Our "10th" Anniversary!

I was due to post this a month ago, but...I was waiting on more pictures ;) Almost exactly a month ago the hubby and I celebrated our 10th Wedding Anniversary! How time flies. On the actual day (which conveniently fell on the weekend) we went out to a nice dinner.

Dressed for the occasion!

We went to a small, but fancy restaurant called Cafe Monarch - it had a French twist, and was known for having a romantic atmosphere as well as good food. The menu even changes week to week. First time we've even ordered a bottle of wine - and didn't leave a drop!

This happened to be the weekend right before we found out about Josh going to Japan, so I was really thankful we had that evening to ourselves.

Also, since we decided it was a big occasion, we ordered a cake from the cakery that does our special occasion cakes. I thought it would be nice, too, to share it among other couples we know that have June wedding anniversaries.

My parents celebrating 43 years, along with my best friend who is celebrating 2. My older sister, too, celebrates a June anniversary - 15!

Vanilla with raspberry filling - close to our vanilla with strawberry filling on our wedding day. Deee-licious!

While the kids were away, then, a week ago, we decided to do a bit more celebrating. On our anniversary the hubby surprised me with a staycation - reservations to stay at a hotel along with dinner and spa reservations!

Drinks in the pool...a few times :)

Spa! I had a nice massage. 

We had a nice month of celebrating our new double digit status.

And then...I'm sorry, this too is old news but again I was trying to get pictures...I have started going to a new gym! Uh, I know this may not sound incredibly exciting to most people but...this new gym just opened within a few months ago...and it's basically a gym with hotel-spa like amenities. In fact it does have its own spa inside. It costs 5x as much as my old gym, but once you step inside you understand why!

Other than the spa like conditions, what really sold me on the gym is all the classes (and pools!) offered. In the past I've gone to a different place to do bikram yoga, another place to do a workout called Pound, another place to practice lap swim... what's so nice is that this place has ALL of those and much more! Complete one stop shop. In past posts I've pictured the kids doing fitness classes, using a pool/splashpad they have there, etc. They even had an oatmeal bar for members the other week.

Largely because of the cost, I have been going frequently, if even just to use the pool and jacuzzi. A few mornings a week I've been getting up early (as in sunrise) to make a class before Josh leaves for work (and okay, my sister, who joined,  coming helps too!)

A few more pictures...

Doing cardio looking out to the pools, tennis courts

Yoga room- not quite the same, but this is such a relaxing room when the main light is off, and the flickering candles turn on.

So anyway....just a really, really nice "gym". Whatever motivates me to go, right? :)

SS: Week 4

With Josh barely home in time for Father's Day, we weren't sure what he would feel like doing on his special day. He decided , though, to continue with original plans so we went to both his favorite brunch spot and then over to his parents' house for swimming.

Daddy's favorite dish at his favorite restaurant!

Swim fun with cousin Autumn

The swim fun continued the following day, as we met up with one of Aaron's friends from preschool this past year.

Aaron and his buddy, Rhys

Nate loves the huge slides now!

We enjoyed our last craft box that we receive in the mail - outer space themed!

We met up with more friends from my past Mom's Club group at a splash pad - it was so nice to reunite and catch up with everyone.

Then I took the boys to the mall - where they got to ride on this motorized animal scooter. So funny!

Just cos he's cute ;)

Unfortunately for me...I got sick :p Was so relieved no one else got it (has anyone heard of the wonders of 100% grape juice?!) Not quite sure if it was the flu or related to something I ate that I knew didn't go down very well, I had everyone drinking that in case. It "supposedly" helps cancel out sick cells in your intestines to prevent them from multiplying (and making you sick). Josh had work commitments so I had to call on my mom to watch the kids a bit...I haven't felt that yuck in years. Not fun.

So very thankful was I that the kids were well because they were suppose to go on their annual summer trip/visit with their Nana and Pap Pap! Like last summer, the boys got to go to my sister's cabin in Flagstaff for a few days.

Back at the Deer Farm. A favorite. Especially with silly Pap-Pap.

They spent many hours at Bearizona!

They also visited the Lowell Observatory (unfortunately it was cloudy so they didn't get to look through the large telescope) and otherwise played a great deal outside and around the cabin.

Meanwhile, mommy enjoyed the peace and quiet, had dinner with friends, spent time with the hubby...even had a stay cation of sorts! It was sort of "part celebration for being kid-less/part celebrating our tenth anniversary" some more. A post on us coming up! ;)

Backyard Movie!

The last night Josh was to be gone I wanted to do something fun and different for the boys - though warm, I thought they would still enjoy getting to watch a movie outside, something they haven't done.

Homemade marshmallows (both plain and chocolate chip), graham crackers, chocolate, berries and melted chocolate.

I attempted to hang some lights and made a poster for our movie - Despicable Me 2 ! The boys are really getting into the minion stage (years late I suppose). Thought it'd be fun to see the 2nd one so we're caught up to see the new one in a few weeks.

I was glad I took these pictures, because...about a half hour into the movie, our backyard sprinklers turned on! Yikes! Obviously the hubs and I totally forgot about that...(hubby later told me that the sprinklers don't even come on everyday, so lucky us that we picked the day they do!) Quickly I rushed around to gather my phone and laptop to take away (my electronics love to die via water, especially in the phone department!) The kids thought it was quite hilarious.

Smiling in the sprinklers

Probably can't really tell, but the paint is starting to run down our poster :( I quickly ran after the lights, too.

I got the kids changed and they continued to watch the movie (inside!) while I finished putting everything outside away. It wasn't really much use to stay outside since everything was wet...we'll have to try again on a night that the sprinkler DOESN'T go off, and when the hubs is home to help with the projector of ours this time. Well, hopefully it still turns out to be a memorable, summer experience for the kids! Mom gets an "A" for effort anyway!

SS: Week 3

We did it! We survived the time hubby was gone. It seemed (at the time) that it was going so dreadfully slow, but looking back it actually went by fast.

It began with us finding out who Nate's teacher is for next year - yay! (we are, though barely,right under a month until school starts again!)

We began the week getting donuts - something we haven't done in awhile - and swam with friends

We started our 2nd session of swim lessons - unfortunately this time around we weren't able to get the boys to do their lessons at the same time - Aaron went first followed by Nate. Nate would spend his time , though, in a splashpad while brother was learning.

This time around we were at a different pool - and Nate had his lessons in deeper water in a lane pool. I like his teacher better this time around.

We had a playdate at Aaron's friend Miles' house

More swimming at mommy's gym! Isn't Aaron a cutie?

Nate had just started karate...which unfortunately, though he likes it, since it's conflicting now with swim lessons in the evening we will probably have to cancel it :( Our goal through summer months is to make sure Nate is a good swimmer.

The boys were way more interested in their kiddie packs at the Summer Movies

It has gotten pretty hot here so we've been just staying home mostly in the afternoons. As with other weeks, they also went to Grandmother's and Nana's houses. We got to Skype with daddy some most days. I also wanted to stay home to prepare for Friday night (see previous post!)

Last, but not least...to make our last day without daddy (with lots of excitement nerves) go fast, I took the kids to a play place we haven't been to in years - Makutu's Island.

Great place for boy energy! Slides, tunnels...

Bungee jumping!

Thankfully there were some "in between" slides. Some things were too scary for Aaron.

Hubby got home safe and sound, barely in time for Father's Day! We're so glad.

SS : Week 2

We began our Week 2 fun on Sunday, taking the kids to a free afternoon at the Natural History Museum. If it involves dinosaurs that makes it a favorite right away!

Aaron looking for dino fossils

On Monday we began our last week (of the first session) of swim lessons.

Four days a week I have discovered needs to be continued! Repetition, repetition, repetition.

The kids were recommended to do another session of their current class (sessions are two weeks in length).

That same day, the kids went to Great Play for a play camp together.

We were glad then that we had special time with daddy on Sunday (and special couple time celebrating our 10th Wedding Anniversary Saturday evening...I promise in the coming weeks a "Hubby and I" post is coming up!)...as we found out on Monday that daddy's work wanted him to leave for a business trip THE FOLLOWING DAY! To Japan. No big deal, right? Two weeks in Japan on a 24 hr notice?!

Tuesday involved all of us in a state of shock that daddy was gone for awhile. That afternoon I took the boys bouncing...

Nate loved the new attraction!

Aaron giving me a silly face

The boys also attended Vacation Bible School at our church each evening. They consistently enjoy this each year!

On Wednesday I took them to a puppet show -

Sorry for the not so great pictures...

Nate meeting the star of the puppet show

The boys also had some time with both Nana and Grandmother, and we had a playdate with one of Aaron's friends (forgot to get a picture!)

This afternoon one of Nate's buddies from Cub Scouts came over for a playdate.

So, we've had an okay week. Busy is always the name of the game, especially to try and keep us all from missing daddy too much. He comes back in another week. Here's to hoping then that this next week really does zoom by!