St. George Vaca Part 2

So the second half of our weekend getaway was spent in Beautiful Zions!(What an extremely perfect name for the place) I fell in love. Head over heels, fast and hard.... This place melted my heart.... The "Emerald Pools" hike was my favorite. The algie that grows there turns the water this magnificent green color. It was breathtaking.

The cliffs and sheer size of the mountains were very awe inspiring... Let me know that our creator was so mindful of detail and took great pride his work.

The men: all reading a different map! Which way should we go??!!

Those boyz..... they melt my heart too :)

Going in the Spring is a must! All of the run off is there and it creates these amazing waterfalls. But I heard the fall is pretty spectacular as well. Perhaps I will have to go visit again to see for myself!

Nothin like hangin with your cousins, climbin rocks and gettin dirty!

Nothin wrong with a Bandanna. (this kid is adorable!)

This place is on my list! If you need a great place to go as a family(or as a couple, hint hint... husband if you are reading this!) Totally worth it, if you are into gorgeous scenery, fresh air, breathtaking views and that sort of thing.... otherwise there's always the outlet malls! (Zions beat the outlet mall hands down!)

St. George Vaca Part 1

We took a weekend trip down to St.George a couple of weeks ago and it was Heavenly! We were able to do some really fun, exciting things, that for me created priceless memories.

We visited Snow Canyon which was like a big sandbox for the kids! They enjoyed burying them selves in the sand. It was fun to watch. The warmth of the sun and the sand on our toes was like therapy for my soul! I am so longing for summer, the carefree days with no homework, no place to be, just relaxing and being together.

Easter this year was celebrated the weekend before actual Easter! The boys were going to be in Salt Lake at their Dad's house so I wanted to make sure we got in all our Easter Traditions too! I love Traditions and the way they make a family go round, the way they bond us together and even more so, the memories they leave behind for us to carry on with. I think every Easter deserves a good egg hunt! We were able to enjoy 2 of them. One at the Sports Academy where I work. They did it by age group which is fun in the fact that the little ones get a chance to actually pick up the eggs, on the other hand.... having 3 kids in 3 different age groups made for a long.... long....long.... Easter egg hunt!

My sister and her sweet family came down and visited and we did our own little egg hunt with the cousins! We had the Men hide the eggs while the kiddos patiently waited! It was fun to see them with their cousins and looking and looking for those hidden eggs!

Nothing like using an Easter Basket to double as a hat! What else is it good for if it's empty, right?

My Favorite Easter tradition thus far is one we started about 3 years ago. I love, love, love it! We wake up early Easter Morning before the sun comes up, wrap the kids in their blankets, still wearing our PJ's. We all pile in the car, chocolate milk in one hand, doughnuts in the other! (If you are thinking you want to add this tradition to your family, this is a Must do part! Do not skip on the doughnuts and Milk!!) We drive somewhere... anywhere.... that we will be able to watch the sunrise. We park, and usually mom(that's me!) has some songs loaded on the IPOD that I play t0 help set the mood. We read the Easter Story from the Scriptures and this year we all took turns bearing our testimonies. It's really a beautiful thing... we talk about the symbolism of Christ and the sun rising. And then we wait, and wait, and wait. Till the sun finally peaks up and over the mountains and shines with all it's brightness and glory(it can be a bit blinding at times and overwhelming... or maybe that's the spirit, letting me know that with out a doubt, the son of God died for me and was resurrected.) I love this tradition and look forward to it more and more each year. And even though my kids are still little, they still get it... maybe that's the moment I like the most....

My Sweet Mr. K got a Baseball hat for Easter. I have frequently found him in the bathroom starring in the Mirror.... just looking at his cool self (if i were him, I'd probably be doing the same thing!) He tells me that with his hat on side ways he is a "cool dude!" He has this killer smile and a way with the girls. I picked him up from Kidz Klub at the gym the other day and he leans over and whispers to me that he told his friends how to talk to girls. (from that first line, I knew this was gonna be good!) ME: Oh really, and what do you say to girls? Ky: "Sha-la-la" Me: (hiding my giggles not so well...) hmmm.... and what does it mean if you tell a girl "Sha-la-la" Ky: (in his super cool dude tone) "It means they will kiss you!" Me:totally crackin up at this point....HA! Ladies now you know the secret!! Use it wisely!

So April Fools has not exactly been a highly celebrated holiday around our house. But this year the boys really wanted to play tricks and Mr. B kept begging (seriously, it was like every 5 minutes!) for me to play a trick on him! No pressure here.... how do you trick someone that wants to be tricked??? Think, think, think.. it needs to be unexpected, it needs to be subtle, it needs to be creative, it needs to be with food! (only because I love it so dearly...ahhh) So my plan of action was to play dumb like I didn't know what Mr. B was talking about and that I didn't have any ideas of what I could do for a trick, all the while plotting away.... I came up with the idea to substitute the yummy filling in OREOS for the nastiness of CRISCO!

They looked believable enough.... Right???

ok, some were a little thicker than others. And the funny thing is, they thought they were double stuffed! Those boys were fighting over who got the biggest one! (hehehe)

I attempted to film this little trick and to my dismay I played a trick on myself and didn't have it on record :( April fools to me.... There were quit a few "BLLLaaahhhhs,, yuck, what is this??? ugghhh... Gross! I NEED TO SPIT!!!" Pretty entertaining if I do say so!

Boyz2Men!

Yes, I know there are only 3, we still aren't sure where #4 is???

Jess having a "Pirate Moment" AAARRRRRrrr Matey!

Jess lookin like a fly girl! Loved this headband she wore! kinda want to steal it ;)

This year was a big one on the birthday scale for me and many of my dear friends. We have come of age and I feel like an official adult! 30 is here! So to celebrate, my sweet darling adorable friend Jessica and I hit up Wendover(I had never been) and the Boyz 2 Men concert. Ladies.... it was AWESOME! The boyz can still sing! We had so much fun. From sneaking up the aisle to some pretty sweet seats, to dancing with the gals next to us, to singing along at the top of our lungs "I'll make love to you! Like you want me too!" ahhhh.... it was so much more than I had expected and I was so fun to be sharing the good times with Jess. We ended up scoring some backstage passes and having the opportunity to meet the "Men" in person. It reminded me of Santa Claus at the mall,waiting in a really long line and then seeing him for about 2 minutes! Not quit the after party I was hoping for but still, up close and personal was well worth it! Afterwards Jess took me to the black Jack table to give me my first lesson in how to play my cards right. The deal was that I had $20 bucks and when it was gone, I was done :) My $20 turned into a $100. I was feelin good, I had my hotel room, concert ticket, dinner paid for and a little extra! I was feeling a bit overwhelmed about turning 30 and what that all meant... my small piece of advice, don't over think it! Just enjoy. 30 turned out to be not so shabby for Shelley ;) Can't wait for 31!

Derbies, puppies,V-day dinner and more!

It's time to play a little catch up.... So here we go. Mr. E had his pine wood derby a while back. He spent some quality time workin on his car to make it just right! I never knew the effort and skilz that boys (and their dads...and step-dads!) put into these cars. So many little tricks and secrets to make the thing run just a little bit smoother and just a little bit faster! My boy did good though. He came in 4th place so all that hard work paid off!

Our neighbor Evan has been fostering some puppies for the Human Society and he brought them over a few times for the boys to see. Ahhhh.... those kids loved them! They wanted to cuddle them, and kiss them and never ever let them go! (they were pretty delicious I do admit!) They kept asking how much they cost and when Evan told them $150 they were putting their little brains together to see how they could come up with the money. Mind you we already own 2 dogs! They were very cute but I was definitely glad to see them go. I don't think this momma is cut out for more dogs :)

Yes I do realize the ca lander says April and I will be posting pics from Valentines day.... there is no excuse, but that's what is happening so just enjoy it! For Valentines day this year since it was on a Sunday we decided the option for a hot spicy date was just kinda out of the question (don't worry folks, we got the date in earlier!) We chose to have a little etiquette dinner for the boys at "Le Dawson" restaurant. This little whole in the wall was open for one night only with yours truly and the man of the house as the hostess and server. They boys made the decorations and we set the table with our fine china and some awesome goblets we scored at DI! They enjoyed a nice 4 course meal including appetizers, salad a main dish and dessert. We talked about manners and being polite and what to do if the food on your plate looks yucky! (not that any of them thought that...ok, maybe they did) They wore collared shirts and were perfect gentlemen! It was a fun night and something I hope we do again!

So in being the owner of 2 dogs there is quit a bit of work that goes into caring for them. They need to be fed, watered, taken out to the bathroom, played with, bathed and walked. It is a lot so every one gets to chip in! That's just how it works :) so I asked the boys to please take the dogs out for a walk and them with their creative little minds hooked the dogs up to the sled and had them pull them all around the back yard. We have a Yorkie poo and and English bulldog, so not exactly sled dogs.... but them seemed to work. Mr. E came in asking for dog treats to hook on a wire to dangle in front of the dogs so that they would chase it and run faster.(my kid is smart!)

I don't think I am quit all caught up, but some things deserve a post of their own so the pics may be old but the memories are too special to combine! I will BLOG better... I promise... cross my heart... pinky swear!!!