High School Friends

I had so much fun getting together with some of my best high school friends last week. We had a great time catching up and laughed a lot reminiscing about old times. It is amazing how fast time flies however when you get together with old friends it is like you have never been apart.

The main reason we got together was to celebrate the arrival of Tiff and Kenny's baby Krew. They have waited a long time to be parents and were blessed to adopt a baby boy. They will be great parents! We are so happy for you.

4th of July

Lexi was so excited for the 4th of July because she got to wear the dress Nana Anita ( Lance's mom) got her for the fireworks party.

My parents have a big party every year on the 4th. It is great because you can see the Romney Stadium fireworks perfectly from their backyard.

The kids loved the fireworks!

Peyton was a wild man on the blow-up waterslide at his cousin's house.

What is the 4th of July without a parade!

It was so HOT we made a giant slip and slide at my parents so everyone could cool off. It was a blast!

We had a wonderful holiday weekend and are so lucky to live in this free country!

The Wedding

Marin and Jason's Wedding

So the big wedding was last Saturday. It was a lot of fun and everything was beautiful! Marin and Jason are so happy together!

This is all the grandkids after the temple. This is also how my family felt after the reception but that did not keep us from staying up talking till midnight about the days event.

They added some great personal touches. Marin LOVES cotton candy so they had cotton candy as their favor.
The send off was really neat because they left the reception in a helicopter. They are going to Thailand for their honeymoon. Happy Honeymoon!

Canyon Cookout

The extended Rice family gets together for a Dutch oven dinner family night every year to kick off the summer.

Lance was hard at work making sure all the food was cooked just right.

Peyton continued to eat even once they started the lesson. The food was YUMMY!

Lexi's best little friend and cousin Jillian are partners in crime.

At the end of the night Peyton learned how to extinguish the fire boy scout style.

Dance Party

My new favorite show for the summer is So You Think You Can Dance. If you haven't ever seen it I highly recommend it!

We had a preview party for Shelly (second from the left) who auditioned and was featured last night on the show. She did a fabulous job and made it to Vegas. Go Shelly!

Memorial weekend

My sister is getting married in a couple of weeks and her reception is going to be in my parents backyard. So, we spent Saturday helping my parents in their yard. Lance mowed almost an acre and Peyton helped, or not. I worked with my parents planting flowers and putting together a new garden arbor.

It wasn't all work. We made time for playing baseball and shopping with the girls.

This is some of my family enjoying dinner at Cafe Sabor. Yum!

Sunday we met the Rice Family at the cemetery to remember Grandpa Rice. All the little grandchildren wrote a message to Grandpa and tied it to a balloon.

They each took a turn reading their message and then let them go up to the sky. Peyton summed it up best, " Grandpa Rice, we love you and miss you. Go Utes!"

SHOTS!

Today was the dreaded day that Peyton had to get his shots for Kindergarten (four of them). He knew it was coming soon because each day at Preschool a different child would limp in and say they had just gotten their shots to go to school. I hate taking my kids to get shots but it is a necessary evil. I remember when I took Peyton for his first shots when he was two months old. I started crying and the nurse had to ask me if I was o.k. However, part of that was hormones but no one likes to see their child in pain. You feel so bad holding them still while the nurse injects them.

Peyton was very brave. He did not even cry but he did beg the nurse to stop after the first two. However, he held very still and did a great job! It is a good thing he does not take after his dad when it comes to shots. Lance passes out every time he gets shots or has his blood taken.

I think it helped that I had made a deal with Peyton before his appointment that if he was good for his shots I would take him after to get a Transformer. I am sure this goes against all correct parenting theories but it worked well for us. As soon as his appointment was over Peyton told the nurse he was on his way to get a Transformer.

Peyton did great and didn't miss a beat when he got home - running, riding his bike and teasing his sister. Then our power went out and we had to get out all the candles and flashlights. It was a pretty exciting day for a five year old.

Happy Anniversary & Mother's Day

May 11th was not only Mother's Day but our Anniversary as well. I cannot believe we have been married for eight years! I guess time does fly when you are having fun and kids, work, moving, school....etc. etc.

From the time I was a little girl I had dreamed about getting married in the Logan Temple. So the first time Lance came to Logan on our drive back to Salt Lake I asked Lance what if the girl you marry wants to get married in the Logan Temple (all of his family had been married in the SLC Temple and his grandpa was a sealer there) Lance just turned to me, smiled, and said " I think that would be great". We were married 16 months later in the Logan Temple and Lance's Grandpa Rice got special permission from the First Presidency to marry us. It truly was the best day ever!

Mother's Day was very nice! It is refreshing to have a day where your children feel obligated to be good and not make messes or fight. I am so grateful to be a mom! I love spending each day with Peyton and Lexi. It is so fun when your kids are some of your favorite people to hang out with.

This weekend we also went down to Temple Square to see the gardens. As you can see Lexi was so impressed she fell asleep.

Viva Mexico!

Our friends the Alders have a fun tradition of hosting a "Cinco de Mayo" party. However, this year the fifth did not work out so we had a "Seis de Mayo" party. It is always fun to get together with friends no matter the occasion.
The little girls loved playing on the play set and in the sand. Katie and Cory have a great backyard for kids!

The boys just wanted to play basketball.

The moms enjoyed the chance to eat and chat.

The big boys also just wanted to play basketball!

Finally, what would "Seis de Mayo" be without a Pinata.

Soccer Saturdays

Peyton gets very excited for his soccer game every Saturday. I know many athletes have rituals before a game I just didn't think it started when you were only five. Peyton has some set rituals before his games - he likes to lay out his uniform the night before and eat one waffle and three carrots for breakfast ("because they make you run fast"). Then on the way to the game he always requests "We're not gonna take it!" to get fired up.

Margo, Chelsey and Brittney are so great to come and watch the preschool bunch ball. Thanks aunts for your support!

Peyton's games are quite amusing because there are no goalies, no refs, and they don't keep score. However, Peyton keeps close track of the score and who the good players are on the other teams.

Lexi is just along for the ride and always seems to get a treat at the end of the game with the team. She is such a good sport because not only does she go to Peyton's games but she likes to go to Mom and Dad's games as well.

Here is an action shot from our coed indoor soccer league. It is pretty funny because Lance has never played soccer and after ten years and two kids later, I am not quite the soccer player I used to be. However, Lance is a great goalie because he has no fear and it is a good workout for me. My favorite part is Peyton yelling from the stands, " Mom be more aggressive".

It is great playing with friends and it always makes for a few good laughs!