Dallas Stars Date Night

Sean got a free pair of tickets from work to a Dallas Stars hockey game.  It was my first time to go to a hockey game and Sean's first time at a professional hockey game.  We snagged a last minute babysitter for Emmy, and Calvin got to tag along for the fun.

The arena is huge, and it's where the Mavs play as well downtown at the American Airlines Arena.

I was super surprised by how many people were at the game and how many people seem like really intense fans.

The Dallas Stars Mascot is a weird looking lime green monster guy with ears that are hockey sticks.  It was sort of frightening to see.  I tried to get Sean to go down and get his picture with him and Calvin, but he was not interested.

Calvin was really happy to be hanging out with Mom and Dad.  He was very calm and liked the game until the Stars scored and the arena erupted with crazy loud music and air horns and cheering...then he hated it!  

There was some ear covering happening after that incident.

Date night selfie outside the arena.  Sean was looking dapper with his baby carrier.  Super Dad!

Cal and Sean smiling for a pic with the ice rink down below.  We were pretty high up but still had a great view.  We loved the game and it was a fun new experience for us both.  We don't know a lot about the rules of hockey so sometimes we felt a bit lost.  Glad we could partake in some Dallas culture and sports!

Lego Americana

I heard about this cool Lego display that was going on for a few weeks at a nearby mall.  It was a bunch of American monuments and buildings that have been made completely out of Lego's.  Sean has never been up to the New England area to see any of these so we thought it would be fun to see them all in Lego version!

Jefferson Memorial

Cal was not impressed.  He wanted to see the real deal! 

Emmy and Sean with the Capitol Building.  They had signage up to say the scaled down size of the displays and I wish I could remember them all.  The Capitol building was the largest display.

If you can't got to the real white house, this is the next best thing...right??

This looks huge since it's zoomed in.  I was impressed they even had a little lego Abraham Lincoln inside the Lincoln memorial

With Emmy in front you get a better idea of the size of it.  She liked looking inside the windows and at the roof tops.

Supreme Court

Independence Hall

 Old North Church.

I had never heard of this one, but Sean said it was the one that Paul Revere rode to and where they lit the lanterns in the steeple.  The famous phrase is "one if by land and two if by sea."

I felt kind of silly when he said that because obviously I knew this story.

The Liberty Bell was a 1:1 scale model.  So cool, and even had the crack in it.  You weren't supposed to touch but it was hard not to reach out and want to feel them all.

Washington Monument

Somewhere there are pictures of me in front of some of these monuments when I visited D.C with my mom and Anna before my freshmen year of high school.

My personal favorite was the statue of liberty.  It had the most color going on...and real fire!!  Ok, not really.

At the end of our little tour they had an area set up where you could put together a take home packet to build your own White house.

Emmy's too cute little face trying to concentrate on getting her Lego pieces.  Her and Sean got a packet and were eager to get home to start building.

Emmy and Dad hard at work.  Dad is a Lego pro, and was able to show Emmy the ropes of following the instructions step by step.  She loved passing him pieces, even though they weren't always the right pieces.

Finished product and proud girl!

Lunch with Dad at Work

Cory, Emmy, and Calvin surprised me today and came to eat lunch with me at the hospital. Even though we live so close, it is hard to pin down when I eat lunch because of my busy schedule.  It was fun to have them come for a visit.

Emmy liked pointing up at the big UT Southwestern sign that is right over the dining pavilion we were eating in.  

Once I headed back to work, the rest of the gang walked some of the grounds.  Out front there are two massive fountains, and Emmy wanted to get a closer look.  

Grandma Buzz & Dave's Sealing in Utah

Calvin and I were lucky enough to get to fly up to Utah and go to my Mom's Sealing to Dave in the Brigham City Temple.  Sean was a saint for taking a couple days off work to watch Emmy so that I could be there.  It was my first time flying with Calvin and also my first time to go back to only having one child with me.  I knew Calvin would do great on the flights cause he is an awesome baby, and he proved me right.  Slept the whole flight both coming and going.  He and I had fun and it was nice to be able to have some one on one time with him over the weekend.

Calvin had an accident in his only outfit I had packed him for one of our outings.  So he rode home in just his diaper.  He is one chunky little cutie and pulls off the naked look really well!

It was too much fun seeing sweet cousin Cohen.  I loved getting an extra little trip in to visit the Tarabildas and get some time in with them before the leave Provo.  I will miss having them just one quick little flight away.  Cute Cohen wanted to take a run around the house in my shoes.

I can't remember if this was on the way to or from Brigham City for the sealing.  Either way these cute little cousins got in some zzz's together on the drive.  Sitting in the back seat with these boys was too much fun.

I got the special privilege of being my mom's escort and got to help her get dressed in the bride's room before the sealing.  I was so happy that I could be there and help her and sit next to her in the sealing room.  It was a special thing and I was glad to be able to do it.  So many special and memorable moments that I will keep close to my heart.

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures from at the Temple or after at lunch.  It was a whirlwind and Dave's daughter Lindsey took pictures but I just don't have them right now.  I will add them in when I get my hands on some.

I happened to be in Utah the same weekend as my dear friend Kylie Durham's wedding.  Sadly her sealing was on the same day down south of Provo, so I couldn't make it to both.

But, because of the wedding Kasidy Felkner was in town and we met up.  We hadn't seen each other in...I don't even know how long.  Since she got married maybe? I think so, 4 years about.  She has a sweet little chatty boy named Preston and glowing with pregnancy with another little boy.  It was a treat to get to see her, meet her son, catch up and introduce her to Calvin.  Hopefully one day Emmy and Preston can meet.  Maybe a second generation of best friends is in our future!

Preston was very sweet and friendly to Calvin.  He talks and runs about 100 miles per hour.  So much energy, and look so much like his beautiful Momma!  

While I was away I was missing Sean and my sweet Emmy Rae.  Sean kept me updated with pictures of their adventures. They had pizza on Friday night, which I'm sure Emmy loved.

Sean also took Emmy to the zoo for a Saturday outing.  Looks like they enjoyed some Dippin' Dots!  Sean said Emmy was confused by them at first, but not enough to stop her from eating almost the whole cup, with some help from Daddy.

Sean always takes lots of pictures at the zoo.  Here is just one from their day.

Emmy at Dad's Dr. Appointment

Cory and Calvin are in Utah for Grandma Buzz's wedding, so Emmy and I had a daddy-daughter weekend.  I had a doctor's appointment, so Emmy tagged along.  She loved dancing around in the lobby, which entertained some of the older patients waiting with us.

Once we got into the exam room, Emmy insisted on getting on the exam table.  She said, "I want to lay down like Mommy."  I told her it is "lie down like Mommy." Just kidding, she hates when I correct her like that.  She got so used to going with Cory's pre-natal check-ups that she knows Mommy lies down on the exam table.  

It was fun having a little shadow for my appointment.  The doctors and nurses all loved how friendly Emmy was!

Valentine's Day!

It's another Valentine's Day in the books.  Sean and I didn't plan anything fancy and decided not to get anything big for one another.  We have birthdays, anniversaries, and Mother's and Father's day all coming soon.  

A box of Donuts is always a favorite in the Gilmore family.  So Emmy and I picked up a box to surprise Sean when he came home.  We took credit for the gift and we got to share in the yummy donuts!

I helped Emmy make this for Sean during the day.  She loves doing painting and we had no messes which was a miracle.  Again I get credit for the gift and also get to share in having this little note from our Emmy girl.

I thought it would be cute to get a pic of Emmy and Calvin for Valentine's day and send it to family to let them know we love them.  I sat Emmy down to take a shot before bringing Cal over and this is what ensued.  So....no valentines picture.

Emmy got lots of Valentines cards from her many admirers.  She is one lucky little girl to have so many friends and family that love her so much.  She loved her cards especially the card with special Valentine songs.

My funny Valentine!

Young Men's Retreat

Recently I was called to be the Secretary of the Young Men's program at church.  It is my first time ever working with the youth group since I became an adult.  I am actually really excited about it, and hope to develop some strong relationships with the boys.  One of the first activities we had planned after I joined was a weekend retreat to the Young Men's President's ranch.  He has a beautiful property on a lake about an hour outside of Dallas.  

We played sports, grilled out, fished, roasted marshmallows, shot shotguns, and so much more.  It was a really fun trip.

I bet this is a great retreat in the summer.

The only criticism I have of the entire experience came at night.  Cory has heard me express many times that I am very uncomfortable with the idea of things hanging on the wall above where I sleep.  I don't want pictures or wall hangings to come crashing down on me while I lay there unconscious.  Well, it just so happened that I was on a pull out sofa bed under this huge guy...

Luckily, he stayed put the whole night and I was not crushed to death.  Successful trip!

Grandma Buzz Visit

End of January meant a much needed visit from Grandma!  Calvin is growing so fast and Sean and I were due for a date night out from the best newborn babysitter.  It's always nice when Grandma's come into town and happily offer up their free and expert babysitting services.

Emmy showed Grandma the ropes at the indoor playground at the Galleria Mall.  She showed off her sliding skills, mountain climbing skills and running and jumping skills. 

Sean and I took a much needed date night out.  He took me down to the Bishop Arts District for some yummy hipster pie.  We aren't hipster, but we do enjoy over priced pie!

I think part of it being expensive is that they wrap it up really cute so that you will then take a picture and post it on your social media and tag them in the photo for all of your friends to see which is then free advertising for them.  So tricky!!

Needless to say I got the coconut cream. It was delicious.  The hot chocolate however...not so much.  Is anyone else annoyed with all hot chocolate, from places that also serve coffee, always tasting like coffee.  It seems to happen to us all the time. 

Sean waiting for our pie.  The store was so tiny with limited seating and the line was out the door and down the sidewalk.  Luckily we had each other to snuggle while waiting.  So glad we are going on 5  years married.  First dates waiting in long lines in the cold are so awkward. 

I also got the special treat of doing a temple session with my mom.  It has been a long time since I have gone with her and also a long time since I have been able to do a session, what with the baby growing and birthing and all.  The Dallas temple closed for a whole month at the beginning of October and that was the last time I was able to go.  We of course grabbed a selfie on the way out.  Which was surprisingly difficult since we wanted to get the angel Moroni in with us.  We were finally able to get all three of us together.

We concluded the visit with an afternoon at the playground.  A top choice for our Emmy.  She is an animal on the slides and has no fear.

Or course having Daddy by her side makes it all the more fun.  This huge slide is one of her favorites and she completed it multiple time with and without Daddy.  She is always all smiles and skipping each time she gets to the bottom.

Pretty girls on the water.

Emmy's super fine baby hair was no match for static electricity, I thought it was a good look though.

Grandma made many comments about how long Calvin's lashes were.  Which I hadn't really noticed.  I snapped this pic of them at the park and realized that they are acutally quite long.  I now have lash envy for my 2 1/2 mos. old son.