Princesses On Ice Adventure

We have been looking forward to this night for 4 months (although we didn't tell Leilani about it until 3 days before:)

It was a date with just Leilani and mom and dad. Pretty special. TJ got to spend a night with Grampa Fuzzy.  Thank you!

We started out the only way a date with a three year old should start. McDonald's.

We just figured we would find one off the freeway on the way there.

Perfect. There was one a few minutes down.

We get off and the freeway is backup up clear to the top of the exit. Yup...Perfect.

When we finally pull in, it doesn't have a play place. What 3 year old wants to go to a McDonald's without a playground? Not mine! That's ok we can find another one.  There's like what? 500 from here to Salt Lake?

We stop at one in Bountiful and it actually has a pretty cool play place, but now we're short on time so we let Leilani play before we eat.     

She finds some cute friends and doesn't want to stop playing (exactly why we never let her play first:) I can see she's starting a familiar dance so I ask her to come with me to the bathroom.

In true Leilani style she runs the other way back into the jungle gym.  Not two minutes later I hear her crying from the top.

Yup, she peed her pants.

Just my luck I did not bring any extra clothes.  So cursing under my breath I head over to the store to buy underwear and pants.  I had to take a moment to recapture why I thought this was going to be a fun night but  Targhee, always my greatest positive supporter, got my head back on straight.

Now we were really pushing on time but we made it just before the opening number! Frew!     

We went last year and watched all the adorable little girls dressed up as princesses wondering why we didn't think of that.  We were sure to bring something this time!

Tiana

Please excuse my blurry pictures.

They wouldn't hold still!!

Mickey Mouse and the gang:)

Cinderella

I've kept all three of these pictures not because I think we look so great three times (which is why we attempted three pictures in the first place:), but because I'm loving the photobomb girl behind us!  

haha!

And Leilani really was excited to be there, she's just not as excited about pictures as I am:)

Rapunzel

She chose Pascal as her souvenir and has been carrying him around ever since.

This is what she looked like the entire show.

Our popcorn "tradition."

She remembered that Grandma and Grandpa got some last year and assumed that meant we would be getting some again:)  We didn't disappoint.

Finally ALL the princesses arrived:)

Belle

Snow White

Aurora

Ariel

Mulan

Jasmine

And everyone's current favorite, Rapunzel. Personally though, I think Eugene wins it for me, even more than Rapunzel (and I think Leilani's right there with me. She's often having in depth discussions with him:)  

So even though the night started out a little rough, it turned out perfect and lots of fun to dote on our daughter.  She deserves it.  She's a great big sister:)

When There's Sunshine

I realized I haven't been taking as good of record of regular daily activities as I used to and honestly those are my favorite things to go back and read.

So, the other day the sun came out.

A monumental time of year.

TJ had his first experience walking outside.  He was so darn cute I could hardly contain my giggles. 

He won't keep shoes on for longer than 3 minutes so we'll see what will happen this summer, but he loved being free outside.

I totally get it.

After being cooped up all winter I can't wait to go outside either.

Leilani had her nose against the window watching the snow melt and said, "I want to walk on the grass!"

It's all very exciting.                          

He also thinks he's big enough to climb stairs but has no fear about falling down the stairs.  I guess I hold enough fear for the both of us.

Leilani even shed the coat and shoes and tried to soak up as much Vitamin D as possible.

Bring on the SUN!!!

Baby You're My Better Half

Targhee and I go on an Anniversary Getaway every year and since our real anniversary is in the middle of crazy December, we usually take some time out in January instead.  I think it's a good tradition:)

This year was Targhee's turn to plan, which meant, I looked online and found something I liked and said, "Let's go here. Do you want me to book it?" and he said yes:)

We found a little nook in Sardine Canyon just before you hit the valley into Logan, called Sherwood Hills Resort. It's closing in a couple days so if you want a good deal on a room, you better hurry!

I've heard about snowshoeing but never gone and since this place has about 800 acres of back country I thought it would be fun to try.

  I'm afraid I didn't quite catch the magic.

How far we had gone.

How much farther I was willing to go...

Targhee's first step onto the snow with the snowshoes on he fell in about 3 feet.

We just looked at each other and busted up laughing!

Not exactly what we were expecting.

I was imagining something like walking on water, BUT IT'S NOT!

You fall into the snow about a foot deep and then have to pry your foot plus this enormous "shoe," that is now buried, out of the snow.

Why someone would find trudging through the snow a fun outing is beyond me.

"To trudge: the slow, weary, depressing yet determined walk of a man who has nothing left in his life except the impulse to simply soldier on."

(name that movie)

I didn't understand what I was trudging for.  Perhaps if there was something REALLY exciting at the end to make all the work worth it... no probably not even then. I would much rather take a snowmobile or a gondola.

Ok enough about the trudging.

So we trudged.

At this point I was wishing I had the little ski pole things to help alleviate some of the burning from my thighs and calves so Targhee thought he would fashion me one. 

He found a twig.

He twisted.

"It's not working."

He pulled.

Defeated by the twig.

He wasn't about to let a twig deflate his manhood so he decided to attack an entire tree instead.

Victory!

How I was going to use the tree for my ski pole I wasn't sure, but at least his pride was back in order.

Targhee could see my excitement over our romantic stroll in the backwoods had diminished so he started pointing out all the "neat" things around us, you know, like twigs and fallen over trees and stuff, and so named our trudge the "neature walk."

If you would like to be more educated on this matter, (I needed to be), then you can look at it here.

We found a clearing, which was actually the fairway to the golf course and decided it would be fun to build a snowman right in the middle of it.

Targhee wanted a snowwoman so we gave her some voluptuous snow curves and named her Ann Marie. 

Then we had to hike back up the slope we had just trudged down 

and I did this about every ten feet.

These are the faces of conquerors! We had just conquered the wilderness. In our snowshoes!

Despite all my silliness, it was beautiful scenery and very fun and romantic to be just the two of us.  I found myself wondering what time it was and then realized that it didn't matter because I didn't have any schedules to follow but my own.  It was very freeing.

That night we ate a scrumptious dinner at the Belle Monte Restaurant. It was part of the hotel and very beautiful.  Our package included an appetizer, two entrees, and two desserts.  By dessert time I was so full I asked the waiter to box them up for us.

I never do that!

But everything was so delicious I wanted to eat it all.

We watched "The Prestige" in our hotel room which I found a little disturbing and it gave me nightmares all night so maybe next year I'll choose something a little less heavy, like Serendipity or something:)

On the way home Keith Urban's "Better Half" song came on and I dedicated it to Targhee.  It is also one of the songs on our wedding video so I felt it very fitting.

It's kinda crazy to think that there has been four years and two kids since the day we got married. But I am grateful every day for the choice we made to work through this life together. I couldn't ask for a better parenting partner.  He keeps me calm when I get a little high strung (which is almost always).  He is a dedicated father and husband who knows how to put his family first in the long list of priorities and I am so happy we have each other to lean on. 

Also, a big thank you to my sweet sister for watching the kids for us!!

Happy 4th Anniversary!