note to self:

When you hear Ella from the next room singing to herself,
"Wash wash hair, wash wash arms, wash wash face"
while eating her yogurt, she may really be doing some "washing."

Hakuna Matata

The hubby gave me tickets to The Lion King for my birthday, so this past Saturday night we got to go on another fun date.  We had dinner at Maggianos (yum!) and then headed down to Mandalay Bay to see the show.  I had been wanting to see The Lion King since we first moved here so I was pretty excited.  The costumes and cast are so great.  Zazu was especially entertaining.  I really liked it!  Thanks for a fun night Jake :)   There are so many fun thins to do here in Vegas.  I think next on our list is Mystere at Treasure Island.   

Also noteworthy ....

We went to see Toy Story 3 as a family.  It was Ella's first time sitting through a movie in a theater.  Woo hoo!  I'm excited that we can all do that together now.  Toy Story was a good one too.  Love it when we can all enjoy a kids movie!  I wish there were more of them like that out there.

Jake was finally able to go with us to get our passports!  Well, turn in the passport paperwork and stuff anyway.  Guess we get them in 3-6 weeks.  Ahhh... moving day is coming so soon.  I have been taking the kids and myself to Dr. appointments, getting papers signed at the school district office, and running around like crazy trying to finish all this paperwork stuff.  Yesterday Jake was able to drop it all off, so we'll be getting a moving date soon.

I mentioned that Luke got shots on his birthday.  Well, they made his leg swell up humongo.  His WHOLE thigh!  It's still swollen.  Now he is complaining that his foot hurts too.  Took him to the Dr. for that yesterday and the doc didn't seem very concerned... hoping it goes away soon!  I should take a picture.  It's crazy! 

Had the Zimmermans over for some dessert last night.  Jake and Joe can talk about dental stuff for forever if you let them.  Good friends.  They are moving to Washington to start working at a couple of dental practices there.  Good luck on the move Joe and Lyssa!  It was fun having people we knew from dental school here in Vegas with us! 

4 years old!

Luke turned 4 yesterday.

 Some things I want to remember about my guy at 4:

He's super fun to be around.  It's a great job being his mom!

He's an awesome big brother... always looking out for Ella and keeping her out of trouble.  They are great little friends.  

 

  We play lots of Uno Attack, Memory, Go Fish, and other games together.  He likes to keep the games going as long as possible and will draw cards or keep that last card in his hand instead of going out... just for the sake of a longer game.

He's gotten into superheros and Star Wars lately and can't get enough.  Grandma and grandpa gave him a cape for his birthday and he's been wearing it nonstop.  To stores, friend's houses, restaurants,... you get the idea.

Not a fan of going to the store unless it's Toys R Us.

He's a smart little cookie and remembers everything.  He's got a list of questions running around in his mind for me to (attempt to) answer every day.

Loves buttons of all kinds.  Takes his calculator around with us wherever we go.

He's got a funny obsession with volcanoes and storms.

Loves to hike with his dad.

Every time we go to the library he wants to get airplane, helicopter, and tractor books.  Pretty sure he's seen all of them that our library has to offer now.

He often ends up in our room by morning.  Can't seem to make it through the night in his own bed!

Tells me he needs a dog and is going to name him Jett.  

I asked him a few of his favorite things.  Here's what he had to say:  

Favorite thing:  airplanes!

Says his favorite thing to do is: do art.

His favorite friend is: Gunnar, and all the cousins, and Emma down the street.

Favorite food:  cheese quesadillas, chicken noodle soup, ham sandwiches

Fav. Dessert:  lemon donuts

Favorite drink:  All soda like root beer and Sprite.  And I like lemonade.

Fav Toy:  All my airplanes, and light saber, and trains and guns

Favorite Song:  Good Night  (aka:  I Gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas).  He and Ella jam to it when we're riding in the car.  They both sing and rock their heads to the beat.  Cutie.

Favorite place to go: Arizona and Chuck-E-Cheese

Fav. TV Show:  Wow Wow Wubzie

His birthday morning/afternoon wasn't much fun since I had to take him for his 4 year old/clearance to move overseas Dr. appointment.  It was the only time they've been able to get him in and I thought it would be quick!  We ended up being there from 9:30 until around 1:00 in the afternoon though!  Yuck.  They wanted to see Ella too and we had to make trips to the immunization clinic and the lab.  Poor Luke had to get 4 shots and he had to watch Ella get her blood drawn.  He got teary eyed and sad when they were poking Ella.  Kept asking the tech why she had to take so much blood.  So sad!  He weighed in at 38 lbs and was 40 inches tall.  Ella was 28 lbs and hmmm... can't remember how tall.  Guess I need to go find the paper they gave me.  Anyway, after that we went and got lemon donuts- his FAV.  We had his b-day requests for dinner... cheese quesadillas, pizza, and apples.  Tann came over since his family was out of town and we had a fun little family birthday party.  Oh, and I got some cake decorating supplies a few days before with my b-day money.  I was excited to use them for Luke's cake.  It was pretty much an experiment since I've never used fondant before or layered cakes but it was fun!  Another thing added to my "want to get good at" list.  haha. 

The bday boy!  You can tell we're a little excited about Toy Story 3 coming out this weekend...   

Thanks to everyone for the phone calls, messages and presents!  I'm sure they made him feel super special.  He loves you guys.

I Love you Luke!  Happy #4.

Utah Valley Marathon

Finished my first full marathon on Saturday!  It's something I've wanted to do since I took a running class sophomore year at BYU.  Injuries, babies, school stuff, and work have kept me from going through with other 26.2 milers I've signed up for.  I was just excited to finally make it to the starting line of this one!  Last summer and fall I trained for the St. George marathon and then pulled some stuff in my leg a few weeks before the race.  I was so bummed.  After that I decided not to take marathon training so seriously.  It's so disappointing when you work hard and can't run the real deal!  May as well just have fun with the journey. 

So anyway, I signed up for Utah Valley in January thinking that if I could actually get to race day with my body cooperating then that would be a victory in itself.  A few times in this round of training I thought this race would join the others that I paid and trained for but never got to run.  I took some time off running the end of Jan/early Feb because I was having weird muscle spasms.  Then after those went away and I was feeling pretty good again, I busted my toe.  In March.  AAaaa!  Just my luck.  You never realize how much you use your little toe and how many nerves run from your pinkie toe down your foot until you break it.  So frustrating.  So, I ended up having to take about a month off of running and spent time on the elliptical and biking.  Thought most likely I wouldn't be doing this marathon, but if we ended up moving to Arizona or Utah, I'd have time to try again for St. George.  Well, the toe healed and we found out we are moving to England.  There went thoughts of doing St. George!  I thought I'd pick up where I should be on the training schedule for Utah Valley instead of where I left off before toe issues.  Luckily it worked out!   I actually made it to race day with my body in one piece.

I was a little nervous going into race day.  The altitude is so much higher in Provo then it is here in Vegas.  I wondered if I'd feel like a smoker trying to gasp for air.  Also, it was super cold and rainy weather.  To top it off, I had to catch the bus between 3:30 and 4:30 AM.  I'm used to getting up early to run, but being up that early just seemed crazy!  Plus, my body was still on Nevada time which is an hour behind UT.  (Thanks Jake for waking up so early with me!)  We stayed with Ben and Hailey so luckily we were just a few minutes away from Provo Town Center mall where the buses were.

The course was so beautiful!  Ahh, I love Provo.  It made the run enjoyable despite the yucky weather.  From the start, all of us running were pretty much soaked.  It rained off and on while we ran down Provo Canyon but the mountains and everything took my mind off soggy wet feet!  I thought about fun times driving up the canyon during college with friends (shout out to my Heeber Creeper buddies!) and since the course went down University Ave I got to run by Courtyard at Jamestown (where I used to work), the apartments Jake and I lived at when we were first married, Lavelle Edwards stadium, The Elms (lived there while still single), and so many other places that brought back fun memories.  Jake and the kids were cheering for me around mile 21... those cute faces were a great boost when my legs were getting tired!  Jake took this pic as I was running by.  I met some awesome people while running and the girl in the blue hat is one of them.  Angie was super peppy and and kept saying cutie things to keep us motivated!  I'm so glad she was there.             

For me, miles 22-24 were the hardest.  I don't think I 'hit the wall' like some people say happens, but my legs were tired and it was harder to push myself.  Pretty sure it was Mila's awesome prayer at dinner the night before that kept me going!  She is such a cutie.  Miles 25 and 26 went by quickly.  Guess it was because the finish line was so close!  I saw Jake and the kids next there!   

 Running shots are so unflattering!  I want to remember this though, so they're going in here!  ha!  Almost there!!!

My official chip time was 3:46:48. Guess I crossed the start line a full minute after the gun went off since the crowd was so big. Time on the clock was 3:47:51.  I didn't really have a goal time in mind when I started... just told Jake I'd see him in around 4 hours.  I just wanted to enjoy the experience and finish since it was my first.      

On the drive home I started counting up things I could have done to improve my time. I had to take off my shoe to shake out a rock around mile 15... could have been faster through aid stations... shouldn't have been so chatty with other runners, etc. The first half  I ran in 1:49... the second in 1:57.  Next time I'll pick up the pace on the 2nd half!  It's Easy to get caught up thinking about time and what I will do differently next time when all I wanted in the first place was the opportunity to run this marathon.  It was such a great experience. I'm glad I finally got to do it!

The whole tired-eyed fam!  I guess the company that prints the shirts didn't get the smalls and mediums finished in time.  I'm excited to get my t-shirt in the mail! 

Thanks to Jake for watching the kids so much so I could train.  And, thanks to Ben and Hailey for a fun marathon weekend!   We had a date night and got to try some new restaurants on Saturday.   I want their babysitter to move to Vegas.  She was awesome!!  (hoping we find one like that in England!) Luke had a blast running around with Ethan and it was so fun hanging out with everyone.  See you guys in a few weeks!

The only pictures I got while at their house!... Crazy boys! :)

Next thing to check off on my list before we move:  finish classes!  AAaaa!  Wish me luck. 

We love Aunt Carol!

The kids and I spent a night with Aunt Carol! We stayed up late playing Uno Attack (with Luke), chatted, and ate tasty treats. She had all of our favorite snacks and foods there for us and I think Ella pretty much took over the fruit snacks. Ha ha. Ella liked to copy what Carol was doing too.  Carol was putting lotion on and Ella was wanting to do the same thing.  It was so funny.  We got to go out to lunch and browse the mall together too. Thanks for a fun time Carol!

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

Jake and I had so much fun Friday night!  Mom and dad Smith gave Jake tickets to Phantom for his birthday, so we headed down to the Venetian to see it.  (Thanks Rick and Sherry!!)  I would go see it ten more times if I could!  I loved it.  The talent of the cast is really phenomenal.   It is so not fair that some people can sing like that!  Phantom Theater was built specifically for this and with all the special effects (even fireworks and other crazy stuff!) it's the best place to see Phantom.  We got there early so we could check out the theater and everything and while we were walking around, one of the ushers wanted to know where our seats were.  She asked us if we wanted to be closer and ended up upgrading our tickets TO THE BEST SEATS IN THE HOUSE for free!  (That's a $100 upgrade for each ticket!!)  Score.  We were in the dead center about 8 rows from the front, and the chandelier was directly above our heads.  Very cool when the phantom was dangling from up there, and it felt like it was going to crash on us when it came down!  And, we could see the costumes and everything so well.  I've heard the songs from the musical since I was a kid...  so fun seeing the story behind it all.  Anyhow, it was awesome and I just can't stop thinking about it!  

Go see it when you're in Vegas!  You'll be happy you did :)        

After the show, we ate dinner at the Grand Lux Cafe in the Venetian.  It's pretty much the Cheesecake Factory's twin.  They are owned by the same company and their food is just as good...  without a crazy long wait!    My kind of date night :)

Dak's Graduation/Memorial Day Weekend!

The kids and I drove down to AZ last week for Dak's graduation.  First time driving to Mesa all by myself with them!  My parents worry when I drive alone with the kids, so I just showed up at their house the day before graduation.  They didn't know we were coming, so it was fun to surprise!  Grandma Nan and Grandpa Arnie made the trip down from Utah, and it was great being with them too.  

Graduation Day Stuff...  (Abby and Chris, we missed you!)        

Can you find him??  There were close to 600 kids in his class.  The graduation was held at ASU.

 

We spent three days with the Gift side of the family, and then Jake flew into town on Thursday night.  He had Friday and Monday off work for Memorial Day.  He and his dad and Daniel went on a couple of hikes and made a trip to REI for bear vaults among other things for the summer hike. 

Other highlights of the trip included:

*playing in the water.  We swam quite a bit at my parent's house and at Jake's parents pool.  Grandpa Arnie and Luke had a huge water fight.  They started off with squirt guns and I think grandpa ended with the hose.  It was entertaining!  How many kids get to run around with their great grandpa having water fights?!!  My grandpa is awesome.  My mom and dad ended up getting in on the action too, and in the end I think Grandma Nan and I came out the least wet.  Luke swam around with the Whitfield kiddos one night.  Another day I was swimming and looked down to see a dead bird floating next to me.  AAAAaaa!!!  So gross!  One afternoon we went over to San Tan mall with Sherry so the kids could play in the water area.

 

*eating super tasty food.  We went to dinner at San Tan Flats the night before Dak's graduation with everyone.  Tasty!  They let you roast marshmallows for dessert.  The kids were loving it! 

 After graduation we had dinner at BJs... pizza and pizookies.  That place is always good!  Went out to dinner with Joe, Mel, Daniel, Rick and Sherry for Jake's b-day dinner.  Some sushi place.  Sushi looks so cool... I wish I liked it.  I ended up getting chicken since I don't do seafood.  Mix all the restraunting with my mom giving us chocolate cake and cheesecake,  Rick's BBQing and smoothies, and Melanie's chocolate chip cookies and it added up to be quite the food fest. 

OH.... and to top it off, Sherry, Jake, Daniel and myself went to try out Heart Attack Grill.  It was featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, and OH MY GOSH.  I was prepared for greasy, but not like that!  They fry their fries in 100% lard.  And, they call the burgers 'bypass burgers.'  You can order a single, double, triple, or quadruple bypass burger.  I read afterward online that the quad has 8,000 calories!  They put a hospital gown on you when you enter the place, along with a hospital wrist band thing.  Then when you are done, they give you your leftovers in a pharmacy bag to take home.  All the grease and the weird hospital atmosphere totally sicked me out and I think I ended up eating about two bites of mine.  I almost forgot another crazy thing about that place- if you are over 350 lbs, you eat there for free.  There were a couple of 350 pounders in here.         So, with all this running I should really be getting smaller, but I'm pretty sure I came away from this trip with some more pudge!   Love that.  Speaking of running, I managed to get some good runs in there.  It was still cool enough in the mornings to feel good.  The last 'long' run before the marathon was there.  It was 14.5 miles from Rick and Sherry's house to my parent's house.  Yesterday was just 8.  I love this tapering down stuff!  I'm getting super nervous though!  I know what 20 miles feels like... done that a couple of times now.  I think I've done my part getting ready, but thinking about adding 6.2 more scares me a little!  I'm so excited though.

*Park Play.  Met up with Melanie and kiddos for some park time and lunch at her house.  Baby number 5 is coming to their house soon!  Actually, baby is scheduled to share a birthday with me on the 7th! :)  Can't wait to see if this cutie is a boy or girl!  Got in time at the park at my parent's house too!

*Pictures of the gift grandkids... already posted some of those in the last post!

*Grandma almost went for a ride!  She was going to get on Todd's bike for a ride but ended up deciding it might not be the best idea.  I dont' blame her.  It was funny watching Todd and grandpa Arn try to convince her to get on!  You're a good sport grandma! 

*Ella ended up cornering every grandma and grandpa paul on this trip to read her books!  She would plop on my mom's lap and give her a book, and then run over to grandma Nan's lap to have her read too.  Seriously she went back and forth between the two grandmas for a good hour one night.  She was having grandma Sherry read to her before we left her house too.  Quite the little bookworm.  Her nursery teachers told me a couple of weeks ago that every time she's in there she grabs a bunch of books and then sits on their lap... wants them to read to her the whole time!  ha ha

 

It was great hanging out with everyone!  Thanks for a fun time!

Cutie Cousins

We've been living it up in Arizona again for the past week!  Dak graduated from high school and we got to  celebrate.  It's always fun to be with family.  We're soaking it up while we're still here!  While in Mesa I snapped some pictures of Luke, Ella, and Amy together.  Here are some of my favorites!

 I'll post pictures of the rest of the trip in the next post :) 

The Gift/Smith cuties...

The girls were liking Grandma Pam's flowers.  Hope you have some left mom!  ha

Luke makes me laugh. 

This cutie is going to be walking soon.  She's got the balance!  Amy turns 1 next month.

The kids love Amy.  She really likes them too.  She's always pulling up on Luke and trying to touch his face.

He even lets her press his calculator buttons.  That's a pretty big deal around here.

Ella!

.

Cali Trip Day 6: Last Day at Disneyland

Woo hoo!  Finally on my last day of the trip.  There were so many pictures that I want to include in the blog book that I've had to chop it up into a bunch of posts.  Here's how our CA trip ended...  

 We did Disney with Jake on our last day- went on all the rides that I couldn't do by myself with the kiddos before, and rode a few favorites again.  Jake and Tann went on a few big rides too.  It was cool and  sprinkling rain when we walked over to the park in the morning... luckily it never started pouring.     

Jake, Tann and the kids on the teacups...

I was impressed with how patient Luke was in the lines this trip.  Last year he was running all over and didn't want to hold still.  He had been wanting to drive a car at Autopia from the first day we were at Disneyland.

Finally got to drive!  Jake and Ella were in the car behind us.

Ella was really liking the Oreos when we were waiting for the others to ride Space Mountain.  She had a stack of five (maybe more) in her hands and was not about to share with baby Landon.

 Luke has a love/hate relationship with the Matterhorn.  He's super scared when he goes on it but likes it anyway. 

Before taking off for home that night, we had dinner in Frontierland with the Jones at The Golden Horseshoe. The hilbilly fiddler show there was really funny. The kids were even laughing at it.

Here are the Hilbillies rocking out at the Golden Horseshoe.

I hope Jake can bring us along on more 'TDY/work trips' in the future!  Being in the Air Force has some great perks.  Minus the part where the kids and I were sick, we had a fun week!