Traffic Jam

vacuum traffic jam

Even though it may be a little trickier to get the job done, you can't beat the help around here.

St. George

Last weekend my cousin M'Kenzie invited my sister Krista and I for a get-a-way weekend in St. George, UT with her and a friend. We stayed at her one of her in-laws homes there and had a wonderful, relaxing time.

I haven't had a girls trip since before I became a mother. And in fact, this was my first time leaving Claire overnight and she's 13 months old. Did I miss my kids while I was gone? Well, I was only gone for 3 days so I didn't really have time to miss them. And I was really enjoying my freedom. And... they were with their dad the whole time and what's the worst that could happen? They leave the house in mismatched clothes? Or eat only bread for breakfast instead of something more substantial? (Bread is Mike's specialty "throw at em" food). I think the kids enjoyed their daddy time too, because for the first time, after I got home Claire cried when Daddy walked out the door for work.

There were 4 of us women, and 3 babies. Each had their own baby except for me. I knew my kids wouldn't do well in a big un-childproofed house since they are a little older and mobile, and Mike was willing to watch them so I took advantage of it. I had my own bedroom/bathroom and got to sleep-in and shower undisturbed. (wow!) I didn't have to worry about naps, bedtimes, feedings, or carseats. It was heavenly. Here's a few pictures of the house we stayed at:

Yes, that's a tree growing in the middle of the house.

bottom part of the tree

We watched movies, the Academy Awards (I think my first time watching the whole thing), cooked all of our own food, did a little shopping, soaked in the hot tub, and talked a lot of girl talk. 

Kellen thought these dogs were HILARIOUS. Just imagine a big baby belly laugh. All the dog did was look at him or walk by him and he was in a giggle fit. 

The warm sun was soooo nice.

Kristen, M'Kenzie (holding Porter), Krista (holding Kellen) and me.

This was our late night Kneaders run. They have the best desserts!

Thank you Kenzie for such an awesome trip! And even though my husband doesn't read my blog, I really appreciated him taking time off of work (a day and a half) to watch our kids. It was a busy time at work for him and he worked late days previous to the trip in order for me to be able to go. It was so refreshing!

Back to School

Mike decided 4 months ago he wanted to go back to school. He got his bachelors 5 years ago and always insisted he was done. Well, over time I think the painful memories of school faded enough to think about it again. He crammed for the GMAT in 8 short weeks and scored well enough to earn him a scholarship and acceptance into BYU's MBA program for fall 2012! Mike is the kinda guy that when he puts his mind to something he does it, and he does it well. How do I feel about going back to school? Well, BYU does not allow their MBA students to work during their 1st year of school. So considering he's leaving a great job to live off student loans again I'm totally dreading it. But we have to think of it as an investment. And after meeting some of the current MBA wives and how positive and yes, fun the whole program is, I am totally excited and on board. 70% of graduates out of this program get jobs out of state. So we don't know where this will take us, and its a scary thing...but I think we're ready.

Bummer

Due to technical difficulties with our camera, it looks like I'm going to have to put a pause on my photo challenge. :( Bummer, I was looking forward to the upcoming photo's too.

Photo Challenge Day 7: Button

I didn't take a picture of a button today. But I did take a few pictures of this baby girl today. Who is AS CUTE as a button. This is little Claire Hirz. Thanks Carolyn for letting me snap a few pics of this beautiful girl.

Photo Challenge Day 6: Dinner

On the menu: chicken noodle soup w/multigrain ciabatta bread.

10AM

We go to church at 1:00, so we have lots of time to play with cars, drink hot chocolate, and lounge around in our pj's until noon.

A Stranger

Okay, so today's photo was really awkward. And I didn't go anywhere interesting to capture a stranger. So this is the best I could do: The University Mall in Provo.

Being at the mall in Provo is like looking in the mirror. LDS. Young Adults. Everyone is (pretty much) dressed the same. If I were to do it again, I'd definitely pick somewhere more interesting next time!