The Rain Tree

Lukes Birthday Pictures

2009-10-05T10:38:00.001-07:00

These are only a few of my favorites. Casey always does such a great job. This place we went to was so fun. They had all kinds of old antiques that you were allowed to use as props in your pictures. Plus there was a barn and a waterfall and a road lined with trees plus an 2 old trucks. Luke had a great time deciding what he wanted to use in his pictures.

Luke turns 4!

2009-10-05T10:24:00.000-07:00

This year for Lukes 4th birthday he wanted only to get Bak-U-Gones (I have no idea how to spell that). And that is what he got. We didn't have a big party, only my family came over for small cakes that were frosted and decorated by the kids. They had fun putting way to many sprinkles on the cakes.

Also, every year Brads work has a party somewhere pretty cool. This year the party was at the Olympic Park and was on Lukes birthday. We told him we were going somewhere really cool. Turns out the girls had fun, but Luke was too small and I was too pregnant to go on most the the cool rides except for the ski lift. While dad took the girls on the zip line, Luke and I rode the ski lift which was okay because Luke had fun.

We also got to watch the skiiers do a show, complete with fireworks.

First Day of School

2009-10-05T10:13:00.000-07:00

The kids were so excited for the first day of school. New clothes, New backpacks, and a new school which means new friends.

Cute kids, Brooke 4th grade, Kennedi 3rd grade, and Trista 1st grade. I thought having them gone all day I would get a lot done, not so. Luke has no one but me to play with, and although I love that he wants me to play with him, it's very hard to get stuff done. So I try to get lots of stuff done while he is at preschool on Tues. and Thursdays, at least for the next 7 weeks.

Lukes first day of preschool with his head freshly shaven, his new light-up G.I. Joe backpack on and wearing his "school" shoes he was very excited to finally get to go to school.

What's This??

2009-07-01T20:48:00.001-07:00

Braces on eight and nine year old kids, what will they think of next?

This last weekend our family got to hike to the "Y" with the cub scouts. Here is the family sitting at the top of the "Y."

2009-03-02T17:32:00.000-08:00

So, it's been awhile, but here I am once again. Just a quick update on what's been going on in our busy lives.

We had our school science fair in January. Brooke and her friend Elsie did their project on Evaporation.

And Kennedi did hers on Electic Motors. In the lower elementary the kids are encouraged to do a project, but everyone receives an award. Only starting in the 4th grade do the kids start to get judged for placement.

Trista's birthday came and went. She wanted Kangaroo Zoo and The Training Table. She got Pretzel Time and the playground at University Mall. This year Trista shared her birthday with Kennedi's company showcase. We spent the evening watching the companies from Center Stage perform their dances.

Kennedi and her friends, Kennedee and Paige in their Hip Hop costumes.

Brooke and Kennedi got to participate in the school spelling bee. There were kids from 1-6th grade. Brooke tried really hard, but got out pretty quick, while Kennedi took 5th place. Good job girls, were proud of both of you for doing your best.

Just this past weekend Brad and I went to the Vanilla Ice/MC Hammer concert at the McKay Events Center. We had so much fun. The concert itself was a bit disappointing, but seeing 18-20 yr olds wear 80's clothing was funny. Seeing as how they probably were in diapers when those 2 were popular.

And then, on Saturday, I went with Kennedi and spent five hours at Thanksgiving Point for her first dance competition. They performed three dances: Hip Hop, Lyrical and Jazz, and they took 1st place for all of them. Their team also took the all around for their age group, and Center Stage took the Studio all around award. They did so good, their next performance will be an overnight trip to Logan in March. Can't wait!

These are the girls on her team, minus two that left before the awards.

Anyways, that's only part one, so watch for the other part coming soon, or maybe not. We'll see.

2009-02-21T09:22:00.000-08:00

Brad released another app for the iphone, very cool. Luke likes to take pictures of everyone and blow on the phone to burn it up. Check it out on itunes.

A Busy, but Fun Week

2009-02-08T15:30:00.000-08:00

I wrote this post many weeks ago, the news is so old, but I decided to post it anyways.

So in the last week we have had many things to be thankful for. First of which Kennedi became the newest member of our ward. She was baptized on January 31st at 3:30pm. She was smiling so big all day and she kept asking me "what time is it," or "how much longer." I love that she was so excited. Earlier in the month when we were talking about getting baptized Brad challenged Kennedi to pray about whether or not Heavenly Father wanted her to get baptized. So she did. She came back with a positive answer that nothing would make Him happier. After her baptism we invited all of our family back to our house for Hawaiian Haystacks and Cinnimon Rolls. It's always fun to get together with family.

At the church right before the baptism.

These two pictures were taken by my friend Casey, great job my friend.

The next Wednesday was Brads birthday. We didn't celebrate to much because I had a parents meeting that same night for Kennedi's dance company, but the kids had fun choosing gifts to give to him and we sang and had chocolate cupcakes later that night.

The Friday following that Wednesday was Trista's birthday. The kids had early out that day, but Kennedi's dance showcase was that day also so we had to find something that we could do that would be but also not to time consuming because we had to be at the Red Barn @ Thanksgiving Point by 2:00. So we went to the mall and got pretzels and cheese dip and played on the new playground for awhile. The kids had a ton of fun.

Like I said before, Kennedi's showcase was that night and her company was so good and their costumes were really cute. They danced big and had smiles on their faces the whole time and really got the crowd going with their dances, expecially with their Hip Hop dance. If I knew how to put video on here I would but until then I only have this one picture.

After they were done dancing we went out to eat at JCW's (Trista's pick) for her birthday with Grandma and Grandpa Childs, who also came and watched Kennedi dance.

What A week! Sometimes I complain about how busy we are, but I kind of like it. Someone told me that it's better to be busy than to be board. I quite agree. Plus I am giving my kids skills that they could potentially use later in their lives.

It's Your Birthday Baby!!!

2009-02-04T08:43:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday Brad, I love you.

Through the Holidays

2009-01-17T13:29:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas. On Christmas Eve grandma and grandpa Childs came over. We made ginger bread houses, and opened presents from grandma and grandpa. They also got new P.J's. Christmas morning at our house was exciting for the everyone. The girls all had really long lists, but in the end they were the happiest with their Peak-A- Barbies, Cupcake Maker, and the Easy Bake Oven. In case you don't know what Peek-A-Boo Barbie are, they are tiny barbies that come in a cases that are shaped like Flowers, Ballet Slippers, Ice Cream Cones, Rubies (or different stones), and many other things. After Christmas we even found one that was shaped like Hello Kitty. I have to admit, sometimes I buy these toys because I think they are cute which sometimes turns out to be a waste because the girls don't like them. But these Barbies are cute.

Present from grandparents: Water babies and blankets for the babies. And Luke got Spider Web with little balls to shoot across the room.

New P.J.'s

Brooke with her Peek-A-Boo Barbie house.

For New Years Eve we had my family over. We ate a lot of food, and played some games, while the cousins played together, enjoying the chance to stay up later that usual (8:00).

Just shortly after the holidays, we celebrated Kennedi's eighth birthday. We went rollar-skating, and had dinner at Burger King (her pick, not mine) and she also got her ears pierced with small shiny flowers. She looks so grown up.

We had a combined Birthday party for the ladies that all had birthday's the same weekend in Brad's family. Starting with Linda (on the 10th), then Kennedi (on the 11th (turning 8)), and Morgan (on the 12th (turning 9)). Kennedi told me that she liked being the same age as Morgan, even if it was for only one day.

Kennedi is a very sweet girl that tries hard to do what is right, and make others happy. She dances on a dance company for Center Stage, and is very good. She has perfected her splits and is getting better at her leaps. She has an infectious smile and laugh that our family loves. She gets a lot of comments on the color of her beautiful red hair, and the glasses she started wearing the beginning of the summer. She loves to make up games with her sisters, and is a great help with Luke when we need to hurry. She always wants to help me cook dinner and is willing to do almost anything around the house. Kennedi is really excited to get baptized, and loves her new white dress, rhine-stoned to perfection. I love Kennedi and her sweet spirit and am glad she is in my family.

In between all of these activities we had the chance to visit the dentist where everyone was declared cavity free. This was also Luke's first visit to the dentist where he cried when he couldn't be first in the chair, and screamed at the hygienist until she let him clean his own teeth with the "spinny brush." The hygienist said he was the first kid she had ever had that wanted to clean his own teeth, so she let him do it.

Now that the Nutcracker is over, Brooke has gotten back into ballet at Center Stage in the level 3 class which meets twice a week. Trista is talking a Jazz class once a week, Luke continues to ask when he gets to start his class, and through the month of January Kennedi is dancing 4 times a week and then it will be back to two times. Kennedi is going to be in the Company Showcase Recital at The Thanksgiving Point Barn on February 6. If anyone is interest in attending, let me know for tickets.

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

2008-12-22T21:08:00.000-08:00

My kids were talking just the other day about how they really wanted to have a white Christmas. In their opinion it would be a better Christmas with snow. Well, I think that their wish came true.

Brad and I shoveled the driveway four different times today while Luke and Trista played in the piles that were slowing getting larger along the edges of the driveway and Brooke and Kennedi made their first, very own "dirty" snowman. They called it "dirty" because they dug into the flower beds and rubbed dirt all over the front of their snowman.

Luke, sitting in his snow chair, I think it's great that he loves snow so much. He is always begging someone to please come outside and watch him play in the snow.

Brooke and Kennedi with their "dirty " snowman.

I am not a huge snow lover, but I do love the way Christmas lights shine from under the snow, and everything looks so peaceful. On the way to a party someone in the car commented how the neighborhoods looked like a fairy tale, I couldn't have agreed more.

Dancing In December

2008-12-16T17:34:00.000-08:00

So this December has been full of fun dancing oppertunities for all of my girls. Let's start with the Nutcracker. Brooke and Trista had the chance to perform at Thanksgiving Point last Monday and Tuesday. Although it was a ton of work for them to learn the dances, they really enjoyed the end product. Brooke had two parts, that of a Bon Bon, and also a soldier. Trista got to play the part of a mouse which was not a part that she would care to have again. The Saturday before the Thanksgiving Point performances parts of the Nutcracker were shown at BYU in the ballroom.

Brooke and Zoe backstage getting ready to perform at BYU. Isn't she just the cutest? She loves to wear her hair in ringlets. Brooke is such a beatiful girl, I love it when she is doing something that she loves because her eyes sparkle and her smile shines.

This is Brooke dancing the part of the Bon Bon at BYU.

Brooke and Trista in their soldier and mouse costumes. I never thought I would say this about a mouse, but I think that this is the cutest one that I have ever seen.

Kennedi's Ballet class had a cute performance in the studio at Center Stage,

And just last night she performed her Jazz number for the parents and friends and family. She was supposed to perform at the Covey Art Center a few weeks ago, but that got canceled due to unsafe dancing conditions.

Kennedi is the one in the front of the picture, not wearing her glasses. Maybe we are just proud parents, but Brad and I both agreed that Kennedi was the best in the group.

We are proud of all of our girls, and their love of dancing. Way to go girls, we love you.

And I had to throw in that we saw Santa at our ward Christmas Party. Brooke is getting to old to sit on Santa's lap. or so she says. HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!!

2008-12-04T20:08:00.001-08:00

I have to tell you that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Christmas. Brad would say it's because I have an excuse to go shopping, but I would say that's not the only reason. I love the lights, the music, the trees, I even love wrapping paper. Something about red and green and silver and sometimes, depending on how it is used, blue.

In our family I am the one dragging out the Christmas tree and setting it up the day after Thanksgiving. For the last two or three years I have been bugging Brad about getting a newer, bigger tree. One that has lots a bushy branches. I got the okay this year but when got to looking there wasn't anything out there that I really liked. I have in my head the picture of a perfect tree and nothing out there matched. Brad suggested that we try a real tree instead, and for some reason I got really excited. I went looking with the kids at a place called North Pole Trees. They found one, and I agreed that it was a great looking tree. We brought it home and set it up, and I am hoping that it will last until Christmas with some green branches left. But I have to say, I LOVE the smell!

Brooke's Photos

2008-11-08T14:08:00.001-08:00

Brooke got her pictures taken (also by Casey J.) on her birthday. We haven't had to much luck with school pictures so we usually get them taken by someone else. She looks so grown up in these pictures. Love you Brooke!!

Our Family Photos

2008-11-08T13:59:00.000-08:00

Thanks for taking our pictures Casay!

2008-11-08T13:12:00.000-08:00

So, Brooke's birthday came and went with a bang!! She wanted to have a friend party this year so we invited 11 of her "closest friends" over to celebrate with her. As her guests were arriving the girls had fun pairing up and painting each others nails, and applying spider tattoos to each other.

After the tattoos, the girls became glamour witches for the evening. They each received a witches hat and a hot pink and black boa (boas are fun, but even now weeks later I am still finding pink and black feathers around the house).

After the picture, the girls watched Twitches the movie while eating pizza and having a pillow fight. I know it sounds weird but these girls could not sit still for more than two minutes and they all wanted to pillow fight.

Brooke has really great friends. I am greatful that we live in a neighborhood with so many girls Brooke's age.

We love having Brooke in our family and although at times she likes to act like the mom and I have to reign her in she is a wonderful girl. She always includes her sisters, even when her friends are over. She is willing to help with house work without to much complaining, and she is polite to others and respectful. She works hard at her school work so she can receive good grades and she likes soccer and loves ballet. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROOKE!!!

AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

This year I decided that we were not going to buy costumes from the store. We were going to put together costumes from around the house and use pieces from costumes that we have used in the past. Boy was that a joke. Brooke needed a new one because she had grown so much in the last year that she didn't fit in anything here, and the same with Luke, he was to big for last years costume and doesn't really have anyone to borrow from. Kennedi wanted to be a bee (Brooke's costume from last year) which work out great when I found these great black and yellow leg warmers and Trista wanted to be a witch (Kennedi's from last year) until I found and made her be Alice, from Alice in Wonderland, which isn't my favortie movie, I just thought the costume was really cute. So my intentions were good, but in the end I ended up buying three new costumes for my kids. Oh well, I guess we'll try again next year.

And I wanted to put this picture on because I think it is so cute. This is what happens when you send a tired kid to the bathroom by himself and then forget he is there.

Sorry Luke :(

2008-10-23T07:10:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LORRAIN!!

I Love You

(this is brad by the way, in case you thought it was weird that lorrain needed self affirmation)

Attention iphone users!

2008-10-21T21:43:00.000-07:00

This is an app that Brad and his buddies made. They decided about five weeks ago to buy iphones and Mac computers so that they could to try their hand at making iphone apps. This is their first attempt, and I think it turned out great. I am so proud of him.

If you would like this app, go to itunes and purchase it for $.99.

Make sure to watch for more apps made by Brad.

(All art work was done by Casey Childs).

We Love U.E.A. (Fall Break)

2008-10-17T22:25:00.000-07:00

I never realized how great U.E.A is. The Fall weather is so perfect. I love to put on a sweater and go outside for a walk or to play at a park, although this year there is no need for sweaters, it has been a perfect weekend. On Thursday my family decided we wanted to go to Gardner's Village to enjoy the activities they were having there. We thought it was the perfect idea, so did a million other people. There was no where to park, not even at the back of the back of the line, so we left. It was lunch time so we went to Artic Circle and then came home. We did stop at this house my sister had found where an old guy was selling pimpkins in his front yard. He had a 1930 Ford pickup that was so amazingly cool, full of pumpkins so the kids all climbed in for a picture.

Aren't they cute?

Then on Thursday my sister in law called and wanted to feed the ducks at the Paul Reams Wilderness park. This was a fabulous idea, we avoided crowds and the kids got out of the house. But let me tell you, these ducks were crazy. It was like they hadn't been fed for weeks. As soon as we crossed the bridge into the main part of the park the ducks came running at us. They wouldn't leave us alone, the big white ducks were kind of scary with how aggressive they were. They knew we had bread, and they wanted it now! The kids loved it because usually when we go to this park the ducks have had so much to eat that they ignore any efforts to feed them. What a perfect day.

All the ducks swarming around us.

Little Jake trying to get in on the action, got bumped down by one of the ducks. (He is half way down to the ground).

The big white scary ducks.

What's Happening With Us...

2008-09-16T21:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, it's catch up time. Not a lot has been happening to us in the last month other than soccer practices, dance classes, and school. Although not a lot has happened,we did have the oppertunity to attened the marriage of my sister to her fiance Angel.

The bride and groom

The bride with her brides maids (in purple) and flower girls (in pink)

The ring girls (Ashley and Rhonda, my sisters new step daughters) Trista in the middle, was a flower girl.

Parents of the bride

A candid photo of great grandma dancing with Luke,

and, Cute little boys!

We love soccer games in the fall when the weather is so perfect that it practically pulls you outside.

Kennedi has been working hard in her Dance company, practicing 4-6 hours a week. I went to the end of her class last week and watched her "perform" their jazz dance. They have only been working on this particular dance for four weeks and I am so impressed by how far they have come. This group of little girls are so good (in part, because they have a fantastic teacher). When they get their costumes and start performing (in January) the other teams better watch out.

And just last week Brooke and Trista made it into The Nutcracker that is put on by the Rocky Mountian Regional Ballet Company. Brooke got two parts, one, a solder, and the other is a Bon Bon (one of the little girls that comes out from under their mother's skirt), and Trista is going to be a mouse. They start rehersing October13th and will be performing at Thanksgiving Point December 9th and 10th.

I am greatful that my girls have the chance to work on their talents and participate in activities that they enjoy.

Happy 3rd Birthday Luke!!!

2008-08-29T20:15:00.000-07:00

Today is Luke's Birthday and we sure had a lot of fun. It started out early with a trip to the balloon store. After the balloons we went and got Brad and went to Wal-Mart to finally bring home the motorcycle bike that he has been talking about for months. It's yellow and blue and has two real shocks on it with a seat on it that is in the shape of a motor cross bike. The store had two bikes on the floor, but they were both scratched up so the nice man at Wal-Mart went in the back and put together a brand new one just for Luke. His sisters gave him a Batman bike helmet that came with knee and elbow pads to go with it. Doesn't he look good?

After that we had lunch at Chuck E. Cheese. We ordered cheese pizza and breadsticks (two of Luke's favorite foods), and then it was onto the games. The games that were a big hit were the Ski Ball game and also the Basketball game, both of which Luke was surprisingly good at.

After Chuck E. Cheese we came home and tested out the bike which he drove off the curb and landed on his head (good thing he was wearing the helmet) and frosted his spiderman cake (the orange looking frosting is actually red) for his family party in the evening. All in all, I would say that Luke had a fabulous birthday. Thanks to all who shared in making the memories.

Luke was born in the American Fork hospital by Doctor Lamoreaux at 1:03 pm. When Luke was born he weighed 6 lbs 13 oz. He was 18 1/2 inches long. Unlike my girls, he was born with his red hair, and it has only gotten redder. Our family loves Luke and he is definitely spoiled, but not rotten.

Some of my favorite things about him are: He can make me laugh, his crazy red hair and his dark brown eyes, I love that he tells me that I am his best friend, he needs to stay busy just like me, he likes you to watch how fast he can run, I love that he can talk in sentences, he never intentionally makes someone sad or upset, and most of all, I LOVE that he is my boy.

I would love to read about any memory of Luke that you have, and would like to share.

Trista's First Day of Kindergarten

2008-08-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe how big all of my kids are getting. Trista just started Kindergarten yesterday at the same Charter school that Brooke and Kennedi go to. It made me a little sad the way she walked herself into her classroom and just started working like she had been doing those things her whole life. She didn't wave good-bye, she didn't give me a kiss, she didn't even say, see you later. She has a great teacher (Kennedi had her last year), Miss Teresa, and I am confident that she will teach Trista many things. I also think that Trista will teach her a thing or two. Good luck to both Trista and Miss Teresa, but mostly Miss Teresa.

She wanted to wear the prettiest dress that she could find. This is only the second best she could find because the first one got dirty while she was eating lunch. Doesn't she look beautiful in her dress posing for the camera with her "cool" bag?

The First Day of School

2008-08-22T15:03:00.000-07:00

This summer flew by so fast for me. Maybe it was because we weren't home a lot, or maybe it was because of the summer class that I was taking, but whatever it was, it doesn't seem like school should be starting again. We didn't think the girls needed a ton of new clothes for school, but they insisted on new backpacks, or in their case sling bags. We even bought some and then had to take them back and trade them for different, cooler ones. Anyhow, the first day did come, and now the first week has gone by. Where does the time go?

Brooke (3rd grade), Kennedi (2nd grade)

The new, cool sling bags

Fun @ Fish Lake

2008-08-15T13:20:00.000-07:00

Our family decided that we wanted one last hoorah before school starts, so we decided that since the last time we went to Fish Lake we had a good time that that would be the perfect spot to go. Earlier this summer we went to Indiana with most of Brads family so we invited my family to go with us. It was so much fun hanging out and relaxing, even the kids had fun running on the trails and exploring. One afternoon we all braved the lake and went swimming for a while. I would highly recommend going there for anybody looking for a quick, but fun get way.

Luke is announcing to everyone that we had arrived at Fish Lake.

Cousins Willian, Alex, Gwen, Bryson and Kyler on the deck of the cabin.

Everyone in the lake, Grandma and Grandpa were around somewhere, but we couldn't find them.

How many kids can you put into one tiny tube? It looks like four.

And what trip to Fish Lake would not be complete without fishing.

Indiana, Here We Come!!!

2008-07-18T14:38:00.000-07:00

We left for Indiana on July 8th, and returned on the 17th. Here are a few of the highlights from the trip...

While we were in Indiana we took a trip to Nauvoo. We stopped at Carthledge jail on the way.

In Nauvoo we learned how to make rope,

We got to dress up as pioneers,

Walk on the Trail of Hope (this is the trail that the people of Nauvoo walked on as they were leaving Nauvoo.) At the end of the trail is the spot on the Mississippi River were they crossed.

Looking out onto the Mississippi River.

and, we visited the temple.

This is the view from the windows of the house that we stayed in, in Nauvoo. Breathtaking, wouldn't you say?

After returning from Nauvoo we spent a day at the world's largest children's museum. The kids had fun digging for dinosaur bones,

The kids were able to build things with Curious George,

Learn about exercising,

Sit on dinosaur eggs.

And ride on the carosel.

We also got to tour the Purdue campus with our personal tour guide Christina. The kids favorite parts were the water fountain shaped like a lion and the fountain that people play in.

The kids did actually play in the fountain, here they are trying to get dry.

All in all I would say it was well worth going. The kids were terrific on the airplane rides, they learned a lot about the pioneers and Joseph Smith. They had fun spending time with each other and getting to know their cousins better. This vacation would for us would determine if the kids were old enough to travel, and we think they are. Thanks for all the fun Christina and Jon, we missed you being there.

If You'd Like One

2008-07-02T18:07:00.000-07:00

On Sunday in WY while we were getting ready to leave Linda was putting together some stuff for her ward on Being Prepared. One of the things she had was a cookbook with many recipes to make only using items from food storage. If anyone is interested in having a copy of this, let me know. We have to return it to her on Tuesday when we leave for Indiana so let me know by then.

Back to Reality

2008-06-30T07:28:00.000-07:00

So now we are home and this is what I have to clean up today...

This was taken after I had already put away some stuff and done two loads of laundry. Thank goodness for large capacity washing machines or I would be doing laundry for days to get this all done.

Question: How does a person go on vacation and come home without so much extra stuff? I don't think you can. Even more so if you have kids. A word for anyone going to WY this summer. Take an extra trailer with you to bring home all the stuff you have left at Bruce and Linda's home over the years. We almost had to leave one of the kids behind to bring Brads stuff home.

Thanks for the good time Bruce, Linda, Christina, Ezra and Anika. We'll see you guys next week in Indiana.

Fun Day in the Sun

2008-06-28T15:23:00.000-07:00

On Friday we went to the pool with Christina and her kids. Brooke and Kennedi thought they were too old for the "baby pool," but when it was time to go they were the ones we had to drag out of the water. The kids had fun splashing in the water and trying to coax Ezra to stay in the water and play.

Today was the Lovell fun run . I also convinced Linda, Christina, Brooke, Kennedi and Trista to join in the fun. Everyone had fun and clapped extra hard when Linda won for her age group.

In the early afternoon we walked over to main street so we could watch the parade. Luke really liked the horses. He kept saying, "I really like the horses, look at the horses, they are so great!"

Towards the evening Brad took the kids fishing in the canal where they each caught a fish except Brooke. She got frustrated and gave up after an hour and a half.

What to Do...

2008-06-26T22:38:00.000-07:00

Everytime we get to WY we always ask ourselves, "What is there to do?" I told Brad since we probably wouldn't be coming up here again (at least for a while) that we should do some things that we haven't ever done. So, this is what we did:

We went to Devil's Canyon. It was a great! I love the view from here. I don't think the kids appreciated it as much. Brooke kept asking what everyone was looking at. She didn't get it.

We drove through the wild horse range. Brad told the kids whoever saw a horse first they would get a slurpee, so they started making things up. Every bush on a far away mountain was a horse. Then when I actually saw a horse the kids couldn't see them. They were kind of far away so they were hard to see, but they did get to see them.

We saw three different groups of horses for a total of around ten wild horses. It was cool. On the way back out of the range these horses were running along the side of the road. The grey horses are the females, and the tan horse is the male. This was also something I had never seen.

Later that day Brad and I took Luke golfing. He did pretty good for such a small guy.

What a great day!!

The Next Day...

2008-06-26T22:12:00.000-07:00

We had to check out from the hotel at noon, and Linda, Kennedi, Christina and her kids were suppose to meet up with us to go swimming at the mineral pools. We ended up with some time before they got there so here are some of the things we did while we waited for them:

You may not be able to tell what the small brown things are, but they are buffalo. There is a road that you can drive on and see many buffalo.

We parked the car and walked around some small ponds that were made by the mineral water running through. The water looked dirty to me, but Trista and Brooke had to stick their hands in to see what it felt like.

This is the Swinging Bridge. The bridge is made to swing back and forth. When Luke first stepped onto the bridge he turned around and wanted to get of. He didn't like the way the ground moved underneath him. But before we left he was running back and forth across the bridge faster than Brooke and Trista.

On the other side of the bridge there was a small walking path that the kids had fun running on. They were excited about the catus plants that they saw, and that they could get very close to the edge because there was no fence to keep them in. That scared me a little bit because my kids have a hard time recognizing danger (like me) and don't know when to step back. Brad made the comment that we would never see that in Utah because everything is fenced in.

After we saw all these cool things we finally did take the kids swimming. They enjoyed the slides the best, but just being in the water was also great for them. Brad bribed me into going off the high dive which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and Luke asked me to do it again, so I did. When it was time to go the kids were all very sad, but also very ready to get to our destination and out of the car for awhile.

A Day in the Car...

2008-06-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday evening our family left to visit WY one last time before Bruce and Linda move to Utah. We saw some interesting things a long the way. These windmills were new to us. I thought these were so cool. They kind of remind me of something you would see in a sci-fi movie.

Brad and I agreed that more places should have windmills as an alternative sorce of energy.

Later on in our trip we stoped at the South Pass Rest Stop to strech our legs.

After South Pass, when we were all back in the car, I turned around and this is what I saw:

Kids don't think anything of traveling anymore. Car rides used to be long and boring with nothing to do but stare out the windows. Now you just pop in a movie and before the kids know it an hour an a half has past by. I am so grateful for electronics.

From there we went to Thermopolis. We got there at 12:00 midnight and stayed at the Holiday Inn. The kids like staying hotels, seeing new things and having small adventures.

What to Read...

2008-06-22T14:09:00.001-07:00

In my spare time I love to read. Where I can remove myself from the craziness of my life and just relax. My neighborhood has a book club that meets once a month. We talk about things that are going on, what our kids are doing, life in general, and then we talk about the book that we decided to read. This month we are reading Peter and the Starcatchers. A book that has something to do with Peter Pan, I think. It's suppose to be a great book to read with your kids. I love books, and am trying to expose my kids to the different types of books out there. Brooke and Kennedi really like to read The Fairy Magic books, and also the Magic Tree House and The ABC Mysteries but recently I bought a book called The Dollhouse Murderers and Brooke loved it. Kennedi really liked the first book in The Sisters Grimm series and can hardly wait to read the next one. I read a book for my history class ,1776, it was a great book, but my favorite book is Pride and Prejudice, and a series by Pamela Aiden: An Assembly Such As This, Duty and Desire, and These Three Remain. If you have any suggestions of books for kids of any ages that you or your kids have liked, let me know, we would love to read them.

A Day at the Dentist.

2008-06-19T16:05:00.001-07:00

Last week the entire family went to the dentist. And we are proud to report that everyone in our family is part of the No Cavity Club. Everyone except for Brad. Ha, Ha, Ha. Just kidding. Brad has never had a cavity and didn't know what to expect, so I went with him to get his filling. I happened to have the camera in my bag from the recital so I took a few shots.

Brad waiting for the laughing gas...

Brad getting the laughing gas...

Brad getting his teeth drilled and not aware of the drilling because of the gas.

He was a brave patient. He decided that he didn't need to get the tooth numbed, and was just fine. I wish I was that brave. Because of this visit to the dentist Brad has decided to lay off the drink runs with his friends at work.

The Sleeping Beauty Ballet.

2008-06-19T15:46:00.000-07:00

Before you start something you should always remember to find out just what you are getting yourself into. Last fall when I asked Brooke what dance class she would like to be in she decided ballet was the one for her. Her class practiced and practiced all year and this last month has been nothing but rehersals, two every week until last Saturday when they had a 4 1/2 dress rehersal that started and ended late, another rehersal on Monday from 2-4 back to the Reagan theater for curtain call at 6:45 and do it all again on Tuesday, twice. It was so much work, not only for Brooke, but also for me. The girls had to have their hair slicked back into a bun with a bun net (I had to go to three different stores to find this), a pair of $17.00 tights, and a face full of make-up with very specific colors, none that I already had. If I had known everything that I know now I might have not let her do it, but silly me, I have now signed her up for ballet 2 for the summer. She really wanted to do this because not many of the kids in her class were allowed to go into ballet 2 yet. This is encouraging for me because with all of the classes that any of my kids have taken this is the first time any of them have advanced. Way to go Brooke. Anyways, enough ranting. The ballet was a huge success, and Brooke performed her part beautifully (her class was fairy attendants.) So we'll probably do it all again next year. We'll see, at least i'll have the make-up.

I tried to take some pictures of her while she was dancing but the dely on the camera is terrible, so here's the best of the bunch.

Pop-Tarts, Coy Ponds & Paper Airplanes

2008-06-09T19:00:00.000-07:00

Luke has found a new food that he really likes. The famous pop-tart. He is soooo picky about what goes into his mouth that it surprises me that he will put this in. He ate three of these things between breakfast and lunch, and he kept asking for more throughout the afternoon. What is it about these things that make him want to eat them? Wait, I know. They are packed full of sugar, and loads of other things things that are not so good for you. Oh well, eat them while you can. Right?

While Luke was eating his many pop-tarts, the girls went to their new favorite place to hang out. At the end of our street, before you enter the street where the houses line the golf course there is an old man that lives in an old house. He has a wonderful coy pond full of Chinese fish. The girls go there and spend hours looking at the fish and playing "Lost" on a deserted island. What a great imagination they have. They took these pictures today while they were out playing.

Sitting in the tree you can almost see them on the branch. Brooke has on a pink shirt and Kennedi is next to her. I think.

To distract Luke from wanting to go to the pond, we made paper airplanes. Kennedi's primary teacher taught her how to make them and we copied her plane. They fly pretty well and kept Luke happy while they were out.

These were Luke's favorite planes. How he can tell the difference between 10 0r 15 of the same design (we only fold them one way) is beyond me, but those were the ones he really liked.

A Finsihed Bathroom, Almost...

2008-06-08T16:31:00.000-07:00

I know that it has been a year and a half since we started remodeling our bathroom, but when you only have evenings and weekends to work on a project this size it's going to take awhile to finish. We have been mostly done for about eight months, but it's the small details that are always the hardest to finish. You will be happy to know that we are one step closer to being finished. This mirror was hung yesterday and I couldn't be happier with the final product. It took us so long to decide on something that we both liked, and came in the size that we wanted (25x40). We looked everywhere around here, but were not willing to drop the hundreds of dollars the framing stores around here wanted, so we went to our source and this was the frame we found.

There it is, in all it's glory. I would like to thank Casey Childs for ordering the frame and also putting the mirror into the frame, he does amazing work. I would also like to thank Alan Childs for recommending Glass Images for the inexpensive piece of glass. I would also like to thank my husband Brad, without his help we would still have moldy blue carpet in the bathroom. So thanks to everyone for making this possible.

Here are a few more pictures of the project, I wish that we had some before pictures so you could see how far we have come.

All of the tile work was done by myself, my neighbor Molli Black and Brad's mom Linda Childs. Brad did all of the cutting with help from his dad.

The diamond pattern above was not an easy pattern, but we did it, and we love it. You can not really see it, but it goes around the bathtub also. The surround for the bathtub was built by Brad and his dad, Bruce as was the wall between the shower and the tub.

As you can see there was a lot of tile work done and we now consider ourselves professional tile installers.

This shower door was also bought from Glass Images. Doesn't it look great? I think so.

Things to finish: Baseboards
Trim around the top edge of the bathtub tile
Fix the drawer that is continually breaking (Luke likes to hang on it).

We bought our cabinets from Kitchen's Direct in Lindon and I would not recommend them to anyone.

Once again thanks again to everyone that helped. We couldn't have done it without you.

2008-06-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

Trista has been asking for the last three months every time it was warm if we could take off the training wheels on her bike. This morning she asked and I thought, "Why not, she'll never be able to do it." So I took them off and to my surprise with only a small amount of help to steady her on take off she could do it.

This is Trista going up the street,

And this is Trista going down the street.

With only a small amount of help Trista learned to ride her bike in no time at all. My kids are always surprising me with the things they are able to do.

And because Brooke was kind enough to go with her, she was able to go all the way around our block.

WAY TO GO TRISTA!!!

First Day of Vacation

2008-06-02T14:18:00.001-07:00

The temp is a 76 degrees, It's the first day of summer vacation, and the kids were sad that grandma and grandpa had come late and gone early (they were on their way to Hawaii, lucky). I was trying to think of something for the kids to do to take their minds off of them leaving. We went to the gas station and got drinks, a special treat for the kids, and when we got back we broke out the Triple Slide Slip and Slide. At first the kids were not sure if they liked this, but soon enough they got into it. All except Trista (she decided she's rather play the new Wii).

Kennedi was the first and it seemed like she was an old pro. On her first try she got herself all the way to the end of the slide. Something she couldn't do last year. She was excited, which got Brooke excited about trying it.

So Brooke had to try it. She opted for the run as fast as you can, drop to your knees when you hit the slide, and then bounce to your stomach. This method got her almost to the end of the slide, and left her wanting more.

Luke, being much smaller didn't try to run and slide, but he and his cousins Olivia and Gwen had a lot of fun running up and down the slide catching water in their faces. Luke also enjoyed crawling on his knees and pretending that he was sliding.

Over all everyone had a lot of fun as you can see by the smiles on everyones faces. Pictured below in order from L to R: Olivia, Gwen (cousins), Kennedi and Luke. Missing: Brooke.

Thanks Slip and Slide for a great afternoon.

2008-05-26T15:04:00.000-07:00

Luke is such a funny kid. He likes to run up to me (sometimes at full speed) crash into me, and tell me that he is my friend. I like that he does that.

This morning we were sitting next to each other and he took my head in his hands and said, "Mama, Maaaama. Mama, look at me because I am sooooo cute. Aren't I cute mama?" Then he smiled a cheesy grin. How could I resist that? I couldn't. So I picked him up, gave him a big hug and told him that he was indeed sooooo cute.

2008-05-23T16:11:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day for Trista. She had her Preschool graduation from her center stage school. She has worked really hard all year and has learned many things. She is starting to read which is fabulous, and she has a lot of good friends that she made this year.

This picture is Trista with her friends from our neighborhood. Aly (hair down) and Madison (hair up). Trista loves to play with these two girls and when they get to play they are really nice to each other.

Kennedi and Trista's dance recital

2008-05-23T16:03:00.000-07:00

The day after we got home from our cruise Kennedi and Trista had a dance recital. They have been taking dance at Center Stage since September. Kennedi is in a Jazz class and Trista is taking a combo class with dancing, singing and karate. They both seem to love their classes.

Kennedi danced to a Hannah Montana song, G. N.O. Girls Night Out, it was very cute.

Trista's dance was an imitation of Amazing Mazie (which is a bird), and her dance was equally as cute as Kennedi's. Trista is the second one on the left in the back row (the one with the crazy bird tail hair).

The girls worked really hard to learn their dances and we are proud of them.

Our Cruise to Mexico

2008-05-23T15:40:00.000-07:00

Brad and I just got back from our cruise to Mexico. Our first day landed us in San Diego where we went to Sea World with our friends Trent and Shara. We got to do a lot of cool things there but the coolest was petting the dolphins.

The roller coaster at the top was also pretty cool, although I have to admit, I was really scared to go on it. I used to love roller coasters, I guess not so much anymore. That roller coaster was also the reason that Brad and I missed our bus back to the ship and had to take a taxi instead.

Here is a great picture of everyone's favorite at Sea World, Shamu!! That is one enormous fish.

This is a cool picture of a the beluga whale. I have never seem one of these before, and when I saw it, for some reason I had a hard time looking away.

A lucky shot of the dolphin jumping over the rope at the dolphin show. I think it's amazing what people can teach animals to do, all for a fish. Every time the animals did a trick they were rewarded with a hand full of fish.

On our second day we went to Catalina, CA and walked around in the city for a while and then went back to the ship for a relaxing afternoon.

The last day was another walk around a city in Mexico called Ensenada. I wouldn't waste your time to go there. There's not a lot to see.

Every night when we got back from dinner there was an animal made from towels on our beds, or hanging from the ceiling.

Crazy Hair Day @ Center Stage

2008-05-04T21:29:00.000-07:00

Trista's other pre-school (Center Stage Performing Arts Pre-school) enjoys doing something fun for the kids once a month. In April I know, I am a bit behind, did crazy hair day. Trista wanted her hair to be the craziest in the class. She wanted her hair so crazy that everyone would laugh when she came into the classroom. She got the response that she was looking for. When she went to school her teachers told her that she did in fact have the craziest hair.

Class Field Trips

2008-05-04T21:11:00.000-07:00

Trista's class field trip to the duck pond and a picnic at the park.

Trista's pre-school (Kiddie Kollege) went on a field trip to feed the ducks at a park in Provo. Afterwards we went to a nearby park a played until it was time to leave. The kids all seemed to have fun until it was time to leave.

Trista is in the back hiding behind a girls head.

Brooke's class field trip to the Zoo.

I also got to go to the zoo with Brooke's 2nd grade class. If anyone thinks that three girls are crazy together, try putting six together at the zoo. These are some of are favorite zoo pictures, all taken by Brooke.

This is how Brooke measures up to the gorilla.

Brooke and her friends on the enormous elephant nex to the elephant exhibit.