This is James asleep with a little "nugget" in his pants. I ran some errands while Dave was home the other day and when I came back Zanna came running out-- "you gotta see this mom!" So, when I went back to their room this is how I found James asleep on the chair. Dave knew nothing about it, and then Zanna said "why does my room smell like poop?"  "Oh, no" I thought, and sure enough I did the 'tap, tap' and there it was.  I think James woke up, didn't make it to the bathroom, and didn't want to lay back down in it, so he found a creative way of getting some more sleep without the squish.  

aNotHer gReAt Trip oUt wEsT

My boy is growing up.... he's already 30!!!!

30 good things to know about Dave

1- He likes to put chocolate sauce on his ice cream in the container
2- He gives a killer karaoke performance
3- He dreams of skiing in new places
4- He loves to watch bad movies because they are bad
5- He finds the weirdest parts in movies to find hilarious
6- He loves to play hide-n-seek and wrestle-mania with the kids
7- He explains in great detail, to the point of drawing on napkins
8- He works very hard to be a good doctor
9- He teaches in principles on all levels of understanding
10- He hates mediocrity
11- He enjoys making food look good, as well as taste good
12- He jumps in to help with laundry and cooking without being asked
13- He offers his opinion when you need it, or not
14- He enjoys being in front of a crowd
15- He has a great laugh when you get him going
16- He loves to make his wife laugh
17- He indulges his wife’s need for ice cream and frozen yogurt
18- He gets excited about a fresh baked donut in the morning
19- He wants to live near the mountains and near a lake
20- He wants to own a boat to take to that near lake
21- He is an up and coming triathlete
22- He is an Eagle Scout and he’s got skills in the outdoors!
23- He wants his kids to be the best kids they can be and holds them to a high standard
24- He loves God
25- He is a well-rounded fix-it man and comes in quite handy around the house
26- He is learning to be patient through many opportunities at home
27- He gets comments on looking like a Hollywood star
28- He likes to embellish his tales to keep his audience involved
29- He has a perfect profile and the cutest squinty-eyed smile
30- He has a grateful wife and 2 kids that love him very much!

Happy 30th Birthday!!!

This is a big birthday, the big 3-0!! Last night we went out with the residents in Dave's class and had a delicious Italian dinner at "Supper" in the city. It was a beautiful night to be out and we had a great time- thanks to Peter and Dara for watching the kids and sleeping on our couch- you guys are awesome! This morning we had a yummy crepe breakfast with strawberries, bananas, whipped cream, oj and chocoate milk. The kids were so excited to put up the balloons and streamers this morning and wake Dave up by singing Happy Birthday! After breakfast we opened presents and then had to send Dad off to work for the day (he's on 11am-11pm). We had a fun relaxing morning and Dave and I are going out on Saturday to celebrate- but it's a surprise so you'll have to check back to see what we did- it's going to be great!

"May I?"

For the last year or so we have been watching some of my favorite classic movies- "The Sound of Music", "The Music Man", "Mary Poppins" etc.  Zanna and James love them and are constantly saying lines from the movies or imitating the characters.  

Zanna is really into using the term "may I" instead of "can I" and loves it when I say, "yes, you may."

James tries but it  usually comes out as "may I can I have some noodles..." or "may I, can I go to the bathroom?" I think he thinks I am "May I." It's pretty funny.

They love to dance like the Von Trapp children on "The Sound of Music" and Zanna often gets behind James and pops out saying "just popping out to say 'tutoo' (cuckoo)!" Her "c's" are still "t's" but she is getting better.

Here is a little video of them doing "do re mi"- it's classic!

Heather and Ben's Big Day!

we're all married now

me, mom, and mind

the bridal party in the bathroom!

The HAPPY couple

the flower girl and ring "bear"

my beautiful girlies

my handsome man

Heather and I have been friends since 5th grade and this was a very special day to see her so genuinely happy and so beautiful.  Heather is one of the most real people I know and her concern and love for everyone around her showed more than ever on her wedding day.  She is clumsy, funny, sincere, tough, gorgeous, and I just love her! Ben is the coolest- and I am thrilled he is now apart of my life too. We had a fabulous time in Vail and loved seeing so many people from Pullman (the town I grew up in) Happy Wedding you two!

feeling the blues

I need help. I am suffering from post-vacation blues and it is bad this time. I had to drive into the city tonight and I hated ALL the traffic and lights and people!!! I just wanted to be back in Island Park looking for moose or able to just walk to a park, without having to cut through huge Macy's parking lot to get to some swings.  I am probably sounding bratty, but I have officially decided that I am not a New York girl and will try happily to get the most out of it while I am here, but look forward to more open spaces some day.  I definitely have good days and bad days, but I guess I am just feeling the negativity right now and need to get out of my funk.  any good ideas???

We just got back from Utah last night and I am excited to post about the happenings- I'm just too tired right now, but it was a ROCKIN' trip! We loved every minute of it and feel so grateful for our wonderful families- they do so much for us and we are really lucky to have two awesome set of parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles and  great friends!

 THANKS for EVERYTHING- WE LOVE YOU!

our country's capital

 














 

So, please excuse the layout of this post- I was doing a little experimenting and didn't feel like changing it.  

This trip to D.C. in May was one of my favorite trips lately- probably because the gas and hotels were paid for by North Shore Hospital- but actually it was a blast and we got to see some great friends and really relax. Dave had to attend a conference so we decided to make it a family trip and got 5 days of unexpected "vacation"- awesome! 

We stayed with Jess and Sterling the first night- enjoyed some great Mexican food and delicious omelets w/avocado made by Sterling in the morning.  We went to the "Air Show" and we all felt like kids watching the planes do all their tricks in the air and seeing the Blue Angels in action. We met Matt, Eliza, and cute Theo there for a brief minute and it was fun to catch up.  That night we got pizza and took it down to the Mall and walked around the Lincoln Memorial and enjoyed the beautiful night view of D.C. We went to church with the Filmore's and I had fun catching up with a friend from high school who is in their ward.  After going to the hotel for naps we came back for an excellent taco soup fiesta and then headed to Great Falls for an amazing view of the Potomac.  The kids and I walked to the National Zoo (it's free!) on Monday and we loved the gorillas and "the monster!" We met Dave at the pool for an evening swim and met Sterling for Thai food that night, followed by some McD's cones and a big mac for Sterling- go figure :) On Tuesday I dragged the kids through the mall, still dress hunting- but I found "the one" and it was a great relief- funny I had to get out of NY to find it!  That night we had more pizza (we can't get enough) at Matt and Liza's and made some killer s'mores on the stove- see picture above.  We all knew each other in college (Dave, Matt, and Sterling were roommates while Dave & I were dating and engaged) and I always love it when the six of us get together again- good times.  I met my dear friend, Michelle and her cute son Damon on Wed. and we went to probably the coolest kids park I've been too. Damon rode his pedal-less bike like a champ and Michelle and I had a great time chatting like the good old days.  We picked Dave up after his conference, where we met with Hilary Clinton's advisor (just felt like name dropping) and we headed off into the sunset back to NY.  

Just FYI it cost $23 in tolls and bridges alone from  D.C. to Long Island- if you go mapquest way! We didn't hit any traffic until we were about 12 miles from home, and those 12 miles took about 45 minutes.  Sometimes I really miss not being able to just drive home with ease. Anyway, this was a marathon post, but  I loved the trip and felt like documenting all the fun times.   Thanks to all our friends for being such great host/hostess- we will take you anytime up here!

I LOVE DRY AIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am scared to go back East- my hair actually looks decent here in Utah and you don't get sticky in two seconds of being outside.  I know it's vain, but it's true and it's one reason I can't live in a humid place for the rest of my life, and that's that.

A couple of weeks ago we we partied with Joey and Lynsey (my cousin). The kids loved having them sleep over and Zanna thought Joey was pretty much "the man." We met Jess in Central Park, had lunch at the Boat House and rented a boat and paddled around to the music of an awesome Beatles song performer.  We ate Popsicles and watched the dancers perform at the fountain and just relaxed- it was another beautiful day in the park and we loved the "cousin bonding." Thanks for coming guys- hope Elko is treating you well!