My Daisy is TWO!!!

My Daisy is growing up so quickly! I can't believe that she has been apart of our family for nearly two years. I feel like my life is in fast forward sometimes. She is so fun and loving - I don't know what I would do without her! I never have to worry about being alone because everywhere I go she is right there beside me. She has finally overcome her anxiety issues - she will actually sit and watch me instead of standing the entire time. She loves to go for walks and play tug-a-war! Her new thing is when I put a blanket over her, she knows that it's time to settle down and get ready for bed. She sleeps snuggled into my stomach, no matter what she has to be touching me - it is hard sometimes being SO LOVED!!!




Some delicious peanut butter cinnamon

dog bisquits I made for her b-day!

OUR TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY

WOW two years have come and gone!!! I seriously can't believe we have been married that long - how times flies when you're having the time of your life! What an amazing year we have had learning and growing together. I feel like each year comes with new fun surprises and we continually learn more and more about one another. This year we decided to go on a cruise for our anniversary which worked out perfectly because we were due for a vacation. We went 7 days on the Freedom of the Seas and went Eastern Caribbean this time around. We had such an amazing trip - I think that I might be addicted to CRUISING! The service on the ship is what makes it all worth your while - who wouldn't want to be treated like a queen. Not to mention all the amenities that they have to offer, the performances are spectacular, and the food...OHHH the food! I am pretty sure that I gained a couple pounds due to the fact that I ate triple chocolate chip cookies all day:)

We stopped on the private island of Coco Cay, Bahamas where we just enjoyed relaxing on the beach, it was absolutely beautiful! They had a volleyball court, a huge BBQ set up, and some very tasty drinks. They also had a bunch of little shops around the island where we purchased some very stylish sunglasses. We took a peacful nap in a hammock on the beach!!!

Enjoying ourselves on the beautiful island of Coco Cay...

Our next stop was the shopping capitol of the world - St. Thomas! We ported right by all the shops so we browsed around - next time I will remember to bring an endless supply of cash so I can invest in lots of jewelry. Then we took a taxi bus to Megan's bay beach - it was absolutely breath taking! It is in the top ten best beaches to visit. While we were waiting for the taxi, we ran into two other couples that happened to be on the same ship and were headed to Megan's Bay. Needless to say, they were wonderful and we ended up spending the rest of our vacation with them.

Enjoying the beach with friends: Melanie, Suresh, Brian & Brittney...

Unfortunately we did not get to stop in St. Martin because of the weather conditions from the hurricanes but I think we managed to entertain ourselves pretty well considering we were at sea for 3 whole days. Typical day at sea: hit the gym, met up for breakfast, relaxed by the pool, ate lunch, caught some rays, took advantage of all the amenities, got ready, met up for the nightly performance, ate dinner in the dinning room and partied the night away...

The gang getting ready to watch a performance...

Rock climbing - The guys were afraid so they just watched...

Boogi boarding on the Flow Rider...

A glimpse of the ship...

We had such an amazing time celebrating our anniversary and my birthday! We are looking forward to going on another one - who wants to join us:)

Virginia Beach

Hank and King Neptune's pet octopus

Hank caught his first fish

I found this seashell all by myself

You gotta love a free vacation - all expenses paid by the government!!! Last week Hank had to travel down to Virginia Beach for a couple days of meetings which worked out great because they happened to be my days off from work. It was a nice break from the everyday routine. We stayed in a pretty nice hotel, only about 20 minutes from the beach that had a great little gym that was right next door. We got some sun, walked up and down the boardwalk, and of-course took a stroll on the beach - I love walking in the sand! We also browsed all the fun little shops they have along the boardwalk and listened to a cover band. We ate at this little unique pizza place and ate bacon ranch BBQ chicken pizza (i know it sounds a little over the top) that turned out to be delicious! It was a phenomenal, unexpected, and best of all...free weekend!

2011 Ripped Genes Calendar

After counless hours in the gym, melting in the sauna and eating air for months...You guessed it, my ripped and very sexy husband made the 2011 Ripped Genes Calendar! He sacrificed a lot of time and delicious good food and as you can see it definitely paid off!!! He wanted some motivation to get in shape for summer so he put in a lot of time and effort to achieve it. Here are some pictures from his photo shoot. They also had a fashion release party for the calendar - he definitely worked the run way - my Mr. March!!

Happy Birthday Lilly!

We celebrated Lilly's first birthday yesterday. Can you believe that my little bear is already one - how times flies! I just made some doggy ice cream for them to snack on. I would like to say that she is fully potty trained now that she's one, but she still has her moments. She isn't the quickiest learner, but we still love her. Lilly has the most lovable personality. She is a kissing machine - she can never get enough! Her favorite past times are cuddling with mom and dad on the sofa, chewing on her bones, and she loves to swim. She is very laid back and easy going but she has a little bit of a feisty side - she's always picking on Daisy. We love coming home to her cute little face. She is always so excited that she wiggles herself through the gate to come down and kiss us as soon as we enter the house. She's the cuttest girl ever!!!

Lacrosse playoffs!

Brandon had his Lacrosse playoffs this past weekend. They didn't win but they still played really hard. He is getting better and better every year! He has been working hard this year with all of his extracurricular activities - he is in Orchestra, he's on his school's wrestling and track team, plus he plays lacrosse. We also just found out that he passed the math SOL with flying colors which is great - He is a math WHIZZZ which means that he gets to move on to geometry next year. We are so proud of all of his accomplishments!! Only 7 more days left of school for him, we are looking forward to a very fun and eventful summer.

Sunday Best

Hank and I have been horrible about taking pictures this year so we had mom snap some quick photos of us before we headed off to a wonderful day of church. They were a big success because Hank smiled in them. If you aren't aware, Hank has a hard time with fake smiling - for some it's just natural!! Love ya babe. The girls were feeling left out so I put a little matching clip in their hair - they're a little camera shy, maybe they got it from their dad!!

MOM

I miss her more and more everyday.I know that she is all around because I feel her when I need her most. She was always a good listener, she never passed judgement or questioned my thoughts or opinions- she just listened. I talk to her often in my prayers - I know that she is listening. I wonder what she might say if she were here? It's been 4 years and it feels like a life time. My life has changed so much and I just wish she was here to be a part of it all. If you didn't know her, She was simply amazing - she was a young soul, hard working, funny, outgoing, stubborn, she could make anyone laugh, she would have done anything for anybody, she might not have been very good at showing it - but I know I was loved. She had her own way of teaching us life lessons and I will always be grateful for what she taught me. As my life continues to branch off into many different directions, it gets harder without her. I want her to meet my husband and be a grandma to our children to come. I know that I wouldn't be the person that I am today without her influences. I LOVE YOU MOM!!!!!

Klint - we are so proud of you!

One year he gets baptized and the next he's going on a mission. My little brother Klint got his mission call yesterday, he is going to Bermingham, Alabama - he leaves for the MTC August 25th. I still can't believe it - two whole years without him. We are so proud of him for making the choice to go and serve the Lord, he is going to make such an amazing missionary. He has come such a long way and worked so hard to get there. I am so grateful to his best friend JR and his family for supporting him along this journey. I am hoping that I get to be there to go through the temple with him for the first time - cross your finger. We will see!!!

THE GIRLS

Rainy day and the Temple still looks amazing

Isn't she a doll - cute little Maiya

She is such a good baby, she barely made peep the entire time we were at dinner.

OHHHH I love you guys! Aren't you glad I made you stand in the rain
to get this picture!!!!

While we were in Utah I had the chance to gether with some good friends of mine that I haven't seen in a while... And I also got to meet my friend Amy's little girl Maiya for the first time. She is so adorable, and talk about a good baby - she's just barely 10 months!!! We went to the Lion House for dinner - and it wasn't as good as I rememeber it, which was very disappointing not to mention the fact that it was a bazillion dollars for the meal... We had a great time catching up - I wish that I would have had more time. I can't wait til we move to Utah and we get together more often!!!!

Hogle Zoo

Kimra and Brittlyn

Zoe

Mylee

Kiki, Kearstin, and Dylan

Kearstin getting eaten by a crocodile

We took Kara and the kids to the zoo while we were in Utah which was so much fun, minus the fact that it was FREEZING and it rained - we still loved it. Kimra brought little Brittlyn and Tom and Lori brought up Mylee and Zoe. We were very glad that we got to spend some time with all of you.