Mariners VS. Yankees

So in addition to Cindy's kindness, she and her husband, Kelley, were thoughtful enough to buy us tickets to the Mariners vs. Yankees game on Sunday at Safeco field! We were so excited! Seattle is known for it's horrendous traffic, especially on game days, so I was glad to take the bus to Downtown Seattle where the stadium was.

It was a perfect day for a baseball game: sunny skies with a slight breeze. Our seats were very high up, but we had an awesome view of the field and were luckily in the shade. It was so relaxing to be there while eating our hotdogs and sipping on our beer (6% beer is like drinking a breath of fresh air... compared to Utah's lame 3.2%!).

Being from New England, I have always grown up being a Yankee fan. My dad is the biggest fan of all. Since the Yankees had beat the Mariners twice already, my dad told me to "bring out the broom!" Every time A-Rod came out to bat there was a booming uproar of hostile boo's coming from the crowd. I quickly decided not to root for the Yankees since I probably would have been tortured with belittling remarks and flying hot dogs.

To my surprise the Mariners ended up kicking major Yankee a$$! Yankees were in the lead starting out, but in the 4th inning Ken Griffey Jr. hit a single to center, starting a 2-out ralley that gave the Mariners 5 runs, leading 9-3. Yanks just lost their focus after that and were at a stand still. I believe the final score was 11-3!

It was lots of fun to spend a Sunday afternoon watching baseball with Cindy and her family. I was already having such a good time and looked forward to more enjoyment throughout the rest of the week.

Here are some of our pictures we took from the game:

St. George Trip!!!

I was so excited to head down to St. George for a fun and relaxing girls weekend with my friend Hailey! We made a pact to forget all of our worries and leave them at home. We were ready to have ourselves a kick ass time!!

Driving down was long but so beautiful! With the help of Hailey's iPod we were singing along to Biggie, Salt'n'Peppa, and Bonnie Raitt!!

We were going to be staying at Hailey's sister Ashley's house
(or "Ashwipe" as we like to call her :) These two aren't as innocent as they look!!

*COCKTAILS!!*

We didn't waste anytime!! Rum & Cokes + Tequila shots were the start to one CRAZY night!! My good ol' friend Macy came over later- it was so good to see her face again! As we shared our stories we all were laughing so hard my cheek muscles started to hurt! I honestly couldn't remember the last time I have laughed so hard... it felt great.

Here are some of my favorite pics we took that night:

The next day we laid by the pool in the afternoon and later went down to visit Hailey & Ash's Dad and Stepmom. They cooked us these amazing cheeseburgers and made us ice cream sundaes complete with a cherry on top. I felt so special :)

Afterward we headed to the Outlet stores for some shopping and decided to take the scenic route. It was so gorgeous in person- these pictures do not do it justice!

After shopping for some new clothes we got all dressed up to go out to Mesquite for a little drinkin' and gamblin'!

I learned that penny slots are where it's at!! Hailey's fav is Betti the Yetti. I swear those slot machines love her- she won so much money!! I was cheering for myself when I won 40 cents- meanwhile Hailey is winning $3 and $5 at a time with no problem. Lucky Beyotch. After several watered down drinks and zero buzz, we thought our money would be better spent at home with a bottle from the liquor store. Good call!

The next day we did some more lounging and shopping. We knew we would have to be leaving soon, so for the last hour we laid out by Ashley's community pool which sits on top of a hill with amazing views of the St. George valley- red rocks everywhere. I was in heaven with that sun shining down on us and did not want to leave!

We took a few last pictures together and slowly got our butts moving dreading the fact that we were about to go back to reality. Who would want to go back to work after a trip like this! I seriously could have stayed there all day.

On the way back despite the fact that Hailey's iPod had died, her CD's got left at Ashley's, and all that was on the radio was Jesus tunes, we saw this beautiful rainbow! It was the perfect way to end the weekend.

As we drove back into more rainclouds and stormy skies, I smiled as I looked through the pictures on my camera. Life is all about making memories and being with the people you love. We didn't have a care in the world and I know I will look back and smile every time. Even though I knew tomorrow was going to be back to stress and the every day hustle, I held on to being in that carefree state of mind as long as I could.

I thought of when Hailey, Macy & I all stopped in the middle of our drunken giggles that Friday night and sang along to Bob Marley:

"Don't worry about a thing,
cuz every little thing is gonna be alright."

Well said Bob, well said. :)

Little girls bring such delight with hearts so warm and smiles so bright! -- Author Unknown

So last weekend Josh and I had the pleasure of seeing his sister Sara and 3 kids, Taylor (5), Bella (3) and JJ (2). We don't see them very much anymore since they moved to Texas almost 2 years ago. I was very excited to see them, but also nervous because I hoped they would like me, let alone remember me. We started out by going down to his aunt's house in Lehi, the house of the backyard we got married at, and had lunch with everyone. It was fun to see how much they had grown!

Below is JJ, the 2 year old stud muffin. He is just learning how to talk, he's very adventurous and a bit of a dare devil. He will do this big jump and then land flat on his butt on the hard ground, and just laughs. Crazy kids... but isn't he adorable? I'm loving the mo-hawk.

And this is my niece Taylor, the oldest of the bunch. She loves to be the center of attention, she's a little crazy but she is so sweet and I can't believe she is already 5! It's hard to believe that Josh and I started dating when she was just 6 months old.

And this is Isabella, or Bella for short, enjoying her root beer float. She is such a sweetheart, the kind that when she talks it just makes your heart melt. She's got these little freckles on her nose and it's just the cutest thing. She is a spitting image of her mom and wants to be just like her sister Taylor.

And this is the whole Smith family, minus Jason who had to stay in Texas to work. Sara and Josh got mistaken for twins in high school. It's crazy how much they look alike!

His Aunt Susan snapped this pic of us, and I must say it's probably my favorite picture yet! We look happy, and we really are. That's what being around family does to you I guess :)

So Sara thought it would be a great idea for Josh and I to take the 2 girls for the day and have them sleepover for the night. Upon hearing this suggestion, I got wildly nervous about taking care of 2 little girls for an entire 24 hours. What would we do? Will they like it at my house? Will they scream and cry for their mom?? I hadn't babysat in a long time, I haven't even babysat my niece Addyson let alone 2 little girls. I didn't know what to expect, but Josh said they are just kids, and I shouldn't be so nervous about impressing them. And he was right... again.

We planned on taking them to see Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D and then spend the rest of the night hanging out at the house. They had all their clothes packed, and 2 bags full of entertainment to keep them busy- coloring books, polly pockets, snacks and more. I took a deep breath... we could do this!

So we get home and I forgot that my dogs would be providing most of the entertainment. Taylor wanted to hold Nelly like a little baby literally the entire time! I had to explain that Nelly is a dog, not a baby, and that she wanted to run and play with Sam. She would set her down for maybe a couple minutes, and then decided that Nelly wanted to be held again. Josh and I just laughed to ourselves, and surprisingly Nelly didn't put up much of a fight. It was hard to get them going to see the movie because they didn't want to leave the pups! Silly girls...

"See how I'm holding her now? She loves me so much."

It quickly became a photography session with the doggies. Bella got her turn, taking pictures of Taylor and I. She would go, "1...2...3... CHEEESE!"

Then of course Taylor had to get her turn too. We took at least 50 pictures of the same pose. LOL. I just had to laugh, I was really having so much fun with these two.

I taught Bella how to take a picture of yourself with one hand, see above photo. She tried to do the same, but I forgot how little their arms are, so this is how they turned out....

We finally went to see the movie, which they loved. When we got home I made up some Mac & Cheese, practicing my mothering skills, "Two more bites and you can have ice cream for dessert!" We made a bed for them out of our couch cushions and lots of blankets. We colored and played, and lectured when they quarreled. We stayed with them until they got sleepy and silently snuck away to get some rest, knowing that the morning would be a whole nother adventure!

I realized during our time together that they weren't the ones making me nervous, it was my own self, doubting that I would be good enough to be a mother someday. Doubting that Josh and I could handle such a thing. But these girls taught me that taking good care of them doesn't require years of pratice, parenting skills, or knowledge. It came easily because I love them. Love took care of everything. It made me want to play with them, to teach them new things, to cuddle while watching movies, to kiss them goodnight, to wake up to sleepy eyes and invite them to snuggle in bed with us, to go out of our way to get Hannah Montana cereal, to make sure their hair is done and teeth are brushed in the morning, to sing along to Kids Bop in the car, to give them hugs and kisses when we dropped them off.

This experience taught me that while Josh and I aren't quite ready for a baby, it made me feel secure in knowing that someday we will be great parents. Just seeing Josh in our backyard with Bella, blowing dead dandelions, or seeing him hold Taylor in the movie theater when she got scared of the villain, lets me know that he will be an amazing father. I never could quite envision it before, but now it's clear to me that one day it will happen and one day we will be ready for it.

Little girls dance their way into your heart, whirling on the tips of angel wings, scattering gold dust & kisses in our paths.
-- Author Unknown

Meet our little Nelly

meet nelly.

Or Nellers, Nelly Belly, Nala (that's Josh's).
Nicknames... they just come naturally!

We got Nell about a week ago in a spur of the moment type of decision. For the past couple months we were thinking a lot about getting Sam a companion, someone who could be his friend while me and Josh work all day. We checked out puppies on KSL.com and when we saw her cute picture with those little stink face eyebrows...

...we just couldn't resist! Normally when we search through the puppy ads I always find something I don't like (I'm really picky) but when I know... I just know!

We made an appointment to see her 45 minutes after viewing the ad. I felt so scared and excited at the same time... scared to take on another huge responsibility and also scared for Sam, just hoping he will be happy with our choice.

She was so shy and quiet when we first met her, I really didn't think she couldn't handle our hyper Sammy, but there was something special about her. We actually almost brought home her sister because she was a lot more playful. After an hour of arguing, contemplating, and asking my husband about a hundred times, "Well what do you think??" we finally made up our minds. We just couldn't leave this little girl behind! She literally stole our hearts.

Nelly was her original name and we thought it fit her perfectly so we kept it. She is a miniature dachshund (doxie), same as Sam but she's a wire haired which means she's got some wavy hair. She's black and tan with some cream spots, really cute markings. And now she is 10 weeks old. We took her to the vet last weekend and she weighed in at all of TWO pounds! Seriously like she's the length of my forearm.

It took her a couple days to come out of her shell... but boy we had ourselves fun week! I'm telling you these puppies- all they do is eat, play, and poop. And then poop some more. The puppy phase is always a love/hate relationship for me.... hate them cuz they just pooed all over your sheets or woke you up at 2 in the morning to go potty, but love them because they are just too damn cute to stay mad at. And because you know the outcome is definitely worth all of the hard work and time you put into it.

Sam has been adjusting well and enjoys having a playmate. We got him neutered last week shortly after we got her. So poor Sammy got a cone on his head for a couple days. He's a trooper and is healing very well. Nelly is really feisty with him when she plays, she gets all sassy and she barks and chases him. But she loves to cuddle too and will fall asleep in your arms like a little baby. She even snores... :)

And can I just express my love for having another female in the house??

I have always had Josh, my very, very male minded husband, and we have always had male dogs. And now our family is complete and I finally have a woman on my side! I know I'm going to enjoy this:

1) She can watch America's Next Top Model with me without whining (even though she will most likely sleep on my lap the whole time).

2) She will let me read my Marie Claire without barking to throw a squeaky toy outside.

3) She might even let me paint her toenails someday...

4) ...and let me put a cute dress on her and maybe even LIKE it.

Who knows, maybe I'm wishful thinking, but I have a feeling there's going to be some much needed girl bonding going on...

But of course my Sam will always be my man. Nothing will ever replace that. I love them both the same and I like being a mommy to them. It's weird.. I really have no interest in having kids anytime soon so my motherly instincts go toward canines. I guess I will always be a sucker for pups and I'll accept that for now!

For the time being my baby hunger will have to rely on my older and very pregnant sister! 15 weeks... and they think it's a.......

*whispers*

BOY!

... more details next time! :)

Making faces

I went shopping with my sister Amber and my niece Addy last weekend and I couldn't help but notice how much this little girl is growing up! She is such a ham, she will do anything for attention and loves when you laugh. Hence, these hilarious faces she was making...

This one is my favorite because she stuck out her tongue at the last second!

We went to Jamba Juice and took some pictures. She likes taking pictures "cheek to cheek"

She is so beautiful!

I am loving watching her grow into her personality and learning from everything around her. And I can't believe my sister has another one on the way. Kids really are amazing creatures aren't they?

California Trip

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all ate lots and lots of turkey and pie and spent time with your families. There is nothing like being together on the holidays. We definitely had a great time in California. We got to take our little Sammers with us and he had a great time too. I got this picture of him napping after he ate a bowl full of yummy turkey...

Josh's entire family wasn't there so we had a small group- Josh's mom, his step dad, his brother Jarred, and me and Josh. We enjoyed each other's company and in the process we got a little addicted to the Wii bowling game... so addicted that I was recovering from some intense shoulder pain the rest of the trip!! The Roberts clan is VERY competitive with each other so that made it extra fun. We also loved the Wii American Idol and Tennis. I know what I want for Christmas...!

Our last day there me and Josh spent the day with Bob and Liz. Liz and I got pedicures together in the morning and then we all headed to the Swap Meet in San Diego. Look at these beautiful palm trees! Just looking at them makes me feel relaxed.

So I fell in the with the Swap Meet! Kinda like a flea market, everything is pretty cheap. We got all our nieces and nephews Christmas presents and we got ourselves a couple things too. Then we headed off to go see Portside Village right next to the beach. It was beautiful!

Portside Village has so many little shops and restaurants. We bought a San Diego shot glass. I think we'll start collecting those wherever we travel...

The view of the ocean was gorgeous!! I loved feeling the sea's breeze and the humid air. Reminds me of back home...

This is my mother-in-law Liz and her hubby Bob. Aren't they cuuuute!

While walking around San Diego city's sidewalks there are a bunch of entertainer's around. One guy was making roses out of corn stalk and gave some to us! Here we are holding our souvenirs in front of the ocean and the cruise ship about to take off. And below is this crazy dancing dude who is painted silver... even his teeth! He would be a statue and then just start dancing, he even posed for the camera!

What an amazing view!

Snapshot of the waves crashing on the shore.

We went to Anthony's for dinner and the restaurant is literally right on the water. We got a window seat and got to watch the sunset...

What a perfect way to end our trip!! It was so much fun and just the perfect place for me and Josh to get a little R & R. I am so thankful we got to go and thankful for the hospitality of his Mom and step dad. Family is so important and being around them is like a breath of fresh air. We have gone through so many struggles this year and the fact that we were able to go is such a blessing. We can't wait to go back!!