Grammy's Visit

This was Grammy's first visit to Utah.  The kids were thrilled to have her around to play with non-stop.  We kept Grammy pretty busy while she was here.  Tried to squeeze in as much of Utah (or at least the Salt Lake area) as we could while she was here.

We spent her first day in Park City, showing her the Olympic Park where many of the events for the 2002 Olympics were held.  She hadn't realized that Salt Lake hosted the games just 8 short years ago.  We got to watch some of the freestyle practice at the pool.  Riley thought it was great to watch them ski and jump, flip and twist into the water!  Kendall clapped and cheered!  We also tried out the Alpine Slide and Ultimate Zip Lines...Nancy decided to watch the munchkins while Andy and I rode the zip line.  What a rush!  It's the world's steepest zip line!  After that we took her into downtown and walked around, checked out the art show and ate dinner.  Also happened to be the Sundance Film Festival weekend which meant LOTS of traffic!

On Saturday we spent the day playing "tourist" downtown.  We started by going to the Farmer's Market.  Picked up some yummy produce and sweet treats.  After that we walked around and ended up at Temple Square.  She got a chance to walk around in the visitor's center and see what the LDS church is all about.  Grammy didn't know much about their faith before coming here so it was educational for her as well.  We got a chance to look at the model of the inside of the temple which was interesting for all of us.  The gardens, as expected, were just simply beautiful.  We got to take her into the Tabernacle so she could see where the choir performs.  She got to hear a pin drop from the front of the building and discover how well it was designed by standing in the back and hearing it drop into a cup very clearly.  Afterwards we walked over to the Gateway and did some window shopping and then came home.

I think Grammy burned up a few extra calories on Sunday when we took her to the Timpanogos Cave in American Fork Canyon.  The scenery is so beautiful there which helped, but she wasn't thrilled with the hike - it's a paved trail along a cliff.  That caused her some added stress on top of the altitude!  Once at the top, we got to take a tour of the cave.  There are actually 3 caves that they have connected and they are all incredible!  It's a must see!  After we finished our descent, we found a picnic area a short distance down the road and stopped to eat our lunch along side the American Fork River.  We continued our day by driving on the Alpine Scenic Loop along the east side of Mt. Timpanogos to Sundance.  We showed her Robert Redford's resort and got ourselves a little snack.  We headed home via Provo Canyon pointing out the Bridal Veil Falls, which we ran out of time for, along the way.

Andy had to leave to go to Wyoming to deal with a crisis at work Monday - Wednesday.  So it was just the 4 of us.  We took Grammy to Gardner Village to see the kids ride the ponies and go to the petting zoo.  We grabbed some lunch at the Naborhood Bakery and enjoyed the beautiful weather.  After naptime we had some dinner and then headed out to the library to watch some dogs perform.  The kids LOVED seeing the "dancing doggies".  They danced, caught frisbees, and performed a variety of other tricks.

On Tuesday we took the kids to the park here in town.  They needed to burn off some energy before I left them with Grammy to get my hair done.  What a nice break to be able to go and get my hair cut and colored without worrying about the kids!  Thanks Grammy for that nice break!  After I got back, we headed down to Thanksgiving Point to the Museum of Ancient Life for $2 Tuesdays.  Boy was it crowded!  Normally it's $10/adults and $8/kids so this was a great deal!  Riley loved showing Grammy all about dinosaurs and how many had been discovered right here in Utah!

Wednesday was another physically active day.  We headed up to Alta to hike up to Cecret Lake.  As we started our hike we came across 2 moose!  What luck!  Grammy got to see some wildlife up close!  She really loved seeing all the wildflowers along the trail too.  The hike is a little rocky towards the end, but much less stressful for her since there wasn't a steep cliff to fall off to your demise!  After our hike, we stopped at Snowbird for some lunch then headed home.  Andy came home shortly after I put the kids down for a nap.  Later that evening we headed out to Frogurt for a late night snack.  Riley loves making his own creations there.

Grammy left this morning and both kids were sad to see her go.  They enjoyed showing her all of their toys, tricks and creations.  Riley kept her busy with books and Legos while Kendall entertained her with her antics, sayings and by jumping on the trampoline!

We're hoping that Grammy had as good a time as we did!  We're all taking LONG naps this afternoon to get back on schedule...Can you believe Riley starts school next Wednesday.  7 more days of summer vacation!  YIKES!

An Observation

Today we were driving through Provo on the way to Andy's office.  We happened to pass by BYU's football stadium and noticed the banners hanging on the street.  These are everywhere in front of the stadium!

I've heard that imitation IS the most sincere form of flattery.  

Then BYU must really love PSU!  

BYU's new football slogan for 2010 - We Are BYU?  Seriously?  Wasn't it bad enough when Marshall decided to "borrow" the cheer in '88?  Penn State started using the cheer "We Are...Penn State!" after the 1948 Cotton Bowl when there was discussion about PSU bringing their African American players to the game.  

This is what's become of that phrase at Penn State:

It's a a part of the culture of the university.  As you walk through campus you can hear people shouting "We Are" and others responding with "Penn State!"  You'll often hear a "Thank you!" and "Your Welcome!" following the rant as well.

Anyone who knows college football knows that State College, Pennsylvania is home to the Pennsylvania State University.  This location is the geographical center of the state and is also known as Happy Valley.  Provo is also considered "Happy Valley."  But when the sportscasters on ESPN's Game Day talk about the blue and white from Happy Valley and they AREN'T discussing the cougars, they are referring to the mighty nittany lions!

This is one of the many shirts sold all over State College and can often be seen at whiteout football games:

Wonder when they will start showing up around here...or will BYU start hosting whiteout games like PSU too?  

I saw this T-shirt for sale on a PSU site that I just might have to purchase for this season.  On the front it said We Are and the back looks like this:

I'm so glad to be a fan of a school with some original ideas and great traditions!  It's bad enough that everyone now plays Kernkraft 400 at their games...that's a PSU staple - even before their infamous 2005 OSU game when officials thought the stadium was going to have structural damage due to the large number of fans jumping up and down to the song as their team destroyed the Buckeyes!  If you google Zombie Nation, Penn State football comes up as a large number of of the results...wonder why?

Can you tell it's football season?  We Are...Penn State!

Love ya Lions!

God's Promise

If you ask Riley what a rainbow means, he'll tell you that it's a symbol of God's promise to never flood the world again...We got to see that promise in full color last night.  We've had a string of thunderstorms all day - almost forgot I lived in Utah.  I thought I was back in Jax for a moment or two there!

Riley was the one who spotted this rainbow as we took a walk through the neighborhood...right before storm number 5 out of 6 started!

Looks pretty good for a shot with my iphone, huh?  

One Of My Most Played...

If you've never heard "God Gave Me You" by Dave Barnes, this is a MUST see video.  One of my new favorites.  How do you survive all that life throws at you if you don't have someone to be by your side to hold you up and keep you strong?  I've got this on my ipod and listen to it often.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

What A Day(and night)!

Andy left for Texas at 3:30 in the morning so it was just me and the kids yesterday (and for the next couple of days).  We spent some time playing in the morning before heading off to Riley's arts and crafts program.  After that we ran a few errands and finally found him a decent pair of velcro sneakers without characters and do NOT light up.  Do you know how hard that is to find for a first grader without spending an arm and a leg?  He needs them for his PE class at school and they must stay at school so I didn't want to spend more on them than I spent on his Nikes.  Kohl's to the rescue!  We checked a number of other places and scored a pair on sale for $20!  While we were there, I checked out what girls shoes were on sale.  We found a cute pair of Disney princess sandals that I initially passed on because I figured she wouldn't wear them much more this summer.  Well, once I saw the yellow $4.99 sticker, they weren't coming off her feet!

We came home for lunch and nap time then headed out to Ikea for their "Kids Eat Free" promotion.  I had a few things I wanted to get while we were there and my munchkins love to play there.  They also love to eat there because they have kid-friendly foods, kid-sized tables and movies playing on the t.v.  They were both on the edge of bedtime when we arrived home so we played for a short period and then started our routine.  Both kids struggled to fall asleep last night.  Kendall ended up getting out of her bed 3 times!  Thankfully she can't open the door or turn on the light yet!  When I went upstairs for my final check-in before I turned in, and noticed I couldn't open her bedroom door more than a few inches.  What the heck?  I figured she'd put a toy there while she had gotten out of bed.  So I turned on the hall light to look down and see legs extended on the floor.  Here my little princess must have decided to defy me by getting back out of bed once again and eventually passed out in front of the door!  I considered leaving her there but determined it would be better to have her wake now instead of midnight when we'd both have to be awake!

Well, my little man decided for some reason that he wasn't going to sleep last night either!  He was in my room 6, yes, that's right, 6 times last night!  He came up with every excuse under the sun...the wind, lightening, thunder, etc.  When I got up to tuck him back in, the trees outside were completely still...not sure where he got the idea it was the wind?  So by 4am, there was an actual thunderstorm so he did end up sleeping on the floor in my room...

Momma is tired and so are my kids.  We were planning on a trip to the zoo today, but I'm not sure we'll make it out the door with as tired as we all are today!  Hurry home Daddy!

Ambient Light

We don't often get to see sunsets here in this part of the valley, but we do get the ambient light shining on the Wasatch to our east and it can produce some incredible colors.  We had quite a show in the sky the other night and this is what we got to see:

Keep in mind that this view is looking EAST, not west where the sun was setting.  We usually miss the sunsets because the mountains are in the way.  One of these days I'm going to go up to the Great Salt Lake or the benches with my camera and capture some sunset photos.  When the mountains aren't blocking the view, it's gorgeous!

Moving Pains...

Moving sucks in general.  It sucks (and no that's not a word I use around my kids, but it's the one that seems the most appropriate for how I feel) when we have to move because it means, stress, a new job, selling a house, looking for a new house, schools, damaged furniture, DMV, new friends, new church, unpacking, trying to find your stuff among the mountains of boxes, something ALWAYS gets lost, etc., etc., etc.,  Well, it also sucks when the first "real friend" you make in Utah moves across the country!

After I joined the MOMS Club, I went to a MNO and met Joi and some of the other moms who she's friends with.  I had a fantastic time and really enjoyed their company.  And the best part of it was that most of them had BOYS the SAME AGE as Riley!  What great luck!  Well, a few days later, Joi invites us over for a playdate...and so it goes.

Joi has introduced me to some of the most wonderful women I could ask to meet in Utah.  She's the one who organizes all of us.  Will we be able to survive without her?  I'm hoping that some of her skills have rubbed off on one of us!

Her son and Riley hit it off immediately because he loves to play with trains almost as much as Riley does, well, now that I think about it, he may actually like them MORE than Riley...Is that even possible?  Anyway, it was so nice to have a friend for Riley outside of his school setting and the best part was that Joi lived just a few blocks away in our neighborhood!

She guided me through what dentists, doctors, specialists, restaurants to try, kiddie parks and museums, watched Kendall so I could volunteer at Riley's school, etc.  She was exactly what I needed at that time in my life.  She accepted me for who I am and didn't pass judgement.  She shoots from the hip and there's never a fear of "drama" when you're with Joi.  I LOVE that about her!  I'm so sad to see her leave to start the next chapter of her life back east, but so happy for her to have her family all under one roof again.  I know it won't be easy for her to start over once again, but she's such a fun and strong individual, she'll make friends where ever she goes.

My kids are already having a rough time adjusting to life without Andrew and Ella.  They spent Friday and Saturday with us before flying to their new destination.  This morning Kendall was walking around the house trying to find Ella.  Riley's been talking about how much he misses Andrew already and it's been less than 24 hours!  We are so grateful for their friendship even though it was so short.  They are the kind of people who you know you'll stay friends with no matter where you live.  The nice thing for us is that they have a family cabin not too far from my parents' house...I think a visit might be in order next summer!

Here are a few pictures from our sleepover weekend.  We tried our best to give them something to remember us by...I think the near heart attack that Joi suffered will stick with her for awhile.  See why below:

Ella LOVED going for rides with Andy on the real 4wheeler...much more exciting than riding our battery powered one!

She went for a number of rides...she had a blast!

Andrew wasn't quite as sure about it as Ella, but he did try it.  Once was good enough for him.

The two princesses in their matching princess jammies hanging out by the campfire after making s'mores.

Hoping these two will stay close...they are such a good match and really enjoy each other's company...must be that train obsession they share!

Joi and her family will always have a place in our hearts.  They were an answer to prayer and helped us to feel like we were at home here in Utah.  We will miss them terribly and know that a piece of them will always be with us wherever we go.  Much love to the Hwang family!  We wish you the best of luck in your new town and know that you will be loved there as much as you were here!

Beat The Heat...Head To The Mountains

After church today we decided to head up to Snowbird to get away from the blazing Utah sun.  We have been there before in the summer, but not to take advantage of all Snowbird has to offer.  Today we decided to take the tram to the top of the mountain - what a thrill that is!  The view facing up the mountain is as awesome as the view out the back!

We looked around at the summit and then decided to hike the rest of the way down instead of returning to the lodge via the tram or the flying sofa (aka chair lift).  We were prepared with the back pack for Kendall so we figured why not?

We hiked down from 11,000 feet to 7,760 to the base.

Looking over the back side of Snowbird

These beauties were growing at 11,000 feet and had a fantastic view to boot!

If you look behind the boys, you can see the Salt Lake valley in the distance.

Yes, that's snow he's standing in on August 1st!

What a beautiful view we had the entire way down!  I must admit that Andy and I are starting to feel old...his knees were aching about half way down from the steep descent and my back was killing me with Sissy in the back pack.  But we survived.  Riley hiked the whole way down with little to no complaints.  He needed to take a few breaks, but for a tired 6 year old, I was impressed.  There were lots of beautiful wildflowers that made the trip worthwhile!

My boys, hand in hand, discussing the scenery

I actually took this pic while holding my DLSR with her on my back because she was begging for her picture taken...she NEVER begs for it taken so I had to take advantage of the opportunity!

To reward ourselves, we split some "chocky cream" once we made it back to the Snowbird Center.  We also took the kids on the Alpine Slide.  Kendall decided she'd rather ride the zipline while we were waiting in line for our sleds!  That's my girl!  Unfortunately she'll have to wait a few more years before she can do that!  We both had to take them on our laps and tried to race down the slide.  I love that my boy figured out he and Dad had the best chance of winning because they weighed more than the girls!  I'm happy to report that they only won by a small margin.  As soon as we got off, Sissy said "More slide Mom?"  Both kids wanted to ride again, and we would have if it wasn't already 5:30 and we had dinner waiting at home in the crock pot!  We have tickets for another trip down the slide so maybe we'll head back up there next weekend.