Spring Break in Vegas 2010!

This Spring Break was a trip to Vegas with my best friend Mindy and her two youngest kids. We stayed at our timeshare off of the strip. I reserved the penthouse so that we could be comfortable and have lots of room for the kids.

On the way, we stopped in Baker to get some Alien Jerky for Mindy. It's her tradition and since she lives in Utah, she doesn't get to get it very often. The kids love taking pictures of the Alien family in the Taxi.

The first night we couldn't check in until 5pm, so we took the kids to the pool. It was cold and windy- low 60's, but to Utah people, it was summer! I had my jacket on! The kids had fun swimming and going on the water slides. I had fun relaxing with Maryn in the hammock.

We went to the grocery store that night and bought lots of food to make and treats to eat so that we wouldn't have to go out. The kids had fun in the freezer section picking out food!

The next day, we took the kids to the M+M Store and did the whole tour and 3d movie. They had a great time! We also took them next door to the Grand Canyon Store and got them a couple of souvenirs. Maryn got an Indian Doll because she said it would remind her that her birthday is on Pioneer Day. OK? Charles got a ridiculously priced container of M+M's.

(Freddy uses a cellphone now! BEWARE!)

That day we took them swimming and then to the mini arcade in our timeshare. Emily was a pro at the Claw game and won herself and Maryn prizes on the first tries!! Maryn was quite ecstatic and gushed about it for a long time! Emily certainly impresses her! Maryn laughs at all of Emily's crazy stories!

Charles and Joseph loved playing games together and they had a blast just being together! They were like twins the whole time.

On Thursday, we took the kids to the Lied's Children's Science Museum. It was so much fun! There were so many different activities for the kids! I could have stayed there all day if there hadn't been 3 bus loads of kids that arrived at the same time. But, our kids were anxious to try everything and didn't notice the crowds! They LOVED it!

After the Children's Museum, we went across the street to the Old Mormon Fort Museum. This was my favorite activity! I learned so much and I could have stayed there much longer. The kids loved running around and looking at everything. We stayed until the kids got hungry.

Then we took them to find a buffet so they could pig out, but we couldn't find a reasonable price on any. So, we stopped at the Excaliber Hotel and let them eat at the food court. They were happy to get Happy Meals and Cold Stone's!

After the late lunch, we took them swimming for the last time. It was way warmer that day so even I put on a suit. I couldn't get all the way in though- too cold! I found one of the jacuzzis and sat with Maryn in there!

At night in the hotel, we'd let the kid's play in the jacuzzi on the balcony and watch movies. They had so much fun together and got along so well together. It was so pleasant!

I let Maryn and Charles each have a long bath in out huge jacuzzi tub in our room! It could easily fit 4 adults.

Mindy and I would sit in the jacuzzi after the kids would go to bed and just talk for hours! It was so nice and quiet. We stayed up late and played our Phase 10 and Skip-Bo. I totally lost almost every time! We have a tradition that we get matching PJs. So this time, I got us cute pink cupcake nightgowns because Mindy love cupcakes. The kids thought it was funny to see us wearing the same PJs!

The trip was such a wonderful trip and I loved every second of it! Having Mindy, Joseph and Emily there to share it was awesome. We all love them so much!

Easter 2010

Easter was pretty low-key this year. We watched Conference, dyed eggs, and the Easter Bunny came! Last night we had a great talk with the kids and told them about the Resurrection and Atonement. It felt good to answer their questions and also bring Christ into Easter.

I just wanted to share some of our Easter picks with you. I laughed when I realized that Maryn is dying the EASTER eggs, while wearing a HALLOWEEN shirt, and we're using an old plastic CHRISTMAS tablecloth.

Catching Up!

The past week or so has been a whirlwind, to say the least! We had a wonderful visit with cousins!

Glenn's sister, Joanne and her kids came down for a visit. We were able to spend some time together and make a trip to Disneyland. It was so wonderful to see her and squeeze my nieces and nephew!

Last week-end was Charles' first Blue and Gold Dinner! We made salads and had pizza. Charles entered a cake for the decorating contest (we didn't win). He also participated in the flag ceremony and earned some belt loops. It was the scout's 100th birthday so the boys each brought a collection of 100 items. Charles brought Yu-Gi-Oh cards.

Maryn had another fun day with the Girl Scouts. It was her first official meeting. She received her pins and got to wear her uniform. We also decorated Daisy t-shirts for the adults and girls so that we can wear them when we go out on activities. She is so enthusiastic and loves the girls!

This Week in a Nutshell!

We have had a busy and fun week! Besides having my first real week of work in my new lunch lady position, we had a lot of fun!

Here are some of the highlights:

Maryn had her first Girl Scout Meet and Greet. We purchased their uniforms and then took them for ice cream! She was so excited and kind of a spazz about the whole thing!

Charles finally got to go to his first hockey game! We gave him the tickets for Christmas and he waited so long! I ended up taking him to the Ducks game because Glenn sprained his knee the night before. We had so much fun together and the game was awesome!

Saturday, we met up with Glenn's buddy from work and his family for a park day. The girls really wanted a play date and so we made it a family event! We had a great time together and the girls have already planned a sleepover!

I also had a super-fun New Moon party with a group of awesome ladies! I wish that I had pictures, but it was fun just to watch the movie again and laugh at all the over-acting! Loved it!

Glenn was also able to visit with his mission buddy, Kent. He was down with his wife and 5 kids. They went to Disneyland for 4 days!

It was a wonderfully scheduled week!

Charles is 9!!!

I cannot believe that I have a 9 year old son! Charles had his birthday about a week ago and it was fabulous! He has been begging me to take him bowling forever and when his birthday rolled around, his dream came true! He had a bowling party!

Charles invited some friends from scouts and cousins. He even made sure that Maryn had some friends to bowl with. He's very thoughtful that way.

We were so lucky to have 2 sets of grandparents there. Grandma and Grandpa Greathouse traveled down from Idaho for the first time since both of their surgeries earlier this year. Also, Grandma and Grandpa English drove down to celebrate with us! It made the day so much more special.

Charles was thrilled to bowl with his buddies! They really had a fun time together! They all bowled for an hour and then they had pizza, cake and ice cream. After all that, he got to open gifts. Almost every gift was cash or had cash in it! You should have seen his face! He got $85!

It was a wonderful party. We had our own party hostess that took care of everything and made it so easy! She had everyone sign a real bowling pin as a memento for Charles.

On the way out, Charles and his buddy bought themselves mustaches from a "gum ball" machine. It was so funny, I had to post this picture!

Charles is such a huge blessing in our family! His calm spirit and sweet obedience, make him a joy to have! He is a beautiful boy inside and out in every way. He has a gentleness, kindness, and generosity that few boys his age possess. He is also such a wonderful athlete and scholar. He sets such an example for Maryn. We all love him so much!! I don't talk about him often because I can't stand bragging, but this is his birthday post and I want to tell how awesome he is!