Happy Easter

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter. We had a really nice one. My great -grandmother passed away two days before while she was visiting from out of state. Since the real funeral would take place in Arkansas, we had our own family memorial on Easter Sunday. It was really nice. Granny was 93 and had lived a full life. It was wonderful to get to visit together and celebrate her. It really brought home the true meaning of Easter for me. I have never felt so grateful for the gift of the Saviors resurrection and atonement. The Easter Bunny did not forget Saylor. She was thrilled to find a basket of goodies hiding for her in her "house"There was also some Easter egg hunting for everyone. My parents even hid some money eggs for us adult kids. Snow was the big winner who found the $50 prize egg. I am hoping he decides to take me out to dinner with it hint hint.
My favorite part of the day was during the kid's egg hunt.Saylor was making her way towards a big pink plastic egg, when a cousin who is a year older, ran ahead of her and snagged it. She snuck up behind him and took it straight from his basket without a word. It was pretty hilarious.

Arizona Vacation

Snow finally got a week off and we decided to spend our vacation visiting family in Arizona. We made the 11-hour drive to Eagar, Arizona. I got he bright idea to try to make the time go by faster by listening to a book on tape--but not just any book on tape--Twilight. BIG mistake. The sure fire way to ruin a girls love of this book is to listen to it on the road with her husband. Snow is still talking about how perfect Edward's face is. We did, however, decide that Snow and Edward have a lot in common. They are both sleep deprived, leaving them with dark circle under their eyes. They are both ill-tempered when they are hungry (although I don't have the advantage of a change of eye color to warn me). They both would prefer to drive fast, and of course they both have brooding good looks, perfect features, and chiseled musculature. This is a picture of Eagar. I am not sure which of those tiny dots is Snow's house, but you can imagine that this was a welcomed quiet retreat for us. So what does one do to entertain oneself in a town such as this?

Go shooting of course. You can see how natural I look holding this 22. Obviously I would intimidate any bad guy!

A person might also consider arm wrestling their siblings to combat boredom.Happily for Snow, the aforementioned muscles led him to victory every time. We also played a little American Idol on the PlayStation. If you think that I look like a dork in this picture, you would be wrong. This is me singing Straight Up by Paula AbdulThis is a picture of my perfect score while singing Straight Up. Simon said it was the best performance that he has ever heard. I am sending them a copy of this picture and I am pretty confidant that I won't even need to try out next year. I think I will automatically be in the top 24. We spent a good deal of time playing Killer Bunnies. It was really fun--we definitely recommend this game to friends.We did a lot of couch sitting and reading. There were so many people to entertain Saylor that I read a whole book in two days. These is my Words (Thanks for the recommendation Amelia, I really liked it)We played a few party games and at one point resorted to knocking over chap stick with our noses. I was the only one that could do it, I am not sure if that makes me talented or freakish.Saylor got to dye eggs with her grandma and auntie Naomi. She wanted it to be memorable for them so she spilled green dye all over grandma's carpet. We also celebrated Snow getting older. Mid-week we loaded up the car and drove the 5 hours to Tucson. We had a great time visiting with friends and Saylor loved spending time with her cousins.It really was a great trip. We got much needed relaxation and have to say a huge thanks to everyone for their hospitality, and for being such enthusiastic playmates for Saylor. We miss you already!!

Birthday Dinner

We did a lot of celebrating for Snow's 30th--My parents took the whole family plug significant others out to dinner. We also had cake and ice cream with Snow's family during our Eagar vacation. We wrapped up the partying by having some friends over when we were back in town. Let's just say it would be good for my figure if we don't see cake or ice cream for a while. We appreciate all our family and friends celebrating with us!

Happy 30th Birthday Snow!!!

Snow turns 30 (yikes!) on March 19th. I wanted to take a minute to celebrate him by sharing with you 30 things that I love about him. Here they are in no particular order:

1. He is an amazing dad. He puts in grueling 12 hour + days, then comes home and starts building towers with Saylor. He makes it a point to give her his undivided attention and makes her laugh like no one else can.

2. He is a hard worker. He gives everything 110%. He is successful in all of his educational/professional pursuits. He is driven and goal-oriented. He is the only person that I know who actually keeps his New Year's resolutions!

3. He is hot. It goes without saying that I have always thought that I married a good-lookin' man, but the icing on the cake is that lately he has been lifting weights....dang!

4. He is a spiritual leader in our home. He makes sure that we stay on track with the gospel essentials. He never misses a night reading his scriptures or saying his prayers. He motivates us to have FHE and attend the temple. I am so grateful that these things are important to him.

5. He is so intelligent. I am amazed at all of the different things that he knows and is interested in. I love to hear him talk about a topic--sometimes (especially when it is something medicine related)I don't know what he is talking about, but I am still impressed!

6. He is not stingy with the compliments. I think he has a 6th sense about these things because he always knows when I need to hear something nice about myself.

7. He is funny--I love his dry sense of humor. Sometimes he is funny when he isn't even trying. My college roommates and I affectionately refer to these moments as "Snow Stories".

8. He is assertive. I am always impressed at the way he stands up for himself and his beliefs.

9. He loves techno music and Mexican food. Just hearing a Cascada song makes me smile and think of him. I mention this because he has so many sides--I am always learning something new about him. I love all the quirks that make him Snow.

10. He is meticulous (maybe to a fault). I always know that if he is doing a job, it will be done right. He takes great care of everything: his clothes, his teeth, the yard, his car, and of course his family. As a side note he is exactly the kind of surgeon I would want working on my eyes!

11. He is a good teacher. No matter the situation, he has his "students" eating out of the palm of his hand. he is always reinventing the wheel to make his subject-matter more interesting.

12. He is generous with everything: his time, his talents, his resources, his forgiveness.

13. It may sound cliche but he makes me want to be a better person. He treats me like I am already my best self.

14. He is health conscious. Maybe it is silly, but I appreciate that healthy eating and exercise is important to him. I take it as a compliment to myself--he must want to be alive and around me a loooooooong time!

15. He likes trying new things. He even consented to taking dance lessons with me (now if only we can find the time to do it!)

16. He can tell when I feel stressed or overwhelmed and is quick to give me a hand.

17. He is a worthy priesthood holder--I have realized what a blessing this is even more now that we have Saylor. He also honors motherhood. He makes me feel that what I do--taking care of our home and daughter--is the most important work that there is.

18. Family time is important to him, when he has time off, he wants to spend it with us.

19. He is really handy and can fix things around the house or with our cars. I don't know if there is a secret guy handbook or something but, given the time, he can figure out anything.

20. He encourages me to develop my talents and boosts my confidence.

21. He is fun. He sees the value in having a good time.

22. He understands that sometimes I am an irrational, overly-sensitive girl and he doesn't make fun of me for it. He has become a great listener, and knows that most of the time I just need a sounding board and not advice.

23. He is good with people. He makes friends quickly and connects with others, be it a neighbor or a patient.

24. He can do anything!!! Seriously, anytime he is interested in something he can do it. Whether it is building a web site, fixing sprinklers, playing the harmonica. If he wants to (or has to, in the case of the sprinklers) he does it well.

25. He has an informed opinion about things and is willing to share it. Be it a political view or the decor of our house I can count on him for an honest opinion.

26. He has a tender, sensitive side. OK, so he hasn't cried in a movie since Charly, but he is still an amazingly kind and gentle husband and father. He is so good at taking care of the needs of others before himself.

27. He still holds my hand when we drive, snuggles me every night, and kisses me goodbye every morning. My eyes are welling up right now, but I love that he shows me daily affection. I am also grateful that he is a father who is affectionate with his child. Saylor knows that her daddy loves her!

28. He is creative. He has the ability to picture something in his head and then create it. It might be a sketch of a dog for Saylor, refinishing a piece of furniture, or a presentation for work--in every situation he is an artist.

29. He is loyal to the church, to his family, to BYU (go cougs!). I always know that we are a team and that he is on my side.

30. I know I already said it, but I think it is worth mentioning again--He is a HOTTIE!

I could go on and on but I am sure that you, and I hope that he gets the point. I love Snow very much. The other day I made homemade hot fudge sauce to go on top of dessert. He went on and on about the fudge, saying how it made the dessert amazing. Snow is the hot fudge in my life--he makes everything better and sweeter. Happy 30th Birthday babe!!!!!

The Great Debate

Since Saylor's birth there has been a debate about who she most resembles. My family swears she is me in miniature while Snow's family says she is him made over. Personally I think she is a good mix.

lately I have realized that she is also a mix of our other characteristics.
Ways she is like Summer:

• She is a smidgen uncoordinated. When she dances it looks painful and she trips over things all of the time--especially when she is tired. Sorry angel bug, you got that from your mom!
• She has a real sweet tooth. Her favorite treat is chocolate, again, just like me. In fact, she does not realize that brown is a color. Instead she says things like look at the chocolate fence or I want the chocolate football. ( I swear I am not making this stuff up!)
• She also wants to read her favorite book over and over and over. I don't know why we read it anymore because she has Moo Baa La La La memorized. I cannot tell you the number of times that I have read Pride and Prejudice. I can, however, tell you that after finishing it (again) last week that all still works out well for Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy.

Ways she is like Snow:

• Saylor is a little OCD. She shuts any cabinet doors and drawers that are left open, and she refuses to mix her toys. If I want to torture her, I will have Dora take a ride on an elephant from Noah's Ark...MELTDOWN! Snow is also a little OCD. I am sure that is why is he has been successful in school (and why his 10-year-old church shoes are still stored in their box, and why he compulsively rubs his hands together)
• Snow is really good with languages, he speaks Portuguese from the mission and used it to "pick up" Spanish while we lived in Tucson. Saylor is a really verbal kid who uses sign language and speaks Spanish (OK she is certainly not fluent, but she is always surprising me with a new word that she "picked up" from Dora)
• Saylor's other favorite food is cheese, any kind, any time. No paternity test needed here--Snows favorite snack growing up was cheese and sugar melted together--mmmm delicioso.

I know I am being a little facetious here, but it really is a pleasure and a little scary to watch our daughter act a little bit more like us each day. Poor kid!

Where do they come up with this stuff?

Saylor's imagination amazes me sometimes. Whether she is pretending the crust of her bread is a snake, or that the lid to her blocks is the steering wheel of a car, nothing is as it seems at our house. She recently told me her name was "baby kitty-cat," and truth be told, she is much more obedient when I call her by that appellation. She cracked me up the other day--She had been way too quiet for way too long so I went to investigate. She managed to open the rubber tote that holds all the baby toys and stacked them inside her old baby swing. I would have to say that her mounding skills rivaled that of my grandma at a salad bar (love you grams!!!). There are probably 15 toys in this picture.She also likes to "help" me clean the house. I usually send her into the living room with a dust mop while I work furiously to finish up the kitchen floor before she gets bored. The other day she was, again, way too quite. I walk in to see her hanging from the dust mop that she had propped up against the couch. When she saw me, she smiled and said"look Mom, I'm a sloth!" What?!
I really wish I had half her energy and half her ingenuity!

Grandma & Naomi Visit

We were lucky enough to have Snow's mom and sister out for a visit this last week. It was so fun. Naomi just got home from serving a mission in Hong Kong so we hadn't seen here for a long time. It took Saylor a little while to warm up to our visitors, but with a bribe of a big stuffed frog and bumble bee toy she was happy to embrace our company.

Saylor was spoiled by all of the attention. She loved having a new audience to show off all of her "tricks." As you can see from her unkempt appearance, she played pretty hard with Grandma!The day before they left we took them on a tour of the Moran Eye Center where Snow is doing his residency (I know how mean are we to make Snow go back on his first weekend off in months?!)

When we got inside Saylor was so impressed. She kept saying "Wow ! it is muy big!"

She was also really excited about the roundabout that is designed like a giant eye outside this window. Who says Ophthalmalogists don't have a sense of humor?I made Snow examine my eyes and let me tell you the results weren't pretty. He told me I am barely legal to drive! He was pretty anxious to get me under the knife (or laser?!), but I told him we would have to save that for another weekend excursion.