You'll Shoot Your Eye Out

Today Cali "cleaned" her glasses, and she "cleaned" them so well the frame magically broke in half. I tried not to go crazy on her for breaking them, mostly because I think she felt worse than I did.

Not to worry, after a quick trip to the eye doctor we found that her glasses have a one year warranty. Wahoo! So, now Cali can "clean" her glasses over and over between now and next February...Although, I think she'll be much more gentle when "cleaning" them in the future!

Bobbing For...

Today at primary activity day Cali showed her best bobbing-for-apples-skills. And by best I mean, she barely put her face in the water, may or may not have even touched an apple, and quickly came up for air, admitting defeat. I cheered her on and tried to turn her into a fierce competitor, but she was fine with not getting an apple.

After she took her turn, I noticed that there are many other things that one could be bobbing for when bobbing for apples. For example, hair...almost every girl who bobbed ended up getting their hair wet which means some hair could have fallen into the water. Spit...several of the kids spit a mouthful of water back into the bucket. Boogers...it's not likely there are actual boogers in the water, but many kids did dip their noses in. And in general, tons of germs.

There were lots of other pioneer games for the kids to play, bobbing for apples being just one of them. The primary presidency did a great job organizing the activities and teaching the kids to play the games pioneer children would play. But, bobbing for apples is just one {of the many} reasons I was not a pioneer!

Let's Get Physical

I wish I were as hot as Olivia Newton John, but even so...I'm still teaching a couple classes at the Rock Springs Family Recreation Center. For any of you in the greater Rock Springs area here are the details. I'd love for you to join me!

Stretch and Strengthen:
Wednesdays 7:00 p.m.-7:45 p.m.
A low impact workout focusing on the strength and flexibility of all major muscle groups, with increased emphasis on upper and lower back strength, core strength, lower body endurance training, upper body toning, and overall flexibility. Exercises and techniques using hand weights, stability balls, core discs, and yoga poses will be Incorporated into this fun and effective class. Exercisers of all abilities and fitness levels are welcome, especially pre and post natal women.

Body Bar:
Thursdays 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
A fun and fast paced workout combining cardio intervals and weight training.

I'll Take All the Help I Can Get

Yesterday Cali informed me that she wanted to clean the house. I told her that she could start by picking up the toys in her room. She then told me that she does not like to "pick things up", she only likes to "shine" things and "swiff" things. Lucky me! There is a lot of shining and swiffing to be done around this house.

A Very Happy Birthday

Yesterday was my 29th birthday and I was overwhelmed by the wonderful phone calls, blog posts, and facebook messages posted by my friends and family. Thank you so much for thinking of me on my last official 20-something birthday. Even my kids let me sleep in until 7:30a.m.! It was wonderful.

While I was "sleeping in" Cali made me a birthday card, princess crown, and taped "Happy Birthday" signs to my bedroom door. When Carter woke up she helped him make a sign too. Then she told him to be very quiet and let me sleep a little longer. I was hearing this whole conversation, but wasn't ready to get up and spoil their fun. Carter got in my face and said, "Mom, Happy Birthday! I need some breakfast!"

Cali wanted to make me a cake so I baked two yellow cakes. They both got to decorate one...for me of course. When Christian got home they enlisted his help.

This birthday cake is a Cali/Daddy creation. Cali wanted to make a picture of me and her, but was having a hard time with the piping bag. Not to worry, a solid year of working in the Costco bakery did not go to waste...and/or watching too much Cake Boss, and Christian created some lovely frosting people. Complete with a "big fat mommy tummy" {Carter}. Cali decorated our clothes and made us "sparkly".

Carter did most of the work himself on this one. He spread the frosting around for a while, and then asked if I would help him smooth it out. He added the sparkles and the marshmallows. Christian squirted the rest of the frosting out of the piping bag into what he and Carter call, "dog poops". They really look more like cat poop to me...but what do I know? They both laughed so hard until they ran out of frosting. We are still eating off he "dog poop" cake today.

As if two semi-professionally decorated cakes weren't enough {and I'm not saying they are!} Christian brought a ice cream cake from Cold Stone home with him as a surprise. He also bought me this lovely dress that I have been drooling over for sometime, but was waiting for the just the right sale. He may have also bought me several other articles of clothing that he is unaware of that may or may not be coming in the next week...

And to top it off, Carson and Nykelle watched Cali and Carter while we went to dinner. The kids had a great time at their house, and Mia survived the kid attack. We ate at the 9 Iron Grill, which was pretty good with great service. It was so nice that if we were golfers, we may have even stuck around to hit a few balls...But we aren't so we picked up our kids and called it a night!

How's Your Summer Going?

Hopefully your summer is going as great as Carter's!

Princess Camp

Yesterday was Cali's last day of Princess Camp. As if this girl needs more diva training! She had so much fun with her "Fairy Godmothers" {pictured above}. They read princess stories and did a million princess crafts and activities. Each day she had to wear a dress and act like a princess by showing good manners and being nice to everyone. That's not hard for Cali! She makes friends wherever she goes, in fact, she said to me on the way home, "I only made four new friends". Four new friends in three days...not bad Cal!

...The Bombs Bursting in Air

And burst they did! Wyoming fireworks are out of control. Our sheltered Utah eyes were not prepared for brilliance. In the short ride from our house to the fair grounds to view the "real firework show" we saw some VERY spectacular residential displays. We felt like we'd seen several Utah style firework shows, before the real one even started. Then, during the real show, we thought that several of the blasts were the finale. Not so! They went on for about 25 minutes and did not disappoint.

We were also glad that Bethany and Tyler stopped by for the excitement on their way home from Yellowstone.

Rice Crispy Treats

My mom makes the best Rice Crispy Treats. I don't know what her secret is, she claims it's easy, but I have yet to replicate the deliciousness. Maybe the magic will rub off on Cali, or at least some marshmallows!

Splash Down

We couldn't leave Castle Dale without at least one more trip to the new pool. I'm thinking next summer I may just drop Cali and Carter off there for a few weeks. They had such a great time, and with 6+ life guards and 2 foot deep water, it was pretty relaxing for me too. On our second trip to the pool we included a couple of our favorite people.

My brother Brandt, of course, had to get in on the photo ops. I was just impressed that he didn't choose to sit right on the jets. Ladies, he's single...

Melissa, Devin, and Parker the cousin {he used to be Parker the baby, but he's really not much of a baby anymore}. Cali took good care of him and showed him how to ride the slides.

Splash Down! Despite the drowning look on his face, Parker really loved the water! He fell over several times and wasn't bother at all by water in his nose, eyes, and mouth. He has some serious swimming lessons in his future...not to mention the pool is within walking distance from his house. Lucky!

An Early Morning Hike

Last Thursday morning we got up early and headed to the desert for a hike. We were trying to beat the heat, and were so lucky that the overcast weather cooperated.

My dad took us to a little canyon on the back side of Big Cedar Mountain. We hiked up and through the conglomerate rock formations where we saw a prehistoric crocodile skeleton. From there the canyon got very wet, which is uncommon for this type of desert. There is a small water seep in the rocks out of which tropical ferns grow. This certain type of fern has not been found anywhere else in Utah. so we were feeling pretty special!

We continued on and saw some petrified dinosaur bones and an old Indian cave. The hike wasn't long or steep and was just the right amount of walking and rock scaling for a 5 and 3 year old. My dad and I had to lift them over a few places, but for the most part they made it on their own.

Since it is so wet in there we found pools of standing water filled with tiny tadpoles swimming around. If we would've had a jar I may have been tempted to bring a few home for Grandma Gwennie. However, I think that would just give her horrible flashbacks of when I raised tadpoles into frogs and then had to release them into the Cottonwood Creek...That's a obviously a whole different story.

It was a great morning, and fun to be out on the desert!

What Do Boobs and Weeds Have in Common?

Since we've been working on our basement this year, we really haven't done much with our yard. I would insert a picture here, but it really is embarrassing. The weeds are growing at an alarming rate, and pop up faster than we {Christian} can cut them down.

We thought about having a few of the scouts stop by to earn some money for their scout camps...But, really, the job is too big for some poor teen aged boys...and I'm sure there are labor laws prohibiting the amount of work they would have to do.

So, today I called a local weed control company to see if we could get an estimate on what it would take to tame this yard. The conversation went something like this....

Me: Our yard isn't very big, but there are a lot of weeds.
Lady: How tall are the weeds.
Me: Oh, like maybe a little taller than a foot.
Lady: Damn, that's nothin' I was working on a lot today and the weeds were up to my boobs!

And that is why we will be hiring this company to remove the weeds. Because, if she can kill boob height weeds, then I am impressed!

My New Favorite

This is just a short break from my SE Utah vacation log to plug my new favorite show. Christian started watching it while we were gone, and now we're all hooked. There is NOTHING not to love about this show. Cake...more cake...and even more hilarity. Watch it, or these guys will hit you over the head with a rolling pin!

The Mayor, a Goat, and a Nap

While in Castle Dale, Cali and Carter wanted to "sit in the mayor chair". So, we made the four block trip to City Hall where they were able to live their dream of sitting in the mayor chair. They approved some resolutions, printed out some beautification regulations, and Cali may or may not have written the words, "Mayor Chair at City Hall" on entire carbon copy notebook of business licence receipts.

Carter had a lot of fun feeding Frankie the Goat. He fed him bread, crust from his grilled cheese sandwiches, and a few Wheat Thin crackers. A few weeks ago, Frankie suffered an unfortunate encounter with his fence, and lost one of his horns in the process. Carter is now convinced that Frankie is indeed a "unicorn goat".

Cali was taking a short "time-out" from her activities {and attitude} when I noticed that it was very very quiet. I opened the door and found this sweetie pie!

Summer Swimming

We've been awaiting the completion of the Emery County Aquatic Center. Otherwise known as, "Grandpa Neal's Pool". The great county of Emery has been working on it for several years, and now it's open for business. Cali and Carter wasted no time getting down with the slides! Here's Cali waiting her turn in line....

It's time to go...Of course, I showed her how it was done by demonstrating my best water sliding skills. The heavier you are...the faster you go.

To avoid a potential ear problem {she still has tubes in her ears} and spastic fake drowning {the pool is only 3.5 feet at the end of the slide} Grandpa Neal was gracious enough to catch her...over and over and over again. She went down the slide a total of 31 times.

Carter was a little scared at first, but after sitting on a few jets he determined that it was safe enough for him to enter. I had to promise him that the water wasn't as deep as the Green River, and that he would not have to dive. After that, he was good for hours!

The Harvest

Earlier this year we happened to swing by Castle Dale on the same day my dad was planting his garden. Cali and Carter helped him with the potatoes, and then proceeded to "plant" the M&M's they were eating. Here's a picture of them planting their M&M's.


Well, miracle of miracles...They grew! When we went outside to checkout grandpa's garden, we witnessed a melt-in-your-mouth-not-in-your-hand miracle. When grandpa asked Cali if she wanted to pick the M&M's off the M&M tree she replied, "Um...do you mean untape them?"

It's All Fun and Games...

Until someone falls in the mud and has to be washed off by his older sister....Screams so hard he blows a huge booger bubble...All while his mother and grandmother stand by laughing and photographing!

Price Dinosaur Museum

The Price Dinosaur Museum is the home to the famous Mammoth found in the bottom of the Cleveland Reservoir in the early '90's. It is huge and amazing, and the most well preserved mammoth remains possibly ever.

The museum is also home to an alligator and a soft shell turtle. The display is supposed to showcase some of the animals that lived during dinosaur times, and are still living today....

After staring at the display for a half hour the caretaker informed us that the turtle is MUCH more ferocious than the alligator, and in fact, killed and ate the first alligator in the display....Noted!

Cali wasn't afraid to stick her arm right in a dinosaur mouth...Carter on the other hand...well, he wasn't having it at all!

Posing on a lump of coal. Maybe Grandpa Carl can submit this to one of his coal magazines?

Digging for bones...

More digging for bones!

We're Back

We made it back from our trip to South Eastern Utah on Friday night. We had the best time, and took a ton of pictures, so several of the next few posts will be dedicated to our adventures.

Grandpa Gus

No trip to Price would be complete with out a stop at the Heirloom Inn to visit Grandpa Gus. We were able to visit with him for a few minutes on Monday {June 29} morning before he was whisked off to the dining room for his lunch. The kids love to see him, pounce him, and find out what's in his pockets. Here are a few pictures of their time together!