Vegas Baby

This past week, I got the rare chance to have an "adult vacation." As much as I adore my boys, and miss them when they're gone....it was so nice to be able to get away for a few days and just be me. 

Jake planned this whole trip to Vegas for us....and I have to say....he did an amazing job. (And that's a compliment coming from an event planning girl!)

The Luxor is one of my favorite hotels (it was the very first one I stayed in when I was little on a family trip) The room was just gorgeous...there was even a phone by the toilet in the bathroom! I had to get a picture of it because it was so funny. 

 Our room view was breathtaking of the pyramid. We were almost at the top of the tower and could see everything from our window, which was from floor to ceiling. 

 This dude loves Coca Cola. And that's not an exaggeration. He has Coke everything in his kitchen and collects anything with the logo on it. So, of course for his first time in Vegas we had to hit up the Coca Cola Factory. The "Cokes from around the World" is a must when you're here. It was really fun tasting the different flavors....although I really only liked three of them. :)

 The Coke-a-holic dropped a few pennies in this store....to say the least. It was really fun watching how excited he got over all of the Coke things he was bringing home. He even made sure to bring home souvenirs for the whole fam. 

 Another obsession of his is Halo....so when I saw Master Chief I knew we had to get a picture. Although he didn't want ask for a pic at first...I know he'll thank me later when this exact picture is blown up poster-size and hanging in his living room. 

 We explored so much in one day, that the thought of leaving the hotel room and finding dinner somewhere was exhausting. So we had pizza delivered to the room....however it was Vegas Style! They had a 30" pizza! Seriously HUGE! But Jake loves his pizza, so of course we had to give it a shot! I mean, when in Vegas.....

 We got to experience a helicopter tour over the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, and the Vegas Strip. We left at dusk so we could see the Dam and Lake, then on our way back it was dark and strip was lit up, the sunset was absolutely breathtaking from the air. You can't tell, but the "nametags" on our shirts are our "boarding passes" super funny! 

 I had to ride in the elevator at the Luxor for the pyramid, even though our room was in a tower. You actually hang at an angle when going up and down...so like dorks we totally rode up and down in the elevator....just to do it. :)

I didn't have my camera for everything we were able to do, but it was so nice to escape and have a great time. Coming home and getting to see the boys was awesome, I missed those little men. I don't escape, hardly ever, so I appreciated every second of our vacation. 

Lagoon A Beach...Johnny Rockets

Jake and I took the boys to Lagoon A Beach yesterday! This was the first time either of them had been....I know I'm a bad mom. I bought season passes, just barely, and can promise that we'll be going all of the time from now on. 

The boys loved it and kept screaming in excitement the whole time we were there!

 We ate dinner at Johnny Rockets afterwards....this diner is great! They give you your ketchup in a dish with different pictures drawn out of it. Carter got a dog, Brax got a flying saucer, I got a flower and Jake got a smiley face with sunglasses. 

I just love these two....

Outings

The boys and I have been so busy lately....but I have to say...it's the most we've had in so long. 

My sister took Carter out on a "date" to the movies one evening, so I took Brax to the Nickelcade. This little dude had so much fun! It was actually really nice to just spend time with Brax, I'm going to make this a regular thing in our monthly routine now. 

The boys learned how to make homemade pizzas, Jake-style. They really liked it. Making pizzas has been one of my favorite meals to cook with the boys because they have so much fun creating their masterpieces and then eating their creations. 

I have been spending so much time with one of favorite people....This man is, without a doubt, AMAZING. My life will never be the same....

The boys and I were introduced to The Pie Pizzeria from Jake a few weeks ago and they had a blast! So, we decided to show Brown Grandma what it was all about one day. She was having so much fun playing pinball with the boys that she was shouting at the game and everything in the restaurant! Super funny...

The boys and I have been doing more cooking....okay I've been trying to be a good mom and cook more....I'm just not that great. But we've been doing it together...that's what really matters right?

We have been staying so busy, but loving every minute!

Best Friend Weekend

A few weeks ago, the boys and I had an amazing "Best friend Weekend" I refer to it as. We got to see and visit with so many of our closest friends. 

Ashley and I got together at this amazing splashpad in Lehi. Carter and Hunter are such cute friends, while we already know that Braxton and Brinley are going to get married....so our cute little families fit so well with eachother. 

(I don't have any other pictures than this of the silly boys, but we were there for over 4 hours and enjoyed every second!)

That night Jake and I took the boys to the Drive-In. I'm not going to lie, I seriously love the drive in. I don't remember the last time I went, but it's going to be way more often now. The boys had so much fun eating dinner first and waiting for the movie to start in the back of the truck. One of my favorite friends, Cortney, also came and joined in on the fun. 

My favorite part of the night.....

The next day we all went to lunch with one of my besties, Rachel and her fiance Trent. I absolutely love this girl and Trent planned this awesome afternoon for the boys. There is this super cool playground and splashpad in Fort Union that the boys seriously enjoyed so much! 

Jake thought that I was too dry for being at a splashpad.....so while I was busy cheering on the boys and minding my own business....he grabbed me and carried me through the water! I have to admit though, it did help cool me down. It was the most fun I've had at a splashpad in a long time. 

Jake is becoming one of the boys' best friends. He is teaching them all of the important skills they need....like how to win at Mario Kart! They absolutely love it and beg him to play video games almost every time they see him now. 

We have so many amazing people in our life....I don't know what I would do without any of them. The boys and I are so lucky. 

4th of July

Super late...I know. But our July was absolutely PACKED full of fun activities, it was hard to keep up with everything. 

The boys had been asking me for awhile now to go camping sometime this summer...well I'm not the "camper-type" so there needed to be a little bit of compromising for all three of us. 

Jake and I set up a tent in his backyard and had a camp-out with the boys "mommy-style." It was actually way fun! 

 The boys had the best time playing in the tent and making up games with each other. 

We absolutely had to roast some marshmallows, I mean what's camping without those roasted pieces of heaven right? Jake was really cute showing the boys how to "perfectly" roast them....although I have to admit  I'm a huge believer in actually getting them engulfed in flame before they're ready to eat. 

 The next day we walked to the parade, which happened to be a couple blocks from the house. 

Here are the boys waiting in anticipation....

I have to say, this parade seriously ROCKED! Look at what the boys scored. We also had waters, Popsicles and coupons passed out too. The boys were pretty proud.... 

At the city park there was a pretty cool carnival with lots to do. The boys saw Spiderman and just had to get their picture taken with him. 

The city park just so happens to have a splashpad there as well.....the boys could have stayed there all day! I  think Splashpads are the world's greatest invention. 

There was a  super cute train ride that the boys rode on for their "last" activity of the carnival. They were in the caboose, and loved every second of it. 

We then came back home to make our 4th of July "food craft." I'm all about the fun activities, especially when they involve frosting and sugar.....

Our pretzel sparklers and festive strawberries turned out really cute!

Overall, it was a great day and such a fun memory. 

Lovin' the Summe Life....

This summer is off to a great start so far....we had the chance to see the coolest eclipse ever! Super cool, and doesn't happen that often. I'm glad my sister, Jimmy and I were able to see it this year. It's not a great picture of it, but I wanted something to remember this day....

Driving down the freeway the other day, I came across this cool semi-truck that said, 'Carter's Express" on it. I took a picture with my phone (yes while driving) and showed Carter that night. He thought it was pretty cool that his name was on a huge truck like that. 

I was able to attend a really fun golf tournament the other day. It was in Midway and so gorgeous. The scenery was so beautiful, the landscape amazing and seriously such great weather. 

You can't tell in this picture very well, but there's a few hot air balloons flying over. 

The boys also both got the "joy" of having pink eye.....super fun let me tell ya! But these little dudes were troopers, and we really did a have a good day together. Sometimes it's nice to have an excuse to stay home and play with eachother. 

When Life Gives You Lemons.....

I'm so glad that June is over and July is well on its way. June was the month of "bad car luck" for my boys and I. We are very fortunate that nothing major happened to us, but the process and trauma we went through was not at all fun. 

My dad got a new boat a few months back, and he's been inviting us ever since to enjoy a day out on the water. The boys and I finally were able to match our schedule with his, and we were off for a day in the sun! On the way there, everything went wrong. The boat was actually attacking the Sequoia and we were flying everywhere on the freeway. My dad, very skillfully I might add, tried his hardest to over compensate and was able to stop the madness within a few minutes. 

Here's a picture of the accident.....

As you can see, the fact that we were all okay is something that I don't take for granted. I was fine during the "adrenaline" part getting the boys into my mom's car and packing up our stuff, but once we got into the car and everything was okay, I broke down in tears. I was so glad that nothing major happened. During the accident I was turning around to look at the boys sitting behind me, so I watched everything happen from behind...traumatic! 

But, that day my mom and I set up a "water play day" in her backyard and had a great time with the boys. They were excited just to be in the water and playing. They now take their ride on toys and play "car accident" and one of them even pulls a boat. It's actually quite comical now that it's not fresh on my mind. 

 The next week, my new car was involved in a "hit and run." This is the first time I've ever experienced something like that. I have to say, the VIP treatment at the car repair shop and rental car company was amazing! I was able to choose which car I wanted for the week, (the boys choose the black one) and we were treated so well. Carter and Brax thought it was pretty cool having a "rental" for the week. They kept talking about where they wanted it to drive them to. Super funny. 

In the car repair shop were some amazing old cars and cool displays. While waiting for paperwork and such, I broke out the camera and the boys and I toured the facility. They thought it was pretty cool. (I was enjoying the free drinks and popcorn too!)

So, when life gives you LEMONS, make some LEMONADE! We are all safe, no major damages that couldn't be fixed (minus my dad's boat) and now we're all back together. Life is truly a gift....cherish it always!