Ruby's Inn Retreat

We got back last night from our annual trip to Southern Utah. It was such a great weekend. My only complaint is that it went by too fast. Now it is over and I have to wait a whole year to go back. I love my family. I feel truly blessed to have such a wonderful family and to have such great relationships with my aunts, uncles and cousins. When we get together I get to be with my greatest friends, and not everyone can say that - I am a lucky girl.

Our vacation began on Thursday. We left the Salt Lake valley around noon and stopped to briefly visit my Grandma Lifferth before heading down to Ruby's Inn. It was good to see grandma. She smiled when I held up Trent for her to see. Babies always seem to bring a smile to her face. The kids did remarkably well on the drive down - our new portable DVD player was a lifesaver for Ashlyn. And luckily, Trent slept most of the way.

On Friday we hiked to Calf Creek Falls. It was approximately six miles round trip. I love to hike. I told Brian that if I could, I would hike every day and I would be in great shape! The falls were beautiful - the perfect treat after hiking three miles in the hot sun.

I don't really know why, but I loved this tree.

Saturday was a busy but fun day. It began with a yummy family breakfast, then craft time for the kids, and then an easter egg hunt. Ashlyn did not really get into the egg hunt, which was okay because I did not really want her to have a big basket of candy. I think she got just the right amount.

Yep, Ashlyn still likes to put "treasures" down her shirt.

After the kids had their egg hunt, Noah and Kaila provided the adults with an egg hunt, complete with candy, Martinelli's, and cash! All the adults were lined up and Noah said, "Okay get ready." Then Kaila said, "In 5," and before she could go any further, my dad took off. What a cheater! Here is the video proof...



This premature take-off caused a series of trips and falls resulting in some scrapes and bruises. It was clear that adult egg hunts are slightly more aggressive than kid egg hunts. Oh, and Brian didn't get a stinkin' thing! He decided to be sneaky and go a different route than the rest of the group and he ended up empty handed.

Saturday night we had our traditional potluck dinner. The food was great. Our family has some pretty good cooks. Here is the lot of us...

Sunday we went to church in Henrieville which is the residence of my Aunt Sandy and Uncle Gary. I usually enjoy going to their ward, but this year my children prevented me from enjoying the Easter program in Sacrament meeting and the slide show in Sunday School. Such are the joys of parenthood! Oh well, Relief Society was nice.

After church we had a luncheon at the church and then most people headed home. Our family had previously decided to extend our stay into Monday and I am so glad we did! It was so great to go back to the hotel after church, take a nap and have a relaxing evening.

We were joined later that night by my Uncle Rob and cousin Robbie who drove up from Vegas to visit us. Brian also finally took Ashlyn swimming. She had been eying the pool all weekend and kept wanting to go into the "big bathtub". However, when the time finally came she was scared to death! It took quite a bit of coaxing to eventually get her to try out the hot tub. She had a great time there, but never would go into the pool.

Monday morning we went into Bryce Canyon. It was so beautiful. I can't ever get enough of Utah's national parks - they amaze me.

It was then time to pack-up and check-out. But we didn't head home quite yet. We did one last small hike to Mossy Cave. This was a great way to end our vacation.

A big thanks to Sandy and Gary for making this vacation possible! It was simply wonderful. Thanks to everyone else for the fun times and memories. And one last thank you to Sandy for watching Cooper. He has been recuperating all day from his weekend with Buster and Lola!

Breathing Easy

Warning: This blog contains graphic material. Viewer discretion is advised. Proceed with CAUTION!


This is a follow-up on Brian's nose surgery. One week ago, last Monday, we went to the doctor's office to get all the packing and stints taken out. According to Brian, this was the most painful part of the entire ordeal. But once all the stuff was out of his nose and the pressure was gone, he felt 10 times better than he had since the surgery. We were both pretty shocked at the size of the stints, no wonder he was in so much pain...

Bri's nose bled pretty bad for about 30 minutes. He was told that he could not blow his nose for one week. So, today was an exciting day for him! He was able to blow his nose, (I won't tell you about the things he told me that came out!) and he is now breathing clearly through both nostrils for the first time since he can remember. A modern day medical miracle. Pretty amazing! And you should hear him at night! He is such a quiet sleeper now. When I get up to feed Trent, I am totally amazed at how quietly and softly he is breathing.

So now, after all is said and done, Brian says the surgery was worth all the pain and discomfort. He has another follow-up appointment in two weeks at which time they will also do a series of allergy tests to further correct his breathing problems. YEAH for easy breathing!

CRASH, BOOM, BANG!

I can't think of a better way to spoil a perfectly good Saturday than getting in an accident. At least it was the fault of the other driver. We had been running errands all morning in preparation for our upcoming vacation when a car pulled out in front of us. Apparently she did not see us, although I am not sure how that is possible?. Anyway, Brian hit the brakes and tried to swerve out of the way but to no avail. It was unavoidable. Our air bags did not deploy, but the other car's did. I guess that is the difference between a Honda and Hyundai. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt.

Ashlyn did get a small abrasion on her neck from the seat belt, and the ordeal gave her quite a scare. She let out a good scream and began crying when we collided, and she has repeated over and over since the incident, "It was scary." Also, either Brian and I must have unknowingly called the driver stupid in the midst of the accident because when she stepped out of her car Ashlyn looked at her - in a way that I have not seen her look at anyone - and quite curtly said, "You stupid." Luckily my door was closed so the lady did not hear her.

So now we get to deal with those friendly insurance agents and try to get the car rental situation figured out before we leave on Thursday. Brian has already had one conversation with the other driver's insurance which ended in Brian telling the man that if they did not pay for new car seats, (yes, the officer who came to the scene informed us that once a car seat has been involved in an accident it is no longer safe to use) that we would sue. To which the agent responded by hanging up on Brian! Oh, I can tell that this is going to be a pleasant experience.

Barnyard Bash

Ashlyn turned two on Tuesday. We celebrated her big day with a fun-filled, barnyard-themed birthday baa-sh!

These were the invitations, cute and simple. Several followed through with the request to come dressed in their barnyard best.

I decided to forgo games, and instead the kids made two crafts. I got a pattern for stick horses from my mom.

Check out Emma's coloring job! We were quite impressed with her coloring skills.

Then the kids made these cute sheep. I found the pattern for these online. They required a bit of prep work before the party, but they were sure fun to make and I think they turned out pretty great.

For food, we had pigs-in-a-blanket, BBQ chips, potato salad, baked beans, grapes, and soda pop.

And for dessert, these adorable pig cupcakes (another online find) and ice cream. I also found the recipe for the frosting online (seriously what would I do without the internet?) and I had several requests for the recipe, so here it is:

1 1/2 cups whipping cream - beat until quite thick and set aside
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine cream cheese, sugar, salt, and vanilla and beat well. I mixed it until I could no longer taste the sugar granules. Add food coloring if desired. Fold in cream. This is much lighter than butter cream frosting and it really is yummy!

Ashlyn was spoiled with presents. Thank you to everyone!

At the end of the night I asked Landon if he had fun at Ashlyn's party to which he replied, "Well...did we forget something?" Huh? Oh wait, the gift bags! I had forgotten! Thanks for the reminder buddy:)

It was a great day and a fun party. I really do love birthdays and birthday parties, for the young and old. Here a a few more pictures of our fun night: