Hey Baby, Let's Go to Vegas!

I had a lot of anxiety about leaving all our kids and taking off to Vegas and being carefree the week before we move halfway across the country. I talked to my good neighbor about it, thinking she would side with me on the part about "I would rather stay home with my kids and pack", but she firmly said, "GO! Take this opportunity while you can. Just do it!"
And I'm glad she said it because I would do it again!!

Check out this hotel room. It had a kitchen, complete with refrigerator, microwave, and cabinets, plus a dining table set to eat. I kept thinking they would bring our meal in any moment. It was so relaxing! (To help you picture "relaxing", Jared will model it for you.)

Jared has been wanting to take me to Rodizio's for a long time. Finally our day has come!
Picture this with the music , "God Bless America" It was awesome.

Oh ya! I can see a resemblance!Goofin' around

We enjoyed the dinner theatre show, "Fight of Kings" or something like that, at the Excaliber. We tried to go to this show on our honeymoon, but it was sold out. Here's to our second honeymoon! It was so fun. We ate with our fingers, game hens, dragon's blood (tomato soup), and other fun foods. We were stuffed.

I have a photo of us about right here on our honeymoon 11 years ago. Ah! Feels like it was just yesterday!

This trip wouldn't have been possible without Jared's parents and my parents. I'm so grateful to them! It was nice to feel like a couple again for a few days.

Class of 2010

Doesn't this smile say it all?

Jared's parents and usMwah! Mwah!!

I love this man and am so proud of him!!!

FRIENDS

Spouses of students in Jareds class: Michelle lived upstairs in my building and has been the sweetest neighbor anyone could have. She also knew Jared since he was a kid. She was in preschool with his little sister. Margene lives the next building over from me and also had a baby boy just before her husband began med school. I had Kyle about a month after Jared began, and we both had 3 kids and were very busy and husbandless many times, together.

Jared, Nate, and Jeremy

Jared and Josh, Margene's hubbie

Jessica and me. We were both pregnant going into med school also. Her little boy and Kyle have been great little buddies. She finished nursing school while he was beginning medical school and supported the family. I don't know how she did it.

Jared and Garrett, Jessica's hubbie

I caught a picture just as Jeremy and Jen were leaving. Jen is an amazing, talented beautician that very professionally cut and styled the neighborhood's hair, including Jared and mine, for an unbelievable low price - plus, if you ever needed an idea planted into your spouse's head, she's the one to do it.

We will miss her and Jeremy, as well as the rest of our sweet dear friends pictured here or not, SO MUCH! I'm so grateful to have gotten the chance to rub shoulders and party with the talented, intelligent, fun people in Jared's class!

He's a Doctor!!!

Medical Graduates Reception

We were blessed enough to live in student housing with these great friends in Jared's class. I'm so grateful for these friendships and good times!

Dinner with Grandma Jenny

Jared's Grandma Jenny (and Jared also has a sister named, "Jenny"! And his other sister married a "Jared", just to keep us confused - wait, no, I think she liked him, too) invited us over for a delicious meal of coconut shrimp and other yummy goodies. She has always been a talented cook. Hopefully I can cook this recipe like she told me it's done.

Lance's Graduation from Preschool

Lance made great friends in preschool this year. This is his friend, Jonah. On the first day of preschool, Lance noticed that they both wore the same shoes (crocs). This friendship was meant to be. Their dads both happen to be in medical school. While having a playdate one day, they had a hiliarious conversation about their dad's careers here.

Raise your hand if you're 3 years old! There were two 3 year olds in the bunch that got a turn to run under the parachute while it was up in the air.Cami found her spot in someone else's stroller.This little girl is amazing and inspiring. She has a disability where she cannot use her hands, but she doesn't let that stop her. She writes, eats, and does most things with her feet. The entire preschool class absolutely loves this sweet, beautiful girl.Lance is congratulated and given a certificate by one of his teachers. Wanna see?

Twinners! His other preschool teacher called him "G.I. Joe" because he wore camoflauge every chance he got.

What a great year this has been! Lance has had so much fun this year with his friends in preschool. I can't believe he's going to Kindergartin!

Jace Can Hunt Now

Jace passed his hunter safety course with flying colors today. He'd been studying the Hunter Proclamation all week, but was nervous because he didn't get to finish reading it. His dad gave him a crash course before the test.
Jared said that he peeked in at Jace while he was taking the test at one point and Jace was gazing around doing nothing when he caught his dad's eye and he excitedly clapped his hands (quietly) and had this big grin on his face. Jared heard the instructor asking question #34 out of 50, and Jared was like, "What are you doing, Jace?" He gave a hand signal as if he was writing like, "Get it done! Finish the test!" And Jace mouthed back, "I'm done!"
Soon after, he got back his score and he got a 100%!!
He also scored well on the shooting test ( they count how many you have within range of the bullseye).
Now he can hunt small game with his dad. Way to go, Jace!!

Jace Farewell/Early Birthday party

We had planned to move the day after Jace's last day of school, June 9th. Jared begins residency on June 21st. After looking at the calendar, I realized that, if I took Jace out of school for his last two days, we could be at our new house a WHOLE week earlier. Then we could have DAD home with us an EXTRA WEEK before we never see him. When I approached Jace about this idea, he wasn't big on it. Who wants to miss the last day of 4th grade and all the fun and parties? So we made a deal. It worked out great for both of us.

What a Party!!!

Great Food,Great Friends,

Great Games,

(Just a closer look at that nose that seems to be looking better)
Voting for Bowling Championships (Most Valuable Bowler, etc)

The bowling alley here at the U of U let me buy a used bowling pin for a buck. The kids signed the pin, the basketball (a gift from his good friend that played on his Junior Jazz team a few years in a row), the Atlas book(another gift from a friend), and the autograph book that Mom made (Hey, I thought it might be a good idea!)

It was so fun to watch Jace and his friends that he knew, many of them, since the first grade, when we moved here. We will miss Utah and the great friends we have made!

Soccer Season Spring 2010

Lance and Kyle got to be on the same soccer team this year. It was Kyle's first season. Look at these cute boys and girl!

This team rocked. Look at all the dads (minus one family, that was out of town and we missed them!). They're all in the same graduating medical school class. And the moms got another opportunity to visit. It was so fun to watch our kids play together and enjoy each other's company as we cheered them on.We kept seeing a little blonde cheerleader that got into it so much, she tried to join her brothers out on the field.Lance cheers Jace on during his game.Jace's team

What a great season!

Cami, the Red-nosed Reindeer

What with all the cold winter-like weather, we began singing Christmas songs here. It wasn't hard picking a song...

Walking home from getting the mail, I was pushing her in the stroller as we passed the playground where some of our friends were playing. She protested and I told her we had to get inside. Cami had other plans. Just when I looked up to wave, she jumped out of the moving stroller. It was a sad day, but she got to see her friends for a few minutes. I guess that's one way to get what you want.

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, we had tacos for dinner with Mexican rice, and made churros for dessert.
Jace was finished with dinner first, so he began making them. The directions said to boil 1 cup of water, and before ebullition, pour in the churro mix. I was still eating with the kids, as I usually do because I'm a slow eater, and Jace asked me, "Mom, what is 'ebullition'?" He had to repeat it a few times, as he is used to doing (I know for a fact that if my children marry a hearing impaired woman, they will be the best of patient husbands in repeating themselves!), before finally asking him to bring the instructions over so I could look at them. Sure enough, it said the word that he was trying to say. I told him to look it up. He keeps a dictionary handy, so it wasn't a big deal, only I wasn't sure if the word would even be in there. After he found it, he told me that it means, "before boiling", so he figured that meant anytime before boiling, even if the water wasn't warm yet. If I were his age, that's exactly what I would have done, too. (I remember mixing the ingredients written on the cake mix box and going to my mom asking her why it doesn't look like very much cake mix. She asked me if I added the mix, and I realized my oops.) So when I came to help him mix it, it seemed a little dry, so we kept adding a little more water (this time at "almost boiling" temperature) here and there, in efforts to make it more ready to squeeze through the cake decorating tube. But alas, if you can tell from this face...

It was really difficult to squeeze! So instead, the boys used their hands to shape the churros into their own unique shapes. Lance made a heart shaped one, Jace made some donut shapes and a fish (is someone missing their dad that's gone on a fishing trip?), and they all made lots of little balls, or donut holes :)

We played the closest we could come to Mexican music, the soundtrack from the musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, "Evita", which has a little Spanish in it, even if it's based in Argentina. Hurray for reasons to celebrate!

Kyle's Stuff

In an effort to energize and motivate myself to pack for the move, I popped in one of my favorite Madonna CD's, "Like a Prayer". (For the record, the only other one I have is my other favorite, "Evita".) Kyle caught the beat while Cami tried to steal the spotlight:

Reverse Roles

I was in the kitchen when I dropped the dish rag on the floor.

Jace: (exasperated) "Mom! I just mopped that floor!"
Me: "Oops, sorry."