St. George

I love that Mike and Dianne live in St. George. It's close and a great place for a vacation. We had to take advantage of the long weekend so we headed south. (Sorry Idahoans but the warmest weather wins). An added bonus was that my brother Brandon come along. Sadly, Noah had a run in--literally--with an office chair just before we left. Matt was able to butterfly the gash on his cheek but by the next day his it was really swollen. You'll see.
Ben is a lover of the sand dunes. Last year while we were in St. George, we woke up early and told the kids we were going to the sand dunes. Instead, we drove to Mesquite where we surprised them with the news that we were going to Disneyland. Ben's first response: "What about the sand dunes?" This time we had a sand castle making contest.
Noah and Brandon were the winners. Of course we had to go to the first In-N-Out Burger in Utah. Brandon looks so good in the hat he ought to get a job.
Zack's been in paper hat heaven, he got a Krispie Kreme hat on Thursday and this one on Saturday.
Poor Noah couldn't open his mouth wide enough to eat a burger until this:The guys went to Indiana Jones but I knew Zack wouldn't last. Instead he went shopping with the ladies and his reward was a trip to the nursery so he could see the waterfall. He really thinks we need to put a fountain on our porch so that we can be fancy. Maybe someday...
On Sunday we drove out to Gunlock hoping to see the waterfall. We didn't see it.
Instead, we entertained ourselves by throwing rocks in the water:
climbing things:
and finding lizards:
But the greatest part of the drive to Gunlock was that Ben finally lost his other tooth.
We also toured the Brigham Young house. Brandon and Matt gathered some pecans from that huge tree. Apparently they were delicious as Brandon said that he would would cry if he dropped one.

Thanks Mike and Di for another great vacation. We love coming to visit, but don't be offended if we decide to skip the super hot summer months....

Timpanogos Caves--Check

I failed last summer. I really, really wanted to take the kids up to the Timp Caves. I just could never find a good day or it was too hot and then it closed. I can already check it off my list and summer hasn't even officially started. Now I will have to set some new goals for this summer since I've already accomplished the only one I had. I am so proud of myself.

It was a perfect day weather wise and the hiking was even more fun because we went some of our neighbors. I haven't been since Ben was two weeks old. I forgot how picturesque this hike is. The scenery is amazing. I have to say that I love living in such a beautiful place. I was driving Matt crazy with my incessant need to take pictures. Turns out that I am not nearly as photo happy as Tom who took an entire gig of pictures, a few of which you will see here. This is our group minus Tom:


I'm looking at this picture wondering if I am an unfit mom for taking my kids on this hike. It looks way more dangerous than it felt. Noah (white shirt) is by far my most cautious child, there is no way he's as close to the edge as it looks:
There was still some snow along the trail. I was actually a little surprised that there wasn't more, considering that it snowed a few weeks ago.
This is the cave entrance. Our tour guide was very good and we learned a lot about the geology. It really is amazing. I can't imagine what it must have been like to discover it.
Being in a cave made Zack goofy.
Matt is just always goofy. A little rest after the tour:
Making our way down:
The last time we came, Noah was only 2 1/2 and he was able to walk most the way up. Zack was tired before we hit the first quarter of the hike. We took lots of rests, but he did manage to make the 1000 foot ascent mostly on his own.
But coming down, he had a thing about his toes moving forward in his shoes that made walking downhill too annoying; he wanted to slide down on his bum. Matt or I carried him most the way down.


The opportunity to hold hands with a cute girl was enough to convince him to walk the last little bit.
We are all a little sore today, but it was the perfect way to spend a Saturday.

The Birds and the Bees

Every morning I used to wake up to the harmonious sounds of birds chirping. I like birds most of the time, unless they are annoying me. My first encounter with a bird was back in 1993 while I was working in Jackson Hole. (Sorry Liz to drag you into this, but this picture was too funny. And I think it answers the question why I am not a cowgirl. Nice belt.)
Now that I have proven that I lived in Jackson, bird story #1: I was riding my bike to work one day when I heard the sound of wings flapping. It was getting closer and closer. This was during my I'm too cool to wear a bike helmet stage, which played right into the birds plan. Before I had a chance to duck, the bird grabbed my hair with its claws or talons or whatever the bird had and pulled. It wasn't a big bird, I am guessing a crow or a raven, I really have no idea as it was behind me but it was for sure black. It let go. I start peddling as hard as I can and of course it was on the way to work which was uphill even though it didn't look like it. (Trust me, riding home was way easier and faster. Liz you can back me up). Then I hear the flapping again and am attacked again. This happens a few more times and then for reasons unknown it stops and my nightmares about birds begin. It only happened once, but that's pretty much all it takes to make a girl change her route to work and wear a bike helmet.

Bird story #2: One night, while Matt & I were living in the octagon, I heard a sound coming from the super classy lava rock fireplace. I told Matt that I thought a bird had fallen down the chimney and that he should try to shut something or put the grate thing over it. Not knowing that a person who has previously been attacked by a bird develops a 6th sense about birds he ignored me. He won't do that again. The next morning he woke up to an owl diving at him. Thank goodness David responded to Matt's frantic 6:00 am call or we might both still be locked in that bedroom. They managed to get the thing out (it was just a baby) but not before it pooped all over the whole place.

Last year we got a bargain on a grill cover. It's a nylon blue job that is supposed to protect the grill. It would if a certain someone would put it on after he grilled. Instead, it sat in a pile on the corner of our deck all winter long. One warm day, I decided that it was time we got our $5 worth and went to put it on the grill. My number one fear when I go do anything outside is that I will come across a mouse. I was mentally prepared to find a little rodent, but not for the 10 or so bees that were clinging to it. This is the only time I've been glad that our deck is tiny because it only took me one step to get back into the house and freak out behind the closed door.

So where am I going with all this? Bird story #3: The lovely sound I heard in the morning was the bird's joyful "we're building a nest in your grill" song. Apparently, if you don't cover your grill birds will think it's a location for a spring home. They fly in one side and out the other. If it wasn't my grill I might think it is adorable. The birds also attract the neighborhood cats one of which climbed up on our deck in hope of a quick dinner. (Which if that happened I would have to move. Did I mention that I am not a cat fan?) Things were getting bad and I really needed a hero. I informed Matt of his manly obligation to solve the problem and he gave Noah $1.50 to clean this out:
I wasn't going anywhere near the bees on the cover so I advised Matt that he better put it on. He didn't and this is what was accomplished by the next morning. I think they were trying to prove a point.
Finally, on Mother's Day, Matt cleaned out the nest and put the cover on. So far I haven't heard the birds. Which means that there are some homeless birds in Harvest Hills, better cover your grills.

The Squadron

Noah has become obsessed with making paper airplanes. He goes to websites to find new and better designs. He begged me to check out a paper airplane book from the library. I was supportive at first as I was glad to see him move from video games to something a little crafty. A ream of paper later, and I am pretty much done with paper airplanes. Guess who cleans them up?

One Day

I admit I generally have a bad attitude on Mother's Day. For whatever reason Mother's Day seems to be the worst day of the year. No one wants to obey and the urge to mess things up is impossible to overcome. There is a definite increase in whining and our hitting numbers are up. I start feeling sorry for myself and get frustrated by my children's seemingly complete inability to show me they love me by being good for just one day. This year I was determined not to be a Mother's Day martyr. No matter what my kids did (or didn't do) I was going to take it in stride and not feel bad. I took a lot of deep breaths and let a bunch of things slide.

Leanne had a nice post on her blog about appreciating mother's moments. It's a much better way to approach this dreaded day. Instead of being mad at Ben for not listening, I remembered the day he got up and made his bed, all by himself, and did a better job than I do. When Noah threw an epic fit before church I remembered how much fun we had when we went to Seussical the Musical. When Zack was running around the house in his underwear after we'd already dressed him I remembered him decorating the dining room table so that it was fancy.

Today was far from perfect (ask Matt about how his idea to watch Lord of the Rings went) but that's fine because neither am I. In all the chaos and frustration that is motherhood there are some perfect moments which make it all worth it.

Now for some Mother's Day fun. Noah and Ben were tagged by Rilie and Brandt. Zack answered too.

1. What is something mom always says to you?
N- Clean up your room.
B- Get in Bed.
Z- Brush your teeth.

2. What makes mom happy?
N- A clean room.
B- When we clean up the whole basement.
Z- When I give you birthday presents and be nice to you.

3. What makes mom sad?
N- I'm sassy.
B- Not doing the things she asks us to do.
Z- When I want not to give you a present or candy.

4. How does mom make you laugh?
N- I don't know. You don't really.
B- By tricking us.
Z- Tell jokes.

5. What was mom like as a child?
N-Terrible. I am guessing.
B- Funny.
Z- Going to Disneyland and played with dump trucks.

6. How old is your mom?
N,B, Z- 33

7. How tall is your mom?
N- 5'9"
B- 5'7 1/2 "
Z- 100

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
N-Watch the Jazz or play Guitar Hero.
B- Watch the Jazz.
Z- Take care of us and get us drinks and make us dinner.

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
N-Shopping, cleaning, take home reading library.
B- Shopping.
Z- Party with her friends.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
N- Good food, she'll be better than Mario Batali
B- Drawing
Z- Break dancing so awesome, we'll teach her. (Lynne I swear he didn't read Brandt's answers, what's up with the kids and break dancing?)

11. What is your mom really good at?
N- Cooking and getting mad at people.
B- Reading.
Z- Reading.

12. What is your mom not very good at?
N- Fixing things.
B- Playing basketball.
Z- Playing sports.

13. What does your mom do for her job?
N- Cleaning up.
B- Looking after us.
Z- Making us food.

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
N- tomatoes
B- steak
Z- salad

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
N-She supports me in soccer and basketball.
B-You help me read.
Z- When you make homemade cookies.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
N- Bessie Higginbottom
B- Dawn (Pokemon)
Z- a hot girl

17. What do you and your mom do together?
N-Basketball
B- Play games
Z- Play games

18. How are you and your mom the same?
N-Hair color, eyes. We both like the Jazz.
B- both like Speed Racer.
Z- We like to play games and make cookies.

19. How are you and your mom different?
N- You don't like rare meat.
B- different hair color
Z- fighting (?)

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
N- Easy, she gives me a big ol' hug when I get home from school.
B- She takes care of us.
Z- She kisses us all the time.

The Tease

My dad is a great big tease. I spent my childhood always on guard. You never knew what he had planned: it could be ice down the back, a squirt with the water bottle or the theft of whatever I was eating. It was just always best to be ready, and usually ready to run. He's spent 34 years teasing his seven kids and now he has a whole new crop of grandkids to bother. After being chased, tickled & scared all weekend the kids were ready to take it to him on Sunday.

The surprise assault:
This is how it worked out:
But they continued to bring it on. Hoping, I guess, that his hands would get too full:

Ben even tried to out cowboy him by lassoing him with a jump rope. It was a bold move that failed and poor Haylee suffered the consequences.
Dad wonders why the kids always run away from him. Isn't it obvious? I just don't get why they keep coming back for more. Maybe one day they will realize that they outnumber him, and he'll get what he deserves....

Ben vs. The Tooth

Ben has had a very loose tooth, so loose that it's been hanging at a 45 degree angle for the past week. It's been making me crazy! I have wanted to pin him down, grab it and yank it out. This picture doesn't do it justice, so just believe me and know that I have been the model of self restraint.
Since last Sunday we have been trying to get it out. It wasn't going without a fight. We've had some previous success with Noah's teeth by using the string and doorknob method. Ben was willing to give it a try...almost. He thought he might be able to pull it out himself. This is one of the many attempts.



Failure on Sunday. Monday morning he woke up with a new resolve. He wiggled with his finger. He wiggled with his tongue. No luck. In desperation, he tried this:
He made the ultimate sacrifice by putting fruit in his mouth, and that tooth still wouldn't come out. It broke his spirit; his heart just wasn't in anymore. Noah and I encouraged him for the rest of the week but all he could muster was a few token wiggles. Until Saturday when he showed that tooth by twisting it right out: "It wasn't even hard."
Now if he can just get the forgetful tooth fairy to come pick it up.