nate's favorites {this week}

Nate has a few favorites lately.

#1: He loves to do this. I'm not really sure what to call it but it's pretty funny. He usually does it after he's done eating.



#2: PEEK-A-BOO. He loves to play any kind of peek-a-boo but he loves playing it in the drapes.




Every once in a while, I wear a headband. He notices it immediately on my head and wants it. So, I found this thing a while ago. It's the headband that Nate gets to wear when he sees one on my head. He'll wear it for quite a while. And of course, he played a little peek-a-boo with this too.

New York City

We're back from our latest adventure to the Big Apple. We had a great time visiting with laurel & brad, eating delicious food, walking miles and miles in the city, going to the second to last yankees game in yankee stadium & even seeing a show on Broadway.

After the longest travel day EVER on Friday, we made it to Laurel's apartment around 9pm. She was nice enough to have yummy pizza waiting for us as we pulled up. It was by far, the best pizza I've ever had. Yes, we had it again on Sunday night.

Laurel & Brad live in the Financial District in Manhattan. They overlook The World Trade Center Site as well as the Hudson River. They were very nice to let us stay with them. It was also great to have food recommendations and help with the Subway!

On Saturday we walked along the Hudson River in the morning so Wes could see the Statue of Liberty. Plus, I just love it over there with the walking paths, trees, benches, etc.

Then we jumped on the subway and made it out to Yankee Stadium for the second to last game in Yankee Stadium. I'm so glad we got to go. It was great being there with the crazy Yankees fans participating in a little piece of baseball history. Since I got the tickets from a client, we were in a box right behind home plate! You can't beat a). the seats b). the yummy free food and c). that we were sitting next to Frank Robinson & Babe Ruth's granddaughter.

On our way back to Manhattan from the game, we decided to get off the Union Square subway stop and just walk around and we ended up walking back to Laurel's apartment. It was great to be outside! That night Laurel and Brad got a babysitter so we could all go out to dinner. They took us to a delicious restaurant called Jane and then we went to The Shake Shack for shakes after!

Sunday was a great day in the city, too. We walked ALOT. Our day consisted of Central Park, Rockefeller Plaza, frozen hot chocolates from Dylan's, Legally Blonde on Broadway, lots of walking & more yummy pizza for dinner! We even had our own celebrity sighting. We walked right by Cameron Diaz on 5th Avenue!

One of the best things about our trip was the fabulous NYC weather. I think I need to move to New York for the month of September. It was beautiful! Much better than the 90's we are still enduring in LV. Next trip back to New York . . . for the US Open!

Sarsaparilla Skirt & Vest GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Sarsaparilla Skirt & Vest GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

If Wes ever gets a daughter, she'll need this.

What's on this weekend's agenda?

NEW YORK CITY.

For those of you who don't know Wes very well . . . he's a baseball fanatic. A few months ago, he casually mentioned to me that he would love to go Yankee Stadium before they close it to be able to see part of baseball's history. I laughed, saying "we're not going across the country again for just a weekend."



And then I thought about it and said, "why not?" And that's when it all fell together in a matter of 24 hours.

Flights to NY: Thanks to the companion pass we have on Southwest, I get there for free.

Yankees game: A client pulled through with tickets.

Place to stay: One of my favorite people, Laurel Walker, lives there so I not only get to see a Yankees game but I get to see Laurel, Brad & their cute kids, too.

What to do with Nate: My sweet parents are taking him. Again. And yes, he's getting molars and has another ear infection. Lets just say I owe them BIG.

And so, Wes and I are going to enjoy a weekend without Nate in one of the best cities in the world. Wes has never been to NYC to it will be fun to explore with him. And I love a baseball game so we're excited for our little adventure in Manhattan.

Thanks to Alex . . .

I have a photo of Nate playing on Saturday. Wes was entertaining 5 little boys on the steps of the pool and Nate was loving a chance to play with the big boys. Does that face not say it all?

First Steps & Last Summer Saturday

{I've been TERRIBLE about taking pictures lately. So after our fun day yesterday, I have ZERO photos to show for it. I'll be better this week.}

We decided to enjoy our weekend instead of doing chores! Yesterday, we had our last summer Saturday lounging by the pool (our next four Saturdays are a little busy). My parent's were at their cabin again so we helped ourselves to their house which means we had a backyard, a pool, a large TV to watch college football for a day! We took Nate swimming and let him play in the backyard and then while he took a great afternoon nap, Wes watched his Bulldogs & Cougars play while I sat on a raft in the pool.

Last night, we had some friends over for a little BBQ. It's a lot easier having friends over to my parent's house since they have much more room than we do. Nate sure had fun with all of the "big kids". It was a nice relaxing day!

While we were at my parent's house yesterday playing with Nate, he took his first steps! He's been standing and walking with some assistance for a while now so he's pretty sturdy. He just needed to quit being a chicken and take his first step on his own! He finally did it and he's doing really well. He took 12 consecutive steps yesterday and at least 20 today at church. He gets so excited when he gets to his destination and often claps for himself.

Here is a video of Nate walking today. It's not great, but it's all we've got for now. And yes, Sam . . . he is wearing a wife beater again. It's his under shirt so by the end of the day, that's what he's wearing!

Mr. Mischief

I've entered in to the "uh-oh . . things are too quiet in there" phase of parenting. I can usually tell when he's in to something that he doesn't want mom to see. He's a very curious little dude and loves to make a mess. Every once in a while I let him make a huge mess because of the sheer joy that is on his face while he's doing it.

He loves to empty the entire thing of wipes. Which is the least of my concerns because those are easy to throw in a ziploc bag and use later. Plus, it takes him about 15 minutes to empty the entire thing so if he's preoccupied a few times throughout the day, I'm happy.


Grandpa Griffeth wasn't as excited when Nate emptied his last box of his favorite cereal. He started out by eating just a few and before I knew it he dumped the entire box out while sitting on my lap. Lets just say Cheerios were everywhere & Nate was loving it.



He's all boy. And I love it.

Sam. Family Reunion. BYU. Provo. All in 24 hours.

Apparently, I'm all about the quick turnaround these days.

My sister, Sam and I went on a 24 hour adventure to Utah over the weekend. We went up to go to the Jensen family reunion . . . which consisted of my grandma and her only living brother, Grant and all of my mom's cousins. I used to spend a decent amount of time with some of these families but it's been at least a decade since I've seen them. It was fun to see everyone but especially fun to see my mom's siblings and some of my cousins. They are hilarious and always make me laugh!

My grandma, her daughters and 3 of her granddaughters.

My cousin Elizabeth, Aunt Linda & family friend Robyn

My mom asked my grandma & Uncle Grant to say a few words about their childhood. It was great to hear from them ~ I learned a few new things about my family.

My grandma and her brother, Grant.

I have to say something about my great uncle grant and aunt maxine. They are AMAZING and proof that if you stay active and healthy throughout your life, you can still enjoy life in your late 90's! Uncle Grant turns 100 in January and Maxine turns 97 next year. They were at my wedding . . . dancing up a storm! They are still quite the pair and amaze me every time I see them. If I live to be 100, I hope I'm just like Uncle Grant or Aunt Maxine. Maxine acts like she's 70!

There are two reasons we decided to go to this reunion:

1). See family & help my mom since she decided to cook for 90 people. For those who know her, this shouldn't surprise you.

2). See the cabin in Sundance that holds so many memories.

Many, many years ago my grandma's sister built a cabin in Sundance, which is just up the canyon from Provo. We spent so much time there growing up and it has been at least 12 years since I've been there. The place has not changed ONE BIT since it was built. Same furniture. Same bedding. Everything. For like 50 years. There's even still a bed in the kitchen where a dining room table should be. The best part about it is the creek that is 10 feet from their house. They have a huge back deck area with a bridge that goes over the creek. It's beautiful to not only see but it's great to hear the sound of water all day long!

My dad, Sam & I took a little walk up the hill to see the old playground we used to play on. And we walked a little further to Beaver Pond where we used to go fishing. There's nothing like a little walk down memory lane. Especially in the beautiful mountains!

The other fun part of our little trip was Sam & I got to spend some time in P-Town, our old college stomping grounds. We went to University Mall to go in to the Shade Store, ate at Pizza Factory, and made a little trip up to BYU campus to run in to the bookstore and Campus Craft & Floral. Please tell me how I find cuter/unique "home stuff" on BYU campus than in all of Las Vegas? Being on campus brought back lots of great memories. And I'm always amazed at BYU's campus. I swear no other college is as pretty or well-kept. Not one piece of trash or cigarette bud. Every flower and tree is blooming. It's just beautiful. And for you fellow cougars who haven't been there in a while . . . this is our alumni building by the JKHB. Pretty cool.

Even though Sam lives within 15 minutes of me . . . her social life, work/school schedule prevent me from seeing her very often. So it was great to have a full 24 hours of SAM.

Also, thanks Aunt Tina & Uncle Gary for letting us stay with you in your beautiful home. It was fun to chat! And thanks Wes for staying home with Nate. I'm sure he loved some daddy time.

a reminder of how precious life is.

I have a great client that I've been working with for a few months now. They are a family owned company & they are some of the nicest people I've ever met. Every time I meet with the owner of this company he talks about how great his wife and family are.

After a fun day out and about with Nate & dinner with some friends, I received a humbling email as I was driving home tonight. The son of my client was killed in a tragic accident yesterday. My stomach sank as I thought about this wonderful man and the grief he & his family are currently feeling. How do you cope with something like this? Unfortunately, a few of you reading my blog know exactly what this family is going through because you've lost a child of your own. In the email I received, this grieving family asked all of us to hold our kids a little tighter tonight and to appreciate our families a little more. Life is too precious not to.

I feel like I've had quite a few tragic reminders lately of how fragile life can be. We never know what Heavenly Father has in store for us so I'm going to try to appreciate what I do have a little more. My heart goes out to this family, and every family, who has had to endure the trial of losing a child. I can't even begin to fathom what that must be like. My thoughts and prayers are with this family who lost their son yesterday.

I'm loving fresh & easy

There are very few stores I'd want "in my backyard" but this is one of them. I LOVE fresh & easy. I was there this morning and I was reminded, yet again, of how much I wish I could walk there every morning to get fresh produce & my food for TODAY. Forget the freezer. Forget food going bad because you didn't use it. Just walk 5 minutes and buy what you want to eat within the next 24 hours. Especially because they have so many things that are 50% off because the "sell by" date is that day!

I know, driving there isn't that big of a deal but I'm certainly not going every day when I have to load my kiddo in the car. A short walk or bike ride to pick up a few groceries sounds heavenly. I think that's why I loved my few months in London because we walked everywhere and you didn't have to (or have room to) keep much so you went out every day to get it.

There is a nice plot of dirt by my house. What are my chances that a Fresh & Easy will pop up there? For those of you who live by me, go to http://www.freshandeasy.com/whereweare.aspx and let them know you want one near St. Rose Parkway and LV Blvd.

And for those of you who also love Fresh & Easy, what are your favorites? There are a lot of things we haven't tried yet . . .

What did you do for Labor Day? I bet it didn't involve going across the country.

Call us crazy, but we flew all the way to Alabama and then drove to Georgia to surprise Wes' brother Spencer on our Labor Day weekend.

It was Wes' brother's 30th birthday and his cute wife, Leigh thought it would be fun to surprise him at his birthday party with his two brothers, Wes & Grant and their families. Months and months ago we all booked our flights so we could have a fun weekend together and surprise Spencer. As the departure date got a little closer, Wes & I went back and forth as to whether Nate and I were going to make the treck with Wes but we decided last minute to have us all go. I can't miss out on a party. We had a great time with Wes' family and somehow survived 21 hours of travel in a 60 hour time period with a one year old. I have to say that Nate was a TROOPER. Don't get me wrong, we won't be doing that again for a LONG time but it was worth it to be with all of the Griffeth clan.

Leigh sure knows how to throw a party. Since she and Spencer are HUGE college football fans, she threw him a tailgating football party which was appropriate since Saturday was the college football kick-off day. Everyone wore their favorite team colors.

Enough yummy food to feed a football team.

Spencer & the Griffeth clan are huge Georgia football fans so the party was pretty much all things Georgia Bulldogs. Which I'm sure was tough for Leigh since she's a HUGE Tennessee fan.

a blurry photo of Wes and Nate in their Georgia colors. Nate is currently a Bulldogs & a cougar fan. We'll see who he decides to cheer for when he's a little bigger.

Olivia Jane, a fellow Cougar fan.

Baby Spence.

We really enjoy Wes' entire family and wish we could see everyone more often. It was great to see you all. However, this Griffeth family will be staying on the west coast for a while so feel free to come our way anytime. We'd love to have ya.