March 2013

The highlight of the month was the boys and I took and trip to St. George and then over to Zions National Park with the Brian Slade family. Mike had to stay home and work. We missed him, but we still managed to have fun with out him. It worked out perfectly that Chick Fil A was opening their store in St. George on Wednesday and Brian and Pam were planning to go camping in Zions Thursday-Saturday, so we thought why not drive down Tuesday night and see if we can get it. If we didn’t get in, we could always head over to Zions a day early. So we packed up the kids and drove to St. George Tuesday night. Wednesday morning bright and early, 5:00am we woke the kids up and drove over to Chick Fil A. There were over 188 people there and they only had 100 spots. Brian and I got in and Pam got in as an alternate at 103. The kids ran around and played in the parking lot. However, the boys couldn’t stay overnight, because they are too young, so in the late afternoon Mindy Barker came and pick them up. They slept over at their house and I picked them up in the morning. We collected our coupons in the morning, went back and took a shower, packed up our cars and then headed to Zions.

Brian and Pam go camping with a group of their friends every year and they always invite us to come. I can see why they love doing it, we had a great time with them. There was probably 12 families there, so lots of kids to play with and we went hiking both days, so it was a blast. We set up camp and then everyone wanted to go on a hike. I decided that I would take the boys on the hike and then we would just turn around when they were done. The hike they went on was called Hidden Canyon and it started out steep with a bunch of switchbacks. The boys probably made it a half mile and then we had to turn around. They wanted me to carry them and they said they were so tired. I had to switch off carrying them back down the trail and had to bribe them with chips and fruit snacks. At the bottom of the trail was a little stream and so we played in that. They loved it and got all wet and we ended up staying there for a couple of hours. When I thought they were ready again, I made them hike with me up to Weeping Rock, which was a short quarter mile hike, where water rains down from the rocks. It was really cool. When we hiked back down, we were getting ready to leave and the group got back from the big hike so we ended up all going back together. Our camp site was right across from the Virgin River and it had a sandy beach, so the boys wanted to go down there and play in the sand. We brought some of their trucks, so they had a great time. We did a potluck style dinner, which was delicious. There was so much good food. They made a fire and roasted marshmellows and by that time I was so tired from waking up so early two days in a row, that I went to bed. The boys slept in the back of the Pilot and I slept in the tent trailer with Brian and Pam’s family. I don’t think I ever want to sleep in a tent again, the tent trailer rocked.

The next day we woke up and Brian made some delicious breakfast burritos. Everyone want to hike Angel’s Landing that day. Pam was staying back with Ayden, so she watched the boys for me, so I was able to go on the hike. Bridger and I were the head of the pack. We got to the chains first and when I asked him, if he wanted to wait for his dad, he said no, so we went ahead. He did a great job and didn’t complain at all. We enjoyed our view from the top and headed back down. It is a great hike and has such amazing views. I’m glad I was able to go. When we got back to camp, everyone was down playing at the beach. They had an Easter Egg hunt for the kids and Owen and Caleb had tons of fun looking for eggs. Dinner was even better the second night. Some items on the menu: seven-layer dip, loaded baked potatoes, cranberry/walnut salad and then for dessert chocolate raspberry cake with ice cream. It is amazing what you can do with a dutch oven. The boys kind of played with themselves and their toys the first day, but by the second night I think they realized how much fun it was to run around with all the other kids. Also, Caleb kept wanting to play with Bridger and kept asking, “Where’s Bridger?” It was really cute. We had a big fire and everyone sat around and talked.

Saturday morning we got up and packed and headed home. The boys and I drove straight home with no stops. It was fun to see Mike and be together as a family again.

I met with the boys Pre-School teachers and they’ve noticed and had the feeling that there is something they just aren’t quite getting, so they tested them and they are now going to go back into the Early Intervention Program. Mike and I noticed it too, but we weren’t sure if it was a three year old thing, or a twin thing, so hopefully we can get the boys the help them need.

I want to plant a garden this year, so Mike helped me get the supplies from Home Depot and we built three garden boxes. We have enough room for eight, but we figured we would start out with something manageable and then go from there if we love it and have a green thumb.

We are all happy the weather is finally starting to warm up. We’ve gone to the park a couple of times and of course the boys love playing in the sand box.

December 2012

I love the Christmas season and the chance we have to reflect on Jesus Christ and his birth. I'm so grateful for the knowledge I have that He is the Savior of the world. I'm grateful for the wonderful Plan of Salvation and that because of Christ I will be able to see my mom again and be with my family. It truly is a great season to celebrate. We tried to cram all sorts of fun things into the month and I think we did a pretty good job. We went to a live Nativity in Herriman. They had a donkey and a sheep and even a 'real' baby Jesus. We attended the Festival of Trees for the first time with the boys. I think we'll wait a year or two before we take them back again. It just didn't hold their attention enough. However, they did like all the trees with a train or Mickey Mouse. Herriman hosted a Christmas carols sing along at City Hall and Santa Claus was there too. We took the boys and they were able to sit on his lap. I don't think they quite knew what to do, because when they got off his lap, Santa told us they didn't ask for anything, so we should surprise them. We stayed and sang a couple of songs and had a cookie. We were in and out in about 30 minutes. It was much better than standing in line at the mall. We had our annual Graham cracker house making party, which was a lot of fun and went to our ward Christmas breakfast. Jim turned     this year and we celebrated his birthday at the annual Slade soup party. We hosted Christmas Eve dinner at our house. For the entertainment this year we played Minute to Win It games. They were so much fun and everybody really got into them. Mike didn't feel well and spent the night in bed. Luckily he was feeling a little better in the morning. The boys were excited with the toys they received and loved opening their presents. We spent Christmas evening at the Slade family and enjoyed a yummy dinner and spending time together as a family. For New Years eve we went to the Scaddens for dinner and games. We played a fun new game call 7 Wonders, it was kind of a mix between Catan and Dominion, so we really liked it. We also had fun playing Just Dance. I wish I had more rhythm. I'm sure I look silly dancing, but it is really fun to play. 

November 2012

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. 

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?

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. 

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.

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.

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.