Teddybear Picnic @ Treehouse Preschool

Happy 18 Years!

This year, Cameron planned our anniversary and he really outdid himself!  When he left for work Friday morning, he handed me four envelopes and told me to open the first one when I arrived downtown later that day.  After Hadley left for school, I headed to Salt Lake City where, after safely pulling over, I opened the first envelope:

 

It contained a gift card to Cheesecake Factory and instructions to order my favorite thing for lunch and then, at a specified time, to open the second envelope.  I chickened out and went to Zupas (sitting alone at a restaurant with waiters freaks me out a little bit!).  I ate and then opened the second envelope:

 

 

This one had instructions to go to the Avenues Day Spa where Cameron had arranged for me to have a pedicure, a facial and a massage.  Sweet!

 

After spending a couple of hours at the spa, I opened the third envelope. 

 

 

This one contained a gift card for City Creek with instructions to go shopping and buy something I would not normally buy for myself (translation: not on sale).  And I had to hurry.  I had about one hour.  This was so much fun!  I picked a skirt and shirt for Sundays and a hoodie for the other days. 

 

I walked back to my car and opened the final envelope. 

 

 

 This one was my favorite because it included a beautiful letter that Cameron had written to me.  It also had instructions to meet him at the Grand America where we would be staying that evening.  I met him there, we checked in, and went to dinner at Fleming's Steakhouse. 

The whole day made me feel spoiled rotten.

And I liked it.  A lot!

 

 Happy 18 years to us.

Pack Meeting

Park City

Austin, Cameron, Ashleigh, Amy, Hayden

Ringing in the New Year

with a sickie (strep throat- no fun),

 

and a couple of crazies (any excuse to take off a shirt...).

Happy 14th Ashleigh!

 

My sweet Ashleigh is 14!  I don't know how that happened.  It seems like just yesterday that I was toting her around on my hip, and everywhere I went, people were commenting on her chubby little thighs and her beautiful blue eyes.  She has outgrown the chubby thighs, but still has those amazing eyes (glad it worked out that way and not the other way around!).  Every time she has her picture taken professionally, her eyes are just striking.  Turning 14 means that Ashleigh will now be in my Miamaid class at church.  I don't know how she feels about it, but I am more than happy to have her!  There are so many things to love about this girl.  To name just a few:

 

1. Ashleigh is creative.  She is never afraid to try new things (one exception: she is afraid to sing in church, even though she sings ALL the time otherwise).  She loves to sing, dance, draw, craft, paint, cook, bake and even sew.  She is a big fan of Pinterest and finds a lots of inspiration on this website.   Most of the time, her projects and recipes turn out perfectly (I can think of a chocolate banana cake that went South, but other than that...).

 

2.  Ashleigh is fun to be with.  She is smart and witty and has a great sense of humor.  She can be sarcastic (this runs in our family), but she really doesn't have a mean bone in her body. Yes, she is a normal teenager and sometimes Mom is not her favorite person on the planet, but mostly, we get along great.  She is always up for dinner, a movie, shopping, skiing, time with friends, and time with family.  She is a happy kid and brings a lot of joy into our home.

 

3. Ashleigh is kind.  I could not have handpicked a better oldest daughter for our family.  She sets a great example for her sisters to look up to and she can be so cute with all three of the younger kids.  When she spends time with them, it is obvious that they are completely smitten with her.  They really do adore their big sister.  And to top it off, she has to be one of Austin's best friends.  These two are so close and such a blessing to each other.  Ashleigh really is a gem.  We love her to pieces and will definitely be keeping her!

 

Happy Birthday, sweetheart! (and better luck next year blowing out the candles on the first try!)

 

Christmas Eve 2013