Novebmer 2010; Puerto Vallarta

   Talk about a family DREAM vacation!  In November my parents took the whole family on a trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  We did so many fun things on this trip, and the MEMORIES have gotten me through this long cold winter.  We stayed at this amazing hotel right on the beach, so beautiful.  We sipped PINA COLADA on the beach and watched the sun set. Our beach is a nesting spot for sea turtles.  Joshua and I got to watch a sea turtle bury her eggs in the sand, then make her way back to the water.  We also got to visit the sea turtle shelter and help release BABY TURTLES.  It was awesome!  We took an all day snorkeling boat trip extravaganza.  Joshua went parasailing.  I got a wonderful massage from the hotel spa. The whole family went ZIP-LINING through the jungle.  We rode mules, built sand castles, took naps, read books, soaked in the hot tubs, raced down the water slides,  haggled with shop owners, went through bottles and bottles of sunscreen, ate at amazing taco stands, and spent time together laughing and joking.  I love my FAMILY and my wonderful husband so much!  We had a blast and will remember this vacation forever.

  This post wouldn't be complete without mentioning "Lizzy's Week Of Fun"  This was the longest time I had been away form my little girl.  I planed out the week for her staying with friends and family.  We called it "Lizzy's week of fun"  Lizzy and I both did really well but I sure was glad to have her back in my arms at the end of the week!!

 

October 2010; Halloween

 This HALLOWEEN Lizzy wanted to be everything from a cookie to Little Red Riding Hood.  I was just glad that she picked and stuck with a witch, although she did have a fit as soon as I put on my cat ears. She said that she wanted to be a cat and I should wear her WITCH outfit.  We started Halloween off with a Halloween parade for Pre-School. So cute!  They had learned a few Halloween songs like "I'm a mean old witch" and "Five little PUMPKINS" One of our favorite costumes in her class was the little boy who came as a pink butterfly.  That night Joshua had to work so he missed out on dressing up and TRUNK-OR-TREATING.  Conner was wonderful came with us instead.  It was lots of fun.  Although Lizzy did cry when I told her she couldn't use her hands to eat the doughnut off the string. 

  

September 2010; Lizzy's Birthday Party!!

 

Happy Birthday Lizzy!!  This was a PERFECT day!  We had this awesome event at a the park.  The party was a hit with a purple castle cake, fishing wall, pinata, more presents then a three year old knows what to do with, and best of all, all of Lizzy's FAMILY and FRIENDS.  It has always been my dream to have all of Lizzy's family (Mine, Joshua's, and Matt's) together for Lizzy, so this day was a dream come true for me.  The kids loved the FISHING WALL, especially getting to be the one on the other side of the wall.  Lizzy requested a purple castle cake.  I had a lot of fun making it.  And she was so excited when every one started singing to her, but then when it was time to blow out the CANDLES she just broke into tears. It was the cutest, funniest, and saddest thing ever.  Matt and I ended up having to help her blow them out.  Whenever we look back at the pictures she tells me "Mom, maybe next year I'll be bigger and not cry, and blow out the candles all by myself."  She sure will be bigger.  And the list of things that she needs my help doing is getting shorter everyday.  I LOVE her so much and am so proud of the little women she is becoming.  

September 2010; Lake Powell

    

  Joshua and I were so lucky, we got to go to LAKE POWELL twice this summer.  This trip we went with Joshua's friend Nichole and her family. This was Lizzy's first time at Lake Powell, and she loved it! She even learned to SWIM by herself (with a life jacket).   We were there on Lizzy's BIRTHDAY so she got to open a few presents on the top of the house boat. One of which was a barbie that came with us on our early morning ski runs.  The trip was such a blast!  I love my little FAMILY and how much fun we have together!

August 2010; First Day of Shcool

   My little girl is all grown up!  Lizzy started PRE-SCHOOL this year.  She talked about going to school all summer.  She was so excited! And when the big day came she just waved goodbye and went to sit with the other kids.  I remember coming home and not knowing what to do with myself, two and a half hours with no Lizzy. 
  She has LOVED every minuet of pre-shcool.  She has learned so much already.  She can write her name and most of the letters by her self.  She loves to ask me how to spell words as she writes them on paper, mostly names of family members.  It's so much fun to see her little brain work.  She is so SMART and grown up!

 
   

August 2010; Bear Lake

 

   In August we took a family vacation to BEAR LAKE with the whole Stonehocker family.  We don't get to be all together very often so it was really great spending time with almost the whole family! (We missed you Jason and Jacqui!)  We went to the BEACH, rode in the tube, we played lots and lots of card games, and we went to a cave.  This is proof that I LOVE my husband, because I hate caves!! The lake and all the area around it was so beautiful. Of course one of my favorite highlights was the famous RASPBERRY SHAKES , yummy! Can't wait for the next Stonehocker family trip.

 

July 2010; Summer Fun

   Our July was spent soaking up the SUN.  At the pool or up the canyon, we spent most of the month outside.  One of our favorite things to do this summer was ride our bikes from our house up the canyon to the WATERFALL.  Lizzy would sit in her bike stroller with a stack of books and treats to occupy her.  
  My BIRTHDAY was this month. On the 21st of July I turned 26 years old!  I remember that it was a really great birthday however, Joshua and I have racked our brains and can not remember what it was that we did on my birthday. We must really be getting old. 

June 2010; Lake Powell

   In June Joshua and I had the awesome opportunity of going to LAKE POWELL, with my family, on the Heap's house boat.  It was an amazing trip filled with great food, kayak rides, knee board and tube wars, BEAUTIFUL boat rides, and sunbathing.  Not to mention I was able to read a book for the first time in like, forever.  The real proud moment for me though was the SLOT CANYON hike we did. I'm a little on the claustrophobic side, okay a lot on the claustrophobic side.  So hiking through a slot canyon with no way out, squeezing through a tinny cracks in the walls, well it was never something I thought I would be able to do.  But with the help of a LOVING HUSBAND to keep me calm, I did it!!  It was an intense exercise in mind over matter but I'm so glad I did it! The canyon was amazing and beautiful!

     This picture was taken at the end of the hike where the slot empties out into the lake.  Not the best shot, but it was a proud moment for me!

May 2010

    Joshua and I HONEYMOONED in St. George, while Lizzy got to go to Disney Land with her Matt daddy.  The rest of May was spent getting moved into our new place.  Our first HOME, a little fourplex apartment in Orem, complete with pot smoking neighbors and a sex offender. Home sweet home. We had alot of fun putting our little house together. 
  
  One of our BIG PROJECTS was a dresser/TV stand we got from DI and totally repainted.  I love this dresser and we had so much fun fixing it up together. 

              

7th of May, 2010

  This day was, in a word, PERFECT.   Joshua and I were married in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple.  The sealing was so beautiful. We took pictures around the temple.  Pictures with Lizzy proved to be a little difficult because she couldn't stop KISSING and loving Joshua.  After the temple we had a luncheon with family and then a dance for close friends.  My dad's band played, and we danced until I thought my feet would fall off.  Joshua performed the song he wrote me with the band and then as a surprise I sang a rocking Taylor Swift song to him (I'm only me when I'm with you).  Joshua's brothers trashed both of our cars, but we had the motorcycle hidden in the back, and that is what we made our grand exit on.  Driving away with Joshua, on the back of a motorcycle (complete with cute cans and a 'Just Married' sign), with friends and family waving goodbyes, it was like a DREAM. 

The Goal

Blog-ging:  (verb)  to add new material to or regularly update a blog.  

   Okay so blogging isn't one of my talents (giant understatement).  It is now April of 2011 and I have yet to "Blog" about anything that has happened in my life over the last year.  And it has been an eventful year so I have no excuses.  
  So here is the goal. . . I want to put the events of our last year onto this blog before our family's one year anniversary, May 7th.