Egg Fest 2011!

Each year I gather everyone together (some more reluctant than others) and we decorate Easter eggs, eat eggy food, and there are usually way too many sweets! This year was no different. We had challah, quichhe, and much much more. Of course the usual suspects, Frank, Casey, Garrett and Jake attended. I am so thankful that we are able to get together each year and do these fun activities as our families all grow.

Universal Studios Florida

Last time we were in Orlando Sophia got really sick after two days in the Disney Parks, so we had to forego our two days at Universal Studios. This turned out o.k. because we got to plan another trip to Orlando! This was our first time visiting Universal Studios, as we always go the Disney route. We had so much fun! The parks had a little bit for everyone. Sophia loved the Cat in the Hat part of the park, I loved all of the great roller coasters, and my mom was somewhere in between. We also drove out to Cocoa Beach. We were hoping to see the Space Shuttle Discovery launch, but it was cancelled due to high winds. What a bummer! Here are a few pictures from our trip. p.s. Some lady gave Sophia the giant dog she is carrying. =) This kid gets lots of perks and upgrades for us. =)

When we visit the Orlando area we love going to the Wine Imperium. It is a small restaurant in Celebration, Florida. Celebration is a great place with little shops, a small lake and a great fountain for the kids to play in. This time we saw a sizable alligator in the water. It was pretty cool. The worst thing about this trip was the love-bug infestation Florida was having. We didn't realize there would be a problem with sipping our wine outside. Luckily the waitress showed us how to cover our drinks properly. lol.

Fountain play!

A little more

Mr. Alligator

Drinking responsibly: No bugs allowed!

Relaxing along the waterfront

Sophia took this picture!

Revving up for the pool

The perfect traveler

Little Spanish Girl

Last year on our cruise to Norway I made friends with a couple from Spain, Ruthie & Martin. They were traveling with their one year old, Dario. We sent them a little Utah gift package and in return we received a small package for Sophia with a beautiful flamenco dress, shoes and accessories! So cute!

Sophia Reads (from January)

Halloween

We had a crazy Halloween week! Yes, I mean week. On the 23rd we did trunk or treat at Suncrest. Sophia is in a half day preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays and they had a Halloween party on Tuesday. On Wednesday our play group had a trick or treat around the church. Friday we went to a party at Dennis' church. And on Saturday we actually did the real deal (well, except Halloween was really on Sunday, but living in Utah we are forced to celebrate on Saturday.
Sophia only had two costumes this year. Her main costume was a Utah cheerleader. Her other costume was based on Carol Burnette's Gone with the Wind spoof. Frank spent days working on it and it turned out so cute! She didn't like the it too much because the pole was a little uncomfortable, but she looked really cute!

Fall foilage cruise!

Sophia and I joined my parents on yet another cruise. It was round trip from New York City to Quebec and back.
We had a wonderful time! We spent a short evening in New York. We stayed in the dumpiest hotel! For some reason hotel prices in the city were way up. For example the Holiday Inn was $550! The hotel we stayed was still so expensive! It's fun to think about now though.. the green carpet that crunched under my feet, the bed skirt that was thread barren, the way we had to go to the third floor... walk through a hall and then take another elevator to the fifth floor. Luckily, we only stayed there one night and it was close to our ship.
We were on the cruise line MSC, a European line. This was my first time cruising on MSC, and my expectations were a little low (just based on reviews). Wow! The line exceeded my expectations. The service was great, our room was really nice, we had a room mid-ship on the 11th floor with an extra large balcony.
One of my favorite parts of the cruise was visiting Prince Edward Island. My favorite book growing up was Anne of Green Gables. It was so amazing to see the island and the house and woods where the book was set. I also loved Quebec. It was like a fairy tale city, with castles and cobblestone streets. I honestly can't wait to go back and spend more time.

Zoo!

Sophia and I spend every day together. I love playing with her, but sometimes we don't have enough time to just be together. We are usually doing household stuff or working on projects. Yesterday I decided that we would do something really fun together, just the two of us.. no friends to worry about.. no family to worry about. We went to the zoo. We both had a lot of fun! We saw the baby elephant and watched the bird show, we rode the train and looked at monkeys. It was an amazing afternoon! I know she loved it too! I can't wait for our next little date. =)

Norma V. Fullmer

As many of you know my family is sort of unique. My mom and her ex-husband Art stayed close for the boys sake, as it turned out it was great for all of us. Art and his wife Norma traveled with us, spent Thanksgiving and Christmas with us, as well as other important events. Art passed away last year and Norma was struggling on her own. To me, they were meant to be together and when they were it apart Norma's life just was not the same. She passed away last Friday, the day after her 70th birthday. I was there for the last 45 minutes of her life. I will never regret going to the hospital and saying my goodbyes. I spent thirty of those forty five minutes alone with her. It was amazing. I let her know that it was ok to leave us to go see Art, that we would be alright. I asked her to tell him "hi" for me. I know she heard me and left shortly after, because when I arrived her eyes would open on occasion and her brows would move to sound and after I told her that she slowly slipped away. She was on life support, but when the nurses checked her, she was almost gone. My brothers came in for one last good bye and I collected the rest of her family. We all watched as she slipped away. It was quite peaceful, especially knowing that was exactly what she wanted.
I always felt that Norma was my second mom. We worked together at Party Makers for six years. In that time I learned so much about her that I didn't know.... like the fact that she loved to laugh. She was so funny and we had such a good time working together. I also remember the time she almost killed me. We were on an Alaskan Cruise and she was sea sick. I took video of her... it was so funny, she didn't think so though. =)
I loved the time I spent with Norma and I will miss her dearly!



Norma V. Fullmer "Together Forever" Norma V. Fullmer, 70, passed away September 3, 2010 surrounded by her loving family. She was born Sept 2, 1940 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Clive Jensen and Ethel Orr. She married Arthur Fullmer on February 2, 1974 in Midvale, Utah. She graduated from Tooele High School, spending her life as a super homemaker and mother of five sons. Norma touched the lives of all of us. She was a friend, a neighbor, a daughter, a sister, a mother, a grandmother and a wife. She loved keeping a spotless home and going out with her friends, "The Bags," Claudine Thompson, Betty Heskett, Kay Conit, and Cindy Jacobson, where she was always the life of the party with a fabulous sense of humor. Most of all, she enjoyed spending time with her family and showering her grandchildren with gifts. Norma loved worshiping and serving the Lord each day and was a devoted member of the LDS church. Survived by children, Dan Newman (Marti), Doug Newman (Kelly), Darrell Newman, Rick (Judith) Fullmer and Frank Fullmer; 10 grandchildren; three great-grand-children; brothers, LaMar and Don; sisters, LaDonne and Debbie. Preceded in death by her husband, Art; father, Clive; and mother, Ethel. Funeral services will be held Thursday, Sept. 9, starting at 1:00 p.m. at the Midvale East 2nd Ward, 7250 So. 300 East. Friends may visit with the family Wednesday from 6-8 p.m. at Goff Mortuary, 8090 So. State, and Thursday from 12-12:45 p.m. at the church. Interment, Midvale City Cemetery.

Alaska

Sophia and I joined my parents on an Alaskan cruise. We flew to Anchorage, AK and spent the night. The following day we enjoyed time at our hotel before catching a bus to Whittier. On our way to Whittier we stopped at an animal reserve, as well as a glacier. The ride was incredibly beautiful. I would like to spend more time on land next time. My goal is to rent a car and drive to Denali National Park.
In Whittier we boarded our ship, The Diamond Princess, for a seven day cruise to Vancouver. This was my fourth Alaskan cruise. Honestly, the scenery never gets old. We spent our first two days visiting Hubbard Bay and Glacier Bay. Both had spectacular glaciers. On the way out of Glacier Bay the ship stopped to view a whale that had washed to shore in May. It was a great place to view bears. I did see one bear crawling out of the carcass. It was so cool! I wish we would have been just a bit closer. Other animals we spotted were whales, an eagle and a mountain goat. We were hoping for more, but were lucky to see what we did. =)
Sophia was really great. This was her 6th cruise, so she knew exactly what to do and what was expected of her. She was so great during all of our dinners. She ate a shrimp cocktail every night (one night she ordered a second for herself), she usually had a bit of a main course and then of course had an ice cream sundae. She was proud of herself, as she mastered using a real goblet while on board. She participated in kids club, although I had to go with her... according to the cruise line she is a little too young to go on her own. That was fine though, because they put her with a group of kids ranging from 3-9. To me, that is too big of a span. Anyhow, she made crafts and got a little tee shirt. She also enjoyed riding around the deck with Papa. He would bundle her up and walk her around and around. One other thing she enjoyed was dancing. She had one club that she would go into after dinner.
There was always a little trio in there playing and she would dance and dance. It was rare that couples were dancing, so she didn't get in the way.
We enjoyed our ports of call. On our last port we took a sea plane. It was so cool. Sophia thought it was too loud and laid down most of the way. We landed on a lake in the middle of no where and were able to get out and walk around. It was so serene. Our goal of the flight was to see a bear, but our guide said there weren't many in the area. A lot of bears have been killed by hunters. What is sad, is it is all about sport, the hunters skin the bear and leave the meat out in the woods.
Our cruise ended in Vancouver. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time to stay, as my parents had another vacation they had to get to. We took a bus from Vancouver to Seattle and then a flight to SLC, as it was a lot cheaper than the direct flights from Vancouver. Oh what a pain! The line to get in the US was reminiscent of that in Tijuana. My dad was sitting by a guy that I noticed had Arabic on his blackberry. Well, when we stopped in customs he was detained. I wonder if it was just racial profiling or if this guy was on some sort of list. It was weird.
Well, all in all we had a great trip. My mom and I decided that we could do an Alaskan cruise every year (not that we will) but it is an option. =) Our last big vacation of the year is going to be at the end of Sept. We are doing a roundtrip cruise out of New York, we go as far North as Quebec and hit a place I have always wanted to go, Prince Edward Island. =)

Dad turns 76!

My dad turned 76 on June 2nd. He kept telling people that it was his 60th birthday. The guy is crazy, but you know what?? They believed him!

Happy Birthday to me!

I celebrated my birthday a day late with a trip to Disneyland. We had a great visit to the beach, a fabulous Mexican lunch and even better margaritas! Disneyland was a bit crowded for my taste, but Sophia absolutely love it! She danced at the parade and met Mickey Mouse a couple of times. She was so good too, even when she was exhausted! I can't wait to go back! =)

Sophia is 2!

Wow! Happy Mother's Day to me! My little baby turned two!
What a busy day we had. Frank and Dennis hosted a brunch in the morning, we hit a bucket of balls with Conrad's mom at noon and then went back to Dennis to cook for 20! It was such a nice evening! The menu wasn't too shabby either, we had sushi appetizers, crab cakes and filet mignon for the main course and carrot cake for dessert. Sophia had a great time charming all of her fans. lol.

Uncle Lawrence is 80!

Wow, so Uncle Lawrence (my dad's brother) turned 80 in April! We had a huge party for him at Dennis and Frank's new house. It was so good to see and visit with many of our relatives!

April-ish

In April Sophia and I joined my parents as well as my aunt and cousin on a transatlantic cruise from Miami, Fl to Hamburg, Germany. What an amazing trip that was! We spent eight days at sea (ahh, so relaxing). We visited Paris, Dover and Rotterdam before going to Hamburg. We had such a great time in each port. Sophia loved Paris! To this day she talks about the Eiffel Tower. We didn't do a ton in Dover, just relaxed in a pub and wrote emails. We had the option to go to London, but felt it was to far to go, especially since we have spent so much time there in the past. It was so nice to not have the pressure of doing a long tour. In Holland we visited a beautiful tulip garden. It is open just a few months out of the year and we were lucky enough to time it just right! Almost all of the flowers were in full bloom. We spent a few days in Germany, two in Hamburg and one in Berlin. It just wasn't enough time! I don't know if you heard about the big volcano disaster, but the airspace was open and we were outta there! lol. Okay, so for full details on our trip visit my mom's thorough blog at eileentravelz.blogspot.com. =)

Long time no see!

Wow! It has been quite some time since I have posted. I must be getting lazy or I am just super busy. I guess I will catch up bit by bit until we are ummm, well caught up!

San Francisco

This Easter we took a family trip to San Francisco and Stockton. We had such a great time. Conrad had never been to San Francisco and Kenny hadn't been for quite some time, so it was fun to play tourist and show them around. Kenny, Sophia and I arrived about ten hours before Frank and Conrad. It was a rainy day, but we decided to explore anyway. I made Kenny accompany me on my obligatory trek to Lush and H&M, poor kid. We decided to try to walk to Lombard St. We got half way there and turned around, as we were completely soaked. Even little Sophia was wet and she was under the protection of her stroller. We ended up holding up in the hotel for the rest of the evening. We were soaked and beat!
We had a packed second day. We drove through Golden Gate Park, walked the Golden Gate (3.4 miles round trip), ate at Fisherman's Warf, had ice cream at Ghirardelli, drove down Lombard St, walked through China Town and shopped Union Square. We then went swimming and out to dinner. We had so much fun!!
On Easter Sunday we had brunch at a restaurant at the Ferry Building. It was so good! I bought some bread, Frank bought some chocolate and we were off to Dominga's. CeCe turned one on Easter. She had a great little birthday party with both our family and Temo's family. Sophia enjoyed playing with Amelia. Next year it'll be great when Cecilia can run around with Amelia and Sophia.

My little ice skater!

1,2,3,4

I forgot all about this! Sophia can count to 13! She stayed with my parents on January 15th. She was in bed with them and would not go to sleep! My mom said out of the blue she just started counting! I didn't believe it! My mom has be working on numbers with Sophia and so have I, but she didn't seem to like them too much. Now she counts all the time! I am going to see if I can get video. She has been a little shy about saying them on demand, but I am positive that I can catch her somehow!

Sledding!

We have worked hard to keep the driveway clear this week while cat sitting for my parents. Sophia has become my main little driveway helper during the week. Our routine is to take a few rides on the sled before starting up the snow blower. While I snow blow, Sophia drags her sled up and down the driveway. Well, today when Uncle Frank showed up we had nothing but fun!






**Sophia doesn't look too happy in this last video, but she is! She kept saying "more more more!" and "fun!".

Adventure with new and old friends

Sophia and I met my high school best friends, Allison and Brittany, at the Gateway on the 22nd of January for a fun filled adventure. Both Brittany and Allison have little boys that are 4 years old and little girls that are two months older than Sophia. We had lunch at the Gateway food court and then went to Discovery Gateway for a couple of hours. Sophia had such a great time with her new friends. She really took a liking to the boys.. she was doing "hi-ya" kicks with them on the way to the food court. She also enjoyed the girls as well! I had fun playing with Sophia at the Discovery Gateway, even if it cost money to get her in (most places are "two and under free". Doh!