The highlight of the month was our trip to Kauai with a 5 other couples from our neighborhood. We spent 8 glorious days there and had such a wonderful time. We spent a couple of afternoons relaxing by the beach, but the rest of the time we were on the go. That is how I like to vacation. When I'm in a different place I want to see and do and explore and we did just that. Mike and my favorite day was the day we hiked the kalalau trail. It was 8 miles round trip. The first two miles took us to Hanakapi'ai Beach. The next two miles took us to Hanakoa falls. The waterfall was beautiful and dropped into a pool of water that we went swimming it. After we got back from hiking we went and got the island's best shaved ice at . I got mango shaved ice with sweetened condensed milk and coconut shavings on top. Then to make this day even better we went to Hanalei Bay where we jumped off the pier and played in the waves. It was such a great day. Another great adventurer we went on was kayaking up Wailua river. Despite not getting a good rhythm in the kayak until about half way through, we still had a great time. We stopped about a mile or two up the river where there was a 20 foot cliff that you could jump off of. We stayed for a couple of hours and just had a great time jumping off the cliff. We were also able to kayak to the Fern Grotto, which is is a geological wonder of Kauai. Ferns grow upside down
from the roof of the grotto. It was another wonderful day and we loved our trip.
The boys had a good time at home with all the babysitters. And we were told that they only asked about us twice. Good to know we were missed, if only a little bit.
After that everything else in November seemed pretty dull, but we did manged a few other fun things. Will, Mariah, Rebecca and I went to see Breaking Dawn Part 2. I've seen all the twilight movies now, . I can die happy. I loved the books and I loved seeing them all come to life via the movies. Guess I'll have to find something new to obsess about.
This year we spent Thanksgiving with the Slade Family. Karin, as always made way too much yummy food, but lucky for us we got to bring some home as left overs. Brian and Pam talked me into coming down to Walmart for Black Friday, to get a Ipad, which I was happy to do, but when I saw the 45 minute check out lines, I just couldn't do it. I hadn't prepared myself mentally to wait that long in line at Walmart, so I went home. I now regret it, because I really want an Ipad.
The boys started going to preschool two days a week at a school here in Herriman. They always come out with a big smile on their face so they seem to enjoy their class. Their teacher is Miss Sally.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
October 2012
The big highlight of the month was the boys turned 3 years old. We had a really fun birthday party complete with party games, lots of good food and of course cupcakes and ice cream. The boys loved all the attention and Caleb even cried when Aunt Mariah tried to help him open a present, so I think we covered just about everything. I had two games. The first game was called 'Who's Who?'. I hung up individual pictures of the boys and then some of them together and everyone had to try to figure out who was who? The second game was 'How well do you know Owen & Caleb?', with multiple choice questions about the boys. You can take it and see how well you would have done.
1. Our favorite things at the moment are?
2. Caleb got lost on our trip to Disneyland. True or False
3. At our last check-up (10/9/2012) we were what weight & height?
4. Owen can do a flip on the trampoline. True or False
5. Our favorite thing to do is?
a. Play in the sandbox
b. Ride around on their Big Wheels.
c. Play with their trains
d. All of the above.
6. We are not potty trained. True or False
7. Our favorite show on TV is?
a. Seasame Street
b. Chuck the Truck
c. Yo Gabba Gabba
d. Thomas the Train
e. Most cartoons on Netflix
f. All of the above
8. How often do we take nap?
9. Our favorite food is?
a. Hot Dog
b. Cheese
c. Banana
d. a & c
e. b & c
Answers: 1.a, 2. False, 3. a. Bonus Questions: Owen weighs more and is taller. 4. False 5. d, 6. True 7. f., 8. b, 9. d
We enjoyed the lovely fall weather in October and went to a pumpkin patch with the boys. We carved the pumpkins the week before Halloween. Will bought one of those store bought pumpkin carving kits with the templates and tools. I can't believe what a difference they make. We've all been too cheap in the past to buy them, cause we thought our kitchen knifes were just fine, but let me tell ya, if you haven't tried them you should. They are great. I carved such a good pumpkin that a couple of days after I put it out, a deer ate it. Dumb deer.
Mike's boss invited my Dad to a BYU game and in turn my dad invited us. We had a good time, would have been better if BYU won, but what do you do.
Mariah & Nick hosted the annual Halloween fondue party. Every one came in costume and they were very creative. The food, as always, was delicious. We played a couple of rounds of Taboo.
We also went to a Halloween/Trunk or Treat Party at the church. We dressed up as Goldilocks and the three bears. They had a little spook alley and some games for the kids and lots and lots of candy. It's the middle of November and we still have two bags full. I'm going to have to pawn it off on some kids.
The Barkers invited us over again for soup and to go trick or treating in their neighborhood. The boys loved pushing people's door bells. I can't believe how much fun I had. It was the excitement of it all, wondering what houses would give out full size candy bars and making sure we hit as many as we could so we could increase our odds. I didn't even want the candy to eat, I just liked the thrill. (I know I need to get out more.)
Funny story about Owen: Mariah was tending the boys once and she said they could play her ipad. Owen always plays it first and isn't very good about sharing it, so she said she was going to let Caleb play it first this time. Owen spoke right up and said, "I'm Caleb", so that he could play it. Then another time Mariah said she saw him kissing it. Whenever we go over now, he asks, "play ipad" when we get there.
1. Our favorite things at the moment are?
a. Big Trucks & Fire Engines
b. Dinosaurs
c. Anything having to do with Halloween
d. Sports & Balls
2. Caleb got lost on our trip to Disneyland. True or False
3. At our last check-up (10/9/2012) we were what weight & height?
a. 36lbs & 40 in. / 38lbs & 41 in.
b. 40 lbs & 42.1 in. / 35lbs & 41 in.
c. 32 lbs & 44 in. / 40lbs & 39.3
Bonus Questions: Who weighs more? Who is taller?4. Owen can do a flip on the trampoline. True or False
5. Our favorite thing to do is?
a. Play in the sandbox
b. Ride around on their Big Wheels.
c. Play with their trains
d. All of the above.
6. We are not potty trained. True or False
7. Our favorite show on TV is?
a. Seasame Street
b. Chuck the Truck
c. Yo Gabba Gabba
d. Thomas the Train
e. Most cartoons on Netflix
f. All of the above
8. How often do we take nap?
a. Everyday. Come on we are growing boys and need our sleep.
b. One every 2-3 days
c. We stopped taking naps. We are running on pure adrenaline.
9. Our favorite food is?
a. Hot Dog
b. Cheese
c. Banana
d. a & c
e. b & c
Answers: 1.a, 2. False, 3. a. Bonus Questions: Owen weighs more and is taller. 4. False 5. d, 6. True 7. f., 8. b, 9. d
We enjoyed the lovely fall weather in October and went to a pumpkin patch with the boys. We carved the pumpkins the week before Halloween. Will bought one of those store bought pumpkin carving kits with the templates and tools. I can't believe what a difference they make. We've all been too cheap in the past to buy them, cause we thought our kitchen knifes were just fine, but let me tell ya, if you haven't tried them you should. They are great. I carved such a good pumpkin that a couple of days after I put it out, a deer ate it. Dumb deer.
Mike's boss invited my Dad to a BYU game and in turn my dad invited us. We had a good time, would have been better if BYU won, but what do you do.
Mariah & Nick hosted the annual Halloween fondue party. Every one came in costume and they were very creative. The food, as always, was delicious. We played a couple of rounds of Taboo.
We also went to a Halloween/Trunk or Treat Party at the church. We dressed up as Goldilocks and the three bears. They had a little spook alley and some games for the kids and lots and lots of candy. It's the middle of November and we still have two bags full. I'm going to have to pawn it off on some kids.
The Barkers invited us over again for soup and to go trick or treating in their neighborhood. The boys loved pushing people's door bells. I can't believe how much fun I had. It was the excitement of it all, wondering what houses would give out full size candy bars and making sure we hit as many as we could so we could increase our odds. I didn't even want the candy to eat, I just liked the thrill. (I know I need to get out more.)
Funny story about Owen: Mariah was tending the boys once and she said they could play her ipad. Owen always plays it first and isn't very good about sharing it, so she said she was going to let Caleb play it first this time. Owen spoke right up and said, "I'm Caleb", so that he could play it. Then another time Mariah said she saw him kissing it. Whenever we go over now, he asks, "play ipad" when we get there.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
September 2012
We attempted to potty train the boys this month.I tried the 24 hour method and did it with both of them. It didn't got so well. First day was as expected, some accidents but some successes in the potty. Second day, lots of accidents, very few successes and a accident that left Owen outside crying, where he wet himself, me cleaning up some pee that Owen has dragged a book through after I specifically asked him not too, Caleb sitting on the potty crying because I just didn't know where to put him and Mike coming home during the middle of all this and saying it was time to quit potty training (he is usually extremely helpful, this was not one of those times). Third day, they were started telling me "no" and were refusing to sit on the potty. I keep hearing 'when the time is right, they will just get it'. Apparently our timing wasn't right. They are back in diapers and we will try again in a few months.
We had a fun Labor Day barbeque at Lisa's house. It started at 2 and we didn't leave until about 7. We loved hanging out with the family and the boys loved playing. That weekend, we celebrated Will's birthday by eating a yummy dinner and cake at his house and going to Fizz Feast at Soda Row in Daybreak. They had a fire engine that the boys were able to climb inside, they thought that was pretty cool.
The boys are doing playschool with some other kids from the neighborhood. It is like preschool. All the moms take a turn teaching the class, hosting a party or planning a field trip. We went to Thanksgiving Point for one class and visited Farm Country. I bought some animal feed and the boys thought that was really fun feeding the animals. They loved it when the animals would lick their hands. They were also able to take a ride on a pony and a tractor ride around the farm. We saw all sorts of farm animals and they knew what most of them were. Each class, they learn a new letter and number and then the lesson is on dinosaurs or weather, music or manner, etc... there is a craft and treats and of course lots of playing. They seem like they have a really good time. Also, is it just me or do kids seem smarter than when we were growing up? They are learning their ABC's and they are two years old. I swear I don't have much to do with it. (I try a little with reading and playing, but I must admit, I'm kind of lazy). It must come from Mike, because he's smart too.
Here is a story that proves my point. We have this page in a train book that the boys love reading, they point to each car and say what it is. They start from the back and go forward. Caleb, points to each car and tells me what it is and spells it out if it has a word on it. He is getting good at knowing his letters. Here is the order of the cards. Caboose, yellow truck, l-o-a-c (coal car) o-1-l (for oil car) banana, square (for the door) and then he spells the word b-a-n-a-n-a-s. It is so cute. He is getting so smart.
Mike's grandma turned 91 this month, so we had a birthday party for her at the park. As always it was yummy food and good company. However the hit of the night was when Dean got out the rockets and was shooting them up in the air. The kids loved it, the adults too. He would have all the kids count down. 5...4...3...2...1 Blast Off. The boys were loving it, they had the biggest smiles on their faced and looked up in the air to see where the rocket was and where it would land. One of the times it blew a little off course and Dean had to go look in someone's back yard. He had a trail of kids following him, they all wanted to be in on the adventure.
This was the 'on' year for canning for me. I always do it and tell myself I won't do it again, but about every 5 or 6 years, I seem to run out of canned goods and I always find myself canning again. This year I decided to go big. I helped can over 175 jars of food. I canned about 130 with Lisa, Pam and Mariah. We made sweet pepper relish and pizza sauce. Then I canned apple sauce with my friend Suzanne Anderson. She had an apple tree and I picked about 3 big boxes full off Jim & Karin's tree. And last I canned salsa with Shannon & Colleen Barker. Wow, that was a lot of canning, but boy does our food storage look good.
Fall is in the air. I love this time of year. It is so magical and I'm so excited for all the holidays.
We had a fun Labor Day barbeque at Lisa's house. It started at 2 and we didn't leave until about 7. We loved hanging out with the family and the boys loved playing. That weekend, we celebrated Will's birthday by eating a yummy dinner and cake at his house and going to Fizz Feast at Soda Row in Daybreak. They had a fire engine that the boys were able to climb inside, they thought that was pretty cool.
The boys are doing playschool with some other kids from the neighborhood. It is like preschool. All the moms take a turn teaching the class, hosting a party or planning a field trip. We went to Thanksgiving Point for one class and visited Farm Country. I bought some animal feed and the boys thought that was really fun feeding the animals. They loved it when the animals would lick their hands. They were also able to take a ride on a pony and a tractor ride around the farm. We saw all sorts of farm animals and they knew what most of them were. Each class, they learn a new letter and number and then the lesson is on dinosaurs or weather, music or manner, etc... there is a craft and treats and of course lots of playing. They seem like they have a really good time. Also, is it just me or do kids seem smarter than when we were growing up? They are learning their ABC's and they are two years old. I swear I don't have much to do with it. (I try a little with reading and playing, but I must admit, I'm kind of lazy). It must come from Mike, because he's smart too.
Here is a story that proves my point. We have this page in a train book that the boys love reading, they point to each car and say what it is. They start from the back and go forward. Caleb, points to each car and tells me what it is and spells it out if it has a word on it. He is getting good at knowing his letters. Here is the order of the cards. Caboose, yellow truck, l-o-a-c (coal car) o-1-l (for oil car) banana, square (for the door) and then he spells the word b-a-n-a-n-a-s. It is so cute. He is getting so smart.
Mike's grandma turned 91 this month, so we had a birthday party for her at the park. As always it was yummy food and good company. However the hit of the night was when Dean got out the rockets and was shooting them up in the air. The kids loved it, the adults too. He would have all the kids count down. 5...4...3...2...1 Blast Off. The boys were loving it, they had the biggest smiles on their faced and looked up in the air to see where the rocket was and where it would land. One of the times it blew a little off course and Dean had to go look in someone's back yard. He had a trail of kids following him, they all wanted to be in on the adventure.
This was the 'on' year for canning for me. I always do it and tell myself I won't do it again, but about every 5 or 6 years, I seem to run out of canned goods and I always find myself canning again. This year I decided to go big. I helped can over 175 jars of food. I canned about 130 with Lisa, Pam and Mariah. We made sweet pepper relish and pizza sauce. Then I canned apple sauce with my friend Suzanne Anderson. She had an apple tree and I picked about 3 big boxes full off Jim & Karin's tree. And last I canned salsa with Shannon & Colleen Barker. Wow, that was a lot of canning, but boy does our food storage look good.
Fall is in the air. I love this time of year. It is so magical and I'm so excited for all the holidays.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
August 2012
We had a fun August. During the middle of the month we spent a 5 days up at the Cabin with our friends the Anderson's. It was the first time we've taken the boys and they seemed to have a great time. We rode on the boat and went wake boarding and took the boys tubing, jumped off the rope swing, which is becoming one of my favorite things to do, hiked down to Sylvan Bay with the boys, where they splashed around in the water and had a great time throwing rocks, went into town and played at the park, took a short hike along Half Moon Lake, watched movies, rode on the 4 wheelers, ate delicious food, played games, and had a wonderful time with our friends. One afternoon, we were sitting out on the lake and Owen was on the deck trying to fill up his pail with water and a little wave hit the boat and knocked him in. I always give out a little shriek, from the cold, when I first jump in, and Owen was no different, he came up crying. Welcome to Fremont Lake. It was his first time in the water. We got him all dried off and all was good again.
We had a yard sale the end of July to get rid of all the stuff that was at my dad's house on 13th east. We had a great turn out and made $1100. We were literally just selling junk to people, but I guess 'one mans trash is another mans treasure'. The house looked great and despite all the furniture being gone, it still feels like home there. My mom had a few trunks that she kept up in the storage room and in August, we got together with Aunt Barbara and gave them to her. The contents were mostly old letters from before any of us were born and we didn't know what to do with them, but we didn't want to throw them away. We know Aunt Barbara will take good care of them.
One of the many things that I am sad about having to do with my mom's death, is that we don't go out to Vernal. It make me so sad that my kids aren't going to have the wonderful experiences and know Vernal like I did. I love all my memories from out there; running in the house right when we arrived and giving Grandma and Grandpa Hacking a hug, playing with my cousins in the yard and swinging on the tree swing, going swimming in the canal and highline. Anytime I bite into a beet, all those memories come flooding back, the taste and smell of that vegetable remind me so much of my Grandma and take me back to being a kid in Vernal. My mom always said that going back to Vernal was like recharging her batteries. Oh Mom, I miss you.
Will had us over for dinner at his house one evening and then afterwards we went swimming at the community pool. The heater for the pool was broken, but that didn't stop Mike and the boys from swimming. I got in too, but just in the hot tub.
Me and Hayley, another Mom of twins, have been trading off babysitting every other week for 4 hours. It has been great. It always amazes me how much more I can get done with no kids. I've been able to go to the temple, run errands and one week I even went to a movie, I'd been wanting to see for a while.
Mike is working hard and his job and is getting busier with taxes due again on Sept 15th. The boys keep themselves busy playing inside with their toys, outside in the sandbox and riding around on their big wheels. They can both count to 5.
We had a yard sale the end of July to get rid of all the stuff that was at my dad's house on 13th east. We had a great turn out and made $1100. We were literally just selling junk to people, but I guess 'one mans trash is another mans treasure'. The house looked great and despite all the furniture being gone, it still feels like home there. My mom had a few trunks that she kept up in the storage room and in August, we got together with Aunt Barbara and gave them to her. The contents were mostly old letters from before any of us were born and we didn't know what to do with them, but we didn't want to throw them away. We know Aunt Barbara will take good care of them.
One of the many things that I am sad about having to do with my mom's death, is that we don't go out to Vernal. It make me so sad that my kids aren't going to have the wonderful experiences and know Vernal like I did. I love all my memories from out there; running in the house right when we arrived and giving Grandma and Grandpa Hacking a hug, playing with my cousins in the yard and swinging on the tree swing, going swimming in the canal and highline. Anytime I bite into a beet, all those memories come flooding back, the taste and smell of that vegetable remind me so much of my Grandma and take me back to being a kid in Vernal. My mom always said that going back to Vernal was like recharging her batteries. Oh Mom, I miss you.
Will had us over for dinner at his house one evening and then afterwards we went swimming at the community pool. The heater for the pool was broken, but that didn't stop Mike and the boys from swimming. I got in too, but just in the hot tub.
Me and Hayley, another Mom of twins, have been trading off babysitting every other week for 4 hours. It has been great. It always amazes me how much more I can get done with no kids. I've been able to go to the temple, run errands and one week I even went to a movie, I'd been wanting to see for a while.
Mike is working hard and his job and is getting busier with taxes due again on Sept 15th. The boys keep themselves busy playing inside with their toys, outside in the sandbox and riding around on their big wheels. They can both count to 5.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
July 2012
I'm so grateful to be an American and to live in Utah. I love that we are able to celebrate this great country and this great state in the same month. We started the festivities early, by attending the Riverton Parade on the 3rd with the Brian Slade family and Nick and Mariah. The boys are really into fire engines so they loved seeing them pass by and hearing the sirens. We didn't have plans for the 4th and I really didn't want to stay home, so Pam was nice enough to invite us to her families barbecue and firework celebration. The boys had a great time playing with the kids and loved the fireworks. Side story: (We have some toys at home with batteries, whenever they stop working the boys know they need new batteries, so whenever the fireworks would stop, the boys would ask if they needed new batteries. It was really cute.)
We attended that Riverton Demolition Derby. They are always lots of fun. I mean who doesn't love to be a little white trash. We took the boys with us and they loved watching the cars crash.
Mike's mom hosted a breakfast on the 24th that was delicious. We ended up staying for about 4 hours. The kids were having so much fun. It started raining while we were there and the kids ended up getting all wet. Then they stayed outside and played in the rain. They made little boats and set them down the gutter. The boys splashed around and loved chasing their cousins and the boats. It was so much fun to watch them all together.
The boys are really into trucks right now. Mighty Machines. Owen goes around saying, "I love truck". Herriman is always under construction, so whenever we drive out of the city, they boys point out all the machines and trucks they see.
We attended that Riverton Demolition Derby. They are always lots of fun. I mean who doesn't love to be a little white trash. We took the boys with us and they loved watching the cars crash.
Mike's mom hosted a breakfast on the 24th that was delicious. We ended up staying for about 4 hours. The kids were having so much fun. It started raining while we were there and the kids ended up getting all wet. Then they stayed outside and played in the rain. They made little boats and set them down the gutter. The boys splashed around and loved chasing their cousins and the boats. It was so much fun to watch them all together.
The boys are really into trucks right now. Mighty Machines. Owen goes around saying, "I love truck". Herriman is always under construction, so whenever we drive out of the city, they boys point out all the machines and trucks they see.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
June 2012
Our yard got finished the first part of June, complete with sand box, trampoline, a big area with grass and a garden in the back. Here's to making lots of fun memories this year. Mike is already sick of the sand box and says he wants to plow it under. I do have to agree a little bit, the boys track sand everywhere, but they do love to play in there. We also love having our deck. We try to eat dinner out there when ever we can. It is a great way to spend time as a family.
On June 2nd, I rode in the Little Red Century ride with my sisters and Colleen Barker. I only rode 70 miles, while the rest of them rode all 100. My new philosophy is when it stops being fun, I'm done. And usually right around mile 70 it stops being fun. My hands start to go numb and my bum is killing me and I think, "why I am I doing this to myself", so this time I decide "not to do it to myself" and be done. Nick was nice enough to come and pick me up at the mile 70 rest stop. It was a great ride, an all women race. I've never really drafted off someone, but I got in a group that was doing some drafting for about 15 miles and it was awesome. You could stop pedaling for a few moments and still maintain an 18-20 mile an hour pace. It's amazing how much energy that seems to save. The support was great too. I probably ate more calories in food at the rest stops and lunch than I burned, but who's keeping track. :-)
I decided that I wanted to buy some patio furniture, but I didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars to do it, so I started hitting up yard sales on Saturday mornings. It is amazing what you can find and for such a great deal. I have been buying tons of great stuff. (Hopefully you don't see me on an episode of Hoarders anytime soon.) I bought a patio table and 6 chairs for $25 bucks and I've bought a bunch of toys for the boys. I've decided that I'm going to do all my Christmas shopping at yard sales. :-) You can get toys for super cheap, the boys seem to love everything I bring home, and if they break it, no big deal, the most I spent on it is a dollar.
The boys and I have gone swimming a lot. We alternate between the pool at the Village Club House and the pool in Mariah's neighborhood. They are like little fish. They like to jump off the side of the pool and kick around. They also love the hot tub, somehow, we always end up playing in there. (They take after their mom.)
Mike and I bought the Pass of All Passes, we finally got around to using it and we love it. We took the boys to Trafalga and rode some of the rides. The boys did pretty good on most of them, but Caleb got scared and started to cry on the one that goes up and then drops you really fast. It was sad and cute. We also went bowling, which the boys likes for about 5 frames, but then they just wanted to go and touch all the balls. We also went to Seven Peaks Water park with Nick, Mariah and Rebecca. We all had a blast. I want to go back one day with just Mike and I so we can go on all the fast rides together.
I celebrated my 33rd birthday at the end of the month. We went to a movie and to dinner on the actually day and then Rebecca was super nice and hosted a joint birthday dinner for me and her.
On June 2nd, I rode in the Little Red Century ride with my sisters and Colleen Barker. I only rode 70 miles, while the rest of them rode all 100. My new philosophy is when it stops being fun, I'm done. And usually right around mile 70 it stops being fun. My hands start to go numb and my bum is killing me and I think, "why I am I doing this to myself", so this time I decide "not to do it to myself" and be done. Nick was nice enough to come and pick me up at the mile 70 rest stop. It was a great ride, an all women race. I've never really drafted off someone, but I got in a group that was doing some drafting for about 15 miles and it was awesome. You could stop pedaling for a few moments and still maintain an 18-20 mile an hour pace. It's amazing how much energy that seems to save. The support was great too. I probably ate more calories in food at the rest stops and lunch than I burned, but who's keeping track. :-)
I decided that I wanted to buy some patio furniture, but I didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars to do it, so I started hitting up yard sales on Saturday mornings. It is amazing what you can find and for such a great deal. I have been buying tons of great stuff. (Hopefully you don't see me on an episode of Hoarders anytime soon.) I bought a patio table and 6 chairs for $25 bucks and I've bought a bunch of toys for the boys. I've decided that I'm going to do all my Christmas shopping at yard sales. :-) You can get toys for super cheap, the boys seem to love everything I bring home, and if they break it, no big deal, the most I spent on it is a dollar.
The boys and I have gone swimming a lot. We alternate between the pool at the Village Club House and the pool in Mariah's neighborhood. They are like little fish. They like to jump off the side of the pool and kick around. They also love the hot tub, somehow, we always end up playing in there. (They take after their mom.)
Mike and I bought the Pass of All Passes, we finally got around to using it and we love it. We took the boys to Trafalga and rode some of the rides. The boys did pretty good on most of them, but Caleb got scared and started to cry on the one that goes up and then drops you really fast. It was sad and cute. We also went bowling, which the boys likes for about 5 frames, but then they just wanted to go and touch all the balls. We also went to Seven Peaks Water park with Nick, Mariah and Rebecca. We all had a blast. I want to go back one day with just Mike and I so we can go on all the fast rides together.
I celebrated my 33rd birthday at the end of the month. We went to a movie and to dinner on the actually day and then Rebecca was super nice and hosted a joint birthday dinner for me and her.
Monday, June 4, 2012
May 2012
More warm weather for May so you know what that means, more bike rides. I rode the SL Century again this year with my sisters. We rode 70 miles, which was just about perfect. My bum was a little sore, but other than that the ride was great. The weather was beautiful and it always makes me so happy to be able to do a sport where you get to see the beauty of Utah. Who knew north Salt Lake and south Davis Counties were so pretty.
The boys love playing. We went to the park a lot. We have been trying to hit different parks around Herriman and their favorite parks are ones that have slides and sand. Whenever we go we make sure to take some buckets and spoons so that they can dig in the sand. There new favorite toys are some .50 cent cars I bought at a garage sale. As I'm typing this, the landscaper is outside working on our yard. I can not express how excited I am to get grass and have somewhere for the boys to play.
Caleb has been saying 'no' to everything lately. Do you want to watch tv? "No TV", he says. Do you want an apple? "No Apple". Mike was talking to him and told him he needs to say yes more. He said, "No Yes".
Whenever Caleb gets mad he snorts though his nose and gives you the stink eye. I have no idea where he picked it up from.
Whenever Owen sees something he really likes, he says, "Love it". Both boys are getting pretty at sharing with each other. However, sharing with other people besides the two of them, needs improvement. Whenever Owen goes into the pantry to get himself a snack he will get Caleb one too. I'm glad they look out for each other.
We bought big wheels for Owen and Caleb and they LOVE riding them. We have a big hill that goes down to the next street that they ride down. However, they tend not to listen very good when they get on their bikes. They want to ride around the block and even when I tell them no, I still find them half way down the street.
We stayed home over the Memorial Day weekend. While it was raining on Saturday, we got a project done around the house. We put an epoxy shield on the garage floor. On Monday we went to the Herriman Memorial Chuck Wagon Breakfast and then I went on a ride with some girls in the neighborhood. That evening we went to a BBQ with the Slade Family. The boys love playing with their cousin and I love getting together with the family. I am so grateful to those who have served and those who held homes together while they served. We are so blessed to have so much freedom and to live in such a wonderful country.
The boys love playing. We went to the park a lot. We have been trying to hit different parks around Herriman and their favorite parks are ones that have slides and sand. Whenever we go we make sure to take some buckets and spoons so that they can dig in the sand. There new favorite toys are some .50 cent cars I bought at a garage sale. As I'm typing this, the landscaper is outside working on our yard. I can not express how excited I am to get grass and have somewhere for the boys to play.
Caleb has been saying 'no' to everything lately. Do you want to watch tv? "No TV", he says. Do you want an apple? "No Apple". Mike was talking to him and told him he needs to say yes more. He said, "No Yes".
Whenever Caleb gets mad he snorts though his nose and gives you the stink eye. I have no idea where he picked it up from.
Whenever Owen sees something he really likes, he says, "Love it". Both boys are getting pretty at sharing with each other. However, sharing with other people besides the two of them, needs improvement. Whenever Owen goes into the pantry to get himself a snack he will get Caleb one too. I'm glad they look out for each other.
We bought big wheels for Owen and Caleb and they LOVE riding them. We have a big hill that goes down to the next street that they ride down. However, they tend not to listen very good when they get on their bikes. They want to ride around the block and even when I tell them no, I still find them half way down the street.
We stayed home over the Memorial Day weekend. While it was raining on Saturday, we got a project done around the house. We put an epoxy shield on the garage floor. On Monday we went to the Herriman Memorial Chuck Wagon Breakfast and then I went on a ride with some girls in the neighborhood. That evening we went to a BBQ with the Slade Family. The boys love playing with their cousin and I love getting together with the family. I am so grateful to those who have served and those who held homes together while they served. We are so blessed to have so much freedom and to live in such a wonderful country.
Friday, May 4, 2012
April 2012
We went to St. George to celebrate Easter. Since Easter was before
the tax deadline, it meant Mike had to stay home and work, so the boys
and I went down with Rebecca, Mariah and Nick. Rebecca was really nice
and drove down with me and stayed at the condo with the boys and I. Mariah and
Nick stayed over at the Barker's place. We all went down Thursday
night. Friday, everyone went on a bike ride in the morning and so the
boys and I ran a few errands and went to the park. We did a little
shopping after they got back and went to dinner at the Pizza Factory,
where Mariah and Nick treated. (It was sure nice of them.) Saturday, we
went to an Easter Egg Hunt at the park. It was over in about two
minutes, but it was fun. Owen was pulling a little tantrum right when it
started, so he was only able to pick up 1 piece of taffy. He didn't seem to care, plus Caleb shared some of his candy with him, so he was fine. Later that morning, everyone decided to go on another ride, this time Rebecca
stayed back with the boys while I went. It was about 18 miles up to
Kayenta. It was an absolutely gorgeous ride, reminds me again why I love
St. George so much. We went to the park again and Mariah watched the
boys while Nick played Pickle Ball against Rebecca and I. (If you've never
played Pickle Ball it is really fun, like tennis but easier.) Anyway,
Nick won every time, except the game Rebecca played against me and then
Rebecca won. :-) We ate Cafe Rio for dinner and played card games.
On Sunday we went to church. The talks were on the Savior and the Spirit was so strong. I'm grateful for my Savior and the wonderful Plan of Salvation and that we can celebrate his resurrection at Easter. We drove home that afternoon and the evening was spent at the Slade's house with a yummy dinner and all the cousins. All the adults sat around after dinner and played Catch Phrase there were a lot of "high fives" going around and we had a great time together.
The weather was really nice during the month, so that meant we could bike ride our little hearts out. We usually went once or twice during the week and rode 15-18 miles and then on Saturday we would ride a longer ride and ride about 30 miles.
Mike worked hard and finished up the tax season. He usually was working until about 9, which wasn't great, but not too bad either, considering past jobs he's worked until 11 just to get back up and be at the office at 7.
We went to my dad and Kim's house one Sunday for dinner and it was delicious. Whenever the boys would get down from eating at the counter my dad would make sure to wipe there hands and faces off every time. Kim and my Dad also tended the boys a couple of times for me. Kim tried to take the boys to the movie by herself, she said Caleb did great and would have probably sat and watched the whole movie, but Owen just wanted to run around. Another time, they each took a boy and ran errands with them. My dad and Owen pulled weeds at his house and then to In N Out burger for lunch where he ate a whole hamburger and half a fry. It sure is nice of them to take the boys and spend time with them.
Owen and Caleb stayed busy with preschool, play dates and going to the park. They have become obsessed with chu-chu's (trains) and they love watching the movie, "The Little Engine That Could".
At the end of the month we got together with some of our 'old' neighborhood friends for a game night. It was a lot of fun to see and talk to everyone from the street (Ashland Rose Dr) and play games. Mike got a rousing game of Risk going with some of the guys, that lasted most of the night, while the rest of us played Telestrations (super fun game) and Ticket to Ride. Luckily Mike was the third person out, so we didn't have to wait around for the game to finish. We stayed until about 11 and I was amazed at how well the boys did. They just played the whole night and went right to bed when we got home.
On Sunday we went to church. The talks were on the Savior and the Spirit was so strong. I'm grateful for my Savior and the wonderful Plan of Salvation and that we can celebrate his resurrection at Easter. We drove home that afternoon and the evening was spent at the Slade's house with a yummy dinner and all the cousins. All the adults sat around after dinner and played Catch Phrase there were a lot of "high fives" going around and we had a great time together.
The weather was really nice during the month, so that meant we could bike ride our little hearts out. We usually went once or twice during the week and rode 15-18 miles and then on Saturday we would ride a longer ride and ride about 30 miles.
Mike worked hard and finished up the tax season. He usually was working until about 9, which wasn't great, but not too bad either, considering past jobs he's worked until 11 just to get back up and be at the office at 7.
We went to my dad and Kim's house one Sunday for dinner and it was delicious. Whenever the boys would get down from eating at the counter my dad would make sure to wipe there hands and faces off every time. Kim and my Dad also tended the boys a couple of times for me. Kim tried to take the boys to the movie by herself, she said Caleb did great and would have probably sat and watched the whole movie, but Owen just wanted to run around. Another time, they each took a boy and ran errands with them. My dad and Owen pulled weeds at his house and then to In N Out burger for lunch where he ate a whole hamburger and half a fry. It sure is nice of them to take the boys and spend time with them.
Owen and Caleb stayed busy with preschool, play dates and going to the park. They have become obsessed with chu-chu's (trains) and they love watching the movie, "The Little Engine That Could".
At the end of the month we got together with some of our 'old' neighborhood friends for a game night. It was a lot of fun to see and talk to everyone from the street (Ashland Rose Dr) and play games. Mike got a rousing game of Risk going with some of the guys, that lasted most of the night, while the rest of us played Telestrations (super fun game) and Ticket to Ride. Luckily Mike was the third person out, so we didn't have to wait around for the game to finish. We stayed until about 11 and I was amazed at how well the boys did. They just played the whole night and went right to bed when we got home.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
March 2012
From what I remember March seemed like a pretty warm month. I know we
went to the park a few times and the boys discovered the fun of swings again.
We
stayed once for two hours and they loved playing on the swings. They
just laid on their stomachs and pushed themselves back and forth and
twisted up the swings and let it swing them around. I could remember it
being warm, because the last two Saturday's I was able to go on a bike
ride. It felt great to get out again and awesome to finally be on a good
bike that I can call my own. Maybe it's the bike or maybe I was just
pumped to be out but it felt like I was faster. (I know, that's not
saying a lot if you have seen what I consider normal speed, but it still felt great.) I've signed up for the SL
Century and Little Red with my sisters and those races are in May and
June, so it is nice to get out and ride. It is so much better to be
outside riding than in a spin class.
Mike has stayed busy with taxes and finished another class for his master's program.
We also went swimming as a family at the rec center a few Saturday's, after Mike finished working. The boys love being in the pool and they are both so brave. They love standing on the edge of the pool and counting 1-2-3 and then jumping into our arms. Owen is especially daring and will jump out to us if we move away from the edge or if we aren't even there. They also love sliding down the slides.
The big news for the month is the boys started pre-school. They have been in early intervention for their speech and had a six month 'test' in the middle of March. Their speech has improved a ton, but they were still behind in a few areas and our counselor thought it would be a good idea to put them in pre-school one day a week. They go on Monday's and they really seem to like it. Their teacher is Miss Sally and they have a good time playing and learning.
Some funny stories for this month: Every time I've opened the oven door I'd tell them it is hot and not to touch. Well now, they love to say everything is hot. Caleb loves to say "oh hot" and really drag out the hot part. He tells me stuff is hot, even when it isn't. He won't even touch his food if it's been in the microwave even if I tell him it isn't hot.
Another funny thing, I got a new cell phone and while we were at the store I asked if they had any cell phones they could give the boys, because they, like every other child I know, love our cell phones and always want to carry them around and push all the buttons. Anyway they did and gave each of the boys one. Around this same time, Mike had a stack of business cards sitting on his office desk and Caleb grabbed a bunch a carried it around. For a couple of weeks, he would go to bed each night with his cell phone and his business cards. It was so cute. Hopefully he was conducting some good business deals before he went to bed.
Caleb is such a sweet boy and has picked up sharing a lot better than Owen. The bad thing about it though is that I think Owen hasn't pick up on it. Anytime Caleb has a toy that Owen wants all Owen has to do is cry or throw a little fit and Caleb will give it to him. It really is so sweet and makes me glad to have such a nice boy in Caleb and it makes me want to paddle Owen for being such a baby and for pulling a fit to get want he wants. I'm trying to teach Owen to share better and will make sure to give him stuff to take to Caleb and share with him.
Caleb knows Owen's name really well. I will point to Owen and ask him, "who is that?" and he will say Owen and then I will point to him and ask, "who are you?" and he will say, not Owen. Poor kid, maybe we should have given him an easier name.
Mike has stayed busy with taxes and finished another class for his master's program.
We also went swimming as a family at the rec center a few Saturday's, after Mike finished working. The boys love being in the pool and they are both so brave. They love standing on the edge of the pool and counting 1-2-3 and then jumping into our arms. Owen is especially daring and will jump out to us if we move away from the edge or if we aren't even there. They also love sliding down the slides.
The big news for the month is the boys started pre-school. They have been in early intervention for their speech and had a six month 'test' in the middle of March. Their speech has improved a ton, but they were still behind in a few areas and our counselor thought it would be a good idea to put them in pre-school one day a week. They go on Monday's and they really seem to like it. Their teacher is Miss Sally and they have a good time playing and learning.
Some funny stories for this month: Every time I've opened the oven door I'd tell them it is hot and not to touch. Well now, they love to say everything is hot. Caleb loves to say "oh hot" and really drag out the hot part. He tells me stuff is hot, even when it isn't. He won't even touch his food if it's been in the microwave even if I tell him it isn't hot.
Another funny thing, I got a new cell phone and while we were at the store I asked if they had any cell phones they could give the boys, because they, like every other child I know, love our cell phones and always want to carry them around and push all the buttons. Anyway they did and gave each of the boys one. Around this same time, Mike had a stack of business cards sitting on his office desk and Caleb grabbed a bunch a carried it around. For a couple of weeks, he would go to bed each night with his cell phone and his business cards. It was so cute. Hopefully he was conducting some good business deals before he went to bed.
Caleb is such a sweet boy and has picked up sharing a lot better than Owen. The bad thing about it though is that I think Owen hasn't pick up on it. Anytime Caleb has a toy that Owen wants all Owen has to do is cry or throw a little fit and Caleb will give it to him. It really is so sweet and makes me glad to have such a nice boy in Caleb and it makes me want to paddle Owen for being such a baby and for pulling a fit to get want he wants. I'm trying to teach Owen to share better and will make sure to give him stuff to take to Caleb and share with him.
Caleb knows Owen's name really well. I will point to Owen and ask him, "who is that?" and he will say Owen and then I will point to him and ask, "who are you?" and he will say, not Owen. Poor kid, maybe we should have given him an easier name.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
February 2012
The big news in February is that we went to Disneyland. A few months ago Mike's brother, Brian, invited us to go with his family. Mike said he couldn't go because of tax season, but since the boy were free at the parks, I decided, what the hey, how hard can it be to go on vacation with 2 two year olds? The answer is, kind of hard. Ha. But seriously I didn't' have anything else going on and Brian and Pam said their kids could help, so I decided to go. Since we were staying in the timeshare Mike's parents own, we decided to invite them too. :-) I know nice of us huh!?! The trip was a lot of fun, a little stressful, but fun. Brian and Pam's family along with Jim and Karin, were super helpful with the boys and besides some missed naps, which made them ornery, they did quite well. Mike was able to talk to his boss, who said as long as he put in his 60 hours before he left, he could go, so we booked him a ticket to fly to California for Thursday night. I drove with the boys, which was the one part of the trip I'm not sure I would do again. We drove to St. George Saturday night and then the rest of the way on Sunday to break it up a little bit, but I was still bored, tired of driving and asking "are we there yet?" the last bit of the trip. (Quick Story: We stayed at the condo in St. George. While I was unloading the car the boys kept running out in the road, so I put them inside the house. I was out there a while organizing and getting everything we would need for the night. When I went to take all the stuff in the house, guess who had locked me out. That's right Owen an Caleb. And guess where my keys were, inside on the table. I had them come over to the door and tried to get them to unlock it, but to no avail. I finally broke down and called a lock smith. $60 later and just in time, because when I was able to go in, the boys had climbed onto the counter and were playing with the knives. Can you say trouble!)
We spent three days in Disneyland, one day at Seaworld and then the other two days we just took it easy. We stayed at the Newport Coast Villas. It seemed like the boys had a good time. They seemed to enjoy most of the rides and as long as the lines weren't too long and we had some snacks, they were ok there too. Our first day we spent most of our time at California Adventure. Some of the rides the boys liked were the Carousel and Toy Story Mania. I think one of their favorite things was the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Stage Show, the loved watching all the characters. (Probably because it is just like TV and they are little TV addicts. Side Note: Whenever Caleb wakes up in the morning or from a nap, usually the first thing is says is "Elmo", in that he wants to watch Elmo. Not "Hi" or "Let's play", no it is "Elmo". I probably need to cut back on their TV time.) Anyway, I was brave and went on the roller coaster, Screamin Over California. It made me a little nauseas the rest of the day but I did it. :-) I think the boys favorite part about the parks were exploring, touching and climbing on everything they could. They loved Toontown and climbing on the cars and sticking their hands in the fountains. Our Second day was spent in Disneyland, we rode on the train and went on Small World. We came home a little early this day, because the boys were starting to break down around 3:00. They wouldn't nap in their stroller, which made it hard, but they took a power nap in the car on the way home, so when we reached the hotel, they were good to go. We spent the afternoon exploring the grounds of the Villas. We played in a little park they had and went to see the fishes and played in the kids area where they had legos and trains and cars.
We spent part of one of our 'free' days at the beach. The boys had a good time running around and getting all sandy. Owen almost got attacked by the seagulls when he was eating his bag of chips.
Thursday night arrived and Mike is going to be here soon. But no, he calls me at 9:45, when he should be on the plane and tells me he missed his flight. After a small breakdown by me and trying to talk to Delta, which by the way they were absolutely NO help at all, he was on a flight for the morning. He arrived around 10am at the LA airport, so we picked him up and then drove to his first day at Disneyland. He loved it. He wished he could have stayed another day. We had park hopper tickets, but he only wanted to go to Disneyland. We went on all the old favorites: Pirates, Haunted Mansion (which was his favorite), Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and a few others the boys liked, like Autopia and Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. I was sooo happy to have him there and the boys were too. It was fun to be able to hang out in Disneyland together as a family.
Our finally day was spent at Seaworld. We thought the boys were going to like it a lot, because of all the animals, but they didn't seem as excited as I thought they would.. However, Mike and I had been to Seaworld about 7 years earlier and we loved it, and this time was no exception, it was great. They do such a great job with the shows. It was cool to see Shamu, the dolphins and all the sea animals.
My good friend Katie J, lives 5 minutes away from San Diego, so afterwards we stopped by her house and went to dinner. We met at Dixie and have been friends ever since. She always visits me when she is in UT and I'm glad we could return the favor. It was fun seeing her and catching up a little bit and she was even good to put up with Owen crying in the car the whole time from her house to the restaurant. :-)
Sunday we drove home. It was long and boring. (Hopefully not at all like this post.) :-)
A few tips on Disneyland. February is a great time to go. Most of the lines were 10 minutes or less. If you want to spend lots of time at the beach it was a little cold for that, but the weather at the parks was great. During the days the temperature was in the low 70's so you didn't get too hot.
Hopefully the boys will remember some of this trip, if not, I'm sure we will return again soon.
The rest of February was spent going to Young Women's activities and Young Women's meetings. I was called at 2nd counselor. And for Mike it was spent working.
We spent three days in Disneyland, one day at Seaworld and then the other two days we just took it easy. We stayed at the Newport Coast Villas. It seemed like the boys had a good time. They seemed to enjoy most of the rides and as long as the lines weren't too long and we had some snacks, they were ok there too. Our first day we spent most of our time at California Adventure. Some of the rides the boys liked were the Carousel and Toy Story Mania. I think one of their favorite things was the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Stage Show, the loved watching all the characters. (Probably because it is just like TV and they are little TV addicts. Side Note: Whenever Caleb wakes up in the morning or from a nap, usually the first thing is says is "Elmo", in that he wants to watch Elmo. Not "Hi" or "Let's play", no it is "Elmo". I probably need to cut back on their TV time.) Anyway, I was brave and went on the roller coaster, Screamin Over California. It made me a little nauseas the rest of the day but I did it. :-) I think the boys favorite part about the parks were exploring, touching and climbing on everything they could. They loved Toontown and climbing on the cars and sticking their hands in the fountains. Our Second day was spent in Disneyland, we rode on the train and went on Small World. We came home a little early this day, because the boys were starting to break down around 3:00. They wouldn't nap in their stroller, which made it hard, but they took a power nap in the car on the way home, so when we reached the hotel, they were good to go. We spent the afternoon exploring the grounds of the Villas. We played in a little park they had and went to see the fishes and played in the kids area where they had legos and trains and cars.
We spent part of one of our 'free' days at the beach. The boys had a good time running around and getting all sandy. Owen almost got attacked by the seagulls when he was eating his bag of chips.
Thursday night arrived and Mike is going to be here soon. But no, he calls me at 9:45, when he should be on the plane and tells me he missed his flight. After a small breakdown by me and trying to talk to Delta, which by the way they were absolutely NO help at all, he was on a flight for the morning. He arrived around 10am at the LA airport, so we picked him up and then drove to his first day at Disneyland. He loved it. He wished he could have stayed another day. We had park hopper tickets, but he only wanted to go to Disneyland. We went on all the old favorites: Pirates, Haunted Mansion (which was his favorite), Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and a few others the boys liked, like Autopia and Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. I was sooo happy to have him there and the boys were too. It was fun to be able to hang out in Disneyland together as a family.
Our finally day was spent at Seaworld. We thought the boys were going to like it a lot, because of all the animals, but they didn't seem as excited as I thought they would.. However, Mike and I had been to Seaworld about 7 years earlier and we loved it, and this time was no exception, it was great. They do such a great job with the shows. It was cool to see Shamu, the dolphins and all the sea animals.
My good friend Katie J, lives 5 minutes away from San Diego, so afterwards we stopped by her house and went to dinner. We met at Dixie and have been friends ever since. She always visits me when she is in UT and I'm glad we could return the favor. It was fun seeing her and catching up a little bit and she was even good to put up with Owen crying in the car the whole time from her house to the restaurant. :-)
Sunday we drove home. It was long and boring. (Hopefully not at all like this post.) :-)
A few tips on Disneyland. February is a great time to go. Most of the lines were 10 minutes or less. If you want to spend lots of time at the beach it was a little cold for that, but the weather at the parks was great. During the days the temperature was in the low 70's so you didn't get too hot.
Hopefully the boys will remember some of this trip, if not, I'm sure we will return again soon.
The rest of February was spent going to Young Women's activities and Young Women's meetings. I was called at 2nd counselor. And for Mike it was spent working.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
January 2012
We are going to try this a little different. Back in the day we used to have a family newsletter that we wrote in once a month. I'm going to see if I can keep up with that a little better.
Slade's Fun in the Sun, January 2012
Most of January was spent getting settled into our new house. We love it so far. I'm trying to decorate a little differently than our old house. I want to be brave and do modern/hip things, but I find myself being drawn back to what I know and what is safe. So far we had only purchased the big ticket items like the couch and dining room table (which were safe choices), so hopefully I can be more brave with the art work and accessory items. We went the first couple of weeks without any window coverings, but the beginning of the month we got shutters and they look great. We have really only had one issue so far with the house. The heater sometimes will blow cold air, which isn't ideal in the winter time, but we have been working with the builder and contractor, so hopefully we can get it fixed soon.
We celebrated my Dad and Kim's birthday with a dinner over at Mariah's house. For a gift all the kids are pitching in and we gave them a gift certificate to get a family picture taken. The last one the Bill Beesley familhy had, was taken six years ago, so we figured it was about time for another one.
Our ward split three weeks after we moved in and I got called to be the second counselor in YW. I had just gotten out of my calling as Laurel advisor and was looking forward to RS, but it looks like I need to improve my "game" in YW, so I'm back in. I'm trying to have a better attitude and put my best foot forward in this calling and so far that seems to be working. Plus now I'm dealing with the Beehives, which are always a fun and loud group. For some reason I just didn't feel like I connected well with the Laurels in our last ward. Being a counselor is a lot busier than being an advisor. We have church and Wednesday activities and meetings and are often exchanging texts and emails through out the week, but again it is all about the attitude. And I'm trying to have a good one. :-)
I attended a girls luncheon that my Aunt Linda put together with all the girl cousins. It is always fun to get together and see everyone and get caught up.
The boys, to be perfectly honest with you, have been driving me a little crazy lately. :-) Some days of the week I find it necessary to put them in "structured playing time" which is playing upstairs in one of their bedrooms for an hour or sitting them in their booster seat and letting them watch "Elmo", Seasame Street while I get some stuff done around the house. The funny thing is Owen or Caleb alone is manageable. And they don't get into near as much mischief as the two of them together.
We have wood or tile floors on 90% of the main floor and so we bought a rumba, which is a robot vacuum. It is saving my life, I didn't know how I was going to keep the floors clean, but I just turn it on and away it cleans. The boys are OBSESSED with it and that is putting it lightly. Whenever they are awake, they want me to turn on the "on on" as they like to call it. I will be sitting at the counter or getting ready in my room and they will come and grab my hand drag me over to the base and wait for me to press the on button. I usually turn it on in the morning and let it clean my floor, but there have been times that the vacuum will be in the kitchen and the boys will be playing in the entry and so I'll turn it off cause I think no one is paying attention. A few seconds later they will both come running around the corner saying "on on" with a look on their face like, "why did you turn that off we were still paying attention to it." They will follow it around the house for about 5 minutes, but then just ignore it, but if I try to turn it off, I don't hear the end of it. There are some days I have to hide it because they want me to turn it on so much. They will roam around the house looking for it, asking "where is it?"
Their speech continues to improve. They are getting really good at repeating words, so if I'll say a word like cupboard, strawberry, etc... they will try to repeat it. They are also getting a lot better at identify objects they already know the word for. They still grunt and point a lot, but the therapist we work with says that is normal, and to just keep giving them choice when they can't come up with the word for what they want on their own.
Mike has been working and is already gearing up for tax season. He usually doesn't get home until 6:30/7:00 and the other night he didn't get home until 9:30. Mike also got a calling. He is the CTR 5 teacher.
I've been going back to the gym. My sisters and I signed up for the Little Red Century bike ride which is in June, so we figure we need to start training and get "into shape". We have also been doing some craft projects. We made a cute Christmas wreath that Mariah found on pinterest and I painted and decorated the letters, L-O-V-E with scrapbook paper and embellishments for a Valentines decoration. I love having them live so close. It is fun to be able to get together for these types of things and not have to drive far to do them.
We had a follow up eye appointment for Caleb and the Dr. said it looked good and is healing how it is supposed to. We have another appointment in six months to just check and make sure it looks good and that he can see correctly out of that eye, but we are glad that this seems to have taken care of the problems of his "wandering eye".
So there you have it. Until next month (hopefully).
Slade's Fun in the Sun, January 2012
Most of January was spent getting settled into our new house. We love it so far. I'm trying to decorate a little differently than our old house. I want to be brave and do modern/hip things, but I find myself being drawn back to what I know and what is safe. So far we had only purchased the big ticket items like the couch and dining room table (which were safe choices), so hopefully I can be more brave with the art work and accessory items. We went the first couple of weeks without any window coverings, but the beginning of the month we got shutters and they look great. We have really only had one issue so far with the house. The heater sometimes will blow cold air, which isn't ideal in the winter time, but we have been working with the builder and contractor, so hopefully we can get it fixed soon.
We celebrated my Dad and Kim's birthday with a dinner over at Mariah's house. For a gift all the kids are pitching in and we gave them a gift certificate to get a family picture taken. The last one the Bill Beesley familhy had, was taken six years ago, so we figured it was about time for another one.
Our ward split three weeks after we moved in and I got called to be the second counselor in YW. I had just gotten out of my calling as Laurel advisor and was looking forward to RS, but it looks like I need to improve my "game" in YW, so I'm back in. I'm trying to have a better attitude and put my best foot forward in this calling and so far that seems to be working. Plus now I'm dealing with the Beehives, which are always a fun and loud group. For some reason I just didn't feel like I connected well with the Laurels in our last ward. Being a counselor is a lot busier than being an advisor. We have church and Wednesday activities and meetings and are often exchanging texts and emails through out the week, but again it is all about the attitude. And I'm trying to have a good one. :-)
I attended a girls luncheon that my Aunt Linda put together with all the girl cousins. It is always fun to get together and see everyone and get caught up.
The boys, to be perfectly honest with you, have been driving me a little crazy lately. :-) Some days of the week I find it necessary to put them in "structured playing time" which is playing upstairs in one of their bedrooms for an hour or sitting them in their booster seat and letting them watch "Elmo", Seasame Street while I get some stuff done around the house. The funny thing is Owen or Caleb alone is manageable. And they don't get into near as much mischief as the two of them together.
We have wood or tile floors on 90% of the main floor and so we bought a rumba, which is a robot vacuum. It is saving my life, I didn't know how I was going to keep the floors clean, but I just turn it on and away it cleans. The boys are OBSESSED with it and that is putting it lightly. Whenever they are awake, they want me to turn on the "on on" as they like to call it. I will be sitting at the counter or getting ready in my room and they will come and grab my hand drag me over to the base and wait for me to press the on button. I usually turn it on in the morning and let it clean my floor, but there have been times that the vacuum will be in the kitchen and the boys will be playing in the entry and so I'll turn it off cause I think no one is paying attention. A few seconds later they will both come running around the corner saying "on on" with a look on their face like, "why did you turn that off we were still paying attention to it." They will follow it around the house for about 5 minutes, but then just ignore it, but if I try to turn it off, I don't hear the end of it. There are some days I have to hide it because they want me to turn it on so much. They will roam around the house looking for it, asking "where is it?"
Their speech continues to improve. They are getting really good at repeating words, so if I'll say a word like cupboard, strawberry, etc... they will try to repeat it. They are also getting a lot better at identify objects they already know the word for. They still grunt and point a lot, but the therapist we work with says that is normal, and to just keep giving them choice when they can't come up with the word for what they want on their own.
Mike has been working and is already gearing up for tax season. He usually doesn't get home until 6:30/7:00 and the other night he didn't get home until 9:30. Mike also got a calling. He is the CTR 5 teacher.
I've been going back to the gym. My sisters and I signed up for the Little Red Century bike ride which is in June, so we figure we need to start training and get "into shape". We have also been doing some craft projects. We made a cute Christmas wreath that Mariah found on pinterest and I painted and decorated the letters, L-O-V-E with scrapbook paper and embellishments for a Valentines decoration. I love having them live so close. It is fun to be able to get together for these types of things and not have to drive far to do them.
We had a follow up eye appointment for Caleb and the Dr. said it looked good and is healing how it is supposed to. We have another appointment in six months to just check and make sure it looks good and that he can see correctly out of that eye, but we are glad that this seems to have taken care of the problems of his "wandering eye".
So there you have it. Until next month (hopefully).
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