It's been a while...

It's been a long two weeks, so bear with me as I try to share all that's been going on. Justin had a business trip in L.A. so we worked a trip around that. Nolan and I stayed with my parents in St. George while he was there. Nolan had a great time with his cousins. Justin also had a great time with his brother, Daren, who lives in L.A.

I was frightened for the plane ride to L.A.... I have this suspicion that Nolan is a little more wild than most kids his age. Does every parent think that? We survived (barely!) but he was continually drawn to the flight attendant call button overhead. Thanks to my Dad for finding us a buddy pass! We deplaned, found our luggage, called the Embassy Suites shuttle, and made it to Justin's hotel room just fine. I'm so proud of myself when I do grown-up things like this! I'm grateful Justin's work will pay for a room at the Embassy. Their breakfast rocks! The next day we went to the beach. It was chilly, but Nolan was still very interested. The beach was quiet... maybe that had something to do with the funky green foam on the water.

We then visited J's family in San Diego. We were happy to meet his newest younger brother, Dylan, who is about 4 months younger than Nolan. Nolan played best with his 3-yr.-old uncles though. There are enough cars and trucks at their house to make any number of boys happy forever! Here are some pictures of all the boys that weekend: Justin's Dad (Corey), Justin, and his 4 brothers (Daren, Brandon and Evan, and Dylan).

The weather didn't permit another trip to the beach or the zoo, but we did venture to an aquarium. Nolan loves fish! We love them, too, because they have this magical calming effect on him. It's a blessed feeling to have him sit still for 3 to 4 whole minutes!

They gave us Justin's high school bedroom set, a nice filing cabinet, a bookcase, a speaker systerm, and some yard tools. We had borrowed my Dad's Explorer and then rented a U-haul trailer to get it all home. It's a long drive going 65 mph! I must admit that Nolan handelled it like a real trooper. Just like after camping... it felt so great to get home!!!

Baby Biloba

Our Ginkgo Biloba tree has finally begun sprouting its beautiful fan-shaped leaves! When we first started to plan our landscaping, the ginkgo biloba tree was my main must-have. I remember my first time on campus as a freshman at BYU and my smart friend, Katy, pointed out a tree with fan-shaped leaves. For the rest of my time at BYU, I'd walk by that tree and think of her and the unique tree that she once loved. Come to find out, the ginkgo biloba is one of the only things that survived the atom bomb in Japan, so I figure there's no way we could kill it. With that said, I was still relieved to see its leaves coming out. One day it will be a large shade tree and I'll love it even more! I feel like it's our little bit of Asia in the front yard.

Here's what its leaves will look like (since I'm not much of a photographer):

A few more pics

Here are just a couple more pictures from our trip. I thought you'd like to see our dirt pad that we called home for 3 nights. Archview RESORT... I don't think so! At least Nolan loved it. And that's Landscape Arch. What a sight!

Moab Trip

We have just concluded our second attempt at camping. I am not a good camper. I want to be. I am not. I think Nolan wants to be a good camper too, but he doesn't know how to keep his blankets on top of him, so he was too cold at night. We ended up having him sleep at the hotel with Grandma and Grandpa Ligtermoet. Camping is always best with hotel backups! Thank you so much, Mom and Dad, for tending him those two nights. There was some gorgeous scenery at Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. Justin and I think that Heavenly Father creates these breathtaking scenes just to watch all of us gape at it and contemplate the forces behind it. There were really some amazing formations. I felt like my brain was on overload trying to remember everything that we'd need on each day trip: sunblock, sippy cup, jacket, hiking backpack, snacks, cooler packed with lunch, hat, sunglasses, cameras, and on and on.... No matter how I tried, I ALWAYS forgot something. It took two parents, and four grandparent figures to take care of Nolan. I often felt like I was in over my head. What is the deal? Can't I handle one little munchkin? After this trip, I'm pretty sure we'll space our children 3 to 4 years apart. We did enjoy having my parents, Justin's Mom, and her friend Anne along. They are a fun group and I only wish I hadn't been such a basket case. When Nolan doesn't get his naps, Mommy isn't happy. And Daddy suffers most. The best part of the trip was the 2 hour nap we all took in our own beds when we got home! Nothin' like a dusty camping trip to make you appreciate home!

Girl's Trip

I just had a great weekend! My mom and two sisters and me were able to take a break from it all and enjoy a girl's trip. We started it all off with a pedicure at Sanctuary Day Spa. This was my first pedicure and it was fabulous. They took us to a dim room that smelled of earthy eucalyptus with zen music playing in the background. We got in relaxation mode in a hurry after that. It was a wonderful hour and then we all had gorgeous toes. If only we'd brought a camera! The rest of the weekend was spent eating out and shopping. I left the girl's on Friday night to go to a BBQ with some of Justin's work colleagues. It was in a fancy neighborhood and we had delicious food. I missed out on seeing the Joseph Smith movie with the girls but I guess I have seen it twice already. It was fun having a nice evening out with Justin. Thanks to Jen and Kyle for watching Nolan that night. We owe you! That night, I met up with the girls in Park City. We shopped ALL DAY on Saturday at the outlets until we finally had to eat at 2:30 pm (although we did return to shopping afterward). We went to see "Baby Mama" at the theater nearby. I have never laughed so hard in a movie. We all just loved it! One of the best parts of the trip was sleeping in. Nolan usually wakes around 6 or 6:30 and even if he goes back to sleep (that's rare), I usually can't. I was amazed to wake up and find that it was nearly 8:30. What bliss!!! Coming home to Nolan and Justin was great. Justin's mom came down to help with Nolan and the yard. Thank you so much, Kathi! She even brought a delicious Sunday dinner and had my house all tidy when I got home. I'm so spoiled.
I have to make sure my mom knows how grateful I am for the trip. She paid for the fancy pedicure and our hotel room. She bought us matching t-shirts, too! I'm pretty sure we'll have to do this every year! And luckily I have a husband that supports the art of shopping (kind of). I totally trust him with Nolan and he is such a fun Dad. Thanks honey, for letting me have a nice break!