{Our Trip to the South!}

This past week we took our annual family vacation to visit Georgia and Alabama.  It was an incredibly relaxing and fun vacation. 

We started out in Georgia, where Mike's half-sister Mindy & her family live.  It has been several years since I have seen JP and Devan (Cal's cousins) and none of them have met Calvin!  It was so fun to experience their southern hospitality & introduce Calvin to his cousins! 

Here is the King clan at Amicalola Falls

Dan, Krystal & Saffron came down at the same time so we had almost all the cousins on the Reynolds side together (missing Katelyn in Texas).  

Our journey to ATL was fairly uneventful. Cal did well on the flight, and barring the incident of him peeing on Mike at the GIGANTIC Atlanta airport, everything went smoothly.

^^^ Kids make everything a bit more of an adventure!^^^

We had a fun family reunion day on Saturday, with everyone going to the "World of Coca-Cola" factory for a tour.  

Calvin getting his first taste of Coca-cola

Little cousins

Meeting the iconic Coca-cola bear

There was a room where they let you sample different flavors of coke from all over the world... There was one called the "Beverly" that was SO NASTY... Cal's face says it all! 

Taking in the sights with Daddy

The Kings

Mike, Calvin & JP in their matching Coke hats

Here is the whole family!  What a fun group of people to spend the day with! 

After our adventures at the Coke factory we enjoyed some tasty hot dogs/hamburgers at a famous Southern restaurant called "Varsity."  We had some great tour guides telling us all the best places to go! 

Another one of my favorite parts of the trip was Mindy's cooking!  One morning she made grits & OH MY GOSH I CAN'T BELIEVE I HAVE LIVED WITHOUT THOSE MY ENTIRE LIFE!  Needless to say I left with a content tummy and the family recipe. 

Mike & I bought Atlanta city passes which gave us the option to see lots of famous sights downtown.  We spent a day touring the Georgia Aquarium, did an "Inside CNN Tour" and perused the College Football Hall of Fame (my personal favorite). 

Here is my favorite shot of Cal - it's so fun to start to see him get excited about these little adventures we go on with him! 

By the Taysom Hill poster!  Go Cougars!

A cool view from the Hall of fame 

Mike checking out some cool "Iron Bowl" facts.  Roll tide roll! 

Here is the fun face painting station they had -- haha!  

And finally, our "Inside CNN Studio" tour.. 

Pretty cool stuff!  The next day we spent with the family.  In the morning, Mindy, Krystal & I headed up to Dahlonega and shopped at a sweet antique store!  I could have spent a whole day there - they have some awesome antique shops in the South. 

We met up with the boys to check out Amicalola Falls - It was cold, but soooo pretty!  Here are some family shots we got at the falls - 

My personal favorite ... Calvin giving sweet kisses! 

That night we ate at a fun Mexican restaurant together - it was great to have that mini reunion with the Reynolds side! 

On Tuesday Mike & I drove into Alabama and started touring different areas of his mission and seeing some of his favorite spots. We stopped in Scottsboro at a store called "Unclaimed Baggage" which is where the stuff that gets left at airports eventually winds up.  It's a pretty awesome store - so awesome in fact, that the local news from Vegas just happened to be doing a special while we were there and interviewed me to be on the news! That was memorable.  It airs in a few weeks - can't wait to see what a goof I look like on TV. HAHA!

This was a lake in Scottsboro called Gunnersville Lake - it was beautiful and even though it's hard to see there were ducks swimming around.  It was a beautiful area!

Here is the ward Mike served in! He said they've added onto the building and it's a lot bigger than when he was there back in 2001.  It was fun to see him in his old mission stomping grounds!

That night we treated ourselves to a scrumptious sea food meal at a place called "Connors."  It was extravagant and extra romantic, until Calvin pooped himself and we didn't have any diapers.  The joys of parenthood. 

The next day we went to the Space Center in Huntsville - it was pretty cool to see the Saturn V replica and learn all about Apollo 13!  

Calvin mostly liked the play area.

Michael in the "Command Module"

Our little astronaut!

After our space center tour we drove into Birmingham.  I especially loved seeing the Birmingham temple -

We also grabbed lunch at the best BBQ place I've ever tasted - Dreamland Barbecue!  It was a game changer for sure.

We drove around town for awhile then settled into our hotel and just relaxed - we had to be up early in the morning to head to 

...Drumroll please... 

TUSCALOOSA!  Home of the University of Alabama. 

Mike was in heaven!  We toured Bryant Denny Stadium and walked all over the campus just soaking it in.  Here are some of the highlights:

View from the press box

Even Calvin was giddy when he saw all the Alabama championship rings (and that's an old poster - now they need to add one more)!

Soaking in their surroundings

Here is little man in Mark Ingram's old locker - yep, we even got to go into the game day locker room!!

Touching the lucky WIN sign that the team hits prior to every game when they walk through the tunnel and take the field

Calvin's convinced he wants to play football here now!

It was an amazing tour and we worked off all that Dreamland BBQ from the day before walking all over campus!

That night we headed down to visit some friends, Noelle & Tyson, who are stationed in Bama - it was fun to catch up with them and spend a relaxing evening visiting! 

We headed back to GA the next day by way of one of Mike's areas, Tuskegee.  We drove past the historic Tuskegee Institute and saw the college/museum where Mike had volunteered for part of his mission.  We also saw the home of Booker T. Washington - 

We ate dinner with the King family that night, and watched in mild amusement as local Georgians worked themselves into a panic over what seemed to us to be the mildest of snowstorms.. Haha! 

It was a great trip - we sure loved to visit family and tour the South!  

{2015: Year in Review}

Sitting here in comfy clothes, still enjoying the glow of the Christmas tree... full of a delicious dinner of take-out from my favorite Chinese restaurant, and watching the Alabama Crimson Tide stomp on the Michigan Spartans.  Meanwhile my sweet little boy is running around in his fuzzy pajamas babbling cute words (Mike's trying to teach him "roll dam tide" but to no avail).  It's been a pretty good day.  It appropriately encapsulates how my 2015 has been - filled with the joy of these happy little moments with my family! 

It seemed like a good time to take a few minutes to do my traditional month-by-month recap! 

{January}

At the beginning of this year we were still celebrating the holidays in Utah.  I have always wanted to go to the Salt Lake Temple to do a live session - we were able to take some names with Dan & Krystal for a special session!  They also made a nice cake and pinata for the occasion.  

We were able to go to sweet Saffron's blessing day the following Sunday before heading back down to Vegas.  Yes, that was one of the best pictures we were able to capture of the two cousins :S

At the end of January I was able to travel back up to Utah to go to Aaron's wedding in Provo!  It was so fun to reconnect with Aaron, Emilie, & Morgan!

And ... my favorite part of the month was watching my silly boy grow!  Here are the "Best of" from little man in January- 

{February}

Lisa came down for a visit in February.  Little Cal warmed up to her quickly & loved his snuggles with his auntie. We even got a fun girls night to go see Lisa Lampanelli perform in the Venetian!  

Favorite family picture was taken in February! 

And the Christopherson clan came for a visit also! Calvin enjoyed getting to know his cousins & we loved exploring the strip with them! 

{March}

This was a big month for Mike as he officially promoted to Tech Sergeant! 

I might be biased but that is one good looking guy if you ask me! 

Another fun highlight of this month was getting to go to NASCAR for the first time!  Mike had to do a recruiting booth there so we were able to get in for free.  Someone very kind lent us these headphones for our poor babe (I was clueless as to how loud those cars are!)  It was a fun experience.

Calvin got a round of shots - not a fan.  But look at that face!

I call this one "the grumpy old man."  Baths were not his favorite thing, although he seems to be fine with them now! 

We also got to travel down to AZ and see our friends the Mulders!  We celebrated Elissa's birthday by getting lots of birthday freebies and going to Top Golf. 

{April}

In April the Pinedo family came our way!  Anytime spent with them is a good time - and usually results in laughing until our sides hurt.  

Best buds Milo and Cal 

Other memorable moments this month included celebrating our 4th anniversary at our one of our favorite Vegas finds - Serendipity! 

And  of course discovering the many faces of Vinny!  He looks like  a Disney villain in this one..

This month also marks the beginning of the discovery that I have the PICKIEST EATER ON THE PLANET!  Most times this is his face when I try to feed him anything...

^^^ Pretty apt description on how I feel about that.

{May}

We were blessed with another visit from Aunt Lisa this month!  We took little man on a gondola ride through the Venetian and enjoyed more sister time.  I'll never forget walking through the Mirage together and Cal throwing up everywhere - Yikes!

The weather was so nice Cal and I enjoyed a walk almost every day this month.

Always a fan of shoulder rides from Daddy!

Frequent visits to Daddy's office have him considering the career path of a PJ already.  He's working on his chin-ups. ;)

Whitferd came for a weekend jaunt and we had some fun girls time downtown!  We ate at Dick's Last Resort (it lives up to it's notoriety for making fun of their clientele, let me just leave it at that) and watched the "Tournament of Kings" show at the Excalibur.

Dan & Krystal came for a trip this month & we captured some sweet pictures of the cousins who are only 3 months apart! 

We also learned the lesson that Fremont street is no place for a baby ... whoops!

We got some great pictures at Floyd Lamb Park as well.  

{June}

This month we had a fun visit with my parents and Quincy and Collin!  We spent a fun few hours swimming at the Rec Center (although Calvin might not agree on the use of the word 'fun' in this context).  

And there was a Jenga tournament that got pretty intense (sorry to post the moment of defeat, Mom!)

We love every minute we get to spend with family! 

Dan & Krystal also came down for a weekend as well - we enjoyed riding the roller coaster and log ride at "Buffalo Bills" with them this visit! 

More cousin bonding!

This picture of us is memorable because it was taken the day my family was leaving back to Utah.  It was Father's Day, and I remember feeling particularly stressed about teaching primary and playing the organ because of lack of preparation.  There was a lot going on and I felt pulled in a million directions.  Mike put my needs before his own and I felt extra grateful that he was there as he always is - even on Father's Day, which should really be his day off!  I'm pretty sure I hit the husband jackpot!!

{July}

What an adventurous month we had in July!  It started off with a trip home to Utah - to celebrate one of my favorite holidays - INDEPENDENCE DAY!  I love the traditions and relaxing atmosphere on the 4th of July.  It is a great time to reflect on the profound blessings of freedom and family.

Lisa was also in Utah so it was a rare treat to have the entire Perkins clan together again.  

Of course, we couldn't resist a trip to Lagoon! 

Oh my goodness I love these kids!  (Clear favorite Aunt status going on here Jana... just sayin!)

A memorable 4th of July BBQ hosted by Grant and Marie.

Perkins siblings

"Ohana means family.  Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten." -Lilo & Stitch

July also marked a month of accomplishing one of my bucket list goals - seeing the musical "Wicked" in Seattle!  My thoughtful husband got these tickets for me for my birthday and so I anticipated all year the wonderful trip that was ahead.  And it did not disappoint!

We were able to visit some of Mike's relatives who live in a gorgeous house right on the sound.  It was fun to meet them! 

These are some of the views from their place.  Amazing.

Also got to reunite with Lisa at this fabulous restaurant called "Chinook's."  

We couldn't resist touring the University of Washington Campus - Mike & I both love to see different college campuses.  The Huskies stadium is on the water front and looks amazing!

We spent a day driving along the scenic Mt. Rainier.

Wahoo!!  Finally got to see "Wicked" at the Paramount Theater.  Mike enjoyed it as well, even though he thought he wouldn't... 

I was also able to meet up with a friend from high school, Kim Waite, who is living in Seattle and singing for the opera there.  It was fun to reconnect with her!

Jim and Marianne were sweet enough to come and house-sit and baby-sit for us to make our bucket list goal a possibility.  Calvin was obviously a fan of getting some Grandma and Grandpa time!!

{August}

Grandma & Grandpa Perkins came down in August - look at this spoiled little dude!

It was a rather slow and relaxing month in the Reynolds manor.  

{September}

I officially opened my piano business in September.  I had been running a free clinic all summer to drum up some business and get into the swing of things, and was blessed with the opportunity to teach some top knotch kids!  Most of them continued on with lessons during the school year.  I teach 22 kids, ten of them in a group setting and 12 in private lessons.  It has been a huge blessing for me and I have loved every second of teaching these kids! 

We went on another Utah trip to celebrate Calvin's first birthday with the family!  It was a short jaunt but while we were there we were able to support Collin in his football game.  We also got to take some fun family pictures with Dan & Krystal! 

We had a fabulous first birthday for the little man - football themed of course!  We celebrated by letting little man smash a cake and watching the Alabama game upstairs and the BYU game downstairs.  Sadly, both our teams lost... :( 

But the loss was off-set by the excitement of our announcing of our SECOND BABY ON THE WAY!  Wahoo!  We were so excited to tell our family and friends that we were expecting again.  We announced it by Calvin opening a shirt that said "World's best brother."  Whether he lives up to that slogan or not remains to be seen...

{October}

Emilie & Landon came to see some family down here - so Em and I were able to go on a pretty sweet Haunted Las Vegas Tour!  I am pretty afraid of ghosts so this was actually kinda freaky for me!  But there was so much Vegas history and spooky Vegas facts that I loved every second.  It was fun to spend some time with the bestie for a few days!

If I could pick my top three photos of the year I think this would be one of them.  Just one of the moments that happened this month that I stumbled upon that made me pretty happy. :)

I also flew up to Utah with little man for General Conference weekend & another family visit! I sure do love these crazy people I call my family! 

The Vinster did pretty good on his first flight!

Went on a hike to Cecret lake with Krystal, Dan & Saffron.  It was cold but BEAUTIFUL!

After the hike we warmed up with a nice dinner at The Lion House and a stunning opera performance by Michelle at the U of U!  

One of our fun family experiences was going to "Scary" Cherry Hill with the Colvins, Christophersons and Grandma! 

Our Halloween celebration was pretty much our ward trunk or treat.  Cal and Daddy went as cowboys.

And for our friends party they went as superheroes.  Mom was a little lame and just wore her BYU jersey this year... we'll have to work on costumes ahead of time next year! 

{November}

The highlight of November was spending Thanksgiving in Vegas with Grant & Marie and family as well as Lisa from Seattle!  We enjoyed exploring the strip, eating ourselves into a food coma, and Grant introduced me into betting on football games (uh-oh).  The boys loved seeing the 'Tournament of Kings' at the Excalibur and the Hoover Dam.  Isaac was hilarious and couldn't wait to take a "dam picture" or see the "dam cars." :D It was a nice laid back way to celebrate Thanksgiving! 

{December}

We started off December by meeting our dear friends, the Aubrey's, in Disneyland! Calvin has a potential future wife here so we are just trying to make sure they get to know each other early :)  We had a blast reconnecting with them and Mike loved all the Star Wars stuff!

This is baby Eva, Rachel and Bryce's little girl!

Sweet kisses on the Santa Monica Pier!

It was also pretty neat this month to have my piano students put on a recital at the Beehive Homes Assisted Living here in Henderson.  The folks loved the recital and it felt good to get into the Christmas spirit by sharing the gift of music!

A pretty incredible day happened on December 19th - the day of the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl!  I blogged all about it just last week so I'll keep it short.  I met some football heroes and had a great time watching the Cougars.  The experience was made even sweeter by family and friends who traveled long distances to come to the game.  Rise and shout!!

Christmas this year was incredible.  We were able to spend it up in Utah with family and it was one non-stop party.  I loved spending some relaxing days at Mom and Dad's after the incredibly busy month I had been having - I really needed the relaxation.  It was great to be surrounded by family and celebrate the birth of Christ. 

It was a pretty incredible 2015.  I am thankful for the experiences I've had and the people in my life.  

Can't wait to see what 2016 has in store!  Happy New Year!!