July 1, 2014

It is so hard to believe it is already July. The summer is flying by and the year is half over. We have been super busy. The kids were with my parents last week at the cabin. The house was very quiet, but it was nice to have some alone time with just me and Eric. There have only be one or two times that we have ever been apart from our kids. Not even to go to the movies. We tend to not do things without our kids.

Friday, June 27th we worked on pulling everything out of the trailer to get ready for the new one. We are getting really excited to get it. We are suppose to pick it up on July 8th. It was a really hard decision, but it is what we love to do. We have to look at it as an investment in our vacations and memories. The kids are really excited too. Afterwards, we went over to Sallie's and visited for a bit. We didn't stay long cause I needed to get to bed, so I could wake up at 5 to go running with Giselle. We ran 5 miles, the longest I have ever ran and I did it and it wasn't so bad. We are hoping to do the Top of Utah half marathon in August. I am a little nervous, but excited at the same time. Probably a little crazy too.

Saturday, June 28th, I took my Psychology quiz and worked on a little homework and then we went to town. Sallie and Jerry came with us and we showed them our new trailer. They loved it and are so excited for us. When I got home I made beer bread and a salad for a BBQ with Sallie and Jerry. We had a great time visiting and enjoying each others company. By 10:00 I was so tired. I can't stay up late any more now that I get up most mornings at 5:15. Maisie had called me earlier and they were leaving Richfield at about 7:30. Since they were getting home so late, I told her I would pick her up at grandma's first thing in the morning. She was ready to come home and a little home sick.

Sunday, June 29th, I woke up at 7:30 and headed over to my parents to get the kids. My dad cooked waffles and then we headed back home. It was so good to see them and nice to have the chaos back in the house. I spent most of the day doing laundry and homework. I am a little stressed right now with my English class. This research paper is just stressing me out. I am not a writer and so it is very hard for me to formulate a paper. I will get through it one way or another. I told the kids I would take them swimming since they were gone for so long. Maisie called her friend, Siena, and we met her at the pool at 2:00. I thought we would only be there til 4:00, but the kids were not ready to leave. Parker wanted to go Transformers 4 with Eric, so I ran him home at 4:00 and then went back and picked up Maisie. Maisie and I went to Subway for dinner and I happen to lock my keys in the car. I have a really bad habit of locking the car with the door instead of my keys, so if I happen to be doing something before getting out of the car, I sometimes set them down and then forget to pick them back up. Thank goodness for AAA. We had to wait for an hour for someone to come let us in the car. Afterwards, we went to Kohl's and Maisie was in heaven trying on a bunch of clothes. She ended up getting a couple of outfits for school. She just is so fashionable and loves clothes. Then we went to Walmart for a few things and then headed home. Eric and Parker were already home and they told us they loved the movie and were so glad they went.

Easter Weekend

We had been debating all week if we should go camping or not. We usually make Easter weekend our first camping trip of the year. It ended up being Eric’s long weekend off, so it was a great weekend to go. We had a lot to do to get ready to go, but we decided we would do it. The kids really wanted to go camping. They love being outside and enjoying the outdoors. It is good for all of us to get away from home and just enjoy being together. It’s amazing what the kids can find to do to entertain themselves when they don’t have the TV. The kids spent a lot of time coloring, playing with the caterpillars, and riding their bikes.

I got off work at 1:00 and then picked up the kids. When we got home Eric was sound asleep on the couch. He got off work Friday morning and was busy getting ready to go and had just barely laid down when we walked in the door. He was very tired, but such a trooper to get up and take us all camping. We went up Hyrum canyon just below Hardware Ranch. It is a nice location, easy to get in and out of, and close to home. We were surprised by how many people were up there camping. I’m sure it had a lot to do with it being Easter weekend and the weather was going to be nice. It rained a little bit on Friday, but Saturday and Sunday were beautiful. Friday night I cooked baked potatoes, with sweet pork, and broccoli. Saturday I made breakfast burritos, sandwiches for lunch, and then we had flank steak, sweet potato fries, and green beans for dinner. Saturday afternoon we went for a drive around the mountain. Eric likes to let the kids drive. They think they are so cool. They sit on Eric’s lap and he controls the gas and brakes and they control the wheel. The kids colored easter eggs. I always forget the vinegar to the coloring didn’t turn out as well, but they still had fun doing it. 

Sunday morning, I could hear them whispering to each other. It is so fun to hear their excitement when it comes to holidays. I could hear Parker whispering to Maisie all about the stuff that the Easter Bunny left them. They got a summer outfit, lots of candy, and they each got a basketball. The Easter Bunny left them a note saying they had a surprise at home because it was too big to leave in the trailer. Parker was so excited and couldn’t wait to get home to check it out. I asked him what he thought it was and he said, “A Monster Truck.” I WISH. They did their easter egg hunt outside and then we cooked breakfast, pancakes. We then packed up our stuff and got home just before 11:00. I had a lot of homework to do and laundry. I knew we would spend part of the day putting together what the Easter Bunny left. He left a basketball hoop at our house. When we pulled in the drive way Parker went running in the house and then came running back out yelling he got a basketball hoop. He was very excited. Maisie was excited too, but not as excited as Parker. It is so fun watching their excitement when they are so young.

We unpacked the trailer and started on the laundry. We then started putting together the basketball hoop. While Eric and Parker started putting it together, Maisie and I filled the base full of sand. Once we were done, Parker and Maisie had to shoot some hoops. Then we went to town for some lunch. When we got home I started working on my homework. I was very stressed cause I just don’t understand this chapter. It is about metabolism and their are a lot of terms and body processes that I just don’t get. While I was sitting there Eric and I heard a noise. It was the washer. Something had broken. That is all I needed. We emptied out the water and pulled the clothes out. I asked Sallie if we could finishing washing that load at her house. Thank goodness for great neighbors. Eric and I decided it was time to just invest in a new washer and dryer. We had gotten our monies worth out of them. We bought them used 15 years ago for $200. We went to Home Depot and ended up getting a set for just under $900. It will take a week and half to get them. I hope I can go that long without doing laundry. 

It is going to be a stressful week. I have an exam the end of the week and I will spend most of the week studying for it. 

Wizard of Oz

Friday, April 11, 2014

Parker’s class put on the Wizard of Oz play. It was so cute seeing all these cute little 1st graders put on their first play. They all did amazing. Parker was Narrator 2. A couple of months ago when they drew their part out of hat, he came home and said, “Mom, I get to be in a play. Guess what my part is? Narrator 2.” All with so much excitement. He was so stinkin’ cute. About a week before the play, we were driving home from school and Maisie decided to practice his lines with him. She read the rest of the play and then he would say his part. To my surprise, he had his lines memorized. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t really expect him to have them memorized because he was the narrator. He was so proud. The only thing he wished is that he got to wear a real costume. When he found out what he was going to be wearing he said, “Mom, I have to wear this “BIG” green bow. It goes to my shoulders. And a green hat!" 

The week of April 7

It was a very busy week. My co-worker, Shannon, was gone on vacation, so I had to fill in and help with her job. I don’t mind doing it at all, but it keeps me on my toes. Wednesday, I took pictures of a little boy, Lincoln. I have been taking his pictures since he was in his momma’s belly. He is turning 3 in a couple of weeks. I haven’t had a photo session in about a month. I think now that I am in school I am really going to limit how much I do. I still love taking pictures, but finding the time to edit them is going to challenging. 

Thursday, Eric was home and we decided to go out to eat. We ended up at A&W’s. We haven’t been there in a probably a couple of years. Then I had to help Maisie with a lot of homework. We got in an argument and I told her we could not wait until the day before it was due to try and get it all done. She is so good about getting her stuff done, but she likes me to help her. I have decided I have to designate certain times to helping her. She made me feel guilty, by telling me that I don’t have any time for her. I try to make time, but it is just not when she wants to do it. I hope by setting certain times aside to help her do her homework, will help her plan her week’s worth of homework better. She takes after me and likes to plan her week, but it has revolved around when she wants to do it, and that just isn’t going to work. I am trying to come up with a better schedule so I can make sure I can fit everything in. 

Busy, Busy

The last month has been really busy. My weekdays have consisted of going to the gym most nights. swimming lessons two nights a week, working on kids homework, and then my own homework. Weekends are busy doing homework and house work. There just doesn’t seem to be much time for anything else. Still trying to figure out how to fit everything in without going crazy. School has been good. I am taking a nutrition class right now, which has been really interesting. 

Work has been busy. The spring time is always a lot busier than any other time of year. Only four more weeks and spring semester will be over. Looking forward to summer and playing a little.

Vegas - Monster Jam

This year Sallie, Jerry, Krista & Kendrick came with us to Vegas. Krista is a friend from work and her son Kendrick. We left to go to Vegas on Wednesday, March 19th at about 8:00 a.m. We drove in two cars, mine and Krista’s. We made pretty good time and arrived in Vegas about 2:00 their time. We had to wait an hour to check into the hotel, so we walked next door to In-N-Out burger and had some lunch, then went back and checked into our hotel. The kids really wanted to go swimming so we let them for a little bit. It wasn’t very warm, so they spent most of the time in the hot tub, but as long as they are swimming they don’t care. We left to go to Fremont Street about 6:00. We spent a couple of hours walking up and down Fremont Street mostly people watching. The kids loved watching the dancers. We left after the first light show at 8:00 p.m. Then we went to the Stratosphere. Eric and Maisie wanted to ride a ride so they went on the one that is on the point of the Stratosphere that shoots you up and then drops you. They thought it was awesome. They were lucky enough to get to ride it twice, since there weren’t a lot of people and there was another couple that wanted to ride it and they needed two more people to balance the ride. Maisie loves crazy rides. I don’t mind them, but I’m okay not riding either. Parker does not like rides. We enjoyed spending time looking out at all the lights from up high. It is relaxing. Then we went to the little pizza parlor at the bottom of the stratosphere for a snack.

Thursday, we got up and ate breakfast. We stay at the Wild Wild West Inn which provides a free Denny’s breakfast. After breakfast, we went to get our tickets for the Tournament of Kings show for that evening. I had one some Vegas rewards by playing a slot machine game on Facebook which got all the adults free tickets. Thank goodness or it would have cost me a fortune. That took a little bit to get the tickets, but it was a lot smoother than I thought. Then we headed out to Hoover Dam. We did the plant tour, which was interesting to see how the dam and plant work. It is amazing what they were able to make the dam in the 1930’s. After that we went to the Excalibur and the kids played the video games for while. We were able to go into the Tournament of Kings at 5:30. It was a fun show and dinner. The kids really enjoyed it. Then we walked the Strip. We walked down to the Bellagio and watched two water shows and then headed back to the car. It is fun to just walk the strip and watch people. There are some interesting people. We went back to hotel and just hung out in the room. It is fun just visiting and hanging out.

We didn’t wake up too early on Friday. We ate breakfast and then let the kids swim for a couple of hours and then about 1:00 we went to the Silverton Casino to see the big aquarium that has mermaids. We had to wait a little while for the mermaid to show up and then when she did it wasn’t too exciting. There was also a Bass Pro Shop in the Silverton, so Jerry and Eric walked around the store for awhile. Then we headed out to the Monster Jam Pit Party. When we left the Silverton we lost Eric and Jerry behind us. Eric was not happy. He had to figure out how to use his GPS on his phone to find his way to the Sam Boyd Stadium. He is not used to having to use his GPS cause I always do it when we travel. He was not a happy camper, but he got over it fast.  We were only there for about an hour and then they did the truck parade. We ate dinner there at the pit party. While Eric and Jerry went to the car to get our jackets, we just hung out on the grass. We went into the stadium just after 6:00. The Friday night show is the racing. It was really fun to watch and Sallie, Jerry, Krista, and Kendrick loved it. It was their first time coming to the Vegas show. After the show, we just hung out in the parking lot until the cars started moving, so we didn’t have to wait in a huge line. Then once we got back to the hotel we were all exhausted and went to bed.

Saturday, we didn’t get up too early and then ate breakfast and then headed out to the Monster Jam Pit Party about 12:00. We stopped at Walmart and got some more drinks and a few snacks for the ride home. It was pretty hot on Saturday. At least a lot hotter than we were used to in Logan. It was just under 80 degrees. The kids had to sit in the shade a couple of times, cause they were melting. They had a stunt show going on with bikes, motor bikes, and a car that was fun to watch. We ate dinner at the Pit Party again and then went into the show about 6:00. Saturday was the freestyle which is always the funnest to watch. This year because they separated it into two different nights, the track had a lot more jumps which was a lot rougher on the trucks. There weren’t too many that actually went the whole time. They usually crashed or rolled over before their time was up. It still was a lot of fun. Metal Mulisha ended up winning the freestyle race. We again hung out in the parking lot waiting the the cars to thin out. Then we headed back to the hotel. We were all bummed that our vacation was over and not looking forward to the drive home. We decided we had better get up about 7:00 to get started on the drive home. We went right to bed when we got back.

We got up early Sunday morning at breakfast and then we were on the road. I drove to Cedar City and then I jumped in with Krista and he drove the rest of the way. We stopped at Famous Dave’s in Layton for a early dinner and then we were home. We were all glad to be home. It is a long drive. Then it was laundry time. We had a great time on our trip.

March 4 - Busy couple of weeks

We have had a busy couple of weeks. Jarom and Launa's baby, Lincoln, was in the hospital for a total of 16 days. It was very stressful and worrisome for all of us. He had a few good days the first week and then he didn't show any signs of improvment. Finally, on Monday, February 24th, they decided to life flight him to McKay Dee Hospital in Ogden. Their doctors specialize in babies with pneumonia. Once he arrived there the doctors were not as concerned. They just explained that he needed time to heal. He got better every day and was able to finally go home on Sunday, March 2nd. We were all so glad he was able to finally go home. They still have to be really careful that he doesn't get sick while he continues to heal. I can't wait to meet him this Friday when I get to take a few pictures of him.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the the sudden urge to go to school. Coming from me, I thought I would never do this. I have never wanted to go to school before. I am not sure what changed. Maybe a midlife crisis. I finally realized that I do not want to work in this same job for the next 30 years and the only way for me to move up the career ladder at USU is to get a degree. I know that it is going to be a long slow process, but in some ways I am excited for the journey. We discussed this as a whole family and how it doesn't take just a commitment from me, it is a commitment from the whole family. We were all in the car one evening and I asked everyone if they were okay with me going to school and Maisie says, "I am about 80%." It was the funniest thing for her to say. She really wants me to go to school, but she knows how much it is going to change our family time and that I will need more help at home. I started the whole admissions process and decided to start with an online open entry course. It is a nutrition course, NDFS 1020. Which allows me to take a class after the semester has already started. I am also studying for the math placement test. WOW!! Math can be so confusing. I am hoping it will all come back to me with a little practice. Math was my favorite subject in high school, but that was 18 years ago. CRAZY!!! I am hoping I can complete my bachelors degree in about  6 - 7 years.

I am still going to the Logan Rec Center for my workouts. I have been trying to go about 6 times a week unless if something comes up and I can't go. It has been nice to be able to work that into our routine. The kids are now use to it and have accepted that mom just needs to do it. I hope in the long run they will see the importance of exercise.