Alaska Cruise!!

We figured out the picture problem (by we I mean Jeff) and I'm excited to be able to blog again. I have to limit this post because I know it will get out of control long if I'm not careful. Last week, we went on our Alaskan cruise with the adults on Jeff's side of the family. Jeff and I were especially excited since we went there five years ago on our honeymoon. We had such an incredible trip! I'll just put on lots of pictures and explain what we did. This was our first day on the boat with the view of Seattle in the background.

The first day we played games, ate lots of yummy food, and played in a ping pong tournament. Let's just say that the guy I played had an easy time making it to the next round.

The second day was filled with a lot of the same--games and more food. It was also one of our two formal nights. It was fun getting all dressed up and going all out. I loved seeing everyone else dressed up and looking so nice. After dinner we went to a ventriliquist show--which honestly was really horrible. I had to feel sorry for him--he just wasn't funny. At least we were able to use him and his pet dinosaur, Rex, in our pictionary game. And, we did have a funny comedian who provided us with some good shows.

After two days at sea, one of those being a really rough sea day, we arrived in Juneau. It was beautiful! The mountains are incredible--they are so green. The highlights of this stop were the tram ride, the Mendenhall Glacier, and the Twisted Fish Restaurant. At the glacier, we were lucky enough to see a bear walking right below us. Its baby was up in a tree not too far away. We tried to get some pictures but there were so many people watching it that we couldn't get a good shot.

The Twisted Fish was as good as I remembered from our Honeymoon. I had the best salmon tacos and clam chowder--yummy!

The second stop on our cruise was Skagway. It's a beautiful little town with lots of little shops. We bought some of the best fudge I've ever eaten. The train ride had some incredible views. It was fun to look at all the scenery on the way up to the summit and was completely relaxing listening to music on the way back down. It was a great day!

We also got our pictures taken in the old Western outfits which ended up being hilarious because of our camera man. He wasn't going to take our pictures because he was running two other businesses in town at the time, so we decided to start trying on stuff and take our own pics. As soon as we asked if we could take our own, he was suddenly available. Jeff wasn't feeling the costume below and instead opted for a gigantic bear coat which our camera man told us was actually a rug. Jeff managed a great snarl to go with the outfit-it's a classic look and I wish I could post the picture!

We went by Tracy Arm Fjord in our ship. If only it wouldn't have been so early, maybe we would have seen it. Our ship was through it by 8:30. We caught a few ice chunks in the water by the time we got up. During the day we did our own Amazing Race, courtesy of Jeff's dad. Some of the events were speed walking for a mile (which is a lot harder than it looks--we were all sore the next day), searching for pins that were hid around the ship, and searching for books in the library. Those were just a few of the events--Jeff and I didn't do very well and finished last. It was fun anyway! That night was our second formal night. I tried lobster and loved it (but what food didn't I love while we were there). The food was delicious--I ate way too much! Our waiter had to have a few extra people help push his cart to our table because of all the extra appetizers and desserts our table would order. (I'm only slightly exaggerating)

The picture below is a little random and made it in the post mainly because one of my brother-in-laws said,"whos ever going to do anything with this picture"? Jeff, his parents, and his sisters took a picture together and then they made us do an in-law picture. Apparently, Travis was having a lot of fun (he's the one right above me in case you couldn't tell).

Here are the guys doing a dang good job of imitating his face:

Every night when they turn down your bed, they make an animal out of towels. The bat was one of the best.

Our last stop and last day on the ship was in Victoria, Canada. I loved the city--it had a very European feel to it. We took a shuttle bus around town and enjoyed all the towns loveliness. The building below was really cool.

Our last day was one of my faves. We ate at one of my favorite restaurants ever--Chinook's in Seattle. As if I needed more food after a week of completely indulging. :) The salmon and chocolate malt shakes are to die for so of course I couldn't pass it up.

The guys in front of one of the boats from Deadliest Catch.

While we waited for our duck tour to start, we walked around the space needle area. There was a cool fountain that looked like a space ship and spewed out water and steam. I was wishing Jaxon was there to see it-he would have loved it.

Here is our tour guide--doing a fine impression of Peter from Family Guy. He was a good guide and kept us laughing and dancing throughout the tour.

The whistles seemed like a good idea--they were for a few minutes. At least Jaxon is now having fun quacking everywhere!

To finish the day off, we went to see the Mariners play. They lost to the Yankees but it was fun to enjoy a game with Jeff. The field and setting are beautiful. The Ivar's clam chowder wasn't bad either.

That pretty much wraps up our trip. I know it's long, but since this doubles as my journal I wanted it fairly detailed so I can look back on it. By the end of the trip, Jeff and I couldn't wait to see the kids. It was crazy how grown up they seemed after just a week of being away from them. I owe my mom a huge thank you for watching the kids. I didn't worry about the kids at all and it made the trip that much more enjoyable. Thanks mom for all you did and all the time and sleep you gave up that week! :) I am so grateful to Dave and Faye for making this trip possible. They are wonderful in-laws and have an incredible family. I feel lucky to be a part of it. We made so many memories and had so much fun. Thanks for an amazing trip everyone!! Happy Anniversary to you Honey--it was the best week long date ever!

Where I've Been

Well, it's been quite a while since I've blogged and still may be a while more. Our computer is having issues recognizing our camera which equals no pictures on the computer--so frustrating! :) I hate blogging without pictures. So, here's to hoping we can get it figured out and that I can catch up on all our summer fun!

Fun with Cousins!

I'm still trying to catch up on our blog, so most of these posts are still from a few weeks ago. We had been so excited for the Demolition Derby in June, but it was rained out and moved to July.  We still decided to have a BBQ at my brother's house.  It was our family, my brother and his family, and my sister and her family.  It was freezing outside, but the kids still managed to play outside for the majority of the night. 

Jeff managed to get a great picture of Claire on the swing.  We had a good laugh over the look on her face.    

The kids had a blast making trains and going down the slide. 

Luckily, there were no major injuries!  

Finally...

We had so much rain in June that it hasn't really felt like summer.  After about three weeks of rain, it finally cleared up.  It was still a little chilly but I couldn't pass up the chance to let the kids get outside.  We went to the park by our house and they played in the big sandbox for over an hour.  They were laying down in the sand, running in it, and having the best time.  If I could've read their thoughts I would think they were thinking, "finally...we can be outside again." The pictures say it all!   I love the rain, but I am also looking forward to having a summer!  

Bowling with Friends

We were supposed to go up the canyon with some of our friends, but it was during those weeks when it rained every day.  So we decided to go bowling instead--it was the one activity we could think of that adults and kids would both enjoy.   Jaxon has been before, but he really got into it this time and bowled all ten frames.  He loved putting the ball on the ramp and pushing it off.  

Claire  helped with a couple of Jeff's frames, but she was more interested in having us chase her.  She thought it was hilarious to run down the bowling lane and see how long it took us to notice.  She's starting to be such a tease.  If you want her to do something these days, just tell her no, no and she'll keep doing it. :)  

Jeff and I always like to play for something and I beat him in the last frame.  I won 10 bucks!  

An intense game of air hockey between Tim and Jeff.  

We had a great time with friends and are looking forward to our canyon outing soon!  

My Birthday!

Since my birthday was on Sunday and Jeff had to work, we pretty much celebrated it all weekend--not that I'm complaining.  :)   It seems crazy that I am just a few years away from the big 3-0, but I love where I am right now in life--every year seems to get better and better!  

We thought it would be fun to go to Park City for my birthday so we headed up there on Thursday.  The kids came with us as well as Jeff's mom.  I chose to start the day by shopping at the outlet stores.  Jeff and Faye watched the kids well I shopped.  It was so nice not having to rush in and out of a store as quickly as possible and I found some great buys.  After shopping, we checked into our hotel and went swimming.  The kids enjoyed trying out the different pools and hot tubs. They also loved playing with the super sized chess game that was by the pool.

That night, Faye watched the kids so Jeff and I could go out to dinner.  We parked at the top of Main Street and tried to decide on a place to eat.  We ended up at the last restaurant on the street, Prime Steak House. Not only was the food great, but we were also able to enjoy some great conversation without the kiddos (as much as we love them).  For dessert, we stopped at one of the chocolate shops and bought some yummy treats.  

Park City always makes me nostalgic.  Jeff and I had a great third date there and it's also where we got engaged.  We had a great time walking up and down main street and taking pictures. Here was Jeff's attempt at being terrified:

And my attempt at kissing a moose-we didn't realize till after it was dressed as a girl:

The next day we took Jaxon on the Alpine Slide.  I thought he would be scared on both the ski lift and the slide, but he surprised me and loved both.  He was laughing his head off on the ride down.  It was fun to see him enjoy something so much! 

They also went on the carousel and the train ride.  Jaxon thought he was pretty cool stuff on the train!   

We had such a wonderful time in Park City with our family!  We were so glad Faye came with us!  She is such a great mother-in-law, mom, and grandma!  

On Saturday, I went shopping again at the District and spent some of my birthday money. While I was gone, Jeff and Jaxon made me a birthday cake.  Jaxon also decided to change his outfit and add a hat--I love that he picked it out on his own!  

We picked up take out from Chili's for dinner and had cake afterwards.  Due to the amount of candles on the cake and the time it took to light them, there wasn't much of the candles left by the time we were done.  Despite all the wax, the cake still tasted great.

  

On my actual birthday, we went to my sister Rachelle's house for dinner. My grandparents were there as well.  Jaxon and Claire love their cousins and always enjoy playing with them.  It was nice to catch up with my family and so nice of my sister and her family to have us over.  I had a wonderful birthday and I'm grateful to my family and friends for making it so fabulous!  

Memorial Day

So it's been a while since I've done any new posts. We were having problems getting the pictures from our camera to our computer.  We finally figured it out so some of these posts will be from a ways back.  

On Memorial Day, we went to a BBQ/swim party with Jeff's family.   Jaxon and I got in the pool, but Claire wasn't too excited about it.  All of Jaxon's cousins are really good swimmers and love the water.  I'm hopeful our kids will pick up on it someday!  We had a great time--it's always nice to have an extra day to play!  

Our niece Kate has no fear--she's a cutie! 

Claire was content sitting with Grandma and watching all the kids.  
Jaxon clinging to me for dear life.  I'm thinking it's time to go back to Arizona to get him comfortable in the pool again!  

Day at the Temple

Jeff wanted to take some pictures of the new Draper Temple, so we took the kiddos and walked around the temple.  It was a beautiful day and we had a nice time just being together.  Here are some of our favorite pictures:  

Arizona- Jeff's perspective

For me, the Diamondbacks game was one of, if not the highlight of the trip. We made the 1 1/2 hour trip up to Phoenix, had $50 seats, which were made all the better because I only paid $10 each, and saw the Diamondbacks get a rare win. We got to see a great pitcher's duel, which is what I prefer and a possible future hall-of-famer Todd Helton. For me this is the pinnacle of the Father-Son relationship, enjoying a baseball game together.

I really enjoy taking pictures, they may not be good ones, but it is something that I like doing. Plus I love capturing our little family on camera. Here are some of my favorites from the trip.

You know those times that you go to a place expecting to enjoy it solely on the fact that your kids will enjoy it. This was my feeling going in to Old Tucson and then it ended up being one of the highlights. It didn't hurt that one of my favorite films, Tombstone, was filmed there.

This was a wonderful trip and we had a great time catching up with Amy's parents. They are wonderful, generous people who made sure Amy, the kids, and my needs were met every second that we were down there. They even put up with my six drink runs per day.  I am looking forward to our continued trips to Tucson.