Las Vegas

Evan and I were in sunny Las Vegas this past week.  It was 75* and not a cloud in the sky the entire time we were there (Friday through Wednesday).  It was very difficult to come back to almost a 100* temperature swing in MN.  Ouch!

We had a great time in Vegas.  I did a dolphin yoga class, spent time in the spa, shopped, and relaxed by the pool.  It doesn't get much better than that! :)

On Saturday, I took a yoga class called "dolphin yoga".  You are taken back into the secret gardens of the Mirage hotel and given a private tour of the dolphin pools.  There are 9 dolphins at the Mirage.  It was amazing!!!

Apparently dolphins love bright colors and I was wearing a bright pink top.  The dolphins swam right over to me to say hello:

After we viewed them from above, we were taken to our yoga room under the pools.  3 sides of the room were covered in large windows, allowing us to view the dolphins during the yoga class.  It was an incredible view!  They were so close at times that we could have touched them had the glass not been between us!

On Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, I spent most of the day in the front row of the pool, soaking up some much needed Vitamin D.  It was what my body and soul desperately needed after a very long Minnesota winter!  The view doesn't get much better than this!

Evan joined me when he wasn't working:

The Bolander crew at the banquet dinner:

Evan and I:

Instagram

Time for another Instagram dump:

I was on my way to the Land Rover dealership a few weeks ago and the roads were glare ice.  This was one of several accidents I saw on my way there:

Ryan's DI challenge at school:

Kyle building Carter's Lego City Police Station:

Love notes on my boys' doors for Valentine's:

Heart shaped cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Valentine's Day:

I volunteered at Carter's Valentine's Party at school:

The temperature difference between Las Vegas and home last weekend:

Evan and I by the pool in Las Vegas:

Relaxing by the Mirage pool:

My favorite drink poolside, a pina colada:

Happy Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is such a big deal for the boys.  They love, love, love it, and ask about it for weeks in advance.  This year I made them heart shaped cinnamon rolls for breakfast, volunteered at Carter's Valentine's Day party at school, and was guest reader in Carter's classroom at the end of the day.  For dinner, we had heart shaped pizzas from Papa Murphy's, pink sherbet floats, and for dessert, peanut butter cookies with heart shaped chocolates.  We ended our day with family game night - Yahtzee.  The kids had a blast.  Ryan had 3 Yahtzees in one game and Carter had 2, 1 in each game - with their luck, we're second guessing our decision not to bring the kids with us to Vegas next week.  ;)  All in all, it was a fun day with the kiddos!

Lego Project

Carter has been asking for a Lego City Police Station for a couple of years now.  Whenever I ask him what he wants for his birthday this year, this set is at the top of his wish list.  I cringed at the $109 price tag and decided to scour eBay and Craig's List to see if I could luck out.  Sure enough, first check on Craig's List produced one, and a price tag of $50 made me a winner!  I picked it up, washed it, and since it wasn't put together, asked Kyle to give it a go.  He was successful and I am soooo excited to give it to Carter.  I'm not sure I can keep it a secret until April!  We carefully put it in a bin and have it stored in the utility room.  I know he's going to love it.  Huge thanks to Kyle, he spent 4 hours on this creation! :)

This was actually a few sets put together, so Carter will have more than he originally asked for.  He will love all of the vehicles, guys, and fun features in these sets!  Kyle is putting the finishing touches on them:

The entire set:

Jewelry

I had a couple of orders to complete today.  It is getting harder to fit them in, between working longer hours at Target, volunteering at school, the boys' activities, and just life in general.  Today I made these when Carter was at a playdate and Ryan was at lacrosse.  :)

Keyring:

Two discs for a charm bracelet:

Jewelry

I had a jewelry order to complete this morning.  This family has experienced so much heartache.  Their first daughter was killed by a drunk driver and the second daughter passed away just three days after birth.  Their two remaining children are their lifeline.  I hope this necklace is comforting as it will be given just prior to their first daughter's birthday.  Life just doesn't seem fair sometimes, does it?  I was honored to make this necklace for this special family.  Blessings to them!