Viva Las Vegas!!

So I guess it has been a while since I last blogged. Sorry! Things have been a little crazy lately and I just haven't really had the time to blog. But this last weekend we went to Las Vegas to watch the BYU football game. We had a really great trip and it was so fun to spend some time together as a family.

Ellie, Nicolas, and Matt in front of the Bellagio water show

M&M World

Nicolas lounging by the pool reading a magazine

Matt and Nick walking up to the stadium

On the field after the game

After the game with Markell

Trip to Whitney's

I just got back from visiting my sister, Whitney, for the weekend. My mom was there the first two weeks she had Luke and then I was able to come help out for a few days. It was such a fun trip for me. Even though I was helping her with Scotty and Luke it still felt like a nice break for me since I didn't have my kids around.

Me meeting Luke for the first time

He is the sweetest little guy. It was so fun to be around a little baby again. Although it brought flashbacks of how crazy those first few weeks are!

Scotty is hilarious! He loves to dance and sing along to High School Musical 2. He seriously knows all the words to the songs!

Scotty and I had a love/hate relationship while I was there. He is having a little bit of a hard time adjusting to his new little brother around. He just wants his mom every second. We would be getting along really well and then he would just all of a sudden turn on me! He would say, "No Chels, No Chels!!" And then he would run to his mom and want her to hold him. So in this first picture he is my cute little pal and in the next picture...........

"No Chels, No Chels!!" (I had asked him to smile for the camera!)

I actually got to meet up with a couple of old friends while I was there. We met Shauna at the outlet mall and shopped and had lunch in the "ghetto food court" as she calls it. It was great to see her and cute little Jaden!

This is an old college roommate, Elisa. We lived together my first year up in Provo. We hadn't seen each other in at least 4 or 5 years! It was so fun to see her again. Of course we had to go to lunch at Costa Vida (it's just like Cafe Rio, almost, but not quite as good). It was delicious! Elisa was nice enough to take me to the airport this morning at 5:15am!! What a great friend, huh?

Ellie's 5th Birthday Party

Okay, so I am a little late with these pictures. Ellie's birthday was last Monday and I have just not had a free second to get this blog updated. So here are a few from her pool party.....

Everyone warming up in the jacuzzi (there were even more in the pool!!)

Ellie got a new pink boogie board from her G'ma and G'pa Staffieri

Nicolas was ready for the pinata!!

Lot's of helpers to keep the candle lit long enough to blow out

These were ripped off the pinata and made into birthday "princess" hat's

Staffieri Family Weekend

Saturday we went to the BYU vs. UCLA football game. We dropped Nicolas off with my dad and left Orange County at 12:40. We finally walked into the Rose Bowl at 3:45. It was the longest, most annoying experience! We got into horrible traffic and then had to park about two miles away on this golf course and book it to the stadium in 90 degree weather. We were dying by the time we finally got to our seats. And we didn't make it before kickoff which is not a good thing for Matt! It was a pretty good game even though we ended up with the loss. Our family really looks forward to this time of year because it is so fun for us to go to these games and watch Markell play. Matt's whole family was in town for his sister's baby blessing today. We haven't all been together in a really long time, so it was fun to be able to see everyone.

Makai, Caleb, and Ellie were the only kids that went

Ellie and her favorite "Aunti Rhe"

After the game - this was Ellie's one and only (she actually was an angel considering the very long day it ended up being)

Matt and Kell after the game

Ellie and Nicolas before leaving for church

All but one of the Staffieri cousins

Total "Eclipse" of the Heart!!

I finished Eclipse!! I can't even begin to tell you how much I love these books. I can't believe I have to wait until next fall to read the next one. I just die over Edward!! Anyone who has not read these books (Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse, by Stephenie Meyer), go to Barnes and Noble today and get them. You will not be able to put them down! I am almost thinking about reading them again, but I have never done that before. I just don't want them to be over. Am I obsessed??? On her website there is a chapter from her last book, Midnight Sun, which is going to be Twilight in Edward's perspective. She has the first chapter posted that you can read. That is what I will be reading today!

Here is what has been going on lately, I just haven't had time to blog about it.......

(sorry, it is pretty long!)

We met my sister, Ashley and her kids, and my brother, Cason, at the beach last week before Cason went back up to school. Our kids love playing with their uncle Casey and will miss him so much!

Cason with Janey, Liza, Nicolas, Ruby, and Ellie

Uncle Casey and Nicolas

Nicolas and Janey played in this hole for hours!

Last weekend Matt went up to Utah for the first football game. His little brother, Markell, plays inside Linebacker for BYU. It is his senior year this year, so we will be going to quite a few of the games. While he was gone, we went up and hung out at my sister-in-law, Lizzy's house for the day. We went swimming, watched part of the football game, and then got a babysitter and went to dinner and the mall.

When we got there, Michael came and put this on Nicolas!

Nicolas and Michael were both swimming without their floaties!!

Our friends, the Johnson's, came to visit from Arizona this weekend. We love it when they come because they stay next door at the McBride's and we just play non-stop. It is so much fun having them here. We really miss them!

These three boys are like "three peas in a pod." They are really like brothers. They surfed together and made some long board skateboards.

The kids played soccer one evening

Matt, Ryan, and Josh resting after a big day of surfing

Daddy and Nicolas

Ellie riding the waves

Matt brought Nicolas back a BYU shirt. He was so excited. He told me that he wants to play football at BYU just like Uncle Kell when he gets bigger!

Luke David Joslyn

My cute little nephew is here! I am going out in a couple of weeks when my mom leaves to help Whit and see Luke. Here are a couple of pictures that Will sent me today.....

Last Week!

So the first week of school was pretty busy for us. Life seems to be getting busier every day now. I am kind of over blogging at the moment. I just don't have time for it. Any free second I find myself reading "New Moon." I've got "Eclipse" just sitting on my dresser waiting to be read! These books are so great! Anyways, last week I took Ellie to Legoland with our neighbor Megen and her daughter Autumn. We were actually able to go on all the big rides that she always wants to go on but never can with Nicolas. So it was a fun day. Then Friday she had a "Teddy Bear Picnic" at school that Nicolas and I went to. But now between school, Nicolas' swim lessons, Matt's soccer, my soccer, and Ellie's soccer, our days and nights are very full! Life is great!

Here are the pictures from the picnic at school

Nicolas and Ellie have been so sweet to each other lately! On Sunday Ellie wanted to put Nicolas down for his nap. She wanted the door shut. I went to peek in on them and found her reading a book to him. It was so cute! I love it when they just do it on their own and I don't have to force them to be nice to each other or play together!

**The great news of this week is that my little sister, Whitney, had her baby yesterday afternoon! This is her second boy. They named him Luke David. As soon as I get some pictures I will post them. She is doing well and my mom says the baby is absolutely darling!