Out to Sea

Have I lost all of you? My apologies! We've been perpetually sick in our household for nearly two months, so I've been a little behind the eight ball. But, it looks like things are looking better and hopefully we'll stay well for a long while.

In May, we had the fortunate pleasure to go on a real vacation, complete with delicious food, lots of rest, some sunshine, good company and no two-year-old girl informing us every second what want or need that pops into her little head! Wow. It was a nice change of pace for a few days...even though we did miss the little runt like crazy.

Thanks to these wonderful grandparents...

(THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!)

who watched this little lady...

and these awesome folks who drove us to Long Beach...

...We were able to hop on a boat for a four-day cruise that took us to Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico! The last time I was on a cruise boat was ten years ago for my senior trip - which just happened to be the exact same cruise. Awesome, I know. It was like a ten-year reunion with my past and a whole new experience with my hubs.

I bet you can't wait to see pictures. 'Cause we're hot, huh?

So, without further adieu, here's some pics from the trip!

this was our last morning on the boat, so we decided to watch the sunrise. We're so suave like that.

Too bad there were so many clouds! Oh, well. It was still pretty!

My handsome hubs on top deck.

Every night after coming back to our room from dinner, our room stewards left our towels in some fantastic formations. Thursday night's special? A Heart. Can I get an, "awwwww..."?

Here is our dinner crew. We were paired with two couples, ironically both from Utah, so it was always good company nightly. One of the husbands (back left) was described as a guy from a suburb of Tooele. Nice, cowboy! Our waiter, Santiago, was so awesome. He was from Columbia and he made us laugh lots. AND the food? One word: DELICIOUS.

Pic of us and the back of the ship.

Gotta love vacationing by yourselves - most of the pictures look like this...taken with the arm-in-front-of-you-trying-to-aim method.

...or this, because your significant other doesn't take pictures of you unless a big stink is made.

My cute hubby - lovin' those eyes, babe!

We're hot and my puckered lips look ridiculous.

Here's a picture of our room - small, but surprisingly comfortable. We even had a real window! We're so big time!

Another towel creature...and human creature...?

Our first stop was Catalina - here's J on the taxi boat from the cruise ship to the island.

That's our cruise ship in the outer harbor - a view from the windy road on Catalina.

One of our timer shots...I think it turned out!

We rented a golf cart and drove up to the top for the views. We saw lots of amazing houses built into the sides of the mountain. Which slightly freaked me out...I mean, they do live in California. Earthquake is the word that comes to my mind. And falling into the ocean.

High rollas in our tricked out golf cart.

And Jason insisted on renting a speed boat, so we did.

And we saw lots of seals out playing in the water! They are fun to watch.

And of course we got a pic of our home away from home. Just for the record: Our room was one of the very last rooms on the bottom level, back of ship (which is the right side of this picture) - it is called the Riviera Deck.

Here's us in our rented boat. Man, those seats were HARD. Nice gesture with those lame excuses for "cushions" they give you! Still fun, though.

Here's the huge flag of Mexico in the Ensenada port.

It may look small in this picture, but it was GINORMOUS!

In Ensanada, we rented a Rhino four wheeler and drove the 50 minutes up to the main attraction called La Bufadora, which is this over-hyped blow hole. (But we got to see beautiful vistas like this one!)

Jason was not very impressed.

I was insistent on a picture with the blow hole since we had driven like an hour to see it. Happy smiles, everyone!

And here we are in front our boat before getting back on in Ensenada.

And that's that. Our first real vacation in five years.

I think we'll be cruising again soon. Do you like to cruise? Where should we go next?

My, How Time Flies.

Today, two years ago, Lois Ada Wright entered our lives! Can you believe she's already two? Well, I can't. Today, she is more lively than ever, expressing every "want" that might come to her little mind. She's active, bright, cheery, smart, loving and so much more and we're so glad she's ours! We're so lucky.

Lois has been up to a lot lately. Aside from her every day toddler-ing, she spent a full week with her Grandma & Grandpa Wright while her mom and dad went on a little vacation. (More to come on that.) She also got to spend lots of time with her cousin Stella, or as she says, "Stayah" whom she absolutely adores - well, until Stella has something she thinks should be hers! Ha! There were some heated moments, but all in all, they played really well together. She really does love her cousins and asks for Stella and Phoebe on a daily basis since returning to Arizona. Over a short two week span, she's turned into a little chatter box. Half of the time we can't understand her, the other half is as clear as a whistle. She loves her babies, Elmo, Gabba (as in Yo, Gabba, Gabba!) and loves anything with the word "cake" in it. She's gotten down all her "c's"...you know, cake, candy, cookie, cupcake, chips, etc., which leads me to believe that I'm a total stellar parent (catch my sarcasm?) that only feeds her child junk food. She, of course, doesn't eat junk food all the time...but she sure loves it! I guess you'd be hard pressed to find a kid who doesn't!

Today, since daddy is at the hospital all day and night, Lois and I went on a little birthday date. She got to pick out a toy from this darling shop called Mildred & Dildred. She picked out a "potty doll" which goes potty in a toilet and drinks real water. So exciting! We also got a cupcake at a little bakery which she devoured the frosting and nothing else. Gotta love spending $3 for frosting! :) Then, we made a trip to the park, got to Skype with Grandma and Grandpa Wright (who sang the most lovely birthday song with Kazoos, I might add) and now we are headed to the bath and then off to bed! We're going to have a party next week sometime to celebrate her birthday when Jason has the day off. I'm sure she'll forgive us for not doing it on her actual birthday, right? I hope we don't scar her too badly. :)

And a very happy birthday to my little brother, Mack - who was born 22 years ago on this very day! It will be fun for Lois to always share her birthday with her Uncle Mackie! We love you!

And here are some pictures from today with her some of her birthday loot.

Loving her potty doll!

She's making the same face as the doll. She's a genius!

It took me five shots to get one of her smiling. That little stinker. She totally knew I was frustrated that she wouldn't smile.

A picture from her first birthday party! Cupcake! YUM!

June 5, 2009 on the morning of her first birthday.

And of course, June 5, 2008 - one of the best days of my life! Welcome to the world, Lois!

We can't wait to see what this next year will bring. I'm sure we'll experience lots of tantrums, lots of loves and joy, lots of potty clean-ups and much, much more! Bring it on!

Happy Birthday, Lady Lois! We love you.

She's All Mine!

Jason got me this lil' beauty for Mother's Day this year. To say that I am excited is an understatement. I've been staring at her all day long admiring how shiny and pretty she is. I have to say, I have the best husband ever. Really, I do.

I thought about making it a HE, but she's just too beautiful to be a man (and it wouldn't be appropriate to have a new boyfriend in the home). So, I think I'll name her Millie. You know you love it.

I have yet to break her in. I think I'll make some cookies since the 21-Day Challenge is coming to a close. Or maybe I'll make some bread. Who knows? If you have any suggestions, please share.

Since it was bought for Mother's Day, I get a free shredder/slicer or a meat grinder. Any of you out there have any advice for me? Which one should I get? I'm thinking I want to get the meat grinder because there is a Busath recipe of Cranberry Salad that I absolutely love that requires a grinder. But the slicer/shredder can do cheese and vegetables - and can shred my carrots for carrot cake! I'm kind of sick of shredding them by hand. Hmmm...decisions, decisions! What do you think?

Hope you had a great Mother's Day. What did your hubbies do for you? Please gush!

Happy Mother's Day!

To all the amazing women in my life - I love you! I just wanted to wish you a very Happy Mother's Day. I hope you feel loved, appreciated and successful in your role as a mother! Because you are appreciated. You are loved. And you are successful!

My mom. She's the Best. Mom. EVER. Obviously I love her because she gave birth to me (sans epidural - now, that's true love) but also for so many more reasons! She is my rock and my confidant and I love her to death. I admire her zest for life, her spunky spirit and her capacity to love. What a woman! I am who i am today because of my mother.

My mother-in-law Jan is one of the most selfless women I have ever met. She's a superstar grandmother and Lois adores her. I admire her greatly and hope she knows how much I love and adore her. Plus, she gave birth to and raised the most amazing man, husband, father and provider. That alone says WONDERS about the mother that she is.

My dad's mom - Grandma Smith - is my only living grandmother. She is a wonderfully angelic woman - sweet, never speaks an unkind word and adores babies! I love that she just loves to hold the babies and you will never see grandma without a baby in her arms. Cute, I know!! She also makes me feel important by always wanting to know what is going on in my life. As a mother of 10 children, a grandmother to nearly 60 grandchildren and a great-grandmother to almost 40 great grandchildren, she's a busy woman! I love you, Grandma!

Grandma Wright - Jason's only living grandma - is a lady full of life and personality! Since the first day I met her, I knew she was a wonder woman and that I'd learn much from her! She is the definition of the "mother hen." She always has a household full of grandchildren and other family members and something delicious on the stove or in the oven for everyone to eat. She is a gatherer and I love that about her. She's full of life and personality and that's the way I like 'em! She has created a legacy of faith and family. I'm grateful for that.

There are two others I'd like to talk about who were very influential women in my life. And I love them. To start, I lost my Grandma Sumsion (my mom's mother) at the young age of six, but my time with her remains among my fondest childhood memories. I wish I could meet her today as I have embarked on motherhood. She was such a fabulous cook & baker, a master seamstress, a good friend to others and always took the time to make people feel important. She always made me feel loved and her house was my favorite place to go - magical and full of surprises. I hope my grandkids will enjoy coming to my place as much as I enjoyed going to hers.

Next is my "grandma great" - my grandma Sumsion's mother. She died when I was a freshman in college at the age of 94. She was a woman of great wisdom and taught me the importance of hard work. I wouldn't describe her as a "refined" woman - she was of pioneer stock and basically wore her life out serving others. I love hearing about stories of her as a little girl and then as a new mother. Her tenacity and hard work were to be admired! I kick myself for not taking full advantage of having my great grandmother alive during my early adulthood. There was so much wisdom waiting for me...and as a freshman in college, i didn't really get it. I mean, her apple pies alone...I could be a pro at making them! But alas, I am not a pro at making them, because I never "got it" to ask her to teach me. But I get it now. As a mother, I wish i could sit down with both of these woman and ask them a million questions and have them teach me all their wonderful skills! It will be a great time getting to know these women better in the life hereafter and it will really be a special time.

AND - I'm grateful for the day Lois was born and I became a mother. What a divine calling and a wonderful opportunity to be a mother to one of Heavenly Father's most precious children! While motherhood has its ups and downs, I wouldn't trade my role as a mother for anything. Motherhood is a blessing - a gift - a privilege. And I'm grateful.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

An Anniversary...

Eight years ago today...

...I went on a very. long. hiking trip with two friends.

...I swam in beautiful, lush falls.

...I got really sick. And I mean really, really sick.

...I was quickly dying in the Grand Canyon.

...God answered my prayers.

...I was saved by a drunken Indian on a horse in the late hours of the night.

...I was admitted to the ICU.

...I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

...I embarked on a year-long bout with my health.

...my life was spared and changed in a very monumental way.

It's hard to believe that it has been eight years since this episode of my life occurred. Aside from marrying Jason and becoming a mother, it is the most significant and defining event in my life. It taught me about this life and the mission that I must accomplish here. It deepened my love for my Savior and taught me of the depth of His Atonement. It taught me what it means to be a Child of God - that my Heavenly Father really is mindful of me and loves me unconditionally. It taught me patience and long suffering. It taught me of the power of the Priesthood. It deepened my testimony of the restored gospel. It taught me how deeply my family and friends love me and that a positive attitude is triumphant. It taught me that life is good.

So, today I am grateful. I'm grateful for diabetes, because it means that I'm alive. It means that I can be reminded daily of the life lessons I have been taught. And it reminds me that I can do hard things and I can always come out on top. Indeed, I am blessed.

Eight years ago, God allowed me to live! And for that, I am very grateful.

Air & Space

Last week, Jason, Lois and I decided to make a visit to the Pima Air and Space Museum. We had a good time and throughout the whole outing, Lois kept saying, "WHOA!" followed by some Lois talk that we couldn't understand. That little lady is pretty awesome, huh? It kept us laughing and we loved seeing her reaction to all the big planes! Here are a few pictures from our adventure...

This was like the 5th picture we took - she wouldn't look our direction!

Of course, dad had to try too!

And mom! I'm looking pretty chipper, there.

This was Air Force One - from the Kennedy and Johnson administrations

Lois was loving the open field with huge planes...

and found many cool rocks to play with. Wow, she loves rocks.

Noooo! Not the shark!

This was a NASA plane used to transport huge NASA parts. I'm pretty sure aliens were involved in the designing of this aircraft. Seriously - so weird looking!

Lois and I in front of the Kennedy's plane

This is not a joke. The second Jason saw this display, he said, "I wanna be that guy! Cool - a helicopter pack!" What the?!?! I was thinking, the guy who actually used this must have been crazy. Not to self: My husband is a little crazy.

Lois was taking her driving responsibilities very seriously. She wouldn't even budge a smile.

The best picture of the day. My two favorite people!

Jason is obviously trying to make jet noises. Love that face, babe!

Next, we're hoping to take a tour of the "boneyard" they have here on the local air force base. It is acres and acres of land with hundreds of stored military aircraft - and what little I've seen of it, it will not disappoint!