Disney Store Sneak Peek

Ever since we told the boys we were going to Disney in August, they've been so excited. Since they don't have much of a concept of time though, it's hard for them to think we are ever going. We are still 4 months away, so when I got the chance to take the whole family to a preview of the Disney Store at City Creek before it opened to the public, I was so excited for them.


We parked downtown, but far enough away that we could take the train. The boys love being able to take the train, it's such a novelty for them. Once we got to City Creek, we had a bit of a problem getting in. There was security all around and they looked at me like I was crazy when I told them I was media for the Disney store opening. I got ahold of my contact and after waiting for 15 minutes, we were escorted up to the store.

The boys were in heaven and if they could have bought everything in the store I think they would have. It's a fun interactive store. Chan sat down to color for a while.



Rowan took a liking to one of the employees who brought out a remote controlled mater car for him to play with.


The boys left content and we went over to Gateway for some dinner.



Here's my silly Mickey Mouse holding a Mickey Mouse that he currently sleeps with every night now.

Spring Break

This week I was on Spring break. It's been a very MUCH needed break from school. 32 hours a week of clinical plus commuting plus school work gets exhausting. I definitely feel refreshed and ready to tackle the rest of the semester. Only 5 more weeks and then I'm off for a month!


On Thursday it was absolutely beautiful so I spent a few hours at the park with the boys. This one close to our house has a good sized hill. They boys loved riding bikes and scooters down it, and Rowan must have run up and rolled down it 20 or more times.

Boyce Avenue

For Marshall's birthday this year, I got him tickets to Boyce Avenue. They are a band that got their start on YouTube and are absolutely amazing. They do a lot of remakes and also have a lot of their own songs too. The lead singer has such an amazing voice! It was so much fun and we will definitely go again if they tour in Salt Lake again next year. Before we went to the concert, we went to dinner at Sugar House Barbecue in Salt Lake. What a wonderful date it was, always nice to get out with my hubby.

I just MIGHT be crazy

Health and fitness are always something that have been important to me. It's become even that much more important and eye opening to me as I've dealt more and more with patient care, and seen others with health problems. In December I decided I wanted to be more consistent with my exercise. I made a goal to exercise at least 4 times a week. In January, I signed up for a half marathon as part of a Slim-Fast goal. My goal is to finish in 2 hours which I definitely think is attainable. Then this last month, I started doing some research on organic eating. After reading quite a bit, we are making a change to eat at least 50% of our food organic. I can't help but think what we take into our bodies when animals are treated inhumanely, fruits and vegetables are sprayed over and over with pesticides. I think my turning point was in the store one day. I picked up a package of boneless skinless chicken breast and was actually disgusted at how thick it was. A lot of foods we eat are artificially, chemically, synthetically and genetically produced which can't be good either, right? I've also read a lot of studies where organic foods actually retain more nutrition and are better for you. For example - an apple grown organically has about 25% more nutrition than one that isn't grown organically. At this point in our lives, we aren't able to eat all organic foods due to cost, but I've switched over to only buying organic chicken, beef, and fruits and vegetables where we eat the skins, and eggs. If I find organic milk at a good price, I will buy that too. My hope is that more people see the benefit of buying organic and start doing it. Pricing would go down a lot which would help us eat a lot healthier. I think Marshall is about 50% on the bandwagon but part of him is skeptical. Although I'd love to be 100% organic, I love knowing that we are making some changes.

So we are eating better, and I've actually kept my goal of exercising at least 4 times a week for well over 3 months! I used to be more sporadic, and it feels good to be consistent. Most weeks I workout 5-6 days and I've noticed great gradual changes with my body and energy. I've lost 5 lbs since the beginning of January and am feeling so so good. This last week, I was looking at our summer and what would be happening. In May, I'm heading to Pensacola, FL for a blogger retreat. I will be graduating the end of July, going to Blogher with my sister in NYC the first of August, taking the boys to Disney the 2nd week of August. Here's the part where I decided I might be crazy. I've run a full marathon and it wasn't fun. I've never hurt so badly in my life than I did the last 5 miles of that marathon. However, I think I'm in better shape even now than I was when I ran my marathon. After talking with my brother about how cool the Rock N' Roll Marathons are, we decided to run one in Denver in September. I am so excited and scared at the same time, but I'm signed up! I said I'd never do another one, but I also wanted to be in really great shape before we tried for another baby this Fall/Winter. I know that this will push me to where I need to be.




I just might be crazy....but oh well. ;)

Finger Mishap

I said last December that we were fortunate that the boys haven't had too many incidents or accidents. Maybe I spoke too soon? Last week, we got home from a long day at school and the boys were starving for dinner. I was trying to get things together as quickly as I could, and Rowan started pushing our metal folding stool across the floor. The next think I knew he was on the floor and screaming. His 4th finger on his right hand was pinned in between the stool as he had tripped and it had folded on him. From first glance, I wondered if he was going to need stitches. We kept pressure on it for about 20 minutes and it was still bleeding. I decided to take him into the instacare to see what they would do for him.


We waited at the Instacare for 2 hours. 2 hours! Rowan was beyond patient because there were shows on the TV that he was interested in. Once we finally got back, the Instacare Dr. said he wanted to put some stitches in it. This Dr. had the best bedside manner of any Dr. I've ever seen. He was so kind with Rowan, asked him lots of questions, gave him a sucker. The entire time he was numbing him, he was acting silly and doing things to keep Rowan's attention off of the needle. Rowan did awesome once he was all numbed up. He was interacting with this Dr. and was even answering a few questions. We talked a bit about Rowan's delay while there and the Dr. told me he had a 14 year old with Autism so he understands some of the frustrations I'm feeling. The Dr. even carried Rowan out to the car in a blizzard and buckled him in his car seat. Looking back on Rowan's ped visit in January, you wouldn't have thought this was the same child that was patient and cute during an almost 3 hour visit. I can't help but wish that this Instacare doc was a family Dr. I would go to him in a heartbeat.


We are going to get Rowan's stitches out today, but it's healing nicely! Let's hope we keep any accidents on the down low for the next while!

Girl's Day Out

My mom, sister and sister in law had our annual girl's day out where we celebrated all of our birthdays. We met at cheesecake factory and enjoyed a fantastic lunch and some cheesecake. There were loads of laughs, great conversation and great food.


After we were done with lunch, we shopped at Fashion Place mall until we dropped. Literally. We probably shopped for a good 5-6 hours and I was tired when we were done. One of our first stops was at Sephora, one of my favorite all time stores. It's heavenly for any girl who loves makeup and skincare. I invested in a palette that I've had my eye on for a while but it being a want over a need, haven't been able to justify it. Since I was birthday shopping, I figured why not?!


While we were in one store, I couldn't get over all of the ridiculous clothing and accessories. I found this fox tail and took a picture. I can't imagine seriously wearing it because I thought it was cool or cute.


All shots are courtesy of my iphone, that's why they aren't all that great.

Mom & Me

Avry & Lia

I'd say I can't wait until next year, but I think I can wait - that means I'll be turning 30. YIKES!