She Did It!

Last winter, Lizette decided that she really wanted a REAL American Girl doll. Not the Wal-Mart or Target versions, but the real deal. Kit or Mollie or Saige. One with the tag as she would say. So we told her that since REAL American Girl dolls are quite expensive, she was going to have to earn it. Since she had recently learned to read, we decided (mainly Jeff and I) that reading 100 books would be a great way to earn her doll. They couldn't be just any 100 books. They had to be challenging and push her to the next levels of reading.

Just today, she finished her goal and read her 100th book! We are so proud of her! She did awesome. She read some challenging books too! I did let her sneak in a few easier ones just to keep the momentum going. 100 is a lot after all! :) But for the most part, she read what I think were pretty challenging books for an almost first grader. What do I know, she's my first kid?  :) But, I think she did fantastic! Of course I do, she's my daughter!!

I'm happy that she will be a little better prepared for first grade and most of all that she saw a goal through to the end. Lizette is mostly happy that she is getting a doll! And after all of the fuss about wanting a REAL American Girl doll, she has now decided that she wants one from Target that she saw and she is going to spend the rest of the money on accessories for her doll. She has also picked one out for me as well. She feels bad that I'm the only girl in the house without my own doll. Probably because I whine about it sometimes.  :) It's nice of her to think of me. That's my girl.

Another Trip to Utah!

It seems our trips to Utah are becoming more frequent. Aunt Abby lives there. Diane, Phil and Hailey live there. Micah and his family live there. My niece Andrea lives there.  My niece Emma goes to college there.  My best friend from High School Kim and her family live there. Let's just say lots of people live there! And some great news...wait for it...wait for it...

MY SISTER KARRIE is moving there! All the more reason to visit! I am so happy that Karrie is doing this. If you talk to me very often, you have probably heard me talk about the fact that Karrie works like 90 hours a week keeping up her cleaning business in Las Vegas. She and her husband have decided that enough is enough and they are moving closer to family so that they can have a life again. So happy for them! So now when we make our little road trips to Utah we get to see them too! 

This trip was a lot of fun. We spent the first day relaxing and shopping and then got to meet up with Grandma Rigby and Hilary for a fun dinner at Cafe Zupas (super yummy!) and some treats at the Sweet Tooth Fairy. If you ever go there, try the Coconut and Lemon Cake Bites. YUM!! 

The next day we met up with Diane, Phil and Hailey (the Domm's) at Lagoon for a super fun day. The girls loved it. My favorite ride was Rattlesnake Rapids. You get soaked...seriously soaked. But it was great because it was so hot that it cooled us off for the rest of the day. And it was a fun ride besides that too! The girls favorite rides were the merry-go-round, the kiddie roller coaster and the teacup ride. Lexi is a little bit more of a ride junkie than Lizette. She's a little more daring. (Lizette takes after me) But it's funny to watch Lexi on them because she doesn't scream and laugh or anything. She just sits there and smiles. It's cute. :)

After Lagoon we spent the night with Diane and Phil and had a fun day Saturday hanging out. We went to the new Smurfs movie and ate at Red Robin...Yuuuummm! And I thought this was interesting. At the theater we went to, they assigned seats! Super cool, because then you don't have to worry about not getting a good seat. You could buy your tickets ahead of time and you're all set. I like that idea.

This week we are off to a busy week. The preparations for the school carnival begin. And school is starting in just a few weeks so we've got to get the last of our summer fun in. Plus make sure the girls are ready for school! Oooh...better go. Lots to do!

We're Back!

Hello everyone who reads my blog! Get ready to scroll!! Have you missed us? Have you wondered why I have been such a slacker for the past six months? Did you give up on me? Take me off your blog list maybe? Yes, it's been a long, long while since I've posted anything.

It all started with the kitchen remodel. That threw our life into a tailspin for a while. And well, it takes me a while to recover from such chaos. I don't do well when things are in disarray. And our house was out of it's normal order for quite some time. At least three months. It really threw me for a loop. So it took me another three months to get back to normal again I guess. Whatever normal is! 

So, here goes. An attempt to bring you up to speed on what we have been up to for the last six months! This is a condensed version of course because I don't have 24 hours to blog. But at least it will be an attempt at getting my poor, neglected blog up to date. So sorry blog. 

First, the kitchen. All I can really say is that Jeff did most all the work and did an AMAZING job. He is so talented. I painted the cabinets, which was a big job too. Oh and painted our countertops too. That's a whole story in itself. Not easy! It was sort of an experiment in an effort to save money and save Jeff from doing one more project. But Jeff did the floors, the backsplash, the wainscoting, the new hardware, moulding, under cabinet lighting and built a new butcher block! Love this guy!

BEFORE

AFTER

And here are a few pics of the progress along the way...

The Girls...

Lizette is a busy girl this summer. She has a goal to read 100 books so that she can earn an American Girl doll. So far she has read 78. The incentive has been good for her as reading is not her favorite thing to do. At least when there is a choice between playing or reading.  :)  She should be good and ready for first grade after this summer though so I'm glad we did it. I think she has settled on Kit as her choice of doll after spending time with her cousin Hannah this summer. Hannah also had Kit when she was younger so Lizette decided Kit is a pretty good choice. 

Since I last blogged Lizette has lost two teeth! Jeff yanked them both out with dental floss. I almost passed out and had to leave the room. Can't handle those moments very well! Lizette screamed for about five seconds but then was very excited and glad he did it. Her only concern was that she wanted to keep her tooth so she left a note for the Tooth Fairy to ask her if she could please keep it. Cute. 

Lexi is doing great. I think I mentioned six months ago that she is potty trained. Well, we had a little issue with the #2 for a while. She would tell me when she had to go, but would insist on going in her pull up. Not really my idea of being potty trained. But finally, a couple of months ago, she got it! Lizette offered her a popsicle if she would go and she just went in and did it. She's been going ever since. I had offered her every bribe in the book up to that point. Had I known all she wanted was a popsicle, I would have bought her boxes of them. 

Lexi has also shown an interest in reading now wants to read with Lizette and I whenever it is reading time. Not just be read to, but read herself. She will pick up a book and ask me to tell her what every word is so that she can repeat it back. I wish she would do it with the short books, but somehow she always seems to pick up these long books and it takes forever to get through them! Glad she's showing an interest though. :) 

Lexi is the comedian of the house. She is always throwing out cute one liners and making us all laugh. The other day she said "Well that was awkward." So funny. She'll say things like "That is just adorable!" and it sounds so cute coming from her. I posted this on Facebook, but when our power went out the other night I said, "Oh the power went out." She ran into the other room and said "Mom! Maybe the power went into the playroom!" The thing with Lexi is that everything she says or does is at full speed so it seems so funny. Most people never see that side of her because she is so shy, but with us she is full speed all the time and it's hilarious. And she also wears me out!

She will start preschool at Lake Hazel Montessori this Fall and I am super excited for her. I think preschool will be great for her. Friends and fun and learning new things! I just hope preschool is ready for her! 

Springtime fun...

In March we went to Soda Springs for Jeff's Dad's 70th birthday party! It was so fun and a great party! That guy has lived quite the life. Jeff has a bunch of pics from that weekend that he has yet to get processed, so standby. In the mean time, I will share two pics from that weekend of an event that came about on a whim. We decided to visit the Museum of Clean. I thought that sounded like a place I would like to visit. :)  So Jeff humored me and we stopped in. I had no idea that Don Aslett himself would be there to personally give us a tour! Are you asking yourself "Who is Don Aslett?" :) Well, he just happens to be a leader in the cleaning and organizing industry. One of my heroes. I told him that it was my dream to become a professional organizer and he gave me a bunch of his books and dvd's! It was a special moment for me. Don't laugh...I'm totally being serious. 

I turned 40!!

In May I celebrated my 40th birthday and did it in style! My family spoiled me rotten with lots of fun surprises and gifts. Lizette planned a "surprise" party for me with a pinata and all. It was very fun. My sisters both flew in for it! I felt very loved. Jeff spent way too much money on me, but I let him. :) Thank you to everyone who made it so special. I loved being reminded of how many people love me! 

Cousin time...

This summer we have been lucky enough to have lots of fun with our cousins. Hilary and her kids came to town, we went to Utah and spent some time with Hannah from Tennessee! We also saw Hailey in Utah for one day and will get to see her again this week. And of course our Widman and Rigby cousins here in town. The girls love their cousins! 

At Eagle Island with Hilary and kids. So fun! Love Eagle Island. 

Making cookies with Hannah! They are the best cookies EVER too! 

We had lots of fun in Ogden, Utah at a place called the Treehouse Museum. If you are ever there, check it out! Inexpensive and lots of fun for kids! 

Fourth of July...

Went to the parade in Melba. Hot day! But fun parade.

Trip to Utah...

The girls and I went to Utah to spend the week with Abby and cousin Hannah over the 24th of July. We had so much fun! Went shopping, went to the 24th of July Pioneer Day parade, went to the Great Salt Lake. Had lots of fun cousin and Aunt time! Great week! 

President Uchdorf, from the 1st Presidency of our Church

Lexi and I at Temple Square. She's a little hot and tired.

And she's asleep. Thankfully Abby was there to help carry her the few blocks back to the hotel. I couldn't do it. 

At the fun Treehouse Museum for kids.

Milking a pretend cow at the Treehouse Museum. This was a big hit with the kiddos.

At the Great Salt Lake

Insanity...

For the past two months, Jeff and I have taken on a challenge to get more healthy. He has lost almost 18 pounds. I've lost 4.  :)  We've changed our eating habits and began to exercise regularly. We've supported each other through the process and couldn't do it without each other.  Prior to this, I had not exercised for well over a year! I don't know why I had gotten out of the habit. I guess why anyone does. Busy, not motivated, better things to do...excuses, excuses. So, we started out doing the Jillian Michaels "Ripped in 30" DVDs. It was so hard for me at first! I could barely do the modified exercises. But with each week it got a little easier and it felt good to feel stronger and like I was getting a little energy back. Plus, the workouts were pretty short. Only 20 minutes plus the warm up and cool down so it was doable for us. 

Then we decided it was time to ramp it up a bit. Jeff's brother and family had done the Insanity workouts and said they were good. When Hilary was here visiting she encouraged us to give them a try. So the three of us started Insanity together. I was scared! Here I had barely been able to do the Jillian workouts before. How was I going to be able to do Insanity? But I figured I would just do my best. 

I've been doing Insanity for two weeks now and so far so good! It's sort of comical to watch myself because it's as if I'm doing some of the stuff in slow motion compared to the people in the video. But, I still feel like it's effective. And I am dying by the end so I think it's a good workout for me even if it is in slow motion. Oh well, you gotta start somewhere, right? 

I decided to be brave and post a before and after pic on here! Yikes!! I'm doing this for a couple of reasons I guess. One is that I by no means have the perfect body. It's not like my after pic is some amazing transformation like you see on TV. But I was amazed at the difference a couple of months working out made. I love to eat and I will never be super skinny. That's just the way it is. I love my snacks. :) But at least I can make healthier choices and have a little more balance in my life. And at least exercise can help give me more energy and help my shape look a little less droopy! I'm hoping after a couple of more months, I will be even more fit! 

I'm really glad we are doing this. Jeff and I both feel healthier and better overall. Jeff's blood pressure is down which is a GREAT thing. (Heart issues run in his family and it scares me to death for him). It's funny how as you get a little older, losing weight is not just about looking better. It's more about health and feeling better too. We want to live longer lives, have energy to do fun things with our kids, feel good and have a great life. I hope we are on the right track to do all of that! 

Okay, I think I've pretty much brought you up to speed on what we've been up to. I will try to do better at posting regularly from now on! I just lost my rhythm there for a while is all. However, I was asked to plan the school carnival at Lizette's school this fall so that could throw a kink into whatever plans I had for a while...