The big 2-7!

I had a great birthday yesterday. Paul woke me up with breakfast in bed. He got a french toast recipe from the Food Network website and it was really good. We did our usual Sunday activities and then he made me an AMAZING dinner. Paul doesn't cook very often, but when he does it's always really good. He made me steak, bacon wrapped potatoes with a honey butter glaze (another Food Network recipe), broccoli, and french bread. Oh, and while everything was finishing cooking, he made me a Caesar salad for my first course. For my present he got us tickets to see Jack Johnson when he comes in August!! He also got me a Coldstone cake, yum. Lauryn even sang the Happy Birthday song to me. What a great day! (I don't know why this text is all underlined and I couldn't figure out how to change it, sorry.)

Cherry Festival

When I was little, the most exciting part of the summer was the Annual Emmett Cherry Festival. My cousins would all come to town for the week and we would have so much fun. Now it's become a tradition for my family to get together so the next generation of cousins can enjoy it. Lauryn and I went up last week and took my nephews and niece with us. Poor Paul had to stay home and work. But don't worry, he did have some fun of his own with renting a Wii game and going golfing with his brother. Anyways, we had an awesome time with the family. Lauryn had so much fun at Grandma's house. Here are some highlights of the week:
petting the goats who live next door

swinging on the porch swing (Lauryn and Ainslee who were born 5 days apart)


picking and eating Grandma's strawberries

playing with cousins



riding the big slide at the Cherry Festival

1096 days of marriage

Today is Paul and my 3rd anniversary! In some ways it feels like a long time, but in other ways I can't remember not being married to him. It seems like there is a lot of negative media in the world surrounding getting married and having children, but these are the best two things that I've done in my life.

I like it, I love it

Lauryn loves to dance. Don't ask me where she got her awesome moves! Her new favorite song is this one from Tim McGraw. Paul has it on his phone and she asks for him to play it for her over and over again.

Mexico

We've been home for over a week now and I'm finally posting about our big trip. The night before we left we stayed at my brother Shane's house. Paul and I woke up at about 3 am and left for the airport while poor Lauryn was still sleeping with no idea that her parents were leaving her for 4 nights and 5 days in beautiful Mazatlan. Well, I did tell her we were going, but I don't think she really understood me. We had such a great time! Our resort was amazing, with the most beautiful landscaping and pools and ocean views and wildlife. There were flamingos, peacocks, macaws, iguanas, and a lot of other kinds of birds. We spent most of our vacation at the pool drinking virgin tropical drinks, eating nachos, and swimming. The waiters thought we (especially Paul) were crazy when we asked for our drinks with no alcohol. We also went in to the city a few times. One day we went into the center to go to the open market and see the Cathedral and were seriously attacked by pigeons at the cathedral. One about landed on my head. The best parts of the vacation were (in order): having some alone time where we could just relax, eating a ton of delicious Mexican food, and enjoying the incredible scenery and different culture. I was so thankful that Paul speaks Spanish and had lived in Mexico for two years so I didn't have to worry about keeping track of money or communicating. One of the nice things about leaving Lauryn behind was that we were so excited to come home! The report was that she did really well as long as she had her blankie with her. I know she loved being around so many kids to entertain her. And now that we've been back for a week, I'm finally getting back into normal life mode. Here are some of the best pictures from our trip.








This was the view from our balcony.