Lately....

Life is pretty busy at the moment, but it has been wonderful! 

Here is a quick look at what I've been up to:

Saying Mark is a "car guy" is an understatement! He LOVES cars. I think cars are cool and pretty, but that is about it. I know nothing about them. We stopped by the car show and we both were drooling by the end. The top Mustang is my dream car! Oh my gosh! Seriously made Mark look at it multiple times with me. His dream car is the shiny red one.

 We had a night in of playing old school Nintendo! Grey box, rectangle paddles, blow on the games so they work kind of fun! It was awesome! We played LoLo, which is a mind/puzzle game for hours! Total nerds. I highly recommend doing that if you can. Perfect, free game night.

 Lini and Josh had a baby! I got to play Auntie to the other two for the day and got to see the new little one soon after he was born. Such a fun day! Mark, the drummer, showing me his mad skills and pretending to be hardcore. Oquirrh Mountain Temple. Salt Lake Temple.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I was lucky enough to get the day off. Mark had to work. I did get to take him to lunch though, which was out of the ordinary and very fun. I always enjoy a little extra time with him. I'll take whatever I can get! 

January has been great! Can't wait to see what the rest has to offer!

Christmas Surprises

Since I was gone most of December, Mark and I decided to do Christmas once I got back. I maybe couldn't wait though. While he was in California I decided to just give him his present. I decided over Thanksgiving to make a quilt for Mark. My mom of course got roped into helping me. Thank goodness for moms. I loved how it turned out and Mark was so surprised.

Mark and I have a joke about fishy kisses. You'll notice that we both stuck with that theme although we didn't know the other one was doing something with that as well.

Mark out did himself for my gift. He was so good about keeping it a surprise for me. The only clue I got was BLUE. I have never felt so loved. The night I flew in he went over to my house and set up my kitchen table for a fun dessert night. He bought me white roses, framed a picture of us, had sparkling cider, and ice cream! He sure knows how to make a girl feel special. He handed me the sweetest card and a BLUE Tiffany's box. WHAT???? Yeah...I was in shock. I opened it and the most beautiful necklace was sitting inside. It is an amazing fishy. I love it because it's exactly the type of thing I would wear. It is a fish, but doesn't look like a fish. It was the PERFECT gift. If you hear the back story behind what he had to do to get the necklace your heart would melt. I seriously couldn't be any luckier. Easily my favorite Christmas gift I have ever received. 

Christmas in California

Sunny and Fun are the perfect ways to describe Christmas in California this year! I was loving the weather and enjoying being with my family.

My parents and I enjoyed breakfast at IHOP! 

These white chocolate and raspberry pancakes were heavenly!

 These kids make Christmas so much more fun!

 Jayden got a huge bike from Grandma & Grandpa! 

He is all boy and LOVED riding it around!

 Santa was very kind this year.

 My babies... who are growing up way too fast.

 Every year we all get a new ornament. It usually represents something that you did that year. I thought a key was appropriate in honor of me buying a new house.

 More presents!

It was a relaxing holiday and always so wonderful to be with my family!

Mark comes to California

 Mark decided to come visit in California since I was going to be gone for 3 weeks. It was so nice to have him here and have him meet my family.

 

Since Mark was getting in really late Friday night, my Dad and brother offered to come with me to pick him up. My Dad spent a couple of days trying to figure out the best way to welcome Mark.

Pretty sure they nailed it!

 

Saturday we decided to walk around Petaluma so I could show off our cute little town. We met up

with Cami and her family Mi Pueblo for lunch, which of course was tasty!

 

Saturday night we had the Hoppes family party with my Aunt's family. We LOVE going to see them because they always do such a good job at planning, cooking, and entertaining!

Every year the men do a skit. Mark joined in on the fun and being the new guy he took a pie to the face. Lucky for me he likes me enough to do that and keep smiling! Such a good sport!

 

Sunday we went to church and then we headed into the city. Mark has never been to San Francisco so I was excited for us to go. It was a beautiful day! It was 60 degrees in the city and not a cloud in sight. I can't remember the last time I was hot in SF!

 

We had a blast being tourists and seeing the usual sights! Next time we will have to see a few more things deeper into the city!

 

Later that night Mark was given a Nothin' But Net t-shirt! That is a big deal in our family!

 

Jayden was excited to be matching Mark!

 

Monday meant relax and be lazy! We hung out in the morning with the family and then took Camden and Haddley to get ice cream. Camden and I always get dip top cones when I'm home so we thought we should take Mark there.

 

 Afterwards we hit the park and of course Mark was a huge hit there too!

 Tired after a busy weekend, but still smiling!

 

We had a blast enjoying California together!



Christmas in Utah

Hands down my favorite part of Christmas time in Utah is Temple Square! It is beautiful every year! I have only been in town about 5 days and one of my requirements for the holiday season was a trip downtown. Thank goodness we were able to squeeze in a trip down there. 

Might be my favorite picture of the night!

 It doesn't get any better than this!

 We were freezing and it was crowded, but I loved every minute of it!

Dreams do come true...

 I have been talking about wanting to go see the dinosaurs in Vernal for a couple of years now. I just have never made the time to go up there. Mark and I have been talking about a Vernal trip since before our first date. We finally made the trip and it didn't disappoint! His aunt and cousins were kind enough to let us stay with them and we had a blast! 

We tried to stay as warm as possible because it was FREEZING!

 The Dinosaurs did not disappoint! I became a little bit of a nerd and loved every minute of it. They had real fossils! I can't wait to go back and visit the actual dinosaur tracks once it warms up. I think one of my favorite parts was the fluorescent fossil room! Very cool!

 Oh...and here is Mark!

Although I couldn't live in Vernal, it was a great place to visit.

 Next time it better be much warmer though!

Thanksgiving Surprises

A couple months ago my Mom and I decided to surprise my family and have me come home for Thanksgiving! It was so hard to keep it a secret, but for sure worth it. 

Tuesday night I got in late and only got to surprise my Dad, Jordan, and Kyle. In the morning Kassidy and Jayden were surprised to see me at the house!

I headed over to Cami's to see them and REALLY surprised them!

Being an Auntie is the greatest!

 We had perfect weather, which meant lots of playing!

 Thanksgiving morning we got a call from Cami saying that they had the flu! Super bad news and made it a little complicated with our already complicated scheduling for Thanksgiving. Police, nurses, and Physical Therapists don't get the day off!

I had a great morning playing with Kassidy and Jayden!

 We decided to not let the berry pie my mom made go to waste...

Unfortunately about 2 hours after I ate this, I also came down with the flu!

I won't be eating berry pie for a long, long, long time!

Luckily by Friday evening I was feeling better and got in a few snuggles with Haddley!

 Saturday we finally had Thanksgiving!

Dad deep fried the turkey for us!

 We played a lot, ate, watched football, and just hung out.

 Sunday everyone came over for dinner and we had a great time!

Kassidy taught the kids how to make bracelets on her loom.

Jayden and I watched Planes.

Mom made turkey pot pie (my favorite)

Kyle tried to pull Camden's tooth out!

 Parker rarely likes me, therefore I never get cuddle time. He was tired and had milk so he lasted for about 20 minutes with me!

 Jayden being my little goofball!

My mom was nice enough to make curtains for my dining room and kitchen. 

Here Jayden is pushing the pedal while she sews.

 Camden is in 1st grade now and was needing a little motivation to not talk as much in class! Aunt Ashlee came to the rescue! He had 1 week of doing great so he earned a prize. Two weeks of being great and earned a prize. He then decided to try and get 34 perfect days in a row to earn a special lunch with me! He did it! I am so proud of him for working so hard at this and achieving his goal. I was able to check him out for lunch and take him to McDonald's. We had a great time together and I can't wait for him to meet his next goal!

It was a successful (minus the flu) Thanksgiving! I'm so grateful for my family and how close we all are! Such a blessing to have them in my life. I wish I lived closer, but I'm very glad that I'm able to come home and visit often.