Dad's Little Helper

Matt here.

One of the great things about being a dad is that I never have to do anything alone if I don't want to, and sometimes when I do. Here are some pictures of Lexi helping Dad, and if you already guessed it, she is sitting on my lap right now trying to help me type.

Making skewers for the barbeque...

Mowing the lawn (see how green it is!!)...

Eating an evening snack...

Hogle Zoo

Last week we went to Hogle Zoo. Lexi actually hits the zoo just about every week between Matt and I. Of course if it is raining that week, she goes to the Aquarium instead. This girl sure gets her fill of animals, but she loves it! She can name just about every animal at the zoo, and is learning the aquarium friends very quickly. We have several friends who also have zoo passes, so we try to car pool as often as we can. The other boys in this picture are Ian and Zac, some of Lexi's favorites. They hit the walking group with us each morning and entertain one another pretty well while Linnie (their mother) and I chat about whatever is on our minds that morning. It's always great to have good friends in the neighborhood! This is why we love the summer time!

Looking Ahead

Matt here.

I was listening to a podcast by Sports Guy Bill Simmons the other day, where he talked with a buddy about why he had wanted kids. This got me thinking about all the things that I most look forward to about kids of my own. Probably the most exciting has already started happening; Alexis loves to watch sports with her dad, especially basketball. Sometimes I have to trick her into it by tempting her with The Little Mermaid when basketball is over, but she always ends up on the couch next to me. I also think it would be great to build a car with one of my kids.

Truth be told, though, what I really look forward to is teaching my kids how to mow and weed the lawn, replace sprinkler heads, shovel snow, salt the driveway, wash the car, and cook gourmet meals. Oh, and I want them to support me financially in my retirement. That's not too much to ask right?


Let us know in the comments what you most look forward to, or remember, about having kids.

How to be a runner...

As of late, I've decided I want to be a runner. Not one of those short shorts, marathon, pushing it to the max runners, no I'm thinking more along the lines of if I feel like it, when the weather is just right and I have some good music to jam to, that's the kind of runner I want to be.
It all started when I was taking my morning walk with some girls in my neighborhood and I got paired up with an avid runner who recently had a baby. So I thought to myself, this is it! I'll ask her now while she is just getting back into the groove of things, and maybe her enthusiasm for running will wear off on me! So I casually mentioned, 'hey are you going running anythime soon?' turns out she was going that very night, 8pm corner of B and D (I would mention the actual streets here, course I'd probably have an internet crazy person sitting on the corner waiting for me tonight, so I'll refrain). So 8pm rolls around and I bust out my workout pants and an old college T-shirt and off I go. WOW, what a wake up call, now I remember why I am not a runner! That girl took off and I could barely keep up. There I was, huffing and puffing about a yard behind her trying really hard not to puke my guts out. Not a great experience. But I kept going, thinking this girl just had a baby a few months ago, I have to at least be able to finish....forget trying to keep up! So we finished at about 2 1/2 miles. I don't think I've ever ran 2 1/2 miles straight, I've mostly been a run/walk/run a little more/walk a LOT more kind of girl.
So once I got my breath back and could see straight, I was pretty proud of myself. Boy oh boy did my muscles regret it the next day...it hurt to stand up and sit down, but ya know what, it was a good kind of hurt. The kind that reminds you that you did something good for your body the day before, and even encouraged me to get out and do it again the next day. That was last week, and this week I've actually gotten out 3 times. I'll thank the Lakers for that actually, cause Matt is so engrossed in the game I don't even have the excuse to spend time with my husband :) So my new goal is to run at least 3 times a week, and maybe, just maybe, I'll consider a 5k.

Grateful!

Today I'm grateful for grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. Yes it's raining here in Utah..boo hoo! When I was a child I remember my mom making grilled cheese and tomato soup at our house when it rained, so I carry on the tradition as much as I can. So even though we are stuck inside and our high in SLC today is 55 degrees, I can be grateful we are making memories and keeping our tummies warm with soup!

Pics from Vegas

We have been lucky enough to go on a trip each year for our anniversary. We honeymooned in Hawaii, had our first year up in Park City, second year in the Bahamas, last year in Zion, and this was our 4th year and off we went to Las Vegas. I tend to forget to take pictures when I'm focusing so hard on relaxing, but I got a few (although they didn't come out as well as I would have liked). We spent the first afternoon by the pool, and walked around Circus Circus to see some of the free circus shows, then we headed back to the hotel to watch the Survivor finale. Sad to say I had to run back so I wouldn't miss it, but I have to say I'm hooked! and it was a change to enjoy watching all 3 hours without feeding or changing a baby, so it was worth some of my vacation time :)
The second day both Matt and I got a 60 min massage, and it was the greatest! This is Matt's first professional massage, and he said he could have gone for another hour. Then we had a wonderful lunch at a restaurant called Mon Ami Gabi. If you are ever in Vegas, you have to eat here! The patio seating is right across from the Bellagio fountains, so we got to watch them go off a couple of times. They have wonderful food, and it is surprisingly affordable for brunch or lunch. Matt suggests the french toast, but they only serve it on the weekends. Then we walked up and down the strip, checking out the awesome hotels.
This is me in front of Treasure Island.

After we got sick of walking we headed up to the top of the Stratosphere to see the view and ride the rides. This isn't the greatest picture of Matt, but you can kind of see the view from up there. We only got on one of the rides because the wind was so terrible, they shut the others down. I was honestly grateful they did, I'd had plenty of those rides after the first one. I think maybe I have a small fear of heights, course anyone could develop a fear of heights from up there!

That evening we had tickets to a show, which featured some singers imitating Michael Jackson, Christina Aguilera, Rod Stewart, and of course Elvis. It was pretty good music, and fun entertainment.
To top the night off we stopped off at a bar, an oxygen bar to be exact. They have these all over the casino's. Their theory is if you get pumped full of oxygen you will be energized to go out and party the night away. So this is us at our craziest! But I think they just scammed us out of $20 bucks, cause I surely didn't feel any different, and Matt said he didn't either. Oh well, it's all part of the Vegas experience.











































And what would a blog post be without a picture of Lexi. Here is a nice view of her in the car having a snack! We love vacations, but we love coming home to her even more!

Visit with the Grandparents!

On our trip to Las Vegas we were able to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Webb. They are my favorite grandparents! I just love how excited they get to see us and our little girl and they always make me feel like I am for sure their favorite (although they do have a knack for it, so I'm sure several of my cousins are sure they are the favorite too!)




They have the greatest pink house that Lexi just loved! Grandpa filled the sink with water and she kept taking the balls in there to wash them off. I think she would have moved in permanently if let her.











Grandpa Webb and little Lexi!














Four generations of love!
































Lexi & Jo Mama!

















We had a wonderful visit and enjoyed the beautiful day. My Dad also made a spectacular salmon dinner, and we topped the day off with some Marie Calendars pie. It couldn't have been any better:)

(Dande) Lion Hunt

Matt Here.

So I went hunting this weekend... in my backyard. Here's the scoop; last summer four of my sprinkler lines were accidentally cut by the cable guys as they laid new lines in our backyard, but they neglected to mention that to us. It took a couple of weeks to figure out what was going on, and then some more time (and lots of digging) to fix the issue. At the end of the summer my backyard was destroyed and completely taken over by noxious weeds. So my goal this summer is to completely rehab the lawn.

I have a super redneck buddy in the office who showed up last week with pictures from his turkey hunt. I guess the picture is called a "turkey pose" (I had to ask him if that's what they are calling it these days; if you ask me, I don't care what two consenting adults do in the privacy of their own home, but it doesn't look like the turkey is consenting here). Those hunting types sure are a strange bunch.

Anyways, he inspired me to take a victory shot as well.

Salt Lake City Aquarium

Last week Matt's mom Katie was in town to help out Matt's brother Adam, his wife Lisa, and their new baby Steven. While she was here Lexi and I were able to meet up with them and take a visit to the Aquarium. Lucky for us Katie got us a year membership so we can visit more often! We have already been back once this week :) These pictures are from our original visit with the fam.



This is everyone, except me of course, I'm taking the picture. And baby Steven is sleeping in the stroller. He is such a good baby!










Grandma Kate and Lexi driving the boat!
























Lexi loved the water, but she got a little nervous when she actually touched one of the stingrays. Uncle Adam helped her get close enough to splash around!















Lexi crawled around in the caves, that is until she bumped her head. When we went back this week she took one look at that rock and told me 'bump head', which I thought was pretty crazy she remembered that from a week ago.


All in all it was a great visit, and we will look forward to heading back many times this year! She loves the fish, and can make a pretty cute fish face. She also enjoys the jelly fish and shark tank. We'll look forward to new exhibits to open.

Bath Time!

Matt Here.

Christa sometimes wonders what Alexis and I do on the afternoons when she is not around. Besides eating ice cream, jumping on the couch, and staying up late watching scary movies, nothing really that exciting. One thing we do enjoy is a good bath. Not only does it help Alexis relax and get ready for bed, it also burns about a half hour. See all those letters in the bath picture? Alexis can name most of them surprisingly consistently (she does mix up the W and M sometimes). Awesome? We think so. Anyways, here's a fun short video:

Catch Up!

So we went to Vegas, and had the most wonderful time! I want to post some pictures and tell you all about it, however I'm a little outdated on my blog, and there are other fun things I want to post first. So a week ago I had my Pampered Chef party, thanks to all of you who came! and also to all of you who ordered who couldn't make it! The official order goes in today, so the products should be back in a week or so, I'll call you! Anyway, the party was lots and lots of fun, and I wanted to post some pics from it so here you are!
This is my RA from my freshman year at SUU, Stacy and her cute little boy! I haven't seen her since those days at SUU, 7 years ago! I was lucky to hook back up with her on Facebook, it's an awesome site!
Kari Patty and Sheena Hendrickson are both relatively new in my ward, and I love them both! Kari's husband is our home teacher, and the first one that actually has come in Matt & I's whole marriage! Sheena also cuts and colors my hair, my hair and I are so lucky she moved into the ward!
Lindy, Karen, and Dawn. Karen is holding Dawn's new little baby. All three ladies are from the ward and great friends of mine. For a good girls night out, you need Lindy, she makes you laugh, and is there for you to cry. Karen is a mom to the whole ward, Lexi often sits with her family in church and she just adores each and every baby. Dawn is our ward primary chorister and the kids just love her! She also has some of the cutest kids on the block!
Jessica, Linnie, and her baby Zac. Love these girls! Jessica started the walking group when I first moved into the ward, and Linnie and I have kept it going in rain and nearly snow. There is nothing as great as a walk when your kids are making you crazy!
There they are again, plus Celeste and my Pampered Chef lady, DonnaLee. Celeste is full of fun and energy, she has been in the YW since I moved into the ward, but I've had a good time getting to know her better at GNO (girls night out).

All in all it was a good time. There was a lot of support from ladies in the ward, and I was happy to have everyone over for some good food and laughs. We partied most way through the night, and the last girls didn't go home till after midnight, woohoo! I'm gonna have more parties, course I wont make you buy stuff next time!

Up and out of this town!

We're off to Vegas today! I'll be excited to post pictures when we get back. Enjoy the weekend, and don't forget to send some love to your mothers!

Happy Mother's Day to All!

I am officially old!

So those of you who are following blog, have already read all about my sad day when my wallet was stolen. So today I already had a babysitter lined up, so I thought I would stop by the DMV on my way home and get a new license. Silly me...no one stops on by the DMV, we all get in line and spend at least an hour our of lives (if not two) together. So there I was waiting, waiting, waiting. And they don't just do numbers 1-1000, you've got A101, B306, C685, D..G..&F. I want to know what all those letters mean! So lucky me I've got number C680...so I think, ok I can do this, only 15 C's to go. But for some crazy reason, they just keep calling A's & B's and it seems like only once every 10 minutes do they call a C. So needless to say, I was there for a long time! So finally after an hour and twenty minutes, they announce 'now helping number C680 at window 5!' YES! I jump up just like I've won the lottery and run over to lucky window 5. He takes my ID, and then asks me to read the letters in the vision checker...uh oh...hmm... I think, is that an O...or a D...or a C??? so I read them off as fast as I can hoping I got them right. The guy looks at me funny and says, can you try that again...I try again, but he still isn't smiling. 'How about the second line?' he says, I try again and then he tells me I have a problem. 'Well Miss, you didn't get any of those right, I can't give you a license with that kind of vision' OH CRAP I think, I know my eyesight has been getting a little fuzzier, and I do wear glasses at night, but I honestly didn't think my problem was that bad. So the guy tells me to come back with my glasses and try again. Oh my goodness I didn't know whether I wanted to scream or cry more! So I ask him if he can suggest a time I come when it isn't so busy, he looks at me and says 'this isn't busy, usually the wait is 2 hrs'...um thanks man, but is there ever a time when it's less busy then right now and he repeats 'this isn't busy' well gee wiz, thanks a lot sir I'm officially a danger to society since I'm basically blind, I just waited an hour and a half to FAIL my test, and you can't even give me a suggestion to come on a Wednesday, or early in the morning, or late at night? nothing? 'this isn't busy' he repeats a final time. Alright I say, can I at least get an ID, I don't have anything! So he sends me off to get an ID, and I suppose I'll be guessing as to when the best time to head back to the DMV is.
So I guess it's just a sign of my old age that I can't pass DMV test without glasses. Another sad day!

And I thought High School went by fast for me!

Today in the mail I received a graduation announcement for my little sister Amanda. I can't believe she is going to graduate High School! When I left home Amanda was 11 years old, not even a young woman yet. For some reason, in my mind, she'll always stay that age. I remember changing her diapers and mixing bottles of formula for this little girl. I remember getting so angry with her, my other sister Rikki, and our cousin Missy when they would take out all their toys and make a disaster of my room (truth be told it was our room, we all three shared for a few years, but I was the oldest so I took a little more ownership). I also remember the years we spent watching Mary Poppins, because it was their absolute favorite movie. Amanda had her two best friends in Cali, Amanda K and Taylor, and I remember dropping her off at their house for play dates. Amanda has always had the sweetest nature, she'll do whatever you want...and I probably took too much advantage of that when I was younger. As a teenager I have watched Amanda compete in sewing competitions and excel in her flute playing. She works so hard to perfect anything she gets involved. Now Amanda is old enough to drive, vote, and go off to college in the fall. She has been accepted to BYU Idaho, and although I wish she was closer to SLC so I could have a free babysitter, I am so proud of her! She is going to have a blast, and even though my mom will have to kill her, I'd place bets that she'll be engaged by the end of the year j/k. So this blog is for you Amanda, congratulations and I love you!

Love to the Pampered Chef!

This week I am looking forward to my Pampered Chef party! I can't tell you how much I love this stuff. It is slowly taking over my kitchen, and I don't think I could make caramel apples without it! If there is anyone reading this who I forgot to invite, I am officially inviting you now :) Anyone, and everyone is invited, Tuesday 7:00pm at my house! We'll have lots of food and it'll be great fun. Just in case you're wondering what I like so much about Pampered Chef, I'll tell you. This spatula right here is the greatest, they have 4 different sizes, and I have them all, you can stick this thing in the microwave, or boiling water up to 300 degrees. It also scrapes your bowl clean, it's the greatest for working with caramel, just in case you are wondering!


I also absolutely love their chopper, dices all of our candy easy as can be! Plus onions too, I hate to cut onions because they always make me cry. Course, it'll dice up just about anything, but those are the things I use it the most for.


Then there are the stones, I love the stones! I have a bread stone, large bar pan, small bar pan, and a pizza pan. I am going to invest in the mini bread stone (makes 4 mini loaves at once) this go around. We make a lot of banana bread around here, mostly because we have good intentions to eat more fruit, and buy a bunch of bananas, but then we just don't get around to eating all of them. And what better thing to do with 3 rotten banana's then to make banana bread! Katie has given me an awesome recipe that I've passed on to friends (let me know if you're interested).



I have to be honest, I've been sorely tempted to sign up and sell this stuff, I think it's so great. But I just don't have the time to commit. Maybe when I give up my pt job, I can be a caramel apple selling, Pampered Chef, stay at home mom :) But until then, I'll just throw parties every couple of years. If any of you out there want to order, but can't come to the party, check out the catalog and let me know what you're interested in, I'll put in an order for ya! And for the rest of you, see you Tuesday! It'll be a blast :)

Some people stink!

Ok, I know I promised not to make hateful blogs anymore, and while I can't necessarily speak for Matt...I have been doing a good job..up until now. I have to say, I really hate the person who stole my church bag out of my car last night! Let me back up.....Matt's mom Katie came into town last night, and the plan was to meet up with Adam & Lisa, Katie, and us to go to dinner. I had a stake auxiliary meeting scheduled for last night, which I had to teach a mini-lesson at, but I had my scriptures, RS notebook, and talk all written out and tucked away in my church bag. And we planned to have dinner at 6ish, so I thought I could eat, sit and chat, and be over there by 7:30. Things really didn't go as planned though.... First things first, I think the staff at Chili's really stink! I showed up there at 5:45 to put our name in. When I first came in there were only about 5 other people in the waiting room, so I thought piece of cake, this will be just fine! Matt, Lexi and Katie showed up at 6:00pm...still waiting. Adam & Lisa showed up at 6:15pm...still waiting. At 6:30 we called Johnny Carino's next door and they said they had no wait, so we ran over there. As we walked in the door, we just happened to get in line behind a party of 9 and a party of 12...all of a sudden there was a wait. Those people at Johnny Carino's stink too! So at 6:45 I went back over to Chili's, where my name was still in, and continued waiting. So by 7:05, I told the hostess I had to leave, and change the party to 4, a miracle of miracles, we got a table...well they got a table cause I had to leave. So I go out to my car to head off to the church, and my bag is gone. This is my super cute bag with pink polka dots on it, with my scriptures, my church notebook, and my WALLET! I was already super frustrated with the stinking restaurant people, and it really is a bad time of the month to mess with me anyway, and now I've been robbed, that was it, I burst into tears and called Matt. I tell him my stuffs gone and after a couple of obscenities, and he comes out of the restaurant to check out the scene. Sure enough, no bag, no scriptures, no notes for the part of the training I was suppose to teach, and no wallet. But there sure was one distraught wife having trouble pulling herself together. So he asks me if I can just go to the meeting, and deal with the wallet afterwards, 'BUT I DON'T HAVE MY NOTES' I wail! So like the good husband he is, he let me cry it out on his shoulder for a few minutes...and once I pulled myself together enough I got in the car and went to the stinking meeting. Half way through the first talk, I get a buzz on my cell phone, which I thankfully had in my purse and not my church bag. Apparently stinking thieves work fast cause it was the fraud prevention people checking to see if I was buying $500 worth of junk at Circut City. So I left my meeting in a hurry (thanks to Robyn, my president who let me bail on her at the last minute) and called all my credit card companies to cancel everything as fast as I could. The whole night was really crappy I must say! If they wanted my wallet, fine take it...but now I'm without my scriptures and my notebook. My calling is currently as the Stake RS Secretary, so I had a whole lot of notes, I really needed those! Anyway, just thought I'd get that all out, and if anyone sees a cute polka dot bag on the side of the road, stop and take an extra look, my stuff might be in there!

Spring Is.... Not So Fast

Matt here.

I was planning on posting a great blog about how spring is officially here, what with it being May and all. We had even done some of the standard spring activities to welcome the new season, including trips with Alexis to the zoo, turning the sprinklers on, ceremoniously cursing the snow shovel into storage, and just yesterday Alexis helped me tune up the lawn mower. You will understand then my utter dismay when there was ice in the driveway this morning and a snowy weather all day. I guess I'll have to leave the spring post for another day. Sigh...