Orlando--Part 1

We have been home from Orlando for about 2 weeks and I am finally getting around to posting the pictures. There are so many that are so cute we will break it up into a few different posts. We spent 10 days there and had so much fun! We hadn't ever been to Disneyworld before so it was so much fun for all of us to experience the fun. We bought a 7 day hopper pass and used it up. We could have gone back and seen plenty more too. There were 4 huge parks there for those of you who aren't experts on Disneyworld like I wasn't!-Magic Kingdom (like Disneyland), Animal Kingdom (Disney's version of a zoo with rides and characters), Hollywood Studios (like Universal), and Epcot. Here are some pictures of us at Magic Kingdom. We went the day after the superbowl and it was pouring rain. We only stayed for a few hours but managed to spot Santonio Holmes (the MVP of the superbowl) in the parade with Mickey and saw Steelers jerseys everywhere! We basically rode the carousel, ate lunch and after that we called it a day! The next time we went back it was still cold, but sunny. In fact the first 5 days we were there it was 50 degrees or less. Not normal for Orlando! The last five days were perfect so I can't complain too much, atleast there was no snow right?

Us in front of the Magic Kingdom castle
James and Preston

walking up the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse-I loved this movie growing up so it was fun to see it replicated. We loved having this backpack for Preston. He was up high enough to see everything and he couldn't run off anywhere. It also had a backpack behind him that we could pack our lunches, water, and snacks in. James definitely got his workout in during the trip!

Carter and Rafiki
We didn't get too many pictures with the characters because we didn't want to wait in the lines. So, the characters we did get aren't the most popular obviously because the lines were short!

James and Carter on the Dumbo ride (on the yellow dumbo waving).

Carter had a hard time at first with having to wait in the line (he isn't the most patient child), but quickly learned that if he wanted to have fun, he needed to wait. Magic Kingdom was definitely my favorite, because it seemed the most "disney" to me.

Next up...Animal Kingdom, stay tuned!

My Wonderful Wife

So seeing as Heather is the one always blogging I decided to write a Blog for Valentines day about how wonderful Heather is.

Heather is the love of my life and I am so grateful that I was blessed to meet her and that she agreed to marry to me. She always jokes that I am lucky to be married to her, but I really am. She is the most loving person and truly cares about the people around her. Some people act like they love people but Heather genuinly cares. I love Heathers honesty about everything, I always know how she is feeling and what she thinks. I love that she is the best Mother, our boys our so lucky to have her and I know they are going to have a lot of her attributes that will make them so successful in life. I love that Heather dresses me, I have zero fashion sense and would never buy clothes if I had the choice. She keeps me looking trendy and making sure I am not breaking any fashion faux pas. Carter can dress himself pretty fashionably so I know where he gets that from. I love that Heather is a good friend, she is often telling me that she is thinking about someone or wanting to take a treat to someone. Carter is sitting next to me and said that "I love that she cares about me". I love Heathers, eyes and smile she is truly the most gorgeous girl. I also love her hair, how could you not love it. I love that Heather is just happy some days to lounge around in he PJ's and others is just ready to hop in the car and drive to Vegas on a whim. I love that Heather is loyal to her friends and family, she stands up for the people she loves. I love that when we eat out I can almost predict what she will get. When she finds something she likes she sticks to it, I am the opposite.

So in conclusion, I love my wife, she is awesome and I hope you have a good valentines my love.

Sweetheart Quiz

I just got back from a trip to Orlando and am exhausted! I don't have the energy to post all the pictures and stories about our trip yet, so I decided to copy a little quiz about my husband from my cousin's blog. I figured it was appropriate with Valentines Day tomorrow!

1- Where did you meet your hubby?

We met in Burlingham, New York at a lovely summer camp called Camp Echo where we were camp counselors. I was in charge of the 8th grade girls and he was in charge of the 8th grade boys and also the tennis instructor.

2- Who asked who out first?
I was pretty aggressive because he was SOOO shy. I asked him to sit by me at "Monday movie night". Cool Runnings was playing but we just sat and talked the whole time and didn't really watch the movie. It is still so crazy to me how shy he used to be. He is a completely different person now.
3- What did you do on your first date?

Our first "official" date when we left on a day off was to Woodstock, NY. It was a cute little hippy town. We just walked around and looked at all the fun shops there.He bought me a cute beaded bracelet to commorate the event. :)
4- What was your favorite thing to do while dating?
Just to be together. We had a long distance relationship for a year, so when we actually got to spend time together we cherished it. We spent way too much money on phone cards!! (okay James did).
5- When was your first kiss by your sweetheart?

The night we went to Woodstock. He was saying goodbye to me at the bridge (a lake seperated the boys and girls camps). Not the best kiss ever, but it has improved greatly over the years. haha
6-Who said I love you first?

He did. I think it was after 2 weeks or something crazy like that.
7-When did you first realize that you loved him?

I think the time when I truly knew I loved him and wanted to marry him was when I flew over to England to see him after we hadn't seen each other for 3 months. It was kind of a make or break trip, and being there with him in his surroundings just drew me to him more. His family was so nice too, and all of the people that I met there told me what a wonderful person James was. I had to agree! He treated me like a queen and loved me for me.
8- How did he propose?

In Vegas on the gondola ride at the Venetian hotel. It was around Easter time so he wrapped up the ring in a towel he had made look like a bunny. Not sure where he learned to do that?? I said yes before he even asked me, and he politely said, "Well I need to ask you first!" So my personality! I hate surprises. Our guide sang us an Italian love song afterwards. It was very romantic.
9-What do you remember about your wedding day?

It was at the Bungalow in Pleasant Grove which is so beautiful. It had rained the night before so we were all worried it would be bad weather. The weather turned out to be perfect, the flowers were perfect, seriously everything was perfect that day. Me and my mom talked about it later and she said the only bad thing that happened was she had a flat tire at the end of the night! haha I also remember being so hungry after it was over so I made James go get us Pizza Hut at midnight. Do I have an awesome husband or what? Good times. Happy Valentines Day!

Love is in the Air

I have had so much fun decorating for Valentines Day this year. It just makes me smile to go downstairs and see some fun things to celebrate love day!

My outside door wreath

Our newest addition- a picture of

Megatron in a heart by Carter

Red heart table cloth

Hobby Lobby basket with fun heart candles inside (thanks Sharonda!) I won it last year at Bunco.Wood conversation hearts

Fun dish towels

My cousin Ann does this with her blog and I love to see inside people's homes to get different ideas. Do you decorate for holidays besides Christmas?

Half Marathon #3/#1 Complete

What a fun race! We journeyed down to St. George this past weekend to do the half marathon there on Saturday. The weather was PERFECT at about 60, and we were ready. James was a little nervous thinking he wasn't fully trained since he had only run about 8 miles at the most. It was also his first half marathon so he wasn't sure what to expect. He ended up doing awesome! The course was so nice with not too many hills, and if there were hills, they didn't last very long. I highly recommend this race if you are thinking about doing one. It was my favorite out of the three I have done.

The three of us before the race (Bethany, me, James)

We wanted to pick up a bagel at a gas station before the race but couldn't find one at two different gas stations! Is that normal? I swear gas stations carry bagels, but I guess not. We had to get something, so we bought these disgusting pre-packaged muffins. We all choked down about 3 bites and couldn't eat anymore.What a way to start a race! I felt fine, it was just so funny. We talked most of the way and it was so fun to have James there with me. We all stuck together until about mile 11. James was going slow to stay with me, but I told him just to go because I was fine, and knew mentally I could do it on my own. He sped ahead and felt great all the way to the finish. I was so proud of him. Bethany also went a little faster than me, but I was happy with my finish. Usually the last 2 miles I am spent and mentally have nothing left. This time I ran the last two miles without walking and even sprinted at the end. Mentally I kept pushing myself to just pass the person ahead of me or just keep running until the end of the song. My body felt good and I was really happy with my results. See, I am even smiling for the camera at the end! I can see huge progress from my first race until now. I still have a ton I can improve on, but I love the feeling that running gives me. I really do have a passion for it and can't wait to do my next race.

Work it

I just had to write this down before I forget, because it was so hilarious. While I was taking a shower yesterday Carter had decided that he needed to "get some exercise." He went downstairs and pulled the stool up to the DVD player to try to put a workout on for him. It wasn't working, so he proceeded to carry my HEAVY stepper upstairs to my room where the DVD player was reachable. He put on a P90X workout and off he went. Preston decided to join him and so I get out of the shower and am greeted by two little boys trying to do jumping jacks together. I loved it! Carter was doing the stretches perfectly too. He stuck with it for about 5 minutes and then decided he was done. Unfortunately James had the camera so I couldn't get any photos, but I wanted to remember it anyway. So funny.

Priscilla Ahn

I went to the movie Bride Wars on Saturday night with some girlfriends. It was a cute movie, I laughed and got teary, but my favorite part about it was the music! I heard this song and fell in love with it. Nobody knew who sang it so I googled and googled and finally found the singer, Priscilla Ahn. Have any of you heard of her before? Her voice gives me goosebumps! I love finding new music that I like, so I promptly bought her entire album (only 6.50 on iTunes) and have been loving it. Here is the song in the movie...enjoy!

2009 Resolutions

I love this time of the year to make resolutions and have goals for the future. My resolutions in the past have not been too many for fear of not meeting all of them, and also been specific. This year is no different.
1. Complete St. George half marathon in 2 weeks
2. Complete Ogden marathon in May
3. Get organized!! I have already started by cleaning out my junk drawer and random cupboard (you all know you have one!) I also want to get my garage, basement, and food storage room done.
4. Drink more water-goal is 64 ounces a day...I need a good waterbottle...any suggestions?
5. Paint my bedroom

Now I have all of my medicines, vitamins, cords, tools, and nails in seperate containers. The green thing on the bottom shelf holds spare change and all the cds are my Christmas ones that I like to listen to all year round. Don't forget the VHS copy of the movie Rad to your far right on the 2nd shelf. I have been meaning to give it back to my brother for 3 years. Maybe I will just keep it! haha What are some of your resolutions/goals for the New Year?

Flash Game

I had to document this because it was so hilarious. Last night we got free tickets from someone at James' work to go to the Utah Flash basketball game in Orem. These guys I guess are the "farm team" for the Utah Jazz so I figured it would be a decent game. Let's just say I have seen highschool teams with more talent. Me and Preston thought a picture sounded more fun.


We didn't make it there until half time because we were busy carb loading at Brick Oven for my long run today. Yes, it was delicious and yes, I did run 12 miles today. I am exhausted. Back to the game. So the half-time show was about the only thing to save this game from being a total bust. These guys were performers from Circus Circus in Vegas and were amazing. I have never seen such strength. At one point one of them was doing a one handed hand stand on the other guys head. Where do people learn they have the talent for this?

The boys were totally bored and I think a little petrified of the scary 10 year old girl sitting in front of us with no social skills. She would turn around about every thirty seconds and just stare at Preston. Usually when a kid knows that you see them staring they will look away but she had no qualms about it. It was so bizarre. Her dad and his friend were also quite interesting. They acted like the game was the NBA finals and high fived every time the team did anything. It got somewhat annoying after the first 15 times. The friend also had a sweet handlebar mustache that Carter commented on after we left. We lasted a whole quarter and then decided to call it quits. I am so glad we left early because we came out to a blizzard outside. All in all, I won't be going again, but it was quite an experience that we won't forget. Go Flash!

James and Carter

Ringing in the New Year

We had quite a fun New Year's Eve at my sister Melanie's house. The food was fabulous (I ate WAY too much) and the company was even better. We played the new version of Cranium and also Carl thought up new categories for the game Scattergories. Knowing how competitive my family is, it turned out to be pretty hilarious with everyone trying to argue for the answer they put. James even lost his voice the next day! We didn't leave until 3 am which I don't think I have stayed up that late since college! Carter also stayed up way past his bedtime and fell asleep on the beanbag next to the kids playing the wii. Needless to say, we slept in until 10 am which is unheard of at our house! Here are a few cute pictures of the kids:

Kate got Highschool Musical sing along for the Wii and was singing her heart out for us
My mom having a dance party with Brynlee and Carter-they have some good moves!

Here they are shakin' their booties we couldn't stop laughing!!

Thanks Mel and Carl for such a fun night. Welcome 2009!

Christmas and other December events

Since I have been putting all of my blogging off until after Christmas, I figured it's time to document all the fun things we have been doing. December 1st, put up the tree. Christmas music blaring, we had so much fun together.

Carter knows that he gets to put the star on top

Not to be outdone, Preston also put the star on for good measure.

I think they had the most fun with the Christmas tree box as their spaceship

Preston loved ripping all the ornaments off the tree-this is what it looked like most of the time! We decided to put the tree in the front room this year and I liked it better.

James and Carter went skiing again. Carter didn't want to do the "pizza slice" (snowplow) because it made him go too slow. Crazy kid!

I hope we make this a new family tradition-going out to breakfast at Dennys on Christmas Eve morning. There were 18 of us at one table! I somehow got stuck with all the kids at the end of the table, but eventually found my way over to the adults.

All the kids got this powder to put in their drinks to turn it a different color. Great idea, it kept them occupied for a few minutes.

Brevin, Halle, and Preston waiting for their food

Christmas Eve was a blast, I didn't take any pictures, oh well.My brother Scott and Lisa got stuck in a snow storm the night before and had to sleep in Pocatello. We haven't seen them since June so it was amazing how much their kids had grown! My cousin Bekah came out with her new husband Rob and it was fun to see her pregnant. We had a yummy turkey dinner with my dad's famous stuffing. It was delish. Then it was off to the hospital to sing. The highlight of the singing this year was trying to remember the words to Frosty the Snowman. None of us knew them except my sister Shauna who was getting annoyed singing a solo. Do you know the words in order? I'm telling you, it's hard! After the hospital we stopped at Joann Luke's house to carol to her family going on year number 10 now. Her husband died around Christmas time 10 years ago and we came to sing to her and she just appreciated it so much we keep coming back! We also stopped at some old neighbors of ours, the Cleggs, to say hi to their family. James did another Christmas quiz for us to play when we got back. I didn't help at all so I actually got to play this time! We did a family feud round that was so fun. The "Tremors" round had to be my favorite. It's a Tenney classic favorite movie.

The presents did get wrapped BEFORE Christmas Eve this year which was nice. Here's the tree with all the ornaments on it and all the presents underneath.

The stockings filled with lots of yummy candy-also an ice scraper :)

The mince pies for Santa

Carter at Grammy's house showing me the lovely makeup that Jenna put on his eyes

He got a fun kid's cd player complete with microphone from my parents-it was a hit with all the kids!

James with one of his new workout shirts I got him and a HUGE bag of swedish fish from my parents. My dad always delivers with a big box of popcorn and a fun treat.

This is a typical picture of my dad-he can sleep anywhere! That night me and my mom went to the movies to see 4 Christmases. I thought it was pretty funny. I love Reese Witherspoon and thought Vince Vaughn was hilarious. James took the boys over to Kevin's house and watched Aliens with my brothers and Dad. Driving home from there was the worst snowstorm I have ever been in. It took us 40 minutes to drive 3 1/2 miles. We had to help 2 people that were stuck and we could barely see in front of us. All in all, a great Christmas! I was spoiled with a new quilt for my bed from my parents and some workout gear from James.

We got a ton of snow the week of Christmas so the boys finally went out to build a snowman. Carter refused to put his hood up and Preston didn't do much but eat the snow off of his gloves. James built the head and just as they were coming inside Carter knocked it off because he didn't want a head on it. Alrighty then!

Presto's little nose and cheek were so red from the cold!

From Saturday the 27th to Monday the 29th we watched Kevin and Bethany's kids while they were in Denver for their 10th anniversary. Keeping 6 kids occupied is quite the task! We had forgotten to make our gingerbread house before Christmas and so we brought it over to do with the cousins. Don't worry they didn't let it stay up for long! It was all gone by the next day.

We had quite an eventful December with all the neighbor gifts, Christmas cards, wrapping, shopping, parties, post office trips, work, and trying to squeeze a little exercise in there too. Hopefully next year I will be a little bit less stressed and enjoy it more. Last year seemed to be that way and I think it is because I ordered stuff online! Stores make me crazy, especially Walmart. Tonight we are going to my sister's house to bring in the New Year. Here's to a great 2009! My annual resolutions post to come...

Return of the Birthday Bash

For those who don't know, my husband throws me a birthday party every year for the past 6 years. We always have so much fun and come up with new ideas every year to switch it up. The first year was 80's trivia since I was born in 1980 and it has evolved into several different rounds of random trivia and crazy tasks since then. One year we had a hot pepper eating contest fear factor style. Each pepper was worth certain points. Another was to see how fast someone could chug a cold bottle of sprite. This year we had a cake decorating contest to see who could frost their cake the fastest, best presentation, and taste. Bethany my sis-in-law used to decorate cakes for Baskin Robbins so she has a little advantage so she won for fastest frosting and presentation.

After the cakes were frosted we threw a twist in the competition and had each team pick one person to see how much they could eat in 1 minute 30 seconds. Who would you pick to win out of these three?
My oldest sister Shauna was AMAZING! We weighed the cakes before they started and she ended up winning by eating an ENTIRE POUND of cake in 90 seconds. Wow. Needless to say, she doesn't want to see any cake again for a long time! I am still in shock that she beat both of those boys!

Another addition to the party this year was ugly sweater/outfit contest. If you participated, your team got points. The funny thing was that this decided the winner for the night. All three teams were tied in points and the outfits were the deciding factor. Team Naughty Pirates took the title and D.I. trophy home for bragging rights! My sister Melanie took the trophy home for worst outfit/sweater. It was so awesome. She bought the polygamist dress with some friends this year on a girls retreat for a joke picture and decided to hang on to it! She found this cat sweater vest at D. I. for three dollars and rounded out the outfit complete with sneakers to complete the polygamist wife look!! haha Carl is wearing a lovely "blazer". It has seashells and huge shoulderpads inside! So great. He always has to wear this ugly wig with everything too. We had a good laugh at everyone's finds.

Notice the mouse buttons on the vest, it was so hilarious!

My mom had a sweater with little gardening people on the bottom and the sweater was way too short so she had to wear a shirt underneath. Mike H. also let her sport the Santa hat for most of the evening to complete the look!

Here are all of the ugly outfits in all their glory. (the people that didn't dress up aren't pictured) I wish we could do them all justice. My sweatshirt I actually just received from my 5k for Thanksgiving. It looks like it was from 1983 and has no hood on the back. SO hideous. Next year I plan to step it up but just didn't have a lot of time to search.


I got all of these pictures from my sister's blog so if you have already seen them, I'm sorry! My camera battery of course died right before the party so I didn't get any pictures. We also don't have pictures of the singing audition for "birthday Idol". Greg sang "Hearts on Fire" and danced for us, which is always a treat. Mel did "Hit me baby one more time" hoping I would pick her since I love Britney Spears so much, and Leah rounded it out with some R-e-s-p-e-c-t. Some other highlights were the Twilight trivia, and my most hated songs name that tune. Christmas shoes was on the list, along with Nickelback, Avril Lavigne, and Butterfly kisses. If you like these songs, no offense, but they are the worst!! My family is so competitive sometimes it gets pretty heated, we can't stand to lose! Thanks to all who came, it was such a blast of course! I am hoping to do a Christmas post of what else we have been up to this month, we'll see if it happens...until next time...Merry Christmas!

Gone Baby Gone

I chopped my hair off! Wahoo!!