So, I think that it is time to......

share the new blog address!!

I am sorry that it has been "secret" for so long, but, I am trying to get a little bit of a business up and going with some of my sewing adventures, home projects, etc so the new blog has that on it and also recipes, and other things...but it is still very much about our daily lives as well. I am just getting started so it is no where near where I want it to be!!! But that is okay. We all have to start somewhere right???

Anyway, I would really appreciate any feedback you have and please leave me some comments... and click on the "follow" button as well, I promise it would make my day :)

www.dwellonthepossibilities.blogspot.com

I hope you like it,

Jodi

Okay, So it is True....

I have been neglecting this blog...like a lot.

But, I have been blogging, just not on this blog.

I am not quite ready to share my new blog with the world yet though...even though I know some have already found it ;)

I will post the link to the blog soon though, I promise.

Las Vegas Getaway

Las Vegas was amazing! We had so much fun!
We started things off with lunch and a Moose Drool beer upon arriving in Vegas.
It was so good.

Then we were headed to our friends Dave and Leyla's. We were so excited to see them and catch up. We all talked for awhile before heading out to dinner.

We went to the Yard House and it was amazing in all ways. Why do we have to live in a place that doesn't have one of these? We couldn't believe all the beers that they had on tap. It was overwhelming and so awesome. I tried to take a picture of my beer to show that the foam was pink, but it didn't turn out so well. It was fun to try a few beers that we have been wanting to try for awhile. It was great food and great company.

then we were off to the Flamingo to see a comedian. We took Las Vegas Blvd to get there and on the way we saw some funny characters. I guess it is the new thing here for people to dress up like characters (Elmo, Toy Story characters, etc. I didn't get a great pic from the car, but Winnie the Pooh and Minnie Mouse were out there. They want tips when people take pics with them. haha.

Before the show, we stopped at a Sin City Brewery at the Flamingo and sampled some more beer. It was so nice to sit outside at night in January and not be freezing our butts off.

Happy!

Donny and Marie were there too. (GAG me!!) But we couldn't resist taking our picture with them ;)

This is a poster from the comedy show that we saw. This guy was hilarious! We seriously laughed the entire time. So much fun.
Then we headed off to the M resort and casino for a little gambling, beer, and a late night snack. We had fun loosing money :) Leyla was so lucky and won 160 bucks from just putting 20 in on a slot machine. It was awesome! She had such great luck that night. Then we headed to the South Point casino and Paul played black jack for a few hours. It was great fun, even though he lost 30. We headed back around 2am or so to sleep. I was SO exhausted as I really didn't sleep at all the night before we left. I slept like a rock and when we woke up, Paul and I headed to one of our favorite coffee places--The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. (Again, an amazing place that we don't have here in Utah.)
We had such a relaxing morning, sitting out in the sun and enjoying our coffee. It was so nice.

Yummy!

When Dave and Leyla woke up, we all went out to the Hash House A Go Go for some twisted farm food. This place was on Man vs Food and it was amazingly good.

Look at this food....it was crazy big proportions and so good.

then it was time for some beer and wine shopping...this is a MUST when you live in Utah and don't have much available to buy in that category. We went to the most amazing store called Total Wine and More. Leyla and I had a wine tasting. The wines were all from Australia and one from Red Knot Winery was so good that we both bought a bottle. Meanwhile, Paul and Dave were looking at beer and Paul found some good Dogfish Head beer and I had to take home some Big Sky Brewing Co. Moose Drool.
Dave's next homebrew batch is going to be a Moose Drool clone. We hope that we can get back down there to try it.

Then it was time for a cupcake. This bakery was adorable and had some really neat flavors. I chose a smores flavor and Paul had a Glazed Donut cupcake. There were so many flavors that I wanted to try. Next time :) We were so exhausted (pretty much all day!) and so we went back to Dave and Leyla's, talked for a little while longer and then Paul and I packed up and went to the Las Vegas Hilton where we were staying that night. We wanted to ride the monorail down to the strip to explore the new City Center project, but we just couldn't muster up the energy.

The Las Vegas Hilton was kind of a bust (which we knew, but couldn't beat the price for a Friday night) so we hit a late happy hour and shared a huge margarita and appetizers, then got some sleep and hit the Venetian before heading home. (We just had to get one more Coffee bean coffee!) We can't wait to go back and do it all again (except for the Hilton..haha).

It was an amazing 2 days of great conversation, fun, food, and beer. We couldn't have asked for anything more for our first getaway without the kiddos. :)

Many Thanks

So I have to say that we are pretty *sad* to be home from Las Vegas :( 68 degree weather in January? yes please.

We had such an amazing time and are so blessed with amazing friends. (The words "thank you" cannot even begin to express our gratitude for these people...you know who you are...Dave and Leyla :) Love you guys.

We are also so blessed to have Paul's parents who were more than willing to have the kiddos at their house for a few days. It means so much to us to know that the kids are safe and so happy with Grandma Joan and Pop Larry. We didn't worry about them at all.
Madilyn wanted to stay forever!!!
We are STILL trying to recover from it and trying to get back into the swing of things.

We had so much fun catching up, drinking amazing beer, eating great food, gambling a little, playing with the cutest pups ever Kaya and Sadie, and laughing our asses off at a comedy show. Such amazing memories and we can't wait to do it again!

More adventures and pics of our trip to come soon. I was having too much fun (and then I was too exhausted..haha! to take as many pics as I wanted to.)

"Aunt-o-claus"

"this is my funny face!"

Madilyn is at that age where the funniest things come out of her mouth.

There is a new home being built on the lot next to us and it was painted yellow (canary yellow!?) last week. Madilyn was pretty disappointed as she really wanted it to be green. So she said
"Mom, let's go over there and wipe that yellow paint off!!" haha..yep, that is exactly how I was feeling. I kinda think the yellow is growing on me now though...seems kinda coastal and that is a good thing :)

Yesterday evening, we were playing outside and one of our neighbors stopped by with his son and we were all talking while the kiddos played. Our neighbor asked if one of the toys was a Christmas present and Madilyn replied "yep, from aunt-o-claus!" The toy was from their Aunt Jessica. It was so funny :) Gotta love it.

Gotta go put some nutella on a waffle for this little "funny face!"

Some Stuff that we REALLY Like Right Now :)

I am really loving researching, reading blogs, and just overall learning about whole, healthy living. I really believe it makes all the difference in our health and happiness. There is SO much to learn on this topic and it makes me happy :)

Paul and I are working on fitting more "date nights" in. Most Friday nights we have one at home after we put the kiddos to bed. We both look forward to it so much. Tonight is a movie (Eat, Pray, Love...my choice :), beer (his choice), ice cream...healthy right? Goes with my first thing doesn't it? haha.

Cowen is LOVING "Bob the Builder"...he is obsessed with heavy equipment. TV never held his attention until he got a load of this show. He is glued to it right now (for the 1st time!)

This is definitely a passion of mine. Fun things to come with blogging for me...stay tuned :)

Oh yoga, you make me so happy!!! I am so thrilled to be back in the gym again. I love yoga and step aerobics...I also love going and zoning out on the elliptical trainer. Going to add in weight training soon. Ahhh, it makes all the difference in my life.

I just love this pic :) And I am always calling my babies this. And that hair just kills me.....this is awesome.

Madilyn is obsessed with this happy little train. We play trains all day (at least it feels like that).

OH yes, and we can't forget beer. Paul's hobby and love. It is definitely a staple in our house. He just ordered stuff for his next 2 batches...YUMMY. We are planning a beer and food pairing party with our friends soon as well. Ultimate dream is to have our own brewery and coffee shop...awesome idea right? Now for the funding........ ;)

Last but not least...the kiddos could LIVE on this stuff. And the microwave just beeped and I must go and get it out for them now :) I swear my homemade version is better, but sometimes the convenience of this stuff out weighs mine by a long shot.

So that is what we are currently obsessed with in our home right now. We are off to enjoy our mac and cheese! :)

Happy Friday!

*January Blues*

Oh January....it is always a hard month here in Utah. We have the w.o.r.s.t. air quality ever and we don't see the sun very much---hence January Blues for me. Oh yeah, and have I mentioned that I HATE the cold and the ice?
At least these 2 little boogers are here to brighten my day...that is when they aren't fighting and taking toys away from each other.......haha.

This January started out particularly yucky as we packed up and headed to Reno for Great Grandma Dorothy's funeral. The kiddos were great helpers while we packed :)

and it wore them out* but before we knew it, it was a crazy hour of the morning and we were loaded up in the car and on our l.o.n.g drive to across Nevada and to Reno.

It was an emotional and whirlwind 3 days for us. We spent 2 days driving sandwiching the 1 day that we actually spent there. It was especially hard, as I had been pretty sick with a cold/flu and fighting a major infection.

On the bright side, it was pretty awesome to see all of Paul's cousins. It was especially fun to see our kiddos play with them as well. Here Madilyn is with Gabe. He danced with her on his feet and taught her to twirl. She loved him :) It always means so much to us when people spend the time to get to know our kiddos and develop relationships with them.

Madilyn and Lane became friends right when it was time for us to go back to our hotel for the night (of course). They were pretty silly together. Here they are licking a salt rock that they found at Lisa's house :) haha. It was totally hilarious to watch them interact with each other and show off.

Madilyn threw a huge fit when we had to leave...then came the monster fit that happened back at the hotel.....oh boy. I am counting down the months until this 3-year-old turns 4...I am just sure that it will get better at that point...right?

We saw this funny sign at a gas station by the UNR campus and just had to take a picture because it is so true. Gas here in Utah has been around 2.65, so it was A LOT more in Reno.

We were happy to get back home.
We have pretty much been homebodies since our trip. It has been nice, but last weekend Paul and I were both so stir crazy....again a total January thing for us.

But, we have some fun and great things in the works. I can't wait to see what the next few years brings. I have a few things up my sleeve......

Upward and Onward!

Today, the weather was clear and sunny (hooray!). It was SO nice to see the blue sky and the sun so I bundled the kids up and we went to the park. It was freezing, icy, but so fun. The kids do so much better overall when they get outside time to play. It was long overdue.

after swinging for a long time (their favorite) they wandered around on the frozen ground and collected leaves for me.

and we just enjoyed the fresh air.

counting down the days until January is over...seriously the longest month ever for me.
Oh yeah, and Paul and I are taking our very first ever trip together without the kiddos next week (WHEEE!). We are going to Las Vegas for a couple of days to stay and play with our good friends Dave and Leyla. We are elated and just can't wait. The kiddos are "Over the Moon" to be staying with Grandma Joan and Pop Larry for those few days. It will be so fun for all of us :)

Is it February yet?!?