chalk it up

{click on the images to see them in a larger format}

The master at work...day one.

The kids got in on the action, and Olivia hoarded the chalk as you can see.

Most of the family came to watch Clayton work his magic.
Even cousin Hagrid paid a visit :)

Can you believe the talent this guy has?  Yes folks, that is MY husband.

The final drawing and the winner of the People's Choice Award!

They say pictures speak more than words, and that is definitely the case here!  This was back in June when Clayton participated in the Chalk Art Festival at The Gateway.  He did lots of chalk drawing on his mission in Switzerland, but he hadn't done anything since then.  The night before the Chalk Fest, he said to me, "I hope I can do this."

I laughed.

Because he can do ANYTHING.

Obviously.

He chose this work by Carl Bloch titled Christ in Gethsemane because it was his favorite when we saw the exhibit at BYU last spring.  I think the subject matter struck a chord with people, and then his talent on top of it made it just amazing.  He won first place in the People Choice Awards.  I'm sad it got washed away in the rain the next day, I was hoping to go and chisel out that concrete and put it somewhere in my house :)

His company, M4, did a film including a time-lapse video that you just have to see.  

{Click here for viewing on Vimeo.}  

2011 Chalk Art Competition - Utah Foster Care Foundation from M4 Creative on Vimeo.

birthday date

Clayton took me out tonight for my birthday. I mean, the Pinewood Derby the other night was nice and all, but...

I'd been wanting to go back to the Carl Bloch exhibit at BYU. I went there with my friend Emily in January, but I had all 5 kids with me, so we just kind of blew through it. Tonight we rented the iPad tour and spent some time enjoying all the uplifting and beautiful art of Carl Bloch. If you haven't had a chance to go, you need to go! It runs through May 7th. These paintings are from different churches all over Sweden and Denmark, and this is the first time they've been seen outside of their homes, and all together in one place. It is well worth going. Make your free online reservations before you go.

I had heard this place was really good, so that's where we had dinner. I love trying new places. Clayton, not so much, but he was a good sport since it was my birthday we were celebrating! The atmosphere was casual and fun, but after we were seated and started looking at the menu, we were like, "Hmm, I feel like an idiot...I don't know what half of this stuff is...should we sneak out the door and go somewhere else?" But then our waiter arrived, and we all smiled at each other like we were so excited. I guess we're staying...

You could tell this guy gets a lot of gourmet-challenged customers. He was a pro as he educated us and dumbed down the menu. We had some awesome gnocchi for an appetizer, and then some crazy salad with grapefruit, avocados, and roasted beets that Clayton passed on {fine, more for me!}. The pizza was fired in a big brick oven and was amazing. We both loved it. Our waiter brought a tiny plate with little dried sprigs of oregano and red chiles for crushing onto our pizza. I thought it was fun to go somewhere other than a huge chain restaurant {even though I like those too}. It was kind of an adventure.

The thing about eating out that gets me {no matter how inexpensive or good it is} is when they bring the bill and I feel so ripped off. I think, "Do you know how many groceries I could have bought with that?" Then I get a pit in my stomach. So dumb, I know.

In the end, my favorite part of dinner was the entertainment:

will's got the moves

work it baby!

Here's my cute husband working out on his bike trainer. It allows him to use his actual road bike, and increase and decrease the intensity of the ride. Cycling videos that take virtual tours through Alaska and other nice places help keep it from becoming boring. It's the next best thing to riding outside during the winter months.

the bump at 36 weeks

Ben and Hannah weren't interested in coming along, and Olivia was super cranky. I'm glad I have these photos with Nina, she was so excited to be in them hugging my belly!

This is all his doing!

Classic Clayton! A little boy in a man's body.

A couple months ago our best friend Chris Jones said, "You should do some maternity photos!" So then I asked if he would take them for us, because he is an amazing photographer...and he was so kind to do them. I'm so happy with how they turned out! He did such an amazing job, and Clayton was such a good sport {he hates getting pictures taken}.

I just wanted to document this time in my life because it will probably be my last time doing this whole pregnancy thing. Which makes me sad if I think about it too much.

{But it also sounds kind of nice, given how uncomfortable I am right now, and how naughty my kids were at church today!}

111 miles

Yep, that's my husband and his brother Spencer. I'm so proud of them both.

They competed in the ULCER bike race today, 111 miles around Utah Lake.

One hundred and eleven!

I'm so proud of you Clayton, way to be awesome. I loved being there to see your big smile when you crossed the finish line. I think the kids think that the medal you got is real solid gold. Just let them believe it because they are proud of you too.

Thanks Mom, Erika and J for coming to support Clayton. We love you!

P.S. I'm so glad my water didn't break while you were out there in the middle of nowhere!

my boyfriend

{haha!}

Just had to share these pictures from our photo date. What a hottie!

anniversary #13

Eating at Ruth's Diner. Clayton can even make himself laugh!

Yay! No kids! At least for a couple nights.

One of my favorites of Clayton from our "photo date."

34 weeks and counting down!

Funny things in this hardware shop.

I want these lights!

My view of my feet these days.

Clayton buying my new doorbell at this quirky little shop, Silver Star Hardware.

"Wouldn't this be so cool?" Checking out Cactus & Tropicals.

Wishing I had a money tree while shopping Anthropologie.

Love the packaging on these.

My cute new doorbell, aka, "a little piece of our anniversary on our house," Clayton said.

13 years of marriage and we still love each other!

What a fun weekend we just had...lots of eating out, uninterrupted conversations, and sleeping in. LOVED it.

Eating at Ruth's Diner up Emigration Canyon was perfect, such a cozy atmosphere out on the patio with live music, white lights strung through the big trees, and clean mountain air. Shopping at the Gateway {namely, Anthropologie, my FAVE, where I got this yummy lotion I'm obsessing over} and getting waffle cones was followed by a late night swim at the downtown hotel. It was a good laugh trying to squeeze my 34 week pregnant body into a swim suit! Not a pretty sight.

Breakfast at noon at Millcreek Cafe and Eggworks couldn't have been better...we definitely want to go there again. Then off for shopping at little random shops where we bought a cute doorbell! I know, I did say random, didn't I? We went to Robin Hood at the dollar theater, and had fun people watching there {let's just say that Sugarhouse has some interesting people at the movies}. We managed to do a little "photo date" as our friend Chris calls it, and snapped some pics of each other, just for the record. Stopped by Cactus and Tropicals just to get ideas for the yard, drove past the little house where we lived in the basement when Ben was born, and Trolley Square to check out new glasses for Clayton. Didn't buy any, but had fun trying them on. Meanwhile, my sister Hailey called and said, "I hate to bother you, but Olivia just threw up all over the front of me." Crap. "Just go to Mom's, she'll help you!" I said. Isn't that terrible?

Park City Outlets=New Shoes That I Desperately Needed For Church.

Then we followed the advice of the guy at the hotel desk there in Park City and took the bus up to Main Street. Italian sodas {also my fave}, iceberg wedge salads and pizza at Cisero's...I couldn't eat it all, my stomach is so squished these days, but oh my gosh, it was good stuff. Then we couldn't find the bus stop back down until it went flying by us with the lights flashing on the front "LAST BUS." So we had to pay a dang stupid taxi instead. Lame!

Had a good laugh watching a Saturday Night Live rerun...we don't have DishNetwork, so it was new to us. "The Mellow Show with Jack Johnson," hahaha!

Saturday morning we were talking about how it was nice to not wake up to fighting in the hallway. See, usually the kids are up before us and being really loud in the hallway outside our bedroom. So it was nice to have some peace and quiet for once.

But we spoke too soon, because Sunday morning, there was a fight in the hallway. Of the hotel. A woman screaming and raging and throwing things against the walls. It woke us up. NICE.

So much for that idea!

We headed up Park City Main Street again and grabbed a quick breakfast at a little cafe {fresh orange juice, crepes, and pastries}, where we spotted these awesomely packaged chocolate bars.

Thanks Hailey, Mom, and Erika for taking care of the kids!