The Holman Family

Baby steps....

2011-10-17T15:38:00.000-07:00

Ok I am borrowing a new house rule from my good friend Raina, NO GROWING! This kid is out of control. He started taking steps using the furniture today and he is not even 8 months old! So here he is in all of his glory :)

We are in trouble!

2011-10-08T23:57:00.000-07:00

Ok this baby has got to stop growing so fast! Lately he has been pulling himself up in his crib and standing against the furniture and tonight while we were at the Sorenson's he was pulling himself up on their TV stand and taking little side steps! He was so proud of himself, it was hilarious! I think the best part of the video is his chubby little legs :)

Crawling!

2011-09-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

September

2011-09-23T23:27:00.001-07:00

This month has been so nice, we are finally all back home together, hanging out with our friends, what can we say, life is pretty good. Mike is back to school and working at the bookstore. Winston and I love to go visit him and walk through the park by his school. We go running just about every morning and I push King Winston in the jogger while he sleeps. He is crawling and can get anything we leave on the floor so we have to watch him like crazy. We finally broke down and got him a high chair and I wish I would have done it about 3 months ago. Winston and I went to Kennewick for Labor Day to visit Bobbie since she came home to visit and had fun with the cousins. Its been a crazy summer but we are ready for fall. We have been loving us some BYU football and pretty much have moved in with the Sorenson's every Saturday this month to watch football with them. I start school on Monday so sleeping in until 9:30 is going to end so I am pretty bummed about that :) and there you are, we are FINALLY all caught up on our blog!

So hilarious, this is what he does in the back seat now

I decided after this we need to dress alike way more often

Best hat ever

loves his daddy

all of the babies with Aunt Bobbie

love the football binky

He is ready for fall with his cardy

his favorite place to take a nap!

August

2011-09-23T23:02:00.000-07:00

Oh August, you flew by way too fast! Winston and I moved back to Portland the first weekend in August and we were SO sad to leave my parents and Val but excited to be back in our apartment and see all of our wonderful friends in Lake Oswego! Before we left we went to "Splash Down Cove" and the court club with Val and her kids and it was so fun! Winston loved the water and just sat there and splashed. Mike didn't get to come back until the middle of August but when he got back Winston had a new trick for his daddy, we was sitting up all by himself! We were so proud of him. Mike got home on August 19th which happens to be our 5th anniversary. My amazing parents came over pretty much just to babysit for us so that we could have our first date since we had Winston. It was such a good night! We went to the Macaroni Grill and saw the Help which was soooo good. We were gone for 5 whole hours (the longest I have ever been away from that little cutie) and he was an angel for his nana. We had a whole week to hang out as a family before Mike had to start school again. Thankfully this is the last time he has to do that! He graduates in May and we are SO excited to see where we end up!

Here are some fun facts on Winston from the month:
he loves drinking from a straw (a true Stauffer)
he is super playful and loves peek-a-boo
his hair started coming in on the back of his head
he LOVES the bath
no more crying in the car seat (Seriously, thank the Lord, it was a long 4 months of that)
his favorite foods are peas and oatmeal and sucking on the occasional red vine :)

Last first day of school ever! I am so proud of him, look at that future lawyer :)

ridiculous, I cannot even say how much I love waking up to this every day!

being a big boy

snuggling with papi, look at that thigh!

At the fish hatchery

sitting up in the primary room

Ugh, cutest thing I have ever seen

just a cute fat baby

Splash Down Cove!!!!

Just sitting up in his crib, NBD

July

2011-09-23T00:15:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun in July!
First off my mom's birthday is on the 4th so we LOVE being with her every year! She is such a blessing to our family. She is always doing so much for everyone. She is the best mom out there and hopefully I can be half as good of a mom as she is because honestly I couldn't live with out her.
We were house sitting for my mom's friend who lives right on the river in Pasco so we had basically the best view in town of the fire works. There was also a pool there so Winston went swimming for the very first time. He did alright, he didn't hate it but he didn't love it. He basically tolerated it and most napped and enjoyed being outside.
Mike's mom and little brother came and visited for the month of July so we had fun spending time with them.
On July 17th Winston rolled over for the first time and we were pretty proud! Mike was in Yakima but I am pretty awesome and managed to get it on video for him!
Lisa and Benson got to come up to visit for few days before Benson started work. Lisa is the baby whisperer in the family and she lived up to her title. We went hiking and out to eat and played with our babies the whole time. It was the best and we miss her like crazy!
One of the best parts of the summer came the very last weekend of July! We met our besties, the Sorensons in Seattle for a Mariners game! Mike has dreamed of taking his son to baseball games since I have known him so it was fun to go to the first one. Winston was a champ and did pretty dang good at the game. We got to stayed the night with Mikes aunt and uncle who we love to see and then spent the next day doing fun stuff in Seattle since Alex and Emily had never been before. It was a great way to spend the weekend!

he is crazy, what can I say?

best niece ever, I miss her so much!

She loves her cousin, he is a little scared

Not a happy baby but look at that awesome view of the river!

Look out cute those dang boys are, and aunt lulu looks pretty good too!

he was seriously memorized by her

best day of Mike's life I think

It was even SuperSonic celebration night, Mike LOVED it, he got to see his childhood hero, Gary Payton

Just a fat baby

June

2011-09-22T23:45:00.000-07:00

June was a pretty low key month. Val and Jeff were also staying with my parents while we were there for the summer so we had a blast being with them so much. They used to live in Texas and that was just way too far and we hated not getting to see them very often. Halle wanted to have a camp out so we did one in the back yard. This impacted my entire summer/life up until this point. I have been addicted to smores ever since about June 17th. I am seriously a junkie. I make them all the time (like once or twice a day) in the microwave. Its a serious problem in my life. Winston's colic finally started to go away and he was still a little fussy in the evenings but nothing like the beginning of his life. I turned the big 27 and my silly mom tried to trick me and told me she would be out of town but happily she came home on my birthday with a present from Anthro, what more could a girl want? When Winston turned 4 months, Val and I decided it was time to feed him some rice cereal. We quickly realized that he was still not quite ready for solids so he had his first taste of solids but we didn't like officially start solids until around 6 months. Nursing also finally because much easier and stopped hurting every single time. It only took us 3 and a half months to get it down. Oh and how could I forget? A monumental thing happened on June 30th, Maverick opened in the Tri-Cities. It was one of the best days of the whole summer!

favorite summer outfit for hot days

lovin' life

giving Aunt Val some love

Hallelujah

we call this "angel face"

honestly, I die! He is the love of my life!

we heart Auntie Karly

our camping trip

big boy toys

May

2011-09-22T23:02:00.000-07:00

May started out pretty crazy with Finals for Mike. Can I tell you how glad I am that I do not have to take law school finals? I seriously don't know how he does it, he is amazing. I was super busy with Primary because we put on a Talent Show for the entire ward! The amazing women that I work with pulled together a great activity and fun was had by all. We have the best ward that we have ever been in here in Lake Oswego. Mike turned the big 27 on the 10th, right in the middle of finals as usual. After Mike finished his two week long finals, we moved to Eastern Washington for the summer. Mike was working in Yakima and rented a room there during the week and Winston and I stayed with my parents in Kennewick (an hour and a half away) and Mike came to see us on the weekends. It was crazy. When I got there my mom was watching my niece and nephew while my sister and her husband were on a cruise so it was a full house! We were SO sad to leave our friends for the summer but it was bearable because we knew in 3 months we would be coming back!

Lake Oswego's Got Talent!!!!!

Chillin' in the boppy

miraculously not crying in the car seat

my favorite, learning how to laugh!

More Talent show

Win and Will in one of Vals many strollers :) we sure love our cousins

The most hilarious 3 year old I have ever met!

April

2011-09-22T22:20:00.000-07:00

In April Winston and I just basically hung out everyday getting to know each other better :) We tried to go on a walk most days to get out of the house but the crazy Oregon weather made that a little hard to do. There was still a lot of crying all night but we learned a few things that helped with that. He loved the running water for a while. Luckily we pay a flat rate for water because we spent hours in the kitchen listening to the water run. Then for a while he loved being swung in his car seat, this one gave me a good work out and also made me crazy but I would swing him in his car seat until he fell asleep at night. The highlight of the month though was going to Utah for Lisa and Benson's graduation. Winston made his first college visit to his future home of BYU :) He loved it and was very well behaved through the ceremony. He loved meeting Aunt Lisa and Uncle Benson. We also happened to be there for his first Easter. We spent Easter in Park City with my family. Sadly Mike had to stay home to get ready for finals. Also sadly after this trip Winston hated his car seat and would cry every time he got in it and this continued until the beginning of August. Have I mentioned he cried a lot? We also started preparing to move for the summer and making arrangements to be gone for the summer.

Playing with cousins, Halle made this "bed" for the baby and insisted he lay there haha

getting sick of his car seat :/

My cutie mom and sister at the resort in Park City

loving him some aunt Bobbie

'nuff said

channeling HP in his lightening bolt outfit with his favorite red headed aunt

channeling Santa

honestly, this face melts my heart

Future missionary? I think so!

meeting Uncle Scott and Aunt Jenna!

March

2011-09-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

OK I am going to try to catch up here in hopes that it will help with the baby book I am making for Mr. W.

So March was a crazy month. A few days before we blessed W we figured out that he had acid reflux aka colic. It was a pretty hard month, he started taking medicine for it which helped a little but most nights Win was up crying inconsolably until about 2 or 3 in the morning. Just about every night he slept with me on the couch since poor Mike had to go to school and we tried to let him get some sleep. We did however manage to take our first road trip! We went to Kennewick, my sister Bobbie was up for her spring break and Mike happened to be on spring break too so we spent some time at my parents house. It was so nice to be with my sisters and see my family. Mike also interviewed for a summer job at the Yakima City Attorneys office which he got!

Here are some of the firsts that occurred in March:

First bath
First time getting a pop with mom
First trip to Nana and Papi's house
First Sunday at all 3 hours of church

Meeting and loving Aunt Bobbie

Being Nakey

We saw all too much of this face :/

Hanging out with Daddy

Loving our favorite Nana!

Blessed

2011-03-13T17:31:00.001-07:00

We got to bless Winston today. Mike did a great job with the blessing and we had a lot of family come over for it. Winston was a total pro and didn't even fuss. In fact he didn't fuss during the whole sacrament meeting, he was very reverent. His outfit was huge on him, we had one of my mom's friends make it out of my wedding dress and we had it made before he got here and had no idea how big he would be. We also had to bless him this weekend even though he is pretty new since Mike's family decided to come up this week. It was a great day, I am so thankful for Winston, he brings so much happiness and joy into our home. I love being his Mother. I am also so thankful for Mike, he is the best dad and husband to us.

Family of Three :)

Win on his big day

Cousins!

My Uh-Maz-Ing Family

Nana and Papa

The cutest baby I have ever seen

2011-03-02T22:21:00.001-08:00

I am obsessed with kissing his cute little cheeks. He is still so tiny, I cant believe that it has been over a week already. Here he is in all this glory, your welcome :)

Snuggling with Nana

Being awake

Taking a nap with mommy

Taking a nap with daddy

All dressed up after his doctor appointment

In our favorite rocket ship jammies

We LOVE him!

Baby Winston

2011-02-25T15:53:00.000-08:00

Winston was born February 22, 2011 at 11:41 p.m. The delivery went SO good I could not have asked for it to go better. He weighed 6 pounds 13 ounces and is 19 1/2 inches long. We are both madly in love with him and finally home. Life is good.

My last day of Pregnancy

2011-02-21T16:45:00.000-08:00

Well folks, today is my last full day of being pregnant. I am getting induced at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning. Winston has had plenty of time to get out but he refuses to cooperate so he is getting evicted. Tomorrow I will be 12 days overdue and that is quite enough. We are EXTREMELY excited to meet Mr. Winston and cannot wait to introduce him to you!

41 3/4's weeks pregnant

40 weeks and counting...

2011-02-11T15:53:00.000-08:00

So yesterday was my due date and we still have no baby! I guess it makes sense since he has been measuring about a week small the entire pregnancy. Hopefully he gets here soon cause we are super excited to meet him.

38 Weeks

2011-01-26T18:10:00.001-08:00

So today I am 38 weeks! This baby could literally be here any day now and we are ready! I have been dutifully walking everyday so that #1 I can be ready to make it through labor and #2 in hopes that it might encourage him to get here a little earlier :) So not much else is going on around here we are still just waiting for Winston to make his grand entrance!

I Quit!

2011-01-09T20:44:00.000-08:00

I am officially retired from working(well at least outside our house)! Friday was my last day of work so hopefully I can get some things done and organized before the Mr. Winston gets here. I am SO excited and thankful to be able to stay home with him. I cant wait to see his little face!

Kennewick Shower

2010-12-30T23:04:00.000-08:00

So my uh-mazing sisters decided to throw me a semi-surprise baby shower while I was home for Christmas since they won't get to see me again until after I have the baby. They did such a cute job! Bobbie even busted out the sewing machine, Lisa made really cute little party favors for everyone and Brooke made delicious funfetti cupcakes (are there any other kind?). I got a lot of stuff that I needed. I am so blessed to have such supportive family and friends in my life. Mike's aunt a lot of his cousins were able to come too so it was fun to see them and spend some time with them. My two second mothers Vickie and Laurie were there too so I basically couldn't have asked for anything else. I had a lot of fun and was sad to have to go right home to Portland after it was over. Thank you so much ladies, you are the best sister's a girl could ask for and I am so glad I got to spend time with you three! Seriously having all sisters is the best.

Super cute onesie's and tiny socks hanging everywhere

The cute little wagons that Lisa made and the yummy treats

Bobbie even included his name in the decorations

Just trying on his clothes :)

Week 34, the size of a pineapple haha we just happened to have one around

Christmas 2010

2010-12-30T21:41:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! We hope you had a fabulous Christmas. This year we went to Kennewick to my mom and dad's house. Almost all of my sisters got to come home, Val and her family were the only ones missing. We were SO sad they couldn't come. We had a lot of fun with my sisters who live far away and we don't get to see that often. We got to have our traditional Christmas Eve Enchiladas that my mom makes and this year they were better than ever. I am seriously craving them right now just thinking about them. Mike's sister Karly even got to come over and spend time with us which we loved! Christmas day we got to watch my niece Halle open presents on the web cam and it was fun to see her so excited about her toys. It made us really miss them! We had a great holiday with our family and are so lucky to live so close by and get to see them so often. I am thankful for my Savior and this season we have to celebrate his birth.

My Sisters and our husbands

My mom and the best sisters in the world

Christmas morning!

Baby Shower!

2010-12-10T21:39:00.000-08:00

So last Friday night some of my great friends, Jen, Katie and Bonita put together a baby shower for me! It was so much fun! Jen did an AMAZING job with the games and treats! I seriously was thinking to myself, oh I know of 5 people that are coming for sure so that will be good but we had a great turn out! I have some pretty wonderful friends here of which I am very thankful for! We played Family Feud: Baby Edition which was so much fun! Jen even actually surveyed people! I got a lot of stuff I need for Winston so it was great and my mom even came from Kennewick. I am seriously very blessed to have such amazing friends and family!

Go Ducks!

The Competition was Fierce

Delicious treats! Mini Brownies and Cheesecake, mmmmm!

31 weeks down!

Its beginning to look a lot like...Thanksgiving?!

2010-11-28T20:02:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!! We were in Kennewick at my parents house for Thanksgiving and we had such a good time. We left on Tuesday right after my doctor appointment and hit the road at like 2 and didn't get there until about 8:30. So that was kind of a rough start but the rest of the week was great. Even though Brooke and I were the only ones home we still had a very full table. My aunt Maryjane and cousin Zach came from Vancouver and Brooke brought her roommate home with her and a guy in my parents ward came too. It was so fun also because it was so beautiful! There was snow everywhere which is very rare for the Tri-Cities. It was a fun weekend, we worked out everyday, ate and shopped so I couldn't have been happier. I finished getting all the decorations for the baby's room so I am so excited for my mom to come this weekend and help me arrange his room so I can hang his pictures and stuff. I cant wait to go back for Christmas!!!!!!! I am very thankful for many things year, my wonderful, loving, supportive husband who is my very best friend, my little baby boy on the way, my freaking amazing parents and sisters, the gospel and my Savior and basically just my whole life. I really am incredibly blessed and couldn't ask for anything more!
PS these are the only two pictures I took the entire weekend, I am very mad at myself.

29 weeks

Snow at my mom and dads!

The past 6 months of pregnancy in pictures!

2010-11-22T12:19:00.001-08:00

Here are all of the profile pictures we have taken so far, the last one was a little while ago since I am almost 29 weeks right now. Being pregnant has been pretty fun so far but I am very anxious to see what this little guy looks like :)

14 weeks at Lincoln City

18 weeks at the beginning of September

22 Weeks at the beginning of October

25 weeks at the end of October

Its been a while...

2010-11-22T11:27:00.001-08:00

Ok so I know its been basically forever since I posted and I will give you a little recap of why:

JUNE- we found out that I am pregnant! And after a few bumps in the beginning, the pregnancy has been going great! We are so excited to be parents in February and to meet our little boy! I am still kind of in shock that I am capable of producing a boy but I am so thankful for him already and so glad I get to be his mom.

JULY- my little sister Bobbie got married! We pretty much spent every weekend of July in Kennewick for wedding stuff. She had a BEAUTIFUL wedding in Idaho on July 24th. Her theme was perfect for her and she pulled everything off with impeccable style as usual. She looked like a movie star and we were so excited we got to be with her on her special day and that she found someone who loves her and adores her the way the rest of us do.

AUGUST - This month was very busy. We celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary with a weekend trip to the beach. It was perfect. I have the best husband ever and am so thankful for him. He is going to be such a great dad, I cant wait to see him with our baby. We also went to Kennewick again for Bobbie's reception in Washington. We had so much fun and got to see lots of family and friends.

SEPTEMBER - back so school for both of us. We both started classes again. I took one class over the summer but Mike got a great job working for Clackamas County in their office of County Counsel. It was a really good experience for him and I am so proud of him. It was just for the summer so he is all done now and is almost half way done with law school! We also got to find out on September 23rd that we are having a BOY! My mom came over for the ultrasound and we immediately went shopping :) I was/am in shock but I am so excited. I am having fun putting together his little room and getting everything ready for him.

OCTOBER - October was a little crazy. At the beginning of the month Mike went to Utah for just the weekend for a law conference. He got to stay with Lisa and Benson and see some of our old friends and I was very sad I couldn't go but my wonderful sister-in-law Karly came over for the weekend and kept me company. The reason I couldn't go was because I got to go to New York for a whole week!!!! My mom was going for work and one of my all time besties lives there so I got to stay with her. We had so much fun!! Karly was the best host ever and went to all the sites with me even though she had seen them a million times. It was a great trip and I am so glad I got to go. We went to a play and walked all over Manhattan. It was amazing, I cant wait to go back with Mike and my little mister!

NOVEMBER - This month has been pretty low key. We went to Kennewick to visit my parents. I had a break from Primary since it was Stake Conference so we took full advantage. We just had our program yesterday which couldn't have gone better but it was a lot of freaking work to get to that point. However the kids did great and we had a party after it was over. We get to spend Thanksgiving in Kennewick this week with my parents and Brooke so we are so excited to get a little break from school before finals.

That pretty much sums it up. Hopefully once I am done working I will be much better at keeping up this blog. I am sure that in February it will become taken over with this baby which I could not be more excited about!

Its a Boy!!!

2010-06-08T15:15:00.000-07:00

Mr. William Miles Lewis (my first nephew) was born on June 5, 2010 at 6:37 p.m. He weighed 7 lbs 16 oz and is 20 inches long! We are SO excited that he is finally here! I cannot wait to meet him next month! He is so freaking cute I can hardly stand it. His mom is pretty much a champ at having babies and is doing great! Seriously from like her first contraction to delivery was about 14 hours. She is amazing! Congrats Jeff and Val, you basically have the cutest kids I have ever seen!

Lisa and Benson Reception Round 2

2010-05-17T17:26:00.000-07:00

This last weekend Lisa and Benson came up to Kennewick for their Washington reception. All of my sisters were able to come up except Val because she is due in just a few weeks! We had so much fun! I wish we could have stayed longer but what can ya do? We love these two and are so happy for them!

This cake was SOOOO good.

Bobbie and I

My handsome husband!

Mike and Dash

The gorgeous bride!

My cute mom and sister

Happy Happy Birthday Michael Dear!!

2010-05-17T17:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday!

Benson's birthday was a few days after Mike's so we had a joint birthday!

Birthday Dinner, Mike loves steak and potatoes.

Mike turned 26 on May 10. Of course his birthday was right in the middle of his finals so we didn't do much on the actual day. I just made him dinner and cupcakes and we went out with my family once finals were over. I am so lucky to have such wonderful husband! Happy Birthday Mike, I love you!

Mr. and Mrs Benson Lewis Hathaway III

2010-04-25T21:02:00.000-07:00

Ok this weekend we went to Utah for Lisa's wedding! I got there on Tuesday night and had fun on Wednesday running pre wedding errands and helping Lisa clean her apartment. On Thursday she went through the temple and it was such a great experience. It was so amazing to be there and I am so thankful I got to go! The rest of Thursday we spent moving her out of her apartment and cleaning and running last minute errands. She got married at the Draper Temple on Friday morning. I seriously could not stop crying, I am such a baby! It was so beautiful and I was so proud of her and touched by the spirit. She has become such an amazing young woman and I am so happy for her. She picked such a great guy to marry also! He takes such good care of her and is just the best guy ever! I am so happy for them! We had dinner at the Point Restaurant at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake with a reception to follow there. It was amazingly beautiful. It was a great weekend and I am so thankful for my wonderful family and the time I got to spend with them!

The Hathaway's

Her awesome flowers in an ice sculpture

Cutting the cake!

Beautiful reception

The view from the reception

Where does the time go????

2010-04-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

UGH! I am such a horrible blogger. Anyway this has been a crazy year so far. I guess I will start at the beginning. First, I started school in January so that has been taking up A LOT of my time. I am studying Health and I really like it! So it is fun but very time consuming. Mike's little sister got married in January so we got to take a trip down to Texas and see Mike's family and my sister Val, her husband and little girl which was so fun! We also got to go to Kennewick for the open house at the end of January so it was fun to see both of our families. In February my parents came over to Portland with Brookie and her boyfriend Tal. It was a lot of fun to meet him and we had a great weekend with them since Tal had never been to Portland. In March I took a little girls trip to Utah with my mom, my aunt and all of my sisters except Val. We had so much fun! We went to a bridal shower for Lisa and we went wedding dress shopping for Bobbie and found the PERFECT dress for her!!! Mike's cousin got also got married in March so we made a trip to Kennewick for Whitney and Rocio's wedding. April was also super crazy. We went to Kennewick for another bridal shower for Lisa, we went to Seattle the next weekend for a Mariner's game and to hang out and then this weekend Lisa got married in Utah so we have only been home for one weekend so far this month. SO that is what we have been up to! We have been so busy and this blog is ridiculously neglected but I will try my best to be better!!!! Here are some pictures from our crazy year so far!

Mike's Favorite Place, SafeCo Field

Cutie Mariner Fans

The girls getting ready for Lisa's Kennewick shower

My mom and I right before Lisa's Utah Shower

Brooke and Tal

My favorite sister in law in the world!

Merry Christmas

2010-01-02T21:23:00.000-08:00

This is our first family picture in like over 2 years from my side of the family. We are excited to have 2 new members this summer when Lisa gets married and Val has her baby!

Oh Little Town of Bethlehem

2009-12-13T15:50:00.000-08:00

We got to help out with the ward Christmas party this year and it turned out SO awesome. Our theme was Back to Bethlehem and we decorated the gym with tents and tried to make it look like a market place. Under each tent was different food, we had flat bread, roasted chicken, roasted potatoes, hummus, and a few fruits and veggies. At the door you were taxed (a can of food for the local food bank) and then you received a tax return of a little bag of "gold" that you paid for your dinner with. Every one dressed up and we all brought blankets and sat on the floor to eat. It turned out SO cute, we had so much fun helping and got to meet a few new people so it was great. It was also nice to focus the night on Christ and what this season means to us. We hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2009-12-04T23:51:00.000-08:00

This year Thanksgiving was amazing! We spent it in Kennewick with my family, my whole entire family, plus a few extras. We discovered that our whole family had not been all together at the same time in like 2 years! That is WAY too long. We also had my cousin Austin for a few days and Maryjane and Zach were there. Bobbie and Lisa both brought their boyfriends so it was a pretty full house. Val, Jeff and Halle even got to come from Texas. Halle kept everyone entertained the entire time. We watched A LOT of Cars, Credibles and Up (all her favorite movies at the moment). We also got to visit Mike's grandparents and Charlie and Kelly who we have not seen since we stayed with them in Paris, so I would say it was a pretty successful holiday.
Other than that we are have been pretty boring lately. Mike has his first law school final on Monday so he is just studying like a mad man and will continue to do so for the next two weeks. We cannot wait for Christmas (mostly for Mike to be done with school) which we will be spending in Kennewick and then for Karly's wedding in January!!! Texas here we come again!

Cousin Austin, Mike and Dave

Poor Halle never gets any attention

Cousin's Picture: Brooke, Lacey, Valerie, Austin, Lisa, Halle, Zach and Bobbie

These kids are crazy

Zach got a lesson from Uncle Miles on how to change oil so he had to dress the part :)

Cutie sisters

Cutie Cousin's

I love this little lady

Cutie Lisa and Benson

Halle and Grandpa both needed a nap, I love this picture!

These lovely ladies made did most of the work (and Val)

Classic Jeff

Waiting to eat (Val, Brooke, Bobbie and Dave)

Our beautiful table

Happy Thanksgiving to ALL!!!!!!

Halloween

2009-11-02T18:55:00.000-08:00

So its been forever but what can I say? I am a very lazy blogger. Last week I started my new job! I am working in an office that is literally 5 minutes from our apartment so it is perfect. I am so thankful that I got a job where I don't have to commute. I am working 32 hours a week, it is so nice I love it. I am doing admin assisting for a non profit agency and so far I really really like it. We still love being in Portland, we end up in Kennewick visiting pretty much every other weekend so I LOVE that.
Mike is liking school, it keeps him very busy he is there about 10 hours a day most days. He has finals coming up in a month so that will be stressful but it is exciting that he is almost half way done with his first year!!
This Halloween I actually dressed up for work, I stole my costume idea from Val and her cute little family and I thought it turned out pretty good. Mike is not so into Halloween so on Saturday night we just stayed home and watched a movie. We didn't even get one trick-or-treater! But we used our fireplace for the first time so that was pretty fun!

Oregon Coast September 2009

2009-09-28T18:41:00.000-07:00

So this last weekend we went with my parents and my aunt and cousin to Rockaway Beach. It was so nice to get away and relax for the weekend. The weather was really good, it was windy but hey, its the Oregon Coast. Mike and I went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory on Friday with my mom and dad. Mike had not been there before and he loved the free cheese samples haha! They had like a spicy habinaro and he just kept going back for more, it was so funny! I also actually found mars bars!! I have been looking for them every where since we had them in Paris last summer and I found them with all this other foreign candy so that was pretty awesome. We also went up to Cannon Beach that night to meet my aunt Maryjane and my cousin Zach. We got there just in time to watch the sunset, it was GORGEOUS!! The next day Mike and I went back up to Cannon Beach with Maryjane and Zach we looked in the tide pools and then back to Rockway for dinner. Sunday the weather was so awesome it was sunny and the wind was not even blowing! So we went for a nice walk and then cleaned up and went home! It was a great weekend. We really love being so close to the beach, it was a great weekend!!

Mike checking out the view

Lacey wishing she was laying on the beach below.

Lacey, Mike and the Captain

My future beach house

Maryjane and Zach

Mike and Lacey at Cannon Beach

Lovin the Sunset

Trying to stay warm, cutie mom and dad

The sun setting at Haystack Rock

My hilarious dad!

Cutie mother daughter

These are two crazy kids

Tillamook :)

First Day of School

2009-08-25T22:45:00.000-07:00

So Mike started school on Monday. I took his picture that morning for all of your viewing pleasure. With some help from my wonderful in laws I was also able to obtain his picture from his first day of kindergarten!! The little girl in the picture with him is apparently his neighbor "nasty niki" haha. I love it!. I am so proud of him and think he is the cutest 1L ever!

Mike and "Nasty Niki" in Kindergarten

Mikes first day as a 1L

Day trip to Seattle!

2009-08-23T21:58:00.000-07:00

So yesterday we made a little day trip to Seattle. Mike's best friend from high school got married in San Diego last week and Saturday was their reception in Seattle. Mike was able to go to San Diego and be at the wedding but since I couldn't go we went to Seattle so I could see them. The reception was really nice and we were glad we got to see them again before they head back to Provo. Congratulations Scott and Jenna!!!

Scott and Mike

Scott, Jenna, Lacey and Mike

Happy Third Anniversary!!!!!!!

2009-08-21T12:38:00.000-07:00

So Wednesday August 19th was our third wedding anniversary! It has gone by really fast in some ways and at the same time it feels like we have been married forever! It was really fun, Mike took me to dinner at this cool little restaurant in Portland and then to the Rose Test Gardens which is the first date we went on the first time Mike told me he loved me. It was super cute and we had fun. It was kind of the calm before the storm cause Mike is starting school next week. It has been a wonderful three years and I wouldn't change it for anything!

Columbia River Gorge 2009

2009-08-12T21:33:00.000-07:00

On Thursday we decided to go to the gorge to look at waterfalls before Mike's family left. It was so much fun. I have driven through the gorge probably about a million times but I had not stopped at the falls since I was really little. So we started at Crown Point and drove down the scenic highway and stopped at a few of the falls. They were so pretty and the weather was perfect. So for those of you who live far away this is what you have to look forward to when you come to visit!

The view from Crown Point

Mike and Karly at Crown Point

Multnomah Falls

Lacey, Mike, Karly and Tyler at Multnomah Falls

Mike and Lacey in front of Multnomah Falls

Bridal Veil Falls

Lacey and Mike at Bridal Veil Falls

View from Crown Point

Me and Karly at Crown Point in our L&C Law School shirts

Seaside, OR 2009

2009-08-12T21:07:00.000-07:00

So last week after we got settled a little bit Mike's family came to see us. They got here on Monday around noon and we pretty much headed straight to the beach once they got here. It was so much fun to have a little get a way after all the stress of packing and moving and unpacking. Sometimes it is just cold, cloudy and windy at the coast but that day was beautiful. We got to the coast around 3 o'clock so we had enough time to play in the the water and lay on the beach. The water was still pretty cold since it never really gets warm but it wasn't too bad and Mike and his little brother Tyler actually got all the way in. I however am not as brave and so just half of me went in. After that we went to a cute little restaurant for dinner and had yummy seafood. We have been looking forward to being back in the northwest to have fresh seafood and we were not disappointed. The next day none of us got in in the water so we just walked along the beach, it was SO pretty. We had such a good time and cannot wait for many more trips to the coast!

The family walking on the beach

Karly and Tyler :)

Isn't it so pretty?

Writing in the sand

Eating delicious food

Karly was very cold haha

We love the beach!

Playing in the water

Sisters

We moved!!!

2009-08-06T17:26:00.000-07:00

So we left Provo on Thursday July 30th after our Nazi cleaning check which we passed with flying colors and headed for Oregon. We didn't leave until about 2 in the afternoon so after we had a goodbye lunch with Val and Halle we hit the road and stayed overnight in Boise. On Friday morning we woke up and drove from Boise to Kennewick which was a nice little trip and stayed Friday night with my parents. Then on Saturday morning we got up early and my parents came with us to Portland to help us move in. We got to our apartment at around noon on Saturday and it only took us a few hours to move in so it was pretty nice. So here we are in Portland! Our apartment is pretty much unpacked which is really nice. We really like it so far! On Monday Mike's mom, and sister came over so we have just pretty much been playing with them all week! It has been really fun. We are so excited to be here!

Mike taking a break from packing

Us and the U-Haul in front of my parents house

This was my view the entire trip :)

Halle insisted on feeding herself!

Mike getting ready to drive his big truck

Val is posing for me even though she didn't want her picture taken

More Graduations!!

2009-07-25T22:12:00.000-07:00

So my little sister Bobbiejane graduated from BYU-I on Thursday, hers being the third graduation this summer for my family. She graduated with a bachelors degree in Biology and will be doing and internship this fall at UC Davis. We are very proud of her and excited for her and happy that we got to be in Idaho with her to celebrate her accomplishments. Good job Bobbie, congratulations. We love you!!!

Brooke and her favorite brother!

Cutie Sisters

The proud parents

The elusive Matt Johnson

More cutie sisters

Matt and Bobbie graduated pre-school together and went to all the same schools and graduated college on the same day!

Our beautiful graduate

Matt getting some help from Miles

You know these two

I am not so good with the camera but that is her walking!

What we have been up to this Summer

2009-07-22T19:44:00.000-07:00

Ok so you know you are really pathetic at blogging when you only post updates when the seasons change! However once I get behind I feel way too overwhelmed to catch up but I am going to try to do a little update in a nutshell. So then I can just try to be better.... we will see how it goes. Since we are moving soon and I am leaving all my wonderful friends in Provo I will try really hard to be better when we get to Portland next week. The fact that I am now officially unemployed might help :) We are moving to Portland next week and we will arrive on August 1st. Until then we are just trying to survive packing and our Nazi cleaning check!

So on May 10th Mike turned 25. I was so excited I got him tickets to see the Mariners play the Yankees in Seattle. I also got him a Mariners shirt and we BBQed steak which is his favorite on his new little mini grill that he also got for his birthday. It was a really fun.

Family

The family with our graduate

Lacey and the graduate

Lacey and Bobbie

On June 6th my youngest sister Brooke graduated from Kennewick High School. I was able to go to Washington for her graduation and it was so fun to spend time with my parents and my sisters and my niece. I got there a few days early and even had time to make a quick trip to Portland to look at apartments. It is so crazy that my baby sister is going to be a college student in the fall. We are very proud of her and wish her good luck at BYU-I in September! The day after graduation my whole family got on a plane and went to Arizona for my grandma Stauffer's funeral. It was on June 8th just two days after Brooke's graduation. So that trip was kind of a whirl wind but I am so thankful I was able to attend both and that Mike could meet me in Arizona for the funeral.

My dad with his siblings (he is second from the left)

Munchkin Face!

On May 31st my last remaining grandparent passed away. My Grandma, Elizabeth Low Stauffer died. She was 94 years old. She was such an amazing example to not only our family but her whole community. She graduated from college in 1937 from Utah State Agriculture College (Utah State University). She married my grandfather in the Salt Lake Temple in 1940. She loved old books and reading and worked in the library for the Safford School District until she retired and helped my blind grandpa raise his sheep. She served as the Primary President in her ward at age 80! She was absolutely amazing and we miss her a lot. I am thankful to have had her in my life, she was always so happy and literally always had a twinkle in her eye even when she was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. I am thankful for the testimony and the faith that she had in Jesus Christ and her loving example to all of her family. It was sad that my grandma died but we are happy for her that she is in heaven with my grandpa and that she finally has a clear mind. I am so thankful for the gift of the atonement that our Savior gave to us and my knowledge that we will be together again as a family.

On June 26th I turned 25 :( I know that Karly just said gross out loud haha. It was actually a great birthday. My mom came down for the weekend from Washington. Since I have been eating better thanks to my new years resolution I decided to have a calorie fest and indulge in pop which I have not had since January!! (for those of you who know me really well you maybe shocked by that but its true, ask Mike!!) I went to lunch with my mom and Karly at Costa Vida which was SO good. After lunch my mom and I went on a little shopping trip to Park City which is one of my favorite places in the world. After shopping and when Mike was off of work my mom and Mike and I all went out to dinner at Macaroni grill. It was the best day and I am so glad my mom was able to come and spend it with me!

Waiting for the fireworks to start

Me and Lady Liberty at the parade

On the 4th of July both of my parents came for the Freedom Festival. I had so much fun with them. We walked around the little fair they have here and shopped. On the 4th, which happens to be my mom's birthday, we got up and went to the parade which is kind of a big deal here in Provo. People actually camp over night along the route to save their spots. I have never seen anything like it but it totally lived up to our expectations. After the parade we went on a hike, had a little BBQ and watched the fire works. It was a really good day.

And so that brings us up to date. Today was both Mike and I's last day of work. We are going to Rexburg tomorrow for Bobbiejane's graduation and are going to come home and pack up! It is pretty crazy that it is actually here and we are excited to start this next chapter but we will definitely miss all of our wonderful friends and family in Utah.

Mike's Graduation!!!

2009-04-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

This week Mike graduated from BYU! On Wednesday both of our parents came into town. It was so fun to have both of our families here. We went out to eat and shopped most of the day, it was fabulous and the weather was beautiful. On Thursday Mike had commencement and it was really cool. Elder Uchtdorf and Elder Nelson both spoke so it was awesome to be there. On Friday Mike had convocation for his college. He is in the Family, Home, and Social Sciences college which is the biggest one at BYU so it took a little while to get through every one's name. It was such a good week and I am so sad it's over. We loved having our parents here and getting to spend time with them. I am so proud of Mike for all the hard work he put in and all that he has accomplished the two years we spent at BYU.

We Are Moving to Portland!

2009-04-19T21:34:00.000-07:00

About a month ago we made a trip up to the Northwest to visit a few law schools that Mike had been accepted to. We had so much fun visiting old friends and seeing family. After we had visited all the schools we picked Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland Oregon! We are so excited and can't wait to be up there. We will be moving the first part of August (our contract ends on our apartment at the end of July) and school starts on August 24th. We are happy to be closer to my family and to be one step closer to Mike being done with school!

Provo in the Springtime

2009-04-19T21:25:00.000-07:00

Provo in the springtime pretty much sucks. On Wednesday morning we woke up to about 5 inches of snow everywhere. That's right, snow in the middle of April. After Christmas snow pretty much looses its charm and is just depressing. Hopefully that was the last of the snow. Today was actually really beautiful so I am looking forward to summer!

Update

2009-03-15T13:59:00.000-07:00

So this week has been pretty busy for us. Mike had his last intramural basketball game which his team won so that was good. On Friday night we got to go to Salt Lake for a fireside that Mike's work put on for the Law Society. The keynote speaker was Elder Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve. After Mike was done helping with tickets we got to go to the fireside. It was really cool. Then on Saturday I made a trip to Ephraim for my old roommate, Natalie's wedding. It was really fun to see her again because I think it has been like 4 years since the last time I saw her. She looked beautiful as usual and we had so much fun together. I am so glad that I was able to make it. This week we are making a trip back home to the Northwest to look at a few law schools that Mike has been accepted to. We are excited to see our friends there and visit my parents!

Natalie and I outside the reception

Run For Red!

2009-03-07T19:11:00.000-08:00

I know it is not like me to have 2 posts in one week but I am trying to do better at keeping up my blog. Today Lisa and I did our first 5k of the year and it was awesome. It was supposed to snow this morning here in Provo but thankfully all that we got was a few flurries. It was still pretty cold but once we started the race it wasn't that bad at all. In fact we couldn't have asked for better conditions in the beginning of March. Lisa was super nice and stayed with me the entire time and pretty much coached me. It worked pretty well because I shaved a whole 2 minutes off of my time in October which was the last race I did. I am so excited for the warmer weather and more races to come!!!

Valentines Day in Rexburg

2009-03-05T09:26:00.000-08:00

For Valentines Day we decided to take a little trip to visit Bobbie in Rexburg. It was a long weekend and we had not seen Bobbie since her hip surgery in December. We stayed with our good friends Matt and Tasheena. Bobbie and I took a little detour to the gardens at BYU-I with our friend Matt Johnson who we grew up with. We had dinner in Idaho Falls with Bobbie and her roommates and just hung out the rest of the time. It was really nice to get away for the weekend and see Bobbie, we miss her!

Hair Cut!

2009-03-05T09:02:00.001-08:00

Ok so for any of you who have know me for awhile you have never known me with short hair. That is because last time my hair was short I think I was in fourth grade. However about a month ago I just couldn't stand my long hair anymore. For some reason it was driving me SO crazy! So I called up one of my best friends who happens to be my wonderful hair dresser and told her I couldn't take it anymore. She freaked out a little but we both made it through. I actually was surprised at how unattached I was to my long hair. I didn't cry or have any regrets or anything. I just loved it! So Jessica gets a big thumbs up for turning my crazy ideas into something that actually looks good. Here are the before and afters.

Holman Family Pictures

2009-03-05T08:46:00.001-08:00

Over Christmas we also got family pictures. It was alot of fun and they turned out so good.

The Last Supper

2009-03-05T08:37:00.000-08:00

Val and Jeff moved to Dallas on January 19th, it was a very very sad day. We had dinner a few days before at my apartment since their house was all packed up. We also got a Wii Fit so we all had a lot of doing it. My parents even got in on the fun it was pretty hilarious to watch. I was sick so Halle was relaxing with me. We miss them a ton but are glad that they are doing well!

It's Been Awhile ...

2009-03-05T07:39:00.000-08:00

So I think I should win an award for like the laziest blogger ever! I am sorry to those of you who have even checked this stagnant blog. So I guess I should start where I left off, our trip to Dallas at Christmas. We got to Dallas on Christmas day and it was AMAZING to leave snowy Utah and get off the plane to 70 degree weather. We has SO much fun. We went to the place where President Kennedy was killed and that was really interesting to see (even if it is just an X in the road). We also went and look at the campus of Southern Methodist University since Mike has applied to Law School there. The campus was seriously SO gorgeous. It looked like it was out of a movie, all the buildings were brick with white columns in the front, it was beautiful. I guess I am just used to BYU where none of the buildings match and you can tell which decade each one was built in just by the outside. We also went to the Fort Worth Stockyards which were really cool. While we were there we went to a rodeo (how can you visit Texas and not go to a rodeo?) It was so much fun. My favorite day was when we went to Six Flags in Arlington. The best part was that my cute mother in law went on like all of the rides with us! It was awesome we had so much fun it was sad to come back to work and school but we cannot wait until they come up here in April!

Christmas Eve

2009-01-02T15:24:00.000-08:00

So I had to work on Christmas Eve this year and since we were having Christmas in Texas with Mike's family we didn't leave until Christmas morning. So we were in Utah all alone on Christmas Eve and we decided to go look at the lights on Temple Square. It was the perfect activity. Both of us had not been to see the lights for a few years so it was a lot of fun. They were so beautiful and there were tons of people. The also had a little Nativity scene set up and had a little recording of the nativity story and a message that was in President Hinckley's voice at the end. So after we walked around every where and saw all the lights we went to dinner at Buca di Beppo in Salt Lake. It was a really great night.

Ugly Sweater Season!!

2008-12-31T15:38:00.000-08:00

So one of my best friends and favorite people in the whole world, had an ugly sweater party the week before Christmas. It was so much fun! We played lots of hilarious games and won some pretty sweet prizes. I got a back scratcher and Mike got a horse calendar (it was so funny). There was tons of good food and some pretty intense Foosball. We didn't win the ugliest sweater contest but we had so much fun.

Lisa's Birthday

2008-12-31T15:28:00.000-08:00

Lisa's Birthday was on December 17, right in the middle of finals for her. So after she finished up a final that night my brother in-law Jeff made dinner for her and I made her 20 cupcakes. While we were singing to her Halle was sitting on her lap and thought that all the singing and everything was for her so she had a huge smile on her face and was clapping. It was hilarious. We had a lot of fun but my camera died after only like two pictures :(

Thanksgiving

2008-12-31T15:08:00.000-08:00

This year we had Thanksgiving with my family. We drove to Washington on Tuesday and got to stay until Sunday. It was fun to be there because I have not been home for almost a whole year! My parents come to Utah almost every month so there isn't really a need for me to go there but it was fun to be at home again. We got in Tuesday night and went to my favorite Mexican restaurant in the world, Kikos Tacos, seriously that was probably what I was looking forward to most. I got to go shopping and to lunch with my mom and my aunt, it reminded me of the good ol' days when Mike and I lived there. We didn't have to go home until Sunday so it was nice to have almost a whole week off of work and see some old friends and hang out with the family. Both of Mikes grandparents live there so we got to see both of his grandparents so that was really good.

For some reason Brooke and my cousin Zach didn't want their pictures taken.

My sister in-law Karly and I with Mike's grandma.

My Dad at the computer as always.

My Mom didn't want her picture taken either, hahaha.

Mike with his early Christmas present.

OMG where does the time go?

2008-12-31T14:34:00.000-08:00

So it has been pretty much forever since I have updated my blog and I am fully aware of what a horrible blogger I am and I send my apologies to anyone who has even bothered to look at my stagnant blog. I guess I will start about where I left off. On the Friday that Twilight came out I went to see it with Val and Lisa. Val got tickets from her friend at work so we got to go the day it came out. It was fun to just have a night with my sisters before Val leaves for Texas. Halle got to come to dinner with us before the movie. It was so much fun!

Tagged

2008-11-06T21:38:00.000-08:00

So I was tagged by Ashli and Katie and I am just getting around to it. My 4th file is actually labled Halle and I am pretty sure that it is the biggest picture file we have. This picture is like 2 hours after she was born. Isnt she so cute? It seems crazy now that she was ever that small. I tag Val, Jenn and Karly.

Homecoming 2008

2008-10-16T20:59:00.000-07:00

Ok so I was kind of disappointed this year when Mike didn't ask me to the homecoming dance, but I guess I will get over it. So last Saturday was homecoming here at BYU and we had a very busy day. We woke up to find that it was snowing outside which was bad news because we were doing the cougar run at 9:45 which is a 5k they do every year on homecoming. So we ran some errands and I thought I might die because it was so cold. However I am happy to report that by the time we started walking over to the race the weather cleared up and it stopped snowing. We finished the race in exactly thirty minutes which was like 9:52 min/mi. We are not fast but at least we finished right? My good friend Jessica ran with me and she beat me as usual (this is our 3rd one this year together) . After the race Mike's little sister Karly came over since she was in town visiting and we took her to the football game with us. It was really fun since we have not seen her since January so we were happy to have her here. The Cougars won so it was a good time for everyone (except the 5 New Mexico fans that were there). Go Cougs!

Jessica and I after our race.

Karly and I at the game

Mike and Lacey

Mike and Karly

Wednesday and Thursday (Days Five and Six)

2008-10-07T22:32:00.001-07:00

Wednesday we went to the Louvre and decided to pretty much dedicate a whole day to it. I love art galleries and museums so I knew I would need a lot of time there. When I lived in Portland one of my very favorite things to do was to go to the Pearl District and look at all the art galleries, I think I did that like once a month. Anyways, the Louvre is so huge we were there for 6 hours (that is not including our lunch break) and we still did not see everything. We got there early in the morning so we could be in the front of the line which worked out really well. As soon as we got in and got our map we went straight to the Mona Lisa because we figured that would be one of the busiest attractions. We were right. By the time we got there there were already a lot of people there but we were able to get up as close as we could. The actual painting was smaller than I thought it would be but it was really pretty. After that we decided to go in order. There were tons of huge paintings that were about 5 times taller than Mike. It was so crazy, I have no idea how they painted something so big and made it look so awesome. We also got to see the Venus de Milo which was really cool, everything is just way more beautiful in real life than it is in the pictures, they do not do it justice. We got to see ancient paintings, artifacts and sculpture's from pretty much everywhere you could imagine in the world. It was awesome. Another highlight was the Coronation Crown of Louis XV. They actually have the crowns that he and his wife were crowned with. The jewels in the crowns are so big they look fake and the room they were kept in was possibly the most ornate rooms I have ever been in. I really like that there was a lot of religious art too it was really cool. We had so much fun, we could have spent days and days in the Louvre and still not have seen everything, the size of it kind of blows my mind. After we were done we decided to walk through the gardens in front of the Louvre and that was fun we also walked through the Square where Marie Antoinette was beheaded. And I tried to take a picture of the outside of the United States Consulate and I got yelled at by a french solider that was guarding the place. We think there was someone really important staying there because the street was blocked off and everything. After that we just went home, we were exhausted from the Louvre.
Thursday we went to the Musee d'Orsay which is a more modern museum with more contemporary paintings. They had tons of Van Goghs. I love Van Gogh, I have a few prints of his in my apartment and a few books on him so it was really cool to see a whole room of just his paintings. We also saw a few Monets and Reniors so it was really cool. After the Orsay we pretty much did all of our souvenir shopping and walked around the city one last time.
We left early Friday morning and it was raining, it was a very sad day. We got to the airport in plenty of time and even got to fly business class on the way home again so that was like another mini vacation in itself. We had the best time of our lives and are looking forward to going back one day.

Happy Anniversary (Day Four in Paris)

2008-10-07T20:21:00.000-07:00

Ok so I am a total slacker. We have been home for like 2 months but I am just putting up these pictures. Tuesday in Paris was our anniversary. We were celebrating 2 years of marriage and lets be honest is there any better way to do that than to be in Paris? Not for me. We decided to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower for our anniversary. We got up early because we wanted to be at the beginning of the line. We actually decided to walk there because it was only like a little over a mile and we wanted to take in as much of Paris as we could. We got there and got in line and only waited for like half an hour once they opened. It was so awesome. First you go to like the middle deck where there is a gift shop and stuff. It was nice because you are still pretty high up but you don't have the cage around you like they do on the very top but you still have a really good view. So we took a few pictures and looked around and then headed to the elevator to go to the top. It was pretty scary because when your walking around town the Eiffel Tower doesn't look as tall as it is but when you're in the elevator going to the top you just keep going up and up and you feel like you should have been to the top of it already. So once we got to the top the view was SO beautiful. They had an indoor observation deck where we could see everything and they had a little diagram showing where everything was as you were looking out. Then you could go outside to the deck, it was SO high up it was so cool. There is of course caging so that people don't jump off and on one side of it the wind was CRAZY so we mostly stayed on the non windy side. It was so awesome. After we were done at the tower we had lunch which was ham and cheese baguettes. I am seriously obsessed with ham and cheese baguettes. All it is is Swiss cheese, ham and mayo on a baguette usually served with chips or fries. You can get this meal pretty much anywhere in Paris during the day. It is so good one of the first things we did when we got home was go to Costco and buy baguettes for sandwiches. Anyways we had lunch under the Eiffel Tower. We were trying to decided what to do after that and of course I needed some shoes so we spent the entire afternoon walking around Paris looking for shoes, it was pretty much the best day of my life. We went to the nicest mall I have ever seen in my life, it was SO beautiful. It is called the Galeries Lafayette. There was like every major fashion house you could think of and they each had their own little section in each department. It was incredible, I cannot wait to actually buy stuff from them one day! After we were done shopping we went home to a gourmet meal that Kelly prepared for us and she got us this amazing dessert from a little bakery by her apartment. It was the best anniversary I could ever imagine. I have such a wonderful husband who is the best husband in the world for me. I cannot wait for many many more anniversaries together, hopefully we will get to spend more of them in Paris :)

Monday in Paris (Day Three)

2008-09-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

OK so I have been a total slacker as far as my blog goes lately but my vacation pictures are a little overwhelming and I am busy/lazy, I fully admit that. Ok so Monday in Paris we got up to a gourmet breakfast made by Kelly, Charlie left on a business trip to Sweden that day so we decided to do the Red Bus tour with Kelly. The Red Bus tour is really fun because it takes you to all of the really touristy places like the Notre Dame, and the Louvre and Eiffel Tower and all of that good stuff. You get to get off at each stop and spend as much time as you want there and then hop back on the next bus (they come like every 15 minutes) and go to the next site. We got on by the Arc because that was the closest stop to their apartment and we took the bus down this really cool street from the Arc called the Avenue des Champs-Elysees it had lots of cool shops on it and from that we went to the Eiffel Tower. We took TONS of pictures of the Tower, it is SO beautiful I am in love with it. We walked around the base of it (we waited to go to the top of it until our anniversary). When you do the Bus Tour you get like a discount on a river boat tour so we went on the boat tour of the Seine River from the Eiffel Tower and it was really cool. There were actually house boats on it and it runs through the entire city. The coolest part was that you get to see all of the bridges in Paris and each one has its own story so it was really cool to learn about each one. Like one was built out of stones that came from a jail where people were unjustly held so they built the bridge/road out of those stones to trample on the injustices that occurred in that jail. Each one had a specific reason like that so I loved it.
After that we got back on the bus and headed to the Notre Dame. It was really busy and we were a little tired so we decided to get lunch at a cute little cafe by the Notre Dame. It was so cute, that is probably my favorite thing about Paris, there are cute little cafes that are every where! You can just stop and get a Coke and sit down for a minute or get lunch or dinner. I wish we had that here in good ol' Provo. Anyways after lunch we walked around inside Notre Dame and it is SO beautiful. They have these amazing stained glass windows that have such amazing detail and the inside is made of this beautiful stone, I loved it. After we did the inside Mike decided he wanted to go to the top. We had to stand in line for like 45 minutes but it was so worth it. You walk up this little stair case made of stone and it looks like you are on a movie set it is awesome. Then you get to this level which is about 3/4 of the way up and that is where you can go in the bell tower. They have the story of Quasimodo so that was cool. The bell was huge that we got to see. Then we got to to the very top. It was an amazing view of Paris. After that we rode the red bus home and went out to a very nice dinner with Kelly at a really cute little restaurant around the corner from their apartment. It was really good food, no raw hamburger so that is always a plus.

Sunday in Paris (Day Two).

2008-08-27T14:10:00.000-07:00

Ok I just need to make sure I mention what AMAZING hosts Charlie and Kelly were. Every morning when we woke up they made us a perfect little french breakfast of croissants, fruit and cheese. It was fabulous. So first we had our proper french breakfast, then we went down to rent bikes because we had a bike ride planned through this really nice park. At the end of the park is Roland Garros Stadium where they play the French Open for Tennis. Mike really liked it and it was really cool to visit. We were just wandering around and accidentally stumbled into the center court where they play the really big matches so that was really cool to see. After that we went to the Tuileries Gardens which is this beautiful garden right in front of the Louvre. We went on this giant ferris wheel which was awesome because we could see awesome views of the city. So there was like a carnival going on right next to the garden and somehow Kelly talked me into doing this bungee ride where they strap you in to this metal cage thing and there are two bungee cords on each side and then they just like fling you up in the air. It was really scary but it was really really fun. They video recorded us while we were in it too so that was pretty fun to watch. After that we went home and then went out to dinner. That was quite an experience. First I tried escargot, yep snails. It actually was not that bad and just kind of was the same consistency as calamari, and it just tasted like butter and garlic and all the other seasonings it was cooked in. So I felt pretty brave since I had done some pretty adventurous things that day. However at dinner we saw what the table next to us had ordered.... raw hamburger. Yep a big pile of raw hamburger. Apparently that is quite common in the summer for people to eat. To top that off they crack a raw egg on top of the raw hamburger and mix it all together. It was really gross and I was for sure not going to try that one. We however ordered cooked meat and made sure to order it well done!!

Our First Day In Paris

2008-08-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

Ok so I am finally putting up our pictures from our trip to Paris. I decided that I would just do slide shows for each day we were there. So this is our first day. We arrived in Paris at like 6:15 in the morning and surprised Charlie and Kelly at how early we were. We walked to the Arc de Triomphe which is like just a few blocks from Charlie and Kelly's apartment where we were staying. It was so beautiful! The detail that they were able to build everything with is absolutely amazing. There are also tons of pictures of just random streets. I was in love with how beautiful all of the streets were. Then we got on the Metro and went to the Moulin Rouge, I really wanted to see that because I love the movie. After the Moulin Rouge we went to this church called the Basilique du Sacre Coeur. It is sitting on top of a hill and you can see a view of whole city from the front of it. It was so cool and behind the church was this little place where there were all these artists painting pictures. They would come up to you and want to paint your picture and they were all so good. It was really cool. After that we went and had lunch and went shopping at this cute little village. We went home to take a little nap at around 4p.m. and Mike and I fell asleep for the whole night. It was a great day.

Bonjour!!

2008-08-16T22:48:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!! So we made it to France with out any problems. We even got to fly in Business class from Atlanta to Paris. It was so amazing. You get really nice meals and you own personal little TV with movies and TV shows and everything on it. It was the best flight ever. You also get like a big recliner seat and it has so much leg room! It was way better than our flight from SLC to Atlanta where we barely had any room at all. The flight from Atlanta to Paris was about 7 hours but it actually went by pretty fast. We were able to sleep so that was nice and we arrived in Paris at about 5 a.m.(Paris time).
So this is pretty much the most amazing place I have ever been in my whole life. All of the streets are so gorgeous. Everything is old but its not dirty and ghetto. It is SO beautiful. All of the streets are so amazing and every one has these cute little balcony's. I have taken so many pictures of just like the streets we walked down. Yesterday when we got here we went and walked around the Arc De Triumph and then we rode the metro around Paris. We went and saw the Moulin Rouge which was really cool, we didn't go inside though so don't worry. Then we went to this huge old church with the most breathtaking view of the city. We could see like all of Paris, it was awesome. We also went yesterday to the Pairs Opera House. It has these incredible gold statues on the top of it that are so pretty. Then we came home to take a nap and Mike and I ended up going to sleep for the whole night. I guess that traveling 6,000 miles really takes it out of you.
The apartment we are staying in is also SO awesome. It is like exactly what you would picture a cute little french apartment to look like. It just seems like everything here is so chic. I cant wait to put up the pictures I have taken. We are having the best time ever and I know that I am not going to want to come home!! Well I had better wrap it up so I can go see more of Paris.
Au revoir!!!!

The past month in a nut shell!

2008-08-11T21:49:00.000-07:00

Ok so let me start by admitting what a complete slacker I have been for the past month!! I have been busy/lazy and that = no posting! I will start from the beginning. On July 19 Jessie and I ran another 5k, she kicked my butt again by like 3 or 4 whole minutes. I did improve on my time and this race felt way better than my first one did so that was good and hopefully I can do another one before the summer is over.

Mike's little brother Bryan came and stayed with us for a week before he went to EFY. I think he was bored out of his mind the whole time and played hours upon hours of wii. While Bryan was here I decided that it would be a good idea to go lay out with one of my favorite friends in the world, Karly, for a few hours. It was pioneer day and I didn't have to go to work, so I just decided to do one of my absolute favorite things. Well considering that I have not been tanning in like a year and it was over 100 degrees that day, it was a very bad idea. To make my very bad idea even worst, I did not put any sunscreen on, I just sprayed my self from head to toe in tanning oil. I ended up getting pretty much the worst sunburn of my whole life. This was the mother of all sunburns. I figured out that the blistering meant that it was a second degree burn. I literally laid in bed for about 4 days. I am still peeling (the grossest thing of my life) and it has been almost 3 weeks! Needless to say I have learned my lesson and will always wear at least 30 SPF sunscreen. (You didn't think i was going to swear off tanning did you??) Karly did save my life however by introducing me to the show Prison Break which I am totally obsessed with! I am done with the whole first season and am anxiously awaiting season two from her :)

Mike has been very busy studying for his finals. He is doing really good so far, he got A's on the two he has already taken and will take his last one on Thursday. He is very ready for our vacation simply to be done with school for a few weeks.

Last week was a great week because I finished Breaking Dawn on Wednesday. It was basically one of the best books I have ever read. As much as I would love to blog about it all night long Val has not started yet :( so I will have to keep my comments to my self for now so that I don't spoil if for her.

And now this week we are getting ready for our vacation!!! We are leaving at the end of this week and It doesn't even seem like we are really going. I am so excited but have SO much to do before we leave it is a little overwhelming. However it will all be worth it. Our Anniversary is next week so we are so incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to spend it in Paris!

Summer at Snowbird

2008-07-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

So since I moved to Utah I have wanted to go on the Alpine slide because everyone always says how fun it is, so this last weekend finally went!! It was so much fun! My little sister Brooke is here watching our niece for a few weeks so we wanted to do something fun while she was here and the great thing about living in Utah is that there is so much fun stuff that is so close! I never thought I would like it this much in Utah but the summers are so fun and there is always something fun to do that is close by.

We went up to Snowbird resort and did the Zip line, the Alpine slide, had a little picnic and we rode the Tram up the mountain. (Which by the way was one of the scariest things I have ever done. It is like riding a big bus with no seats up a mountain but you are like a hundred feet above the ground and the whole thing is just on cables and there are like 80 people on this thing. No one else seemed to think it was as scary as I did but it seriously freaked me out so Mike and I rode the ski lift back down) Valerie, Mike and I also did the mechanical bull. It was so hilarious so I am providing you the video of it. Overall it was so much fun, I cant wait to go again!!

Freedom Festival 2008

2008-07-07T21:31:00.000-07:00

So the 4th of July is one of my very favorite holidays. Probably because it is warm as opposed to Christmas and Thanksgiving, my other two favs and it doubles as my mom's birthday. This year was a great 4th of July here in Provo, they really out do themselves and I love every minute of it. I started my day with the 5K Freedom Run. It was really fun and I am so glad that Jessica got me into it. I hadn't even been running in like 3 weeks but decided to do it anyways. I did better than I thought I would but it still kind of kicked my butt. They planned it just right so it ended with a hill and that was the hardest part. I cant wait for our next one. After that Mike and I walked to the parade and it was really fun. The parade was huge (well compared to anything K-town puts on) Glenn Beck was even in it! That afternoon we had some friends from Rexburg here and Val, Jeff and Halle over for a little BBQ and then we walked up to campus and found an awesome spot to watch the fireworks from the Stadium of Fire. I love fireworks, they are my absolute favorite, I get really excited about them. I am sad that its over but we had a blast!

Jessica and I after our run

Everyone before the fireworks started.

Birthday Extravaganza!!

2008-07-01T18:41:00.000-07:00

Ok so my birthday was last week and if you have checked out Mikespace lately you know that Mike put in about 3 hours of hard work assembling the entertainment center while I basically sat around and got in the way. Occasionally I handed him like a nail or whatever little widget he needed to put it together so I thought I would post a picture to show his hard work. It looks really good and I love it!! We also went and saw Jerry Seinfeld on Friday night. I surprised Mike and got him tickets for his birthday which was like a month ago. Now I do not really like the show Seinfeld but if any of you know anything about my husband you will know that he is obsessed. We have every season of the whole series and if Mike ever has an extra few minutes between work and school and LSAT then he is probably watching an episode of Seinfeld and when I get home I usually want to turn it off. However, even though I was very skeptical about the whole thing, I must say that it was absolutely HILARIOUS! We had awesome seats too, we were in the balcony but at the very front so Mike's seat was actually over the stage. It was cool because we could see his facial expressions and everything. I laughed so hard that when we came out my face was like tired from laughing so much. We had a great time and I feel like I gained a new appreciation for Seinfeld.
After the Seinfeld show we met up with my parents and went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner which was SO good. On the way to dinner as we were driving on State Street through Murray UT, my dad took us by Stauffer Lane (Stauffer is my maiden name for those of you who don't know) so it was cool to see where my dad's grandparents used to live. I guess they used to own a lot of property there but donated it to the church when they died so there is a chapel on the land now which was cool.
Overall it was a great birthday weekend and I was really happy to have my family down to visit.

Hiking the Y

2008-06-19T21:22:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our little hike the other day when Bobbiejane was visiting. I really like this hike for a few reasons 1) It really doesn't take a lot of time and/or planning 2) It is always a pretty good workout and 3) You get a really pretty view of the Valley. For some reason in my mind I never think it will be as hard as it is, I guess since we see it every day I don't think much of it but it always kicks my trash since I am not really in shape. Anyways, we had a really fun time with Bobbiejane, which lets face it how could we not?

Summer Is Finally Here!

2008-06-12T22:27:00.000-07:00

Ok so here I am. It seems like every one I know these days has a blog so I finally decided it was time for me to join the club. At first I resisted just because everyone else was doing it but I did that with the Twilight books and then once I gave in I realized just why everyone was so obsessed and now I am too. I have a feeling that I am not going to love blogging quite as much, but it is fun so far.

I am so excited for it to be summer!! We are going to be very busy this summer and I know it will be gone before we know it. My parents are coming down on Sunday for Fathers Day so I am really excited to see them even though it has not even been a week since I saw my mom last. (I LOVE that she gets to come down and visit us so much!) My birthday is in 2 weeks, I am not particularly excited about turning 24 but I think I will survive. Ginny and the boys are coming down in July and get to stay for a few days so we are looking forward to that since we don't get to see them enough. Then in August for our second anniversary we get to go to Paris! It will pretty much be the best summer vacation we will ever take. I am so excited it has always been my lifelong dream to go to Paris and now I finally get to go. We just got our passports in the mail yesterday so it made it feel a little more official but it is still hard to believe that I actually get to go!! It will be amazing and to top it off I get to go with my best friend, who happens to be the cutest husband I know!