mar's funeral was yesterday. It was a good day. The funeral was perfect. I think it made her happy. My mother in law loved music and there was plenty of that. The speakers were great. I'm so proud of my husband and his words. Right before he spoke, he said "I'm about to speak at my mother's funeral" with a shaky, surreal, voice. I whispered, "speak from your heart". And he did. When he was done, Jane went up at sang "I am a Child of God" in the microphone a capella. Nana would have loved that. A lot of people cried. The whole funeral was touching. I especially loved what the bishop had to say about her. He worked with her for the past five years. He knew her strengths and limitations and put them beautifully. He didn't have the baggage that most of her close acquaintances had, and just served her and showed much love and patience. I feel at peace, because I know she is at peace. My husband is not quite there. I hope I can help him as he heals from this unexpected death. More importantly, I know the Lord loves him and is giving constant comfort to him. It was so good for him to see all the love and support from people at the funeral. That helped so much. If you couldn't be there, thank you for your words of support however they came. After the delicious ham lunch, he felt a little relief. When we got home, we put the girls down and took a much needed 2 hour nap. That felt good. And so the healing begins.

10 Years Ago Today...

2011-12-19T08:08:00.001-08:00

I love you more than anything "Sweathart". Let's do forever...

October Highlights

2011-11-11T16:30:00.000-08:00

Again, life is busier than ever! I can't remember the last time I took a nap...and I'm a huge napper! Since we decided to take our town home off the market, lots has happened. I decided to "embrace my town home" by reviving my three bedrooms upstairs. I am happy to say that all of my remodeling has been paid in cash. I used the money from my garage sale this summer, I have sold and bought quite a few things on KSL classifieds (Just discovered it! I'm in love!), and have taken a lot of my nicer stuff and sold it on eBay or on consignment. Being on the Dave Ramsey Diet is teaching me so much. The main valuable lesson I've learned is...NEVER pay full price for anything. And I have done lots of DIY projects. I can honestly say, I like my home again. Because I practically have no budget, its happening slower than I'd like, but I'm also learning patience.

Within days of taking our home of the market, Phillip was called as Elders Quorum President. Moving, I guess, was not what the Lord had in mind for us. Although Phillip feels inadequate and we see less and less of him, I love what this calling is doing for our family. I see the blessings daily. On top of that, we are keeping the "Gazelle Momentum" (for you Dave Ramsey people, you know what that is), and Phillip is working an extra 30 hours every week at Costco. I love and admire all his hard work. We miss him, but are proud to call him our daddy/husband.

Waffle Shoppe has taken an unexpected but AWESOME turn. Catering! We catered 2 weddings and one shower in October. I absolutely LOVE catering. It's what I want to do now! It's a perfect job for a stay at home mom. I just wish we had more events booked...so spread the word. We have a great product and it has been a huge hit at these events. If you want to book or have questions...go to our website thewaffleshoppe.com...we can't wait to help you!

Here are some picture Highlights from October:

We made and mailed our birthday card for the Sprout. It aired at 7:30am on her birthday. We barley missed it. A good friend of ours saw it and told me. Oh, well.

Horrible picture, but this was such a fun family night. We went miniature golfing at Cherry Hill. Phillip's old stomping ground. I got a detailed report on how things have changed or stayed the same. Sadly the Swiss chairlift near the end wasn't working, but everything else was fun. Nice to enjoy a final warm day of fall.

First Hair cut!
Sorry stylist...your ten minute window has expired. Get me out of this chair and stop round brushing my hair. No movie, balloon or sucker will change my mind.

As for Jane, she loves getting primped. She takes after her mom and Grandpa Keith. She got the most adorable short A-line cut. (Still trying to fix the damage from her cutting her own hair this summer).

For FHE we painted pumpkins, at Jane's request. It was lots of fun. We never ended out carving them because they were so cute.

Paisley says Cheese and poses for pictures with this adorable scrunched face. I love it.
She could be crying or whining, but if you point a camera (iphone) at her, she'll give you this cheesy grin.
We have been to Home Depot a lot lately with all the changes I've made to our garage and upstairs. The girls have been real troopers. I keep dum dums in my diaper bag permanently now.
When Jane's Ariel costume arrived in the mail, I was so excited for her to see it. She's been talking about being Ariel for a while now. She wanted red hair, flippers, and the purple seashells. After her nap, I showed her the package the postman brought. She opened it up and got all grumpy. Do any other kids get ANS out there? (After Nap Syndrome). I made her try it on and she just cried. I took her picture and she refused to smile. I was mad, so mad. After all I spent what little budget we have on clothes for this perfect, glamorous, and requested Ariel costume. I decided to ignore her...for two hours. Every time she tried to get my attention or ask for something I let her know that she hurt my feelings and i have no desire to be around her until she apologizes and is nice. After two hours, she came up to me and said, "Thank you for the Ariel costume Mom"...with a big smile. Yay! She made a good choice! My spoiled little brat of a daughter, is no longer a brat.

Jane's Joy School went to Wheeler Farm. Jane LOVES going to school and wishes it were everyday. Two more years sweetheart.
While I was catering a wedding, Phillip took the girls to the Pumpkin Patch.

My sister Hayley (my business partner), went on a dreamy vacation to the Dominican Republic with her husband and I was left to cater our second ever wedding. Luckily we both have amazing friends that helped out. They volunteered their time to help me. How cool is that? It was tons of fun and everything went smoothly. I wish Hayley was there, she'd be proud. With just two more catering gigs, I will have paid off my half of the business. I am so excited about that. I want to start contributing to our debt elimination plan.
The girls got a bunk bed! They love it. I love it! Great space saving solution. If you notice, Paisley for the time being is sleeping in the pack and play. She's kind of trouble and not quite ready for a big girl bed. Perhaps in a month or two we'll try the bottom bunk with a side rail. Jane LOVES the top. No problems at all!
I'll spare you the gory dead deer picture, but Phillip got a deer! His brothers helped out and it made for a good story, and steak.
The perfect pumpkin for Paisley.
Thanks to Belle Butler's hand me downs, Jane has another pair of ice cream jammies in her size so they can be twinsies. She loves to match Paisley. Paisley has no clue and could care less. Posing for this picture was torture.

This picture still makes me laugh. I turned the bath water on and called downstairs for Paisley to come up and take a bath. She loves baths. I saw her making her way up the stairs and I quickly went to my room to get in my PJ's. I came back to the stairs to greet Paisley at the top and she wasn't there. She wasn't in her room, the office, or hall. Then I looked in the bathroom and sure enough I saw a little head peaking out of the bath tub. Sure enough, she was sitting in the water ready to take her bath. Jacket, corduroys, leather shoes and all. The straight face kills me too. It's as if she's saying, "what? what's wrong?"
We made Frankenstein Pudding for our Joy School Birthday treat.
Jane's Birthday was on Sunday this year. We had a great time with family that night celebrating our so excited to be 4, 4 year old.

One of the activities for Janes birthday was to decorate the 20+ milk cartons we've been saving to make a line of ghosts outside along our walkway. So much fun and so easy!
At Ariel's request, Phillip was King Triton and Paisley was Arie's friend aka a pink mermaid.

The morning after Janes birthday (Her birthday is Oct 30) I woke up to this...Jane playing her new V.Reader in the reading tent Phillip and I made for her birthday. So cute!

Life has been crazy! So what else is new? September Highlights

2011-10-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. Life is busy. I actually like it that way. When I go a whole day or even a week without watching my DVR, it makes me happy. And that is how it's been lately. Here are some pictures from September...
I love this snapshot of what I see in my rear view mirror everyday. I love it! They are either talking, giggling, mimicking each other, or singing (Paisley bops her head to the music).

(No comments on the front facing 16 month old. We are both happier this way and I have full confidence in my Britax.)

Jane's first day of JOY SCHOOL! She is one of the oldest in the class of six. I love this class this year (and last year), they are so well behaved and excited to learn. The moms that rotate are wonderful, I feel lucky to know them.
We painted our garage! Not a necessity but it definitely looks better. It took ALL day. It needed a coat of primer and luckily one coat of paint. I'm glad that's over with. It looks great.
Jane wanted to help, how could I say no?! Here she is in all her glory for a whole 5 minutes! Three year old's don't have much of an attention span.
Yep, we got every nook and cranny. It was a great way to spend a Labor Day together. The girls were surprisingly good the whole time. They wandered around all our garage junk that was poured onto our driveway. It kept them very busy. Paisley took two good naps. Jane has always been good at entertaining herself (what a blessing!). But I do have to say, it would have been much faster without the girls...but not much of a memory.
Paisley sat in this Little Tikes car for 30 minutes, beeping the horn, steering the wheel, and talking on the phone. I wonder where she saw that example?
Here is my hotty husband doing something I wish he'd do more often...play with power tools. He was so kind to make me a TON of shelves in the garage. I'll show you a pic of that later.
My family and I went on a trip to California. We had a great time. I am, afterall, a California girl...that's right, born in Santa Ana. My Aunt and Uncle live in Yorba Linda and I love to visit them. We stayed in a beach house (right next to the beach), went to Legoland, and Disneyland. I'll post pics of that later. But the last few days of the trip we spent at Lake Arrowhead in my Aunts Cottage. On our way up we stopped in Riverside, CA. That is where my Grandma and Grandpa Tintle are buried. It's a military cemetary. Being there is so peaceful, patriotic, and beautiful. It felt very reverent and I felt close to my grandparents while there. I sure do love and miss them.
Family picture...My mom, sister Lindsey, me, Dad and brother Darren. We missed Jason and Hayley and wished they were there too.
My Aunt and Uncle took us on a tour of Lake Arrowhead in their pantoon boat. I've done this several times, but I never tire of looking at famous people's gorgeous cabins right on the lake. They are something else. We parked the boat in the middle and went for a swim. The water was freezing at first, but you quickly got used to it (NOTHING like Lake Powell). Paisley fell asleep on grandpa because of the gentle rock of the boat (and it was nap time). Nice.

I love Lake Arrowhead. Wonderful memories have been made there.
Since being back from vacation, I have had a lot of projects to continue. Finish organizing the garage. Go through all of my junk. Sell it on ebay and KSL. But still have fun with the girls. When I'm feeling like a neglectful mom I say "hop in the car girls and let's go grab a cheeseburger (Jane says...but with no pickles and no onions...picky).
We frequent the germ infested McDonalds Playland often. Build that immune system, right?!
Jane is such a good sister to Paisley. Pais can be hard and in the way sometimes, but she shows a great amount of kindness and patience. I truly believe that first borns are pretty special and are able to handle a lot.
I love this picture of Paisley. She now poses for the camera with this cheesy, scrunched, grin. I love it. She makes me laugh. Just today she did it again, but now she can say "cheese"...so cute.

Lake Powell

2011-09-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

We were fortunate enough to spend 3 nights in Lake Powell on a house boat with my husbands side of the family (No kids, except TJ and Kallie's baby). It was dreamy and I NEED to go back. Here are some random snapshots of the trip...including the family talent show. Interesting talents.

Awwww.....
Tyson (friend of the family) got burnt the first afternoon, poor guy.
Mom, doesn't she look fab?!!!
Willey and his friend Laura.
Justin, my Brother in law. Excellent surfer.

My Sister in law, Mandy

Tom, my Father in law, aka Captain.
Couldn't do this in front of Mom.

Mom's talent......hmmmm......
Justin's talent...he's good at telling people what to do (just kidding...good leader).

Singing the Mormon Rap

Talent Show
Willey, expert surfer.
I didn't get any pics of Phillip surfing, oops. He gave it a good try.
Chillin with Lynn, my mother in law. Enjoying the (slow) ride and view.

Kallie and Sullivan

Willey is fabulous boat chauffeur.
This is the deck we spent the night on...under the stars.

Birthday Duo

2011-08-31T12:28:00.000-07:00

These pictures are adorable! Better late, than never.

Did I mention...

2011-08-31T12:24:00.000-07:00

We seriously made the BIGGEST mistake. When we were packing for New York (yes, back in May, I know it's August and I'm just finishing blogging about the trip and it's August), I said to Phillip, "should we bring our nice camera?" (Canon Rebel), and he said, "why would we need that if we have cameras on our iphones? You want to lug that thing around New York?" So that is why our pictures are horrible quality. I wish I wish I wish I had brought my nice camera. It's the city to do that in. Who cares if I look like a tourist. Oh, well, lesson learned. So sorry about the crappy pictures (not to mention that taking pictures eats up your battery so after half a day we were looking everywhere for a plug to recharge...annoying).

New York Day 6

2011-08-30T14:19:00.001-07:00

This is Cafe Lola. It was in the movie "You've Got Mail". It was delightful. The atmosphere was fun and the food...the belgian waffle was the most scrumptious Belgian waffle I have ever had (Waffle Shoppe makes the best homestyle waffles, this place makes the best Belgian Waffles). No joke.

After Cafe Lola, we decided to split up. Phillip went to go wait in the stand by line for Book of Mormon Musical tickets, and I casually made my way back to Time Square. I walked by the most beautiful Brownstone neighborhoods imagining what it would be like to live there.
I would LOVE to see what is behind this door!
Then I stopped by Magnolia Bakery. As you can tell I love food...and so does New York.
A frequent customer told me to get the Banana Pudding and I'm glad she did. It was amazing. Way better than the cupcake. In fact, I think it had vanilla cupcakes throughout.
Yum!
In the late afternoon, we saw Mary Poppins. We were pretty much at the very tip top of the theater in the last row in the back corner. Kind of sucked, but the musical was great. I got chills during "Let's go fly a kite". It's coming to SLC and I think it's a must. The stage is incredible and it's quite different from the movie.

One last meal on the back porch of our B&B. Shake Shack and Coke. So Sad to go

Goodbye adorable 414 hotel

Goodbye blanket ofSkyscrapers

Goodbye new to us restraunts

Goodbye to the Theater District

Goodbye chocolate cupcakes at Amy's Bread

Goodbye beautiful and HUGE Central Park

Goodbye oh so many amazing Museums

Goodbye City that NEVER sleeps

We love you! Hopefully we'll see you again soon someday!

We decided to save on a taxi and take the subway to the airport. Kind of fun. We caught our late night flight anxious to see our babies.

New York Day 5

2011-08-30T13:16:00.001-07:00

We started out the day by going to the Today Show near Rockerfeller Plaza. Honestly, overrated.

Grand Central Station...I'm married to a civil engineer...it was a must. He goes crazy for rail.
Then we had a "Tiffany" afternoon and went to SoHo...shopping mecca. We ran into the Jonathan Adler store...LOVE his design!
Right outside the store, there were a bunch of weird looking people walking...they were dressed all crazy and futuristic. We found out that Will Smith was around the corner filming Men in Black III and these were a bunch of the extras in the movie.
I bought a pair of darling shoes at Miz Mooz...my absolute favorite brand of shoe right now. They are THE BOMB!!!
We went to Little Italy and ate the most authentic and "real" ceaser salad and pizza. It was amazing, not just saying.
We stopped by DASH. The boutique clothing store the Kardashian Sisters own. Yes, I watch the show. It's a guilty pleasure. There were two body guards in the front of the store and only 13 people were aloud to be inside at a time. Crazy.

I was watching the Food Network one night and saw this Showdown with Bobby Flay in NYC. He was up against the "Dessert Truck" owners and had to make a bread pudding. I am a huge sucker for Bread Pudding. This was a chocolate bread pudding. The sauce was so rich and creamy. The secret ingredient is bacon...who would have known. The Dessert Truck one...and won me over...so we went on a crazy subway ride to find this little shop.

Later that night we went to Yankee Stadium to watch a B-ball game. It was a nice new stadium and a relaxing evening.

On the long and croweded subway ride back to our B&B I made friends with a lady with the cutest scarf. I complimented her on it and right as I was leaving, she forced it on me. New Yorkers can be so nice!

New York Day 4

2011-08-30T12:23:00.001-07:00

We started off the day by visiting the Statue of Liberty. The wait to get on the Ferry took a long time. The security was very extensive too. This picture is us pulling up to Lady Liberty. It's really quite a site. It represents freedom and really makes you appreciate our country and the freedoms we enjoy every day. It's something I have seen in pictures my whole life, but in person it brings on a whole new meaning.

After visiting the island with the Statue of Liberty, we hopped on the ferry again and visited Ellis Island. I loved the history here. This grand hall I am standing in was the great room all immigrants passed through before they were excepted to live in America. This place was busy, crowded, and a place of nervousness and hope for new comers.
The picture below is not much to look at, but it's Ground Zero. It's in the heart of the Financial District on the south part of the island. They are in the middle of construction to rebuild this part of Manhattan. It's actually huge and will have 8 or something huge buildings and skyscrappers in the near future.

This is a 911 museum. I am reading the time line of what happened that morning. It really takes you back. You ask anyone my age or older and they can tell you where they were when the events were happening and the feeling that day. I was at Utah State living with my Aunt Sallie and Uncle Mike. After I got out of the shower, my Uncle knocked on the bathroom door and said "Come look at this". It was after the first plane hit. I remember his face. It was somber. I was in such shock, not really understanding what was really happening. Then the second plane hit. What was going on? I still got ready and went to class. When I walked in the classroom, my teacher had the TV on and said that was all we'd be doing and we were free to leave. I stayed a while watching and talking with my classmates. I was supposed to meet Phillip, who I was dating at the time, at the Student Center after class and grab some breakfast. Because I didn't have a cell phone (most college students didn't at the time), I hoped he'd still meet me because all I wanted was to be with him. We, along with so many other students just sat in amazement and what was happing on the TV, looking for an explanation. Then there were rumors of a plane down in Pennsylvania, and did that have to do with it? Then there was a plane that crashed into the Pentagon. Again, what was happening???

As I was reading the timeline at the museum I relived the moments. It was the first time ever for a president to ground all planes, it took an hour. Although a horrific thing for our country to go through, it sure did make us a little bit more united for a time.

This is a piece of artwork made from many of the items honoring those on 911 that was hanging on the fence near ground zero.

After a very emotional day, we had tickets to go see "Spiderman"...the most expensive Broadway show ever created. We had the privilege of seeing it on opening night after a 40 day break to fix a bunch of technical problems they were having. We were greeted by the directors before the show started and sat just 5 rows from the front. The play was amazing, despite whatever the rumors are. The music is fabulous and the special effects were awesome. The characters fly over your head all around the audience. There is not a bad seat for the show.

For dessert we went to the South East corner of Central Park to the famous Serendipity 3. Famous people like Jackie O and Andy Warhol came often for the delicious eats. I of course had a famous Frozen Hot Chocolate. I loved the atmosphere, it's hard to describe. I think my friend Lisa said it best "It looks like a Polly Pocket house". This is the famous fireplace from the movie. What I appreciate about the movie now that I have been to New York is the "realness" of it. The locations the movie took place (Bloomingdales, Serendipity 3, Rockerfeller Plaza Ice Skating Rink, Waldorf Hotel, etc.) was all realistically close in proximity to each other.

New York Highlights Day 3

2011-07-21T12:18:00.000-07:00

We started the day out by jogging about 6-7 miles around central park. Our GPS died after 4 miles so I don't know exactly. That was a memory and a great way to see Central Park. We passed the "boat house", the statue of "Alice in Wonderland", and were two of thousands of people running/walking/biking. We started on the middle of the west side, and circled all the way to the top NW corner following the main jogging path. Such a memory. I could have gone longer because we were at sea level and the air was so nice, but we were anxious to get going.

Phillip is standing by one of many Picassos
You can see every brush stroke by Van Gough's "Starry Night"!

This is Matisse... I would love this for my living room

Blurry picture because it was taken with my camera phone, but I'm standing in front of a painting I've loved for a long time...Water Lillies by Monet. The room had a huge bench that was pack with people, yet you could hear a pin drop. It was almost reverent.

We went to the museum of modern art called the "MODA". It was incredible! We could only spend one hour here, but I could have spent half a day. We saw originals from some of my favorite artists...Van Gough, Matisse, Monet, and Picasso. I'm so giddy happy you can tell by my smile.

We went to the Late Show with David Letterman. I was dissapointed. I would have rather explored the city more. The guest was Chaz Bono, weird. By this point, I was sick of being on TV shows and feeling liked used cattle. It takes up too much time. The only thing cool about it was that it is the Ed Sullivan theater where the Beatles played.

I was super hungry so we found a great little Italian place to eat in the Theater District. You can't really go wrong with restaurants with New York, they are all delicious. After dinner, we went to see "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying". Daniel Radcliffe was amazing. You would have no clue he is British. He put some serious energy and soul into his part. Jon Laraquette was okay, I was just excited to see "Dan" from Night Court. Great music, so-so story, amazing costumes and set.

Afterward we weren't tired yet, so we explored the city at night time and walked several blocks to the Empire State Building. We rode the Metro a ton, so it was night to see the city on foot. The Empire SB is open to like 2am or something so it was the perfect thing to do after a show.

The Empire State Building was a highlight for me. We really enjoyed the audio tour and the art deco details everywhere. It is such a landmark full of history and class. Being on the top and looking out at the city was breathtaking. It was very quiet at the top, almost a reverence filled the air. Very romantic. Such a memory for me and Phillip. If you go to New York, you must go, and I suggest at night.

New York Highlights Day 2

2011-07-21T11:47:00.001-07:00

Tuesday morning we walked a few blocks from our B&B to the Nate Berkus Show. Because I love design so much and I love Nate so much, it was awesome. His studio was beautiful in person, from the floors, to the moldings, to the lighting. Nate was even more beautiful in person. Our episode had a few police women makeovers, the stylist guy from the Rachael Zoe Project, and Gillian Michaels (I even got a free workout DVD!). It was a fun filled hour being behind the scenes.

After being on Nate, we walked over to the famous Carnegie Deli. This is the "sandwich" Phillip ordered. It had pastrami and corned beef on it. I don't care for either of those meats, but I seriously couldn't eat enough of it. It was delicious! This place is not over rated. We even got to meet the owner outside and take a picture with him. He was a true New Yorker...the accent, the jokes, and "rude".

After Lunch we got back on the double decker bus and took a tour of Brooklyn. Here is a picture of the famous Brownstones (the stoops that lead up to beautiful apartments), the Brooklyn Bridge, and the New york City scape from across the island. Brooklyn seemed to me like a great place to live, not as pretentious, and more family friendly but with so much history.

To catch a second wind, we went back to our hotel and took a quick power nap before we saw the next show "Newsical the Musical". It was off broadway and we loved it and laughed our heads up. The show consisted of four extremely talented people and one pianist. The did skit after skit poking fun of the last years headlines. Some amazing impersonations were done: Obama, Christina Agulera, Celine Dion, Sarah Palin and daughter, and the list goes one. Hilarious! Then we ended the night going to the Shake Shack to grab a bite to eat. It is like In-n-Out on Steroids. This is a picture of Amy's Bread...the chocolate/white icing cupcakes were to DIE for! I think I got one every day. Hey, we walked a lot, so I justified the calories.

33!

2011-07-13T14:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Phillip!

To make 33 not so bad, here are 33 things I love about you...

1. You are adventurous.

2. You are great at mountain biking, running long distances, and being a good sport.

3. You have the biggest, most dramatic facial expressions.

4. You love me with everything you got.

5. You are crazy about your girls.

6. You find joy in the small miles stones and accomplishments of your girls.

7. You have great integrity.

8. You aren't afraid of asking for directions.

9. I love to play geeky games with you.

10. You like to read instructions.

11. Even though it might take a while to get something done, I know it's done very well.

12. You make me feel intelligent, even though you are the one that really is.

13. You love my family, especially my brothers.

14. You love your family, especially your brothers.

15. You can carry a good conversation about sports.

16. You like Coke just as much as I do.

17. You apologize when you are wrong.

18. You help me.

19. You are handsome.

20. You have nice shoulders, hairy chest, lips to kiss (the best I know) and legs.

21. You make the most beautiful babies.

22. You are a hard worker.

23. You are kind and don't speak ill of others.

24. You were a great missionary and loved your mission.

25. You love the gospel and are so curious.

26. You are open minded.

27. You can fix the computer or printer every time I have a problem.

28. You are fun and love to have fun with your family.

29. You care, almost too much.

30. You worry, almost too much.

31. I love it when I actually make you laugh, which is hard to do.

32. You always eat the food I make and never complain.

33. You want to see the world.

That was easy! I could keep going. I love you Phillip! Happy Birthday old man!

Oops...Happy Birthday!

2011-07-07T09:14:00.000-07:00

I was just driving home from the gym and glancing back at my darling little Paisley, thinking "Boy you are looking older all of the sudden...oh crap, it's your birthday today!". I admit, I totally forgot. I just called Phillip and asked him, "Do you know what today is?" pause, pause, pause. Then he just started laughing, a guilty laugh. We both forgot. I even made plans to go out with some girlfriends tonight. Oops. I think the reason I forgot is because I've been so focused on a birthday party for Phillip and Paisley on July 13th. Lot's of my family will be in town then so I moved her birthday in my mind 'till next week, so I'm not that awful of a mom.

Happy Birthday to our little Paisley! We seriously love you so much and can't imagine our family without you.

The top picture was taken one year ago and the bottom picture was taken just yesterday, one year later.

New York Highlights Day 1

2011-07-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

{Bed and Breakfast 414}

When we arrived in NYC we hopped on my first taxi ride ever and it brought us to our hotel. We got out of the car and this is what we saw. Adorable. You can't beat the price for staying in the heart of the theater district. We loved it. Cute and very clean. 5-10 minute walk to time square and most theaters.

{Double Decker Sight Seeing Tour Bus}

Since we arrived early Monday morning, we wanted to aquaint ourselves with this concrete jungle by taking a tour of all the bouroughs. It was nice to sit back and get our barrings. We went from Midtown, to downtown (financial district) up and around Central Park then back to the time square and saw everything inbetween. These buses are everywhere in NYC, you can hop on and hop off as you like. We loved it.

{TKTS}

The TKTS ticket office is in the middle of time square. It's a great way to get day of discounted tickets to musicals and plays. We came here everyday.

{Rockefeller Plaza}

Had to see where the Today Show and Saturday Night Live is taped.

{View From the Top of the Rock}

To the North...Central Park.

To the South...Empire State Building.

Beautiful...

{Pricilla Queen of the Desert}

First Broadway Show we saw. Entertaining. Great music. Cool Bus.

{Amy's Bread}

Ended the night by getting the most delicious piece of chocolate cake with white sugar frosting at a bakery around the corner from our B&B. Dangerous. We went here a lot!

New York

2011-06-28T11:29:00.000-07:00

In May, Phillip and I went to New York for a trip of a life time. Come back soon to see some highlights!

I am grateful for...

2011-06-24T09:47:00.000-07:00

My dog Ralphie. He's seriously the coolest dog. My parents adopted him about 12 years ago and he has been such a blessing in our lives. He's a mut...part Eskimo part Cocker Spaniel. Recently my Dad put him down because he was getting so old (we think 17 years). His hearing and sight was really bad and he couldn't control his bladder. That is one of the most difficult things for me to experience. He was in my care for his last 24 hours and I am grateful for that. This is me and the girls taking him on his last walk (awful). I cried all day. My girls loved him too. He was good to them. I'm so grateful to him and hopefully one day he'll know that.
I am so grateful for Stockton, Darren and Heather's new baby boy. He's here and healthy! Long awaited miracle baby. I just can't wait to hold him. He lives in Mosow, Idaho.
I am soooo grateful for my dear friend Lisa. She is the one who got me to do Ragnar. She's amazing! We work out pretty much every day together. She has 100% confidence in me and is one of the funniest people I know. I love you Leese!
I am so grateful for my little Paisley. If you know her, she seriously is the cutest thing you've ever seen. Her chill and kick back personality is needed in our family. She only cries if you take something away from her and don't replace it with something, or when she's super hungry. Otherwise, she's perfect. Seriously. Stay that way Pais.
I'm grateful for the "Coolest Daddy" in the world...Phillip. He loves his girls. He's crazy about his family. You know they are number one in his life. Jane wanted to make him a crown for Father's day that said " U R the Coolest Daddy Ever" and I couldn't agree more. I'm also grateful for Jane. She is so smart and sweet. She can give me a run for it, but I'm constantly amazed by her. She is teaching me so much. She sings all day long. I especially love it when she sings primary songs, it melts me.

Wasatch Back Ragnar

2011-06-23T07:53:00.001-07:00

Last year, I was pregnant.

This year, I did it!!!

Runner 3, 3 legs, 18.5 miles, 30+ hours, one of the funnest and hardest things I've ever done!

Phillip was Runner 5...I am so proud of him!

Waffle Shoppe June 11, 2011

2011-06-12T21:07:00.000-07:00

It was our second Saturday at the Provo Farmer's Market and boy did it go a lot smoother. We worked out most of the bugs from last week. Better set up, no electrical problems, easier ways to pour the batter, more efficient way to keep the syrup frothy, etc.

I did miss my dad and mom this week, they were on vacation. My dad kept our spirits high last week by being the funniest cashier/sample man on the planet. And my mom ran about five different emergency errands for us. Next time you help, it will be fun, I promise.

Our husbands were by our side this time. They put up with me bossing them around (I make a good chief). Jake, (Hayley's husband) makes in with all the Spanish speaking vendors and trades our waffles for delicious and authentic good eats. Hayley and I are learning so much about running a small biz. It's so emotional. Up and down. But some serious fun! I love working with my sister! If only my other sister could live by us....perhaps this summer she can help us out once or twice when she visits.

I wish it was closer to Salt Lake (next year...cross fingers), so my friends could stop by. Luckily Hayley's friends and family have shown some awesome support.

Come try us out! We'd love to see you! You'll love the Waffle Shoppe.

Waffle Shoppe

2011-06-08T16:53:00.000-07:00

This is why I have been so incredibly busy lately....

My sister Hayley and I braved a new and quaint little business selling the most delicious waffles and syrup. Thanks to her graphic art skills and impecable taste, we have branded ourselves well I believe. Our stand is located at the Provo Farmers Market (Provo Center Street and 500 W). We are open from 8:30am - 1:00pm. If you are in the area, please stop by and give us a try! If you "like" us on Facebook, you get a free drink.

Here is a link if you'd like to see some pictures of our first day (last Saturday June 4) at the Provo Farmer's Market. Hope to see you soon!

These two...

2011-06-02T14:31:00.000-07:00

Paisley continues to be a perfect little angel. Jane is an energetic, opinionated, teacher of patience. Jane got the "happy kid, excited for everything award" at Preschool Celebration today. Boy I love these two....

I figured it out

2011-05-24T10:43:00.000-07:00

So, as you have noticed, I haven't blogged much lately. I have figured out why (besides the fact that I'm a mom of two extremely busy little ladies). The computer is in Jane's room. The best time for me to blog is while Jane's sleeping. So you see it doesn't work. If I'm on the computer while she's awake, I feel completely guilty and neglectful. I was looking at a book I made of Jane's first year. I was so diligent and writing everything down. I have done absoluetely nothing for Paisley, poor thing. I don't even blog much about her. What to do??? I have this idea of making a book using iphoto or shutterfly of every year about my whole family...I just hope I do it. Gone are the days for me of scrapbooking. I'm just not into it anymore, not to mention all my supplies are in the garage buried deep in boxes. I'm feeling over whelmed and like I'm not doing enough right now for my families posterity.

On a brighter note, I just spent an amazing week in New York with my husband. I am running like crazy. I'm actually to the point where 3 miles is easy and not enough. I do a big run every Saturday between 6-9 miles (until now I have never ran more than 4 miles total!). Phillip and I even took a 6-7 mile run all around Central Park. Memorable. I have so many moments throughout the day where I look at my little family and think how blessed I am and "I really like them" (of course I love them). I am down about 17 pounds since the beginning of the year. I write in a journal. I love my church calling. I have great friends and family who encourage me.

On the frustrating side, my house isn't selling and we can't lower the price much more. It's been for sale for 1 1/2 years. I have felt in limbo for so long now. For those of you who really know me, I love design. I love to decorate. But I have felt so constricted of that. My husband isn't loving his job, and there isn't much movement in his field right now. So if we did sell our house, where would we move to? How much could we afford? So frustrating. Although I feel down about that, I am constantly reminding myself that Heavenly Father is watching out for us. He's got a plan for us and we just need to be patient.

Thanks for listening to my ups and downs. It's good to be real.