12?!?!?

Catch up blog post #2...Bailey's birthday month was a blast...which included a trip to Omaha and Sioux Falls!! Her month ended with a fun spa themed birthday with a few of her closest friends. We did masks, ate cake, ice cream & pizza...and had LOTS of girl time!!  I can't believe that next year we will have a teenager...no words to describe how fast the time is flying!! Here are a few pics to give a sneak peek on the fun that was had...

prepping for masks

even the cake had a spa day...

mask time...should have given better directions on staying clear of the eyes...

I am thinking Christmas card this year?!?!?  LOL...even dad had fun and pampered himself!

We couldn't be more proud of Bailey...she is growing up so fast!  Happy Birthday Bailey...we love you!!
Well that was short and sweet...only have a few more posts to do and I will be caught up...then to a more consistent schedule of posts!!!

Camping...and a little soccer!!!

This past weekend we headed out on a TWO day camping trip...eek...I am still not sure I am ready for that...but it happened anyway.  We headed to Great Basin National Park...which ended up being a beautiful place...honestly is there a non-beautiful place in the mountains???  I think not!!! The girls had a blast...but very much like their mother...they were ready for a hot shower and their own bed once returning to Sandy, UT...however while there we took advantage of all that the park had to offer!!  Only thing I couldn't get a great pic of was the amazing stars in the sky...honestly wish I would have had a book with all the constellations...we would have been able to spot them ALL!!! (hmmmm I bet they have one on Amazon Prime?!?!?) Here are a few pics of our tent and our Lehman Cave tour...you cannot go to Great Basin National Park without doing that tour...it was AMAZING!!!

Our tent(home) for the weekend...

The girls in the cave...it was super sunny and hot outside the cave but a chilly 40 degrees underneath the Earth's surface...was such a neat experience and learned a TON!!!

On the road again...once again the view doesn't disappoint...

Little camper is tired out...

Once home there was no rest for this household...which is NORMAL.  We were back to summer schedule ASAP...gymnastics camp, swim lessons, laundry, gardening, running errands, laundry, Wimbledon, World Cup soccer, Kaylinn starting soccer(pics included) & now laundry begins for our trip to SD...WOOT WOOT!!!  Yes more laundry and groceries in the summer for this gal...but I love every minute of it with the girls home.

Perfect weather for Kaylinn's first soccer game!!!

Kaylinn's cheering squad...honestly NEVER a dull moment!

Like I said we are headed to SD for our next get away and couldn't be more excited!!!

jennd. DESIGN is OPEN for business...

Last week was a cRaZY one for me...no matter what I was getting jennd. DESIGN "live" on Etsy!!!  And yes it happened on Friday...but it happened!!!  #eeeek!  I really want to get a little something for everyone in my shop...right now it is mostly baby gear...due to a VERY special couple I know having a baby shortly...so I had lots of practice to perfect the goods. And obviously I would like to find that "signature" style...and I am getting there with it...but it will take time.
2 piece burp cloth set...available in 3 different patterns

diaper caddy...available in 3 different patterns

American Girl/18" doll 5 piece bedding sets...available in 3 different patterns

I am in the process of working on aprons for girls, boys and adults...prototyping the look/style...I will do a more traditional kitchen apron for all of my chefs and mini-chefs and then a gathering apron for all you gardeners and mini-gardeners out there!!  What kind of fabrics would you like to see??  My goal is to have matching fabrics...mommy & me...daddy & me...
I am also joining up with Artsy Anthropology to be a sponsor in her monthly Artsy Crush subscriptions.  Check out her website and instagram(@artsyanthropology) for more information...as of right now I will be a sponsor in June and July.  There is so much more but I want to keep this post short and sweet...my sewing machine is calling my name...honestly what a dream come true!!!

28 days later...detox domination

So February 3rd the hubby and I started a 28 day detox...basically an oil change for the body.  We added lots of fruits and veggies...healthy foods and flavors...I changed my grocery shopping habits and we eliminated many toxic, inflammatory foods from our diet(dairy, caffeine, booze, gluten, soy, sugar...to name a few)...and I am super happy to report that we are feeling good!!!  In 4 weeks we collectively lost 23.5 lbs and 14.5" in our mid-sections(took measurements at belly button and 2" below belly button) we also both lost over 7% of our body weight.  Honestly, weight loss was not our goal...it was to impress healthy eating habits on our children, find alternatives to some of our not so great eating habits, and get our bodies in a place where we could maximize the exercise that we are doing!!  
If you have thought of doing a detox...but what you have heard freaks you out...this detox is the one to check out...here is my mom's website (Kay Husman - Arbonne Independent Consultant RVP) with all the need to know information about it...I mean honestly what would it hurt to check it out?!?!?(next group starts March 31)  I am telling you I am feeling good...and to be completely open and honest about it here are my before and after photos.  

When I took my DAY 1 photos I was totally freaked out...NO WAY would anyone else see these...especially splashed on my blog?!?!? #eek!!  But on DAY 28 when I took those photos...I must admit I have looked at them over a dozen times...in 28 days I totally changed the way I look and more importantly the way I FEEL...and my body on the inside is operating smooth because I have released all of my toxic baggage!!  I so thought the first thing I would do once done with the cleanse would be to brew up a batch of coffee...and guess what?  I couldn't do it because I didn't want to ruin what I have started.  Don't get me wrong I will have an occasional slice of cheese, adult beverage, or the coveted warm cup of joe in the morning...but I will be more selective and not so indulgent. 

Solitude...epic POW!!!

With the Winter Games on tv...the girls were really on our case about getting up in the mountains and doing some skiing. (especially miss Ava) So on February 9th we did just that and boy did we pick a great day to go...Solitude had been getting fresh powder for 3 days and we were able to ski on 26" of fresh POW!!! Lucky for us we can hop on a bus a few miles from home and ride it right to the front doors of the resort. The canyon pass was restricted to snow chains and 4WD only and all resorts had NO parking left!!! So the bus made the trip happen.

Solitude had skiing for all of us from the beginner to the experienced!!! Bailey was a champ...all on her own from the beginning...even took on a small bit of a blue run.  Ava was VERY excited but when push came to shove she got pretty anxious.  She doesn't give up easy so she took on the challenge of the lift and her first run down the mountain. Once completed she was ready to take on the whole mountain, instead we worked on stopping and controlling her speed. Kaylinn was with Brandon most of the time and by the end of the day she was doing great too...however we agree she is in need of a lesson!! My favorite part was having to force them to take a break(meaning we were getting our moneys worth), Brandon got his fun run in during this time, and the girls were ready for more so we stayed till the "last lift" call. Then hopped on the bus and headed for home...it was a great day...the girls cooperated, the weather copperated...everything just fell into place. During these types of days I can't help but bask in the awesomeness of it!!! Our life was SO good that day...and we didn't take it for granted we soaked it all in.

Did I mention all three girls were thanking us when we got home?!?!? #evenbetter  And it is always good when they are sleeping on the ride home...extra energy...gone!!!

AdVEntURE #13...pumPkin pATCH!!

***way behind on this...time to catch up before we "fall" back***

What a great weekend we had when Brandon and I took the girls to a fun little place to pick out pumpkins!!! This place was very close to home so we all hopped on our bikes and made a trip out of it.  We did something we never do...we let them pick out whatever pumpkin they wanted. Yikes!!! Luckily Bailey was only one that picked out a gigantic pumpkin. :)

Once pumpkin picking was done the girls took advantage of all the photo ops, bouncy houses and slides. Then we hopped on our bikes and headed home. Lots of fun and perfect way for the girls to burn off extra steam!!

About a week later we decided to carve up the pumpkins...let the girls free style their faces...they were so cute...but note to self need to wait and carve till the weekend of Halloween because it didn't take long and they all started to look like little old men. What a fun beginning to fall for the Dawes family!!!