Please be a friend and click on this link to vote for our video!   It will only take you two seconds! I promise! You can vote everyday, so set a reminder on your phone, and start clicking!

https://apps.facebook.com/certainteed/showentry?entryurl=%2Fcontests%2Fshowentry%2F1218655

Now for the explanation:

There is this contest going on... you submit a video to Certainteed explaining why you deserve to win outdoor supplies for your home (siding, decks, fences, railings, etc).  The video needs to be creative and catch the attention of the judges.  Well with everything that's been going on around here, it's taken us a lot longer than we thought it would to get this video submitted.

Videos have been on the website for weeks now.  And we just submitted ours today.  So we clearly need all the votes we can get!

So how it works:
The 10 videos with the most votes by June 15th will all win a small(er) prize. Then the judges from Certainteed will choose their favorite from the top ten and that video will win the grand prize of $75,000!!!

Obviously the other videos that have been submitted for weeks have been accruing votes each day. Since we just submitted today, we are far behind... and we must get in the top ten!


So we beg you from the bottom of our hearts to help us out by voting! A simple click on the blue button will do it! VOTE HERE

Jack says, PLEASE ?!!!!

Jack is sad at the thought of not winning!

Oh and have we told you guys lately that we love you?!  Thanks a bunch.

With all the house stuff we've been doing around here, we felt like we needed a little "us" time.

So we headed to Vegas for a quick, cheapish vacation. We call it the "your baby just turned one-moon." Get it? Anyways, we left Jack home with my mom and my older sister Lindsey who both so kindly flew out to Utah to stay at our house with our baby while we went and basked in the sun. Awesome.   We joined Leslie and Mike McCabe, two of our bestest friends. I grew up in Colorado with both Leslie and Mike. Leslie and I met the summer before 3rd grade and have been best friends ever since. Mike and I have been really good friends since high school! Leslie and Mike both went to school with Brandon at BYU-I, so they are one of the few friends couples that we both know and LOVE!

We stayed at hotel called Tahiti Village. It was just south of the strip and this infamous sign. So most of you can probably locate it. I recommend it. 

It had a lazy river, a pool with a sandy beach, and really nice rooms (they could probably use an update in decor though! ha). We stayed in a huge suite that had its own kitchen and two separate rooms and bathrooms. Perfect for us!

View of the lazy river from above.

Awesome pool.

We spent most of our days sitting right here... next to the lazy river. Listening to music, catching some UV rays, and reading some literature. It was relaxing and I wish I could do it everyday.

We spent our evenings eating at different restaurants on the strip and walking around aimlessly up and down the strip. People watching is my favorite thing to do there!

                                            

We acted like tourists and stopped to take pictures. I know, I know, weird.

I bet you can't guess where I'm at?!

                              

Cosmopolitan Hotel

                                     

                                

Aria Hotel

                                           

The boys needed a moment.

Yes, we often match. No, it's not on purpose.

                                      

We ate at this pizza place called Hidden Pizza. It's literally hidden. It's not advertized, has no signs, nothing. It's in a long hallway inside the Cosmo Hotel.. but it was amazing!

We were going to go to a show one night, but we all decided we would rather go shopping instead. And it was a GREAT choice! Brandon and I realized we both have never been shopping since we met. We've purchased a shirt here or there when absolutely needed, but other than that, we've been sporting 5 year old wardrobes... and it was obvious.

So we checked out the 3 story H&M store in Caesars Palace. It was huge! And very overwhelming.

Leslie and I in front of H&M.

Brandon discovered this awesome wetsuit like shirt. We made him try it on. But for some odd reason he didn't end up getting it.

The clothes I got for the price of a show ticket! Shirts, capris, a skirt, workout top and bottoms, and a swimsuit!

Brandon's clothes. Lots of shirts, tank tops, shorts, and a bathing suit (not pictured). And he still has more left over in his budget!

It was a short trip, and I was sad to leave, but was so happy to see my baby! The way home was the longest drive ever. But it seemed like Jack was perfectly happy without us. He got spoiled....

He got to eat an entire cupcake.

He got to eat blueberries with his pajamas on.

He got to eat an ice cream cone!

He got to have a shaved ice!

He loves an audience.

He helped Grandma in the kitchen.

He got to wear big boy shoes... Air Force Ones!

 And he got to play peek-a-boo as much as he wanted! (video )

 No we're counting down the days until we go to Mexico as a family in August! We can't wait to spend everyday together.. WITH Jack.. hanging out on the beach!

Anyone else traveling this summer?

We've taken a short break (which actually turned into a long break) from anything involving the house. We took a much needed vacation to Vegas (blog post to come later this week), gotten a lot of R&R, and most importantly, we have gotten a lot of family time in.  All I can say is I HAVE LOVED IT!!! But back to reality.. and posting on blogs.

Jack and Mommy

As most of you know, Jack turned one. Some reason the second a baby turns one, society expects him to not act like a baby anymore. He is supposed to walk, talk, say goodbye to formula/breast milk and say hello to cows milk, ditch bottles and only use sippy cups, and only wear oversized t-shirts instead of onesies. All this sure doesn't make this transition any easier on a mom!  But this past month has made me so excited for this new stage in Jack's life. He is so funny! He does something new everyday and I can't seem to get enough of him.  I seriously LOVE playing with him everyday. He brings so much joy to my life. 

We think Jack is pretty amazing, so we wanted to throw a party for him and show everyone else how amazing he is! So on the Saturday after his real birthday, we had a party at our house for him.

How could this kid get any better?!

"YAY! I'm one!"

Jack loves balloons. Seriously. He is obsessed. They make him so happy! So we decided to make the party a BALLOON themed party. And it was a good idea! He loved it! Every time he saw a balloon, he would point and say ooohh! I'm pretty sure that means, "Give me that!" haha.

Jack helping Mom and Dad set up for the party. He wanted every balloon we blew up.

Our walkway lined with Balloon Suckers.

Balloon Wreath. We decided this will be the birthday wreath.. so if you see this on our door, you know there is a birthday inside!

Balloon Banner.

We also used this for the backdrop of the photos above.

I think this was the first party Brandon and I have ever hosted together. We've never lived in a place big enough to host a larger group of people. So this was a little out of our comfort zone and we both agree we really enjoyed it! The past week was a little stressful trying to get the house descent to have people over. We finally finished the baseboards last week.. which only took us 13 weeks to complete! We cleaned out the garage so one of our cars could fit, we sprayed and trimmed our weeds (we got a letter from the police station stating we would be fined if our weeds were longer than 6 inches by May 1st), worked on the ant problem at the front of the driveway, we mowed the lawn, trimmed the edges, completed painting and staining of some decorations for the house, completed and framed artwork for the house, set up the house for the party, decorated for the party, and baked goodies ALL DAY SATURDAY starting at 8 am! I somehow forgot to eat the entire day and was famished by the end of it.  But it was all completely worth it because Jack was so happy!

Food table. (We forgot to take pictures before people started eating.)

 

We had friends and family and neighbors all come celebrate with us. It was so much fun!

Jack was showing off the whole time.

 Jack loves to play, especially with other babies/kids.

Jack and Bennett.

Surrounded by balloons.

Our attempt to take a photo of the 3 babies on the Marcum side.

Jack was not having it.

PRESENTS

Jack loved opening presents! He showed no emotion the whole time, but was so intrigued with each item.

Giving kisses to the puppy

Proud dad.. who rocks a mullet.

 

Jack got spoiled with toys! But he loves each one.  

Poor Greta wanted to help Jack.

NOW FOR THE CAKE.

We all sang Happy Birthday to Jack and brought the cake out. He wanted to grab the flame on the candle so I had to blow it out for him.  But he sure was happy to see the cake!

 

Our attempt of a family picture before he destroyed the cake.

 At first he wasn't sure what was going on, but it didn't take him long to start tasting the cake.

First taste. He is still deciding what he thinks about it.

Pretty sure he is thinking, "I can't believe I'm allowed to have this!"

In for another "grab."

Full fist in the mouth.

Yeah he decided all the frosting needed to be pushed off the cake.

He kept licking the frosting off of his hand, so I had to break a piece off of the cake for him to let him see what was inside! And once I did, he didn't stop.

Even with cake and frosting all over him he is SO CUTE!

Stuff that face

Family photo mid-cake demolition.

Always willing to share. Such a sweetheart.

Never fails to eat with his foot up.

"How are you gonna clean this off of me?"

Good thing he kept his area clean.

Why not just go for it?

One happy boy.

TA-DA!

He ended up eating half the cake! And he never acted like his stomach hurt.  This boy loves to eat!

Here is a video of the whole cake eating experience for those of you who want a live feed of Jack gorging himself. I sped it up so its less than 2 minutes long.

Thank you to everyone who came. We seriously can't thank you enough for the love you have shown Jack over the past year. Thank you thank you!