Love these drinks

I really try to eat and drink healthy stuff. Including buying organic when possible and buying things sweetened with fruit juice instead of sugar. Now, I definitely still have "bad for you" snacks and treats in the pantry and enjoy that Dr. Pepper or Diet Coke once in a while. But, for the most part I make a conscious effort to eat healthy food. That being said, I love, love these yummy drinks. They have the carbonation I like every once and a while, plus they are made of fruit juice and sparkling water, and only 90 calories for one can (it is a little can, but that's okay). Anyway, just wanted to share this. You can find them at Target, Harmons, Whole Foods, and probably other places as well. They are kind of pricey, but you have to pay for quality ingredients, right? I really think of them as a little treat, not something I drink with every meal. And I really like all the flavors.

Piano recital

Gretchen had her very first piano recital last Saturday.
Her piece was The Rainbow Connection and she played it very well. She had it all memorized, but still took her piano music (which was all crumpled and wrinkled by the way) up with her when it was her turn. She didn't even have to look at it once though, so it was just her security blanket. Gretchen has really enjoyed taking piano. She has a great teacher that makes piano very fun. Her teacher gave all the kids Marvelous Musicians awards at the end of the recital, along with a pack of M&Ms. Gretchen received her award for "Learning a challenging recital song". Gretchen is good at practicing and I'm excited to watch her get better and better.

Cougar Cowboys

My two cowboys! This was the day of the BYU/Utah game, so they've got their BYU shirts on. It was a sad outcome for the Cougs, but the boys had fun running around.

Raking leaves

Dylan was helping rake leaves this warm fall day. He was so cute and had a lot of fun!

Quick trip

I started this post with a picture of Mike! Thanks to him, I was able to fly out to San Diego and enjoy two days in the warm sun! Every fall his company has a week-long conference. At the end of the week they have an awards banquet and recognize those employees who have performed well the past year. Well, I have to brag a little, and say that Mike was recognized for being one of the top salesmen for the company! He had such a great year, worked really hard, and even in a poor economy was able to do really well. The company paid for spouses to fly out and so I got to be there for the awards banquet Thursday night and then Friday night they had a holiday party we were able to attend.

Out to lunch at a restaurant called George's. It had some awesome views. We enjoyed chips with fresh salsa and guacamole. Then Mike and I shared our meals of fish tacos and a ham panini. It was all very delicious.

La Jolla cove ---------------------------------Showing my 18-weeks-along baby bump

Seals snoozing on the sand ----------------------Waves crashing

This was right before the holiday party. They had three big areas set up, food and drinks in each area. There were appetizers in one room, main dish and dessert in another, and breads, cheeses, and sushi in another area. Then in the appetizers rooms they had a DJ with a dance floor. In the main dish room they had a band with singers. By the pool with the breads and cheeses, they had a Jazz band playing. We went from area to area, mingled with people, ate some delicious food, and then danced. We did the electric slide and danced a few slow songs in the room with the live band. Then we spent the last hour dancing in the room with the DJ. He played a variety of songs, from Earth Wind and Fire and Michael Jackson's Billy Jean, to Pussycat Dolls, and Britney Spears. It was so fun! I felt a little silly because of my pregnant belly. But, still just had the best time.

I had to take a picture of my feet! I thought my shoes were cute, but my feet were hurting SO bad at the end of the night. The straps were digging in and then being in the heels and dancing for so long, they really took a beating.

We really had the best time! Thanks to those who watched our kids and made it possible for me to fly out and meet up with Mike!

Photo tag

Audrey tagged me, nice job on completing your first "tag post". I'm supposed to post the 2nd picture in my 2nd photo file. We just got a new computer and we're still in the process of transferring all of our old files over. But, this is what was there. This was the way we announced I was pregnant with Dylan.

Primary Program

Today was our ward's yearly Primary Program. Before church, we were getting ready, and I overheard Gretchen telling Dylan at breakfast, "Next year when you are a Sunbeam, you'll get to be in the Primary Program, too. Just like Tanner." The kids looked so cute in their outfits, I wish I would have taken a picture. More importantly though, they did a good job. Taylor said his part very well and spoke clearly. Gretchen sang the second verse of When Jesus Christ was Baptized with the two classes that are her age. The primary chorister is amazing, and those kids sang all the songs so well. She really had them prepared. My parents came to watch. All of their grandkids' Primary Programs were today. Luckily, none of the times overlapped, so they went from our program to my sister Ashley's, then to my sister April's. They were great to go to all of them. I am so grateful that my kids get to attend Primary. They really love it. I am so glad they have such wonderful teachers and Primary leaders, I appreciate all they do every Sunday. My kids come home from church talking about what they've learned and singing the songs from Primary. They learn such wonderful things about Jesus and his teachings, their own self-worth as a child of God, how to share, love and respect others, be honest, and be responsible for their own actions. I know their testimony grows stronger every Sunday and they become better people who are prepared for the real world.

Sweetheart tag

What is your husbands name? Mike
How long have you guys been married? Lucky 13 years
How long did you date? dated 6 mos then we were engaged 6 mos
How old is he? 37 (now I have to add that he's 3 1/2 years older than me)
Who is taller? He is.
Who can sing best? I would say we're pretty close, but I can read music, so I think that gives me an advantage.
Who is smarter? Depends on the subject matter.
Who does laundry? I do most of it, but since his home office is in the laundry room, he usually switches clothes from washer to dryer, then he helps fold and put away on occasion.
Who pays the bills? I do, speaking of, I need to do that.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? He does.
Who mows the lawn? He does.
Who cooks dinner? I do, he's good to peel potatoes or whatever to help. And he usually mans the grill (after I've prepared the meat).
Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? We both will do it when necessary.
Who kissed who first? If I remember correctly, he made that first move.
Who wears the pants? We're a team.

And now I am suppose to tag 6 people. I will just say, whoever wants to...

Costumes and Halloween fun

Halloween 2008 was another great holiday! The kids looked cute in their costumes and had fun at all the different Halloween activities. We had family parties on both sides of the family. Gretchen got to go to an Activities Day line-dancing activity where she got to wear her costume, she also went to her Dance class dressed up, and she even had a Piano party where she dressed up, too. By the time Halloween came around, I think we (at least I was) were tired of putting on the witch's dress with the hat and itchy hair along with the makeup. Dylan got to dress up for his Preschool Halloween party. Then the kids had their Parade at school and parties in their classes. And of course, let's not forget Trick-or-Treating. Mike took them out this year. It was a pretty warm temperature, a little windy, and a little rainy. We had lots of visitors to our house and the kids brought back plenty of treats!