Sleep-Eater

Some people sleep walk . . . Tristyn sleep eats. Occasionally she'll fall asleep in her chair and instead of just putting her head down and resting, she keeps putting food in her mouth! This is what happened at lunch today:

Softies?

Dan and I went to Lagoon today without the kids. We planned on taking them back for a few hours since we promised it to Mason for being potty trained, but he said he wanted to go swimming instead, so that party is tomorrow. We had a blast going on the 'big kid' rides, even though we found out we're getting a little 'soft' in our old age and our stomachs can't handle the spinning that they used to! We loved all the rides and it was a bit upsetting when the queasiness set in! We were fine (okay, maybe a little tipsy) through the Roller Coaster, Wild Mouse, and Colossus, but by after the Wild Mouse we were wondering what the heck we were trying to prove! Wicked was awesome even though I swear it gave me whiplash! Then we were really stupid and went on the Screamer (my idea), and that did us in! We were both done for a while. So, we road the sky coaster a couple of times for a break. Then we tried the Tidal Wave and almost needed a trash can afterward! Seriously???? We came to the consensus that we're getting old and then realized why our parents never wanted to take us to theme parks. What can't a big scoop of chocolate ice cream fix? We relaxed in Pioneer Village and enjoyed our treat. We took a couple of photos of the train collection (Why didn't we take Mason there? He would have loved it) before heading to the log ride . . . that would for sure be a ride we could handle! It didn't hurt that there were only about 4 super slow turns and one short drop! We wanted to leave on a high note, so we went on Wicked one more time and it was, well . . . wicked cool! Dan was a little more brave than me and I think he kept his eyes open for most of the rides. On most rides I couldn't force my eyes open until about half way through the ride. I've turned into such a wimp! There were a few other rides that looked really fun, but we would have had to take a bag on with us :-) We'll have to try those first next time.



Melissa was so nice to pick the kids up for us. They had fun playing out back in the sprinkler. I was able to get a photo of Tristyn doing the sign for 'more' and also her 'where did it go?' or 'I don't know' gesture (elbows in palms up). We also snapped a photo of her cute belly button at Melissa's request . . . she's a bit obsessed with it!

Oh, Mason also had fun dressing Dan up in the pirate hat and patch that he got at a birthday party yesterday. He loves it when we wear the costume, but doesn't like to wear it so much himself.

It's back to the grind tomorrow . . . for me anyway! Dan is golfing three rounds tomorrow--what a cushy life!

Piggy Tails

Yesterday I finally tried to pull Tristyn's hair into two piggies and it worked! They were so tiny and the bands didn't stay in very well. It didn't help that she loves to touch her hair and kept noticing that it was a little different. She pulled them out several times! Some time I may have to start doing her hair every day, but for now I'm glad that I can get away without it. I'd like to try new things and make it look cute, but it's hard when she's mushing carrots on her head and trying to comb her hair with her fork while I work on it! I love this cheesy grin--she's such a show off!

Friends, Food and Fireworks

Monday night we invited a few friends over to help finish off our reunion food. Dan made his famous Deviled Deviled Eggs and everyone brought yummy food to share. After dinner the guys entertained the kids outside while the women entertained the couches and watched the finale of The Bachelorette inside. We also let off the rest of our fireworks. Luckily Jason and Chris had a few extra fireworks too, or it would have been a pretty weak show! It's a good thing the kids are easily impressed. My kids watched from inside the sliding door. Tristyn was eating and Mason is kind of scared to go without the 'shield'. It's an improvement from when he buried his head in our laps last year at the city firework show. Maybe he'll be ready to sit outside in the front row next year!



We're lucky to have such great friends. Summer BBQs are the best!

Season for Reunions

This weekend was Dan's family reunion in Whiterocks, UT (near Roosevelt and Vernal). It was fun to get together with his family and play games and just visit. Mason and Tristyn loved playing outside on the swings and 4-wheelers. They also had fun following the stray cat around. I think most of all they just liked being in a new environment with new toys and new people to show off for (especially Tristyn).

On Friday we made a quick stop at the Fish Hatchery and Mason had fun watching all the itty bitty fish. Most of all he liked counting the numbers on the fish bins! We also took the kids to the Vernal Rec Center to swim. Mason jumped right in and had a great time! Tristyn got mad when we had to shower before entering the pool and got even more mad when I put her right in the pool (it was a little cold). She freaked out and clenched onto my arm as tight as she could (she needs her nails trimmed!). She laid on our shoulder most of the time, but did get down and walk around a little bit. She steered clear of the water though. Mason got in trouble for running on the deck and trying to climb up the little water slide. It looked like the toys at his playground, so I see why he was confused with the different rules! That night we played games with the family, including The Newlywed Game. Dan and I came in 2nd place after his sister and brother-in-law. Never mind that their score more than doubled ours!

Saturday we cleaned and packed up, then drove back over to Vernal to visit the dinosaur museum. The kids both loved it. They don't have the fossil dig and erosion table that Thanksgiving Point has, but they had more life-like dinosaurs and fewer skeletons. Mason enjoyed them a little more. It took us a while to draw him away from the little fish pond--he said the 'fish hungry' and kept waiting for them to jump up and eat the bugs. I think he thought he could feed them like he feeds our Betta fish. We randomly ran into some friends from down the street there! That was cool! We also accidentally drove by the Vernal Temple. I don't know the history behind it, but it looked like an old Tabernacle that was converted. It was beautiful.

Before heading home, we stopped by to visit the McCurdy's, who lived in our neighborhood for a while. We miss them here and had a great time visiting and touring their beautiful home! What a great family!

It was nice to have a day to recover and get ready for the week! Seems like every summer week is jam-packed, so it was much needed!

Thanks Ric and Pat for planning a great reunion! We appreciate your efforts and are grateful for the place to stay! We all had a fun trip!

Sunday Times

I don't know how two little bodies can completely wear out three big bodies! Our kids went non-stop yesterday . . . I was telling Melissa that they were like flies that fly around and around your head and as much as you swat at them, you can't get them to leave you alone! It all started at church when I was trying to do Sharing Time. Dan was still in Vegas, so Melissa was so nice to come and help me with the kids. Mason still came up and played by the microphone and didn't forget it was there for the rest of primary. They made a few class changes and his class is in a different room and he wouldn't go in (he still doesn't do well with change). So, he and Tristyn both came to help in my Valiant class and they were very distracting, to say the least! We made it half way through the Sacrament before I couldn't deal with their movement in that little tiny bench space anymore! I don't know how I would have made it that long without Melissa's help, so thanks!

The rest of the day was more of the same . . . endless energy! Tristyn has amazingly been running on 30 minute-per-day naps! Even if she doesn't need more than that (I know she does but she's getting more teeth)--I DO!!! Melissa and I made a couple of things with a zucchini that Suzy gave us. Mason wanted to help with the Coconut Pineapple Zucchini muffins (yum), so you can see that it made the task much easier! Meanwhile, Tristyn cooled off by sitting in the fridge.

Later we played hide and seek. Tristyn and I hid in their little tent while Mason buried Dan in the couch cushions. Once it cooled off we finally get them out of the house and went for a walk. They both love to run around in the church parking lot and we've found that it's a great way to tire them out a little! Mason loved checking out the little tractor and big dump truck on the way and they both had fun picking grass and throwing it all over themselves and us. Tristyn's hat must have blocked her vision too much, because she kept putting Mason's hat on instead. She looked like a little gangsta!

Long story short . . . the kids kept us on our feet ALL day, but they were super cute and so fun to play with! We have the cutest little blue-eyed kids ever!

Warning . . . potty talk

I have great news!!! Mason is now potty trained! For several weeks he's gone potty if we bribed him and could catch him at the right time, but he'd never tell us when he needed to go. When I went out of town, my great friend Natalie watched him and she told Dan that he told her 'potty'--but it was too late! That was still great news for us since that's the first time that we know of him telling someone he needed to go! While I was out of town, he told Dan several time he needed to go and even ran out of Sacrament Meeting to go.

When I got home Sunday night he disappeared into our room. Melissa and I were looking at mission photos from my brother Charlie when Mason yelled out, "Dad, I pooped". He went on to yell for 'mom' and when I went in told him how excited I was about the 'one little poop'. He then said 'two poops' and got back on the pot and did his duty again. He got down, counted them, then said 'three poops'. He got back on and went again. He did this again and again until he got up to about ten poops! You can see in the photos where he's counting on his hands and even leaning over the bowl to count them. The tight red face photo is just to have fun with when he gets older!

That wasn't the first time he'd gone poop in the potty, but I think it was the first time he went in on his own and took care of it (other than the wiping and hand washing). He has been doing great all week and other than waking up with a wet pullup on some mornings and a couple of accidents during naptime at daycare, he has been totally dry! I feel like singing Hallelujah . . . it's such a relief! He still wants potty treats most of the time, but I'm more than willing to give them if I don't have to change him! We told him we'd take him back to Lagoon when he uses the potty all the time, so Tilt-a-Whirl, here we come!

Great Big Brother

Mason has been giving Tristyn random hugs and kisses on the head lately. He recently started telling her he loves her when he hugs her. Super cute! He's such a great big brother. Last week they were bored, so I pulled out a couple of bins of toys that were tucked away and they had more fun with the bins that the toys! Since then, though, they've pulled the toys out and played with them almost daily. Too bad it means more toys to pick up about 7 times a day :-).

Away with the Girls

Last weekend I enjoyed a great weekend away with my sisters and other awesome relatives! We planned the getaway mainly to catch up on unfinished scrapbooking projects, but we enjoyed reading, watching chick flicks, eating yummy food, and relaxing by the water. We laughed a lot and managed to finish up a few projects (and start others that we'll have to plan another trip to finish). I love that even though we fought like crazy when we were young, we are all great friends now! I love hanging out with all of them . . . and having a break of kid responsibilities was icing on the cake!



And only one bra ended up on the ceiling fan! Here are the mug shots . . . any ideas who did it?

We missed you Diane . . . hope you can come next time!

Dan and Chris in Vegas

Dan went to Vegas this weekend to spend some time with our friends the Pollocks. Dan went to the strip the first day and the picture shown is the most "appropriate" background he could find. Very nice. They then had dinner at the ESPN Zone Sports Bar. The food was awesome. Later that evening, Dan and Chris went shooting at a local gun range. Dan didn't do too well until Office Pollock gave him a few pointers. After that Dan did much better. Chris is a much better shot of course.
Saturday Morning, Dan and Chris went golfing at Eagle Ridge Golf Course. We played 18 holes with cart, but finished in just over 3 hours. For some reason, there was nobody else on the course, even at 7am. It couldn't have been the 112 Degree heat. We think the locals were intimidated by our "skills" and decided to stay away.
We had some awesome food too. We at at "Raising Cane" and some other BBQ/ Sports Bar place. It was awesome! We finished the trip off with a Triple A Baseball Game, The LV 51's versus Tacoma. It was a fun game and thank goodness ther was some cloud cover so it wasn't too hot. It was a great awesome trip and great to see Chris and his family again.

Beep beep

With as much as we spend on diapers and wipes, I'm glad that the boxes can provide some entertainment for my kids. The straps that hold the car up are also his 'seatbelts'.

Idol Mania

Jen, Melissa and Steph chillin' during the American Idol intermission. It's a pretty simple set, but they have great voices. Melissa wants to marry Matt. We're still waiting to see the top four. There is a huge Adam fan base!

Update: here are a bunch more photos from the concert. We had a great time. The top 4 were definately my favorite, but everyone else did really well too.

Jen and I gave a ticket to Melissa for her birthday in June and I'm pretty sure it's the best birthday present she's ever received (or close anyway!). Thanks Jen and Melissa for a fun night!

Pillow Tower

Mason loves to stack the pillows so they're 'so tall'. He keeps counting them. I'm surpised he hasn't tried to sit on them yet. He Also keeps telling me great job!

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Doggy darling

Tristyn loves little dogs--as long as she can approach them rather than them coming to her. Dan took this over at the neighbor's.

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Houston . . . we have a problem!

Mason was playing astronaut after his haircut tonight. It took him 4 suckers to get through the cut, but Holly did a great job! Tristyn saw him with a sucker and had to have one too. So, we had one kid covered in hair and one covered in sticky stuff. Thank goodness for baths!

The Things Kids Do!

Last week I went in to check on Mason on the computer and found this:



Tristyn had climbed into the computer armoir and was sitting on the printer shelf. She was holding Mason's water and the burp rag that is like a mini blanket for her. She likes to cover things with them and snuggle with them.

Mason likes to play baseball on the Wii, so a few weeks ago I bought him a t-ball set. He loved it at first, now just likes it occasionally! We were surprised when we went for a walk last week that he wanted to sit and watch a baseball game rather than go to the playground. He was climbing on the bleachers more than watching the game, but he insisted on staying to watch! Nevermind that we had to take him to the gross park potty at least three times before he finally went.

Last Thursday Mason found his little velcro mit and baseball and was playing catch with my mom and Melissa. Dan was getting a few things ready for the Bear Lake trip and when he got Mason's lifejacket out, he had to wear it. So, here he is wearing it while playing baseball in the back yard! At least he was playing it safe!

It's fun to see the things they come up with!

4th of July Weekend

What we thought was going to be a regular 4th of July celebration at home this year turned into a great getaway in Bear Lake! My sister Diane has a friend that allowed my family to use his cabin and we all had a blast! We found out about it Thursday morning, so we scrambled to get it all put together, but it worked out great. I can never believe the time that goes into packing a family of 4 for a weekend away.

My mom took her test to become an RN last Wednesday and we were able to look up the results online just minutes before pulling out of the driveway . . . and she PASSED! She was so worried about it, but we all knew she'd ace it since she's been cramming for about 6 years straight. So, it turned into a celebration weekend as well! We stopped by Dan's parents to borrow their raft and then headed toward the 'ocean' (as per Mason). When we got there DanaRae and Diane had put up a Congratulations poster and had balloons everywhere! The kids spent all evening kicking and throwing them around. We also had a way yummy BBQ just before the rain and hail started. There's a photo of Melissa putting a bunch of hail in Mason's hand.



On Saturday morning the kids got up and played with the balloons again. It was funny to see Tristyn running through them. When it warmed up a bit we headed down to the lake. It was a little cool when the sun went behind the clouds, but not too bad. The water was dang cold and I don't know how the kids played in it all day, but they did! We rented a jetski for a couple of hours so that was as wet as I got! Tristyn loved playing on the beach and with the toys laying around. Mason was in the 'ocean' the whole time. We all ended up with sunburns! As you can see, we're a pretty 'pasty' family!

DanaRae, Damian, Diane, Emelia, and my Dad all went into Logan for the Cache Cruise-In parade. It was a bummer to miss it, but we were too tired to get ready that fast! We cleaned up and went into town for ice cream . . . yum! The kids played with balloons again (it's a good thing mom passed her test and we had reason to get them!), played pool, and just ran around. Kambry and Tristyn's outfits were similar and Emelia and Mason had the same shirts, so I had to get photos. I missed getting a photo of Mason and Tristyn together in their 4th of July clothes--neither would sit down together long enough to get a shot! We saw a few random fireworks, but not a huge show. It was just enough to suffice, though. By the end of the day we were all exhausted and even Mason went willingly to bed.

Sunday morning the kids were up kind of early so we played upstairs for a while. My mom was reading until the wee hours of the morning, so she was sleeping down on the couch in the bright sun . . . silly girl! The kids played outside most of the morning while we cleaned up. Both kids fell asleep on the trip back, so they must have had a great time!

It turned out to be a beautiful weekend and was so much fun to be together. We missed Karen, Steve, Danny, Scott, and Charlie, but rest assured that we had enough fun and got enough sun for all of you! We need to plan it again! Thanks again, Diane, for hooking us up! We loved our 2009 4th of July!

You should be able to click on the collages to make them bigger since some of the pictures are tiny!

Hang Loose!

Mason has a shirt from Hawaii that shows him how to do the 'hang loose' sign. Here is a video of it. His 'loose' sounds like 'moose'.