Happy Halloween!

Two dragons and three Dragon Trainers (thanks to a last minute cameo by Uncle Nick) had a great time at our ward's Trunk or Treat. How to Train Your Dragon is now one of our favorite movies - we watched it a bunch of times recently just to get costume ideas. The kids kept their costumes on, even the hoods, but Matt and I were sweating like vikings in our furs and hats. We had a chili cook off (minus my burned chili that was "warming up" on the stove before the party), a costume parade and contest, a carnival, and of course the trunk or treat. Miles was completely happy to walk around by himself the whole night, but luckily MeMa and Papa came to help wrangle these dragons while Matt and I helped with the activity.

Is It Halloween YET?

Claire sat and watched the clock for 10 minutes waiting for the Haunted Shrek show (which incidentally wasn't so great...). Literally, 10 minutes. Matt told her about the minute hand on the clock and how long it would take until the show started.

Running Errands With Mom

One of our many stops this week was to the Springs Preserve - we were in and out, so I didn't get any cute shots with all the cool plants and displays, but I did think that even this spot in the parking lot was scenic with the mountains and desert landscaping. Claire was being a good sport that day, letting me trek her around to four or five places back to back, so we stopped for a quick photo.

Portraits

I took the kids, by myself, to the Sears Portrait Studio. I am just spoiled with having photographers follow my kids around and let them play a bit while snapping brilliant photos. It's just never the same at one of these studios, but I had to at least try for a formal shot of Miles at 1 (or 14 months) and Claire at 3. It was our photographer's second day on the job, so I will give her that. She got a few cute ones of Claire but Miles would just stop into the studio every now and then to check on us - he refused to be art directed :) There was no adjusting his clothes or fixing his hair, whatsoever. That's how our one-year-old photo shoots typically go.

Yikes

Bless MeMa's heart for letting Claire express her artistic side!

Office Picnic

We had a picnic this weekend to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the firm I work for, which yours truly planned. It was fun and the weather was great, but I was running around most of the time, checking on the catering, photographer, balloon artist, and face painter (who was my friend Janel and didn't need any checking on - I just wanted to see what my kids were getting painted).

Claire was first in line and got a dolphin and a hummingbird. I think she would have kept getting different designs on her arms and legs if there had been time. She also played kickball with the big kids and was a pretty decent 2nd baseman. One of the partners told me later that Claire was taking it very seriously and must have some of my competitive nature. I'll say...





Miles was willing to get his face painted too, but he would very slowly lean into the brush wherever Janel tried to paint his face. She was still able to do such a cute design, and when he looked into the mirror he immediately said - ruff! ruff! He knows a puppy when he sees one!

Visit from EE

I so admire a photographer who can get three children, ages 1, 2 and 3, to all sit still and all smile at the same time for a photo. Ethan and Janel stayed with us this weekend and we tried a few times to get all the kids together for a picture - not an easy task. They had fun though and we are planning our trip out to Casa Robles to visit them sometime soon!

Love This Kid

I guess my video isn't showing up, so for now here is a cute picture of Miles. He has the most sparkliest eyes when he smiles. He just lights up and it is adorable!

If One Wears a Hat...

... so does the other one. Even if it's pink and totally clashes with her outfit!

Vegas, Baby....

I thought I would elaborate on my previous comment of being on an anti-Vegas kick. For awhile after I first moved here, or maybe even before, Vegas was trying to create a family-friendly atmosphere and encourage people to bring their kids here. Well, for the past several years, that has been all thrown out for a full on "come to Vegas and do whatever you want" campaign.

Consequently, every billboard, every company somewhat related to the Strip or casinos has embraced that image, and I am just getting really tired of it. There are billboards along our regular freeway routes that say things like "Drop Your Trunks for $100" that is a place for you to go and shoot your own amateur porn video and make a measly $100. What a great story to tell your friends about what you did in Vegas!?

Even in places pretty far removed from the Strip, like up in the NW along the 95 freeway there are billboards for clubs or casinos that say "A New Place to Sin in the NW" - really? It is everywhere, and it seems to be getting worse. Or is that now I have a daughter who is starting to read, and notice signs and billboards? She still thinks the Excalibur is a castle, so that's good.

On the flip side, we have family here to help us, celebrate with us, and just even to hang out with. We have great friends, a great ward and community events that are way cooler than anything in most other cities. And that is what we will focus on as I work to get tunnel vision while on the freeways...

My Sis

Since we didn't take any pictures on my trip to Utah, here are some old pictures of us together. Pretty cute kids, Mark and Mary!

Green Valley Ranch Carousel

We went out to dinner with the kids and then over to Green Valley Ranch to visit the carousel - we had never gone before and it's really cute with all sorts of animals like tigers, giraffes, deer, and of course horses. Each ride is $2, so be prepared to buy a handful of tokens if you go. The movie on the lawn looked like fun too - maybe next week. Even though I am on a bit of an anti-Vegas kick lately, there really are family-friendly things to do here if you look.

Favorite New Product

When I was up in Utah for the BYU conference, I woke up the first morning and just didn't feel like doing my hair. To blow dry my hair is a serious chore - in fact, most days I just dry the top of my hair, pull it back and save the 25-30 minutes for getting the kids ready. So, up in Provo I decided to go to the Aveda school and have them do my hair as a special treat.

For only $12, I had them shampoo and style my hair and it was lovely. They used a new product on my hair that speeds up drying time and protects hair from heat styling. I promptly bought it and it really works! It's called Smooth Infusion Style Prep Smoother and I actually don't mind drying my hair now because it goes so much faster. So for anyone who avoids the blow dryer like I do, you might want to give this a try (you can only buy it directly from an Aveda store or school though).

Claire's Three Year Old Stats

Claire had her three year well check this week and the moral of the story is she has had a growth spurt. She was always in the 25-50 percentile in all categories until this year. All her pants are too short all of a sudden. I expected to have tall children, so her stats are starting to make more sense for kids with a 6' 4" dad.

Height - 39 inches - 75-90 percentile

Weight - 33 lbs - 75 percentile

Path to PR: Ricks College Reunion

Last week I went up to Provo, UT for a BYU Management Society leadership conference. I am the President of the Vegas chapter, and I ended up being the only one from our group who was able to come to the conference.

Enough time had passed after my graduation and immediate departure from Utah County to once again appreciate the BYU campus. The beauty of the mountains (I never did hike up to the Y), the fall colors (and the fact that there are four seasons), and the modesty on campus. I have been to UNLV a few times this semester to meet Matt for lunch and I feel like I stepped on the set of a music video, there is that much flesh being flaunted. If I was sheltered at BYU, then I say bring it on. There is enough time for experiencing the "real world", I was glad I didn't rush into it.

One of the highlights of the 2-day conference was meeting up with my former Ricks College professor, Robyn Bergstrom. I actually got a little teary-eyed when I realized who she was - it's been 14 years since I was a college Freshman!

She taught interpersonal communications, and everyone loved her class. It was described as the study of interaction between people - who we affect each other, how we use communication to deal with relationships, situations and confrontation in a positive manner. I think I remember more of that class than any other at Ricks. We had to do projects where we were to break a social norm. I remember going into an elevator and facing the person already in the elevator, staring directly at them for the duration of the elevator ride instead of facing the door like everyone usually does. You could tell they felt so awkward!

We also had to go without a body part or a sense for a period of time, an hour or a half day, I can't remember. I chose to lose my sight, since that is something that terrifies me. I had my roommates take me to the bank and I pretended to be blind while I asked the teller to get cash out of my account. I'm sure the bank was annoyed at college freshman being silly, but I did learn a lot, including an even greater appreciation for my sight. We had fun while we learned about body language and studied non-verbal cues in movie scenes. I wish all of my classes had been this interactive and hands-on. I know I am sounding nerdy, but I was a school geek, right Karry? :)

When I was getting ready to transfer to BYU, I immediately looked up the communications classes. They were a bit different from Ricks - less of the theory and interpersonal variety of communications and more in the business field. I loved the idea of communications though, and the more I studied the options the more I liked the public relations program. I don't think I would have even looked at those classes without the start with Professor Bergstrom. I wonder what I would have ended up studying? I might have been an English teacher like my mom always encouraged me. Who knows?

The other highlight was a visit with my sister - oh, and the fact that I went up to Provo all by myself, how could I forget that detail? It has been more than 6 years since I have gone on a road trip alone - I had complete control of the music, bathroom breaks, and the snacks. It was glorious! I think taking a trip alone every now and then will be a tradition of mine, I highly recommend it. So, back to my sister. We had a girls night out, complete with a trip to the cutest, best smelling bakery I have ever been in to get some gourmet cupcakes (plus it had a cute name, so I liked it before I even went inside).

Then we went to see a movie we knew our husbands would never go to (You Again), and then to visit Hatch Family Chocolates in Salt Lake (where they shoot the TLC show The Little Chocolatiers). The proprietors were of course not in the shop, since we went at 9:30 pm. You know it's a cool chocolate place if it stays open til 10 pm, which is equivalent to staying open til at least midnight in Vegas. I didn't get a photo with my sister to document the moment, but I had a great time and loved playing with her kids without having to take care of my own, though little Gabe was especially making me miss Miles.

I also got to have a short visit with my old roommate and friend Jacqui - we could talk forever if we could. Thanks for letting me crash your Saturday morning!

I was ready to come home just in time, but all in all it was a much needed break with some recharging for my brain and my spirit.