Feelin' a little WICKED

Matt and I were blessed with the opportunity to attend WICKED, at the Capitol Theatre, tonight. Over seven months ago...before tickets were even officially on sale...my father-in-law was able to purchase tickets through his work. I told my family about the pre-order and my Uncle Bill decided to purchase tickets for all of us to attend. Not only did we get tickets...we got tickets on the 7th row of the Main Floor. My Uncle sure treats us well! Matt and I have been so excited!

After dinner at the Olive Garden, Matt and I headed to the Capitol Theatre to meet up with my parents, my Uncle Bill, my Grandma, and Matt's parents.


The show was better than I even expected. The sets were gorgeous, the costumes were amazing, and the actors were so talented. Katie Rose Clarke played Glinda and Donna Vivino played Elphaba. Their voices were so powerful and they really got into the characters...with all of their body language and expressions.


I am totally hooked and hope that I will get to see this musical again...sometime soon. Should it come back to Salt Lake City in the future, I will definitely be camping out to buy tickets as soon as they are available.

Me and My Sweetheart...

My Mom and Dad....

Matt's Parents, Karla and Kelly...
My Uncle Bill and Grandma...
Thanks for an amazing night. It was wonderful to be able to experience this in person...something I will never forget!

Tracy Aviary

My mom and dad had the day off of work, so they invited Elizabeth and I to join them at the Tracy Aviary. Elizabeth has never been...and I haven't been in years, so we were excited to go. Elizabeth gets so excited when she sees birds (beep beeps, as she calls them). I knew that she was going to have a great time.

We packed up the trusty wagon and went on our way. From the second we entered the aviary, Elizabeth was ecstatic. She started shaking with excitement. The whole time we were there, she had a huge smile on her face.


Grandma and Elizabeth looking at the ducks.


Papa helping Elizabeth feed the ducks and flamingos.


Grandma, Elizabeth and Me posing by the entrance to the Aviary.


We made the mistake of getting Elizabeth out of the wagon...and she never got back in. She would run as fast as her little legs could take her. Grandma sure got a workout trying to keep up with Elizabeth.


On one of the many paths, we came across these beautiful tulips. Elizabeth ran right up to the flowers and started to smell them.


Here is my favorite photo of Elizabeth from the whole day. Elizabeth was standing at the fence, trying to look at the Bald Eagles with Papa...when I snapped this shot. Isn't she cute?


As we were getting ready to leave, Elizabeth climbed up on this little ledge and sat down. As I glanced at her...I could not get over how big she looked. She is not a baby anymore...she is a little girl.


Thank you, Grandma and Papa, for inviting us. We had a great time!

Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point

We headed back to the Tulip Festival again today. We had so much fun last week, and Elizabeth enjoyed it so much, that we decided to go back one more time before the festival ended. The flowers were absolutely beautiful. All-in-all, it was a great afternoon.

Elizabeth had a great time wandering the gardens. She loved the little ponds. Here she is peeking around the bear statue so that she could get a better look at the water.


Elizabeth was in a great mood, so we got some really amazing portraits of her. Here are a few of my favorites.


In this picture, Elizabeth is tilting her head and saying "I'm Cute", while Matt takes the photograph. For some reason, if you ask Elizabeth if she is cute, she will tilt her head to the side and say "I'm Cute". She does it every single time...no matter how many times you ask. What a little sweetheart. I love this photograph because it shows her little personality, as well as how adorable she is!


The wind started up and it began to get really cold about a half an hour after we got there. We bundled up and suffered through for a little while but when it got to be too much, Elizabeth and I headed back to the car to warm up.


Matt decided to stay behind for a little bit, to take some more photographs. I am sure glad that he did. Matt got some amazing shots of the flowers. He is so talented. Here are some of the photographs that he got.


What a blessing it is to be surrounded by so much beauty.

Carly's Baby Shower Gift

Earlier this week, I received an invitation for a baby shower for my friend Carly. She already has two boys...and now she is having a girl. As soon as I read that she was having a girl, I immediately thought of this pattern. It is such a sweet little dress...and I found the softest yarn to make it with!


I love the simplicity of the dress. I am really happy with how the dress turned out, especially the three small pearl buttons up the back.


Supplies Used:
Size H Crochet Hook

Feza Iplik Baby Yarn
Small Buttons

Going for a Wagon Ride

My parents gave Elizabeth a wagon for her second birthday....and she absolutely loves it! I never knew that a wagon could make someone so happy! Every day she asks if I will take her for a ride. How can I say no to this adorable little face!


Tonight, we bundled up in our jackets, brought along a blanket and headed out for a walk. Elizabeth loves to look at all of the trees, and to bark at all of the dogs. It is so cute...she has to wave and say "hi" to everyone that we see. What a Sweetie!

Eclipse

I cannot wait to see what is going to happen next!

I just finished Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer. I am really getting into the story now. I LOVE the love triangle between Edward, Bella, and Jacob. It is very interesting and I am so excited to see how it plays out. I think the book ended perfectly!

I have already purchased Breaking Dawn. I'll be starting it as soon as I can get a little bit of time to myself! I can tell that I won't be getting much sleep for the next little while...I'll be having a lot of late night reading sessions!

I am so excited!

It's Tulip Time!

Today, Matt and I took Elizabeth to see all of the tulips at Thanksgiving Point. I really enjoyed the Tulip Festival last year, and I've been counting down until it was time again this year. We loaded Elizabeth's wagon, some snacks, a blanket, sunscreen, and sunglasses into the car...and we were off!


This year, the Tulip Festival was a completely different experience. Elizabeth was much more interactive and could get out and run around. Last year, Elizabeth could walk but not very fast. This year, it was a little more difficult to get her to stay in one spot! Elizabeth loved all of the animal statues that they have throughout the gardens. She had to go up to and kiss each and every one of them.


Look at my sweet little girl. She is absolutely adorable. I cannot get over how grown-up she looks.


Elizabeth enjoyed walking through the gardens. I brought the wagon because I was sure that she would get tired after a little while..but she never did. She walked the entire time we were there.


Every time that Elizabeth sees a camera, she makes this "cheesy grin" without us even asking. It is the cutest thing ever!


The flowers were so beautiful. Many of them had not even bloomed yet. We are planning to go back next week, if the weather is good.


I really enjoyed the Tulip Festival this year. It is a fun family tradition that I hope that we will be able to do for many years more. It was nice to get out into the sunshine and enjoy nature with my little family. I am truly blessed!

The Perfect End to a Hard Week!

Last night, Matt and I were able to enjoy a date night...thanks to my mom and dad. We have had a rough week. Elizabeth is teething...and has been a little under-the-weather. She has been very clingy and has been more than a little grouchy.

The good new is...Elizabeth is finally feeling much better. She is almost back to her happy-go-lucky self! Once my parents heard that Elizabeth was feeling better, they called to see if Elizabeth could have a sleepover. Matt and I thought that it would be great to have a night to go and have fun...so we took my parents up on their offer.

Matt and I went to Applebee's for dinner. They are currently running their 2 for $20.00 special so we took advantage of the deal and had a great dinner. Matt had the Riblet Basket and I had the Three Cheese Penne Pasta. We shared Mozarrella Sticks as an appitizer and the Cookie Sundae for dessert. All of it was so yummy!

After dinner, we headed over to The District to watch Monsters vs. Aliens. I have really wanted to see this movie...and Matt was really interested in seeing the 3D technology in action. I have to say that the look of the movie was amazing. It felt like you could reach up and touch the images on the screen. The movie itself was really...uh...weird. The story was strange and the whole feel of the show was just odd. Matt and I enjoyed ourselves...but I won't be running out to buy the DVD.

All-in-all, it was a great night. I always love when I can escape with Matt for an evening out. Thanks Mom and Dad!