Mexico 2009

Well, we had a fantastic trip to Mexico!! We left on my birthday, which was so fun. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. I kept telling myself "Happy birthday, you're going to Mexico!" We left the kids with Jason's parents and it was so nice to not have to worry about them at all while we were gone. Jason insisted on calling them every single day (or arranging for them to call us), and it was fun to hear how much fun they were having without us. Let me tell you right now, traveling without kids is a BREEZE. I kept feeling like I was forgetting something or I should be doing something, and then I'd think, "Oh yeah, no kids! I can just sit here and read!!" It was awesome. We made it to the airport on time despite the several inches of SNOW we woke up to, and just marched right in to the airport. We had a birthday lunch at TGIFriday's in the Dallas airport, and for some reason it was soooo good. Then it was off to Cancun! Once we stepped outside, a lady holding a "Mr. Yates" sign ushered us to a Suburban and we headed down to our resort. It was gorgeous!!

It was about an hour south of Cancun on the Mayan Riviera near a town called Playa Del Carmen.

There were big freaky lizards all over the place.

Crazy tropical birds...

And these little guys. This is a coati (pronounced "ka-WAT-ee"). They were zooming around the hotel grounds in the late evenings and no one knew what they were. They seemed vaguely familiar to me from listening to episodes of Diego in the background of my life, so we called Dallin and described them to him. Of course, he immediately said, "That's a coati!" and told us all about them. Then we were able to pretend we were intelligent when one zipped across our path and other people shrieked, "What the h--- was that?!!!" "Well, it's actually a cousin of the racoon, the coati. They are native to this part of Mexico..."



Yes, my favorite part of the trip was probably the food. I could live on french fries with guacamole. I don't think a better food combination exists!! And there is nothing like guacamole in Mexico. I did not hold back while we were there.


Jason likes to show off his calves when he senses that I am taking pictures of him from behind.

We climbed to the top of this huge Mayan temple. We took a day trip where we went to several different Mayan ruins, went zip lining across a lake, rappelling into a "cenote", which is an underground cave with water in it, and to a remote Mayan village and ate authentic Mayan food. I was holding my breath, just waiting to get sick, but neither one of us got sick the whole time we were there. Yay!

This is inside the temple at the top.

At the top of the temple from the outside.

And then, of course, the beaches.

Here we are being fugitives late one night at a neighboring resort's beach, which was just a short walk down the beach from our resort. For some reason, it was so fun to hang out at the other resorts and explore all their amenities. We almost tried out their food, but decided we better keep it legal, so we settled for watching their entertainment and relaxing on their cots.

And here we are in 30 years on my 62nd birthday. We are totally going to let it all hang out (Jason especially). I can't wait!

Dallin's Lost Tooth!

I'm calling this post "Dallin's Lost Tooth" because #1 - Dallin lost his first tooth, and #2 - we lost the tooth. Seriously, it has disappeared. We have searched high and low, and it is weird because I know it was sitting on the counter in a little bag when we left for church. I suspect foul play because I asked Luke about it several times and after saying no, he didn't know what happened to the tooth, he finally said, "Well, you shouldn't have put it in a baggie and left it right over there." Hmmm. I would not be surprised if it turned up in a very odd place. But anyway, I can't believe Dallin is old enough to loose a tooth! Somehow, the tooth fairy knew that he lost it and delivered his ONE dollar (setting the standard low here, people) that very night. I was sad when I realized that the first tooth he lost was actually his very first tooth (one of them - he got his first two teeth on the same day when he was eight months old). I remember how excited I was when he got his first teeth and how I felt like my little baby was so grown up. Now they are falling out. Makes me a little sad!

The loose tooth.

It finally came out!

"Mom, look at my teeth, too!"
I suspect someone was a little jealous
by all the attention Dallin got....

V Day

This year I didn't have much planned for Valentine's Day because the day before was our big Young Men/Young Women fundraiser, which was a Valentine's Dinner/Dance and was quite a large production. I wasn't planning on anything for Valentine's Day besides just getting that big event out of the way, so you can imagine how surprised I was when I walked into the kitchen on Friday morning and found this:

Oh, how sweet! Roses, a bottle of Martinelli's, a bag of chocolate-covered ju-ju hearts, a gift certificate to go tanning... I thought, "Why in the world would I need to go tanning, besides the fact that I am extremely white? It's February - who cares?" Then I opened up the card, and it all made sense - a trip to Mexico! These are pictures of the resort we stayed at in Peurto Vallarta on our honeymoon. I think we're going to try for Cancun this time. Anyone have any suggestions for places to stay/things to do there? I'm so excited!! This has been the longest, coldest winter I've ever had and I have been craving sunshine and beaches and warmth. I'm so tired of being cold! Now I have something to look forward to. Jason's plan is to go sometime next month, so I can't wait to get it booked and official!! Jason is just too good to me.

So after that fun surprise, I had renewed courage to face the night ahead. Our fundraiser turned out really well, with only a few minor snags. The food was amazing, we had a great turnout, and it seemed like everyone had a really great time. Several people suggested that we make this an annual event, but I can't even think about that right now. That's like asking someone who is in the hospital after just giving birth if they are ready for another baby.(I hesitate to post pictures of people in the ward without their knowledge, but I'm pretty sure Brother Field won't mind! This is why I love my ward.)

Happy Birthday to my sweet six year old Dallin!

Six years ago tonight I was in the hospital with a brand new baby boy, wondering how I had ever lived a day without him. I can't believe that helpless little baby is now a big, responsible six year old! I remember being six. I remember my sixth birthday party. I remember what it felt like, and now my very own child is that age! It freaks me out a little bit. But today I tried not to think too hard about it, and we had a great day. Dallin wanted a "hunting birthday" and that is what he got. The festivities started last night with a birthday party at Jason's parents' house. Dallin got lots of fun presents, including a "hunting" quilt that he LOVES made by his Grandma Rita. I made camo cupcakes, which was fun, and I was quite proud of them. Dallin woke up today so excited for his special day, but he didn't want anything different than he usually does. Cinnamon toasters for breakfast, ramen noodles for lunch, nothing out of the ordinary. He had his (our) first friend party ever and it went really well. I was nervous but I didn't have to stress too much because Jason took the afternoon off work and took care of most of it. He bought Dallin's presents, decorated the cake, planned the games, and managed the party. Lucky me! I just got to enjoy it. It pays to have a husband who is trying (successfully) to pass his obsessions on to his children, at least on birthdays.

The camo cupcakes.

The cake that Jason built. Yes, there is a guy in a tree stand (hooked to the trunk of the dead apple tree that used to stand in our yard) getting ready to shoot his choice of a javelina, a deer walking down a mountain trail, a moose wading in a lake, or a bear wandering through the woods. I baked the cake and made the frosting, Jason did the rest.

The party started with a little shooting competition. The little herd of animals on the floor were the victims.

Pin the horns on the deer. Jason drew the deer, of course.

Dallin was quite proud that he got so close. The only problem was that the horns were upside down. Oh well, good job anyway.

Dallin got (another!) new bow from his daddy.

The kids got to try shooting at a target in the basement. They were a fun group!

I love this age.

Notice how I paved the mountain path with the candles, like at a reception or something? See, I can be creative, too!

We finished the day with a little family trip to Chuck-e-Cheese's. Dallin and Luke had a great time, and we all put on lots of hand sanitizer afterward.

My three hunting fools.
(Yes, guy at the soda fountain with the saggy bum, I am taking a picture and you are in it. What's your point?)

It really was a great day, and I can't believe I am now the mother of a six year old! I just love that little boy. Congratulations to me!

What is UP with the cost of energy these days?

Don't get me wrong, I am so grateful that the price of gasoline is down. It now only costs about $20 to fill my tank, and it is great. BUT, I feel like I am paying more than enough in other energy sources to make up for it. I opened my Questar Gas bill yesterday and I swear my heart stopped beating for at least 15 seconds. $277 to heat my house from Dec 17 - Jan 18!!!! Are you kidding me? That is up over $130 from the month before. Plus, we were gone for almost a whole week during that time and the heat was turned down to 50 degrees. And it still cost that much? Plus, the Lehi City bill is back up! It should be going way down right now, but nope, it was pushing $200 for stupid electricity this month. I could be driving a hot car and living it up, but instead I'm paying it all to heat my gay house. After I opened the bill and hyperventilated for a few minutes, I went straight to the thermostat and turned it down. Yes, I admit, it's usually set to 72 degrees. I always consider turning it down for a portion of the day, but then I think, well, I don't want to be cold in the morning. And I don't want to be cold during the day, or in the evening, and especially not at night, so that doesn't really leave a lot of options. So it stays at 72, and I still don't feel warm! I prefer to bask at about 77, but I try to be frugal. But anyway, all that went out the window and I set all 4 cycles to 69 degrees and told myself that we can all wear sweaters and coats if we need to, but we are not paying $277 again! Then last night I got home from Young Women's and found my big tough husband curled up in a blanket on the couch. "Why in the world is it so cold in here?!!!" ("It's frickin freezing in here, Mr. Bigglesworth!") I tried to explain it and he told me that I was being ridiculous and we couldn't live like this. I thought about telling him how I had just finished reading Little House on the Prairie with Dallin and how Ma and Pa would totally have just endured this and said "All's well that ends well" (whatever that means), and that they actually went through a lot worse and survived, but then I thought better of it. It's always better to have harmony in your marriage, and besides, I was starting to get a little chilly myself. So, it's back up to 72. (Alish, I'm considering moving to Tucson. Any good houses for sale down by you?)

Yay for my 100th post!

I just noticed that is my 100th post. What a remarkable day for all of us. I have been absent from the blogging world the last few months. December hit me hard, and I just had to cut back somewhere in my life, and that happened to be my time at the computer. Then January came along and I have been overcome with an organization bug. I know it is a typical new year thing, but it has been so refreshing after all the craziness of the holidays to just STAY HOME and go through all our CRAP (and CHUCK most of it!). I am not a born-organized person, so it has been a learned skill I have been developing throughout my seven and a half married years. College was a time to throw everything in a box and just hope it did something with itself someday. The first year of marriage was about the same way. However, right before I had my first baby, I discovered the FLYLADY and she pretty much changed my life. I have read a lot of organization books since then, and while they are all helpful in some way or another, I still fall back on the Flylady's simple and useful system. Today I would like to share three organization books that have been helpful in bringing *order* and *peace* into my life. And yes, I stole these pictures directly from Amazon. BUT I'm linking right back to them (just click on the book, isn't that exciting?), so they should be paying me commission.

I ordered "One Year to an Organized Life" right before Christmas this year, and I've already read the whole thing. A lot of it was pretty basic stuff that most people already know/do, but there were certain sections that I really liked. It basically takes one month at a time and has you dive into different areas of your life. The kitchen section inspired me to completely redo my pantry, which has always been one of my worst areas, and now I love my pantry so much I feel like kissing it every time I open it. However, I'm not suggesting that this is the greatest book in the world. It has kind of weird little mantra things in it where you're supposed to pray to your house and stuff, and I'm not really into that. Well, I guess it's just called the 'Affirmation of the Month" but it made me kind of embarrassed for the lady who wrote it. Good for a laugh though. For example, August is "Moving Month" (in case you happen to be moving in August) and here is the AOTM: "I am guided with ease to my new home. I embrace the life waiting for me. I also bless and thank my current home. I release it to the new occupants. I am thankful for all the participants in this transition." Maybe I just haven't released my old house or something, but it all strikes me as a little odd. I really don't know why I'm talking about this book. I guess I'm just so happy about my pantry that I had to mention it. If you want to borrow it, let me know, and we can laugh together. You probably don't want to buy it. NEXT!

My mother-in-law told me about Organizing from the Inside Out a few years ago and I love it. The main principle is that you should have everything you need for a particular task within arms reach. For example, at your desk you should have pens, paper, a calendar, a phone, stapler, phonebook etc. within easy reach, and NOT have things that you don't use often, like owner's manuals or books you don't need. Store things that aren't used often in more out-of-reach places and reserve all immediate space for things you need every day. This applies to every place in the house, and I am still amazed sometimes at the things I have in places that make no sense. The job of organization is never done, I guess.

Which brings me to the FlyLady. I love this woman. I don't use every single piece of her system, but I use a LOT of it and it has helped me in so many ways. Her big thing is to start by shining your sink. You can't feel good about your life with a dirty sink, and once your sink is clean it will rub off on the rest of your life. I know it sounds silly, but I love coming out to my kitchen in the morning to a clean sink! Plus, she has a great system for getting rid of clutter. I love how she says that everything you own should bring a smile to your face. If you are holding on to something out of guilt or obligation and it doesn't make you happy, get rid of it! It is so liberating to be free of things that just bring me down every single time I see them. I used to be such a pack rat, because I was trained in the school of "what if I need this someday?" and guess what - if I do need it, I probably won't be able to find it and I'll end up buying a new one anyway so I may as well send it on its merry way to the good old Deseret Industries. Another thing I love about the FlyLady is her system for keeping bathrooms clean. I used to spend every Tuesday in rubber gloves with a thousand different chemicals trying to disinfect my disgusting bathrooms. Now I take ten seconds and wipe down my bathrooms every day and I really never have to "clean" them because they don't get dirty! I'm not saying that you should come to my house and check the bathrooms every single day and judge me if there are water spots on the mirror from time to time, but the system seriously works and has made me love my bathrooms. The FlyLady is also very adamant about taking care of yourself and not pushing yourself to live up to perfection. She has a great web site that tells you basically everything you need to know, and you can even sign up for daily email reminders to get you in the mode. I held off buying the book (Sink Reflections) for a really long time, but I finally did because I like to have all the great knowledge in one place when I need to brush up. Like right now, for example, I am getting ready to dive into my Final Frontier, my scrapbook room. I have so much STUFF in there and it has been the landing place of about everything else that I don't know what to do with. I haven't even approached it yet because I need to be in the right frame of mind, and I am finally getting there. I can't wait!! I know it is so nerdy and I never thought I would be this way, but I absolutely love tackling a space that seems hopeless and turning it into somewhere I love to be. Yes, nerd alert, I know. But it can't be as bad as this. I'll leave you with December's Affirmation of the Month. It's a good one. Maybe I should have used it this year: "I stand in the center of the storm known as end-of-the-year madness. I am an oasis of calm. I release to the past all the sad, unhappy, or angry memories that have filled my mind. The past is over. I learn from it. I do not hold onto it. This month is rich with opportunities to create new, positive, happy memories for me to savor. I open myself to receiving my good."

Self-control does NOT run in the family!

So who in the heck invented advent calendars anyway? Just a little FYI to that person - it isn't really possible to eat just one chocolate a day. Hello. The good news is, our 99 cent advent calendar lasted until December 13. The bad news is, we didn't start until the 9th. It was a great 9th of December, sharing 9 chocolates with Dallin and Luke in the name of catching up. We did fine on the 10th and 11th, with the boys taking turns eating one chocolate each, and then on the 12th it was my turn. I would love to blame it on my kids, but I was actually the one who got "ahead" a few days. I don't know why. That chocolate is so stale and disgusting. It must just be the appeal of the forbidden that I couldn't resist. So the next day when Dallin went to get the 13th chocolate and found the door already open and the space empty, I couldn't really tell him that he couldn't jump ahead a few days, too. When, later that day, I discovered that the whole thing had been polished off, I just had to shrug my shoulders and think, "Those were some nasty chocolates! I'm glad they're gone!"