Thanksgiving

(Everyone before the race)

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. We started the day off with a new tradition. My cousin D invited me to run in the Utah Human Race 5k and I decided to recruit some of our friends and family to join us. It was a lot of fun and a great way to start the day! I had only ran in one other 5k and I did that a week before I ran my half marathon. So I was excited and nervous to run this 5k. I didn't really have any expectations, I just wanted to try and do my best. I was really happy with the end result! I finished 4 minutes faster than my last 5k and had a lot of fun doing it! Another plus was that all the registration fees for the race went to the Utah Food Bank. I'm so glad D called me and I hope we continue this for MANY years to come!

Our family after the race

Our friends Mike and Trisha

We spent the rest of the holiday at my parents house. This year was a little bittersweet for me, mainly because this will probably be the last Thanksgiving dinner held at my childhood home. I truly love my parents house and all the childhood memories I have there. But, I know life goes on and so will I! We had the whole Rigby clan over this year and we had a great time. The food was DELICIOUS and the company was FABULOUS! I think this is the first year that I didn't stuff myself. I wasn't feeling all that great and it helped when it came to pigging out! I ended up getting really sick last night, and let's just say I won't be eating any leftovers! Except maybe for some pie :)

There are so many things I am grateful for this year. I won't list them all, but I wanted to list some of my top ones.

Things I am grateful for:

1. Our beautiful eternal family - immediate and extended!

2. A loving Husband who loves me unconditionally! (I thought he deserved his own line :)

3. My Savior

4. The Gospel

5. Our Wonderful Friends (we are so blessed to have you in our lives!)

6. Trials - Especially this year

7. A Healthy Body (And the healthy bodies of my family!)

8. Our Warm Home

9. Temples (We are blessed to live SO close to SO many!)

10. Music

Me and My man!

Our little family

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays!

rough but real times

This past month has been a very trying time for our family in various areas. And it seems like things aren't going to be getting better anytime in the near future. Recently a certain friend posted something that I honestly laughed out loud at. Mainly because a lot of times I feel the same way. She stated "Reading other people's cute blogs makes me want to throw up a little." Blogs are a funny thing to me. People always appear to have the most happy and perfect life on their blogs. I guess they could argue that they are turning their blogs into books...but I would think that they would want to remember the good along with the bad. The times in my life when I have grown the most were during the tough times. Many of the blogs I read seem to be picture perfect! They have the perfect little family, and being a mommy is the "absolute best", and their kids are so perfect and get along perfectly together! Now, I'm not trying to offend anyone, my purpose in venting is that I want to try and make our blog more "real". I have been guilty at times of making our life seem picture perfect. But I will tell you right now that my life is not perfect. My marriage isn't perfect, our family isn't perfect, and my kids aren't perfect. I consider us to be a very normal family.

I will admit, being a mom isn't always the best. Just last week I had a doctor's appointment and my doctor asked if I was a stay at home mom. When I answered yes, he asked how it was going. My response was "It's okay". He laughed, but I was being honest. That day it was going just okay. I told him that my answer changes from day to day along with the answer to "Are you planning on having any more kids?" I consider my job to be very challenging and difficult at times. Don't get me wrong...I do love being a mom and if it came down to it, I wouldn't change it for ANYTHING! But at times I truly struggle. What mom doesn't? There are days when I want to rip my hair out. But there are also days when I could spend all day hugging and kissing my boys because they are the cutest and most sweetest things in the whole world. Those are the days that make all the hard days SO worth it! And I have to admit...my boys are pretty cute!

During this rough time in our life, I hope to try and be more real. I want to document the good along with the bad. I want my boys to know that they were naughty at times and I hope that we can look back on them and laugh together. I also want to be more positive. If you didn't know, I can be quite negative at times but that is something I am working on to change. I want to have more faith that things will work out for the best. Deep down...I think that they will. With Thanksgiving upon us, I have so many things to be grateful for! I hope and pray that those are the things I focus on this month instead of the bad. Here's to being more real!

By the way...thanks for letting me vent!

A night out with my little man

I had the opportunity this week to go on a date with my handsome Wesley! My Dad offered us some Jazz tickets but Rob had class, so I decided to have some one on one time with my little man. It was such a fun night! Wesley could hardly contain himself all day from the excitement. He was also excited to see Grandpa, Uncle TJ, and cousin Brady working away at the game. And to top it all off, Hobby joined us as well! It was so fun to watch his excitement throughout the whole experience. He was a little nervous at first with the loud noises, but by the end of the game he was cheering and screaming at the top of his lungs. It was super cute! I really enjoyed the time alone with Wes. He is growing up so fast and is turning into a little man right before my eyes. What a great date night! I hope to do it again soon. I love you little man!

Pure excitement before the game started!

Heather and Bobby (aka Hobby!)

Helping Grandpa at work

Holy Merlin Magician Batman!

We had such a fun week, full of fun Halloween activities! It started off with a fun a little party the boys were invited to at our good friend Nicole's house. This was the first time that both of the boys were in their costumes together. They looked so cute! Wednesday was Wesley's Halloween party at preschool. They got to wear their costumes, trick-or-treat to each other, and do a couple of fun Halloween crafts. Wesley loves school and loves candy! It was a perfect day for him.

His whole class

Wesley and his buddy Chase

The whole class on the magic carpet

We had Chase over to play one day and the boys got a kick out of these vampire teeth.

They didn't know what to do with them at first...It was HILARIOUS!

On Friday we went to my niece's school and watched their Halloween parade. The boys LOVED seeing all of the fun costumes. Even the scary ones! By Saturday, the boys couldn't wait to go trick-or-treating! Beckett had even practiced enough that he could say the cutest "trick-or-treat" I've ever heard! Poor Rob got sick with the flu and wasn't able to join in the festivities. I'm sure he didn't mind all that much, he isn't a big Halloween fan. We went out trick-or-treating with my niece Kendra that night around our neighborhood. After we had gone to the first two houses, Wesley said "I LOVE trick-or-treating! It is SO fun!" After hitting up our neighborhood, we went to my parents house for our traditional chili dinner. It was delicious as always and the boys scored even more candy! We then went and visited Rob's parents and ended the night at my grandparents house. We didn't get home until almost 11pm and all of us were SPENT! I'm surprised the boys didn't pass out from sugar overdoses!

Our little Batman Family

Trick-or-Treating

A close up

MEOW!

Cornbelly's

Last Friday we went to Cornbelly's at Thanksgiving Point with some friends. We have been going to Cornbelly's every year since Wesley was about 15 months old. It has been a fun family tradition that I hope to continue for years to come! Cornbelly's has a cornmaze, hayrides, train rides, a huge pumpkin patch, pumpkin cannons, pig races, and so much more! It was a little chilly that night, but we all had a blast!

Jumping on the huge pillows

The boys could have played on the slides ALL night!

Even Rob!

Handsome Lil' Devil!

On the bumpy hayride

The kiddos

Kyle and Jamie

Classic Beckett

Jamie, Kennedi, and Kyle on the train

Wesley and Jaden

Me and the Husband

Racing the ducks

Wesley begged to have a "Spiderman Eye" all night long! I finally talked Rob into letting him get one. It made his night! Look at that grin!

Thanks to the Robinson's for a fun night!

pumpkins, tractors, and hay...oh my!

After we got home from Rob's work retreat on Saturday, we picked up the boys from my parents and took them to pick pumpkins at the pumpkin patch. We went to the pumpkin patch by the district and it was a lot of fun! They had lots of tractors for the boys to play on, lil' wheel barrels for the boys to push around, and tons of pumpkins! They also had a tiny corn maze (or corn trail) and a little hay ride, which was kind of pathetic! But it entertained the boys and gave us something fun to do outdoors! We usually pick pumpkins at Thanksgiving Point when we go to Cornbelly's, but we decided to pick pumpkins separately this year. There is always so many other activities at Cornbelly's that they boys are done by the time we get to the pumpkins. The pumpkin patch we went to had tons of photo ops, but Beckett was the only one semi-cooperating!

He started out the night happy with his lil' wheel barrel

By the second picture he was already bored

The wee man is always willing to give me a cute face!

Lil' man would only give me funny faces

Trying to find the perfect one!

How cute is he?!?!

Crying and running away from me and the camera

My boys

It only took me 20 shots to get him to look at me...there was a cute little girl sitting to his left.

Riding the tractor

CaLiFoRnIa

I finally have the chance to blog about our trip to California! Our computer was down for over a week and I was going a little bonkers! But it's now fixed and I'm a happy camper! Our trip to California was fun and overwhelming! This was our first time going on a LONG road trip with just our little family. Since it was our first time, I think there are many things I would change for our next trip.

Onto the trip!

We left early on a Thursday morning. We were only going as far as Vegas and so we timed it right so we could stop in Cedar City to meet up with some old friends for lunch at one of our favorite burger joints. It was good catching up with my old boss and his adorable family! It's been too long! I loved working for Shon. It has been by far my most favorite job ever! After a delicious lunch, we decided to take the boys to our favorite park in Cedar to let them burn off some energy, hoping that they would nap the remainder of the trip to Vegas.

This picture makes me laugh!

It worked! The boys napped the rest of the way to Vegas. We checked into our hotel and took the boys for a quick swim in the pool. I couldn't believe how hot it was in Vegas! I thought it would have cooled off a little, but I think it was still 95 degrees at 6pm! After swimming, we headed over to Tracy and Val's (Tracy is Rob's cousin). We were able to visit with them and meet their adorable 3 week old twins! We picked up dinner and Cafe Rio and visited while the boys ran wild! Tracy and Val also have a little boy Beckham, who is almost 3. Wesley and Beckham played great together and we were glad we were able to see them! I'm bummed I didn't take any pictures!

After going to bed pretty late, we all decided to sleep in the next morning. After a quick breakfast we packed up the car and hit the road. The drive to LA went pretty well. We only had a couple of incidents, including dead stopped traffic in the middle of nowhere, due to an accident and life flight landing on the freeway. By the time we got to Rob's grandparents house, the boys were more than ready to get our of the car. We unpacked, visited with Rob's grandparents, and then decided to take the boys out to do something fun. We decided to go to the Santa Monica Promenade and grab some dinner. It was a beautiful night and the boys loved being outside. After dinner we walked around the promenade for awhile. Since it was Friday night, all the street performers were out doing their thing! One of our favorite performers was the Dog Trainer and his dogs. He had a Jack Russell that looked almost identical to She-ra. It was amazing to watch his skateboard! The boys thought it was hilarious!

We spent the next couple of days relaxing, visiting the beach, eating In-n-out, and hanging out with Rob's grandparents. One night we headed over to Westbrook to grab some dinner. After dinner we found a cookie and ice cream place called Diddy Reise. This was not the first time Rob and I have seen this place. Every time we have been to LA, we always drive past this little wonder and noticed that there was always a line out the door. We wondered what was so great about it, so this time we decided to find out for ourselves. Diddy Reise makes DELICIOUS ice cream sandwiches from fresh cookies and delicious ice cream. These sandwiches were huge! And to top it off, they only cost $1.50!!! We scored! I told Rob that Diddy Reise will now be on our list of places to stop whenever we are in LA. I am craving one right now just looking at the pictures!

Rob told me to look seductive in this picture, but I think I look like I'm on drugs!

Sunday was a rough day! The boys were getting restless and I about lost it! Sunday mornings are always a little stressful, but I think the boys were having a hard time being out of their element and being in a new house with nothing to entertain them. We barely made it to church and decided on only staying for Sacrament. After we had lunch we took a much needed 3 hour nap! We all woke up much happier, and after dinner we decided to head down to the Santa Monica Pier to let the boys run around. It was a gorgeous night! We walked around the pier, rode the carousel, and watched the sunset on the beach. It was a perfect way to end a very stressful day!

I know this picture is blurry of Wes, but I thought it was too cute!

Me and my boys on the carousel

I love the pure joy on his face!

The husband and I

Daddy and Beckett on the beach

Monday was finally the big day...Disneyland Day!!! Rob and I were so excited and giddy to take the boys. We would have spent more than one day at Disneyland, but we weren't too sure on how the boys would handle a whole day at the park. They did great at Lagoon earlier this summer, but Disneyland is a whole other story. We contemplated buying a 3 day park hopper pass, but decided not to spend the money since the boys are so young. I think for our next trip we will definitely get the passes! Monday was also Rob's birthday, so he got into Disneyland for free fifty free! It was such a great way to spend his birthday! Seeing the excitement on all three of my boys faces made the trip totally worth it!

The first ride we took the boys on was Pirates of the Carribean. I don't really know if that was such a smart decision on our part, but Rob had been talking up the ride to Wesley on the way into the park and Wesley insisted on going. Wesley did pretty good through most of the ride, but got really spooked towards the end. He reacted that way on most rides, but always wanted to ride them again.

The boys on Pirates

Wesley being a goofball while waiting in line

Nemo Submarine Ride

Of course we couldn't leave Disneyland without a set of Mickey ears for both boys!

The boys loved seeing all the characters! Goofy was a little busy though and wouldn't stop for any pictures.

My boys on King Arthur's Carousel

Beckett and Rob on Dumbo

Wesley on It's a Small World...this was probably his second favorite ride

and my least favorite!

I LOVE this picture of Beckett! Every time there was a little ledge like this while

waiting in line, he always took a little rest. I thought it was ADORABLE!

The boys in Toon Town

Can't go to Disneyland without getting a delicious CHURRO!!!

Playing at Goofy's house

Can you see Wes?

On Donald's boathouse

By far, Wesley's favorite ride was the Buzz Lightyear ride! It is like you are actually in a video game helping Buzz defeat the enemy Zurg. Wesley thought it was cool to shoot the "aliens" and robots. We rode it at the beginning of the day and went back later that night. When we went back, there was hardly any line because everyone was lining up to watch the parade. I think we probably rode the ride 4 or 5 more times. Wesley loved it!!! I wish I would have gotten a picture of him on the ride, but Rob and I were too busy being competitive. We tried to beat the other's high score each time. I think Rob won :(

Reach for the Sky!

We almost forgot to get a picture in front of the park

The boys really did have a lot fun at Disneyland! I think we all did. The boys were sure tuckered out...I think they were asleep before we even got on the freeway. It was a great way to end our trip! The next morning Rob's Aunt and Uncle treated us to breakfast at one of Rob's favorite diners, Norm's. It was nice to visit and catch up! We then packed up the car and hit the road for Vegas! We decided to break up the trip home and spend the night there again. I think next time I would much rather drive straight through! The good thing about stopping was that we were able to get together with Tracy and Val again! We met up on the strip, and took the boys to see the fountain show at the Belagio, and to Caesar's palace to see the huge fish tank.

Beckham and Wesley

Wesley showing off and Beckham wondering what on earth is he doing?
The boys loved this giant stingray! It stuck up on the wall like that forever!

We had another great night with them and their sweet kids! The twins were perfect and slept almost the whole time. The next day we woke up and headed home. I swear it took us 13 hours to get home (ok...maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit) but boy were we happy to be HOME!!! Overall we had a great time and I can't wait to plan our next trip back!