Labor Day!

Labor Day was so fun this year! But let's get real anyday that I don't have to work is fun. We spent Sunday with my fam then Monday with the Green's. We had breakfast with Summer's famous croissant French toast with this syrup made from vanilla icecream (I'm not joking!) it was dang good. Then we took a trip down memory lane as we let our food settle and watched some home videos. We then went up to snow basin, took the gondola to the top then hiked the rest of the way to the peak of the mountain :) 

Elias telling a story while we were riding up in the gondola! Look at how Reed is SO dialed in to what Elias is saying. (Reed absolutely loves his favorite uncle) 

My perfect hiking clothes

It was soooo windy on the tip top of the mountain!

We finished the day with a really good dinner then went home and tried to stay up really late so to push off work just a little longer! Ha ha

-Stef 

whoa backup let's catch up on life!!

i just got home from the gym. it was my first time going in what seems like years but i guess it's just been about 6 weeks and let's just say i have become a weakling!! i was only able to do 25 min of cardio and about 15 minutes of weights but you know what? i am so proud of myself for going.  fitness has always been a part of my life and i feel like i need to do all i can to stay in shape this pregnancy so that i can have a healthy body so that my baby can be healthy!

anyway i sit here on the couch listening to brand new very quietly since Elias is napping.  He went with the scouts on a night hike last night! they left at 9:30 last night and got home at 10:00 this morning! so this nap is very very needed.

so i basically need to catch up on the whole month of july!  the 4th was so much fun we love staying local because k-town does a pretty awesome independence.  in the morning Elias went on a nice long ride then we went to his grandma's for the annual independence day breakfast (although nothing there really seemed that appetizing) i ended up only eating a few mini muffins and some fruit! after breakfast we went to the parade and sweated our brains out.  unfortunately the parade was a little disappointing this year but it's tradition right? the rest of the day consisted of hanging out, eating and fireworks of course!

Also we spent a whole day reconstructing out front planter and planted these bushes! I'm so excited for them to grow and one day be nice shrubs :)

when the night time rolled around we were originally planning on doing the layton city fireworks because they are the bomb, but after driving over there and realizing we would have a really hard time of finding a spot we decided to head to kaysville but it was the same story there so we decided to go home shower put our jammies on and the just go to a park by our house and watch them from there.  and let me just say it was the best decision ever! i loved just spending time with elias :) out of the chaos!

next big event.. FARMINGTON STATION CRITERIUM RACE! since i got pregnant we decided it wouldn't be the smartest thing to go on pioneer trek so we were able to be home for one of the most exciting races of the year! elias got to be in the crit race at farmington station park.  it was the coolest race that he has been in so far.  when i got to the location they already had this huge amazing real podium and i instantly got nervous for him! i was thinking "holy cow this is a big deal" ha ha.  he was in the category 4/5 and right off the bat we could tell this was going to be a dangerous course lap after lap people were crashing out of the race! on elias' first lap he almost crashed right in front of us on a corner (i think i had a heart attack) but we saw tons of bruised and bloody cyclists, not to mention their kits were totally ruined! but after all the sketchi-ness elias came out with the win! i absolutely love hearing his name over the speakers and watching him blow through the finish line a winner :)

Look at his calf!

my new obsession is ruby red squirt oh my gosh it is so good! i was definitely craving it for a few weeks ha ha the gas station right next to my work sells single cans of it for like 70 cents.

my new job has been good! although i feel like all i do is work.  also it is really hard because my manager has asked me not to tell anyone that i am expecting so it is so weird not talking about it, and it almost makes me forget i am pregnant when i am work. which has made the last couple weeks go by SO fast pregnancy wise!

pioneer day i had to be in a parade for work and i met the ksl news crew! they were the float right in front of us. and let me just say if you want a good parade go to the bountiful pioneer days parade. it is a BIG DEAL and i had no idea it even existed! people do amazing floats and sooooo many people attend. then on the actual 24th we went to the ogden rodeo which was incredible as usual :) it is always so patriotic and really reminds you how amazing the USA is (even if Obama has made you forget that). in the opening ceremony they played a speech by Ronald Reagan and showed footage of some big events in American history and i'm not going to lie it brought a tear to my eye! then they had the american flag parachuted in it was awesome! and of course the rodeo is always great.  the ogden rodeo is a top 5 rodeo in the nation so you get the best cowboys in the world there!

last but not least i went to the bridal shower for one of my favorite people in the world, my cousin brooke! and after the shower we were able to attend the temple with her for her first time! she is the cutest and i am so so excited for her and her fiance.  they truly are made for each other and it was so awesome being in the temple with them!

(We made her play the bubble gum game!)

pregnancy is going well, i am going to do a completely seperate post on how i am feeling and all of the nursery stuff that i am dying over!!!!!! yay :)

-stef

Tacoma Trip

My sister Jaqui had her second baby this February and the whole fam made the trip to Washington to be there for his blessing! Elias had never been to Washington so we were pretty dang excited!

While there we caravaned over to Point Defiance. While caravanning we all had our phones on speaker And Jaqui and Travis were our tour guides. Pointing out beautiful or interesting things along the way. We were told that Point Defiance is the second biggest park in the US Next to Central Park.

We ate Indian good for lunch at a farmers market

Stopped at an adorable diner called Shake Shake Shake, where Elias and I shared this creamsicle float.

Took pictures in front of cool stuff

And Met this beautiful baby boy!

Although it was short it was so nice to spend some time with my sis and her family who we rarely get to see!

Lucia was so fun, girlie, sweet and energetic she warmed right up to Elias and I the second we got there! and Enzo has the most calm and sweet spirit I Absolutely loved cuddling him.

Before we left we took a picture with the kids :) I LOVE THEM 

Then to finish off the trip we did some sight seeing in good ol Seattle. The traffic was awful. But it was a good time killer!

Until next time Tacoma 

-Stef

All Hallows Eve Wrap Up

This Halloween was complete with; Nacho Libre, melted hash browns and eating some bloody fingers!  Yes we really encountered all of that.  Buuuttt let me explain.

Elias and I both work boring 8-5 jobs which makes plans tight sometimes, especially where we live roughly 15 minutes away from everyone and everything in our lives!  So we got off work and ran straight to the grocery store to buy breakfast foods and some apples! (this autumn we have really loved apples, and take one to work everyday) and then headed straight over to the Green Estate's (my in-laws house) to see the HIGHLY anticipated costumes of our neice, nephews and my youngest brother in law.  And can I just say we were not let down when we saw them!

BEHOLD:

Frankenstein: aka our oldest nephew Will, check out that square head and those boots!!

Nachoooooooo Libre: aka our nephew Reed, knee patches and all :)

Kip Dynamaite: aka my youngest brother in law and Junior class pres. at Layton High School Graham. He loves technology... but not as much as you, you see.

Rapunzel: aka our favorite aka our only niece on the Green side Elle, look at that sweet hair!  My awesome sister in law made those lucious locks!

Ferocious Tiger: aka our youngest of nieces and nephews Baby John.  He was born right around our wedding back in september so I think I will always associate him with that!

Elephant: aka Lucia the only neice or nephew on the Iannone side.  We weren't able to see her in person, but she looked stinkin cute!

Thor: aka Rafe (around the same age Nacho) this little guy went through all of the super heros till he landed on thor.  Due to his similar looks a awesome locks of blonde hair.

80's Rocker: aka my little sister (on the left) we had to drive around the neighborhood to track these ladies down.  This was a monumental year for Bella-- first year trick or treating without dad. 

After getting the low down on everyone's costumes, eating some bloody fingers, that I heard are made evvvery year, and eating some "Loaded potato soup" which was incredible, at the Green's, we then headed over the my parents house. When we pulled up everyone in our neighborhood was sitting out on their own porches handing out the candy to the kids.  My Dad was sad he wasn't taking Bella around, but he also expressed how happy he was to be able to sit there with his wife this year! (they are always so cute) There we snagged some pizza and headed out to our next destination on our halloween tour (keep in mind our groceries are still in the car; hence, the melted hashbrowns).

Next on our tour was my Grandparents house up in North Ogden (the Ivies), there we were pumped full with more candy, the family gossip and some me telling some memories/stories from my grandparents house, seriously you feel the sweetest spirit when you are there.  We rarely see them, but when we do I really enjoy it, they are such sweet people and I look up to them, and their marriage so much!

On our way back home to finally get home and get our groceries in the fridge we had a failed attempt to see my mom at her work! But no worries we will wish her a Happy Halloween this sunday for my brother's birthday.

To finish off the night we sped over to Tinseltown to see the movie Taken 2 with 2 of my brother in-laws, their wives, and my father in law. (We also ran into Elias's best friend Marcus and his date) and all of us were the only people in the theatre. But much to our surprise we REALLY enjoyed the movie! You go Liam Neeson!

It was a great night, but what stuck out to Elias and I the most was that as you get older Halloween loses it's magic.  Elias and I have had many conversations on how much Halloween changes when you get older and how it truly does lose it's innocent fun.  But last night made us remember how fun it is for kids.  Seeing those kids with big smiles on their faces, and anticipating walking door to door to fill their buckets with candy is so fun!  I can't wait till we have little ones of our own to experience that with and to create that magic for!  But until then we will enjoy seeing if from our siblings kids!



Bloody fingers





Elias

All in all it was a great holiday!  But we are extremely excited for November :) The month of thanks!  And to start it off I am extremely thankful for ALL of my family!  Look at them, how could I not be?

-Stef