Monday, June 28, 2010

Demolition Derby

Our Tradition of going to the demolition derby continues! This was one of our many fun dates 1 year ago this last weekend, and we attended again this year. It was so much more exciting and fun this year!We LOVE the big car pile ups and anxiously wait for the cars to get untangled and detached from each other
This was a really good event when the red car got pushed over. It was a big ol' boy too!
So much excitement as that that beat up car pushed onto the cement barrier had to be lifted off by a tractor and hauled out of the arena

Camping

A few weeks ago Mike and I went camping out by 5 mile pass kind of by the old Pony Express trail here in Utah. Here are Mike and Maya gathering fire wood.

Our new tent that kept us safe from the mosquito infestation
Mike's AWESOME fire pit he built while I got the tent ready. We had a really fun time and are looking forward to more camping trips.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Getting to know us?

I have decided that since our blog is still somewhat new, it would be fun and possibly a good idea to introduce each member of our little family. Suzanne and I have not been married very long so we don't have any children, but we do have a stinky doggy! And today being her 10 month birthday, Maya gets the honor of receiving the first bio of our family.

Measuring in at 26 inches tall at the shoulder and over 3 feet long from butt to nose, weighing in at 75 pounds at only 10 months old she is the biggest baby I have ever seen! Oh wait... she is a puppy... I guess that's a little different. Maya has one of the sweetest, most loving, and playful spirits I have ever seen in a dog. We bought her down in Eureka back in the middle of December when she was not even 4 months old, and she has changed a great deal since then.

Some of the highlights are:
  • Maya chucking her lunch all over the back of my car and her sister Max, on the way home from Eureka.
  • Maya and Max fighting for dominance when they spend time at my parents house.
  • Maya chasing the neighbors cat down the street and into another neighbors backyard.
  • The holes in the dirt in the backyard.
  • Running full speed at the park and knocking Suzanne and I on our butts when she doesn't stop in time.
  • Maya growing so big that she hardly fits in her bed anymore.
  • Getting Maya so wild she runs circles around the backyard as fast as she can, juking and turning crazy without watching where she is going.
  • Waking Maya up early in the morning and seeing her mose around the yard super tired and glomoe'd.
  • Having the kids in the neighborhood over and watching Maya sniff their butts and crotches all in turn.
  • Having Maya make us laugh every day.
  • Getting Maya to bark and run around by making weird faces and motions that freak her out.
  • Having Maya sass back at us when we tell her to stop barking at night.
  • Watching the wheels turn in Maya's head when you talk to her, making you fully believe she understands what we are saying.
  • Seeing poor Maya all drugged up after her hysterectomy and then going insanely wild in the backyard the next day.
  • Missing Maya when we are gone on road trips where she can't come.
  • Maya being so nice and loving to me when I was sick.
  • Having everyone comment on how gorgeous or beautiful Maya is when we take her out or on walks.
Some future highlights:
  • Taking Maya camping with us wherever we go.
  • Having Maya accompany us to the Brinton Family Reunion in August.
  • Continually having Maya make us laugh everyday.
  • A million more things we can't even imagine.
Here is pretty Maya laying on and off her bed a little bit. When we let her inside she knows right where to go and to lay down and wait for us to come love on her.

Here is Maya at the park, she loves coming to the park and running whole hog for a while. She and Suz are pals and love to hang out and rest after running so much.

Neither Suzanne or I can outrun this stinker, she always chases us down and runs in front of us to make us stop running from her. Sometimes she will run 200 or more yards at full speed to catch up to or find one of us hiding or running from her.

One of the best things about this dog is her quirks and weird tendencies. For some reason when she is in the grass she loves to lay down with her hind legs extended and her butt flat like this. I have never seen a large dog do this! One of my favorite things to do with her is when she is like this, getting her to army crawl to me over several feet of ground, it is super cute when she crawls to you all excited!


Two nights ago, Suzanne and I were throwing a tennis ball in the backyard for Maya to play with. She ran around pouncing on the ball for a while but one time she got so excited and wild that she started running as fast as she could in circles in the backyard. She ran around several times and started to circle back toward Suzanne and I. When she approached us, she decided to turn and circle away again. When she did, her front legs slipped in the wettish grass and her whole front end went down on her chin. Since she was running full speed and because she continued to power forward with her back legs, she slid on her chin for at least 3 or 4 feet before getting her front legs going and running again. When I discovered blood on my arm and on my shirt a minute later we found she had a nasty scrape on her chin, hahahaha. Poor doggy gets so wild sometimes!

Thanks for being in our lives Maya, you bring such joy and fun to our lives every day and we love you!

Monday, April 19, 2010

His and Her Garden

Mike and I agreed before we got married that he wanted nothing to do with the front flower garden. The weeding and planting is "not his thing." So I told him I would take care of that area, since it is, afterall, my favorite part of the house on the outside. The plants are small now, but they will grow bigger with time and even bigger next year when they return!

Mike's garden has undergone some serious makeover. Where the dirt and stepping stones are used to be plastic with lots of loose gravel on top. We shoveled up all the gravel together wheelbarrow load by the wheelbarrow load. We had it hauled off by Mike's dad who was happy to use it around his home where his gravel got worn away. Then Mike and his brother spent Saturday get 2 truck loads of mulch and rich soil to mix into the beat up soil that remained after the rocks were gone. Now, we have in our garden carrots and after the last frost we will plant corn, green beans, cucumber, and tomato plants.
We are so excited about our hard work and what has become of it. One of our favorite things to do is to spend time in the yard together. Thank you for all your hard work Mike! After weeks of shoveling rocks and a good long Saturday tilling in soil, our gardens are ready for this fun warm season!

Thursday, April 8, 2010

"...And the aliens abducted them"


Last night during our scripture study Mike was reading outloud and I was next to him resting my eyes listening to the account being read. All of a sudden I hear
"And the aliens came down in a spaceship and abducted all the people...."
I lifted my head and said "What?" Super confused. MIke started to laugh and said,
"I was just testing to make sure you were listening and not sleeping."
I told MIke I was listening and know too well that aliens did NOT come in the Book of Mormon. You sneaker sneak Mike....I CAN listen with my eyes closed. In his defense, it is a common occurrence that when my eyes are closed, my brain shuts down and I no longer listen. Ahhhhhh, good times in the Alexander home. Keeping it real.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Mission Accomplished, kinda

After a couple of weekends spent doing various and sundry tasks in the yard, I was finally able to spend a good amount of time finishing the fence. It feels so nice to be able to go in the back yard and grill or play with Maya or work in the yard and not be so annoyed by the dumbest dog in the world owned by our neighbors. Over the course of the summer I will need to level the back yard and get rid of the divots in the grass.
This is the long segment of the fence, you can see a couple areas where I'll need to fix the divots and level the ground. Suzanne did mow the lawn on Saturday as well so the yard is looking pretty decent. Good job Suz!!


So here is the kinda part of the title. The gate is getting a little haggard, so I'll need to rebuilt it and I'll replace the front of the fence in the front yard next. I was also able to get some of the grass edge on Saturday as well so as to separate our back lawn from the Garden area. Once that is done, I'll need to relocate the gravel from the garden to the side-yard. I love working in the yard and doing these DIY projects!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

My Favorite Facial Product!


This facial product has become one of my favorites to use morning and night. My skin looks so smooth and feels so soft! It really keeps the blackheads on my nose and chin almost completely gone. I used to only use it once a day, but I now use it morning and night along with my other facial cleanser and cleaning system. I highly recommend it to all! It is the blemish and blackhead control. Give it a go! I guarantee you'll love it.