LisaLoefflerLiving

SUPERBOWL!

2012-02-12T18:59:00.000-08:00

It's all about the food! We are house-less this year, so Steve and Mary were good enough to host the party this year!

The Fam!

Who's playing again? I'm only here for the food and commercials!

Daddy surprised everyone by flying home Superbowl Sunday! What a treat! We have missed you so much as you have been traveling so much lately....So fun!

We cheered on the New York Giants and they won!

Aspen's Art....priceless?

2012-02-12T18:42:00.000-08:00

Aspen came home one day with this beautiful piece of art and I thought to myself...hmmmm...this is pretty good! Let's see what a professional, world-famous art collecter would bid on something like this. Well, below is the response!

There you go! Not too bad, Aspen!

Cousins

2012-02-12T18:34:00.000-08:00

Gosh these girls are growing up way too fast! They all got together for Laila's birthday at the mall for some shopping fun!

They'll pose in front of the carousel, but there was a day when they would want to do nothing BUT ride the carousel....now, they prefer shopping!

Too cute!!!!

Aspen and Atallia have become the favorite babysitters for Mahala and Isaac!

Sundance Film Festival...without the "Film"!

2012-02-06T13:04:00.000-08:00

When my cousin Stacy announced on Facebook that she was coming to Utah for the film festival, I thought..."oh shoot, I missed it again!" If you don't get your tickets way in advance, you can just forget about seeing any films. Anyway, that was no excuse for me to not go up there and participate in the fun anyway! Dillon happened to be at home for the weekend, so we ran up to Park City to hang out with my funnest cousin! We laughed and had such a good time! She's hilarious! Anyway, we ate some italian, meandered up and down Main Street Park City, visited some Art Galleries, drank hot cocoa and tea, and froze! It was mighty cold! So, although I missed the films and the famous people, we had a wonderful time together enjoying the sights and sounds. Next year, maybe I'll get my act together and actually see some films!

Me 'n Stacy

Dillon, Stacy and I at a little Italian restaurant on Main. It wasn't the best, but the conversation was!

Stacy bought me a souvenir! I love my hat!

We discoved this amazing tea at one of the art galleries....sooooo good! Now, I just need to find out where to buy it!

Jam inspired by my Pinterest ADDICTION!

2012-02-06T12:55:00.000-08:00

Ok, I LOVE Pinterest! Who doesn't? My obsession is demonstrated by all of the food and leftover gifts for every occasion accumulating on the counters and under every table of our little town home! I can't help myself! As one who loves to create, this Pinterest thing has been the most amazing obsession since scrapbooking (for me)...anyway, I just love it! I find all of the most creative, brilliant ideas there and of course, I have to try everything! Although I have tried many food recipes and craft ideas, here is one of my favorites....

Meyer lemon, orange and fresh ginger marmalade....Oh my yummmmmm! This is some seriously good stuff! And...this makes the perfect gift. You never know when you're gonna need one!

I wasn't inspired to make strawberry jam on pinterest, rather I was inspired by the empty bottle of jam in the fridge! I just can't eat store bought jam. DELISH :)

2012-02-03T15:01:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'm back! I left for a minute..thinking facebook was a better option, but am back to blogging to 1) journal regularly and 2) post pictures. My eventual goal will be to print this book out at the end of the year so we can have a record (book)about what happened in the daily lives of our family for the year! Wish me luck.....

House progress...

2012-01-30T12:05:00.000-08:00

A house of this size definitely takes T I M E~ here are some progress photos for January. We couldn't have been luckier building now....a very mild winter makes things go a lot faster and easier. It has been a beautiful winter and the weather has been just perfect!

The outside is looking good, roof almost on. Tyvek on. Yippee!

Next, we move to the I N S I D E!

Zac Brown Concert

2012-01-23T12:18:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm a huge Country Music fan! And....I LOVE Zac Brown! So, when Dave caught wind of my desire to attend the concert, of course he made it happen (he's so good at doing that!!!!) Anyhoo....I invited a few of my country lovin' friends to join in the fun (Angelina, Heidi and...ummm....Ashley? She doesn't love country music so much, but she's always in for a good time!). We met at Chili's for dinner, then went to the AMAZING concert...what a talented group of guys! Oh, did I forget to mention that the one and only snow/sleet storm to hit Utah hit that night, so we got plenty wet! Oh well, the whole evening was JUST AMAZING! We had a blast and look forward to our next show...Lady Antebellum! Yipppppeeeee!

Happy Birthday Dillon!

2012-01-12T11:46:00.000-08:00

Here he is....my baby boy turned 20! It is unbelievable how time has flown....just yesterday he was sucking his thumb and snuggling me on the couch. Now he is a college student traveling the country competing and conquering in the debate world. I couldn't be more proud of my only son! Dillon, you bring so much joy and happiness to our family. Your calm demeanor keeps us all grounded and your unconditional love for your family is priceless! You make me so happy and I am honored to be your mother. Happy Birthday!

all of my babies!

Yes, Dillio....you got your height from me :)

Our traditional Japanese birthday dinner at Bonsai! Yummmmm

Ok, you didn't get your height from me....but, you definitely got your good looks from me!

2011-10-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

Free picture collage generated with Smilebox

Jaden Smith says hello to my girls!

2011-02-14T08:01:00.000-08:00

Dave's friend, Jaden Smith, says hello to Aspen, Atallia, Lisette and Laila! How cool is that????

Valentine S'mores in a Jar

2011-02-12T09:22:00.000-08:00

I made these adorable Valentine S'mores in a Jar originally just for the girls' teacher gifts, but found them so fun to make that I ended up making 10 of them and will end up giving them out randomly as Valentine gifts for family and friends.

I saw this cute idea on this blog: http://blog.embellishedbayou.com/2010/10/more-halloween-treats-smores-in-jar.html, however, it was a Halloween one using ghost peeps and fall colored m & m's. I just adjusted the recipe using heart shaped peeps and Valentine m & m's. Also, it calls for 8-12 peeps but I couldn't squeeze that many into the jar. I only ended up using 5, but you can adjust according to the size peeps you're using.

Ingredients:
1 quart mason jar
1 sleeve graham crackers
1 package holiday marshmallow peeps
one bag of holiday M&Ms candies
1/3 cup of brown sugar
Directions:
1. Crush 1 sleeve graham crackers to crumbs.
2. Layer 2/3 of the graham cracker crumbs in a 1 qt jar. Pack down the crumbs a bit.
3. Arrange 8 to 12 marshmallow holiday peeps standing up, facing out around the inside of the jar. Press them up against the glass.
4. Carefully spoon remaining cracker crumbs in the center of the jar to support the peeps, pressing down to keep it snug.
5. On top of this pour 1-1/4 cup M&M's in holiday colors.
7. Spoon 1/3 cup brown sugar into center of M&M's, gently pressing with a spoon. If you have any room left over, fill the jar to the top with M&Ms.
Cooking directions:
1. Empty the jar contents into a bowl.
Snip the peeps into bits with kitchen shears or cut up with a knife.
Return the peep bits to the mixture. Mix well.
2. Melt 1/2 cup butter; add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour this over the dry ingredients, mixing well. Pat into a greased 8" or 9" square pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.

Chocolate Satin Mint Cake

2010-12-05T10:43:00.000-08:00

Filling:

1 pkg. (8oz) cream cheese softened

1/4 c. sugar

2 T. softened butter

1 T. cornstarch

1 egg

2 T. milk

3/4 t. peppermint extract

Cake:

1 pkg (18.25 oz.) devils food cake mix

1 c. water

1/3 c. vegetable oil

3 eggs

Glaze and Drizzle:

1/3 c. light corn syrup

1/3 c. whipping cream

6 sq. (1 oz. each) semi sweet chocolate for baking, finely chopped

2 sq. (1 oz each) white chocolate for baking

2 t. vegetable oil

1/4 t. peppermint extract

Preheat oven to 325. Spray bundt pan with cooking spray. For filling, beat cream cheese, sugar, butter and cornstarch in bowl until well blended. Add egg, milk and extract. Mix until smooth, set aside.

For cake, combine cake mix, water, oil and eggs and mix according to package directions. Spread 2 c. cake batter evenly in pan. Spread evenly with filling. Slowly pour remaining cake batter over filling. Bake 55-65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Loosen cake from edge and center of pan. Invert onto cooling rack. Cool completely. Place rack over wax paper.

For glaze, bring corn syrup and whipping cream to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove pan from heat. Add semi-sweet chocolate, stirring until smooth. Spread 2/3 c. glaze smoothly over top and side of cake. Freeze cake 5 minutes until glaze is almost set. Meanwhile, keep remaining glaze warm over low heat. Slowly pour over cake. Remove cake to serving platter. Refrigerate until glaze is firm, about 1 hour. For drizzle, microwave white chocolate and oil on high 1 minute 30 seconds or until smooth when stirred. Stir in extract. Drizzle over cake. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Garnish as desired

Pumpkin Bread Trifle

2010-12-01T09:32:00.001-08:00

This is a lovely way to use up pumpkin bread! I made this for a sister I visit teach who is struggling with cancer. This is a very simple recipe:

1 loaf of pumpkin bread

1 small package vanilla instant pudding (cheesecake would be nice too!)

1/2 c. water

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 carton cool whip

extra cool whip for garnish, nuts, sprinkles, etc...

Cut pumpkin bread into cubes. Combine pudding, water, condensed milk and cool whip and until thickened. Alternate bread with filling in a trifle dish, then garnish as desired. Refrigerate for 4 hours.

Getting Ready for Christmas!

2010-12-01T08:15:00.001-08:00

Digital greeting card created with Smilebox

Thanksgiving Teacher gifts

2010-11-24T10:29:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun making these adorable gifts for the girls' teachers this Thanksgiving. The girls have been so blessed with great teachers....we can't acknowledge or thank them enough!

Atallia's 10th Birthday Invitations

2010-11-16T18:22:00.001-08:00

Atallia's party isn't for another month, but at least her invitations won't be late! I thought they turned out so cute.....just like her :)

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-13T09:45:00.000-08:00

Invitation customized with Smilebox

LOVE this quote!!!!

2010-11-11T13:20:00.001-08:00

CREATE

Fall Soap Gift

2010-11-11T11:15:00.000-08:00

I made these for my visiting teachees, too!

Holiday Orange Pumpkin Bread

2010-11-11T10:43:00.000-08:00

This is what I made for my visiting teachees this month!

Holiday Orange Pumpkin Bread

3 1/2 c. flour 2 c. solid pack pumpkin

1 t. baking powder 1 c. oil

2 t. baking soda 3 c. sugar

1 t. cloves 3 eggs

1 t. cinnamon 1 c. chopped walnuts

1 t. nutmeg 1 c. raisins (optional)

1/2 t. salt

Orange Glaze

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar 1 t. grated orange peel

6 t. orange juice additional chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 loaf pans with cooking spray (I get 4 mini loaves and 1 medium sized loaves from this recipe.) In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the pumpkin, oil, sugar, and eggs. Mix until well blended. Add dry ingredients and mix well. By hand, stir in the walnuts and raisins if desired. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely.

For Orange Glaze: Combine powdered sugar, orange peel and orange juice in small bowl. Stir with spoon to blend. Spoon over tops of cooled loaves, letting excess run down sides. Sprinkle with additional nuts before glaze hardens.

Mock Apples (Apple Cobbler, Crisp, pie, etc)

2010-09-28T11:57:00.001-07:00

I forgot to take a picture of this delicious dessert! I was too anxious to feed it to my family and get their reaction. They loved it and had no idea it was zucchini! Thanks to Karen Springer for sharing this recipe:

Mock Apples (for applesauce, pie, cobbler, etc.)

Zucchini, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks or slices to look like apples (8-10 cups)

1/3 c. lemon juice (may need a little more depending on how much squash you use)

1 to 1 1/2 c. sugar (or to taste)

1 1/2 t. cinnamon (or to taste)

nutmeg, optional

In a large saucepan, over medium-low heat, cook and stir zucchini in lemon juice for 15-20 minutes or until desired tenderness (more for applesauce, less for pies, cobblers, etc.). Add sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg (if using); simmer 1-2 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Drain if needed (reserve liquid to add back if desired).

If making applesauce, simply mash or process until desired texture.

If using as a filling, you may need to add some sort of thickener (I used cornstarch mixed with cold water). Add it to the mixture above and cook another 1 - 2 minutes to thicken. You want some "juiciness" prior to baking so that it bubbles through the cobbler but not so much that it is runny (I made the mistake of not allowing enough juice because you want it to be juicy). You also may need to add additional sugar/spices depending on what you are making.

My favorite cobbler topping is as follows:

1 c. flour

1 c. sugar

1/4 t. salt

1 t. baking powder

1 egg

6 T. butter

vanilla ice cream and nuts, if desired

Mix flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Beat egg until light and work into flour mixture until crumbly. Take this by the handfuls and crumble over "apples". Melt butter and pour over top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes , until crust is lightly browned. Watch carefully...all ovens cook differently :)

My long hair!

2010-09-14T18:24:00.000-07:00

Ashley has tried to talk me into extensions ever since she graduated from hair school. And me, being the ever so practical, low maintenance kind of gal always said "no, thanks...they're not for me." Anyway, as you can see, I gave in to her not only because she really, really wanted to, but because I figured she could always use the practice! I kind of got lucky because I got mine done for free! Also, as it turns out, I have discovered that I am pretty much one of the very last people on earth to have them or to have had them! Everyone I have run into either have them or used to have them! Now I feel like I finally fit in! The extensions feel like I'm wearing a helmet on my head, and they itch like crazy, but I am having fun and am enjoying the change! Thanks for convincing me to do it, Ash! I love my new look!

The "Other" First Day of School- Challenger!

2010-08-31T18:02:00.000-07:00

We decided last minute to put our girls into Challenger Private School after two days at their elementary school. We have loved Ridgeline for a lot of reasons, but felt the need to move our girls to a school where they would receive more one on one attention. Not only did we decide they needed to be challenged more academically, but we felt that because we are moving to Draper in a year, they would be able to still stay at this school and not have to change schools as well as homes. Anyway, as it turns out, they love it! It has proven to be stressful at times and there have definitely been tears, but it has really worked out well. We love the uniforms, we love the extended day program which allows them to complete their homework at school with a teacher's help and we love the people there! All employees and teachers alike are all so positive and determined to see each student succeed. What I love is the emphasis they put on building confidence which is something Atallia can really benefit from. The thing we hope our girls learn the most from this experience is to strive to be the best they can be. That to overcome challenges is how we grow as human beings and, as Calvin Coolidge has said, "nothing in the world can take the place of persistence." We are so proud of our girls for accepting this challenge and we are confident that they will become stronger, more intelligent individuals capable of being the very best they can be.

Back to School!

2010-08-26T12:45:00.001-07:00

The girls were so excited for their first day of school! I love this chance to take photos of my girls every year in the same spot in our front yard. Next year, who knows where the pictures will be taken. Hopefully our new home will be finished by then and then we will have to find a new spot to take our annual 1st day of school photos. Until then, we will enjoy where we are and what we are doing. Enjoy your day girls...mommy loves you!

Teacher Appreciation Thank You Gift

2010-03-23T18:32:00.000-07:00

I found this cute idea here: http://everythingispink.blogspot.com/2007/05/teacher-gifts-but-with-end-of-year.html and made it for Atallia's darling 3rd grade teacher. It was so much fun to make and turned out great! I found the glue called "padding compound glue" at Xpedx.

The BEST Carrot Cake!!!!

2010-03-03T20:07:00.000-08:00

I totally forgot to take a picture! Anyone who knows me knows I am such a HUGE fan of carrot cake and this is one of the best I've ever tasted! Here's the recipe....

2 c. flour

2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

2 t. cinnamon

3 large eggs

2 c. sugar

3/4 c. vegetable oil

3/4 c. buttermilk

2 t. vanilla

2 c. grated carrot

1 - 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained

1 - 3.5 oz. can sweetened flaked coconut

1 c. chopped pecans

Buttermilk glaze

Cream Cheese Frosting

Line 3 (9 inch) round cake pans with waxed paper; grease and flour waxed paper. Set pans aside (Don't neglect this step!)

Stir together first 4 ingredients. Beat eggs and next 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Fold in carrot and next 3 ingredients. Pour batter into prepared cake pans.

Bake at 350 for 20 - 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Drizzle Buttermilk Glaze evenly over layers; cool layers in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks. Spread Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Yield: 1 (3-layer) cake.

Buttermilk Glaze:

1 c. sugar

1 1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 c. buttermilk

1/2 c. butter

1 T. light corn syrup

1 t. vanilla

Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Boil, stirring often, 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 - 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened

1 - 3 oz. package cream cheese, softened

3/4 c. butter, softened

1 - 16 oz. package powdered sugar, sifted

1 1/2 t. vanilla

Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth.

Recipes - Honey Bran Muffins, Oatmeal Bread

2010-02-19T15:38:00.000-08:00

Oatmeal Bread

2 cups boiling water

1 cup oats (I used quick)

1/3 c. warm warm water

2 T. SAF instant yeast

3 T. oil

2/3 c. brown sugar

2 t. salt

About 5 c. flour (you can use 1 c. wheat flour)

Add oats to boiling water, set aside. In large mixing bowl, mix warm water, yeast, oil, sugar, salt and 2 c. flour. Add oat mixture and beat til smooth. Add enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Divide dough in half and form into 2 loaves. Place in greased loaf pans and let raise til doubled, about 50 minutes. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Brush hot loaves with butter. Makes 2 small loaves.

Bran Muffins

(tastes like Mimi's Cafe bran muffins)

Muffin mix:

4 c. bran 1/2 c. oil

2 c. flour 1/2 c. honey

1/2 c. brown sugar 2 eggs

1/2 c. sugar 1 c. buttermilk

1 t. salt 1 3/4 c. water

1 1/2 t. soda

Honey Smear: (I doubled this to make the muffins extra gooey!)

1/4 c. melted butter 1/4 c. honey

3/4 c. brown sugar 1 T. water

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients included in the muffin mix. Mix well. In a separate bowl, combine all ingredients for the Honey Smear and mix well. Spray Pam into cupcake tins (make sure you do this after each batch). Spread 1 t. (or more!) Honey Smear into each cup with a brush. On top of the Honey Smear, fill each muffin tin 1/2 to 2/3 full (this will spill over if they are too full). Bake 13 minutes at 400 degrees. Turn over immediately onto sheet pan when done. I also put more of the honey smear on the bottom of the hot muffins. Enjoy!

I've switched!

2009-08-05T08:49:00.000-07:00

My neglected blog is due to my fascination with FACEBOOK. Join me there for updates, pictures and fun! Lisa Corpuz Loeffler...see you there!

American Idols 2009

2009-05-31T15:45:00.000-07:00

How could you not take a picture with Tatianna? I ran into her in the bathroom and she's a hoot - totally nuts! I loved it!

Me and the "Dogg"

What a guy! So nice and hilarious!

Loved Danny! He would have talked for hours...loved his performance with Lionel, too!

Anoop was so quiet and just a nice guy! He was my pick in the beginning to win...oh well, I guess I was wrong!

Dave booked me a last minute flight to LA to join in the American Idol mayhem and that's indeed what it was! I landed in LA, then ran straight to rehearsals. I barely had time to change my clothes (in the parking garage and in the car), but had zero time to fix my hair or make up or anything!!!! Oh well, I look like a doofus, but had an amazing time at the show and the after parties. I even enjoyed dinner at Wolfgang Puck's with guess who? Wolfgang Puck himself! Totally cool and totally delicious! Then it was to bed and back to SLC in the morning. Such a fun, quick trip and oh so memorable!

Join the Fight!

2009-04-30T20:56:00.000-07:00

Michelle is my brother's wife and quite possibly one of the sweetest, kindest people you could ever know! We love her soooooo much and pray every day that she can beat this thing...she's a fighter and has a lot of people on her side! We love you Michelle!

Stagecoach Festival 2009 - Indio, California

2009-04-30T13:58:00.000-07:00

Dave refused to wear a cowboy hat! I totally think he would look hot...maybe next year???

Me with Miranda Lambert playing in the background. Beautiful weather and lots of beer drinkers! People watching at its best...

Dave and I stayed at the AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL La Quinta Resort in our own little casita! The spa was INCREDIBLE!

Me and Kenny Chesney! What a treat! He's much hotter in his cowboy hat and tight jeans, though. What a nice guy and an utter thrill to meet him! Dave worked so hard to get me to this moment... Thanks, baby...you're the best!!!!

Adult Easter Egg Race for cash

2009-04-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

Every year we host a very fun Easter celebration for the family. The most anticipated event, as you can imagine, is the Easter Egg Race for ca$h. This year I caught some of it on video. Although the event is so much more hilarious in person, here is a short snippit of the fun we had. Congratulations to Hillary for finding the $100 egg and Dillon for finding the $50 egg. Some others walked away with a $20, $10 or $5, while most walked away with $1's. There were an unlucky "slow" few who collected nothing but empty eggs. That's ok because the food and family time more than made up for the lack of cash. Happy Easter to all and we look forward to doing it again next year!

HAIR!

2009-03-09T12:57:00.000-07:00

Our baby boy LOVES to play with hair! It is the funniest thing! When the girls let him play with their hair, he goes into some kind of frenzy and it makes him really hyper! He does so many cute things and although he's not fully potty trained, we are so glad he came to our family!

Atallia's GORGEOUS baptism celebration!

2009-02-26T10:01:00.000-08:00

Well, after it was all said and done, Atallia's baptism celebration was an incredible experience! Maggi (our photographer) took so many brilliant photos which made it difficult to select just a few to put on our blog. The day, from the actual baptism to the party was so amazing, that trying to put it into words or simply paste pictures to a blog is not enough! What a memorable experience for us all! We are so proud of Atallia and her choice to get baptized and are grateful to all of those who attended and participated in every part of this magnificent day!

Our new baby!

2009-02-24T16:17:00.001-08:00

Here he is! Little Ray named after his Daddy (David Ray) is sooooo adorable and teeny tiny! We love him so much, even though he's had many accidents today!

Ahhhhhh, father and son.

We surprised the girls today! They knew he was coming, but didn't know it was today! They got home from school and were so surprised!

We are so happy you're here, little one! Now, let's get that potty training thing down!

Killing me!

2009-02-23T14:56:00.001-08:00

I always try to have a nutritious snack for the girls when they get home from school. Today I made some turkey and bacon roll-ups - you know, a high protein snack. Oh yeah, and they had to have their traditional hot cocoa. So, after they ate their snack, they were still hungry. I told them to go to the fruit basket and have a mandarin orange or banana. Of course, they didn't want that - too boring. So, I made some simple kabobs for them and they ate about 3 kabobs each for a total of 1 banana and 3 oranges each! They couldn't believe that they were so good...and all because the fruit was sliced on a stick - go figure!

Now that's TRUE LOVE!

2009-02-17T17:17:00.000-08:00

For Valentines Day this year, Dave was working in California, so he surprised me with a romantic getaway to meet him in LA then go to Palm Springs for the weekend! He had arranged for my parents to watch the kids and had made all of my first-class flight arrangements and spa appointments at the newly renovated Riviera Hotel. Oh my gosh! This hotel was AMAZING! One of my very very favorites (and I've seen a lot of hotels and stayed in some of the finest). It was a very modern hotel and I was taken by the attention to detail in all of the art, furniture, employees...everything. I was blown away at the sophistication of it all! The weather wasn't hot by any means, but it beat the snow! It was a comfortable 70 degrees. There was one moment warm enough for me to lay out and get a bit of a tan, but not hot enough to swim. We were too busy anyway. I am blown away that my wonderful husband did this for me and I LOVE HIM SOOOOOOO MUCH! Thanks baby, for an incredibly fun and romantic trip!

This photo does not do this hotel justice at all! I couldn't find a decent shot of it anywhere, so I attempted to take one myself. I seriously can't wait to go back!

Our Valentines dinner was outside (hence the coats), but we were plenty warm surrounded by heating lamps. There was a gorgeous black chandelier dangling right above us and I could not get over the gorgeous red chairs..the ambiance was sooooo cool! (Oh yeah...the food was so delish as was to be expected!)

Randy, Dave and I went to the Modernism show while we were in Palm Springs. Randy is a professional mid-century art collector and appreciates and purchases antique/vintage furniture as well. Anyone who has seen his famously architected house in Beverly Hills knows that he has exceptional taste! He is very knowledgeable about all things from this time period and spares no expense to have the rarest pieces known to man. It was fun to share in this experience and learn so many new things!

We had our very own fire pit and sunbathing patio outside of our two-bedroom Presidential Suite...very luxurious!

I LOVED the style of ALL of the furniture in this hotel. This is the living room in our suite complete with fireplace, complete bar(too bad we're not drinkers), dining room and all access to the goodies (you know, the forbidden treats that usually cost a fortune???)

The most comfortable bed ever! And (I'm sure you can guess) I LOVED the decor! I should have taken a picture of the bathroom...huge! Loved the shower, tub and everything! Outside of the master was the large dining room and then there were stairs leading up to the other suite with its own private balcony. The kids would have loved it...guess we'll have to bring them next time!

Although the spa wasn't the best I've ever experienced, I did get to try something new. I had a "WATSU" massage which actually is pretty pricy and is one of their signature massages. Well, I wouldn't actually call it a massage. You get into the WATSU pool with your therapist and he stretches and moves you into all kinds of contortions in the water. There was actually very little muscle work involved, but it was kind of cool to try something different. If you decide to try it, just don't go expecting a deep tissue massage because it's definitely not that. It actually made me kind of dizzy because the therapist spins you a lot and you are on your back under water (up to your ears) most of the time. The facial I got was exceptional, and I had a "Balinese" massage as well which was very cool! That one rocked! After each morning spa experience, I came back to the room with delicious room service all hot and ready waiting for me...I seriously was sooooo spoiled!!

Our own private jacuzzi just off of the master. It was quite an incredible experience to sit in this hot spa with its incredibly powerful jets under the stars.

One thing we managed to do a lot of on this trip was EAT! Here we are in front of "Las Consuelas" - a very delicious mexican restaurant. We also fit in some sushi at a wonderful Japanese restaurant called Okura, Thai food at Talesai in LA, and seafood at the Riviera. This town has quite a bit of "old hollywood" history that was fun to learn about. We dined with several good friends throughout the weekend that I haven't seen for years! It was so fun to catch up!

What an incredible Valentines Day. I guess it's safe to say that my Valentine loves me!!!!!

Cookies!

2009-02-17T16:50:00.000-08:00

Heidi and I decided to make Valentines cookies for our families to show our love to them during Valentines week. We had fun mixing, rolling, cutting, baking, tasting and eating giant heart-shaped cookies for 3 hours! Thank goodness for convection baking, otherwise it would have taken us twice as long! Just when I found the most perfect sugar cookie recipe online, I somehow lost it! I sure hope I can find it again (it was that good!)

Heidi did a great job cutting out the cookies while I made more dough and frosting. What a team!

I always enjoy baking...I'm still eating the results (a week later)! Thankfully Heidi took the other 100 cookies home...that should last her six kids about 2 days!

Ashley for NuSkin

2009-02-11T19:48:00.000-08:00

Check Ashley out on NuSkin's official website...gorgeous! This is her "natural" look to showcase her beautiful skin. Most of us aren't used to seeing Ashley without her super made up "MAC" look, but I can safely say that she looks amazing both ways!

http://www.nuskin.com/intercom/editorial.do?contentId=us.ns.homepage&mktId=1984

Cutest brace face ever!

2009-02-10T17:41:00.000-08:00

Some would say that Aspen is too young for braces, but I recently learned otherwise. They can start as early as eight and it's called "Phase One". This means that they will straighten her teeth which will hopefully align the permanent teeth coming in to come in straight. It can alleviate her having to have braces when she's older, or at least decrease the amount of time she will wear braces when she's older. She only has to wear these for four to six months, which is tolerable. She was sooooo excited to get her braces on and thought long and hard about the color of her bands....TURQUOISE!

So cute!!!!!!

Dillon's 17th! What the heck???

2009-02-08T11:33:00.000-08:00

Dillon, how in the heck did you get to be 17? Seems like just yesterday you were playing with your power ranger action figures! I can't believe how the time has flown! You have been such an amazing son - so motivated, driven, sensitive, hard working, intelligent, creative, loving, talented, and just overall the most perfect child! Always happy and easy going...you have been such a joy to me and our family. I love you so, so, so, so, so, so much!!! I am so proud of you in so many ways and I am incredibly blessed to be your mom!
Here Dillon is at Mimi's Cafe where birthday celebrations in our family traditionally begin. Dillon's day began with a yummy breakfast then we headed back home for the next adventure. Dillon was thrown a curve because we usually head to the movie theater...not this time!

This time we went home and put Dillon to work in the kitchen making his own birthday cake (Tres Leches). Dillon enjoys cooking, so we made it a family event. We cranked up his favorite music, danced around the kitchen and made cake - it was soooo fun!

While the cake was baking, we went to his room to have a Dance, Dance Revolution contest! It was a hoot! (notice there isn't a picture of me....I erased that sucker so quick!) After the serious competition that Dillon so conveniently won, we sent him and Ashley off to see "Valkyrie" which we had already seen and one that Dillon really wanted to see. When they returned, we had cake and opened presents. We also found time to watch "The Great Debators" in preparation for his debate tournament in Las Vegas. What a fun day! Happy birthday, son! Every morning Aspen wakes up and puts something new on her white board. It is something she just started doing on her own for every day, event or holiday. I just had to capture the work of art she did for Dillon! She loves her big brother!

Atallia's "Beary" Happy Birthday

2009-02-08T10:48:00.000-08:00

I can NOT believe that my baby girl is eight!!!! I feel sooooooo incredibly old and depressed that I no longer have my "little" one running around. She is my sweetheart - so sensitive, friendly, social, loving, kind, and just everything good. I love her soooooo much and hope she knows she will always be my baby girl! Happy Birthday!!!!Of course, we HAD to celebrate her birthday at Build-A-Bear! Anyone who knows Atallia knows that she will go nowhere without a stuffed animal or dolly of some sort! I believe she has every bear there is to have, and she loves all of them equally! She always makes sure that they are well dressed and well taken care of. She sleeps with 2 or 3 of them every night and makes sure to rotate them so they all have a turn. This is difficult because she has about a thousand "non" build-a-bear stuffed animals such as Disney and others she has collected around the world as well, so making the rotation is hard because she doesn't want to hurt any of their feelings. But, she does it well and it is clear that she will be an incredible mother and nurturer!

Having lunch with her friends and celebrating at the Cheesecake Factory

What a crew....what fun!

Delicious!!!!!

The best part....opening presents!!! Some of you following this blog may recall that I already blogged Atallia's birthday. It is because we celebrated her half birthday at Sweet and Sassy! We also had (I think I calculated 3) other "mini" family birthday parties as well. One in New York, and two in December. Well, she can never say we didn't celebrate her birthday!

Atallia's baptism Invitation

2009-01-30T11:18:00.000-08:00

I love how these invitations turned out! We are so proud of Atallia and her decision to become baptized and we look forward to our traditional celebration of this special event!

New Years in New York!

2009-01-20T12:52:00.001-08:00

Here we are freezing our buns off at The Museum of Natural History. We had just had an amazing lunch at "Isabella's" and then enjoyed visiting this infamous museum. It wasn't as cool as what I envisioned from the movie, but at least we experienced it!

Here we are in Little Italy where we had just enjoyed a super-delicious, authentic italian meal at Casa Bella(the gnocchi was sooooo good!). I love this picture which again shows the frigidity of New York in the winter!

Sharing a New Year's kiss at Times Square...how cool is that?

While the crowds froze to death outside in Times Square, we indulged in the warmth of our "holding room" and the company of THE JONAS BROTHERS!

It gets no better than this! Happy New Year everyone!!!!!!

Freezing, family love in Times Square! What an experience! You know what was cool? The crowds were completely in control and everything was very organized...you know, organized chaos? I was seriously impressed with it all. There were so many people outside for soooooo long, I couldn't believe they would endure such temperatures just to be a part of it, but hey....to each his own!

We stayed in a two-bedroom suite at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel right across from Central Park. I love this photo of the kids enjoying room service with our beautiful view of the city!

SHREK the Musical is a "must see"! I don't think I have ever laughed so hard - ever! It was witty, hilarious and so dang much fun! The music and performances were fabulous as well! LOVED it!

Mary Poppins the Musical was fantastic! It was very different from the traditional movie. Lots of new songs. Of course, the performances were brilliant!

Us at the infamous "John's" pizzaria. Talk about deliciousness.....I could eat this pizza every day for the rest of my life!

For all of you "Cirque" fans, this one is on the top of my list! It was definitely more for kids, but I found it extremely intriguing and jaw-dropping! Soooooo much fun - a definite highlight!

Here we are standing on the stage at Radio City Music Hall! After watching the most wonderful Christmas show performed by the Rockettes, we were given a tour of the venue which has quite a history! We felt pretty cool going backstage and seeing some of the performers and all of the stage equiment, props and costumes. Fun!!! I definitely recommend this show to anyone going to New York over Christmas!!!!!

Although we ran out of time for skating at Rockerfeller Center, here is a shot of the infamous tree I captured as we ran by to go to Radio City Music Hall. What a beautiful sight and what crowds! It seriously was so crowded and I found myself pushing and shoving just to get through. I felt like a true New Yorker (the rude ones)!

Randy took us to a beautiful brunch at Tavern on the Green at Central Park our first day. This place has quite a history and it was so fun to be a part of it. I wish I could show you all the pictures I took, but that would take forever since I took about a million! Words could never describe this amazing trip through New York! We walked and shopped til we dropped every day. When we weren't walking (I mean running) or shopping, we were watching a show or eating. Entertainment at every moment. We were completely exhausted at the end of every day, but wouldn't recommend doing it any other way. We can't wait to go back!
We LOVE New York!

Christmas Eve Festivities!

2009-01-19T09:17:00.000-08:00

The Corpuz Family (my brother Mike is missing from the picture - hopefully he will make it next year!). Christmas Eve is traditionally held in our pajamas!

The "program" for the night's festivities. Every family was represented (Kevin jumped in last minute to represent his family singing a Christmas hymn - lovely!)

Grandma also added to our program singing "O Holy Night" in her beautiful soprano voice!

Dad on his saxophone is always a treat! He brought us all to tears!

Uncle Dave spoils his nieces with new matching Disney attire!

All of the cousins together except for Ashley and Dalilah...

Oh, here they are! The oldest and youngest cousins - precious!

The "L" Sisters - Leia, Lori, Lana, Lisa, Loni

Surprise!!!! Uncle Dave pulls Sophia out of the box for the first Christmas present to the family!

You did again babe! What a Christmas full of surprises, presents, fun, family and love! Christmas 2008 will definitely be a Christmas to remember! I think we would all agree that there really is a Santa Clause!

Christmas Break

2009-01-18T08:14:00.000-08:00

Our first Christmas gift was my sister and her family from Arizona for Christmas Break! We haven't had the Swensen's here for Christmas for many, many years, so it was a real treat! We kept it top secret from the rest of the family though so we could surprise them Christmas Eve. It was hard keeping it a secret because it was so much having them here with us! Dave and I had gone to visit them back in November and absolutely insisted they make the trek to Utah for Christmas (thankfully they obliged!).

Chad, Lana, Smith, Solomon, Sophia

We hardly saw the boys! They had fun reuniting and found plenty of time for boy "bonding" (otherwise referred to as video games, the wii and rock band!)

The "Sophia Sleepover" was a definite highlight!

Being snowed in created a wonderful opportunity to break out the 4-wheeler, snowboards and sleds for some serious snow fun!

Shopping at the mall: $$$$$$
Taking us all to the movies: $100
Being snowed in and being forced to go outside and play with our family?

Priceless!

Sophia and the girls built a snowman, but I forgot to take a picture. It was

something she definitely wanted to do while she was here in the snow. We were absolutely able to grant that wish!

We managed to do many, many activities with the Swensen family during their visit and one of those activities was eating! We never hungered! Here is photo of them at one of our favorite spots, Tepanyaki! Sophia liked the "big fire" and insisted on wearing Atallia's halloween shirt (what Sophie wants, Sophie gets...with pleasure!) All in all, it was a wonderful reunion and a great time had by all.

Christmas question

2008-12-19T18:52:00.000-08:00

Can you over-decorate for Christmas? I daresay not! Can you have too many lights? No! If there's something worth lighting at Christmas time, it's everything! Inside or out, we love having our home decorated with plenty of lights and Christmas symbols. Thankfully we have our house manager Braxton, who gets all of the credit for adorning our outside home and trees with lots of lights and assisting Debra in decorating the inside for Christmas. We LOVE having our home decorated for Christmas and truly savor the spirit it invites within during this most sacred season.

Inevitable!

2008-12-19T17:10:00.000-08:00

Here it is...Dillon's first CD! It is inevitable that he's going to go places with all of his musical talent! This year for our gift to friends and family, we gave the gift of music - fourteen ORIGINAL songs composed and performed by Dillon Olson. As a bonus in a few weeks, he will be on i-tunes! We are obviously very proud of our son! Thanks to Dave for putting it all together - there he is being "superdad" again!

Kurt Bestor Christmas

2008-12-13T09:43:00.001-08:00

Seriously, you have no idea how exciting this was for me!

Okay, so I own every single CD Kurt Bestor has ever recorded....what's one (or two) more?

The Kurt Bestor concert is one of my most favorite traditions ever! This year was our 10th year of making it a Christmas tradition and Kurt Bestor's 20th year of doing the show. Our evening traditionally begins with a beautiful dinner with family and friends, then off to Abravenal Hall for an evening of the most magical, wonderful, gorgeous, music ever!!! I am a huge fan of all of his music, but there is something very special about his Christmas music that really gets me! This year I actually got to visit with him and it was so awesome! Dave and I consider A Kurt Bestor Christmas the official beginning of the Christmas season because it invokes such a magical spirit within us. Thanks Kurt, what would Christmas be without you!

Dillon and Jim Brickman

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

Every year Dillon and I make it a tradition to attend at least one of the FM100's concert series events. Dillon skips school and we make an afternoon of it shopping and going out to lunch. I have grown to love and appreciate the time we spend together during the Christmas season. This year we saw Jim Brickman who is one of Dillon's idols. Not only did we enjoy the beautiful music, but Dillon got to meet him and get his autograph. I am fortunate to have a wonderful son who appreciates good music. His love for the piano is a beautiful thing and I count my blessings that he plays the piano instead of the drums! Love you, son!

The Big "10"!

2008-12-07T08:49:00.000-08:00

On the boat in November????

My sister Lana, her husband Chad and my wonderful nephews Smith and Solomon and adorable niece Sophia! Here we are at Roy's Restaurant (an all time favorite restaurant) in Phoenix.

Us and Grandpa Corpuz who turned "100" this year (and he still salts his sausage every morning!)

Makin' time for some sushi! We found this amazing little spot - what a treat!

Late Night Twilight with the fam!

Can't pass up the Grand Luxe Cafe and my favorite banana bread pudding!

This year for our anniversary (the big "10"), we decided that what would make us most happy would be to spread some love to our family and show them what has made us so happy for these 10 years together. We immediately booked a trip to Denver where we planned to visit with our wonderful family there and spend some quality time with them and my Grandpa Corpuz who turned 100 years old this year! We really couldn't let another year go by without seeing him! We had a blast! From awesome fine dining to the late showing of "Twilight", from "casino/game night" hosted by Dave with abundant cash and prizes to pizza and boxing with Grandpa, the fun-filled weekend left us exhausted but oh so fulfilled! After having so much fun with our Denver family, we hopped on a plane and went to Arizona to visit my sister Lana and her amazing family whom we haven't seen in quite a while! We had a wonderful visit with our adorable niece, Sophia and awesome nephews, Solomon and Smith. Of course, spending time with Lana and Chad was incredible as well as we indulged in great conversation, food, boating, and just plain quality time together! We did manage to spoil ourselves by staying at the Boulders Resort and Spa in a wonderful hacienda and managed to find some time to get massaged, scrubbed and facialed while we were there. What a beautiful place Scottsdale is and we will always cherish the time we spent there. Dave enjoyed spoiling and surprising everyone with gifts and we just had an all around wonderful time. Although we didn't sleep a lot on our adventure together, we can rest assured that we maximized every minute we spent with our family. Who needs sleep when there are memories to be made?? We returned from our trip to dive right into the festivities of the Thanksgiving holiday were able to spread some more love to those families around us during this wonderful holiday together. We so appreciate our family and are so blessed to be surrounded by so much love. This definitely was an anniversary to remember!

Uncle Randy

2008-11-20T07:56:00.000-08:00

As crazy as this guy is, we love him soooooooo much and look forward to any time we get to spend with him! When we were in California we got to "hang" with him, do some shopping, eat some amazing food (he always knows the hottest spots), and give him lots of hugs! There's never a dull moment when Uncle Randy is around! Love you!

Happy Birthday, Babe!

2008-11-20T07:40:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday to my wonderful, gorgeous husband! You are the best father, dad, friend, boyfriend, husband, and all around amazing man! Wishing you many more years of health, wealth and happiness! You deserve it!

2008-11-14T07:44:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE to cook and planning a weekly menu is a MUST for me. I used to post our menu on a chalkboard, but then thought I needed an update. So, with a little inspiration from Good Things Utah, here's what I came up with. I like it better because it's not as messy as the chalk.

Love the new look, Ash!

2008-11-12T15:07:00.001-08:00

Leave it to Ashley to sport the latest trend in hairstyles! She could wear a paper sack over her head and still look fabulous!

Aspen performs at Jazz game with little Jazz bear

2008-11-12T07:26:00.000-08:00

Aspen had the wonderful opportunity to perform at the Jazz game with the little Jazz bear. It was the cutest thing ever!!!!! They performed their amazing cha cha in front of 19,000 screaming fans and did an AMAZING job! I tried forever to load the video, but had major technical difficulties! So, to feel the experience just click on this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07WrSiI4m8Y to watch her in action. What an experience it was for her to be backstage, pose with the Jazz dancers, meet THE Jazz bear and win rave reviews from all!

Halloween "Superhero" style!

2008-11-03T14:08:00.001-08:00

Ashley refused to be anyone other than "Catwoman"!

Me as "Supergirl", but more importantly, me as a "blonde!"

Dillon had everyone laughing so hard as he danced around as the "Flash"

Dave as his favorite superhero "Captain America"

It was fun to act as superheroes all night! What fun we had at our annual bash and it was amazing to see all the creativity in costumes! It was difficult to select the best costumes because they all were fabulous! It is going to be hard to top this party next year, but we'll sure try!

Some of the awesome family costumes this year!

It's back!!!!! So excited!

2008-10-26T08:53:00.001-07:00

Dillon and Debate..who knew?

2008-10-25T09:58:00.000-07:00

I'm sooooo proud of Dillon!!!! Ever since he enrolled in a debate class this school year, he has developed a passion for it! He comes home every day with tons of paperwork for his research and spends countless hours after school strategizing! Last night he came home with a 3rd place trophy from a tournament involving 500 plus kids! I am so impressed, but not surprised. I knew all those years of arguing would pay off!

Disneyland Halloween Style!

2008-10-23T18:29:00.000-07:00

2008-10-23T18:19:00.000-07:00

We have made it a tradition to visit the happiest place on earth every Halloween! We go with my brother Doug and his family and have an absolute BLAST! There is nothing like seeing Mickey pumpkins and candycorn everywhere. The decor is phenomenal and so creative. The best part is trick-or-treating at California Park and going to the dance parties! We love disneyland so much that a typical day for us starts at 7 am and ends at 11 pm! We don't care if we're tired...there's no complaining - not even the kids. But, I will tell you this...when we hit the beds at night, there's no disturbing our dreams of the next day with Mickey!

REAL Salt Lake Ole`, Ole`, Ole`, Ole`

2008-10-11T08:53:00.000-07:00

Dave and Dillon attended the first huge REAL game at the new Rio Tinto Stadium this past week and had a blast! Although the weather was cold, they had a great time (and great seats!). I, on the other hand, had dance duty and missed the game but was sooooo happy that my guys could share in this wonderful experience together. Go REAL!

Student of the month!

2008-10-08T13:51:00.001-07:00

We are so proud of our Atallia! To be student of the month you can have no tardies or absences, must have good grades and be an overall good student! Way to go sweetie!

my ASH

2008-10-06T14:36:00.000-07:00

Okay, so Ashley came walking up the stairs with her signature purple Betsey Johnson purse in hand on her way to work (at MAC), and I just had to grab my camera. She just looked so gorgeous (as she always does) and it was just a proud moment for me....looking at the amazing young adult she has become. So responsible, so sweet and kind, beautiful inside and out, caring, giving, thoughtful...I'm just so proud to be her mom!

Grandparents Day

2008-10-04T08:53:00.001-07:00

How lucky our children are to have such wonderful grandparents! They have never missed a Grandparents day and travel up from St. George especially for it! Aspen and Atallia treasure every moment they spend with their grandparents and will have fond memories of them forever! Ashley and Dillon also have a special bond with grandma and grandpa and love spending quality time with them always. Grandma will spend hours listening to Dillon on the piano and Grandpa always has Ashley laughing! What a blessing they are in all of our lives!

Atallia's baptism dress

2008-10-02T14:01:00.000-07:00

After searching for, receiving and altering...we finally obtained Atallia's baptism dress for her big day sometime in January or February 2009. Thanks, Maggi - you captured her beautifully!

State Fair!

2008-09-20T11:46:00.000-07:00

John Deere Tractors...??

We love the State Fair! I especially love (don't ask me why) all of the sewing and canned food displays. My other favorite thing is the produce and seeing the biggest pumpkins! This year we went with a bunch of cousins and had a blast! Of course, the kids had to ride the rides and I got coerced into buying gadgets and gimmicks...but that's what it's all about, right? What a fun thing to do on a perfect fall day!

Aspen's new room

2008-09-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

Aspen has been wanting to have a room where she can hang her posters and have a "teenager" room. As much as it has killed me to let her "do her thing", we let her pick EVERYTHING! Dave said to just let her go for it and let her have the room she wants without a professional decorator (for anyone who knows us, this is a big deal!). Anyway, here it is and I must say..she did a fine job! She loves it and I suppose that's all that matters!

Her new desk

Her closets are now organized

Back to School!

2008-08-27T19:59:00.001-07:00

No more Gymboree or Children's Place for this one! Aspen is an exclusive Limited Too shopper and the occasional Nordstrom will do. She definitely has an opinion about what she wears and has obtained her first pair of True Religions and Seven jeans. What the h???? Aspen is excited for her adventures in the 4th Grade!
Then there's my sweetheart Atallia who will wear whatever her mommy lays out for her the night before. Although she loves fashion too, she will let me buy her clothes. The only shopping she still loves to do is at Build a Bear! I wish she could stay this way forever, but with two older sisters obsessed with clothes and shopping, I don't think she stands a chance! Atallia can't wait to socialize, I mean learn everything 2nd grade has to offer!
You know you're old when your son is driving away to school in his own car...sad, huh? I already went through this with Ashley and it doesn't get any easier! Dillon is a junior and has quite a year ahead of him! Some of the classes he's taking I remember taking in college! He's quite the student and I have no doubt he'll do remarkably well!

ROCK BAND!

2008-08-25T15:41:00.001-07:00

Dave and I went out on a date last week and had left Ashley and Dillon babysitting. Look what we came home to!

What's up with the streamers and crazy clothes????? We were laughing so hard! This is one of the things that our whole family loves to do together (except Dave and I skip the "80's dress up part"!)HILARIOUS!

Aspen's cha cha!

2008-08-22T10:55:00.000-07:00

Many of you have asked to see footage of Aspen and Niua doing some ballroom dancing. Just click on this link YouTube.com and you will see them performing their newly choreographed cha cha by Ashly DelGrosso Costa. So cute!

Pool fun at our St. George house!

2008-08-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

Dave training for the Olympics! I'd say he could point his toes a little more, but overall I'd give him a 10 (that perfect body makes up for the slightly imperfect form!)

Aspen and Atallia in doing what they do best!

This is a "must do" every time we're in the pool! And...Daddy doesn't mind because he gets a great workout in the process (after the eleventh time, however, he does get pretty tired!)

In loving memory...

2008-08-21T12:08:00.000-07:00

This past week we experienced the very sad passing of our precious Prince David. He was diagnosed with FID which is a rare occurrence that happens in 5% of all pure bred cats. I never really knew how much I loved him until we had to drive him to the vet to have him put out of his misery. It was a very sad day for all of us and he can and will never be replaced. You were the only one for us and we all miss you terribly, Bubba - you will always hold a special place in our hearts!

OBSESSED!

2008-08-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, so we're in St. George having breakfast at the Bear Paw like we always do, and one of our waitresses mentions Vegas. So, I think to myself that Vegas sounds fun and we're not that far away...so, let's go to Vegas! Sounds spontaneous and fun, right? Then the girls say "Daddy, let's go see Mama Mia tonight!". They have both seen Mama Mia the movie twice and have seen the Vegas show once (I've seen it twice there). Not only are we all fans of the show and the movie, but that's all we listen to in the car these days! We are OBSESSED! Anyway, Dave manages to make a few calls and gets us there just in time for the show and then takes us to the China Grill afterwards for the most amazing dinner!!!! Vegas never fails to show us a wonderful time and after the play, dinner and touring all kid zones at several casinos, we manage to get back to St. George at 4:00 am! What a blast!!!! Oh yeah....and thanks to ABBA for making the most wonderful music in the world!

This is the place!

2008-08-04T08:02:00.000-07:00

Every Wednesday our neighbors join us for some sort of "Utah" adventure. This past Wednesday we went to the This is the Place Monument. I had no idea it would be so much fun! There were so many fun activities for kids and took us all back to what it was like to live like a pioneer. The girls got to wash their clothes on washboards, learned to square dance, made old fashioned toys from wood, got shaved by a barber, etc. and got a great history lesson to boot! What a fun time and we can't wait to visit again (Aspen and Atallia really, really loved washing their clothes by hand and asked when they could do it at home!)

Highland Parade

2008-08-04T07:54:00.001-07:00

Thankfully my kids love parades just like I do. We attended the Highland parade along with my two nieces. The parade was so small town (we loved it anyway), but the candy was awesome and the kids had a blast!!!

Loeffler reunion

2008-07-28T17:49:00.000-07:00

Here are some cute pictures of Dave and his brothers with his mom and grandma. We had a small family reunion in St. George this weekend and had a great time! Photos taken at the
Bear Paw - our favorite breakfast spot down south.

How time flies...

2008-07-28T17:40:00.000-07:00

I thought this was such a cute picture of my mom and dad with their oldest and youngest grandchildren (Ashley - 21 and DaLilah - 3 weeks) taken on the 24th of July. The more I think about it, this should be Ashley holding her own baby because when I was her age, I was holding her! That's ok...I guess I can wait to be a grandma!

You gotta love Hogle Zoo!

2008-07-17T14:50:00.000-07:00

No matter what, every summer we HAVE to visit Hogle Zoo at least once. Why? Because we LOVE it and because it's a tradition! Ashley and Dillon used to join us for the adventure, but all of a sudden became responsible adults with jobs, so they weren't able to join us this year! Sad, huh? We love all of the shows, animals and snacks and got to experience the new carousel for the first time! Most people decide what to bring with them to the zoo, or what animal to visit first. My girls' toughest decision was what to wear! I didn't know the zoo had a dress code! Even though much drama ensued that morning with the girls clamoring through their closets trying to find appropriate attire (notice the animal print tops), we managed to have a great time enjoying one of our favorite summertime traditions!

Idols 2008

2008-07-16T18:01:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a show! And lucky us...we got to go meet the Idols backstage which was awesome! I got photos of all of them, but I will only post the ones who really put on a good show (in my humble opinion). We had a blast!!!

Move over American Idol!

2008-07-16T16:08:00.000-07:00

Don't get me wrong! I love my American Idol's (namely David Archuleta, Syesha, and Michael Johns), but move over Idol's because here are the future stars of....well, okay...guitar hero. Ashley and Dillon gave passerby's at the Idol concert a pre-show that rocked!

Stewart Falls!

2008-07-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

It has been at least 10 years since I have done this hike, but it was the first for my girls! Some neighborhood friends and their kids accompanied us on this adventure and it was soooo fun! Aspen and Atallia especially liked the ride up the tram and did exceptionally well on the three mile hike down. I had forgotten how beautiful it was, especially the falls! This hike brought back memories for me because when Dave and I were dating, I took him on his first hike (and his last) to this beautiful spot and it was there that he asked me to be his "girl". The rest is history!

Happy 7 1/2 birthday, Atallia

2008-07-14T13:36:00.000-07:00

Okay, so we have celebrated Aspen and Atallia's birthdays together for about 5 years now. Atallia's birthday falls on December 27, and it has been extremely difficult to have her birthday parties around her actual birthday due to the holidays (everyone is out of town!) So, we decided to celebrate Atallia's half birthday on or around Aspen's birthday because the weather is always better and most people can generally make the parties. With Aspen and Atallia now wanting their own personal parties, we had to throw TWO parties in TWO days! Sweet & Sassy really loved us this past week! For Atallia's party we invited all of the cousins and some of the younger neighborhood friends. What a beautiful princess party it was at Sweet & Sassy! After tons of glitter, tiaras and fairy dust, we headed home for a party in the backyard! Games, races and snacks were the highlight, then a massive slumber party followed with partying until about 1:30 a.m.. Of course, no one slept past 7 a.m., so the girls played all morning and then it was off to the Mayan for lunch. A huge party ensued and after everyone was completely exhausted, we sent everyone home for a nap. Now, that's a party!

An awesome birthday tradition!

2008-07-14T12:54:00.000-07:00

Eight years ago, a small group of gals from a good ole Lehi neighborhood thought it would be a great idea to get in shape and go walking early every morning. It was a great idea and although none of us shed a pound, we developed a great friendship that has been growing stronger every year. As a tradition, we celebrate each other's birthdays with absolutely delicious, palate tempting concoctions as requested by the birthday girl. These are no casseroles, by the way! Each person researches and decides what they want for their meal, then the others magically create them! We agree that these meals are some of the best food we eat all year! Home made rolls are a staple as are home made salads, main dishes, drinks and desserts. Even though the food is truly amazing, the "getting together" part has always been more important to us because we all lead such crazy busy lives. This year we celebrated my birthday 2 months late due to the birth of little Gracie who was born with some serious heart complications. Thankfully she is doing amazingly well and it was such a treat to have her at my luncheon and getting to hold her was an extra bonus! Thanks Jenny, Leslie and Michele...this is a tradition that I hope will last forever!

Happy 9th birthday, Aspen

2008-07-11T22:23:00.000-07:00

This year Aspen wanted to have a "friend" birthday party as opposed to an enormous festivity that has been typical for her ever since she was born! Parties for her have ranged from a simple BBQ/swim party consisting of only about 40 people, to full on carnivals in the backyard involving at least 150 of our closest friends and family, to 230 people at Seven Peaks complete with half day passes, pizza, drinks, ice cream, etc! This year was a trip to Sweet & Sassy in a pink limo - a "Runway/Supermodel" party (complete with hair, makeup, nails and a trip down the catwalk). Next was dinner, playtime and dessert at The Mayan Restaurant at Jordan Commons (transported in a pink limo), and for the finale, a movie (Kitt Kettridge: An American Girl) complete with movie meals for all! And to end the party, a crazy jump up and down, dance til you drop, sing to the top of your voice trip home in the pink limo. Wow!!! What a day! 6 1/2 hours of non-stop activity, action and fun! And lucky me....I got to ride in the limo with the girls and jam out (loudly, I might add) to Hannah Montana and Camp Rock! All in all, it was a FABULOUS day and I thoroughly enjoyed spending it with Aspen and her friends. The pink limo was sooooo fun (and did I say loud?), the Sweet & Sassy portion was delightful, the dinner at the Mayan was delicious (it's actually good again!), and the movie was absolutely wonderful! I definitely recommend it to everyone! Great show! Happy birthday to my Sweet & Sassy Aspen - I love you!

Mommy, where did I get my name?

2008-07-11T21:51:00.000-07:00

Well, Aspen....your "used to be" granola girl mother named you after the most beautiful tree in the world! The beautiful "Aspen" (or, rather populus tremuloides, or Quaking Aspen) is by far my favorite tree and a beautiful girl deserves a beautiful name just like the beautiful Aspen tree! This photo is of Aspen in a grove of Aspen trees. Beautiful, yes?

We're proud to be Americans!

2008-07-05T18:05:00.000-07:00

We love the fourth of July! The Freedom Festival Parade in Provo is definitely a tradition (when we are in town) that we love! We love waking up super early in the morning, having McDonalds drive-thru and hanging with the crazy crowd downtown. And, if we're lucky, we have a really great spot on the parade route if our blankets we lay out the day before make it through the night! This year, we went to the parade, came home for a short snooze, went to my nephew's b-day party with the fam, then left for the Stadium of Fire! What a show that was and it was especially great to be VIP's! Great entertainment, great seats (thank you sweetie) and great fireworks! We also got to see lots of familiar faces cause it seems as though the entire city was there! We mingled with the Governor and some really nice folks from out of town who also sat by us. Dave was in New York so didn't get to join in the fun here at home. He was able to enjoy the Macy's fireworks spectacular there - missed ya babe! Needless to say we were completely exhausted after this very long day, but it was so worth it! I love all of these festivities because it is always nice to be reminded of what a blessing it is to live in America!

Sleeping Beauty

2008-07-05T11:15:00.000-07:00

We have recently been in the process of separating Aspen and Atallia into their own rooms. Atallia has taken over the princess room, but before she did she insisted on getting a canopy to drape over her bed. I finally got one for her and every night now, she dresses in her beautiful princess nighty, satin gloves and a tiara before going to bed. I thought these photos were adorable as is she!

2008-07-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Loni and Hans on the precious new addition to their family. Introducing my newest niece - DaLilah Gloria Hanson! She's beautiful and such a tiny peanut (5 lbs 9 oz) - we're so happy you're here little one!

2008-07-02T20:46:00.000-07:00

Happy 85th birthday Grandma! We love you and admire you for leading such an amazing life. You truly are an example of selflessness, graciousness and thoughtfulness! Here's to many more years of fun - you've never looked better!

Roughing it St. George style!

2008-06-29T09:51:00.001-07:00

Our almost weekly escape in the summer is to our home in St. George where the weather is hot and perfect for swimming. We love entertaining family and friends while the kids thoroughly enjoy their cousins, friends and sleepless nights! Oh, and the BBQ isn't bad either!

My KIDS!

2008-06-27T23:21:00.000-07:00

Atallia - Super singer, great hip-hopper, absolute sweetheart, stuffed animal lover, great friend to others, caring, loyal, ADORABLE daughter and terrific sister!

Aspen - National Ballroom Title holder, well-rounded dancer, wannabe singer/performer, independent, attitude, LOVING daughter, sweet (but sassy) sister!

Dillon - Classical pianist, Super soccer player, Manager at Quiznos, Genuinely good hearted, AWESOME son, incredible brother to his sisters!

Ashley - Beauty Queen/Supermodel, Master Esthetician, Make-Up Artist for MAC, AMAZING daughter,
even more amazing big sister!

Here we go...

2008-06-25T21:54:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have officially entered the "blog" world and really don't have a clue as to how to do all of this yet! I have been anticipating the completion of my blogsite (thanks Julie) and now it's ready to go. I wish I could say the same thing about me! So many people have told me how easy it is, but I haven't found it to be "that" easy (yet)! I do, however, look forward to learning to navigate my way through this blogging thing and documenting our family's journey through this wonderful thing called "life" . So, like I said before...here we go!