A Vegas Getaway!

Guest post by Mom:

So I'm currently sitting at 34 weeks pregnant.  My massive growth has slowed, THANKFULLY.  I think to an outside observer I look the same amount pregnant as I did 4 weeks ago!  I find myself once again grateful that I'm spared most of the horrors of pregnancy.  I do love being pregnant and now that I've calmed down about how big I am I'm really enjoying it again.  I'm still teaching my fitness classes 4 days a week and I sleep soundly.  I have a great husband who is willing to give me foot rubs that turn into full leg rubs that of course, NATURALLY, turn into full body massages.  Even if it's only about 10 minutes long, it's heavenly.  I can breathe really well thanks to my long torso and really I don't spend most of my day thinking about how uncomfortable I am.  I am lucky.  But unfortunately I am also impatient.  And it compounds during these last weeks of pregnancy.  I will be slightly grumpy starting at 37 weeks because the baby could come ANY day but it WON'T.  And I can't control it.  Breathe.  Let it go.  I've still got three weeks until I'm even there.  That being said, I thought my dear husband, who has been working some very long hours, needed a get away with nice and tolerable Sheri before the beast manifests itself.

We "won" a paid trip down to Vegas with the caveat that we would have to attend a time share presentation.  Fine.  Whatever.  Give us our free room for two nights.  We stayed at The Rumor Boutique Hotel.  It was strange.  Not entirely unpleasant.  Just kind of strange.  We did enjoy the king bed with its fluffy down comforter though!  And the time share presentation turned out awesome because they treated us to a breakfast buffet at "The Wicked Spoon" which is located in the new Cosmopolitan Hotel.  Dang.  Full dessert bar at BREAKFAST.  Not to mention the actual breakfast food.  It was so YUMMY.  And so frustrating to have a stomach that couldn't fulfill its full potential due to the baby.

We enjoyed a little walk to the Bellagio gardens.  Very fun autumn theme.

We of course spent more money than we intended due to the cost of food, but we had a great time just being the two of us.  It's going to be awhile before that happens again!!

The girls got to stay home and hang with the rest of the crew.  I don't think they really even missed us.

Siena's Birthday Celebrations!

Yes, there is an "s" at the end of the word celebration.  I got to celebrate my birthday FOUR times.  Once on the day at Lake Powell.  Once on Sunday when I got home and we had cake with Daddy and the rest of the family.  Once at school and then once with my friends for my first ever FRIEND PARTY!!!!

Daddy wanted to make sure we celebrated my birthday with him so we had a party with family that Sunday.

I have awesome aunts and uncles...

Lexi and Cara were great helpers when it came to present time!

And then on Wednesday, my kindergarten class celebrated with me!

But I could hardly wait for Friday.  My mommy actually put together a "friend" party.  If you ask her, she'll tell you it wasn't that spectacular, but when you ask me I tell you that it was AWESOME!!!!

We played "Pin the Hat on the Witch"

And then we tried out Twister....

Followed by a little Disney Dance action! 

Cupcakes!

Present time!

And then chaos ensued.  We jumped around, colored on the drive way, ran around like crazy people...

But seriously....I think it went well!!  Happy Birthday to me!!!

Lake Powell

On my birthday I was lucky enough to be at Lake Powell.  Mommy, Cara, and I packed up with Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Eric on Thursday and headed out.  I had never been to Lake Powell and Mommy hadn't been in a decade or so.  We were really excited.  Unfortunately, Daddy couldn't join us because of some work things, but I still got to talk him on my birthday and tell him all about Lake Powell.

Thursday was very windy and we basically arrived to a choppy lake.  It was exciting to us.  We got doused with a couple of waves which I thought was the best part of Thursday.  We had nothing to compare our trip to so I didn't even notice that it could have been better!  Grandpa found us a nice, HUGE, sandy beach to pitch our tents on.  

We ate dinner on the boat because of wind/sand combination!

It was a rough night for the grown ups who were constantly aware of the sand and wind beating on the tents, but Cara and I didn't notice and were the first ones up on my birthday! The wind was still there, but there were no clouds and we felt pretty optimistic about the day.  Look at the sky!!!!

I, of course, took my turn in the water kneeboarding.  I put Grandma to shame.  She used a full body wetsuit.  I didn't use anything!

Cara even got in and swam against her will!

That night we picked up Uncle Marty, Aunt Hailey, Uncle Phil, and Aunt Becca.  I enjoyed the hour ride over to the marina and entertained them all by dancing to the music on the way back.

Saturday morning dawned and it was PERFECT.  The wind finally disappeared not a cloud in the sky!

Nope...Mommy doesn't even look pregnant...

The annual football game!

Mom tried to have us cheer

Cara got bored.....

Turns out I just wanted to play!  I even tried to have Cara set up our own
field, but luckily I got on the team!

We made it off the lake safely!  We were kind of excited to head home and see Daddy!

Actually, the trip home would have been entirely uneventful except for the part where Cara for the first time in her life got car sick.  We still feel bad that we subjected Uncle Eric to that!  It was a great trip and at least us little girls hope to go back next year.   

Siena is Six!!!!

Guest post by Mommy:

Can it be?  My oldest is SIX?  Between that number and the fact that she's in kindergarten, I think I really have to accept that she is becoming a full blown kid.  She doesn't need me for much other than permission and reassurance.  It's crazy.

I have almost no idea how to appropriately celebrate this girl.  I've been blessed with an energetic, but obedient daughter.  I'm racking my brain trying to think of what has changed about her this year.

-She is in kindergarten now which means she is reading beginner books.
-She can write all her letters and is spending a lot of time trying to write her own words.
-She loves to tell stories.
-Her chores changed to doing her own laundry with help.  She puts it in the washer and then I have it ready for her to fold and put away after school.  She's quite good at it.
-She can keep long term goals in mind.  We are saving for Disneyland again and she will pick putting money in the bank over buying a toy.
-Her swimming skills are phenomenal.  She can swim down to the bottom of pools.
-She is also very brave when it comes to kneeboarding/bellyboarding.  She understands how to let go of the rope and wait for the boat to come back and get her.
-She still asks permission to do most things. (Go outside, get a drink, play in the playroom, get out a game.) It's great.
-She is still a very cheerful person and I'm sure her teacher will tell me that she loves to talk.
-She and Cara can play for HOURS together.  It's great.

There are so many other things that she is talented at.  She is just such a pleasure to have in our family.  Siena and I can have bad days.  We can make each other cry, but I am grateful for the ball of happiness that she is.

A wedding and a phone!

Last weekend we made our last trip up north before we add a member to the family.   At least we think.  We haven't PLANNED anything anyway.  We went up because one of Daddy's oldest friends was getting married! Just before leaving though, Mommy got in line and waited for a brand new iPhone 5S. Yes she really did.  She loves it.  Her phone was the old iPhone 4 and it was limping along with cracks.  This one is much better.  

We went to the zoo and stopped by the pet adoption event going on.  Slight mistake.  Turns out the Preslars really really really miss their big dog, Alex who has been gone for several years.

Then we played at the splash pad in the zoo and got just wet enough to remember that fall started the next day!

Mommy and Daddy enjoyed going to a temple sealing together.

Daddy got to see A LOT  of old friends and he loved it.

We snuck in some time with Oma and Apa and a lot of people I didn't know that apparently belong to Apa's family!

Mommy and Daddy snuck away to party with Daddy's friends and apparently a dinosaur!

This is the groom..does he look happy?

Daddy and Josh have been friends forever.
Separated by years and states, they still dress alike.