Figuring Stuff Out

Hey anyone reading this. I just figured out how to add links to other sites along the side of my Blog (I know- I'm a little slow). If I've added a link to your site and you'd prefer me to remove it- let me know. Or if you want me to add one- let me know!
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Me... I sure did! I have a lot to be thankful for this year. Not that I don't any other year... but sometimes certain circumstances make you see that more clearly.
The countdown is on... one month to Christmas!!!

Camera Phone Pics

Thank goodness for cameras on cell phones. There are so many times I catch Afton doing something funny and I all I have with me is my trusty cell phone. Granted, the quality isn't great- but that's OK. Thought I'd post a couple of those recent moments.

This first one is Afton trying to buckle Mr. Bear into the grocery cart seat. I thought it was so cute- she takes such good care of her pal!

This next one is of little A checking out a toy catalog on her drive to Grandma's house this morning. It is a half hour drive and she didn't put that thing down. When I was at a stop I snapped a quick picture cuz it was cracking me up. She is very fascinated by the Choo Choo Trains. Guess we'll have to see what Santa brings....

That's all for now!

(Still planning out my NYC post- I have over 600 pictures I have to choose from). :)

Happy Fall & Halloween!

It's time for a posting! I really want to post some pics from our New York trip, but they are all on my Mac and I still haven't figured out how to post easily from that crazy machine (sorry Mac-lovers, I'm not quite with you, yet). So for now, I will at least get some Halloween and other random pics posted.

First- here is Halloween.


We were lucky enough to find an alligator costume (at Walgreen's of all places). I thought I was going to have to learn to sew (gasp) to keep from disappointing little A. I've never known a 2-year old to be so insistent on a Halloween costume! Procrastinator-me waited too long to order the costume Afton "picked" out of a catalog 2 months ago. Of course, they ran out of her size. But to dispute my own self-ridiculing, how was I to know she wouldn't change her mind 50 times like most other kids?

Anyway...I called all over the place and had pretty much given up on the idea and then it happened! The Halloween gods smiled down upon me! I just happened to find an alligator costume on my way to pick up a prescription for a toothache. Hmmm.. maybe those Halloween gods have a sick sense of humor. They knew the only way I'd find the dang costume was to have some kind of an ailment- so why not a toothache? One that eventually required my first (hopefully last) root canal. Man... I guess the joke's on me. Oh well it was worth it! Even though it was just a Halloween costume - it made Afton very happy. So there you go- that's all the matters, right?

We went to "Trick-or-Treat Street" a few days before Halloween with Ali (and her sis) and the boys, Bec and the girls, and my mom. Afton had a blast and was not shy or timid at all. She'd get right up to the front of the pack and get her bag right under the distributor's hand. On Halloween night we had the fam over for a little party. We had lots of food, fun, and caramel apple fondue. Yum! Afton went trick-or-treating with her cousins, and was a little trooper. Trav said she wouldn't let him carry her bag or her, even though he could tell she was tired. She really relishes every moment!

OK- here are some extra pics that we've recently taken.

That's enough blogging for me for now. See you soon (hopefully with my NYC trip posting, and hopefully before Christmas). :)

August... er... I mean September posting!

So I will have to come back sometime and do an August blog. I knew I'd get way behind on this blogging business.

September has flown right on by! It was mine and Trav's 10 YEAR Anniversary on the 6th! Holy smokes- months and years are flying all over the place!! He surprised me with a beautiful ring with 10 diamonds (I never had a wedding band and always one just like he picked out- he's the best to remember exactly what I like). So what did I get for him you ask? I got him flip-flops. Yeah- I felt really dumb! We also are going to NYC in 11 days (not that I'm counting) with Lori & Scott (who celebrated their 20-year anniversary this year) to celebrate the big milestone. I can't wait!!!

We went to my brother's house in Heber a couple weeks ago to celebrate my mom's birthday. We had an awesome dinner (my bro is a master chef- and king of burgers-- mmmm). But first we took advantage of the beautiful day and scenery. We brought our camera and got some great family photos (to my childhood friends- I threw that term in there just for you). I've included some of those pics in the slideshow below. (Sorry that it goes so fast- I don't know how to slow it down). Everyone else had their 4-legged family members but we're terrible and forgot cute Jasper!! So I've included a few pics of him for your viewing pleasure.

As for Afton- she is hilarious and adorable, and we love every minute we get to spend with her! She has been asking us lately if we have had a good day, which is so cute to me. There are a couple pictures of her hanging with Jasper and one of her training for her wakeboarding debut next summer (pardon her hair- she just woke up from her nap). Speaking of hair... I'm trying to grow out her bangs and I find that she looks pretty "raga-muffin" most the time. How do people have little girls' hair so perfect all the time? I don't get it! I try to pull it back- but quick as lighting she pulls it out- or rubs her head all over the couch. Uggh. Oh- she's also into hiding which can be a little frightening. I.E. - we were in a store and she hid under a clothing rack and wouldn't come out as I was wondering the store calling for her. She's a heart-stopper, that one. And if I call her anything but Afton- she'll say "I not __, I Afton." Even if I say "You're cute." So funny. Hmmm... what else? Oh- she wants to be an alligator for Halloween. We went to the zoo in August and she was fascinated with them- who knew she'd be a reptile girl. I know there's probably way more to report on Afton, but I'll wrap this puppy up for the eve! Thanks for stopping by and congratulations if you actually read through this entire posting! :)

Monthly Posting

Well it's time for my monthly posting. It's been a busy month so far. Lots of boating, 4th of July festivities, Afton's tranistion to a "Big Girl" bed, and Afton's 2nd Birthday!!! Thanks cute Gina for the tip on doing a slide show. Much easier!!

Alaskan Cruise and Vancouver- June 1 - 9, 2007

We are lucky this year. We have been on two great vacations and we're not even half-way through the year!

On June 1st we flew to Seattle where we then rented a car and drove to Vancouver, BC- Canada. We had a not-so-great experience right at the border. Once we had been "granted access" to the country, Travis pulled the car forward and a cop stopped him and asked him to roll down the window. He then proceeded to ask how many of us weren't wearing our seat belts. Well - me, Trav's mom, and his dad had all "unclicked" when we were getting all our paperwork together to hand over to the border-dude. We were starting to get situated when the crusty cop decided to inspect our seat belt status. Long story short- he gave each of us a $127 ticket. LAME! No worries- they will never see a dime-- well I don't know if that's what they're called in Canadian money- but nonetheless....

So moving on-- we ported out of Vancouver and sailed on a big old ship called the "Mercury" (Celebrity Cruiseline). We first went to Juneau where we took a tram ride and had a great view from the summit. We then sailed to Skagway where we took a train ride and saw more beautiful scenery. Then we traveled up to Hubbard Glacier where it was -- cold-- and very pretty. We couldn't get too close to the glacier- but with the telephoto lens we could get a better look at the beautiful aqua color of the surface. Heading back down to Vancouver we made another stop in Ketchikan- which was a way cool little town. It reminded me of a Disneyland- land.

Once we docked and the cruise came to an end- we stayed in Vancouver for a night. We drove around the town- and took another tram ride. It was fun- much higher and steeper than the one in Juneau - and we enjoyed the scenery up there for a while. The next day we drove back down to Seattle and hung out at the Fish Market for a bit. It was super busy- and Pike's Fish Market of course was fun to see. Trav even asked a dude how much a fish weighed and the guy chucked it to another who weighed it and shouted that the fish weighed 50 pounds! Hmm... wait- I might have made up that weight- but it was pretty heavy.

I compiled a "Highs and Lows" list- so here it is (along with some pics):

Highs:

• Yummy ice cream (homemade on the ship every day)
• Waterfalls in Skagway
• Tram Rides

• Seeing whales from the ship (even though it was from a long distance)
• BINGO!! We won the jackpot- 2000 BIG ONES!! We split it 3-ways between us, Trav's parents, and his brother and sis-in-law
• Train ride in Skagway
• Creek Street in Ketchikan
• Roldan and Jacob- our servers- they were the BEST!

• Great views, sunsets, and weather!

• Lots of yummy food- glorious food!
• Seeing bald eagles all over the place! (too bad we couldn't get a really good picture of one)

• Hearing Afton randomly say "I want fies and a cheesebugah"- it was hilarious (you probably had to be there!)

Lows:

• Rocking of the ship (I wonder if I hated being rocked to sleep as a child- I certainly didn't like it on the ship. But luckily I didn't get seasick- I wore a wondrous patch that only had a few minor side effects...)
• Side effects from the patch (blurry vision, dry mouth, scratchy throat, itchy skin- yup- good times for me! )
• That dang ticket- even though I'm not paying it- it's lame that it happened
• The second to last day our stroller broke down (at least it wasn't earlier in the trip)
  
• Afton tantrums (not many- but they weren't pretty....)

OK- now that I've blabbed on- here are some more pictures (we only took around 600 - I'm not sure we took enough- hee hee!) :

Trav took this picture at dusk one night- so pretty huh!?

Afton LOVES her cousins!

Afton's camera work. Shaun was an excellent subject.

Hubbard Glacier Bay

You can't really see her shirt- but we bought a t-shirt for Afton in Ketchikan that says "Moose on the Loose"- I'm not sure if she loved it before she saw this moose on the ship- or if it was seeing the moose that made her love her shirt so much. When we had to take it off her that night she freaked out! And now that we are home she insisted on sleeping in it last night, and wearing it all day today.

Brandon, Trav, and Afton got some use out of the (indoor) pool (this one time only)

Cutie!

A couple family pics!

California Trip- April 3-7, 2007

This is my first official posting... I hope I make it through! Cross your fingers for me. ;-)

I'm not exactly sure how to start this thing, so I'll just dive right in...

I'm posting a few pics from our recent trip to California. The 3 of us (Trav, Afton, and me) headed out (much too) early on April 3rd and landed in southern California around 8 am. We spent the day driving along the coast and stayed 2 days in Del Mar. We put Afton in her Easter dress so we could get some cute pics of her on the beach. This one (below) was my favorite!


(<- second favorite) While we were there, we did a lot of beach-hopping, (minus any swimming- it was way too cold), surf-shop hunting, and sight-seeing (our favorite stop was the San Diego temple- it was BEAUTY-ful).


On Thursday we headed up to Anaheim where we spent the next two days enjoying California Adventures and Disneyland. My sisters (Mariah and Whitney), step-mom, and Mari's family(Dave & Boston) met up with us there. It was pretty crazy there since it was the weekend before Easter. The lines were way long, but luckily we qualified for the good ol' "Switch Pass" on many of the rides. Thanks goodness for that invention... and for babies! Cutting in line is great- especially when it's completely legal!

I was surprised how well Afton did- she even had a couple naps in her stroller, which must have meant she was tuckered cuz she doesn't normally take a nap unless she is in her car seat or in her bed. While she was sleeping on this particular occasion we bought her a Mickey doll and some Mickey ears that she only wore once (for approximately 20 seconds). Luckily I got that one time on the good ol' digital film:



So even though we had to endure long lines and shoulder to shoulder crowds- we still had a blast. After standing in line for an hour to meet Mickey, seeing the excitement and happiness in Afton's eyes when she greeted him made it all worth it! That's what it's all about! I now understand why they say it's the "happiest place on earth."

That about sums it up for the California trip. Hopefully I can keep this thing up. Based on my track record of keeping a journal- it isn't likely- but I'm gonna try!
Signing off!