Real Life

We have officially begun the next phase of our lives. We've entered Real Life in Reno and are loving it. We absolutely love living in a house. I will never again do the apartment thing. Moving wasn't so bad. We had lots of help. Installing the new washer and dryer was probably the hardest part (Thanks Lyle!). Raegan loves having a back yard to play in and has even started sleeping in her very own twin bed. The house is almost complelely moved in and decorated. I'll post pictures when it's finished (baby's room is my favorite).

But most importantly Derek (or should I say Dr. Johnson) has started his new job. Getting everything settled has been a little overwhelming and expensive, but I know Derek is glad to be done with school. I know he'll be a great dentist and we look forward to acclamating to our new exciting life in Reno!

Pretty cool to see it and not just say it, don't you think!

Leaving Las Vegas

May 30, 2011 was our last day in Las Vegas. In general, we were happy to be leaving and moving to Reno, but we will definitely miss a few things (not necessarily in this order):

I will miss Jamie, Raegan will miss Sammy (and Derek will miss Andy). I'll miss getting to see Baby Reese grow up and I almost forgot about Oakley. Raegan loves her too. Here are some pics from our last BBQ at their house. I'm already hoping for an excuse to vacation to Vegas and stay with them (this year's dental convention is in Vegas in October...family road trip?).

We will definitely miss Cafe Rio. The best deal in town. We went there almost once a week, no joke. I am currently drooling for this pork salad. Here's a picture of Raegan from our very last visit.

We will also miss our ward. We loved the Palmhurst Ward. We made great friends there and they were so good to us. And of course, we will miss Blake and Courtney. I was so nice that they lived so close. I know they loved being our go to babysitters! Thank you so much for that. Leaving Las Vegas ends the student/school phase of our life. I must say I'm glad it's over and that we can begin "real life." You know, when you actually make money.

The Happiest Place on Earth

The week after graduation we made a quick, last-minute trip to Disneyland to celebrate and meet Raegan's current favorite person, Minnie Mouse. We really wanted to take a final trip as a family of three and take advantage of only living four hours away from the happiest place on earth before we had to move. We're very happy we decided to go. We had a lot of fun.

FYI - Derek and I went on our honeymoon to Disneyland 6 years ago. Here are some pictures for comparison:

What do you think? Derek looks older for sure, which is definitely a good thing. I don't want all his patients first question to be, "How old are you?" My comparison is a little more difficult being pregnant and all.

Here's a video of the trips highlight. Raegan loved meeting Minnie Mouse. She especially loved playing with her nose and cried on cue when we had to leave. These 2 minutes made the entire trip worth it. Too bad she probably won't remember it, but that's why we got it on video!

This photo is from dinner our first night. Raegan had ketchup that she sucked off her french fries.

On our way back to the hotel she was distracted by this mural. She just stood here for 5 minutes talking to Mickey. Needless to say, she did not understand why we were there. Raegan loved the hot tub once she actually got in (which took 15 minutes).

Disneyland Day 1: When we woke up it was pouring. When we arrived at the park it was still pouring. Luckily it stopped after only an hour or two and the weather was beautiful for the rest of our trip. Our first stop was to see Disney Junior Live at California Adventure Park. Raegan loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. This is here watching intently.

Notice all the rain, but we're still all smiles.

On the Mickey Ferris Wheel.

Much needed nap time, while Dad went on the "fun" rides. Luckily we chose and excellent time to go and the lines were never very long.

Mac and cheese for dinner at ESPN Zone.

Family photo-op after watching the Aladdin show. Raegan loved it and sat still the entire time. Day 1 was great. We stayed late to watch the fireworks, but only lasted a few minutes because Raegan hated them. She wouldn't stop crying, so we headed back to our hotel exhausted after a long day.

Disneyland Day 2: Our goal today was to make sure we saw some characters. Luckily we saw Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto and took pictures with them.

Raegan picked up some Minnie Mouse ears when were first arrived at the park. Aren't they adorable?

Did I mention Raegan hated pretty much all the rides. Well, she did and Dumbo was no exception. She screamed the entire time. She did enjoy the railroad rides, It's a Small World, and driving a car with Daddy, but really the rides weren't her thing. I was quite surprisied.

Raegan's two favorite people: Minnie and Mom (sorry Dad!).

Once again Raegan wanted to play with Goofy's nose.

I just love this picture.

Overall, it was a great trip. Can't wait to go back someday.