Saturday, June 29, 2013

Princess Festival


Paige got to join her cousins on their very first experience at the Princess Festival at Thanksgiving point. Thanks to Adrienne and Grandma for taking them. We realized we didn't have any princess costumes that fit Paige anymore, but luckily her upcoming Halloween costume filled the perfect slot for a Mulan character. She really enjoyed herself.



Sunday, June 23, 2013

Not trekkies

We were supposed to be with the youth on the pioneer trek this week. Well, we were called as "alternate" ma/pa four months ago and really hoped we would get a chance to participate, since we've never been a trek before. I was looking forward to it. But as the trek date drew closer, we were really hoping not to go on trek, because we were definitely not prepared. Turns out, they didn't need us after all. Frowny face, and smiley face.

So, we did some other fun things instead...

Like celebrating my nephew, Clint's birthday. He was visiting from AZ to attend tennis camp at BYU. We played tennis together on Saturday. He is crazy awesome. But luckily in control enough to scale back his winning returns to let me and the kids play with him.


And, like a family mountain bike race at Round Valley in Park City.
The kids each had their turn in a race, and then Brian competed while we played and had a picnic at the nearby playground.

We were a few minutes late for the balance bike race. Which was really unfortunate because we were really excited for Levi to show off his stuff. But he still got to race the course even though the other kids had already finished. 

The course more rigorous than anything the kids had done in the past.
Paige got me worried because I couldn't see her anywhere. Everyone else had already finished and still no sign of her. I was afraid she had given up and was pouting somewhere. But eventually she came riding up the path. Chatting about all the nature friends she had made along the way and proudly declaring that she never even fell down. 

Ashby stuck with it even though he said he fell down lots of times.  Tough kid!







Worldwide Missionary Leadership Broadcast


 I was privileged to be able to participate in the choir for the worldwide leadership training broadcast. There were over 2,000 choir members - the majority were missionaries from the MTC and the remainder were from Provo stakes. It was fun to sing next to my neighbor and friend, Amy.



One of the highlights was finding my niece, Chelsy in the choir crowd. She had only been in the MTC for two weeks. I felt so sneaky giving her a hug and taking a picture. :)



Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Rollerblading

Yesterday we rode down to the end of the river trail. I went on my rollerblades pushing Levi in the trailer, and Brian and the kids rode bikes - that meant I got to go fast!  I love rollerblading. Last summer I didn't do it at all and I missed it. I love skating as fast as I can and getting in a good rhythm and hearing the swoosh, swoosh of the skates underneath me.

The second summer of our marriage, after Brian had graduated and we had no job, the two of us would rollerblade on the river trail from our apartment in the Branbury. A couple times we skated all the way to the end at Utah Lake. It was Spring and I remember how in love I was with the beauty at the end of the river trail - amazing snow-capped mountains, green farm fields, horses and cows and birds and ducks. I felt like we were in the middle of the Swiss Alps and it was lovely.  Now I can't believe we live right there - amidst all that beauty. And I love to go down the river trail and take it all in again and again.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Paige and the Chamber of Secrets

Paige spent last summer reading the first Harry Potter book.
So, the first book she checked out this summer was Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.


She finished it in less than a week.

Congratulations Paige!

The only trouble is, now she is too scared to go anywhere in the house by herself. Her imagination runs wild and she thinks she hears noises and that the basalisk in going to capture her.

Oh dear! 

Maybe she wasn't ready for Harry Potter after all. 

CELEBRATING 32


I had a birthday, shout HOORAY!

We celebrated with a day of fun.

First we used our coupons to play at the trampoline park, Hang Time.


My favorite part is the foam pit. I love not having to worry about landing any tricks. I love to do front flips and double flips and twists. This time Brian encouraged me to do a back flip. I have never done a back flip in my life....and I still haven't. I was actually too scared. Maybe that will be my goal for next time. :)



We came home and put the little ones down for a nap. Then our neighbor came to babysit so that Brian and I could go out to lunch at Tucanos. Free birthday meal for me and father's day discount for Brian. Score! 



Our next adventure was to the Thanksgiving Point Natural History Museum. I had bought a groupon many months ago to this place and it expired that weekend, so I knew what I would be doing for my birthday. ;)

I haven't been to this museum for several years and the last time was on a $2 Tuesday which was a huge mistake - bumper to bumper strollers. This time it wasn't crowded and we had a lot of fun.









Part of the groupon was a paleo experience where the kids got to use special tools.


They used an air drill to uncover fish fossils in rocks taken from a lake in Wyoming.



And made molds of fossils to take home. A T-Rex tooth and a trilobite.




After a long day of play we came home and opened presents and had cake. I was grateful for nice square pan from Brian's mom and some DIY tools from Brian to help with the list of projects I'm endeavoring.



The cake was a Cinnamon Roll Cake that caught my eye on Pinterest a long time ago. Finally a good excuse to make it and eat it. Yummy!


It was such a lovely birthday. Often times taking my kids to a lot of places is stressful and really just more work than play. But this time, I was happy that everything actually worked out. What a great present!

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Free Night out



We just returned home from a fancy night out on the town. Really fancy - like we could've spent $300 fancy - but the best part is, it was all free!

Last Friday I learned that I won a Facebook drawing. You know, one of those contests that I enter several times a week, I actually won! The prize was two tickets to see the touring production of Jersey Boys at The Capitol Theatre in Salt Lake City. Wow!

Before the show we enjoyed a super delicious meal at a fancy restaurant in downtown called Bambara. The good news is we had a gift certificate which had been sitting at home waiting for the perfect occasion. The bad news is that we were a half hour late for our reservation (due to work delays and a traffic accident) so we had to rush through our super delicious dinner.  Here's what we ate:
  • Grilled Pork Tenderloin, Warm Baby Kale, Crispy Prosciutto, Portobello Mushrooms, Potato Cauliflower Puree, Fennel Seed Butter
  • Morgan Valley Lamb T-Bones, Farro Risotto, Baby Spinach, Red & Yellow Peppers, Caramelized Fennel, Pecorino, Garlic Chimichurri
  •  Blue Cheese Potato Chips

Then we walked across the street to the theater with our free tickets in hand. The good news is that our seats were awesome - 6th row center. Wow! The bad news is that we were up close and personal for all the profanity in the show (oops, we weren't prepared for that). I guess that's how everyone talked in Jersey in the 60's. Jersey Boys is the story of the rise and fall of the band The Four Seasons. The music was fantastic, and I'm still so impressed the high notes the lead singer can hit. But I feel bad that I can't really recommend it.

Overall, it was still a lovely night with my favorite person. Now we can say we have hobnobbed with Salt Lake City's upper crust.






Saturday, June 8, 2013

What I want my kids to learn

The other week Paige asked me what I learned as a kid growing up in my family. I was surprised that I didn't have to think about it very long - FAITH and HARD WORK.

I thought more about it and decided on some family themes that I wanted to display in our home.

  • I want my kids to know the importance of being a family - of working together and loving each other no matter what. A family that is sealed together for time and all eternity.
  • I want them to know about faith. Faith in Jesus Christ and His gospel. Faith that is required in obedience and enduring to the end.
  • I want them to learn to work hard. I want them to not be afraid to sweat. To feel the great sense of accomplishment that comes from a job well done.
  • I also want my kids to know how to have fun. To unwind and enjoy the good things in life that will bring them true happiness. 


I followed a tutorial to make vintage looking painted signs  and it was so easy and fun. I'm keeping my eye out for more wood and wall space and things to write. Such possibilities!
 

Sunday, June 2, 2013

MotoX



Brian grew up riding dirt bikes in the California desert. (We have his old RM80 in our backyard shed and an RM125 waiting for him in CA. Projects for another time of life.) He knows all about the different kinds of bikes, the special equipment and the technique of riding. He misses it.

The other night we drove out to Rocky Mountain Raceway for a spontaneous family activity to watch an evening of MotoCross competition. We weren't sure what to expect, but we had a really fun time. We watched 4 year olds to 50 year olds; first timers to professionals, race up, down and all around the dirt track. Some of them were pretty darn impressive.

Ashby believes he has now found his calling in life. And Brian can't wait to get his old bike fixed to join the "vintage class" of racers on the track.

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Hiking the Y

When we look down the street from our house it's a straight shot to the Y on the mountain. It's a beautiful sight from across the valley. We are always pointing it out to the kids and this year we thought they were getting big enough and told them we would take them to the top.

Today was the day! (before it got too hot).

I've hiked the Y a few times in college, but that was a long time ago. I remember hating the hike because there isn't much shade, there are a million switch-backs and it's deceptively steep. 
But we didn't tell the kids all that. We just said we were going on an adventure!

We took many rests.
Paige kept asking if we were there yet.
Levi kept sitting in the dirt and drawing with his stick.
Ashby kept stopping and saying he wanted to go home.

 And then something clicked.

Ashby was the biggest surprise. From standing stubbornly in the middle of the trail and crying to go home, to suddenly running ahead and encouraging everyone to go just a little farther, we wish we knew how to trigger that happy motivation all the time. He actually ran the entire second half of the ascent!

WE MADE IT!  And somehow everyone still had a smile on their face.

Man, it's scary at the top. That Y is so extremely steep. We didn't venture onto it, but we watched some silly college kids get crazy on the steep, lumpy slope.

 Cody was jabbering the whole time, pointing excitedly at one thing after another.

 We looked across the valley and tried to determine where our house was. We were pretty sure we could see the elementary school and where our street would be.

So, I zoomed in closer with the camera, and sure enough - that's our house!

 We took a minute at the top of the Y to call Grandma and sing happy birthday to her.


Brian continued the happy-birthday-phone-call with his mom during the walk down. It helped distract him from the debilitating pain in his knee. When we stopped to rest and let him catch up, we noticed his leg was shaking, and he finally let go of his pride and let me carry Cody the rest of the way down.

Despite any complaining and scraped hands & knees, the kids all said they were happy they kept going to the top. They can do hard things!

And then we celebrated with a late lunch and ice cream from the BYU creamery. 
Good family outing, but I'm pretty exhausted now.