Wes and I enjoyed the weekend getaway to St. George in late February. It was warm, we got some sun and golfing in, we stayed in a great house that Kevin rented for the week and saw magnificent homes in the annual "Showcase of Homes."
Alex loved to tour houses with the grownups! When she saw a particular design or aspect she approved of, she would yell "Oh, that's nice!" A realtor in the making.
I tried to warn the guys not to underestimate my golfing (mostly putting) prowess because of my gender. They didn't listen. On the last hole during our Best Ball Showdown, my team was up 6 points and there was no chance of a comeback by the others. To make things interesting, the other team decided that the last hole was worth a ton so that whoever won that single hole won the game. It looked like we had it in the bag, but it came down to the put. By that time, it was bordering on pitch dark outside and we were all freezing. Mike went first and missed what I thought was the hole by less than an inch. I went next and aimed for the spot Mike missed, only to find out that it was a patch of dirt. I would've made it, though! The guys decided that it was an honest mistake and let me have another shot. This time, I aimed at the real hole which was AT LEAST 20 feet away and on an incline. There was no way a human could make it. Guess who won the game? That's right. And guess what chick is also winning her March Madness Bracket despite going up against about a dozen College BBall fanatics? Yeah. Never underestimate the power of pure genius.
The St. George Showcase of Homes had some AMAZING designs. This particular house reminds me of the one where they filmed The Bachelor.
Wes and I were able to take a little weekend trip to visit the Travis Charles family in St. Louis, MO in early February. Milli celebrated her birthday with some familiar faces and we got Avery all to ourselves much of the time. Thanks guys, for being awesome hosts!
There was some serious bonding going on here. They had the most fascinating conversation.
Travis and Milli wouldn't let us take Avery home with us. I have no idea why.
We love these people.
Travis and Milli's neighbors threw us a Welcome BBQ the last night we were there. Just kidding, it felt like summer, so everyone decided to take advantage of the weather. There are a MILLION kids in their complex. It's like a mini-Provo! The Mormons have returned to Missouri!
Liberty Jail was one of the coolest stops in Independence. The actual jail is partially reconstructed inside this building and staged. The sister missionary/tour guide sang "Be Still, My Soul" a'cappella for our group after they played a recording of the history of the jail and Joseph Smith's experiences there.
Happy little girl. She was so well behaved on our little getaways!
Milli took us to see the RLDS (now called the Community of Christ) and LDS sites in Independence. The RLDS temple is behind us and often referred to as the "Ice Cream Cone." I mean, it did kind of look like one. It was all very...strange.
Uncle Wes took Avery outside for some fresh 65 degree air.
Wes and I got to sing in this gorgeous cathedral with the Utah Chamber Chorale. Sometimes I wish I could be Catholic just to get to go to church in places like this and sing cool chants in Latin.
Top of the world with our buddy, Miss Anne Schleiffarth.
Thanks for the tickets and pointers, Dad!
I'm trying to convince Wes to invest in a less...imposing ski jacket. Perhaps this pic will convince him ;-)
Oh, how spoiled we are living in Park City. Free skiing at Deer Valley. Not bad.
I like how Wes couldn't peel his eyes away from the game for 1 second. Typical! He's still cute.
White-out in Provo...(The Cougars lost that game despite the impressive show of support.)
The Rill Dill. Beautiful little family.
Do we pull off the parent look? Probably not yet, since I don't quite have the totally sleep-deprived thing going.
Avery got all the attention that night, and the other munchkins didn't mind much because they were so happy they have someone else to play with!
Proud Daddy! Avery's blessing was beautiful and Wes and I couldn't be happier for her wonderful parents.
Princess Alex is going to have to fight the boys off by the dozens.
Introducing Shane Charles. Up close and personal. (I think he wanted to steal my chair.)
The Brothers Charles at Avery's Baby Blessing
Kaleb is practically an adult. I can't keep up with him!
That kid knows how to work an iPhone. I'm not sure what to think of that other than he's a Mac and he's one and a half.
At the Cheesecake Factory, Wes decided that Meal #1 just didn't quite do the trick.
