Happy Birthday, Daddy!

We love you!

Good Times at the Gateway

On Friday evening, my brother, Blaine, and I decided to take the kids to the Gateway to kill some time before bed.

Here's the kids above the fountains

Graham, Oliver, Lucy, Abby and George

George and Graham watching the fountains. These two are only 3 weeks apart and they have started to play together so well. They have a great time.

The kids watched the fountains for a while and then played on the escalators. Then we took them to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory to choose a treat. They all got these rock candy suckers. They made the ride home a bit more quiet as they chowed down.

Graham and George with their green suckers. Graham is in love with the color green . It's the default answer he uses if he doesn't know the name of the other color. He points it out everywhere we go.

We had a great time hanging with the kiddos. I think they had fun, too!

Grandpa's 90th Birthday

Last weekend we had a party for my Grandpa's 90th birthday. My Grandpa Hickman actually lives here at my Mom and Dad's house, so we see him everyday. But it was fun to have all the family come into town to share such a big day with us. I'm annoyed that I didn't get a picture of the b-day boy, but oh well.

Christin, Beth, Debbie and Becky

Me, Heidi and Ella, Camille, Penny and Heather

Some of the cousins in attendance

Graham enjoying his lunch

Some of the peeps on my table.

My attempts to entertain Graham included use of the camera.

We all had such a fabulous time at the party! It was so fun hearing all the stories that were shared and visiting with my cousins and their kids. It was nice to be in on some of the planning, too! My family had a great time decorating and helping to pull it off.

A Video For Dad

I found out this last week that Jason can check our blog while he's there in Afghanistan, so it dawned on me that I should post some videos of the kiddos. It's nothing to spectacular, just Graham and Lucy during lunch. I was trying to get Graham to make this funny face that he's been pulling a lot lately, but I wasn't too successful.

Bring on the Tuesday and Wednesday Nights!

I am lovin' me some American Idol this season. My Tuesdays and Wednesdays are a little brighter because I know I get to watch them that night. (Keep in mind that my husband is gone and will continue to be gone for quite some time. It's the little things that keep me going.)

This year, for me, it's all about the men. Again, my husband is gone and that may be swaying my vote towards the testosterone, but I think they far surpass any of the women. Here's my top 5 in no particular order:

Danny, Danny, Danny. I have loved this guy from the get-go. I've been rooting for him since his audition. Yes, his wife died not long ago, and yes, that might be why I like him a teeny bit more than the rest, but who cares. He's human and relatable (is that a word) and I would buy one of his albums tomorrow.
Kris. I love him, even though he spells his name with a "K".

Anoop has also been one of my favorites for some time now. I loved his Bobby Brown shout out a few weeks back and this week's "You Were Always On My Mind" was amazing. He seems humble and down to earth and I like that.

How can anyone not like this guy? I was so oh so sad to see him go and then oh so happy when he came back.
I think Scott is absolutely fabulous and I was so irritated when Paula told him that he needs to perform without the piano. His performances with the piano are so powerful! She said he needs "more showmanship". Does she want him to dance around up there? What an idiotic thing to say! Many of my fellow fans would say that he wouldn't be where he is in the competition if he wasn't blind. I beg to differ. I love watching him perform and I think he is incredibly talented.

So, there you have it. My faves so far. I wasn't sad to see Alexis go last night. All those women folk better go before any of these men do or I will stop watching (that'll teach 'em).

8 Years and Counting.....

My husband is halfway across the world, but he still managed to make sure I got roses on our anniversary! I was so excited and it helped brighten a tough day for me. That's my man!

It's been 8 years today, so I thought I'd list 8 of the many reasons why it's so awesome to be married to Jason.

1. He's very romantic and is amazing at remembering different dates and events from when we were dating.

2. He gets up with the kids on the weekends so I can sleep in. Even if he won the paper, rock, scissors match.

3. He always drives and doesn't get bugged when I fall asleep.....which is a lot of the time.

4. He doesn't get annoyed when I'm feeling down on myself and need to be told a million times that I'm doing great or that I'm beautiful or that I'm not crazy. He'll tell me a million and one times if I need it.

5. He has a very hard work ethic. He keeps going until the job is done and does his best.

6. He likes a good chick-flick every once in a while and he's not afraid to admit it.

7. He's got the best smile of anyone I know and he's always up for a good time. He's very rarely in a bad mood and when he is, he snaps out of it very quickly. He's very easy going. (I fit 3 into that one...oh well, they're all related, right?)

8. He always tries his best to make me and the kids feel like we're #1. He's so far away now, but he still makes me feel like we are his priority.

Bring on the next 8 years! I hope they are as joyful as the last!

Forever Family

Bear with me.....I'm in an extremely sentimental mood today, so I'm posting some of our family pictures. Along with this mood, I am having a terrible time making decisions (big or small), so I'm just going to post a whole bunch.

I have to give props to my sister, Heidi, and her husband, Ryan for our pictures. They turned out so great and I couldn't be happier with them. RLT Photography is where it's at! Check out their website. The link is on my sidebar.

So Long, Farewell....

February was a month full of goodbyes for our little family. First, Jason was with us here in Utah for a week and then we had to say goodbye. But, we got to see him less than a week later. We met up in St. George and stayed at Shellie (Jason's sister) and Natalie's house for a 5 day vacation.

We filled our time there with fun things and lots of family time. We found an awesome park that had toys we had never seen before. The kids and the adults had a great time there. We went swimming at an indoor little water park. Graham and Lucy had a ball! I loved being able to run outside in the morning. I could definitely live in St. George!!

We ate out quite a bit (one of our favorite pastimes). Here's the whole gang: Natalie and her nephew, Shellie, Lucy, Graham (he's hiding behind Dad), Jason, and Me

Our last night there was the day that High School Musical 3 came out on DVD, so we went and bought it and had our own little movie party complete with dancing, singing and treats.

We had such a fabulous time. We're so grateful that Shellie and Natalie let us crash at their place and for babysitting the kiddos so Jason and I could have a date. They were terrific hosts.

That was the last that the kids saw their Daddy until he gets back from Afghanistan in August. It was a tearful goodbye and a rough ride home, but we made it through.

That weekend I flew to California to see my sweetie one last time before he deployed. It was a bittersweet time because we were trying not to think about Monday morning when we would have to say goodbye.

On Sunday night we had Totino's pizza at our hotel and watched movies all day. it reminded us of our college days back at Utah State when we had Totino's at least once a week.

All in all we're doing okay. We miss Jason terribly and sometimes it seems like too much to bear, but we have great support here and we're so grateful to be surrounded by family and friends.