Riley's Special Date!!!

I had this great idea last weekend that it would be fun to take Riley out for a date with Ben and I to give us the chance to spoil him a little while he is still our only child. So I reserved a room at La Quinta up in Salt Lake near this place called Hollywood Connection, and we left Saturday afternoon for a night of fun :) One little glitch which really bugs me is that somehow I managed to reserve the room for Thursday night instead of Saturday night, so we show up saturday night with no reservation and the cheapest room is $80, PLUS my card was probably charged for the Thursday night that we weren't even there ($50 plus taxes and fees). So yah, that bugs a little but what can I do?

Really can you put a price on watching these two guys romp in the pool???

Riley LOVED the hottub! The mistake we made was letting him get in the hot tub first, and then trying to persuade him to get in the pool. He just thought we were crazy and wondered why on earth he should get into a cold pool when there was a nice warm "pool" for him to play in :)

The only picture I got of Riley and I on our special weekend. Obviously I am not feeling photogenic these days! Headshots ONLY please :)

I think these swimsuits would look great on the beaches of Hawaii! Hmmm....gets me thinking!

Riley thoroughly enjoyed pushing the "unsuspecting" Ben into the pool over and over. We were the only ones in there so Ben felt free to be himself :)

One of the rides at Hollywood Connection. Just after this picture Ben decided what the heck and got on the ostrich next to the horse. Ben had to ride all the kiddie rides with Riley, and this was quite entertaining for me! I was a little jealous at first, but Ben's face practically turned green after several of the rides....plus their kiddie rides!!! So Ben felt a little silly, but all worth it to see the huge smiles and laughter from Riley.

This bus went up and around and around and made the most annoying sound. If I worked there I would probably go nuts.

The bumper cars were a huge hit with Ben and Riley. I laughed so hard when Riley's bumper car first took off and he had no idea how to steer or what was even happening. The look on his face was so funny! It would go from confusion, to nervousness, to bewilderment, to joy, to laughter, back to nervousness, and on and on. Oh and there's nothing like watching your three year old get knocked around on the bumper cars! Too funny! I hope Riley remembers this and that he always feels really special and loved and knows that nothing (not even a little sister) can EVER take his place or make him any less loved or important to us :)

8 Years and Counting!!!

On Monday Ben and I celebrated our 8 year anniversary! It's funny how time goes by and life marches on, and suddenly you stop to realize just how much time has gone by! I should have put a wedding picture up, but the top picture is of our first date which was over 12 years ago! It was Ben's Senior Ball, and I was a Junior. We barely knew eachother but I'm so glad he asked me because obviously we got to know eachother better :) After that first date, I went home and remember telling my stepmom "I think I just like him as a friend." We went out once or twice more and then I decided I really liked him, but by that point he started acting a little indifferent which REALLY bugged me, and made me pursue him with determination. Anyways, maybe I scared him into loving me but we ended up dating exclusively until he left on his mission a year and a half later (when I say "exclusively" I should mention we both had a couple little excursions dating others, but mostly just to irritate eachother.) We became SO close during that year and a half...it doesn't sound right to say we were dating, it was more like we were best friends (with benefits, of course!) And here we are eight years later!

Just a quick snapshot from Monday night before we went to see a movie, and after we ate some Mexican food at La Casita in Springville. Our good friends Ben and Laura watched Riley for us, so we know Riley had fun while we were having fun :) By the way, Ben has noticed that he has started to get wrinkles around his eyes and is a little upset by this (which I think is so funny that he's upset by this!) but I told him that I love those little wrinkles and the funny thing is I find these little signs of aging to be VERY handsome and I think they make him look so good. Is that wierd?

Just a cute shot of our little Turkey! That shirt is getting to small, but he still loves it.

The other night we went and hung out in this field to play around, only problem is that it was freezing and windy!!! And there was this seagull that was circling above us and terrifying Riley. He has nightmares of birds or chickens coming and pecking in his palm (the way he described it was hilarious) so I think birds and their beaks are one of his phobias :)

FOUR LETTER WORD

I have a new favorite four letter word.....PASS!!! Amazing how one little word can make all the difference. The word "pass" is sweet validation for the last three years of blood, sweat, and tears (okay, maybe just sweat and tears, and a lot of good times too). I took the NCLEX (for my nursing liscence) last Thursday morning, and honestly had no idea whether I passed or failed, but Saturday morning Ben and I got on the computer at the Radisson Hotel, and he looked up my results for me. I was SO sick to my stomach while he was looking it up, because I really felt it could go either way. I told him I felt sick, and he said "Well, you don't need to feel sick!" I didn't care who saw, I jumped on his lap and cried for a couple minutes because it was SUCH a relief! If you don't pass the NCLEX, you don't get your RN liscense. So, now that I have completed the last hurdle of a LONG series of hurdles I started three years ago, I can move on with life and enjoy not having to study all the time! No more locking myself in my room, trying to concentrate with poor Riley banging on the door, or sneaking off to the library for hours instead of spending the evening with my family. I am SO grateful that I decided to go to school to become a nurse. It has been a long, interesting and sometimes grueling process, but WELL worth it. I have had such good support from Ben through all this. In fact he has sort of become the "cook" of the family, and I told him tonight that because he has become so efficient at it and seems to enjoy it, I would never want to deprive him of that fulfilling part of his life so we will just keep him as the chef :)

Ben REALLY impressed me this weekend with a fun little getaway. I knew we were going somewhere for the weekend but didn't know where. He got us two nights at the Radisson in Salt Lake, and it was so nice! We were up on the 14 floor and had a great view. Friday night we went to The Roof, someplace I have wanted to go for a really long time. It's a buffet, and it was really, really great food. I can honestly say we have never spent that much on a meal (about $90) but the view, the atmosphere, and the food down to every little last piece of lettuce was PERFECT. And the desserts!!! There must have been 20 selections! I probably tried a few bites of eight different desserts. I just didn't want to pass up the opportunity, but I was totally sugared out at the end of the night. Then we walked back to our Hotel and tried to ignore all the horsecarriage drivers eyeing us down practically begging us to buy a ride. I felt bad for them because they have NO business, and they are all competing with eachother! We slept in until 11 am Saturday and Sunday morning! I wonder when THAT will ever happen again??? Saturday we saw two movies: Taken and He's Just Not That Into You. Taken was SOOOOO good. I LOVE Liam Neeson. The other movie was a fun show, but not one I'd see again. We ate at the Training Table later that night (love that place!!!) and then went into Smith's Marketplace to get some cookies and see what one of the huge Smith's is like. Well, we ended up walking out with quite a haul: for Riley, two shirts, swim shorts, and some new church shoes. For Malia, two adorable dresses, two cute tops, and some pajamas. Oh yes, and the cookies. I LOVE that store! I wish we had one here. It reminds me of the Fred Meyers in Orem before it went away. Well, I know I have gone on and on, but I wanted to write about this wonderful weekend! I had a great time with Ben, and although we miss Riley I know he is having fun with family and it's good for him to get out of the house too! I'm only mad I forgot my camera..Dang it!

JUST SHOOT ME!!!

I like the picture of this monkey, because that is how I feel lately... like I'm losing my mind! How old am I???? If anyone knows for sure, just let me know. The other night at work, at like, oh, 3 a.m. a coworker asked me how old I am. I had to sit and think about it and I debated between 27 and 28, and so in the moment while she was waiting for my answer I decided to go with 27. I told her "I'm 27 and I'll be 28 in July." Later that day, after a little sleep, I thought it through a little more and came to the conclusion that I am in fact 28. The fact that I even have to THINK about it, let alone that I came up with the wrong number is CRAZY!!! But my mind is on overload right now. I just started working as a nurse, and this is very exciting but very challenging for me. I'm working overnight, so this is an interesting challenge. I am spending every spare moment studying for my boards that I have next Thursday, and let me tell you I am on information overload!!! This is why I have no room left in my mind to remember my age. But really, is there every ANY excuse for forgetting your age???

The Things He Sais!

I remember when Riley was a newborn, and I wondered what his talking voice would sound like and what kind of things he would say. Like with most kids, he has kept his parents delighted with his hilarious logic and mind boggling statements. Here is one of the latest, and I seriously debated posting it but hey it's just too cute:)
Yesterday morning, as Riley was standing there getting ready to put his underwear on, he took a long hard look at the front of his underwear and noticed the little rocketship picture that is right front and center. Suddenly he looked all wore out and gave a big sigh, and said "Mommy, this rocket ship goes on my pee pee, and it makes my pee pee tired." He acted like it was such a chore to wear that underwear, but he still put it on. I'm thinking....WHAT?!? Makes it "tired"? I have finally started writing down these things to keep for him, and Ben and I together have tried to remember as many as possible from the last couple years. I can't wait until he's older to tell him the things he said!

In All My Glory :)

Well, here I am in all my glory! I decided it would be wise to take a picture for posterity sake since I have a similar one from my pregnancy with Riley. I wouldn't want this little gal to feel left out because I didn't take a prego picture. Well, here I am at about 6 1/2 months (yes I am rounding up)! I already feel uncomfortable, so it's scary to think that it's just going to get worse! I did a doosy last month in the weight gain department, but that month included Christmas and New Years, plus the after effects of Thanksgiving. I feel her kick all the time, so that is definately one of the perks!

Movies and Popcorn

My mom came to see us over New Years, and the highlight for me was all the movies and popcorn! I haven't always considered popcorn an important part of the movie theatre experience, but I have changed my mind and THOROUGHLY enjoyed several buckets of popcorn during the five days my mom was here. I am fully aware that all that popcorn probably contributed to my SUDDEN 11 pound weight gain. The nurse tried to make me feel better by saying "Oh, a lot of that is the baby. Don't worry." Thank you for trying, but I know darn well that the baby weighs not much more than a pound or maybe a pound and a half. Anyways....we had a GREAT time while my mom was here. She spoiled Riley quite a bit! She took him to McDonald's and he enjoyed a happy meal and two kiddie cones, and quickly learned that Grandma pretty much gives him whatever his heart desires :) We all went to Thanksgiving point and saw an IMAX movie. My mom bought Riley several things from the gift store, including this big dinosaur book. Pretty much every night since then he has fallen asleep with this book. I got this picture of him the other night....so sweet the little treasures children cling to. We also went to Body Worlds with my mom. The lines (even with tickets ahead of time) were horendous. By the time we actually got into the exhibit, we felt like cattle and started mooing. But it was pretty cool...just WAY to crowded.

Our friend Brian built this amazing hill in his backyard. It has a steep drop off and a smaller hill at the bottom that sometimes caused the rider to "catch air". The kids (and that includes Ben and Brian) had so much fun! Riley was in heaven. This hill is crazy tall, especially considering it was made out of scratch. These friends of our really know how to live it up! We also ate a REALLY good dinner. I can't remember the last time I've had such good chicken! In the picture below, notice Ben's cheek. When under stress, he puffs his cheeks up like a blowfish for some reason. Maybe it makes him feel safter...I don't know?

Riley and Morgan getting ready to go down the hill. Brave little souls :)