Dustin's Birthday

I forgot to blog about Dustin's birthday last month.

I took lunch to his school and then we opened presents at home.  He got new pots and pans, socks, and a Jazz tie.  The girls even used their own money to buy Dad a gift.

Happy 34th!

Spring Break

 On our way to my parent's house we stopped in Page, Arizona to tour Antelope Canyon.

The canyon, made up of sandstone, was formed by flooding and wind.

We drove 3 miles to the upper canyon in a back of a pick up.  Since it's on the Navajo Indian Reservation you have to have a guide and get permission from the tribe to walk through it.

After walking a quarter of a mile through the canyon, the girls took a break to make sand angels.

The girls loved the pink sand.

Tourists come from all over the world to take pictures.

Once we got to my parents, we decided with the 90 degree weather we should hit up some splash parks.  We went to Riverview Park and Eastmark Great Park in Mesa.

We went on a tour at Cerreta Candy Company in Glendale.  The girls got to make their own chocolate pizza afterwards.

We also walked around the new Phoenix Temple.

Grammi and Grandpa came with us to Enchanted Island Amusement Park at Encanto Park.

Since school is in session, the park was nearly empty.  The girls had free reign to ride as many rides as they wanted, how many times they wanted.

We finished off our break with a Jazz Game in Salt Lake.

Cousins were there too!

This little lady took a visit to Primary Children's and received a clear bill of health from her doctors.  Her pacemaker and shunt are working great!  Time for some monkey bars and trampoline jumping.

Fun Things in February

Here are some happenings from February:

Libby and I visited Aunt Stacey and Uncle Kyle in Provo.  Libby asked Aunt Stacey to teach her how to play the flute.

Libby got a new dress for Easter and likes to wear her hair up in a bun.  The girls also got new glasses.

For Valentine's Day Dustin made the girls french toast.  He surprised his girls with roses and took me to dinner at The Upper Crust.  He also hired a maid to come clean our house twice a month!

Elaina and Dustin bought season weekend tickets to the Jazz games last October.  They made a collage of all their programs from this season.

Libby fell asleep in my recliner, with her American Girl doll, listening to her MP3 player.

Dustin and I got new callings.  He is the 1st counselor in Young Men and I'm the new Gospel Principles teacher.

Salt Lake City

 Dustin had a conference to attend in Salt Lake so the girls and I joined him, along with his parents, for a little fun and relaxation.  We stayed in a condo downtown.

While Dad was at the conference during the day the girls and I did some site seeing on Temple Square.  

We toured the Conference Center.

We hiked Ensign Peak during Dad's lunch break.  

We were having record highs in February!

The girls and I stopped at the play area, at the Family Search Center, inside the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.

We rode the elevator to the top to see the temple.  I told the girls that I stayed here as a girl when the building was Hotel Utah.

A view of Temple Square from the Conference Center.  Elaina told the tour guide that her great-grandpa helped build the Conference Center.

Elaina's Birthday

Elaina turned 9 on January 30.  She wanted to open her presents before school.

Gramie Richey bought her a shirt and vest.  

Aunt Heidi sent her a drawing set and Grandma Heath mailed her some money to shop at the Jazz Fan Store.

Her favorite gift was her American Girl doll.  We got the girls early from school and drove to Salt Lake to spend Elaina's birthday weekend.

We ate dinner at Red Robin.

Elaina was so excited that the Jazz played, and won, on her birthday.  Her name was even displayed on the court's jumbo tron during half time.  

Pacemaker

On January 19, we took Libby to the emergency room because her heart was beating 37 beats per minute.  We knew her pacemaker wasn't working properly.

The following morning we drove to Primary Children's Hospital.  We thought the pacemaker battery would need to be replaced, but it turned out the leads from her pacemaker weren't working.  Since she was big enough, the doctor wanted to put in a new pacemaker in Libby's chest near her shoulder.  The leads would be placed in her vein and attached directly into her heart.

Libby was admitted and we passed the time by playing doctor in the playroom.

Libby also played doctor with this doll in her room while waiting for her surgery.  The doll received an IV, many band aids, four electrodes, and a hospital bracelet.  She called herself "Doctor Elizabeth" and told her dad about her doll, "I have a diagnosis.  You have surgery-atosis!"

On January 21, Libby went into surgery at 3:30.  She didn't eat all day and was very hungry.  She was crying because she was scared, but walked into the OR all by herself and was very brave.  This picture was taken when Libby woke up in recovery at 7:30.

Libby received many gifts from family and friends.  She said it felt like Christmas.

Libby gave her balloons away to a little girl across the hall.

We took Libby home on January 22.  She went back to school five days later with strict instructions to not move her left arm above her head for 8 weeks.

Arizona Activities

On our drive to Arizona, which was awesome because of clear roads and cheap gas, we spent the night in Vegas.  We drove the strip and saw the fountain show at the Bellagio and the erupting volcano at the Mirage.

We went swimming at the condo and the girls enjoyed the view from our room.

Once in Arizona Dustin did a lot of golfing.  My dad, sis-in-law Stacey, and Libby joined him on separate occasions.  We also went out to eat and saw a few movies.

We got family pictures taken.

Dustin and I went to the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Eve.  

Boise State won 38-30 against Univ of AZ.

Libby asked me a month ago to get her ears pierced, and I told her we'd take her once in Arizona.  Gramie, Aunt Meridith, and Cousin Mariah came for support.

She was very brave and didn't shed a tear.

After a negative experience five years ago, Elaina decided she wanted her ears pierced again.  She made her decision about an hour before we left and surprised us all.

The girls picked matching crystal-stud earrings and were rewarded with stuffed animals and suckers afterwards.  The six of us finished our girls-day-out by using our gift cards at Charming Charlie, picking out lotion at Bath and Body Works, and eating lunch at Paradise Bakery.