July 9th-11th: A Weekend In L.A.

Friday:
We drove down and had some dinner at "GG"(great-grandma) and Papa Cioffi's. Since it was Mindy's birthday we had a HUGE cake and some ice cream. It was so fun to spend some time with the family.Addison got a lot of kisses from GG and Dodge just about rocked that rocking horse to death. The kids always like to blow out everyone's candles. I don't know how that effects the wish situation...

Saturday:
Dodge and Addison went to Universal Studios with Grandma, Aunt Pam, and Carly. While they were have the time of their lives meeting Spongebob and going on the King Kong ride, Ryan, Dan, and I met up with Dennis, Patti, Chelsea, and Cammi. It was picture day at Dodger Stadium so we got to go on the field and see some of the Dodgers.

After the cubs won, we all met back at the Cheesecake Factory for some yummy grub. Addison loved playing in this fountain by the Hotel. She would have jumped right in if we would have let her.

Sunday:
Before we started our drive back home, GG and Papa Cioffi made us some delicious Mormon Wheat Cakes for breakfast. They were absolutely fantastic. We had to get a picture with GG and Papa. I love Dodge's frown in this picture... Classic!

July 8th, 2010

Yes, this is my daughter in a princess dress up eating breakfast with her "Rella" princess barbie. Those of you who know me, know that I am far from being a fan of the "princess" stuff. This just goes to show that you might try and shape your kids into this kind of person or that, but really, they are who they are. I am just happy that she is happy.

This is an awesome scratch on Dodge's forehead. I guess he won't try and mess with Addison as much anymore, she fights back now! I still love those beautiful blue eyes of his. Melt my heart!

Now that Addison is in her toddler bed, she can get in and out as much as she wants. Last night, I guess she was just too tired to actually get back in. She fell asleep on her knees with her blankets tucked underneath. I wish I could fall asleep anywhere.

Video Highlights of Independence Day

Some of the memorable moments on the Fourth...

Addison cruising around in the Jeep. Now, if we can just teach her to steer...

Dodge's radical fireworks dancing! What can I say, this boy was born to shake it!

Addison wasn't into the fireworks. She would rather watch Toy Story... again!

Independence Day 2010

Fourth of July at Grandma and Papa Johnson's. While Dodge enjoyed helping Papa light the fireworks, Addison didn't care for them and watched Toy Story with Grandma instead. We had fun pigging out on some great food and enjoying some great company. Uncle Dennis and Aunt Patti came to visit with their two girls, Chelsea and Cammi. We always enjoy it when they're here.

Extreme Makeover: Blog Edition...

Love, love, love this website right now!

They have adorable fonts and great how to's. The only problem is, I'm totally addicted to changing my blog now! Oh well, It's evolving in it's cuteness right?

June 30th, 2010

We spent the morning at the river. I think Duke had the funnest time out of all of us. He was running around like crazy! That was the first time he has ever actually played fetch and brought back the stick. It was great. Dodge is getting better at skipping rocks. The only problem is, he always wants to pick up and skip the hugest rock he can find.

Monday June 28th, 2010

Seven years. It's funny how all at once our first date can seem so long ago but then again, it feels like it was just yesterday. The best day of my life was spent kneeling with you at the altar. I mean every single word when I say that I will feel that way for you for the rest of my existence. A feeling I thought could never be stronger that amazes me by growing a little more each day. Through any up or down, you are my constant. A blessing I am grateful for every day of my life. I love you more than words could say. I love our family. I love everything about our life together. Thank you so much for every second of the last seven years. Happy Anniversary Babe!

I love you with all my heart and soul, for time and all eternity,
-Michelle

Saturday June 26th, 2010

We rode our bikes on the Virgin River trail. Dodge asked if sometime we could go there with our swimming suits and play in the water. I decided, why wait? We went down to the River. It is true that the river is kinda stinky, and mucky. Ryan taught Dodge how to skip rocks. It has been so long since I last skipped a rock. It was fun. Dodge still needs some practice but he enjoyed the hunt for the perfect skipping rock. Addison threw some mud and waited into her waist... okay, I mean she swam. She had fun throwing some rocks in too. It's fun to enjoy some of the beautiful scenery we live so close too. I especially love this picture of Dodge skipping through the water. I think it captures him perfectly. He can't wait to go play at the river again.

Dodge,
Don't grow up too fast. Have fun just skipping rocks and playing in the mud. Life goes by so fast so enjoy every minute as it passes and don't worry too much about the rest. I love you, -Mom

Wednesday June 23rd, 2010

Dodge lost his first tooth this morning. He was pretty excited about it. He even let Ryan get it out with pliers. Gross! He put it in his awesome tooth pillow his aunt Mandy made for him. What is the going rate for the tooth fairy these days anyway? I guess we will find out tonight.

Friday June 4th, 2010: Philadelphia

We flew in and out of Philadelphia. We headed in early on Friday to see the Liberty Bell before catching our flight. We saw the bell, walked around a bit, then headed to get what else, a philly cheesesteak. We had to try both Geno's and Pat's. They are the big steak rivals located across the street from one another. Hands down, Geno's was the best. The cheese whiz was fantastic. They had some cheese fries that were amazing too. Sorry I didn't get any pictures of Pat's or Geno's. What can I say, I was a little preoccupied with the delicious food.

Family pictures on the beach...

This is why it's called Beach Haven...

We spent a lot of time on the beach. Every time we were at the beach, Addison wanted to be buried in the sand. Dodge was in the waves the whole time. I swam a couple of times but not for long. It was so cold. The sand is so fine, soft, and white. It was gorgeous. Definitely the best part of the vacation was the awesome beach. We all loved it.

Tuesday June 1st, 2010: New York

Carlo's Bake Shop:

We started the day by stopping in Hoboken, NJ at Carlo's Bake Shop. We have a few "Cake Boss" fans in the family so it was a "must see" on the vacation to do list. I'm not really a fan of the show, but I am a fan of a good pastry. I had a Cannoli that was pretty good. Ryan went for the black and white cookie. Dodge picked a carrot cake cupcake with the thickest cream cheese frosting I've ever seen. Addison enjoyed a chocolate chip cookie. I gotta say though, it wasn't life changing.

New York Aquarium:

We headed into Coney Island and visited the New York Aquarium. The coolest parts were the sharks, the turtles, and a huge sea lion. Of course, it wouldn't have been a proper trip to New York without a spontaneous rain storm. We were bummed because not only did the Aquarium close early, but all of Coney Island pretty much closed down for the day. We didn't get to ride a single ride. It was pretty disappointing.

Nathan's Famous:

We had to visit the Original Nathan's Famous. This is where they do the annual hot dog eating contest on the 4th of July. We already had Nathan's on the Boardwalk for lunch so we weren't really hungry. Since its pretty much a tradition that Ryan has to eat something weird, huge, and/or disgusting on vacation, he decided to try out some fresh oysters. They were shucked right in front of our eyes. I had to try some since it was just a weird thing to get at a hot dog joint. I gotta say, it was delicious. I have been craving more since we got back home.

Toys R Us:

After our Coney Island trip was pretty much destroyed by the rain, we went to Times Square to visit the largest Toys R Us. It was the only part of the trip that Dodge really even cared about. He had been saving his money to shop at the biggest toy store. I am really glad we took him in. He loved it. We got him some Lego's and Addison got a Jessie doll from Toy Story. They liked the Ferris wheel too. They really gave us our money's worth, we went around 9 times. I was beginning to think they were never going to let us off. It was a long day and luckily the kids slept the whole ride home.

Monday May 31st, 2010: Beach Haven Township Memorial Day Parade

Beach Haven had a little parade for Memorial Day. They had the parade mandatory marching band. There were also police, lifeguards, the mayor, some old cars, and a lot of people on bikes. The whole thing was over in 15 minutes but the kids had fun waving their flags and watching the parade. Dodge and Ryan played an entire 18 holes of mini golf with the boys after the parade. Addison and I got in some shopping at Schooner's Warf. I could have spent the entire trip right on the island and not felt a bit bad about it.

Sunday May 30th, 2010: Barnegat Lighthouse, Long Beach Island

Located on the North end of the Island is this amazing lighthouse. Barnegat Lighthouse is 217 steps to the top and we went up every single one of them. The view from the top was awesome. The kids thought it was okay but I really loved it. Looking at the island from that view point was great. You don't realize how long the island is. It was beautiful and one of the highlights of the trip for me.