Moved

I created and moved our blog to wordpress. I wanted more flexibility in customizing...it's taken me a while and it is still a work in progress but for those waiting for blog updates you can check them out here: http://vellamarie.wordpress.com/

I named the blog after Jaelee's middle name Vella and my middle name Marie.  It will be a blog/site where I will also have pages for my photography.  Like I said it's still under construction but take a look.........

I'm not sure I like wordpress yet.  Since I am using the free wordpress.com there is not a lot of customization I can do so it may be back to blogger for me...

Off to Oregon We Go - Day 1

I love going to the Oregon coast to see our family.  It is really fun to see the kids playing with all their cousins, getting together with our family and there is so much we get to do.  I always look forward to going there.  We made our yearly trip over there for labor day weekend.  We left on Thursday night after work and drove to Portland.

(I had the kids pick out toys to bring and put it in a bag, I had no idea what they picked. While I was driving Greg tells me to look in my mirror at Jayse. He'd brought with him one of his mask and had put it on. So cute, love my little guy.)

Western Idaho Fair

This year for the fair I entered the photo contest with 3 of my photos, so we had to go to the fair to check out if I won anything and have a little fun while there.  The first thing we always do is go look for my photos.  This year we found the photos but no awards, not even an honorable mention. Oh well it's still fun to see my photos displayed there.

After finding my photos we went and took a look at all the animals.  The kids LOVE the chics, while we were looking at them a lady took one out for them to see up close.  They also got to pet a couple ginnie pigs.

Settlers Park

It is officially October, my favorite month!  I am going to try to catch up on my blogging as I am sure we will have a lot going on this month with Halloween arriving!!

In August I took the kids to a park in Meridian that has a lot of stuff for them to do.  There is a little water park that they can play in, toys to run around on, rocks to climb and instruments to bang on.

It was a lot of fun but really hot.  I had to take a dip in the water a few times myself.

Four Generations Getting Pedicures

When we went to Alaska on the day the guys went fishing the girls were going to go get pedicures but we weren't able to.  I had my grandma all geared up to go, she's never had one before.

I felt like she needed to experience getting a pedicure so while my mom was in town I made an appointment for us all to get pedicures.  My grandma and Jaelee getting their first pedicures together.

It was one of those times that was just really cool, seeing four generations all experiencing something together.

The place was really great they treated everyone like queens.  Jaelee had a soda and some fruit snakes and this really cool pink chair that had lights in the water that changed colors.  I think everyone had a great experience.

Car Races

Greg got some free tickets to the car races so we all went.  We had ear protectors for the kids this year and I don't know why we didn't think about them before.  Jaelee liked it so much better.  I think we only stayed for an hour because it was so hot and the kids were just playing around but it was plenty of time to get a bunch of photos.

Sunset

It just wouldn't be right with out me trying to do a photo shoot at sunset.  We had a really pretty sun set so I dragged the kids and the wagon over to our favorite field.  I only got a few photos before the kids were over it but we got a few good ones.

Jayse

Jayse is not interested in letting me take pictures of him.  It's really hard these days to get a picture of him unless I sneak around like the paparazzi.  However, there are rare occasions when I can get a few.  This was one of those occasions.    He was riding his bike and when he got off he posed a bit for me and let me get some pictures.  So here they are.

Looking at these I can't believe how big he looks.  Sad face :( they are growing too fast.

Arrow Rock - Lake Fun

We spent a lot of time at the lakes this summer.  Because we got the new to us boat it allowed us to go places we couldn't before.  It was so fun.  We went out to Arrow Rock, past Lucky Peak to find a spot to fish and hang out for the day.

We found this place that looked awesome, there was a bank with sand, grass up higher and plenty of room for the kids and dog to run around.  We headed to the spot and when we got close to the shore, Greg, Jayse and Bo jumped out and found out that the sand was a sinking mess.  You couldn't even stand in it.  They were covered in mud in no time.  They hurried and jumped back in a boat and we were back out trying to find the perfect spot.

Jaelee's Last Dance Class For the Summer

Jaelee's last dance class was August 2nd.  They opened the large door in the studio and it let in beautiful light.  I was able to get some really good pictures because of it.  So basically be prepared for a lot of photos.

July Phone Photo Dump

Woo hoo after this post I will be all caught up with our July adventures.

I take quit a few photos on my phone.  It is smaller and therefore a lot easier to carry around.  So here is my phone photo dump from July.

 

(Jaelee had to go get her rain gear to wear underneath the sprinkler. I thought that was cute)

Jaelee's Room Makeover & Princess Pictures

Now that the kids were in their own rooms I was really excited to start decorating them.  I started with Jaelee's room because she wanted a pink princess room and I thought that would be really easy and fun.

Hogle Zoo

We got back from Alaska on Thursday, Greg and I took off Friday because we didn't want to have to try and rush home to go back to work for one day before the weekend.  We stayed at my mom's house Thursday night.

Alaska Day 7 - The Knife Shop

On day 7 we had to head back to Anchorage so we could get up early the next day to catch our flight home. It is always amazing how fast time goes.  I couldn't believe it was already time to start our journey back.  We had the whole day to drive the several hours back to anchorage so we got to sleep in and then stopped at a bakery shop for breakfast/lunch.  Greg and I shared a homemade sandwich and soup that was really good.

Alaska Day 6 - The Great Fishing Day

Tuesday the guys had planned for their fishing trip, they got up really early to head out fishing.  The girls got to sleep in, it was nice!  Once we all got up and got ready we headed out to do some tourist things - like shopping.  There were a lot of cute little shops to go in.  We started at one end of Seward and finished at the other.  I found some cute books for the kids and a few other things for myself :).

(This is the only picture I took of our shopping day, I thought it was cute.)

Alaska Day 5 - Seward Wildlife

For our first day in Seward all went and ate breakfast together.  We found this place called Nellie’s Roadhouse.  It was a small diner with great food and atmosphere. 

Alaska Day 4 Denali to Seward

On day 4 we headed from Denali to a fishing town on the coast called Seward.  It was a pretty long drive and we were in the car for most of the time.  The ride there was beautiful it was so green everywhere and we got to drive along the ocean for some of the drive.  We did make one stop at a McKinley look out but still didn't really get to see it as it was really cloudy out.

 (Hunter trying to get some sleep in the car)

Alaska Day 3 - The Search for Mt. McKinley

On day 3 we got up and had breakfasts at the buffet in the what I like to call the village.  They had a lot of options and some great food.  The miners cheesy potatoes were delicious, I had to go back for seconds for those.

Alaska Day 2 - Denali

On the second day in Alaska we woke up and had breakfast at the Country Kitchen across the street from our hotel.  They had some great breakfast options, Greg got a reindeer sausage omelet and I had some meat breakfast.  My cousin Cade couldn't resist ordering ribs and fries for breakfast, why not we are on vacation right?  

Alaska Day 1 - Anchorage

Greg and I were really lucky to get the opportunity to go to Alaska with my family.  Any time I would ask Greg where his dream vacation would be without hesitation he says Alaska.  He is always hot and a tropical vacation to him would just be torture.  Not to mention the fishing opportunities.

Another reason we were able to go is because my mom watched our kids while we were there.  So thank you so much to everyone that made it possible for us to go!  Greg can cross Alaska off his bucket list now, although he is determined to go there again, he didn't want to leave.

I am doing each day we were in Alaska in a different post because I took a ton of photos and we did so much it's not going to fit in one post.  So be warned now there is will be a lot of post and pictures but the trip deserves it.

On the fifth we flew out of Salt Lake City with everyone, 2 of my aunts and uncles, my grandparents, 2 cousins and my brother Hunter.  In total there was a group of 11 of us.  We flew into Anchorage and got there about 2 local time. The plane ride over was pretty easy.  It was a direct flight into Anchorage.  Greg and I watched the in-flight movie and we also rented a movie on my kindle that we watched.  The flight was only about 4 hours.

When we arrived we were super excited to go out and see Alaska.  My uncle rented a large van and a RV for our trip, so we took a shuttle to the location of the rental place.  The weather was a little bit cold.  I think it was 55ish.  Alaska was beautiful - large mountains with snow still on them and really green. 

(Our first picture together in Alaska)

Fourth of July

Wow I'm almost caught up on my blogging!

Since Greg and I were flying out of SLC for our Alaska trip on the 5th we decided to drive down to my moms on the 3rd so we could spend the Fourth of July with her and not be driving on that day.  I was a little sad to miss Melba's celebration, I have been going there for a LONG time and it is pretty awesome but it's nice to be with my family.

My mom made us a delicious breakfast and then we hung around until the parade started at noon.  There were a lot of people at the parade but we found a spot and watched the parade.  It was pretty good.  The kids got lots of candy and otter pops, I thought that was a great thing to hand out to keep the kids cool.  Jaelee didn't like the loud sirens and noises but other than that I think they really liked it.

The Lake

We took our boat out to the lake. We brought our dog this time. He did really well in it. He is super hyper so I was worried he would moving around but he just sat or laid on the floor.

We found a nice little spot where we could dock and eat, fish & play in the water.

On our way back to load up Greg fished for a little bit but only caught a small fish. I got to drive the motor back and I have to admit I liked it but the next day my shoulder was sore, LOL.

Jaelee the Ballerina - Part 3

For Jaelee's third time at dance class she did really well again but got distracted towards the end and just wanted to run around. I took a few photos but I'm just going to post this one I got of Jaelee and Mia after class. It is just so cute.  

Eagle Island

Greg was helping a friend work on a truck engine one weekend so the kids and I went to Eagle Island for some sun, sand and fun.

I forgot their life jackets so I was a little stressed watching them go so far out into the water.  Jayse does not have a fear of the water and he is trying to swim now so I was wigging out a little bit while watching them.  I know I will never forget to bring their life jackets again.  While playing Jayse had to go potty, he was in the water up to about his knees when he pulled down his pants and started to pee in the water.  I was so embarrassed but it didn't seem like too many people saw, LOL.  In the end we all survived and managed to have a bit of fun.

Here's the proof.

Summer Time

One of our favorite summer time activities is to put the sprinkler under the trampoline and jump.  We have done it several times already this summer. Here are some pictures of the kids jumping and showing me their tricks.

Jaelee the Ballerina - Part 2

The second time Jaelee went to dance class she was really good.  She followed directions really well.  The instructor I think was much better that time.  She was really good with the girls and they all seemed to have a lot of fun.

Here are the photos.

Greg Softball

I titled this post Greg softball but it's really more about Jaelee.  Her sitter bought her this cute blue tutu and she had to wear it one night to one of Greg's softball games and I thought she just looked so cute.  So here are some photos.

Fathers Day

For fathers day this year we took our boat out to a lake.  It worked really well and went faster than I had expected the little old guy to go.  It was so nice to have a boat and to be on the water fishing and playing.

We found a little spot of sand and docked for a bit, while the kids played in the sand and water.  We packed a lunch and ate on the bank.  Then Greg fished and practiced using his trolling motor and the kids practiced casting with their poles.

After playing at the lake we went to a fun center and played miniature golf, Jaelee and I rode the bumper boats and Greg and Jayse went on the go carts.

I thought it was a pretty great day.  Hopefully Greg enjoyed it too.

Jaelee the Ballerina

I was so excited for Jaelee to start her little dance class.  She was really excited too, for days she would ask if she got to go to class yet.  We had all of her stuff ready, got the ballet shoes, tape shoes, leotard, tights and skirt.

One of my best friend's little girl, Mia, is also starting dance class, so it is really fun to see both of them.  Jaelee did really well the first little bit of class, listening to the teacher and following direction but then true to her nature she got a little distracted/bored.  She started to do her own thing and dance around in circles or run up and down and was not following any direction.  I also had forgot to put ties in her tap shoes so they were just falling off and she didn't like that at all and wanted to go back to her ballet shoes.

At the end of it she was really excited about it and continues to really like it.

Chalk Paint

My good friend bought the kids some chalk paint.  It was a lot of fun to play with.  After a while I went inside to start dinner and they stayed outside to paint.  Each time I came out there was more paint on the side walk and themselves.  They even painted our pop-up trailer and dad's jeep.  They had a lot of fun though and it was really easy to wash off.

First and Probably the Last Yard Sale, New Beds & Boat

In June we had our first yard sale, I chose to have it the same weekend a subdivision next to ours was having one, hoping we could profit from their advertising and traffic.  For a couple weeks we had been going through everything in our house getting ride of all the kids baby stuff, clothes that were too small, and anything else we could live without.

The day before our yard sale the weather predicted rain but I didn't care I had been planning this for weeks and I thought it would be a light sprinkle.  When we got up that morning it was pouring.  I had Greg go to Lowe's and buy a tarp (which already put us in the black for this stupid yard sale) to put out from our garage to cover everything.  Before we even had the tarp up and everything pulled out people were waiting outside our house!

Softball's & Drive In's

Greg is playing softball again this year and on a team with his work.  It's fun to watch him play.  He did really well this season getting several home runs, some how I missed everyone of them.  Oh well, just means he has to do a few more so I can see them :).  The kids of course just run around and play the whole time, which is probably why I miss the home runs because I am keeping an eye on them.

After one of his games we went to a drive-in movie.  We were all drive-in movie virgins so I was super excited.  We got to see the Lorax, which was a cute movie.  The drive-in was perfect for the kids because they could move around and we could bring our own food.  It was awesome! The only down fall was seeing the movie so late, by the time the second movie started we were tired and headed home. 

Anyway here are a few pictures of the fun.

Memorial Day Weekend

Well I wanted to get caught up with blogging before I went to Alaska but I didn't so I'm going to try and get caught up again, so I can show off the photos I took while in Alaska.

For memorial day weekend we didn't do much because Greg had to work. One of the days the kids and I went to a park so I could get some pictures of them, which they didn't really want to do so I didn't get a whole bunch. Then we went across the street so the kids could ride their scooters and play by the fountain. The dress Jaelee is wearing is her favorite now.  She calls it her Cinderella dress and every day for the last month or 2 she will come home from the sitters and put it on, it's pretty cute.

Sweet Jaelee and I

Jaelee and I went to my cousin's oldest girls wedding.  Here is a couple of pictures of us.

The Twins Birthday Party Weekend

I kept trying to tell myself I wasn't going to do very much for the twins 4th birthday party.  We had a lot going on and so did everyone else so I wasn't expecting very many people to make it.  BUT when I started pulling everything out from our closets that I had purchased over the months I had a lot of stuff.

Jaelee and Jayse got to choose the theme for their birthday this year.  Jaelee wanted a fairy party and Jayse wanted a super hero party.  I had to find a way to incorporate both into one party.  I found most of the decorations/party favors at the thrift and dollar stores.

Mothers Day

I can't believe how fast this year is going.  It's hard to believe July is just around the corner.  We have been very busy lately and I am really behind on blogging but I hope to get caught up before we go to Alaksa in 2 weeks!!

For mothers day Greg made me breakfast and then he planned a picnic.  We went to Kuna and had a nice little picnic by the creek.  It was relaxing and nice. We were by a set of railroad tracks and the whole time the kids wanted to see a train.  When one finally came by they both thought it was so loud and covered their ears.  It was a good day, hope everyone else enjoyed their mothers day.

Jaelee and Me

For Mother's Day weekend I wanted to go take some photos in Marsing near the orchards.  I was hoping they would be in bloom with beautiful flowers but they weren't.  I'm not sure if we were there too early or too late, I'll try again another time.  We did still did find some great locations and it was a nice drive.  Here are my favorites with Jaelee and a few others I snuck in of my guys.  I'm really loving black and white lately.