Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Last week, I flew out to SLC to attend my friend Whitney's wedding. The bride looked stunning, the location was breathtaking and the wedding was one of the nicest I've ever attended. One of the things I loved most about the wedding was seeing all of my girlfriends from DC, most of whom I lived with at some point during my single life. I don't think I will ever find a group of friends like this again. They're very dear to me because we lived together during a fun, but sometimes difficult time of life. It was so fun catching up with them that we are (hopefully)planning another girls trip next year. So here's looking to Girl's trip 2009!

The DC crew outside the SLC temple

Whit with the DC and New York girls

Me & Mauri at the dessert reception

The most beautiful bride I've ever seen
The "shoe" shot -- we always gotta have one of these!

The new Mrs. Gourley

Halloween -- Amazing Race Style

So this blog entry is dedicated to some good friends who KNOW how to throw a party. A few weeks ago, Dallin and I noticed an envelope sitting on our windshield after church. We opened it up and found a cryptic invitation to a halloween party. We had no idea who was throwing it and what it would entail. As the week progressed, we started getting even more cryptic messages via email informing us that this party was going to be like the Amazing Race. We would be split into teams and given clues that would take us to different locations where we would have to perform tasks to get the next clue. As the days progressed, we got a packet of information outside our doorstep. Mind you, we still had no idea who was throwing the party, although I was starting to have some suspicions. This packet of information told us some more of the details and asked us to bring the following items: shovel or pick ax, long rubber gloves, flashlight, life jacket and protective head gear. At this point, I'm like, "OK, should I actually be WORRIED here? I mean, a pick ax? Protective head gear? Yikes!"



Finally the night of the party came. It was last night and Dallin and I had SO much fun. We dressed up... you'll have to see if you can guess who we were (see the pictures below). And we really did have to act like we were on the amazing race. It was awesome. They had us meet at our local Costco and then we split into our teams. We opened our first clue and off we went. Our teams had to search for and break open a pumpkin which contained our next clue, run through the new Scheels store and find our clue, eat some slices of pizza loaded up with a ton of hot chili peppers and hot sauce and then swing off of a 185-foot tower (think half swing, half bungee jumping). We seriously loved every minute of the night and as a reward for completing the race, headed over to Claim Jumper for dessert afterwards.

We seriously have some pretty creative friends so thank you for an adventurous and unforgettable evening!

Can you guess who we are?

Here's another shot in case you still haven't guessed. By the way, our buttons say "Vote for Pedro." If you STILL don't know, then there's nothing I can do for you, my friends. I seriously would bust up laughing after each picture and it took me about a minute before every picture to get my "game face" on.

The Great Pumpkin

Yesterday, Dallin took the day off of work and we escaped the cold weather here in Reno and drove to Bishop's Pumpkin Patch in California. Because it was a school day, the pumpkin farm wasn't very crowded, which was wonderful. At times, it felt like we kind of had the place to ourselves a bit. The kids had a blast. We took a hay wagon ride, went to the petting farm at Bishops, rode a train, picked pumpkins, played on all of the fun slides and other toys there, and ate yummy food. We even brought home fresh apple cider and the MOST delicious apple pie -- I'm talking ripe apples, thick, flaky crust and caramel goodness all rolled into 1 pie. Evan loves trains and was in heaven, I think, during the train ride. He just kept saying "choo choo" throughout the whole ride. Very cute.

We thought we might get stuck there because it was snowing back home in Reno and we weren't sure we'd be able to make it through the pass. But we lucked out and came home and enjoyed a little bit of snow in the backyard. The kids loved every minute of the day and Dallin and I were rewarded with 3 kids in bed by 7 p.m. passed out cold!

Every year I long to get that "perfect picture" of my family surrounded by pumpkins but we unfortunately were unable to get it this year. I took 36 pictures of my kids by the pumpkins.... you heard me right, 36!! But there was not ONE where all of my kids were looking and smiling at the camera at the same time. I guess there's always next year!

YeeHaw! Dallin and Evan playing in the cowboy village


One of our "better" pictures

Mommy & Aubrey by the pumpkins

My boys

Posing by some of the biggest pumpkins I've ever seen

The favorite of the day: train ride

The Power of Positive Thinking

Whenever our kids get frustrated with something, we encourage them to keep trying and to not quit. And we always say to them, "DeMordaunts don't say 'can't!'" This morning at the breakfast table, Aubrey kept asking Dallin if he was going to work. And then she asked him (in her most pouty, melt-your-heart voice), "Daddy, can you stay home with me today?" He, of course, said, "I'm sorry. I can't stay home today." And then without a moment's hesitation she spouted off, "Daddy, DeMordaunts don't say can't!" It was so cute and Dallin and I just busted up laughing. I guess they really do pay attention... some of the time.

On another note, the past 2 weeks have... well, stunk, to say the least. We've all seemed to have either bronchitis, the runs, a high-grade fever, or pink eye. But we do seem to be on the mend, thanks to some good antibiotics and lots of rest this weekend. As I was cleaning house today, I kept running into old miscellaneous pictures from this summer. This past summer has been one of our more memorable ones filled with lots of road trips and local day trips, family reunions, and lazy days by the pool. So I threw them all into a slideshow. Enjoy!

P to the O to the T to the T to the Y... trained!

I honestly feel like I should be given some medal of honor for successfully potty training my second child. This was a llloooonnnnngggg haul, but we have finally made it. I have to give many thanks to Walmart for selling a wide variety of Dora and princess underwear, princess stickers, and the Fisher-Price Fun-to Learn Potty. (see picture below). Hey, I think we all would use the potty more often if it played music every time we sat up or flushed it.



So, congrats to my big girl Aubrey and her big accomplishment!!

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

So, for those of you who know me, I love The Sound of Music. And I love that musicals are making a comeback. I'd love to break out in song and dance throughout the day (if I knew how to do either)about the most random, trivial things going on in my life. This whole week, I've had this song in my head from the Sound of Music, so I thought I'd entitle this week's blog entry as such.

First, one of my most favorite things here in Reno is the annual Hot Air Balloon Races. I absolutely love going to this every year. I really do. Sure we have to wake up at the crack of dawn with our 3 tired and cranky kids. But once we're there, it's fantastic. There are what seems like 50 balloons going up at once and they land all over Reno. Last year, one almost landed in our backyard. My kids were going crazy about it. Anyway, I love that we all have to bundle up in our warm clothes and we just sit back and watch the sunrise with all of the balloons. I love the colors and I especially love watching my kids react to the balloons. And one of my favorite parts is that we always go out to breakfast together afterwards. This year's restaurant pick: Peg's (which is right down the street from us and serves up the best eggs EVER!)

Taking in all of the sights at the Balloon Race

Two of my handsome guys

Aubrey and Mommy (although Mommy doesn't quite look awake yet!)

Bird's eye view of the balloons

Second item on my favorites list is visiting family in Boise last month. We stayed with Reed, Gayann and family and had an absolute blast. Is it possible to be with Reed and Gayann's family and NOT have fun? I don't think so. We went bike riding with all of the kids along the river, went out to eat at PF Changs, went to the Shakespeare festival at night, and were served up some pretty delicious gourmet meals. (Olivia, your german pancakes were THE BEST I've ever had!) Anyway, we had so much fun the kids were begging us to let them stay. Jacob was even refusing to get in the car as we were leaving.

Olivia playing dress up with Aubrey


Cuddling up with Aunt Gayann for bedtime stories

Jacob DeMordaunt, Come on Down!

Yesterday, I got a phone call from Jacob's kindergarten teacher advising me that I should try to attend Thursday's chapel services. (He goes to a bible church school and they have a chapel session every thursday where they sing songs, learn about Christ, and give out the Student of the Week awards). She told me that he earned the award this week! So, I brought along my camera to capture the moment. And a moment it was. It honestly was so cute. When they called out his name, he jumped up excitedly and squealed with delight, then he ran by the rest of the kids in his class and zipped up to the front to collect his student of the week certificate, and then he gave the pastor an enthusiastic, BIG hug. He honestly reminded me of a Price is Right contestant (for all you Bob Barker fans). It was awesome. I was beaming with pride, of course, like he had just made the Dean's list at Harvard. But even Harvard students have to start somewhere, right? So, congrats to my Jacob!!

Room with a View

For as long as I can remember, Dallin has been wanting to take me to Yosemite. He is particularly fond of "El Capitan" and "Half Dome" (You Yosemite visitors will know exactly what I"m talking about). Our trip unfortunately started off on the wrong foot due to some unforeseen reservations glitches, so I have to say I was not in the most chipper mood when we left.

We had made reservations back in June of this year to stay at Yosemite Lodge because it is in the middle of Yosemite village and we figured we'd be central to everything there. And with 3 kids ages 5 and under, convenience is EVERYTHING to me. However, I called 2 days before we left on our trip to confirm the type of room we had reserved and the reservations lady (named Jessica) told me that they didn't have our reservation on file. How can that be possible, I asked, considering I was holding our reservation confirmation in hand. It turns out that they had accidentally booked us for April of 2008. I'm still scratching my head as to HOW that is possible, considering we booked the trip in June of 2008. For you math geniuses out there, that's 2 whole months AFTER our "supposed reservation." So then I sat there and battled with her for the next 3 hours about how we need to find a hotel room in Yosemite because my husband had already taken that Friday off of work, AND this was a trip to celebrate his birthday, AND how we already had plans to leave THAT day and spend the night at Mammoth and were then planning on heading over to Yosemite.

She didn't seem too concerned but was eventually able to find me a room somewhere in Yosemite. The location wasn't that great, but we managed and were able to enjoy our time there... more or less! :)

Even though we weren't able to do as much there as we would have liked, I have to admit, the views there are breathtaking. We'll have to go back someday and hike around a bit off the beaten path because I'm sure there are lots of beautiful places there.

Entering the Road to BYU

Yes, we have FINALLY reached this milestone: Jacob's first day of Kindergarten. I was happy (and sad, I have to admit) to see this day arrive. Jacob was excited and nervous about it at first but when I picked him up and asked how it went, he yelled, "Kindergarten's awesome!" So, I guess that means it went well!

Jacob ready to take Kindergarten by storm


Posing with dad in his new classroom

The Eternal 26

For some reason, I have chosen the age 26 as "my golden year." In my mind, I will forever be 26. Maybe it's because that's when Dallin and I got married or that was a very fun, independent time of my life. Who knows... but I will ALWAYS be 26. Being that I just had a birthday last week, I am bummed everytime I realize that I am in fact NOT 26 anymore. Regardless of that, I did have a great birthday this year. Dallin and I got a babysitter for our kids and drove to this place called Emeralds. You have to hike in a little bit to reach them but are rewarded with a great view of beautiful white boulders and pristine, clear pools of water, with several waterfalls to boot. We brought along our inner tube and it was a good thing we did because the water was FREEZING... seriously, my limbs were going numb at times. So we floated on the tube, did a little "boulder climbing" and just relaxed and had a picnic." Afterwards, we ran home, changed, caught a movie and then went out to a delicious dinner.

Last weekend, we took the kids up to a beach at Lake Tahoe. We went up with a bunch of people from our ward. Every time I have gone to Tahoe, the water has been very calm. But it was kind of windy that day, so there were some good waves for the kids to play in. I absolutely LOVE Tahoe in the summertime. Dallin loves it in the winter for the skiing, but I am more of a beach person, and to me, there is nothing better than Tahoe on a warm, sunny day.

I am having issues downloading pictures lately so you'll have to excuse that fact that I post practically NO pictures on my blog. Hopefully I will get it resolved soon.

Me and Dallin ringing in my "26th" birthday (Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?)

Soaking it Up

Okay, so I have to say that our swimming pool rocks! Well, it's not really OUR pool, but it's in our community and we pay a nice little HOA fee to access said pool, so I am hereby proclaiming it "ours." Anyhoo, it seriously is the most awesome pool ever. It's got a big blue water slide and these big tubes that shoot out water, which the kids love. The kid pool is always a little on the chilly side so we spend most of the time in the much smaller "hot tub." However, it is never really hot and it is obviously much larger than a tub so the name is a wee bit misleading. But I digress.

We went to the pool again today and it was great because hardly anyone was there. I love those days. Because I can pretty much let my kids scream and go crazy and not have to worry about them because of other people. My Jacob is becoming quite the swimmer these days. He has officially gotten over his fear of going underwater (thank goodness... it was about time!) So now he spends most of the time canon-balling into the water with his bright blue goggles on. Aubrey has learned to love her water wings, so she does laps back and forth to the sides of the pool the whole time (don't be too impressed... I am talking about the "hot tub pool", not the big kid pool). So, if any of my family ever come out during the summer, you can sit back for some good R&R at OUR pool. Including some fun pix below for your viewing pleasure...

False Alarm

So, we recently signed up for an alarm system on our home. We've set the thing off NUMEROUS times by accident because... well, we're still getting used to it. When it goes off, it does its job. It is LOUD and makes an obnoxious ambulance siren-type sound that I'm sure can be heard for miles.

The other night, we had put the kids to bed and were vegging in front of the TV when all of a sudden, we hear 3 loud beeps coming from our alarm system. Dallin and I immediately sat up, looked at each other confused (because it wasn't the actual alarm, but just 3 beeps) and agreed to go check on the kids. When we got to the stairs, Aubrey was at the top of the stairs whimpering. We asked her what was wrong and she said she was scared. So, I put her on the couch and went to go check on Evan while Dallin went to Jacob's room. I peeked into Evan's room and he was sleeping soundly.

All of a sudden I hear Dallin yell, "Jacob, Jacob, Jacob, where are you?" He yelled to me that he wasn't anywhere in his room. So, now he starts running through the house yelling Jacob's name at the top of his lungs. No response. He starts going into all of our rooms turning on the lights yelling his name and Jacob is still nowhere to be found.

At this point, I am beginning to panic. I'm like, "There's NO way this is happening. Could someone really have kidnapped him?"

Dallin then opens one of the doors, which sets off our loud, obnoxious sounding alarm for the "ump-teenth" time this month and starts yelling Jacob's name at the top of his lungs in the backyard. Suddenly, I hear Jacob's voice yelling, "Dad, I'm right here!"

Dallin ran back in the house, I turned off the alarm and ran into Aubrey's room where Jacob was hiding underneath her covers. We asked him why he didn't answer us and he said he was scared so he hid in her bed! Our poor neighbors. Not only are they listening to our house alarm AGAIN in the middle of the night, but they now hear Dallin yelling in our backyeard. I swear, they probably think we're lunatics!