Vegas- Week 4

Our last week in Las Vegas crept up on us pretty fast, considering how long we had been there. My Grandpa Gene came in town, and it was fantastic to see him. Peyton sure loves him, and loved having breakfast with every morning. We took the time to do all the fun things and errands we had been meaning to do, but hadn't gotten around to. We took Peyton to a place called KinderPlayland, which was just an indoor play place. We went to the Spa to swim one last time. We went to a pony farm with a petting zoo that Peyton absolutely loved. Jade came back into town on Wednesday night for a golf tournament at my mom's country club called the Governor's Black Tie Invitational. Thursday was his practice round, and the tournament was Friday and Saturday. Jade played with his friend Jesse, who came in from UT to play. The guys did so great! At the end of the first day, they were tied for first place! The second day they didn't play as well- or the other team played better. They ended up taking 2nd place (but only by 3 strokes). Jade had such a great time playing though, so he wasn't disappointed. The most exciting part of the tournament are the social events that go along with it. Thursday night was the Black Tie Gala- an auction and fancy-schmancy dinner. I was just excited for the chance to get all dressed up. And to see Jade in a tux. He looked very handsome! The highlight of the auction was my dad's friend's wife winning a Mercedes for $120,000... on accident! She thought she was starting the bidding out; she had no idea that she was the next highest bidder. I can't even imagine. Jade kept telling me the whole time, "Put your hands in your lap- we don't want them to think we're actually going to get something." It was a crazy auction. The dinner was 50/50- the appetizers were gross, the dessert was great and the meat part of the entree was good, but the fish wasn't (I don't eat any fish, actually). I ate about 8 pieces of bread, though. It would have been a pretty boring dinner, but Jade and I loved hanging out with Jesse and his cute wife Lindsey. Friday night was the best night: a private concert with Maroon 5! The only people who can come are the players in the tournament, plus their guest. So the concert was about 250 people. The most awesome thing was that Jesse's sister is married to the guitarist's brother, so Jesse, Lindsay, Jesse's sister's friends Angela and Brandon, my mom, Jade and I were able to go hang out with James before the concert, meet the band, and follow them to their backstage area. Then when the concert started, we walked right out onto the main area, and we spent the whole time screaming the lyrics and dancing to some fantastic music- especially some of their classics. I am in love with James! He was so cool and down to earth and really, really talented. I even drank from his bottle of water! The concert was really, really good. That's all I can say. So good. Before and after the concert they had really yummy appetizers and desserts, and while we were having dessert, one of the ladies that was there told me that I looked like I was 17! That was the second time this trip someone had told me that! YAY! I feel like since I have 2 children, I seem much older than I really am, and not in a good way. So I am a little hung up on the fact that someone would tell me I look young. Anyway, Friday night was awesome. Saturday after Jade's 2nd place victory, we packed up and headed home. It felt nice to sleep in my own bed that night, next to my hubby and with my puppy at my feet. As much as I love the escape to Vegas, there is no place like home!

:

The pictures are out of order. Sorry. Enjoy 1,000 of them (or at least 20)

:

That's me, right in between the drummer and bassist of Maroon 5!!

 My mom is a babe.

before the show

 Black Tie Gala

 Jade was about 4 feet away from a hole-in-one on this whole on Friday. Do you see that Mercedes? That's what he would have won.

Jade took this picture on one of the holes.

Hanging out at the spa

 Great-Grandpa Gene with his girls

Walking to the concert tent

 Not great photography, but it's the only picture I had of us right before the band went on stage. Over the tall guy's shoulder, you can see Adam getting all pumped up.

 We were so close that some of our pictures didn't turn out because we couldn't get them in the frame. We could have touched their knees if we would have reached up. Adam did give us the rock star hand slap when they walked by us, and James came up to us during one song and was being funny (since he is family to Lindsay) and we were rubbing his leg and pretending to faint. He got a kick out of us screaming like crazies for him.

 We came home to Peyton passed out in one sock and panties.

 I look red-headed. I'm not; I haven't dyed my hair or anything. It's just the lighting.

 Such a happy face!

Vegas- Week 3

Cheyanne was on Spring Break this week, so we got to spend the week with her! We painted Easter Eggs, cooked lots of good food, laid out while the kids napped, and took the girls swimming a few times. They had just turned on the pool heaters at the Spa, so we tried to enjoy every minute there that we could. They have a great kids area there, and Peyton loved being allowed in the hot tub, since at our athletic club they have a strict no-kids-in-the-hot-tub policy. Thursday night I went line-dancing at a country bar with my mom and her friends. It was so fun! Friday Cheyanne watched the kids while I went to dinner with my friends Bianca and Carlee, then met my family to go see Hunger Games (which I thought was very well done). Sunday was Easter! We had early church, so we saved the Easter baskets for after church. Peyton was very excited to find hers, which was hidden inside her play house. We celebrated that evening with my dad's side of the family. We had a bunch of little kids there for Peyton to play with, and lots of helping hands to hold Piper. Peyton found lots of treats on the egg hunt, and she was pretty happy about having a hunt outside for the first time in her life. Every single Easter we've been in Portland has been rainy. We missed Jade, but we had a really nice (and dry!) Easter.

:

:

One nap time after swimming, I peeked into Peyton's room to see this:

This Easter we did "volcano eggs" with baking soda and vinegar colors.

 Some of the kids. Poor Cheyanne and Jake were sucked into the "kids" picture.

 I love this picture of Peyton hunting!

Cute Piper

I took about a hundred pictures of Piper one day on our trip. She is such a little doll.

Vegas- Week 2

Monday my mom let me sleep in a little while she entertained Peyton, which was a treat. We cleaned up a bunch of the party stuff and ran some errands. Tuesday I started my usual Las Vegas organization project. This time I tackled my mom's pantries, closets and storage spaces. Wednesday we ran errands in the morning, and in the afternoon we went to go visit my grandpa and Nilda, because Peyton had been asking to see Papa and Nana since the birthday party on Saturday. While Peyton was playing at their house, my Grandpa Coy looked at Peyton and said to no one in particular, "Wow. It's just like watching Ashton, all over again." Apparently she inherited all my mannerisms. Then we took Piper to get her ears pierced! She was really squirmy, so they made me pin her to my chest and hold her head (like when the pediatrician checks her ears). She hated it. The actual piercing hardly phased her, but she was not happy to be pinned. They turned out great, and I love her little bling in her ears! Now even if she's not wearing a bow, everyone will know she's a girl! While we were at the piercing shop, Peyton was able to ride the carousel outside, so it was a win/win. Thursday we went to lunch with my mom's best friend Cheryl at this awesome pasta place called Mac Shack. Then we went home for naps, my mom and I went and had a pedicure, and then we went to Boot Barn and we each bought a new pair of cowboy boots. Friday my mom left to go to Arizona again, so the kids and I had the house to ourselves for the weekend. We invited my cousin's cute wife Brittany and her girls Aliana (5.5) and Julia (almost 4- just a couple days older than Peyton) over to play outside and have lunch. Did I mention that it was about 85 and sunny, without even a hint of wind? It was gorgeous. We heated the hot tub- warm, and the girls got too hot after awhile since it was so nice out! Peyton took a 3 hour nap, and she probably would have slept more, but I woke her up so she would still go to bed at a decent hour. Saturday and Sunday we watched General Conference. I was armed with lots of ideas to keep Peyton's interest. She got a new quiet toy at each session, and we played a game I saw on Pinterest where she listened to the speakers, and every time they said a specific word, she was able to take a small candy out of a candy bowl with a picture of that word. It was a hit, and she actually watched quite a bit of Conference, considering she's only 3.5. I made a huge breakfast/brunch each morning. We had cinnamon rolls, babana-chocolate-chip pancakes and homemade hot chocolate on Saturday, and then rice cereal and homemade hot chocolate [again] on Sunday. It was a great weekend. Conference was so uplifting, and I felt like there were about 5 talks written specifically for me. In addition to being General Conference, Sunday was April Fool's Day! I am a sucker for holidays, and now that Peyton is getting older, I really want her to enjoy them and have fun with them, too. So when Peyton woke up I told her that it is a new month, April, and on April 1st, we celebrate April Fool's Day by playing tricks on people. We went downstairs and Peyton watched me draw a mustache on Cheyanne with eyeliner (so sad I didn't get a picture). She said to me, "Mommy, I don't want a mustache. Can I just have a sticker?" I thought that was pretty funny. Little did she know, I already had her trick planned out. I pretended to pour her some juice from a pitcher, and I gave her a drink. She tried to drink out of it a couple times before she realized it was jello! She thought that was a pretty funny trick. Later that night, Cheyanne put a little bit of an oatmeal face scrub on my side of the bed (and pillow), and told me Roxy had thrown up on it. Pretty tricky!

:

:

Before Jade and Tink left, Tink snuck up on the couch while all of us were outside. Here she had just realized she got caught.

You might think we put Piper next to Tink in this picture. You would be wrong. Piper was having tummy time, and Tink decided to plop herself right down next to Piper.

 Even though Piper was sort of a difficult newborn, she is the happiest baby!! She's all smiles, all the time. I love it.

  Peyton fell asleep next to, but not on her bed.

 While we were in Vegas, Jade was able to spend one weekend in Driggs with Jerai, Phil, Boyd and sweet Brewer. I'm so jealous!

 Best friends; reunited.

 Conference Bribes/Positive Reinforcers

 April Fool's!

 She turned the cup upside-down to see what was up with it.

 Earrings!