Snow Day

Finally! We have some snow. If it is going to be freezing cold anyway, I need snow to go along with it. The kids have been dying to go sledding and so the day after our first legitimate snowstorm we decided to go. Andy wasn't able to go to work because of the snow so he hit the store and came home with some new sleds. We went to Herriman's most popular snow hill, and we got there early enough that there was still plenty of snow left to sled on.

Ethan hopped out of the car and went right down the hill.

Hallie went down quickly too, but then was a little nervous to go again.

Dylan went down with daddy and seemed to enjoy it but didn't want to go again.

Ethan could have stayed for hours but Hallie and Dylan didn't love the cold temperature. By the time we left my mouth and chin were so cold I felt like I had just come home from the dentist. Sometimes doing things like this with the whole family can be a lot of work. It takes a while just to get everyones snow gear on, and then you have to go through it all over again to get everyones snow clothes off, not to mention the mess that is now left in the entryway of the house. I sometimes have a hard time getting past these issues, and when the kids ask if we can go sledding or go play in the snow my first reaction is to say "no". But, seeing the smiles on the kids faces and knowing that they have made fun family memories make it all worth it! I will try to remember this the next time the kids ask to do something that takes a little effort.

Rockin Halloween

We had a really fun Halloween this year. It was nice that it fell on a Saturday because we hadn't gotten around to carving pumpkins yet, so we spent the afternoon doing that.

Before we knew it, it was time to get dressed up. This year all three kids dressed up as rock stars.

Ethan and Hallie both have guitars of their own that they carried, but since Dylan isn't quite old enough for his own he got to wear a guitar hero guitar. We met up with the usual neighborhood crew and headed out, and as usual, the older boys made a race of it.

It was such great weather this year that we went to a lot more houses than we usually do. Dylan walked the whole time and never complained about his costume. I think he was a little shocked that everyone was just giving out candy. It was a great Halloween and we all had a lot of fun.

Just Dylan

For three days of the week, for two whole hours, it is just me and Dylan! Unfortunately for him, I usually spend this time running errands, grocery shopping, cleaning the house, or doing any other things that I would rather do with one child instead of three. Lets face it, one child at the grocery store is much better than three! I've been feeling bad for not making my "just Dylan" time quality time, so the other day I decided to take Dylan pumpkin shopping. We had such a fun time looking for the perfect pumpkins and walking through the bales of hay. Dylan is so cute and sweet and I really do love spending time with him. From now on I am going to try to make the most of "just Dylan" because in a few short years it is going to be just me.

Lake Chelan

I just got home from one of the best most relaxing vacations ever! Our generous friends Ryan and Rachel invited us, along with our friends Ty and Emily, to their family's lake house at Lake Chelan in Washington. No kids allowed! Our trip began with a thirteen and a half hour drive, getting us to our destination at about 2:00 a.m.

We were up at around 7:00 the next morning to give wake boarding a try, something that was new to both me and Andy, and we were successful our first trip out!

After that, our vacation becomes a blur of wake boarding, jet skiing, leisurely boat rides, relaxing on a raft, relaxing on the dock, relaxing on the lounge chair, you get the picture. Half way through our vacation Ryan's dad Rod and his wife Cindy came to stay with us. They definitely have perfected the roll of host and hostess and showed us a great time. One of my favorite moments was when Cindy came into the house with a case of Dr. Pepper under each arm and shouted out "Mormon beer run!". We were also provided with enough snacks to feed a small army. Another highlight was some amazing mini cupcakes we were introduced to. If you are ever in Chelan, make sure you go to Blenderz and order some (the strawberry and butterscotch were my favorites). About 70 cupcakes in a 48 hour period isn't horrible is it?

On our last day we competed in a triathlon we had been concocting the entire trip. Couples competed together and the loser had to take a late night swim in the cold water. Event one was a raft ride, using oars, around the far out buoy. Event two was a swim, with life jackets being used more like a diaper, around the close buoy followed by a hand-held run around the house, and then back around the buoy again. And the final event was to pull your partner in a raft, and let them pull you back. Needless to say, we were all regretting our event choices about half way through. Our muscles, already sore from wake boarding, almost couldn't get us through.

Unfortunately, Andy and I took second place, losing to Ty and Emily, however we are contesting Ty's entry onto his raft. If we would have been smart enough to award the winner a prize we probably would have put up more of a stink. Ryan and Rachel enjoyed the late night swim. We had such an amazing time and before we knew it, Sunday had come and it was time to go home. It was for sure worth the long drive and we are already plotting our trip for next year.

Emily*Ty*Rachel*Ryan*Andy*Gina

Thank you so much Rod and Cindy for allowing us to take over your beautiful vacation home!

Goodbye Lake Chelan, hope to see you soon!

the ups and downs of parenting

So, I had a really great parenting moment a couple days ago. Hopefully I don't get too graphic here, but I heard Dylan (now 18 months old) say "poop" from the other room. So I in turn said, "you have to poop?" and he said "yeah" and started walking towards the bathroom. I took him inside, sat him on the potty and told him to go for it. After a few seconds he said all done, but had actually done nothing. So, I showed him the empty potty and said that he wasn't done yet. I then asked if he wanted a book, and he did, so I got him some stimulating reading material. After about thirty seconds of pointing out apples, and keys, and TV's in his favorite book he actually pooped in the potty! I was so excited and made a big deal about it and even gave him a "cockily" (aka chocolate treat). So that was my parenting up. The down came about thirty minutes later when I left him alone with a bowl of oatmeal for about 5 minutes. This is what I came back into the kitchen to find.

You win some you lose some!

first day of school

It finally happened, that dreaded first day of first grade. Luckily, this day was only dreaded by me, not by Ethan. I had a lot of anxiety about Ethan being gone the whole day, and even got a little teary about it on a couple of occasions, so I was a little worried about how I was going to react on the actual day. I was in charge of carpool that week so I decided to let the boys ride their scooters to school while I ran with Hallie and Dylan in the stroller. Those boys are fast on those scooters and by the time we got to school I was hot and sweaty. There was a lot of commotion with all the first graders and their parents trying to figure out which line their child was supposed to stand in and before I knew it Mrs. Knowles came and led Ethan's class into the school. I didn't even have time to feel sad right then, although it hit me a little on the long walk back home. It was a long day so I baked cookies for his arrival home. I expected Ethan to have really missed me but when I picked up the car pool the first thing he did was ask if he could play with friends, and he didn't even want a cookie. I guess it was a much longer day for me than for him!

Ethan * Marshall * Easton

A couple of firsts

The first of our firsts belongs to Ethan.  A couple of weeks ago, while camping and eating corn on the cob, he lost his first tooth.  He was very excited and didn't even mind that his mouth was bleeding (apparently it didn't hurt).  He was especially excited for the tooth fairy.  However, when he woke up in the morning he came downstairs and told his dad that the tooth fairy had taken his tooth but didn't leave any money.  They quickly went to Ethan's room and discovered that the money had fallen onto the floor.  The tooth fairy had left him one dollar and sixty cents.   Ethan has another loose tooth and has been begging for more corn on the cob!

Our second first belongs to Dylan.  At the age of 18 months he had his first haircut.  Dylan has curly hair and I kept it long because I wanted him to be one of those little boys with beautiful big curls, but that never happened.  His curls have a mind of their own and mostly they just flipped up in the back and by his ears.  So finally I decided it was time for a change.  I stripped him down to his diaper, gave him a sucker, stuck him in the bathtub, and went to work.  I think the end result turned out well.  Isn't he such a cutie!

before

after

Our families next first happens tomorrow with Ethan's first day of first grade.  More to come!

Fourth of July

The fourth of July has recently become one of my favorite holidays and it is a time that I look forward to each year.  Last year we discovered that Snowbird Resort has an Independence Day breakfast and we had such a good time we decided to make it a tradition.  We headed up the canyon this year and enjoyed a yummy breakfast in perfect cool mountain weather.

  After breakfast we did a little exploring and then took the tram to the top of the mountain.  Suddenly the cool mountain air became super cold mountain air.  There we were at the peak, in shorts and flip flops, in 40 degree temperature!  Burr....thank goodness I packed sweatshirts just in case!  It was definitely worth it because the view was amazing.

Our night, as always, was spent and Andy's Aunt Sharon's house for a barbecue and a viewing of Holladay City's firework show.

We also celebrated Herriman Days a week before the fourth of July.  I always have such a good time at our little town's celebration!  The parade is just the right amount of time and each entry that goes by throws out some kind of candy.  The kids definitely love this part!  At one point Dylan saw someone throw a small package of skittles, so he threw down the taffy he was holding and hurried out to get the skittles before Ethan or Hallie could.  By  the end of the parade we had two gallon sized baggies full of treats!  

Later that night we went to the park to enjoy rides and a firework show.  I love this time of year and I love to living where my family can enjoy so much freedom!  

Kindergarten Graduation

The big day was on June 11, Ethan graduated from kindergarten.  His graduation program was so cute.  His class put on a fashion show.  Each child dressed up in something that they love and walked along the "catwalk", really the stage, while the "emcee", really Mrs. Craven, told about their look and their likes.  It was so fun to watch Ethan walk across the stage with his tongue in his cheek (this is what he does when he is embarrassed). It was also fun to watch the other students.  I have gotten to know them a little throughout the year while I helped in the classroom.  They also had a few songs they had been preparing and a slide show of all the things they had done throughout the year.  I am quite proud of myself for holding it together so well, even though the "Friends Forever" song tugged at my heart a little.  Ethan is very excited to move on to first grade, however I'm not sure I am.  I can't believe he is going to be gone all day and I know I will miss him.  I guess I will cross that bridge when it comes.  July 27 is not nearly far enough away.

Ethan's teacher this year was Mrs. Craven and I couldn't have asked for a better teacher.  She was so wonderful and got to know each child so well.  I was so sad on Ethan's last day of school and I think that the biggest reason was knowing that Ethan wouldn't see Mrs. Craven on a daily basis.  She was such a big part of his life for 10 months and now it is all over.  Ethan also told me that he is going to miss her too.  I can only hope and pray that my future kindergarteners will have Mrs. Craven as their teacher!

Hobbies

Life for the kids has been busy lately.  Besides spring bringing along warm weather, green grass and blooming flowers it also brings dance recitals, singing recitals and baseball games.  The kids have been spending their time with practices and extra practices and performances.  It has been fun watching them but I have to admit that I am glad it is all over now.  With baseball twice a week, singing twice a week, and dancing lessons it gets a little crazy.  All this, and the kids are only 6 and 4.  I can't even imagine what it will be like when they are older.  I am grateful for the time that we have to spend together as a family right now and I know I need to cherish it while I can!  I guess I am officially becoming a soccer mom.  

Birthday Kids

Hallie celebrated her fourth birthday on March 27.  This happened to be the same day that Monsters vs. Aliens came out so she took two of her friends out for ice cream and a movie.  She had such a fun time being the birthday girl.  That night we went out for dinner and she got to pick her favorite place, The Pie.  I can't believe that she is already four.  She is such a sweet little girl, but also has a feisty side too.  She is definitely an entertainer.  Everything that comes out of her mouth is in song form.  She loves Sponge Bob and Barbie movies and she loves making her brothers laugh.  She loves playing with her friends, going to her singing lessons, and dressing up as anything.  I am so grateful that she is part of our family.  She keeps me laughing and brings such happiness to our lives.

Ethan turned six on April 19.  My how time flies!  My baby is now six years old, is getting ready to graduate from kindergarten, has his first loose tooth, and looks like a big kid instead of my little Ethan.  He is very in to watching big people movies with his dad so he decided to have a spy/mission impossible party.  He invited six of his friends over for "agent training".  They had target practice with water balloons, a race to see who could get their disguise on first, and had to solve clues to find their goodie bags.  It was fun to finally have a birthday party where the kids could actually understand and follow through with games.  That night, Ethan's choice for dinner was The Mayan.  He loves that place, however mom and dad do not! (it's a good thing birthdays only come once a year)  Ethan is your typical crazy boy.  He does pretty well on his own, but when you get him together with his friends trouble is on the way.  He is very smart and especially loves doing math.  He is such a good big brother.  He lets Hallie win at games and absolutely loves Dylan.  He is so sweet and is becoming such a help to me.  I think your first born always holds a special place in your heart!