Weekend Getaway to Utah

Before my sister Mary headed back to CT for the summer,

we decided to have one last get-together with everyone in Utah!

We had such a blast catching up on old times,

watching movies,

going to SLC,

walking all around temple square,

visiting the children's exhibit :)

enjoying the warm 90* weather!!

playing at the park,

eating at some fun resturants,

seeing my old roomie from college & meeting her beautiful new baby girl,

and loving the quiet 5 hour drive there and back (Bry did AmAziNg-watched movies/slept the whole way).

Thanks so much Chris, Laiz, Jacob & Bella for letting us crash at your place,

it was aWesOme!!

Boston here we come...

So it's official, 

Ben, Bryson and I 

are shipping off to Boston 

for another crazy adventure.

Although we will miss everyone and everything about being here in  Idaho,

we are EXCITED as can be!!!

These pictures have absolutely nothing to do with us leaving, 

I was just enjoying my new little instagram app 

that my sweet friend Haley told me all about, 

it's awesome :)

Having fun at Bri's park with Natalie, Syd and Bailee!

Happy Saturday everyone :)

Remembering Easter...

A few, fun Easter memories of our little family of 3. 

The Easter bunny came,

baskets/presents were opened,

yummy waffles, with strawberries and whip cream were eaten,

church was attended,

songs were sung,

the sweet spirit of "He has risen" was felt,

the sun shinned,

lots of sushi rolls were made,

cupcakes were decorated,

almost 2 year "olders" took happy nappys,

family gathered,

Easter feast was devoured,

over stuffing our tummies occurred,

playing on tricycles was loved,

and being together was awesome :)

Mommy son date

Bry and I had a little mommy/son day date where we went walking on the green belt, played at the park, watched all the geese land on the river, jumped on the trampoline and went to lunch.

I will forever cherish these special one-on-one days I get to have with my sweet little boy!

Just a quick thought about Motherhood on Easter Sunday...

When your days have been more than you think you can bare,

when you think you are not being the coolest, "funnest" mom,

when you're sick of saying "no,"

when you can't stand another minute of the crying and just wish you could make it all better,

when you haven't slept in weeks,

when you haven't slept since your first child was born,

when you feel small, belittled, not important or unneeded,

when you have doubts of your ability as a mother,

when you think you need to be a better cook, a better seamstress, a better wife, a better chauffeur, a better "maid"...

watch this uplifting message :)

Turn to the Lord!

He knows exactly what we are all individually going through.

He cares.

He loves us.

He wants to be a part of our lives, 
so we should all let him :)

I am grateful for my Savior, for the love and comfort He has shown me throughout my entire life.

On this Easter Sunday I couldn't be more grateful

for the bounteous blessings He has given me.
I am so grateful for my eternal family, my health, this gospel, the scriptures and the leaders of the church.

I can't express the gratitude I have for the perfect example He is, great sacrifice He made, and for His miraculous Resurrection!

"He is risen! He is risen!
Tell it out with joyful voice.
He has burst his three days’ prison;
Let the whole wide earth rejoice.
Death is conquered; man is free.
Christ has won the victory."

The Lord has risen.

No greater joy fills my heart than the knowing that,
Jesus Christ, our Savior & Redeemer,
Lives.

HaPpY eAsTer!



Our trip to the Twin Cities

This past weekend Ben and I headed out,

without our little B (we missed him sooo much)

to the Twin Cities.

Ben had his interview with the U of Minnesota

and I tagged along to see the city and visit with some good friends!

We had soo much fun visiting with the Balukoffs, seeing the city

and eating some amazing food-

including the famous juicy lucy-what Minneapolis is known for

and the most amazing Mexican!!

They came out and made the guacamole fresh, from scratch right at our table, YUMmm!

We even lucked out and got tickets to see the Celtics verse the Timberwolves AND see Vanilla Ice live in concert for the halftime show ;)  

It was such a fun game- especially because the Celt's hammered Minneapolis!

Garnett had an awesome game against his old team :)

The three crazy boys I went with!

Enjoying the bball game with my bestest friend!!

Downtown Minneapolis.

The entire city is connected with these covered bridge, gerbil like tunnels, it's really nice, especially when it got a little chilly at nights.

Mall of America!!!

Their sweet Lego display :)

Alisha and I had some really fun girl time while we were together!

We got pedicures,

went shopping,

out for lunch (or should I say out for cake ;)

and went jogging..

Grace (3 1/2)- posing for the camera. Such a silly, fun girl!

and Lily (19ish months)..what a doll! She is the sweetest little girl!

We had soo much fun seeing it all!!

Thanks Sam and Alisha for making the weekend such a blast!!

Goodbye old friend

Right before we left for Minneapolis,

Ben made the hard decision & sold his beloved bike.

Although I was not so keen of this baby in the first place (to say the least),

 it certainly grew on me over the years.

Ben and I had some fun summer memories

 on this motorcycle that we will never forget.

Since we know we will be moving within the next few months 1,000's of miles away, probably to a bigger city, this bike became impractical and pretty much useless, so we sold it.

You will be missed (mostly by Ben ;).

Thanks for serving your purpose by allowing Ben to park 2 seconds from all his classes (motorcycle parking was the best at BYU-I, super close to campus),

giving us some fun summer rides and

letting Ben have the enjoyment and fun he so deserved :)

Goodbye old friend, thanks for all the fun!

You're in!!

"You're in"...

how can such small, meaningless words change your

LIFE??

This whole applying to grad school thing is how.

If you have ever been involved in this

long-ever waiting,

tedious,

 exhausting

 process you understand what I mean.

My dear husband has been in this graduadate application process for almost a year now.

From studying for the GMAT to interviewing at schools across the country,

 Ben has been through alot!

In the end we both know it will be worth it,

but sometimes it honestly is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I know it's there,

 I just wish we could get there faster.

This past week Ben got another

"you're in" from a school and this one made me most excited so far!

Why??

It's in....

BOSTON!!!!

I have ALWAYS wanted to live in Boston and this would be the ideal opportunity!

B-town is where the Red Sox have made history,

the Celt's dominate ;),

the place Ben and I said "I love you"

 and where we "sealed" the deal for time and all eternity!

We love...

1. The sports!!

2. Having our family so close!

3. Being by the water (I love the ocean)!!

4. How surprisingly clean it is for how big of a city:)

5. The history!

6. The beautiful falls, warm summers and the snowy Christmases!

7. The amazing campus and the school of Public Health BU has to offer!

8. The big, historic buildings and brick side walks.

9. All the cozy, quaint apartments we have already found.

10. The adventure it would be to live in a city!!

Boston University really has sooo much to offer

and IT WOULD be an incredible adventure to live there with my two boys,

BUT

we are still waiting to hear from one more school before we make our final decision.

 

So come this fall, we may or may not be shipping off to Boston...but today at least we know-

"We're You're in!"

CoNgRaTs bEnNy!!