Counting Pennies

    
     In December, Ryan and I decided to open up a savings account just for Jaylinne. She has been collecting change in the piggy bank Grandma got her since before she even knew what "monies" were! Every time either one of us has any change, we put it in her piggy bank for her. Anytime she sees any change laying around, she marches it right into her room, and immediately wants to "feed her pig."

     Realizing we didn't have anything to do yesterday, to save ourselves from boredom, I decided it would be fun to go cash in her "monies" at the bank. She was only a few squeals shy of utterly ecstatic ;) When we started this whole process, we told her that in order to be able to buy things, she would have to save up. We, as the responsible adults we are, were thinking along the lines of a college education. She, however, had other things in mind. As soon as she heard we were going to cash her money in, she decided what she wanted to buy. I bet 95% of you who are reading this right now already know what she wanted to purchase without me saying a word! (Ding, ding, DIIING!!) Yup, you guessed it: a dress up dress! (Lucky for her pig, she had a rubber stopper at the bottom. No shattering necessary!)

      So off to the bank we went! The whole idea of this was to have her save her money, not spend it. So on our way to the bank I told her that we were going to put the bulk of the money in her account, but she could pick a treat out at the store afterwards. She agreed. Once we were at the bank, she was feeling pretty fancy. She carried her piggy bank all by herself and announced to everyone, "I came to put this in my account!?!" upon entering the lobby. Look out, John D. Rockerfeller, it seems as though you have some competition! I was so proud of her :)

     After leaving the bank, I decided to wait until Ryan got home from work so he could go to the store with us too. We decided to go to the Dollar Store. Let's face it, you can't go wrong there! Her eyes lit up when we told her she could pick any 2 things in the entire store she wanted. TWO THINGS?!? It was only $2, but she felt like a millionaire :) She picked a new jump rope, and a Disney princess paint set. Score! I can only hope this teaches her to count her pennies.

     (This is the final painted product. Looks like Picasso better watch his back, also!) 

I love you Grandma!

     Two years ago today, my Grandma passed away. It's ironic that no matter how much time passes, it seem like just yesterday. It comforts me to know that her and Barbie are up there making all the butts and eyebrows they can handle :) I'm thinking of you today, Grandpa! I love you, you Ugly Sucker.

Roses are red...

and violets are blue

THIS girl loves candy,

and valentines too!

Yesterday was Valentine's Day, and I won't mention any names, but someone in our household was rather excited :) For the third year in a row, Ryan and I decided we didn't want to celebrate Valentine's Day between the two of us, as neither of us particularly care for it.  Instead, we would concentrate on Jaylinne, and make sure she had a fun day!

She got to have a party at school where she brought all of her classmates valentine gift-bags. The gift bags contained bouncy balls, bubbles, heart-shaped notepads, stickers, and more than enough candy to make any dentist squirm. 

For her teacher, Mrs. Buhler, she wanted to bring a special gift. She opted to get her a ceramic coffee mug that also had a chalkboard heart on it that she could write messages on! There was also a bit of candy in there, just in case Mrs. Buhler has a sweet-tooth!

So what was the icing on this metaphorical cake, you ask? That she got to wear a skirt to school with her heart-covered tights :)

For the night-time festivities, Ryan and I took her to the rec center for a little swimming. We got to see all of the things she has been learning in her swimming class, and she is doing a great job! She had a blast and wore herself out in no time :) If this is what I can expect for Valentine's Day for years to come, then sign me up!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Well, I almost don't believe it, but yesterday was my mom's birthday. The one and only "Party Hawkins" is 56 years young! We decided to go out to dinner to celebrate, and despite all of us having to undo the button of our pants upon leaving, all was a success! We had a great time! Happy birthday, Mom! I love you!

The Bitch is Back.

Ryan and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary on January 22. He surprised me with tickets to see Elton John in Vegas at The Colosseum inside Caesar's Palace! For those of you who don't know, Elton John is one of my favorites. I was beyond excited to see him perform live, and I was even more excited that Ryan was going to appreciate it as much as I was!

Ryan had all the details taken care of; All I had to do was show up ;) We flew out of SLC on Friday morning, and arrived at Caesar's Palace, which was also where our room was booked, around noon. When we got there to check in, all they had was a smoking room with a king size bed, or a non-smoking room with 2 queen size beds. We chose the non-smoking room, and I LOVED it! It was even accented with my favorite color ;)

Prior to the show, I worried whether or not I should try to sneak my camera in with me. After all, chances were, I would never again get the chance to see him perform. However, I decided I wouldn't take any chances, and if it came down to it I would just use the camera on my iPhone to do the job. BIGGEST. MISTAKE. EVER. Turns out they did allow cameras and photos, just not any video recordings. DAMN IT!?! I did try to get some photos on my phone, but the quality was less than ideal.We were only 9 rows away from the stage, but the photos look as though we were pretty far away :(

When he came on stage, the crowd went NUTS. Everyone from the gay men to the 75 year old ladies were on their feet cheering for him. There was even a bride and groom in the audience! After the crowd quieted down, he talked for a few minutes about how excited he was to be back, as this show was his first one in Vegas since The Red Piano. Then he mentioned Celine Dion (she also has a show The Colosseum.) He made comments about her being buried under the stage when she dies, and referenced his feud with Madonna. Although I don't remember the exact wording, take my word for it, it was pure gold. As if I didn't already love him, he had to go and be funny, too!

He opened the set with "The Bitch is Back," and from the very first note, I knew we were in for an amazing show. I was skeptical as to how the show would turn out, as he is pushing 70. Needless to say, he removed all doubt from my mind within the first minute. He didn't miss a beat. The lights, all the musicians and instruments, the whole set-up. I was in awe. The bitch, was indeed, BACK!

After the show, we went and rode the zip line at Fremont Street. It was a blast!

Oddly enough, my dad had a work meeting Saturday in Ontario, CA. His flight home had a layover in Las Vegas and we were able to meet up with him at the airport and have a beer! We were going to try and have a wheelchair there waiting for him along with our sign, but a grumpy group of passengers on flight to Chicago had a monopoly over them ;)

It was such an amazing trip, and I feel very grateful to have gotten to experience it.  So thank you Mom and Dad, for being the best grandparents in the world to Jaylinne, and letting her come stay with you while we were gone. She loved every minute of it! Thank you, 12 year old Rubik's cube genius that entertained us while waiting to board our flight to Las Vegas. Thank you, Man on our flight with a rotten demeanor that we laughed at the entire trip. Thank you, ankles, for not completely giving out on me when I attempted to wear heels. Thank you , Elton John, for showing us that 65 is the new 40. Thank you, "Muthafucka Jones" for providing what I can only assume will be months of laughter. Thank you Delta flight 4795, for in my eyes, my husband will always be known as "Julia Gulia." And most importantly, thank you Ryan. For being the best husband a girl could ever ask for, and making this memory with me :)