Gallery Wall {Part My Own}

I have been determined to somehow get a gallery wall somewhere in my house.  With so many windows on our main floor there really is not a lot of wall space and I definitely didn't have anywhere for it down there.  So I finally decided it had to be upstairs somewhere but had a hard time deciding just where. The actual hallway was way too long and intimidating, so I started with the smaller wall, at the very top of the stairs.  It ended up being the perfect size.

This really was quite the project and took me more hours than I anticipated, but part of that is due to my indecisiveness and slow-to-complete project pace.  I am really happy with the final product though and am loving it each time I go upstairs. 

The price breakdown wasn't too bad either.

Frames:  $18 - Most of the frames are from the D.I. (besides 2 that were from TJ)

Spray Paint:  $0 - I used what I already had. 

Vinyl W:  $8 - I ordered it on etsy and had to buy a couple sizes to make sure one of them worked.

Prints:  $2.50 

Total:  $ 28.50

I am still hoping to buy some sort of print for the center square frame, but that can wait.

The Yurt

This weekend we headed up to the yurt again.  We have done this for the past few years and love that it has become a yearly winter tradition.  So Friday afternoon we put on our snowshoes and loaded up our packs and started our hike.  Luckily Marcus is the sweet husband that he is and he packed in some of the heavier stuff so that I could have two pillows stuffed in my pack.  :) 

We went to the same yurt as last year and hiked in with Kate + Jake and Tommy + Rilee met up with us a few hours later.

There was a lot of fresh snow and it was beautiful.  It was also really cold and super windy, but luckily as you hiked you warmed up.  After we hiked the 2 miles to the Yurt we left our packs and snowshoes and hiked on to Lily Lake.  We decided to go through some deep powder and without our snowshoes we ended up completely exhausted. 

On the way down Marcus let me sit in the sled, with my pack on my back, while he pulled me half the way to the car.  So I basically sledded home, hah.  After I got out and walked we loaded up a bunch of our packs in the sled and he pulled those.  I guess that's one of the benefits of having such a tough husband. 

 We also enjoyed some sledding, a huge breakfast, lots of fun games, and just hanging out.  Besides being the worst night's sleep ever, we all had a great time and can't wait until next year!

Week Night Date Night

Last night we grabbed a quick dinner and then headed downtown for a Ben Kweller concert.  The weather was CRAZY and so scary to be driving in with all of the snow coming down and the wind blowing so hard at the same time.  But we made it to the concert and we had a great time.

Marcus has always loved going to concerts and as soon as we started dating that was one of the regular things we did together all of the time.  I am so glad that as time has passed, we still love going to different concerts and just hanging out together.

Like usual, it was a great show.  Very entertaining and all of our favorite songs.

I Love My Valentine

I hope everyone had a happy Valentine's Day!  Sadly I was sick with a cold so our plans had to change a little bit.  By the time Marcus picked me up from work to take me to dinner I was exhausted and just wanted to go to bed.  Luckily I have the sweetest husband who quickly cancelled our dinner reservations (he had made reservations at the Kyoto -- a delicious Japanese restaurant that he took me to on our very first Valentine's together).  Instead we went home, changed into sweats, and went to the drive-through for some quick dinner (two different places--Kneaders for me, Barbacoa for him), and headed home to watch a movie.

I have been wanting to watch Temple Grandin for awhile now so Marcus had already tracked it down from Red Box and had it at home waiting for us. 

This movie did not disappoint at all.  I was so surprised by how good it actually was and I would recommend it to anyone.  It was inspiring but entertaining at the same time and really well done.  It even had me crying a few times, but I quickly blamed it on my cold (watery eyes you know?).  Claire Danes was adorable in a role that would be hard to play.  Marcus and I both thoroughly enjoyed it and were happy we spent the evening watching it. 

Happy Valentine's Day Marcus--I love you!

It's a...

BOY!!!

We are so dang excited.  Marcus was so hoping for a boy so he got what he wished for.  For some reason I have been thinking that this little baby inside of me has been a girl, so when the guy said "It's a boy" I was definitely surprised.  Still so excited though and think that little boys are SO cute and love that my other kids will have a big brother.

I love the idea of knowing now what this little guy is.  It makes it so much more real and so exciting.  The ultrasound was amazing to me and I loved just watching him.  He had the hiccups and was so active.  He was moving around the whole time and loved to suck his thumb and kick his cute little legs.

A few More Pics

Girls Trip

My mom set a goal to go to every temple in Utah.  We were lucky enough to help her reach her goal by heading down to St. George for a girl's weekend and a trip to the St. George temple.

We had so much fun together--just my mom and sisters.  Katie brought her cute, cute Stella and we had so much fun playing with her too.  She is the cutest baby in the world and was so fun to be with for the weekend.  Trust me, her cuteness could not be captured in these pictures.

We went to the temple, ate lots of good food, did TONS of shopping, and just laughed and laughed together.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous.  It was such a refreshing weekend and just what we all needed!