Park City Weekend

We took the kids up to Park City for a mini vacation. 

We had fun: trying out new restaurants, eating chocolate from different countries at the chocolate factory, watching athletes ski jump at the Olympic Park, sliding down the mountainside at the Alpine Slides, and swimming at the pool. 

We did not have fun: trying to keep Max from climbing out of the ski lift, trying to get Max to sleep in a port-a-crib, or even trying to get Max to sleep in the hotel at all! Ugh...good thing kids don't stay babies forever! He's cute and all, but he was a challenge.

Alas, the parents and all the children survived, and I *think* the kids even had a good time;)

"The Most Amazing Show"

And now I can die a fulfilled life. Cavalia. What a show! Met up with our Mark and Tisha friends, ate a tasty dinner buffet before, snacks at intermission, great seats during, fun stable tour afterwards...it was a dream! I mean it! Well done, Salt Lake!

Feeding Penguins

What's black, white, and makes me smile all over? 

Feeding penguins on my birthday! 

Mr. Blackhurst never disappoints! He arranged for the older kids and me to do a munch and mingle session with the penguins, while he watched Max at home. 

We first met in a classroom where we learned a little about penguins, touched their feathers, felt how heavy they are, etc. Then we suited up in some coats and gloves and headed to the feeding room.

We were each given 4-5 fish, and then they opened the doors and let the little guys in! Cole was a little skittish at first, but by the end he fed those penguins like a pro! The penguins really liked all of us too and weren't scared. Uno, who was born at the aquarium, is particularly friendly with people. He would have stayed in the room all day with us if he could have! 

All the penguins really liked my brightly colored shoes and laces. They kept playing with them, which was kind of fun!

The penguins were everything I expected and more. I loved taking my kids to meet these curious little creatures!

Spring Soccer for Cole

I'm not certain we want to remember this Spring's soccer. Lots of rough games; all of them really. But  a shout out to Cole! The only player on his team to score all season long! We're proud of this kid!

Cole Graduates from Preschool...FINALLY!

The blessed day has come! I've loved having this boy in preschool, but three years of it is entirely too long for me and him! He had THE ABSOLUTE BEST teachers and preschool the world has ever known: Miss Cathy and Keri at Alpine Elementary. Cole was already smart, but boy did they enrich his year in every way possible. I'm still in awe by their dedication! 

I'm just gonna say it, Cole also had the best parts in his preschool program. I have to think that his teachers adore him as much as his family does!

The countdown to kindergarten is on!!!!

9!

The bday girl got a special lunch out with her dad, and Color Me Mine date with her mom, a late night with 12 friends. And dinner at her favorite Benihana (which has been the case for probably 5 years running). I think it was a happy one!

At 9:
-Always wants to play with friends
-Never wants to play at our house
-Loves to tease her brother Cole, and love on her brother Max
-Has a beautiful singing voice
-Enjoys her acting class
-Has mad roller skating skills
-Still has the most mature palette, way more mature than her mother's
-Is saving every dollar she earns for important things like a cell phone and a car
-Loves to share her testimony of the gospel with others
-Smarter than anyone her age. Just tested into A.L.L. for next school year.
-Is becoming a responsible little person. I think we are completely out of the little girl years:(

Happy birthday! You are so grown-up, but you will always be our Baby Kate! And you will always be our favorite little girl!

Fathers and Sons

Dave and Cole made it to Fathers and Sons this year. It was probably the warmest weekend we have had, but it still made for a chilly night camping. I think they may have froze a bit, but Cole sure had fun. He was some serious competition at the annual pie-eating contest, contending against boys three-times his age.

Meanwhile, back and home, Kate had a late night. Max and I partied it up with Kate and two friends. We made fairy gardens (every girls dream), and had movie-treats and a movie (Dennis the Menace). It really was a fun little night and something I think I'll plan on doing from here-on out!

Mother's Day Tea Party

Mother's Day was just glorious this year! One fun activity after the next. 

I got to go with Kate to a Mother/Daughter Tea Party for Activity Days. "The couple with the best hats win a prize," the invite said. Well, then, of course we had to have the best hats! 

Sis and I made a gardener's hat, along with a bird's nest hat. They were quite over the top, and of course, we won...because I like a competition. 

But mostly, I like this little girl I have. She is a confident, strong little person and can make friends and hold her own wherever she goes. 

Mom & Me Picnic

My handsome little devil invited me to a Mother's Day Picnic at his preschool. He made the sweetest little purple invitation (my favorite color) and prepared the cutest little program for me and the rest of the moms. 

The weather outside was a little drizzly so we ate our little picnic lunches in the classroom, next to our neighbors and friends Becca and Riley. What a special little boy he is! Proud to call him mine!

Beauty and the Beast Junior

Kate starred in Beauty and the Beast Junior as Chip. I say 'starred' because, by dang, she was the show-stopper! Adorable and perfect for the part. She's the smallest one on the cast, but the absolutely most memorable! We're so proud of her!

She had her grandparents and parents who were there at every show to cheer her on. She also had cousins and friends come to see her and even had complete strangers ask to get their picture with her because she was just that terrific!

May the Fourth Be With You

We are not really those nerds. We like to pretend to be and are actually working on becoming the world's biggest Star Wars geeks. The kids are really close, but it may be too late for Dave and me. Regardless, we do what we can to instill a love for this galactic series in our kids. 

Dave and I prepped the Star Wars-themed dinner the night before. Kate always wakes early for school before the other two boys even wake up. So she got up, ate her breakfast, put on her Star Wars shirt and went off to school. Then Dave had the genius idea to throw on the Jabba costume, turn on the Star Wars theme song, and wake Cole. It was pretty triumphant. I mean, for real. It was pretty darn cool. Watch the movie for yourself.

Spring Break- Disneyland

 We stayed for the first time at the Disneyland Hotel. It was a beautiful hotel and our room and the pools were great! We spent our days together as a family, but when the nights came we divided and conquered: Max and the mom went back to the hotel, and Dad and the older kids stayed out late!

Above our beds were twinkly lights and music that turned on for a firework show whenever we wanted. 

The pool had two waterslides that kids rode many times!

My favorite moment was meeting Kylo Ren. He was a scary dude. His voice was spot-on, and he did not break character at all. Max was horrified by him!

 Had to get the pic of our spirit animals. I was a bear; strong and loving (How fitting! Although Dave was sure it was wrong). Kate was an eagle: intelligent and brave (yep). And Cole was a moose (dependable and honest). If I didn't know any better, I'd say this test was 100% accurate. Seriously. It's just so TRUE for all of us! Just wish Dave and Max would have tested themselves. I'm guessing Dave might have been a salmon for his strong-willedness, but that's just my guess;) OH, and Max; likely the skunk because of his curious and adventurous nature.

The crowds also were not so bad. I think the rainy skies deterred the locals so that was a definite bonus when it came to Disneyland.

We also got a little church in on our trip. Miss Kate bore her testimony there which is just a sweet icing on my cake.

Fun times, and a nice escape, but it was nice to get back home where the weather was actually nicer. Funny how that works sometimes, huh?

Spring Break- Balboa Park and Carlsbad Beach

Balboa Park. Awesome. Hundreds of acres filled with museums, parks, and play. We bought a day pass for each of us, which got us into 5 museums within the day. Best part of the trip for me!

Here we pose with the botanical garden and nursery. Shortly after this pic, the Thai people snapping our picture wanted to take a pic with our children to show the folks back at home. We obliged, but kinda funny. 

 Here we are at the Natural History Museum filled with dinos and natural wonders:

And, this, the biggest letdown of the day (not for the kids, mind you), but for me: The Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater...

I talked Dave into this one for a good long time, before he finally agreed. But good grief! THEE WORST thing ever witnessed by mankind took place in this theater! Two dumb-dumbs, who have no business being on stage, and who are likely homeless threw on a show that I'm sure they never once practiced or even had a script or plot-line for. No. It was that bad. Shameful really. The kids liked it, however, and still quote and giggle about a few tidbits from the show. So we'll still call it a SUCKCESS!

The Model Railroad Museum...AWESOME!

Small, little basement museum, but filled with model trains and a ton of old dudes running the show. Seriously cool. Could have spent hours there.

Reuben H Fleet Science Center:

Kind of a hands-on kiddie, science museum. Wasn't my fave, but they had a cool walkthrough maze-type thing made completely out of packaging tape which was really fun.

The Museum of Man. Maybe my fave. Saw better mummies and things here than at the King Tut exhibit we paid big bucks for in L.A. years ago! Loved this place!

Air and Space Museum:

Fun, little museum. Worth a stop. Kate got some cute earrings, and we got this cute pic of Max...

 Carlsbad Inn Beach Resort:

We stayed here two of the nights. We chose this hotel because it was situated right on a beach. They had a nice pool, fire pits, and a fun grassy play area. After all of our museuming, we got back to our hotel, let the kids swim in the pool, and then ate dinner from a nearby pizzeria right on the beach. A picturesque little place for sure.

Spring Break- Legoland

We couldn't wait to escape to the sunshiny skies of California! As luck would have it, SOCAL greeted us with rain for most of our Spring Break! 

Our first day at Legoland was particularly soggy. We tried to make the most of it, but that darn Legoland pretty much closes up shop in the rain! All of the rides were shut down until probably the last two hours of the day there. Seriously, that ticked me off. They offered all guests free return vouchers for sometime within the month. So generous of them since many of their guests live out of state. Oh, well, the kids got to pick souvies, eat treats, and see and build lots of lego sculptures so it wasn't a complete bust. But that's also just me pretending to be a good sport. It was LAME!