cabin fever.

last weekend was a blast. we got snowed in a little bit (like four feet) so we spent a little bit more time inside than out. we played games, hung out, and supervised all nine kiddos. they had such a great time together. and madeline and matix became best little friends. in fact, we figured out that they're gonna be in the same grade in school...so we basically decided they're gonna date. and we helped the sparks fly a little bit...

yes, what awesome parents are we.

.

 

clips for kids.

a man i work with's daughter had cancer. she was diagnosed when she was two....she is now six. she has been in remission now for a while but it really was such a sad, hard thing, up and down thing.  but things are looking really good for her now.

anyways...her dad convinced a couple of girls to donate their hair and raise money for cancer this past saturday. i now how a co-worker with a bald head, and a co-worker with supppperrrr short hair. they raised over $500 and are now hair-less. 

"I would donate a kidney for a little kid with cancer. so why wouldn't i shave my head? hair grows back. a kidney won't." --Rose (who is now bald)

{man i wish i had some guts to do something noble for such a good cause}

but i kinda like having hair.

this weekend.

so this saturday is the day me and jon were supposed to get sealed. it's kinda weird to think about how much has changed in just a few short months.  im the most sad about not being able to be sealed to my son. i may never get to now. that's kind of a hard thing to think about. so i really wanted to just do something fun to not think about it. originally the plan was to go to new york with my friends, but schedules and prices werent exactly working out, so im going in april instead. so then the plan was to have a girls weekend up at the cabin in brian head. but then that didnt work out. so then it turned into a little more of a double date weekend and then that fell through as well. so basically...i have been a little bit frustrated and stressed out the last week or so because of this, along with a grip of other things.  luckily last minute things are starting to work out. darci loves me and is coming. and my mom is babysitting so me and her can have some quality time and snowboard like we used to when we were young and had no responsibilities (like kids). i love snowboarding. i love brianhead. im excited to to have some fun! this will be a good weekend. it just has to be.

sea world...and beyond.

first of all...can i just say that sea world is amazing..? like even more awesome than i ever could have imagined. okay, now that that's out of the way....

so me and my wonderful friend kelli ventured to california last weekend for an awesome adventure with our little boys. she has a best friend living there. and i have a best friend living there. and sea world is there. so why wouldnt we go? exactly...it just makes sense. so we went. and im so glad we did. 

friday night i met up with my best friends (zach and steph, duh) and my good friend from high school michelle and her sister jen for dinner. michelle suggested mama d's in newport, and it was an excellent choice. the food was bomb. and they had kids toys galore. it was awesome. it basically turned into a little date for matix and michelle, and by the end of the night matix was sooooo unbelievably sad that he had to go home with me instead of in michelles truck. silly boy. (and yes...that is matix with his hand down his pants. dont ask me where he learned that from...but he does it. a lot. )

saturday was sea world day. it was heaven for us all. it was so cute to see how mesmerized the little boys were over everything. i think matix's favorites were the "mingo mingo's" (flamingos), the penguins, and of course the fishies.  he didnt appreciate the polar bears...AT ALL. he was seriously sooo good all day. even with NO NAP. he has never not had a nap before but there was just too much excitement. and apparenlty sea world is dumb and offered unlimited meals for $25. talk about a deal. so we ate. and ate and ate and ate.  and there was a little rain so the park wasn't crowded at all. it was just perfect. we were happy campers.

the highlight of the day was definitely meeting elmo. if you could only see the look on his face when he first saw him. O M G. he was so happy. it was the cutest thing ever. he even rode all the rides like a champ. such a big boy. :)

we ended our trip with a day at the beach. matix still isn't too sure of the water, but he loved the sand. dylan on the other hand, couldnt get enough of the water. it was pretty dang cute to watch. 

i love the beach. and sea world. and california. and best friends. and matix. 

we shall return soon. :)

cousin jenn is about to pop.

this girl means so much to me. we have been best friends. sisters. cousins. not so best of friends. and everything in between. she has been there for me in so many ways at every point in my life. and now she's about to join us in the wonderful world of motherhood and i couldnt be more excited for her. she's going to be a wonderful mom, and i hope our kids are best friends growing up like we were. come out carson...me and matix are ready to meet you :)

our new life...

so I am finally adjusting to my new life. everything was so busy with the holidays and getting all the divorce paperwork done and stuff, that reality is now setting in. I now only have matix half of the week. (he's with jon monday through thursdays). I thought that that would be fine, and really it is, ( i mean c'mon i get him every weekend..how can i complain?) but i guess i did not think about how boring my life would get. i miss this little guy. and my dad..dont even get me started. thurday has unofficially turned into matix+grandpa day.

I went from working full time, and taking 15 credits, and being a mom full time, and and wife full time, to having absolutely nothing to do EVER. and most of my shows are on break right now. go figure. this is so weird for me, and a little harder than it seems. Not to mention that all of my friends are married or getting married. So really i have a lot of time to myself. Now i really am not complaining, because i would rather be bored than too busy, and my life really is great, it's just an adjustment for sure. it makes spending time with my baby boy a lot more fun, and i try to do fun things with him when i can.

like this weekend we are headed off to sea world and i couldn't be more excited about it!

meet nelly.

this is nelly. she is matix's best friend in nursery at church. she just loves loves loves matix. one time she even asked her parents if she could share her fruit snacks with matix. so they drove over to our house so she could share with him. so sweet right? matix is a stud, even at age one.


speaking of nursery...matix still loves it. he just needs a little convincing nowadays. something kicked in right around when he turned 18 months where he would get freaked out and super clingy so we wouldnt leave. but prior to 18 months he could care less if I was in there or not. my dad has spent many of sundays in nursery to please him. some of the parents even think that nursery should be my dad's calling, since he is so entertaining with the kids. he has been doing a little better lately so hopefully it stays that way :)

{dimitri, ariel, nelly, matix, luke}

elder cook

today quentin l cook, of the quorum of the twelve, chose our stake to speak to at a conference that took the place of church. he explained that he chose our specific stake because we are the original las vegas stake, and he was the stake president of the original san francisco stake, so he felt he could relate to us. It's not THAT often that we get the opportunity to be in such close quarters to an apostle of God, so it was really fun that he chose our stake. My dad went a few hours early to save seats, of course, so we were right up front, and on his way out matix was one of the few people to give him a high five. after the meeting my mom asked matix, if he got to touch the man's hand, and with the biggest smile i have ever seen he yells yeeeeaaaaaaahhhhhhh. what a fun experience.

"don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." -dr. seuss

<http://rlene.tumblr.com/>

today marks the first day that i am officially divorced.
and im okay with it.
its been a crazy couple of months.
but im hanging in there.
and im happy.
im pretty scared to venture into this new chapter.
but i have no regrets.
and im a stronger person because of it :)

matix is sick.

how freaking sad does he look?!?
and he even has a lollipop in his hand.
dont believe me?
well its there.



so we took him to the doctor. he has a fever of 102.7. an ear infection in his right ear. and croup.
poor freaking baby.
i hope he feels better soon because my heart just hurts for him. he's not his normal self. and i miss him.

tis the season for weddings...

and megan birdyy is first!!

so we showered her with house goodies, and then partied with a little lingerie....


megan, tres, kelli, me, megan, ashley, erin

the megleys.




and then for the party.
we went to rare 120 at hard rock for some free food. and bomb dessert. it was awesome i tell ya.


my old roomies :)

my kellshmell

we grab boobs. for fun.



it was all pulled off thanks to molly!! :)






UP NEXT:

this one...


and them :)

showing off my modeling skills...

or lack thereof.
(to be completely honest.)

my friends loren and jeff are in fashion school and needed to do a photoshoot of all their outfits they've made...and i just happen to be the right size. so i helped out.
im definitely not meant to model. or even pretend to model. but we still had a blast :)

better late than never....

thanks tres.

due to my lack of camera....
tres so graciously offered to snap a picture of matix's first encounter with mister claus back in december. and i just now got the pictures...in FEBRUARY! its okay im not even mad because the pictures are priceless.





yep he hated him. maybe next year when he understands that santa hooks him up with gifts under the tree. cute boy.