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.

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.

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.

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.