In a One Horse Open Sled

Ella had a play date yesterday that she was so excited about, she didn't even whine when she had to wake up for school in the morning. Thank you, Robin, for taking pictures and sending them to me!!

Here is a picture of the poor little mouse as referred to in the movie.

Merry Belated Christmas!

All Kent had on his Christmas list was a getaway trip. Reagran played Santa as she stayed home last weekend with Ethan, Ella and Cannon to help that wish become a reality! I was really nervous to leave Cannon for three days but knew that Kent and I needed a break from the rat race to reconnect and relax. Kent found an amazing deal that allowed us to stay at a beautiful hotel in center of Las Vegas. I didn't take my camera with me and even my cell phone camera stopped working so go ahead and enjoy these pictures.

The views were amazing outside the window and in. Not one detail of this hotel was missed. We had a good time taking mental notes of things we'd like to incorporate in our future home (if and when. . .). The bed was so incredible that we actually looked it up online to order one for our home- we knew waiting 11 years to get a real bed would finally pay off.

Although if we do get the bed, is this seriously what Kent wants to wake up to see every morning? I think not. hahahahaha. Wow, I must be one tired woman!!! Not really the "Sleeping Beauty" type. See how enveloping those pillows are? My hair didn't stand a chance! I almost didn't post this picture (why, you ask?) but for the sake of documentation- here it is.

The first morning of our vacation started out perfectly- sleep in, eat breakfast, go to the spa. I had a hot stone massage, which I had never done before, and absolutely loved it and never wanted it to end.

Like all good things, it did come to an end but luckily the spa allows you to use the amenities for the whole day. This picture below is of the salt infused room that promotes healthy respiratory function. As you listen to the serenity of the music on surround sound, amplified by your own personal headphones as well, the massaging recliners massage to the flow of the music so you literally feel the music throughout your body. Wow!!!! I had some wonderful meditation time in this room.

The lounge was so peaceful and calm, I wish I could recreate a room like this at my house.

The hot stone beds were so helpful to encourage your muscles to relax before and after the massage. The room was very dark with peaceful music playing- once again a great time for meditation.

This room has three hot tubs of varying degrees. The first is a cold tub for rejuvenation, then the middle one for enjoyment and the third- a very hot one to really get your muscles to relax. There was also a eucalyptus steam room and a cedar sauna room.

If you'd rather soak in the hot tub outside, you could come out to the balcony and soak up the sun and enjoy the views of Vegas.

After an incredibly satisfying morning we walked around the hotel to appreciate the architecture and design that went into the construction.

After working up such an appetite we indulged in some delicious food that looked as good as it tasted.

A trip to Vegas is never complete without shopping on the strip.

We finished up our evening meeting up with one of Kent's old mission companions and his wife. We have such a good time with them and are glad that they took the time to meet up with us. After dinner with them, Kent and I went to see the Elvis show in our hotel. We love seeing the different Cirque Du Soleil shows. Although there weren't as many stunts and acrobatics in this one, the choreography and music was very entertaining and we had a great time.

Since it was a little tricky to get a flight home from Vegas on Sunday, we found a flight for $9.99 from Vegas to Mesa and stayed in Arizona for a night so we could get a direct flight home from AZ on Sunday night. This hotel was such a different feel from Vegas and it was a great way to slow down (the spa was just WAY to fast paced for us. haha) before coming home.

Our good friends from dental school, Quin and Joy, live in Arizona now and it was great to have the chance to meet up with them. We haven't seen each other in five years! They are in a Swing band that performed at this restaurant so we were able to eat lunch here and enjoy live music. The ASU swing dance club performed with the band and Kent even said he wants to learn to swing dance!!!!

No, this is NOT our rental car. :)

The band sang out in the cute little "Urban Barn" and every table on the patio and in the barn was full. My heart was so happy when I looked around and saw a lot of little old couples singing along and tapping their feet. It was just such a great feeling and even some couple got up and danced. What a great afternoon (except for the time earlier when I was bent out of shape about leaving my brush at home and not packing warm enough clothes but we won't mention that part of the trip)!!

Joy and Quin picked us up from our hotel later and we all went to this resort for dinner and gondola rides. It was perfect to walk around the hotel grounds and pull a chair up to one of the fire pits and just catch up like old times. It was as if we hadn't missed a beat. Kent and I were both so happy to be able to rekindle this friendship with our dear friends.

Can you believe this picture? The quality is horrible. I had to document anyway because if we don't then it's like it never happened.

We are the Champions!

Before we left for the Christmas holiday, we attended Ethan's football banquet. Things were too hectic to blog about it before we left but there is no way we could not mention how fun it was for Ethan to play his first football season. Not only did he have fun- but his team came out as the

#1 Champions!!!!

Ethan has always loved sports, starting with soccer, then into T-ball, and then basketball. Once he started basketball he was counting down the years until he could play football. He had started dreaming of football at age five so he had three years to wait. He finally turned eight and was able to start playing. He absolutely LOVED it. He worked hard and was a really good player. All the players on the team earned a trophy for being #1 Champions (did I already mention they were #1 Champions?)

and Ethan earned an additional trophy for being "Most Valuable Offensive Player"

I am starting to see why Kent is so obsessed with sports and even gets emotional about it. It is truly exciting and FUN to get into sports when you have a vested interest. I love watching Kent coaching Ethan's teams and bonding with his son on a level that he wouldn't any other way. They have a special relationship and I am so happy to see them have this sweet connection. Kent always wants to watch professional sports with Ethan because "he can keep up with conversation about teams and players better than most of the adults."

How cool are they?!!

They gave Kent a plaque for outstanding coaching. Way to go boys!!

We took Ethan out to dinner to celebrate his hard work.

Project Linus

Today I was able to donate a couple of hours to help at the church with the Humanitarian Aid and work on making quilts for Project Linus.

It makes me feel good to be able to be on the giving end, since Cannon has been the recipient of two Project Linus blankets. His first blanket received at the NIH and the second, just weeks later, at Seattle Children's Hospital.

Tying these quilts took me back to the feelings I had over a year ago when we were faced with so many scary events. I am so blessed to still have our sweet boy with us and he hasn't been in the hospital for a whole year! I'm so proud of my strong little man.

This is a picture of Cannon in December of 2011.

P.S. Ella has a special blanket that she calls "Pink Blankie". It looks a lot like this blanket, except in pink- obviously. When she is without her pink blankie it might as well be the end of the world. There is only ONE blanket that can put her to sleep. We left pink blankie at someone's house for a whole week and the only blanket she said made her feel good was Cannon's "blue blankie" because it looked like her blanket. This little blue blankie will be cherished forever by our whole family.

What a difference a day makes

As I mentioned, I have been gone for the last 24 hours and boy did I miss out on what was going on at home! Apparently Ella woke up with a loose tooth and NEEDED to have it pulled out. When I got home, Ella was missing her first tooth!! Daddy Dentist did record the procedure. While the cat is away the mice will play! Since I wasn't there I don't have a before and after picture but Kent did record it on his phone so I'll upload that when he emails it to me.

Book of Mormon-a-thon

Last Sunday I was called as 2nd counselor in the Young Women's Presidency in my church. This means that I get to work with the youth in our ward ages 12-18. I am super excited about this calling and I pray that I can reach these girls in a way that will make a positive impact on them for a long time. The Young Women's theme for 2012 is Arise and Shine Forth.

I started with a bang by being able to join the Young Women in their book of Mormon 24 hour read-a-thon. Our ward has a goal of reading the entire book of Mormon by the end of the year so this was a great way to kick-start the reading frenzy. We began at 6PM on Friday night and didn't finish until 6 PM Saturday. After I packed up groceries, extra books of mormon, treats, bookmarks, and mini journals, I forgot to grab my camera! I hope to snag some pictures from the other leaders, but until then here are some images of things that were involved in those 24 hours.

We started at page 1 and were able to read the first two books, 1st and 2nd Nephi. Our goal was to reach the beginning of Mosiah but we still feel we made a pretty good start to help us continue our reading individually. Every five chapters (or so) we would have group discussions about what we read.

We reached up to 11 girls spread across the couches, the love seat, the guest bedroom mattress that got pulled out into the living room and the floor. We were all in pajamas, slippers, robes and blankets.
You better believe there wasn't a shortage on junk food to munch on!
The best way to wake up a group of sleeping girls is a stack of pancakes and platters of bacon!

For lunch we didn't just serve corn dogs and fries- we served Coriantumr Dogs and Nephrites.
By the end of the 24 hours, we were all needing a toothbrush and a shower but it was so much fun. This was a great way for me to get to know some of the girls that I didn't know and I look forward to continue in getting to know all of the girls. I feel humbled and honored to have this calling and I am thankful for the Book of Mormon to help guide me how I can live to be closer to my Savior and my Heavenly Father. The book of Mormon is rich with knowledge. Each time I read the scriptures, I find new meaning that pertains to me personally and what I am facing in my life at that time. I am anxious to continue reading it so I can hear the words that my Father in Heaven needs me to hear in order for me to live a happier life.

Sister Copeland

I just overheard a conversation in the family room that went a little something like this:

Dad, "Ethan, you and Ella are going to be in the same college class when you get home from your mission."

Ella, "I want to go on a mission!"

In hearing this I thought, 'That's great! Ella is setting high goals for herself.'

Ella continues her sentence with, "I want to go on a mission because I know the perfect place!"

If only she would be lucky enough to choose her location to serve.

Ella finishes up by saying, "I want to go on a mission to Disneyland!"

Oh Ella. . .

The Story of Dick and Jane

As I watched Ella tonight trying her best to read “Dick and Jane” tonight I thought back to when Ethan was first starting to read. He learned to read with that same book. Then it hit me. Ella is my “baby” in many ways. She will be my last child to reach these type of milestones. When you have are raising the last of your children, and see them taking their first steps or watch them ride their bike for the first time, you think to yourself “my baby is growing up. This is the last time my child will ride his/her bike for the very first time on her own." and other such examples. Ella will be my last child that learns to read from the “Dick and Jane” books. I know I have Cannon as my literal baby, but in this aspect- I want to make sure that I pay attention to these milestones as Ella reaches them. I want to savor them as a mother would, watching her last child that will do these things. There are many phases I won’t be doing again. I won’t have to potty train again, I won’t have to leave play group because my child bit another child (I hope), I won’t be going to anymore preschool graduations, and I will not have another child reach the golden age of 18 months old when they finally get to go to nursery at church. Of course this absolutely does NOT make me love Cannon any less, it doesn’t really even make me any more sad about Cannon than I already am (which I must say my sadness has turned mostly into gratitude for my sweet little angel boy. I'm the luckiest person in the world to have him in my life). I just want to make sure I watch Ella and celebrate these accomplishments with her. As she progresses to new stages in her life, so am I. I am graduating from a mom with a toddler, a mom with a preschooler, to a mom with a school girl that can walk, run, dance, read, and ride horses (fearlessly!). I love my Ella and want her to know that. I have been given an incredible gift to cherish EVERY SINGLE MOMENT I have with Cannon. I truly feel I don’t take ANY of my time for granted with Cannon. I am thankful to know that I love Cannon with all my heart and have no regrets about all that I have done for him up to this point in his life. I do, however, need to remind myself that life is not guaranteed to any of my children. Tomorrow is not a promise. I need to see Ethan and Ella’s lives as fragile and sacred as I see Cannon’s. My goal is to always tell my children- ALL of them- how much I love them on a daily basis. I need to let them know that when I say, “I am so lucky to have you,” that they know how deeply I feel it. Tonight my heart is thankful to be a mom. My heart is happy. My heart is full of love.