"Princess and the Flog"

The girls earned going to the movies by keeping their rooms, bathroom and playroom clean and tidy. We decided to go see Princess and the Frog. Our little Natalie would keep saying "Princess and the Flog, Oh I'm so happy," every other time it would be flog instead of frog. Toooo cute for words. All three of my girls were pretty well behaved and were awake through the whole movie..amazing. I can actually take them out in public without going crazy, yeah! Oh ya, it helped that Mike was there too.

Woke up to MORE SNOW

Gotta love the garbage cans

There is a snow drift almost as tall as Olivia

"I looked out the window and what did I see"... a foot of snow staring back at me! All through the night it had snowed. I was up at 7 shoveling clearing a small path so I could walk Olivia to school. I'm glad we live in walking distance. Poor Natalie and Emma wanted to walk Olivia to school, however they only made it half way. The snow was so deep that Natalie could barely walk and Emma kept falling every 5 feet. Just as I thought I was done with shoveling I turned around an found an extra 2inches where I had just cleared.

Bound to run into a little snow

Living in Utah your bound to run into a little snow. The weatherman has just informed me that its suppose to snow everyday this week. I better get all my holiday shopping and grocery shopping done fast, I don't want to be driving in this crazy white stuff-unless---I did have a presidency meeting this morning at the church. I arrived before everyone and couldn't resist making a few donuts in the parking lot :) It brings back so many childhood memories.

Reflections

Well, its been a little over a month so I guess I should make an entry. As you can imagine a plethora of things have happened. One fun thing was Olivia had entered the Reflection Contest and won an award in photography. She received a trophy and her picture was sent on to next level judging.

First SNOW of the Year!

Daddy takes the girls for a ride on the sled.


Emma and Natalie love making snow angels.



Olivia, you better watch out Natalie can throw a mean snowball.

The recent snow fall has been wonderful. So far, I haven't missed So Cal weather this year. I know the day will come when I do miss the hot California sun- when I'm stuck inside watching the snow fall and collect on the huge mounds of shoveled snow. But until that day comes watch out, here comes a snowball headed straight for ya!

Continuation of CA trip

You can't go to Cali without going to Disneyland! It was Emma's Birthday so she got to get in free. They gave her a birthday button to wear and everyone would wish her a happy birthday. She didn't quite know what to say when people acknowledged it was her birthday. she would just get bashful and turn to me. Emma really did love the attention though!

Natalie's favorite ride was the carousal, Emma loved Dumbo and the Caterpillar ride and Olivia loved them all. We were all exhausted by closing time (8 o'clock) but Disney decided to extend the hours to 9 or 10. Natalie fell asleep in the gift shop and after going to Sea World and the beach the previous couple of days, we left at 8.

CA Vacation

We absolutely had a blast going back to CA to visit family and seeing the sights. We first ventured to Sea World and the girls enjoyed all the animals. We even went on the "Atlantis" ride. It was pretty intense for little kids, however they loved it. Feeding the sting rays was a fav of everyone. I think Emma was the most daring of the kids. She loved doing everything. We went to the beach and had a bonfire, roasted hot dogs and had smores. The water was warm but the wicked wind made it cold. My sister Sarah and her family joined us throughout our stay, it was fun kickin it with fam.

We're canning today and probably tomorrow...

I'm not an expert on canning but I'm starting to have lots of fun. It looks to pretty to eat. Apple pie filling is so easy and my house smells great. Tomorrow I'm going to try to make spaghetti sauce.

Family Reunion

Boy, we had a blast! We went to Heber Valley Camp for our Family Reunion. We went canoing, got to know more about family and played BINGO. The girls loved the sandbox by the lake. My sister's Rebecca and Sarah are completely nuts! They get a little crazy at night if you can only imagine by the pics taken at 2 in the morning.

South Fork

I really didn't have anything plan today. So, we called grandma Dixie and invited her to go to South Fork Canyon with us. We had a picnic and played in the river/stream. The water was cold but that didn't stop my children. They got plenty wet and enjoyed every minute. We love South Fork!

Fourth of JULY

I married a pyro! Mike has always loved fireworks. What a QT!!!!

Picnic at the park

Lately, we have been going to the park. All the parks in the neighborhood are doing free summer lunch for the kids. I can't believe how much stuff they get! Boy, its been a lifesaver of boredom. To bad Olivia's missin out. She is still in school til the 2nd of July. We were lucky that Grandma Dixie could join us today.
I am amazed at the flexibily, the strength, and the pure determination of my two year old. I have never seen a kid with such bravery. Natalie suprises me each day with so much energy bottled up in such a small kid. She swings from bar to bar, climbs to the tallest point, goes down the fireman's pole with ease. I saw a t-shirt on a little boy that said "my parents are exhausted." Its the truth! Thankfully she is in bed asleep by 8. I relish the moments she smiles at me after going down all the slides on the playground, up every ladder, and climbing up and down every pole. I think back on my childhood climbing trees, getting dirty, and having just plain old fun. I loved being a kid

"Dog" gone it -Rain, Rain, go away?

Since summer has started there has only been one day that we have reached temps in the 90's. I can't believe this crazy weather. I think its rained everyday. It feels more like OR than UT. Everything is so green and we don't have to water the lawn! The flowers are blooming like cray too.

Today we went to Lowe's and bought a new gas grill for Mike. Its a suprise for Father's Day. He is an excellent chef! We hope it doesn't rain tomorrow. We are suppose to have a ton of people over to celebrate.

We came home and found a dog running around and in the street. We checked out his collar and called the number-no one was home. Sooooooooo, the adorable black lab is spending the day with us. Olivia loves running and throwing the ball with the dog. The cats having been hissing from indoors. It started to rain and I'm such a sucker I let the dog in. The dog is great with kids and is very obedient (better than my kids). To bad he isn't ours!

Shoes to fill?

I can't believe its been almost a month since my last entry. Olivia has turned 7 and is loving each new day. We just got a piano and are trying to muddle through. I have no music experience at all, but with a few helps from Mike I'm learning Away In a Manger. Hopefully by Christmas I will be able to play it without any mistakes.
My little Natalie has some big shoes to fill if she wants to be just like daddy. With most females shoes are an obsession. Natalie absolutely loves shoes as long as its not her own. She never keeps her own shoes on. If you have kicked off your shoes it wont take long for Natalie to find them, swipe them, and prance around in them. Gotta run-with my own shoes on.

Slip Sliding away

Well, after a long day of yard work Mike and I decided to take the girls swimming. We went to the Rec Center and had a blast!!!!!!!!!! The girls had such a wonderful time they didn't want to leave. The best part about the rec center was the water slide. Natalie was even brave enough to venture down the twisty slide alone. I was a little nervous for my two year old daughter to go down the long slide, I thought it would traumatise her for life. I kept telling Mike not to let her go- she's still pretty young, I don't care if she has a life jacket on. After catching her at the bottom, she looks at me and says "again mommy, again." To my relief she wasn't scarred for life! But mommy was a little, Daddy better swim fast (for letting her go in the first place)

What do you do with a crazy PIRATE

Life is pretty crazy when you're the RS pres and the snow keeps falling. I'm glad to report that Natalie hasn't stuck anything up her nose lately. Olivia is off track now for 4 weeks and is adventuring every which way she can. Emma loves going to preschool and learning new things. Today, it got up to 68 degrees, it was so nice we had a picnic outside in our backyard. The new game recently has been Pirates (basically tag with aarrgging). Its hilarious to watch Natalie say arghh with one eye closed and lips like Elvis.
I Love the Sun!!!!!!!!! We planted peas a few weeks ago before the snow and they're are starting to pop up.

Flowers

My flowers are in bloom! Spring is on its way! Hooray!!!

Portland, OR Trip

Well, Mike and I had the great opportunty to go to Portland without the kids!

Mike was getting his CE credits and I got to take advantage of the guest events which included the zoo, Japanese gardens, Chinese gardens, science museum, and other places. It was great to explore without kids slowing me down. I did miss the kids and phoned frequently but it was definately a nice get-a-way. We stayed at the Waterfront Marriott and swam in the salt water pool and hot tub.

Its all out!!!!!!!!

Our little Natalie is a curious one. She thinks its funny to shove things up her nose. Well, that is until she had to go to the hospital. This week there was drainage coming from only one of her nostrils. This was an indication that there was something stuck. We took her to the insta-care and they couldn't find anything and suggested that we go to primary children's hospital. They have better equipment and they might have to knock her out. We waited and waited and finally she was seen. To make a long story short its out, the wadded piece of paper is out!!!!!!!!

Inside sledding now a new sport

Emma and Olivia have invented a new way to go sledding. They get dressed up-wool hat, coat, scarf and snow pants. Thinking that they are venturing outside I think nothing of it. But then I come to my senses and follow them. I get to the top of the stairs and to my surprise they sit down and slide down the stairs feet first. But that isn't good enough for them, they need a sled. So off to the sofa they go. They disassemble the couch and take the leather cushions up the stairs. They lay down on the cushions and slide down the stairs giggling and laughing. You only live once I guess.

Rachel needs

I played the game rebecca and had a few chuckles!
(Go to your favorite search engine and type in your first name followed by needs)
Rachel needs: a newness of life
Rachel needs: blush that is very bright and beautiful
Rachel needs: Bearded dudes
Rachel needs: some fashion advise
Rachel needs: to turn the channel
Rachel needs: a squeeze
Rachel needs: more caffeine
Rachel needs: to pee
Rachel needs: Help
aint it the truth.

Natalie is TWO

Natalie has just turned Two! She loves to be in the middle of everything "puzzling" isn't it.J/K When she opened her presents, she kept saying "ah, oh, and oooh" Money is her middle name. A special sparkle came into her eyes when that green stuff entered her hand.

Slithering Snow Serpent

The slithering snow serpent snuck its way into our front yard. Olivia thinks it is so awesome! I think its pretty cool myself. We had tons of fun making him and mister snow"dude" with his best friend.