June Gloom

Here’s how June went down:
For a few solid months, Dave and I powered through 6 days a week of pretty intense workouts. But then we suffered setbacks. First, my ankle. Then it was Dave’s. Then, my knee. Next, came Dave’s lower back. And last, my elbow (seen here):
Clumsiness might have a part in all this, but I thought exercise was supposed to be good for you! Alas, July has come and we’ve gotten back onboard, not as die-hard as we once were, but are trying nonetheless.

***
Poll: At What Point Would You Say a Car Is No Longer New?  I would say, probably once it’s been in a wreck. Boo. Our new car is now old. Its youth was robbed after being plowed into by a savage shopping cart and a negligent Escalade in a parking lot. But that’s not the worst part. The worst part is actually a toss-up; can’t decide which has been the crappiest. Either…

a) repeated phone calls to a penny-pinching, slow, customer serviceless insurance company, and their dumb-dumb adjuster named Andrew…OR…

b) finding out today that I would have to take the car in for yet its THIRD round of repairs. Want to know where NOT to take your car? I’ve got a GREAT recommendation.

But…hey! We’re still smiling…sort of : / Here’s some fun we’ve experienced in the past weeks:

Aerial fireworks….Mmmm! Dave bought the “Captain America” and it was well worth the 50 bones he spent on it. As the package described, Captain America and his 29 cohorts parachuted from the sky carrying large (real cloth) American flags in trails of purple, blue, yellow & green smoke. Let me tell you, nothing is more patriotic than parachute dudes and American flags! So awesome.

We also journeyed to Cascade Springs; always love revisiting a childhood favorite.

We hit up Lehi Horse Parade; not much to say about that one, except that it stunk in more ways than one. Kate sure looked cute though.

Kate also took another session of swimming lessons. We wanted to get her in with her cousin, but ended up having to sign her up solo. I couldn’t believe how much progress she’s made since last year! She can now swim all the way underwater! She’s quite the little mermaid, that one.  I think she loved showing off to her grandmas and anyone else we could get to come watch!

Coley Bear gets tastier everyday.  He now has two teeth that make for the cutest, scrunchy-nosed smiles.
This kid loves ANYONE. The Mom and Dad are frequently told, “I’ve never seen a happier baby!” While I think that statement is mostly true, he tends to HATE entertaining himself, or being set down. And when I say hate, I mean like 100 times more than that. He really gets MAD!!!!
As for milestones, Cole is sitting up, crawling, eating all baby foods (including baby finger foods), and says, “Mom” and “Dad.” And here’s a big one: he has also stayed in the same size of clothes and diapers for a record 2 months! That’s Size 18-24 months from 6 months old to 8 months old!

So, adorable kids and happy family adventures aside, I’d say I’m ready for July.

Sharks & Mermaids

This weekend we made a quick trip down to St. George to soak in the sun.

While visiting Utah’s Dixie, we made a little 100 mile detour to check out the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay.

The animals were incredible and the exhibits accommodated us with some great views.  We even hit the piranha exhibit at feeding time.


Kate nearly got enough courage to touch the stingrays…but not quite.

The headline event for our mini-vacation was not seeing Pete Rose in Vegas (which we did), but was Tuacahn’s new production of The Little Mermaid (who just so happens to be Kate’s BFF in the princess world).

New this year at Tuacahn, they’re (supposedly) not allowing children under 2 into the amphitheater.  They’ve always allowed lap children in the past but this year they want you to shell out $18 on babysitting.  So being the rule-followers that we are, we reserved a spot for Cole and paid our babysitting fee up front only to find out lots of parents were taking their sub-2 rugrats into the theatre.  Then the ultimate salt in our wound came at intermission we got the call of SHAME and our pager went off alerting us that our child was being ejected from the daycare facilities due to his unruly behavior (he was just tired and the 2 daycare workers were too busy with the 11 other infants!)  So Cole joined us for the second act with the rest of the infants that were bootlegged into the theatre.
 
Aside from Tuacahn’s new lack-luster policy, the play was great.  Kate’s review: “It was a really good one because it wasn’t too long and because I didn’t fall asleep.”  So there you have it!

What is the place?

This Is The Place (pun intended) Heritage Park

If you can’t tell, I am on a mission to check off each and every Utah landmark and tourist attraction…even if they’re a snooze. Saturday was no exception. We woke up and thought we ought to give This Is The Place a try. 

The whole family was very surprised. And by that, I mean, that even Kate absolutely enjoyed herself. What a cool place; kind of a mini Nauvoo.

They had both original and replicated pioneer homes and shops you could walk through and learn about. Everywhere you went there were people dressed up and doing demonstrations.

They gave each of us a wristband, which allowed us multiple crafts and activities.

Above is Kate doing some leatherwork with the mom. And below she is panning for gold with the dad.

I like this picture:

This Native American granny was a tad grumpy I’d say, but she showed us the secrets to making some real-life Arrowhead necklaces!

We also rode the train to get the grand tour of the park, seeing Brother Brigham’s digs and much more:

Cole didn’t get to do much more than cruise along in his stroller, but he was a happy boy (as expected).***Side note…guess who says, “Mom” and “Dad” now?

Taking a pony ride:

Outside the ZCMI Mercantile:

It was kind of fun to spend a day remembering the settling of the West.

Next up, their Haunted Village in the Fall…they say the houses are actually haunted. Any Takers? Adults only:)

Dirty Thirty

What goes around…

 

Comes Around…

Poo. I’ve joined the ranks of the rest of you oldies. I’m thirty as of yesterday.

The day was great, however, thanks to many people. My BFF of 30 years dropped off Sweet Tooth Fairy cupcakes, I was showered by gifts from my parents and Dave’s parents, my mom tended for me for several hours of the day and night, and FINALLY I understand why people Facebook; ALL DAY LONG I received birthday wishes from people that I love near and far!  I loved that! Last, but not least, my darling, handsome husband, announced my big day to world (I suppose I had it coming). He also got me some great gifts (clothes [lots of] and a new workout DVD), some pretty darn beautiful flowers, and a special night out with just me and him.

I like birthdays, even if they make me older.

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not, He Loves Me!

Little Kate had another recital. Oh! How this girl loves performing! Nothing beats a stage and a spotlight in her mind. And, of course, the parents always love watching her bask in all her glory!

One word: DAVE;
best. dad. ever. For opening night, he got pink, glittery flower bouquets for Kate and her cousin.




I think Kate was mighty impressed with herself and her hard-earned flowers. In addition to flowers, Kate’s cousins also made her a cute card and treat for a job well done. By Night 2 of concerts Kate said,

“I bet I’ll get LOTS of presents again tonight!”

I quickly crushed those hopes and dream with a,

“Oh, no. You got all your presents last night. Tonight is just a dancing night.” A harsh reality.

These are Kate’s concert pics:

With her cousin:

Such a cute little mug.

Feed the Birds: A Tutorial

“First you get an ‘acorn’. And you have to put a string on it.”

“Then you paint some peanut butter on it.”

(and some on your tongue too)

“Then you roll it in some bird seeds and…

hang it in some trees.”

“And the birds will say, ‘Oh, I don’t know who lives in this house, but they got a yummy treat for us’.”

GaLoon

It was another marvelous Memorial Day at Lagoon. Seriously. It was like Lagoon had protective rain bubble over it, unlike everywhere else in Utah that day. It was a tad chilly in the morning (hence, the snow on the foothills behind us), but the crowds and lines were a lovely size.

This is the usual crew we go to Lagoon with:

This is the brave little girl that holds her arms up in the sky, giggling and squealing on rollercoasters:

This the little bear that goes with the flow:

And this is this year’s Christmas card (assuming we don’t get on family pics between now and December): 

Surely, we could get some by then. But, likely, we won't.

Our Graduate

Kate loved her year at ABC Preschool! There wasn’t a single day of school this girl didn’t look forward to. These are some pics of Kate’s second to last day of preschool, which also happened to be the day of her birthday and the class fieldtrip!

Being the spotlight:Bowling:
With her best cousin:

ConGRADulations, Miss Kate!