Monday, May 16, 2011
It's Still a Small World After All...Part 2
The crash in the kitchen was a combination of chair & plastic cups. No children or dishware were injured although there was a tiny bit of scolding...and maybe a little timeout. But why dwell...
PART 2 of the Vacation of Wild Abandon
We went to Disneyland. (Cue music...) We spent 3 days in the "happiest place on earth...if you are younger than 12 years old and don't mind the heat and crowds and price gouging". Don't get me wrong...I totally get why people love Disneyland...but I also realized that in my more "mature" years, it is not my ideal vacation. Give me a beach, some chips & salsa, and a comfy chair and I'm happy. But I'm getting ahead of myself...Disneyland.
PART 2 of the Vacation of Wild Abandon
We went to Disneyland. (Cue music...) We spent 3 days in the "happiest place on earth...if you are younger than 12 years old and don't mind the heat and crowds and price gouging". Don't get me wrong...I totally get why people love Disneyland...but I also realized that in my more "mature" years, it is not my ideal vacation. Give me a beach, some chips & salsa, and a comfy chair and I'm happy. But I'm getting ahead of myself...Disneyland.
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| Finding Nemo submarines...pretty cool. And the kids kept talking about cool Uncle Clark and how he got to ride submarines just like they were...I'm sure they are exactly alike!!! |
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| To infinity...and beyond! |
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| "Off With Your Head"...ah, the good ole' days! |
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| Looking at the fast rides... |
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| One of my favorite shows...Bug's Life complete with 3D glasses, a bee sting in the middle of the show, and slimy things. |
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| Cute kids hanging out in New Orleans square. |
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| When you wish upon a star... |
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| Tinkerbell and another fairy...I can't remember her name. I feel so ashamed. |
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| California Adventure...I love this park...my children just wanted to hang out with Pirates and Indiana Jones in Disneyland. |
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| Waiting for the bumper cars...my kids are maniac drivers. We may make them wait until they are 25 years old to operate any machinery. |
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| Zip lines...at California Adventure. There is no end to the kind of fun you can find! |
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| It was in the 90's the 3 days we were there! So hot for Anaheim...we took advantage of every splash pad and mist sprayer we could find. |
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| I love Disneyland at night when it is twilight and all the lights come on. |
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| It really does look magical. |
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| Manuvering the crowds... |
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| Trying so hard not to throw up on the teacups...although I'm sure I wouldn't have been the first. |
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| Meeting the mouse! |
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| And his charming girlfriends...I tried to ask her how things were going with her and Mickey and what was his deal with getting married and commitment...but she was mum on the subject. Matter of fact, I don't think she said anything. Poor mute. |
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| I don't care how long I live or how old I get...this will always be the most frightening bad man in the whole world. I love the Jedi Academy show...but it still scares the bee-jeebies out of me with Darth Vader shows up in person. |
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| This is my second favorite bad man. And children FIGHT these 2 with plastic light sabers. |
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| When the music starts pumping, my children start dancing...no matter where we are...or who is watching...or what outdoor restaurant you are sitting at. |
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| Autotopia...more scary driving. I love going anywhere with my family. I don't like $5.00 corn dogs or $5.00 tiny bowls of frozen yogurt but I'm learning to deal with it. It was a jam packed, action filled 3 days and we played hard. The boys LOVED Space Mountain...I think they rode it at least half a dozen times. HB and I hung out in Fantasyland alot...we loved the princesses and more "gentle" rides. And so ends "Part 2" of the adventures...we have one more part to go. Stay tuned. P.S. The video right after this post was shot at Disneyland where my children broke into spontaneous, unrehearsed dance routines in the middle of dinner one night. |
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
It's a Small World After All...Part 1
*(I'm not sure there is a more irritating song...especially if it has been running through your head for a solid week! The kids begged us not to make them ride that nightmare...and we should've listened. My bad.)
Click this link at your own peril. And just in case you wondered when I learned Japanese, I did not personally take this video. A stranger did...with an interesting sense of what memories from Disneyland to preserve.
WE HAD AN ADVENTURE!!!! And my husband and I were SO sneaky about it. We decided to whisk our offspring away from school, the constant monotony of the rain, and the cold weather and play hard in California for a week. And what a week it was!
It all started on a Saturday morning as the kids were waking up and asking what we were going to do that day. Chris and I had them come into the kitchen and gave them a jigsaw puzzle to put together. They worked together very quickly but with slightly puzzled expressions on their faces. (I think it is a strange statement on our parenting techniques that they didn't question why their parents were asking them to put together a random puzzle when they should have been eating breakfast. They have learned to just go limp and go with the flow. Smart little cookies!)
On we went...next stop...one of my FAVORITE places in the whole world...the McCoy's home! Love the people, love the decor, love the food, and love how happy I feel when I am there! It was wonderful!!! We were able to celebrate Abby's birthday with her...we had a panini party with yummy food and fantastic company. And of course Chris made her a cake. A birthday is just not a birthday without a "Chris" cake! May I also pause for a moment here to tell you a little something about my sister Abby?! She is a remarkable woman. Strong character, determined spirit, patient, faithful, devoted to home and family, dedicated in all things to the Lord and His gospel...she amazes me...over and over and over again. I admire the work she is doing and the persistence and determination with which she does it. Abby has experienced the refiners fire and it shows in who she is and what she is becoming. Watch out world...this woman is changing things one prayer and faith filled day at a time. I hope she can appreciate what a remarkable person she is! A life truly worth celebrating!
(I am appalled that I don't have any more pictures than this...but please pop over to Abby's website for photo documentation...and please ignore the whole "blah, blah" about a dirty house. It wasn't dirty and we felt very loved...she just has expectations that are hovering in outer space somewhere. It was perfect!)
On Monday afternoon, we hugged and kissed our McCoys and hit the road again. Can you guess where we stopped next???
3 days at the happiest place on earth! (And we will pause here for a moment to allow you a potty break and time to digest all this fascinating, spell binding, minute by minute play of our vacation...plus something just crashed in the kitchen.) Stay tuned...
Click this link at your own peril. And just in case you wondered when I learned Japanese, I did not personally take this video. A stranger did...with an interesting sense of what memories from Disneyland to preserve.
WE HAD AN ADVENTURE!!!! And my husband and I were SO sneaky about it. We decided to whisk our offspring away from school, the constant monotony of the rain, and the cold weather and play hard in California for a week. And what a week it was!
It all started on a Saturday morning as the kids were waking up and asking what we were going to do that day. Chris and I had them come into the kitchen and gave them a jigsaw puzzle to put together. They worked together very quickly but with slightly puzzled expressions on their faces. (I think it is a strange statement on our parenting techniques that they didn't question why their parents were asking them to put together a random puzzle when they should have been eating breakfast. They have learned to just go limp and go with the flow. Smart little cookies!)
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| The happy dance followed by a big group hug! |
Now because Chris and I had been so sneaky, we literally were all packed and ready to go. I asked the kids if they had wondered what all the suitcases and packing were about and they just shrugged their shoulders...should I be worried?
Well, we literally jumped in the car and started Part One of our...
SUPER SPECTACULAR ABANDON ALL RESPONSIBILITY VACATION (SSAARC).
First stop...Cove Fort.
Now, have you ever driven a road a million times and passed signs advertising places that you have always wondered about but never bothered to stop and check out? This was our experience driving south on I-15 and always wondering out loud what Cove Fort was and whether it would be worth stopping and seeing. And so we made it a point to stop and explore. It was truly fascinating...well worth your time if you are headed that direction. We had a great time!
We had a wonderful tour by one of the full time missionaries serving at the fort complete with a free toy at the end! It was FREEZING (snowing to be exact) but we learned so much and truly felt uplifted once again by the sacrifice and faithfulness of the early Saints in this area. Their stories are amazing!
Next stop...St. George, Utah.
We stopped to try and find a letterbox that was hidden in a really beautiful park...we tromped all over that park and never found it. But it had an amazing rock climbing wall and some great cactus. I'm still trying not to feel outdone by that letterbox. Grrr...
On we went...next stop...one of my FAVORITE places in the whole world...the McCoy's home! Love the people, love the decor, love the food, and love how happy I feel when I am there! It was wonderful!!! We were able to celebrate Abby's birthday with her...we had a panini party with yummy food and fantastic company. And of course Chris made her a cake. A birthday is just not a birthday without a "Chris" cake! May I also pause for a moment here to tell you a little something about my sister Abby?! She is a remarkable woman. Strong character, determined spirit, patient, faithful, devoted to home and family, dedicated in all things to the Lord and His gospel...she amazes me...over and over and over again. I admire the work she is doing and the persistence and determination with which she does it. Abby has experienced the refiners fire and it shows in who she is and what she is becoming. Watch out world...this woman is changing things one prayer and faith filled day at a time. I hope she can appreciate what a remarkable person she is! A life truly worth celebrating!
(I am appalled that I don't have any more pictures than this...but please pop over to Abby's website for photo documentation...and please ignore the whole "blah, blah" about a dirty house. It wasn't dirty and we felt very loved...she just has expectations that are hovering in outer space somewhere. It was perfect!)
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| Poor Boo wasn't feeling very well and did lots of this..."leper, leper!" |
It involved standing on a very high bridge very high above the ground. My kids kept saying, "Mo would hate this." Can you guess where we are?
After our detour, it was on to sunny, beautiful California. We stopped at Carin and Bill's home where we had a delicious dinner and watched rabbits eat an entire field of grass at the elementary school located behind their home. I have never felt frightened of a rabbit until that night...there is something about seeing that many of them in one place that puts the fear of "bunny" in your soul. It was amazing...and very Hitchhockesque. Then on to our hotel where nobody but the very tired parents slept.
TUESDAY:
The wee ones were up at the crack of dawn ready for the next adventure. And what an adventure it was...
3 days at the happiest place on earth! (And we will pause here for a moment to allow you a potty break and time to digest all this fascinating, spell binding, minute by minute play of our vacation...plus something just crashed in the kitchen.) Stay tuned...
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Out of the office
Cannot wait to share the latest adventure...but you will have to be patient. the adventure is still going full throttle! stay tuned!
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Spring Break 2011
Ah, spring break.
I personally feel that our spring break happens too late in the school year. We have this delightful week off and then are expected to gear ourselves up and go back to school for 6 weeks. I sort of mentally start shutting down at spring break and ramping up for summer vacation. I could use a break in dreary March...but since no one at the school district office has contacted me regarding my personal feelings about spring break, I'll just be happy with what I'm given.
But I digress.
Since Chris is hoarding his vacation days for a little family extravaganza that we'll soon be taking (the kids don't know...it is a surprise...but SUCH a good surprise...stay tuned!) we decided to have a little "stay-cation". I love staycations because we play, play, play but I can sleep in my own bed and use my own shower. And so, without further adieu...I present a recap of Spring Break 2011.
MONDAY
We had a play date day. My children have 3 friends that they adore. Our family has known their family for a long, long time. These kids have literally been raised together. And when they get together, magic happens! The kids played together for 7 hours and I only intervened when it was lunch time. Those are the best kinds of friends...the ones that you can pass a day together with and never get sick of each other! I made cute things downstairs in my workroom and children happily played and frolicked all around me. Paradise!
TUESDAY
It was time for an adventure. I am always looking for the undiscovered wonders of this state I live in. While the kids and I have been lots of places and explored lots of things, there is still so much left undone. I have been ready for something fresh...the old stomping grounds have been run dry. And so I opened my "Fun with the Family in Utah: Hundreds of Ideas for Day Trips with the Kids" (don't be turned off by the 2 star rating and cranky reviews) and found a couple of places that needed exploring. We picked up one of JC's best friends and headed into the wild blue.
First stop, the Fort Douglas Museum in Salt Lake City...a fascinating military museum that chronicles the history of the armed services here in Utah. The museum is located right in the heart of the University of Utah campus and was truly fascinating! We met "Red" Gillmore, a veteran of World War II, Korean, and Vietnam Wars and heard his amazing story of service in the armed forces for that many years. He was so gracious in sharing not only his experiences but some of the unique history of Utah's military forts. It really was fascinating...and this coming from a person who is not usually lining up first for "military" museums.
After a couple hours of history, it was time to do some stick chasing. And so we crossed the street, walked down the charming stone pathway, and spent a delightful hour in Memorial Grove park chasing sticks, throwing rocks and running around. Dreamy.
Of course, no day is complete without a quick trip to Dippidee's Bakery for cupcakes and brownies that are a party in your mouth!
It was a fun, relaxed, fascinating day. My favorite kind of days!
WEDNESDAY
We had a fun trip to the pool with ML and her kids. While it was crowded and loud, there was lots of water, splashing, and things to slide down and climb on. The kids loved it. I opted for a dry chair on the side of the pool and a great book...I also played watchdog as I nervously ran around the edge of the pool doing a constant head count. As we were getting ready to leave, ML slipped and fell near the edge of the pool while holding her toddler. She cut her knee and the baby hit his head. We hurried and got her into "first aid" where the 12 year olds took over...I'm not kidding. One lifeguard wandered around looking for band aids while the other lifeguard tried to fill out an accident report. What follows is a portion of the conversation I had with the life guard who was trying to fill out a simple report...
12 Year Old Lifeguard: What was her address again?
Me: She lives on Elm Circle.
12 YOL: What street?
Me: Elm.
(I watch her write down the word "Elem".)
Me: No, ELM.
(She erases and writes Ellem.)
Me: You spell it E-L-M.
(She erases and writes "Eelm". I'm not kidding when I say we played this game for another 15 seconds of me spelling E-L-M and her writing absurd variations before she finally said...Oh, I'll just fix it later.)
Me: What?
12 YOL: Now, how do you spell "circle"?
Reality is so, so much stranger than fiction. I won't go into the fact that this was the person responsible for saving drowning children...I hope she is better at lifeguarding than she is spelling.
THURSDAY
Chris took today off and we let the kids pick the activities. We spent a glorious afternoon at the Nickelcade. We are so proud of our children and their sophisticated taste in cultural activities! :>) This is why they are only allowed to dictate the activities SOME of the time. After spending a few nickels, we headed down to BYU where we explored all the science experiments at the Eyring Science Center, waved to Chip in his office, bought chocolate covered gummy bears at the bookstore, and then finished the day off with a huge, delicious JDawg hot dog. Culinary perfection!
FRIDAY
Because Chris and I have only been parents for 10 years, we sometimes have overally optimistic ideas about our superpowers and abilities. We thought it would be a fabulous day to take all 3 of our relatively young children downhill skiing. While Chris is an expert skier, I am mediocre at best and none of our children have ever skiied before. And so off to the ski slopes we went.
With a crystal blue sky overhead, balmy spring temperatures, and glittering white snow, we spent a day crying, whining, cursing, and pulling children off the ground in skiis. I'm not sure I've ever been so frustrated...and we were on the "bunny" hill. Sometimes I was laughing hysterically, other times I was biting my tongue and thinking words in my head that I didn't know I knew. For some reason, after a couple of hours of falling down, we thought it would be fun to take the ski lift up the beginner hill. I waited at the bottom with HB who had a mental breakdown and refused to wear her ski boots for one second longer. We waited. And waited. And waited. After an hour, the ski lift shut down and the employees started leaving. I was still waiting at the bottom of the hill, straining to see some glimpse of my children and husband. I watched a snowmobile rush up the mountain and then come down empty. Finally...finally...they arrived. And what an adventure they had had. The whole ski lift had to be shut down when the boys tried to get off...JC fell flat on his face and MC just sat in the chair as it started to head back down the mountain. Then there was the actual "skiing" (or lack thereof) down the mountain. While Chris pulled one boy up, the other one would head at breaknecking speeds toward the big trees before throwing themselves into the snow. So Chris would go rescue that boy while the other hurdled toward the next set of trees. I'm glad it seems funny today. Yesterday, I thought I was going to lose my mind. We are calling it quits on downhill skiing for the year. Nexxt year I will happily fork over my money and sign them up for Ski School. At least if you are pulling whining children out of the snow, you are being paid for it!
But we went home to a beautiful dinner that JC made on the BBQ grill...and even ate outdoors for the first time this season! Hooray for spring!
SATURDAY
We made the children do hard labor at home and in the yard. But tonight they went out with Chris to see another dollar movie...we love the dollar movies. I opted to stay home with my book.
And so another Spring Break has come and gone. It has been such a fun week! I love being at home with my kids and having all the time in the world for adventures and playing and exploring. I haven't missed the homework, packing lunches, soccer practices, soccer games, and all the other necessary details of daily life. Sometimes its nice to just walk away from it all and spend all your time and energy on the happy details of life.
Summer vacation...we can't wait!!!
I personally feel that our spring break happens too late in the school year. We have this delightful week off and then are expected to gear ourselves up and go back to school for 6 weeks. I sort of mentally start shutting down at spring break and ramping up for summer vacation. I could use a break in dreary March...but since no one at the school district office has contacted me regarding my personal feelings about spring break, I'll just be happy with what I'm given.
But I digress.
Since Chris is hoarding his vacation days for a little family extravaganza that we'll soon be taking (the kids don't know...it is a surprise...but SUCH a good surprise...stay tuned!) we decided to have a little "stay-cation". I love staycations because we play, play, play but I can sleep in my own bed and use my own shower. And so, without further adieu...I present a recap of Spring Break 2011.
MONDAY
We had a play date day. My children have 3 friends that they adore. Our family has known their family for a long, long time. These kids have literally been raised together. And when they get together, magic happens! The kids played together for 7 hours and I only intervened when it was lunch time. Those are the best kinds of friends...the ones that you can pass a day together with and never get sick of each other! I made cute things downstairs in my workroom and children happily played and frolicked all around me. Paradise!
TUESDAY
It was time for an adventure. I am always looking for the undiscovered wonders of this state I live in. While the kids and I have been lots of places and explored lots of things, there is still so much left undone. I have been ready for something fresh...the old stomping grounds have been run dry. And so I opened my "Fun with the Family in Utah: Hundreds of Ideas for Day Trips with the Kids" (don't be turned off by the 2 star rating and cranky reviews) and found a couple of places that needed exploring. We picked up one of JC's best friends and headed into the wild blue.
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In the back of the museum was an astounding collection of cannons, tanks, helicopters, planes, jeeps, etc. It was boy heaven! (HB endured it very well.) |
Next, it was off to the Utah state capitol building. I realize this may seem random but we were looking for free and fascinating...and we were not disappointed. What an amazing building! It was beautiful and the kids were really intrigued by all the things that happen there. They kept hoping they would bump into the governor...no luck. But the murals and regal nature of the architecture left all of us a little awe struck. It is a worth a trip to see...one of Salt Lake City's hidden gems!
Examining the House of Representatives chambers...very dignified looking.
After a couple hours of history, it was time to do some stick chasing. And so we crossed the street, walked down the charming stone pathway, and spent a delightful hour in Memorial Grove park chasing sticks, throwing rocks and running around. Dreamy.
Of course, no day is complete without a quick trip to Dippidee's Bakery for cupcakes and brownies that are a party in your mouth!
It was a fun, relaxed, fascinating day. My favorite kind of days!
WEDNESDAY
We had a fun trip to the pool with ML and her kids. While it was crowded and loud, there was lots of water, splashing, and things to slide down and climb on. The kids loved it. I opted for a dry chair on the side of the pool and a great book...I also played watchdog as I nervously ran around the edge of the pool doing a constant head count. As we were getting ready to leave, ML slipped and fell near the edge of the pool while holding her toddler. She cut her knee and the baby hit his head. We hurried and got her into "first aid" where the 12 year olds took over...I'm not kidding. One lifeguard wandered around looking for band aids while the other lifeguard tried to fill out an accident report. What follows is a portion of the conversation I had with the life guard who was trying to fill out a simple report...
12 Year Old Lifeguard: What was her address again?
Me: She lives on Elm Circle.
12 YOL: What street?
Me: Elm.
(I watch her write down the word "Elem".)
Me: No, ELM.
(She erases and writes Ellem.)
Me: You spell it E-L-M.
(She erases and writes "Eelm". I'm not kidding when I say we played this game for another 15 seconds of me spelling E-L-M and her writing absurd variations before she finally said...Oh, I'll just fix it later.)
Me: What?
12 YOL: Now, how do you spell "circle"?
Reality is so, so much stranger than fiction. I won't go into the fact that this was the person responsible for saving drowning children...I hope she is better at lifeguarding than she is spelling.
THURSDAY
Chris took today off and we let the kids pick the activities. We spent a glorious afternoon at the Nickelcade. We are so proud of our children and their sophisticated taste in cultural activities! :>) This is why they are only allowed to dictate the activities SOME of the time. After spending a few nickels, we headed down to BYU where we explored all the science experiments at the Eyring Science Center, waved to Chip in his office, bought chocolate covered gummy bears at the bookstore, and then finished the day off with a huge, delicious JDawg hot dog. Culinary perfection!
FRIDAY
Because Chris and I have only been parents for 10 years, we sometimes have overally optimistic ideas about our superpowers and abilities. We thought it would be a fabulous day to take all 3 of our relatively young children downhill skiing. While Chris is an expert skier, I am mediocre at best and none of our children have ever skiied before. And so off to the ski slopes we went.
With a crystal blue sky overhead, balmy spring temperatures, and glittering white snow, we spent a day crying, whining, cursing, and pulling children off the ground in skiis. I'm not sure I've ever been so frustrated...and we were on the "bunny" hill. Sometimes I was laughing hysterically, other times I was biting my tongue and thinking words in my head that I didn't know I knew. For some reason, after a couple of hours of falling down, we thought it would be fun to take the ski lift up the beginner hill. I waited at the bottom with HB who had a mental breakdown and refused to wear her ski boots for one second longer. We waited. And waited. And waited. After an hour, the ski lift shut down and the employees started leaving. I was still waiting at the bottom of the hill, straining to see some glimpse of my children and husband. I watched a snowmobile rush up the mountain and then come down empty. Finally...finally...they arrived. And what an adventure they had had. The whole ski lift had to be shut down when the boys tried to get off...JC fell flat on his face and MC just sat in the chair as it started to head back down the mountain. Then there was the actual "skiing" (or lack thereof) down the mountain. While Chris pulled one boy up, the other one would head at breaknecking speeds toward the big trees before throwing themselves into the snow. So Chris would go rescue that boy while the other hurdled toward the next set of trees. I'm glad it seems funny today. Yesterday, I thought I was going to lose my mind. We are calling it quits on downhill skiing for the year. Nexxt year I will happily fork over my money and sign them up for Ski School. At least if you are pulling whining children out of the snow, you are being paid for it!
But we went home to a beautiful dinner that JC made on the BBQ grill...and even ate outdoors for the first time this season! Hooray for spring!
SATURDAY
We made the children do hard labor at home and in the yard. But tonight they went out with Chris to see another dollar movie...we love the dollar movies. I opted to stay home with my book.
And so another Spring Break has come and gone. It has been such a fun week! I love being at home with my kids and having all the time in the world for adventures and playing and exploring. I haven't missed the homework, packing lunches, soccer practices, soccer games, and all the other necessary details of daily life. Sometimes its nice to just walk away from it all and spend all your time and energy on the happy details of life.
Summer vacation...we can't wait!!!
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