Chelsea!

We had such a great long weekend because Chelsea came in town! We are still rookies here in Denver and haven't had a chance to see the sights (we've mostly been waiting for guests to come to go with them) and we had a chance to check out a few things with her.

Ate yummy donuts at "Beyond the Glaze"

Marlo slept in the Pack n' Play next to our bed and we brought her in bed with us for some early morning snuggles. 

Went to a Nuggets game! We ended up going on "Family Night" so our tickets included dinner and a drink. I think next time it's worth splurging a little more to not sit in the nose bleeds. Hiking up there is the WORST! But, it was a good game and the Nuggets won! 

Went to the Red Rocks! It is GORGEOUS! Chelsea and I zig-zagged and jogged the steps and then did some butt-kicks and climbed back up to the top. It was a great workout. 

Went to the capital so we could sit on the "ONE MILE ABOVE SEA LEVEL" step. Downton Denver is AMAZING. And to top it off, it was a beautiful day so no snow and no jackets. 

We are so grateful that Chelsea took the time to visit. We are looking forward to her next visit in January - Marlo loves her Aunt Cha-See!

Surprise Trip to AZ

Marlo and I took a last minute trip to AZ. The flights were cheap and we wanted to see family while we had a good chance and before things got too busy for us. We also went to spend time with my Dad who is not doing too well. He lights up when he sees Marlo and him and my Mom (and all my siblings) would do just about anything to see Marlo. No one knew we were coming except my parents so it was fun to surprise everyone!

We had an opportunity to buy Garth Brooks tickets off someone so we went for it! IT WAS AMAZING! I won't go into much detail, because I could go on and on, so talk to me about it in person, please? Because I want to tell you all about it - Ha! It was so nostaligic. We used to listen to him during on our summer vacations to Lake Powell and on all our family road trips. He is an amazing performer and so humble. I had a lot of friends go to his show in SLC as well and they all said it was the best concert they have been to - I agree! 

Marlo was SO good on all flights! On the way there she slept the whole time. On the way back she slept on the first flight but not the second. But, we had pretty empty flights so it worked. She sat and looked out the window. And she licked the window over and over and I didn't even stop her. Yeah - I am that cool of a Mom. 

The best part was, and I am writing this so I don't forget, when I got off the plane in Denver we were walking to baggage claim and a man who was on our flight walked next to us and said, "Your daughter did so well on the flight! She's the best baby I have ever seen in all my traveling. She is so beautiful." Wow! And then when we were leaving with Nephi after getting our luggage, we were just walking and talking and we walked by another guy and he kind of waved at us and said, "Hey, hey! Your daughter is so cute and such a good baby. I meant to tell you that on the flight but didn't get a chance. She is so cute!" Ha! So, good job Marlo. I guess it pays to just let your kid lick the window. 

Lots of cousin time! Marlo lights up when she sees Ava! And Ava is so sweet with her. Sure, she pushes her around sometimes, but I really think she does well with her and makes sure Marlo is always being good! :) And Colt! He is just THE SWEETEST babe. He is cooing and smiling and is so chill. He definitely has his Mama's personality! It was so fun spending so much time with him. He will be huge by the time I see him again! :( 

And of course, lots of Granddad time!!! I never see my Dad happier than when he is with his grandchildren. He is the best Granddad to them. Marlo was loving him this trip and would lean in to give him kisses without him even asking! I think she senses that he needs the love. 

Grandy time! He came into town the day after we did and I picked him up from the airport and about gave him a heart-attack! Ha! Marlo LOVES Grandy. She would run to him and put her arms up. She actually sat with him which she doesn't often do. 

Went to the AZ State Fair! It's been years since I have been and it was NOT as fun as the Eastern Idaho State Fair. The food was blah, too. But, we got in free because of a promotion they were having. ^^I love this picture of Marlo looking at the pig. He started snorting and it scared her. The video was so funny!

Took a little trip to the pumpkin patch to get pumpkins! 

Made sugar cookies with royal icing and they turned out so good! It is SO time consuming but I am excited to have the skill so I can use it for parties and such. I got The Allison Cookie Party course for my birthday and it was so worth it! Such great tips!

I LOVED this trip to AZ because I got to see Emily AND Maddie! They are my very best friends from High School. I usually get to see Emily every time I go to AZ but I haven't seen Maddie in almost 5 years! It was so fun to catch up and "brunch". Maddie teased that we are finally old and rich enough to brunch - HA! I said, yes we are old enough but I am not rich enough! But really, it was so wonderful to see them and we sat there for 5 hours chatting about old times and new changes in our lives. Grateful for such great friends that we can just pick up where we left off.

I am so glad we got to make the quick trip. Every time I see my family I usually have a detox a day or two after I leave and stay in bed and just super lazy and this trip was no different. Poor Nephi has to deal with my quick depression, haha. I just need things to look forward to and after a trip it always feels so far away! But Chelsea is coming in 2 weeks and then we get to see the Guymon's at Christmas! 

Wrapping Up Summer

We wrapped up our summer by dragging it out as long as we could. While everyone started busting out the pumpkin spice, we took a trip to the pool, hit up a Rockies game, and have been on walks every day to soak up the beautiful weather! Long live summer!

I had the opportunity to work an event in the Bahamas through a company that a friend of mine started. They needed some event planning experience and I am glad I could help out! I mean, fiiiiiine, I will go to the Bahamas if you make me ;) 

It was crazy (read: expensive) to get my passport in order and then book flights. I was a little hesitant to leave Marlo with Nephi, but his schooling is such that he does most of it online and had to put Marlo in daycare only 2 times for him to go to campus. Also, there was no question in Nephi's mind that I should go. A little of it was networking, a little was to earn some money, and then a lot was just for me to get back in the event planning game considering that I have taken some time off to do other work. I LOVE it and hope I will have future opportunities to keep doing so. It keeps me sharp. 

These 2 did just fine without me! In fact, Marlo had a rough 2 weeks after I got back with all the transitioning but turns out she is teething (still is). So grateful for a supportive hubby like Nephi. There is no one else like him! 

August in AZ

A week after we got to Colorado we jumped on a plane and went to Arizona to spend a few weeks with my family. Nephi was able to join us for 2 of the 4 weeks because he had a break after his first week of orientation and we soaked it all in!

We basically never stopped sweating. We spent a lot of time indoors and just playing with family. Marlo had just started walking so she was all over the place loving all the open space. She got SO much love during her time there that at moments I thought she would explode from happiness. Her grandparents and aunts and uncles love her unconditionally and she loves them back! It was a good taste of what it would be like to live near my family and if it wasn't for being separated from Nephi for 2 weeks, we wouldn't have had the urge to come back to CO! Luckily, the flights to PHX from DEN are fairly inexpensive so I am sure we will squeeze in a few trips a year.

Kendall had her little baby boy (Colt Steven) while we were there and we got lots of snuggles! He is growing so fast and I can't wait to see him again! 

We took a trip with my parents to the Grand Canyon and Sedona. It was so beautiful and I forgot how breathtaking the views are. I had more of an appreciation than I did when I was last there (6th grade) and I want to plan a trip next summer to hike Havasupi! 

Marlo took lots of baths in Namas sink. 

Any chance she could, my Mom would rock Marlo to sleep. They had such a sweet little routine and I know Marlo misses her. Every time we get on FaceTime Marlo starts blowing kisses to her! She doesn't do that with anyone else. She loves her Nams! 

Nephi left and then my parents, me and Marlo went to California for a few days to visit friends in Pasadena and family in Southern California. It was also SO hot there and so we didn't escape the heat much but went to the beach and did some exploring in LA. 

Marlo fell in LOVE with my cousin Hannah. She is so wonderful with kids. If I had the money, I would make her our live-in nanny. She is so darling. 

I celebrated the big 2-8 while we were there. Shopping and food - it was SO great (just wish Nephi could have been there with us!). 

I am so glad we took the time to make the trip. My parents are so gracious with their time and just making it a fun trip for us before we started our life in Colorado. I don't know if they realize how much it meant to us (especially me) but we had the best time and counting down the days till we go back to visit! 

Father's Day

For Nephi's first Father's Day we went camping with his family. Because of our work schedules ever since we have been married, our weekends are tight and camping has always been on the list but we've only ever gone, now, twice! I know, I am bad - I want to be better when we move to Denver. Not that I love it (I don't hate it) but I know Nephi LOVES it.

We packed up on Saturday while Nephi was at work and then as soon as he got home we hit the road to Palisades to meet up with his parents and the Cannons. They had camp already set up and we just sat around the fire with hot dogs and smores. In the morning we had breakfast, went on a little walk, played around the camp for a bit, and then packed up. A lot of work for 1 night but it was worth it!

We headed to the lake a few minutes down the road and took out the paddle boards. They are harder than we thought but we got a hang of it!

I made some rice krispies for the lunch we were in charge of and they turned out so good! I love rice krispies so I tried my own recipe based on a few that I have tried in the past and love what I came up with:

THICK and Sweet Rice Krispie Treats
1 box of rice krispie cereal
1 jar of marshmallow creme
1 bag of mini marshmallows
1 tsp of vanilla
1 cube of butter

Pour box of rice krispies in a bowl and set aside. Brown the butter in a pot on a medium heat and then add vanilla. (You will know it's been properly browned when there are little brown flecks in the butter - make sure you don't burn it!) Add the marshmallow creme and stir (It will turn brown and have flecks in it - it's okay!). After that is mixed, add almost the whole bag of mini marshmallows  slowly (you decide how much you want to use but if you use almost all of it, you can use the whole box of cereal). After everything is melted, pour over the bowl of rice krispies and stir with a wooden spoon. Add to a 9x13 cake pan and let it cool at room temperature.

These are THICK. Like the ones you would get at a deli. I cut them into squares and wrapped them in plastic and put them in a baggy. They are pretty moist and it turns out Nephi likes them more dry so with the extras we had he let them dry out for a day and then finished them off. SO GOOD!

Marlo was a little gem! Slept through the night (between Nephi and I) and even napped a little on Saturday. 

I would follow this man anywhere! Seeing Nephi become a Dad has been no surprise to me. He is still the most kind and genuine man I have ever known, but just really obsessed with another girl :) He loves Marlo to no end and he always impresses me with his patience. I never have to make him go into her room to soothe her during the night, he just takes his turn when it's his turn. He loves putting her to bed, waking her up, changing her diaper, feeding her - anything! He doesn't pick and choose - he is 100% all the time. I truly believe Marlo chose him to be her Dad and then was like, "Okay, I guess that lady can be my Mom." We are beyond blessed to be loved by Nephi!