Las Vegas Stratosphere

We had some good friends from Tucson come and visit us this week. They drove up to visit and to see the BYU/Arizona bowl game. It was great to see them, especially for the girls. We kept it a surprise, so when they knocked on the door, Madison FREAKED OUT!!! It was a great surprise. While they were there, the girls went to a childrens museum and then went up in the Stratosphere. It is a huge tower at the end of the strip that overlooks the entire city. It is quite the view, with a restaurant at the top along with some amusement rides for those crazy enough to hang out the top of a huge skyscraper on a roller coaster. Anyway, here is a shot of them overlooking the city.

All I want for Christmas...

Gabs has had her front tooth loose for about a year now. That little bugger just didn't want to come out. Finally, it started getting to the point where enough work was expended to convince it otherwise. Of course, she had a little help from dad (by accident). She was wearing a winter mask that went up over her head (like a hat with a hole cut out for the face that covers the whole head and neck). I was playing with her and went to pull it off her head. The opening of the face hole somehow hooked on her tooth and, POP, out it came. She was in shock for a minute, but it didn't hurt and then she realized what had happened. She was so excited to finally have it out. Even with it gone, she has still been reaching up to wiggle it until she feels the hole and remembers she has the dental casualty.

LET IT SNOW

Well, Summerlin just got a blizzard of a snowstorm. It probably put a good five to six inches of perfect snowman-making snow on the ground. We couldn't pass up getting a sled at Costco and going up to the local park to leave our mark. The place was PACKED. I've never seen so many kids so excited to play in snow. You have to take advantage of it quick around here. The girls had a blast sledding down the hill while a thousand snowmen and forts sprang up out of the giving park. We had an absolute blast. When it got too dark to continue, we went home and built our own in the backyard. Gabs ran for the tub to warm up while Madison and I built this beauty. Sadly, it is already knocked over with most of the snow melted, just one day later :(

SKI UTAH

I just got back from having a great time skiing in Utah. Best of all, it's free. Unbelievably, if you fly into Utah and show the ticket to Park City, Deer Valley, or the Canyons, they will let you ski for free (same day only). I couldn't believe it, but it acutally works. I flew in on the early morning flight and my sister, Lou, picked me up at the airport. We were on the slopes in no time. We had a blast skiing all day. Then she dropped me off at the airport and I made it home for dinner. I have the feeling I will be taking advantage of that sweet deal a lot more often :). The snow wasn't all that great, but it was still a blast. I can't wait to go again.

Family Party

Here are a bunch of pictures from our family Christmas party. I flew back to Utah with Madison and Gabrielle and spent a few days with family. Heather stayed home and enjoyed a well-deserved break while she relaxed and let the baby cook a little longer (not much time left). You can see a sample of the fun we had at the party. We had a glorious feast, dressed up and acted out the nativity story, made candy houses, played games and just had a great time. We love being so close to family and having the chance to do things like this when we can. The girls loved playing with cousins as well. Another special treat was looking at some of Grandpa's mineral collection under the microscope. Madison and Gabrielle were amazed at the beauty of the chrystals.

First to Fly

I had the coolest thing happen the other day. I was able to pick up the trip that flew from Las Vegas to Salt Lake City that Steve and Lou were going home on. I was able to take them down to the plane a few minutes before everyone else got on to show them my office. They kept bragging that they were the first to fly with me (beating my Mom and Dad). It was a ton of fun and something that will be a special memory for me. I was able to spend the night in Salt Lake city as well. It gave me a chance to hold baby Elizabeth. I must be living right, because the way things worked out for that to happen were pretty crazy. I think I'll hit the slots at the rate I am going.

Ben, Lou, Steve visit

We just got done having a blast of a time with my brothers Ben and Steve and my sister Lou. They were able to come down for three days. We did all kinds of fun stuff. We played games, went hot-tubbing, played the WII, BBQ'd, went on a hike around Red Rock, laughed, watched movies, kareoke, etc. We didn't want the fun to end. They will just have to come down again later on.

Tucson Visit

Heather and the girls went to Tucson while I was on my last trip. They had a blast hanging out with old friends. Heather's friend, Kelly Murdock, put together a baby shower for Heather at the Little Anthony's Diner there in Tucson. It is a place set up like an old hamburger joint from the 60's. It was great for the kids to hang out and fun for Heather and all her friends to have the shower as well. They were able to briefly see our old neighbors, the Collins', and their dogs, along with Gabrielle's friend, Shea (the one we gave Salt and Pepper to). They were only there for a short time, so they couldn't do a lot of the things they wanted to or see everyone they wanted to see, so that was frustrating. Well, they will just have to plan more trips later on.

Trunk or Treat

Our ward had a fun Trunk-or-Treat at one of the local parks. We had a pot-luck dinner and then set the kids loose going from car to car getting their treats. Madison wouldn't let me go without having a costume. I didn't have much time to put anything together, so she made me go as Nacho Libre again. She made Heather go as a witch (shame on me for not getting a picture). Then she got all kinds of things printed out from the computer to help decorate our trunk. The kid always has to go over the top with things like that. We had a great time, but these kids don't come close to the candy haul I would bring in when I was younger. Leave those sissy candy holders at home and break out the PILLOW CASE!!!

Carving Pumpkins

We had a blast carving pumpkins. Gabrielle came up with the design of my Southwest pumpkin. Madison couldn't be that plain. She had to paint hers completely black, with sparkles, and then put some kind of fairy on it. These kids are out of control.

Blue Man Group

Well, I can officially say that you won't be let down by the men in Blue. That was a lot of fun. There is a lot of talent and hard work showcased in a fun show. I was surprised at how funny the show was. I laughed through the whole thing. It was like going to a funny rock concert on steroids. Heather had a good time as well. We both mentioned at the end of it how much the girls would have enjoyed it as well. Maybe one of these days we will take them to a show for a birthday or something.

Happy B-day Heather!!!

Our family has been getting over a long-lasting cold. Gabs got it first, then Heather, and finally I gave in to the madness. Madison is the only one unscathed by the whole ordeal. She said "I only get sick around Christmas." Whatever her secret is, I wish she would pass it on. Heather took Gabrielle in to the Dr. and they said she had strep. She ended up getting a shot of antibiotics in the rump. Needless to say, she was not a happy camper. Things are going OK here in Vegas other than that. We celebrated Heather's birthday last night as a family. The girls helped me make a cake for her (I had a bunch of different flavors of mix so she could choose. The baby wanted vanilla cake and vanilla frosting). Today I am dropping the girls off with some friends (we swap babysitting... SWEET) and taking her to BLUE MAN GROUP on the strip at the Vanitian. It should be a ton of fun. (Don't worry, she hardly ever looks at this blog, so I'm safe) :)

More pics of Gabs' stitches

I did some fiddling with my phone so I could get some pictures copied from the hospital when Gabs was getting her stitches. Here she is right before they gave the shot (she had been crying hysterically just a few minutes earlier) and then another picture right after she got all stitched up.

Pumpkin Patch

While I was gone on my last trip, Heather and the girls went to the Summerlin Pumpkin Patch Festival held at one of the local parks here in Summerlin. They were able to wear their Halloween costumes (they are fairies this year). They were able to pick out some pumpkins for Halloween for us to carve up later on, get their faces painted, participate in a parade, and just have fun with all kinds of fun activities. It was "wicked awesome, dude" (according to Madison). It was cold, so the girls had to wear a bunch of clothes underneath their costumes.

Ryan Visit

My good friend Ryan Marcusen and his boys came in for a quick visit last week. They flew in so he could watch his dad (82) compete in the senior olympics in St. George, UT. Six medals later, they were able stop in for a quick visit. We had a blast hanging out, playing the Wii, hot tubbing it up and doing the polar bear challenge in the pool (it is getting COLD) and just having fun. We have loved the extra visits that come naturally from living in Vegas. We hope to see more and more of you as time goes by.

Drama at the hot tub

Well folks, I am a slacker again. I have a lot of info to catch up on. The latest drama happened about a week ago when we were hot tubbing it up at night in the back yard. We were having a blast jumping into the pool (significantly colder now) and then getting back in the hot tub to warm up. Gabs was trying to run up to the hot tub when she slipped and turfed it head-first against the concrete edge of the hot tub. She split open her forehead and was freaking out there for a bit. We took her to the emergency room (seven hours and three stitches later) and got her all fixed up. I wish I had pictures of the before, but here is a picture of the after. Considering how crazy this child is, it is amazing (QUICK, KNOCK ON WOOD) that this is the only visit to the emergency room. Dr. Dan took out the stitches when the time was up.

IT"S A BOY!!!!!

Sorry to keep all of you in the dark with what is going on with our family, but things have been a little crazy to say the least. The best and latest news is that we found out we are having a baby boy this time around. We are all super excited. Heather is feeling better as she goes further along, but always complains how this kid is kicking the daylights out of her and giving her crazy emotions all the time. I was the only one who thought it would be a boy this time around. Heather and the girls all thought we would have girl #3. When we found out it would be a boy, Gabrielle said "Oh, man..." in this halarious, disappointed tone of voice.

The other news from our neck of the woods is that we have finally moved into our new home. I am actually amazed at how seemless the process went once the time came. I was able to move the majority of our things from our rental home myself. A couple guys from church helped me with the heavy stuff. Then the next day the real movers came with the rest of our stuff that had been in storage. We have unpacked the majority of it and are slowly getting settled in our new home. The girls love their new rooms and seem to love their new school teachers as well. They have made some new friends in the neighborhood and have been playing outside almost every night. We have to reign them in to finish homework. This home seems to have an unending amount of projects that need to be done, though. Even though it is practically a new home, I have kept myself insanely busy just getting it set up the way we like it. Ceiling fans, dimmers, water softener, reverse osmosis, pool, weeds, etc, etc, and etc. If I finish next year, it will be awesome. I love to be busy and have projects to look forward to. I'll just be glad when things settle down a little so there aren't quite so many projects needing done at once. At least I have a job where I have big chunks of time off to get so much done when I am home.

So far, we have already had visits from friends and family with more visits planned for later on. People just find their way to Vegas it seems. We can't wait to see more of you as time goes by.

Debbie and Brian Visit

My sister Debbie and her husband Brian came on down for a visit this week. They were going to see a show and had time to spend the night with us before their show. We had a blast playing a heated game of Outburst, chowing on pizza and junk food, going for a hike around Red Rock and swimming/hot tubbing in the pool at our new house. It was a lot of fun having them over. We can't wait until we are moved into the new house so we will have more room to have people visit.

The girls have enjoyed their first week of school. They like their teachers and have had fun getting to know kids in their class. They have also started riding the bus that is a short way from where our new home will be. We will be able to walk them to the bus stop every morning before school.

We also found out that there will be a little setback with the house. The carpet won't be available for a week or two. The painters are done, so we are only waiting on the carpet at this point. As soon as it is installed, we will have the rest of our stuff moved in. Things are rapidly moving into place. We can't wait!!! I have been going crazy getting things ready for the new house. I installed the water softener, painted doors and edges, and shopped for all the ceiling fans, door locks and misc odds and ends we will need to get the house ready to move in. Counting down the days!!!

WE GOT THE HOUSE!!!

I am a total slacker for the month. No excuses, other than life has been pretty crazy. It's official, though!!! We signed the papers on the house on the 19th and then I left for a trip. There were still some things up in the air, so we weren't sure if the house would close on the 22nd like we had planned. Well, it did, so we have been trying to get other details figured out ever since. Right now, there is a crew of painters going nuts on the inside of the house. Gabrielle and Madison picked out colors for their new rooms (violet for Gabs and a light blue for Madison) and Heather picked out her color for the rest of the house along with the carpet. New carpet will arrive toward the end of the month and will be installed after it comes. Then we need to call the storage company that has the rest of our household goods to have them delivered. Then I need to pack up our rental home to move that stuff ourselves. In addition, there is a short list of "honey-do's" that I need to take care of before we move in. There is a lot of work ahead on the horizon, but the light is at the end of the tunnel. The girls are also going to finally start school tomorrow. They met their teachers, and both of them are really excited to go. It has been a long break for them since they went from year-round in Tucson to regular here in Vegas. Heather is ready for a break as well, I'm sure.

Heather and the girls took me out to eat at Olive Garden for my birthday. After we had porked out like pythons, we took a drive up to Red Rock, right behind our new home. These mountains provide the backdrop for the community of Summerlin. These pictures don't begin to do them justice. You can see the strip of red in the mountain behind us. I love living up in the foothills. The temperature is cooler than down in the city and the view of the mountains during the day and the beautiful city lights at night is awesome!!! There are hiking and mountain bike trails all over the place, so the next pictures you will probably see of these mountains is a close-up after we take a hike! Stay tuned...

Groovin in Las Vegas

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Our Vegas House

Well, here she is!!! The home inspection came back with flying colors. There are a few minimal things that need some attention, but for the most part the house is in great shape. We can't wait to close and move in!!!

Paid to Party

Well, Heather and the girls took off for Tucson to go to their swim team awards ceremony and to visit some friends. I figured I would check to see if I could pick up any quick trips with Southwest to earn a quick buck while they were gone. Unbelievably, I found a trip from Vegas to Indy, overnight and then deadhead to Chicago. I took the trip, flew to Indy, got released from my deadhead (with pay) and spent the day partying it up with my brother Ben and his cute family all day. We went to the zoo and had a blast. Ben is holding Natalia at the shark petting exhibit, along with some other pictures of their family. The zoo has a spot where kids can get soaked with a sprinkler park. That's why they are all wet in the top picture. Nothing beats getting paid for something you'd be happy to pay to do. :)

Heather's Surprise

Well, after we came to Vegas, Heather and the girls went to her parents house for the 4th of July. I had a trip and was going to meet with the realtor while they were gone. It's a long story, but I ended up getting Heather a Honda Pilot while they were gone. Heather has always wanted one and a buddy of mine gave me the name of a dealer that gets cars at auctions for great deals. It just so happened to work out for the time they were gone. The whole process took about an hour. I couldn't believe how quickly it happened. I am so unbelievably cheap that Heather couldn't believe it either when she opened the garage door. I had it parked like this in the garage waiting for her to come home from her trip with the big red bow and the keys in the door with a little LOVE note attached to the key. It's an '07 with 10K miles on it. It might as well be brand spankin new. Hopefully it will help get me out of the dog house for dragging all of them to VIVA Las Vegas...

Keep your fingers crossed!!!

Well, I haven't had much of a chance to add anything new for a while. Things have been happening at warp speed. In a nutshell, we have found a home in Summerlin that should be a good fit for our family. It has five bedrooms and 2 and 3/4 baths with a little over 3K square feet of living space. It also has a pool and hot tub in the back for the girls to have fun in the Las Vegas heat. It is in a gated community that is close to a really fun park and in an area with a good school. There are beautiful views of the red rock mountains all around. We are set to close on Aug 22nd, but before we can, it has to pass the home inspection. It is a repossesed home, but it looks to be in good shape. It was built back in 2005 when people were paying rediculous prices for a home. Hopefully we can benefit from the market the way it is right now. After we close, we are going to recarpet and repaint the house. It will be like having a new home. The girls are really excited, so keep your fingers crossed that the deal will go through. If all goes as planned, we will be moving in very shortly after the girls go back to school. Now that things will be calming down a bit, I promise to add more details and pictures soon. Stay tuned...

We've Moved!!!

Boy, there is a lot to update. These past few weeks have been a whirlwind. In a nutshell, we sold our home in Tucson and have spent the last week getting packed and moved to our temp home here in Las Vegas. We were able to get a short lease and most of our stuff is in storage while we house-hunt for something permanent. Heather is still feeling sick most of the time with the pregnancy. Someday we will look back on the timing of all this and laugh. This kid better appreciate what Mom is going through later on down the road. Anyway, sorry about the short post. I'll be sure to add some pictures and give more juicy details soon.

HEATHER IS PREGNANT!!!

Yes, it's true. Heather and I are going to start all over again with baby number 3!!! It is an exciting, yet terrifying time for me. I'm not going to lie. Honestly, I had given up on the idea of having another baby. We had tried for so long. Gabrielle had just had her sixth birthday for crying out loud. When Heather told me the news I wanted to hug her, throw up, mumble incoherent sentences, shout, cry, you name it. The idea is slowly sinking in (emphasis on SLOWLY). Heather went so far as to buy another two or three tests. I had to gently tell her that we had better things to spend our money on than a test that kept turning blue, no matter how many times you peed on it. We joked that there wasn't anything more we could do to shake up our lives right now. Change jobs, move, and get pregnant. YEEHAW!!!

Babies EVERYWHERE!!!

I couldn't have planned this any better. Actually, I didn't plan anything. It just worked out this way. I had an overnight on a trip in Salt Lake City. I got there just in time to get a phone call from Heather saying her brother and sister-in-law had their baby. My dad picked me up the next morning and we were able to drive down to American Fork and see the baby. Boy, what a DOLL!!! This was a bitter-sweet time for me. I found out just the day before that my own sister (debbie) is having another girl. For those of you who don't know the history, I have been given the nickname of "The Womb Whisperer" because of my "gift" of predicting the sex of babies. Heather counted them up the other day, and I had correctly guessed the sex of all of our kids, along with all the babies on both sides of the family. I was 19 and 0 until Debbie. I predicted boy all the way. I have fallen from grace...

Gabrielle Graduation

Here's a shot of Gabs for her kindergarten graduation with Mom.

On the strip

Here we are on the strip in front of the casino with the Italy theme. People were out front getting a boat ride. We had fun checking out all the sights of the strip...

VIVA LAS VEGAS!!!

Well, we just got back from taking a trip to Vegas to look for a house to rent while we can settle down and do the REAL house hunting. Things are just moving along too quickly to try to buy right now. We close on our home on the 16th and have to be out a week later. We found a place that should work for us while we search. They were willing to sign a short-term lease (four months and then month to month after that). We had another bonus while we were there. Heather's sister and husband were celebrating their anniversary and took a trip there to see some shows and have fun. We were able to see them and hang out for one of the nights we were there. Madison had fun taking pictures of things from the car window. Here's a shot of the Stratosphere and of New York, New York. The girls also had fun every time we went to a new house with our search. They would both race up the stairs right away and try to call dibs on their room if that happened to be the home we would buy. Gabrielle always seemed to find the master bedroom to call dibs on.

School's Out!!!

Well, it's official... Madison and Gabrielle are out of school for the year. I can't believe that Madison will be in 5th grade and Gabrielle in 1st. Time is moving too quickly. They are so grown up already!!! This shot was taken after they got off the bus on their last day (they are posing with their pet gerbil, Pepper). Another big part of news from our neck of the woods is that I went in last week to take my "off probation" checkride. You are not part of the union until you have been with the company for a year. Up until that point, you are on your own and under the magnifying glass if they want to keep you or not. Needless to say, it is a relief to have passed my checkride and to be moving past that milepost. Now I need to hang in there and not do anything completely stupid for a few more weeks until my one year anniversary with SWA on June 13th. I can't believe it has almost been a year already. Time flies when you are having fun. I can't wait to officially be part of the SW pilot union, and almost as important, I can't wait to be done with my probationary salary and moving up to 2nd year pay. The girls are tired of eating nothing but ramen noodles...

We're Moving!!!

Well, after having our home on the market since Feb, we finally had an offer come through. It was lower than we had hoped, so we countered with something we thought was more realistic. They came back with an extra 5K added to their first offer. We did some thinking and just decided to be done with the whole process. It is a relief to have accepted it in a way, but completely frustrating in another. At least we bought five years ago. I can't imagine what it would be like for so many people who are upside down on their home values right now. We made some money, so hopefully we will be able to turn around a low ball some poor sap desperate to sell in Vegas. We are set to close on the 16th of June and then need to be moved out by the 24th. Talk about fast and furious. Anyway, I figured I would include these pictures for the fun of it. Both were done by Madison. The first is a letter she wrote and photocopied to her whole class. You can read it, but it basically says they need to come up with ways to get out of moving. Then she gave them a few weeks to have their ideas submitted. The second one was put in an envelope and addressed to us (no stamp, though) and placed in our mailbox, supposedly from our realtor telling us he couldn't sell our home. I was amazed at her creative ways of trying to get out of this. I can't wait to see what her creative mind comes up with when she is a teenager. Yikes!!!