Goodbye Reality...

I spent the past three days pouring through two books that will give me something to think about for the rest of my life. I must, however, let you all know that I am changing literary direction for the next 10 days. Yes, folks, it has arrived. The time when I leave the real world for vampires and teen lust. I will be ignoring my children, leaving the house a mess, and walking around like a zombie (no sleeping)...as I tear through the Twilight Series (again, yes, again), in preparation for the book release of Breaking Dawn on August 2nd. On August 3rd, I probably won't be at church. Well, probably is a loose term. You can count me out until I have read the last word of Bella and Edward's struggle for true love.

It's sick. I know it. I don't even care.

Just as a preliminary prediction, Jacob is going to find true love somewhere else and it will have a very happy ending for him too. AND, here's hoping that the teen lust factor gets bumped up a notch (yeah, Carrie--that's what I mean). ha.ha.ha.

Don't worry family. I should return around the middle of next month--if I don't have to read the new book twice (although, here's to hoping that it is so good that I do!!)

The Last Lecture

The Last Lecture,

written by Randy Pausch.
My Highest Recommendation.
I laid awake in bed for an hour after finishing this book. This book will ask you to take a hard look at your own life and the legacy you wish to leave. Remove all eye makeup before starting...

To Randy Pausch, what an incredible gift you have given to your children and so many people--even strangers like me. As an educator, I was so touched by the genuine "knowledge" you offered to your students. In our office we call that a Master Teacher. You, sir, would get that award from me should we ever meet. It was a humbling experience for me to learn something from you. The separation you have from your wife and children will seem but a moment, and I know that you will have all the rest of eternity to teach each other what you have learned in this life.

Favorite Quote (and truth):

"Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted."

To see an update on Randy, check out this website.

Tank Tops and Tube Tops

Since it was the kids first time at Lagoon we started them out on what appeared to be a benign little ride called "Bulgy the Whale". Wrong. That ride took off like a rocket! The look of confusion on Jack's face was priceless and I thought Lachlan was going to bend the side of the ride she was gripping it so tight. They loosened up after four or five times around and we got them to actually make eye contact a couple of times as they whizzed past us. A good start to a fun day!

On the bumper cars, Lachlan didn't turn the wheel enough to go forward or backward and ended up spinning in circles the entire time. She still got in a few good licks to the kids that couldn't steer around her.

This boat ride was more Jack's style and I think he actually started to enjoy the ride. Notice the blue plush puppy he is gripping. A crusty worker (maybe) in a golf cart handed it to him as we were walking in the parking lot. It was quite a comfort to him. The more nervous he got on a ride the tighter he would grip his puppy. (p.s. he is sleeping with his puppy tucked under his chin every night. They bonded during their adventure)
The bee. Maybe next year Lachlan will figure out how to make it go up and down.Lachlan, excited to be on the roller coaster.

Jack, not excited for the roller coaster

Lachlan ran to the front of the line for another ride.

The log ride was relaxing until that little drop at the end that caught the kids by surprise! The second time around Jack was "all done, mama!" as soon as we started up the hill.

Lachlan really got into the spirit of this ride with her arms up the entire time.

We all loved the view from the ferris wheel.

If I had to guess, Lachlan's favorite ride at Lagoon was the Tilt-O-Whirl. The faster it would spin the more she would laugh. As you can see from this picture, Jack was "all done" before it even started. Lachlan got upset when the ride was over and we told her we needed to move on.

Toward the end of the day, anytime we would get in line, Jack would immediately tell us he was "all done". Even this train ride was a little nerve racking - poor kid.

The last ride of the day was the carousel.
On the way out of the park, we stopped at the water fountain. Jack really enjoyed this part of Lagoon.

The end of a busy day. I think Jack's nerves were shot. The kids fell asleep in their car seats about 2 minutes after we left.

First Fish!

Last week the Murray side of the family went camping at Tony Grove Lake in Logan canyon. We didn't stay overnight with them but we did go up and spend an evening. The highlight for Lachlan was fishing with Grandpa.



When we got to the lake, papa was already fishing on the other side of the lake with a bunch of the other grandkids. By the time Lachlan and Jack walked around the lake pointing out all of the "wa wa" and "bugs" most of the others were starting to clear out to get ready for dinner. Papa made sure L had a chance to hold the fishing pole and reel in the line a few times. She thought that was pretty cool even though she kept winding the reel the wrong way until the handle fell off. But she really wanted to "catch a feesh".

L didn't quite understand why saying over and over that she wanted to catch a fish wasn't bringing in the big one and Jack was even less excited about learning the art of kicking back and waiting for the fish to bite. We only spent 10 or 15 minutes with grandpa putting bait on the hook and casting in a few times and after taking some pictures decided that it wasn't going to be our day. But as we were just about to leave, L's cousin got a bite on her pole and let L reel in her first fish! She was so excited!



Jack was not impressed with fishing but did find a good rock back at camp to climb and jump off.

Baby Shower

Friends and Family:
Lest you have forgotten, the babies shower for Erica will be held at my home on Friday from 11-2PM. I will wipe down the bathrooms with a Clorox wipe, vacuum the carpet and put the cats in the garage. Small children are welcome as I have no one to watch mine and they will be present...the more the merrier.

Food catered by Costa Vida (saw your blog Val and thought that I would mention that you can kill two birds with one stone at this gathering). There will also be chips and salsa and plenty of seating (especially if you like folding chairs and or the living room carpet).

Free Parking.
Sweatpants welcome.

While Rose Was Away...

The kids decided that we needed to go on a hike with the scouts so we headed up Logan canyon. At Tony Grove lake, we hiked up the side hill to Polygamist cave. Here are L and J in their backpacks getting tanked up on Gatorade and candy at the trail head:


The trail was still covered with snow and it had been a few years since I last visited the cave so it took a little longer than I expected to find it. Luckily the scouts were very persistent and we eventually found the cave. Here are L and J tanking up on treats to celebrate finding the cave:


Here we are enjoying the scenery in front of the cave. I didn't get any pictures inside the cave because I didn't have a real camera with a flash but L really loved the big "hole" and wanted stay inside and continue exploring. I thought it was actually a little cold so we came out before everyone else and sat in the sun enjoying the scenery. It was really nice weather and a lot of fun.

Here is a picture of us heading back down the trail from the cave. You can see the snow off in the distance that was still covering the actual trail. We made it down safely and had a lot of fun.

L talked about the "big hole" we visited for a couple of days. We'll have to go back and visit it again. The cave is quite large with a few back caverns to explore and the flowers should be about ready to bloom in the next couple of weeks. Let me know if you are interested in going with us and we'll plan a day to go up and do the short but steep hike.

Me, Peestool!

Yup, Lachlan is now going to preschool! I am so excited for her. She has great teachers, Miss Tiffany & Miss Carrie. She practically runs out the door and jumps in the car when I tell her it is time for school. I was so proud of her because she only cried a little bit on the second day. She got a little nervous when Jack and I left, but she pulled it together and had a successful day. She has been learning about caterpillars and butterflies. These are her art projects. Miss Carrie said that Lachlan is very "creative" with the paint. I interpreted that to mean that she was the only child who painted her whole body and ate some of it.

I also wanted to share that Miss Tiffany said that she is friends with everyone in the class and always wants to make sure that everyone is included. There is one little girl who has cerebral palsy in her class. Her mom carries her and helps her to do the class activities. Lachlan is a good friend to her and helps her get toys and cookies. When it was time to go home, Lachlan gave her a hug and a kiss goodbye and helped her clean up her treats. I almost started bawling, but decided that I didn't want to look completely emotional on the second day. Let's face it, compassion has never been my strongest characteristic. I am so proud of Lachlan and I feel so blessed that she has this incredible gift for taking care of people.

Jack puts Lachlan down for her nap. "Night, Night"--Lachlan says, "Night, Night, honey."

Let Me Just Tell You...

This one more thing... that's what Jeff's mom always says when we are trying to leave. I almost forgot to post these non-essential items.

I put up new drapes in Jack's room. They were a screaming deal at DownEast Home. I had a neighbor lady help me with the hemming. I decided that if I put drapes in his room to darken it that he would sleep in a bit longer in the mornings. Drapes went up two days ago, they make the room as dark as sin...kid still wakes up at 6:15 AM. Go figure.

We went to SummerFest. Most of it, same old stuff. BUT I did find something special. I am so in love with Owen's jewelry. You have to check it out!! I hope that Jeff remembers this in August--you might want to write it down honey. He does everything with pressed flowers and leaves. These earrings have queen anne's lace--they are so original and beautiful. I also love his artwork, but I've got to wait until our retirement to purchase it.

I also want to remember how simple it is, and how difficult to raise a toddler. Here are some pictures of Jack enjoying life one minute, and wanting to curl up and die the next. (Time lapse: 6 minutes 22 seconds).

Nothing smells better than a good rock!Stubbed toe while smelling rocks with eyes closed.Move on to drinking out of the hose.Cry again because some water got on his pants and up nose.

"Mama, house, now, treats, peez." At least he knows when to call it quits.

Trading Spaces

Jeff went to Florida for work last week. I'm headed to California tomorrow morning. We are swapping places so that the other can watch the kids. After a week of single parenting, I would be lying if I said that I wasn't looking forward to reading a book in silence on the flight to SoCal. So help me, if I get stuck next to chatty Cathy on the plane I will have to pretend that I have laryngitis or something.

For the most part, the kids were really good last week. We set up a swimming pool and shade in the backyard and pretty much did everything out there. It helped keep the house manageable and the kids were really tired at night so I didn't have any bedtime troubles. I got some great pictures of the kids running through the sprinklers. They were both a little scared of the swimming pool. I think that I got too much water in it--it was a little overwhelming (and cold) to enjoy on the first couple of days. It was much better by the end of the week when the sun had warmed up the water (although we did have to swim with some bugs and a few chicken feathers :)). I also introduced the kids to Popsicles. It was a big hit. The funniest part was how nervous they were that the chickens were going to get their treats. Jack kept saying, "no, no, chick, chick." It was so funny. Oh, and check out Lachlan's swim top. Apparently, it wasn't skimpy enough because she wanted to fold up the top even higher. She wouldn't let me pull it down. She calls it her "Boopy, bra". Yup, she is in love with bras. She told me in Target (as we passed by the lingerie section), "mama! Me need boopy bra!!"

Oh, and before I forget. Happy Birthday to Susan. You are so amazing. I'm so glad that you are one of my closest friends. xoxox. Thanks for sharing your motherhood humiliation with me. It makes me proud!!