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Isaiah didn't have school this week so we headed down to Vegas to stay with Mike's sister (Thanks Tash!!) Wednesday we headed down to the strip to see the lion's and M&M factory. We planned on only being there a couple hours which turned into all day and into the night. We just kept finding things to do. Hope you like pictures!
We started out at MGM where they do magic. They showed the boys a bunch of tricks that wow'd (is this a word?) them. 
They had baby lions this time. I just wanted to hear them baby roar like Simba but they didn't.
Then we headed to Rain Forest Cafe where they have a bunch of animitronic animals that look and feel real. Isaiah was really hesitant to touch any of them.
The M&M factory which I've been to many times but have never taken the boys. 
As expected they loved it and wanted to take every souvenier home. 
Despite the look on Isaiah's face they loved the 3D movie...
Natasha Damien Jaden Azlynn in their SWEET glasses.
Azlynn fell asleep late and we tried to wake her up but the girl wanted to sleep...
The Venetian hotel is my abolute favorite...
While you walk through the huge casino there are 'statues' that are really people. People come up totally baffled as to whether they are real or not. How they hold that still for so long not even blinking is totally amazing. I don't think the boys believed me that he was real until he just barely would move his fingertips and wave and move only his eyeballs to look at them. Kind of trippy. This is what Isaiah is still talking about.
Then to finish off the night we took them to FAO Schwarz. If you've seen the movie 'Big' with Tom Hanks the part that he plays chopsticks with his feet on the huge piano is filmed here. They have the most incredible toys and priced for the high rollers in Vegas. 
Never seen a double seated scooter before....picked up a cute chick while takin it for a spin.
I truly didn't realize there was that much for kids to do in Vegas. That's why I never take them when I go. But if you go early afternoon and leave before dark it's not half bad. One thing we didn't hit is the fun dome at Circus Circus. We'll save that for next time. Long enough post for ya?
My sister had her baby a couple weeks ago. I just got some pictures to show her off! She weighed a whoppin 9lbs 5oz and she wasn't the biggest baby she's had...can you imagine? My babies are 5 and 6 pounds so to me she already looks like a 2 month old. But she is as cute as can be. They named her Cambree Ella. Here she is... 
Isaiah is ga ga for babies...he asks all the time when we can have a sister. He's the first to hold her when they come over and is so sweet to her.
Summer's only boy...ins't he cute?
Having a newborn means pictures...I LOVE getting pictures done. My friend Elsie has been my photo go to girl for a long time now. She does a wonderful job and I love that she's one of my best friends, it makes it more fun. We decided to set up shop at my house. So a little sneak peak of what they'll look like. I brought in some furniture from the other room and bedspread from our guest bed room and that was only one set of shots. There were many shots...3 hours worth of them. I know they'll be adorable but seriously can't wait to get them back and show the results in a week or so. 
"Your little guy can't be that big yet can he?" I've heard that numerous times this week. Yes he is and he was ready. I took hime the first day to meet his teacher and he wondered why he couldn't stay longer. The next day when I took him there were multiple moms walking their kids to the door. Isaiah on the other hand jumped out of the car and darted to the door. He was so excited! I love the enthusiasm. I'm loving everything about school. I love my time when he's gone. I love that he gets to learn to read. I love how nice he's been to his brother now that they're not together every single second. I love that he comes home and wants a snack. I love hearing his 'tell your mom' messages from his teacher. I love reading the papers he brings home. I love having a routine. I love that he can't wait for PE day tomorrow. Most of all I love that he gets to learn how to play the violin.
For the veteran school moms I know it becomes mundane after a while but for now I am eating it up. He loves it. I love it.
Is totally potty trained! Yippy!! Once I was ready to get going (yes me, I'm the one I wait for to be ready; it can be hard on me ;) he was a dream. Well now I say that but a week after we started and I would go to someone elses house I would forget to take him potty and I know I was the one that set us back but when I wasn't being lazy and we actually stayed home long enough to do the teaching that's when he was great. It's all good now but he'll wake me up in the night to go and sometimes it's twice a night and that part's not so fun but when my nephew has a stinky diaper I just think how glorious it is to be done. Who knows how long before I'll have to change diapers again...I might not ever want to go back.
It was testimony meeting yesterday. Isaiah's little friend was the first one to get up. Isaiah was really quick to lean over to Mike and say "I want to go up there." He wanted to go by himself at first but Mike decided to take him up. My heart started beating like it was me giving a talk or something but I was totally nervous what he might say (he says whatever is on his little mind). He gets up there and says "I love to bare my testimony, I know the church is true, I know Pres. Monson is true, I know my mom loves to play the violin(audience chuckles and all turn and look at me), I know my mom knows God is true and that she loves me, I love Joshua and know he loves me, I know my Daddy loves me and I love him." Then he closed. After the violin comment I was hit when he said he knows I have a testimony. I'm so glad that my children know that! I'm glad they know I love to play the violin too but more so of the other. I hope to be more like a child. Total excitement to tell people what they know and unashamed about what someone will think and to just be able to get up there and speak from the heart. What an example our little ones are.
Isaiah and I have been really good about going out on dates. I love spending time alone with this little squirt. His dad has taught him to be such a gentleman. He always opens doors for me and says "Ladies first."
Mike and I had been out to Tuacahn (an outdoor theater tucked right in the middle of Snow Canyon, it's beautiful) a couple weeks earlier and saw Footloose and loved it and I wanted to bring Isaiah out to see Annie. I don't know that he'd ever even seen it. He loved it! He was totally into the slapstick comedy when the girls would step on Ms. Hannigan's feet and taunt her. 
I think he got a little embarassed when I said to get in a picture and all the girls ran to get around him. You could tell they all loved the limelight and they were great in the show. 
This was his favorite part and thought himself so proud to get to see the real Annie. We were also with my very pregnant sister (who refused to be in the picture) and her two girls. We've all been singing that song. You know the one about the sun coming out tomorrow. You can thank me later when you start singing it too. 
Can't wait for Aida in the Fall. I absolutely love going to Tuacahn and find myself missing playing in the pit orchestra out there. Wish I could do it every year!
The 4th this year was a BLAST! My brother came down from Lehi and brought his boat and he invited us to come. I haven't been to the lake in years and the boys first time out with a boat. I wasn't going to attempt my camera around water with my luck so here you go...we did a lot of this
I learned how to do this...now I'm paying for it, I still can't move.
We were there for 6 1/2 hours and we all look like this...'all' meaning me I guess. Lucky Mike, while I cake on sunscreen he's putting tanning oil on...for what? A little sunscreen goes a long way for the boys.
After we came home to a BBQ which Mike made home made BBQ sauce (you can do that?) and crock pot chicken which was divine. Dutch oven potatoes to die for and one heck of a lemon berry cake made by yours truly. 
Then of course we ended with a bunch of these. Note to self next year...don't light illegal fireworks when a cop drives by. Whoops!
I've been couponing for awhile and have gotten some awesome deals but this has outdone all of them. I couldn't even believe it at first.
26 boxes of cereal
14 pkgs of 6 yogurts
10 cans refried beans
8 bags pretzels
Total was over $150
Gave them my preferred card and all of my coupons and drum roll please.....
$9.00 yes I said nine dollars on the nose. The reciept was as tall as me.
Spent $9 saved $190 how's that for a deal of the century. Anyone want some yogurt?? 
I had a yard sale a few weeks ago and Isaiah saw the envelope with my cash in it and was amazed. Really it was mostly one dollar bills but he couldn't believe how many there were. He's been begging me to do a lemonade stand with him which I so willingly refuse to do in 105 degree heat. He's wanting to earn money any way he can so he resorted to his own 'garage sale'.
He asked me how to spell it and this is the result (hey, every letter is their somewhere) and he hung it and began yelling "sale, sale" it lasted 15 minutes and he was about to give up and we had to go somewhere so I walked up to him and asked to buy one of his 6 toys he had out there and gave him a dollar. So he kept saying that some old lady came and bought a toy from him and looks at me and smiles.
We have done a good deed. I had just started going for a walk and I saw a little baby bird that had probably fallen out of a tree. I went back and got Mike to look at it and the poor thing had sap and junk all tangled around it's beak. So we got our tweezers and got it all off and gave it water in a dropper. Mike has a tender heart for helpless animals I guess because I said "Okay let's let it go" but he made me take it down to animal reserve where they have a bird specialist (is there such a thing?) He says he found a kitten once that was nearly dead and nursed it back to health...ohhh ;)
So today on a walk in our next door neighbors yard Isaiah spots a bird hoping in the grass with a hurt wing and insists we stop and get it. I on the other hand insist we get to where we were going that now we were late for. Then we made a deal that if we help the bird we can't walk where we were going we have to drive (that in itself is a big thing) Deal! So we helped the bird and took it also to the reserve. It must be that we are destined to resuce birds. What a life calling!
We have family that works at the base and told us about the air show a few months ago. Mike's dad worked there while Mike was growing up and so he often got to go see these mammoth of airplanes regularly. He hasn't been since he was a kid and was totally stoked to go and show the boys his childhood memories...ohhh so sweet ;)
You know how nothing from a picture does anything this huge justice. I think I might blow this picture up because only then will it maybe be as realistic as in person. 
They let us go inside and even sit in the cockpit...the boys were lovin it.
Isaiah got to meet and talk to the pilot of the Thunderbirds. He shook his hand and then Mike told him that this is the guy that flys THAT plane (pointing to the F16) His eyes got huge and he looked at the pilot and said "I'm going to be a jet pilot when I grow up." You know when something makes such an impact on your kids that you think it will really sway their decision when it comes time to decide what career to choose...this is one I am sure will be that moment for him. Only time will tell.
Notice the airplane in the background of the picture above. Mike insisted the boys get a souvenier and when Isaiah spotted the model of the Thunderbird it was a must. He hasn't let go of the thing once since he got it. He sleeps with it eats with it and even bathes with it. I'm going to blow up the picture of him with Kirby the pilot and frame it right by his model airplane. Here's the proud owner. 
This is the Thunderbirds in action. Nothing can describe the emotions that come when these fly overhead. I was feeling a little pathetic with tears welling up in my eyes but there is something about it for me. Knowing that those men are somebodies sons...it gets me all teary eyed. 
