Oh the things they say...

I want to remember some of the funny things my kids say, but I always forget to write them down. Since this is kind of like my journal I am going to share them here.

Macy:

"If you give me my dollar, I'll give you fifty cents back."
(She forgot her money when we went to the store so I purchased something for her and when we got home I made her give me a dollar for the item. Obviously she wanted it back.)

"I want to take your scripture powers to my class today." I found her a Book of Mormon to have. Later that night she was looking for her Book of Mormon. "Oh here's my scripture powers."

Kelsey:

Brian was pointing out the girls eye color. He tells Kelsey she has blue eyes. "No. I have raisin eyes." (Brian and I have hazel eyes and this has been discussed so she wanted "raisin" eyes like us.)

Our summer trip: Warning this is long and I did no proof-reading

I have now been back a week so I guess it is time to grab the keyboard again. We had a great time up in Utah, but it is good to be back in our own home. If only we could move our home close to our families then life would be perfect.

We stayed extremely busy while we were visiting, so if I didn't get a chance to stop by an say hi I am sorry. We will have to catch up another time.

One of the first things we did was take the kids to the movie theater for their first time. It took Macy a long time to become a movie watcher so Brian and I hadn't tried this venture yet. We went and saw Wall-E. I thought the movie was cute and funny. I was laughing out loud in some parts. The kids had a great time too and made it through the whole thing thanks to the bread sticks and Italian cream sodas Calee had brought from work. After the movie we swung by the Days of 47 float preview. That was fun and neat and so much better than watching the parade in the heat. Of course this year might not have been too bad.

The next day was the zoo for my dad's company party. I think the kids had more fun at the zoo because grandma, aunts and uncle were there.

My family loves water so our first water activity was Cherry Hill. For many years my mom's family has gone to Cherry Hill for a kind of reunion. The timing of our visit didn't allow us to be up there for the reunion (the fam is headed up there this weekend actually) so we did our own day trip. The kids had a great time. Kelsey's favorite might have been the pool or the lazy river but she also enjoyed the blue water slides and Pirates Cove. Macy loved the whole thing. She had a blast on all the water slides and loved the fact that she could touch the ground in the lazy river. Below is a picture of Macy going down the tube slide. Kelsey saw Macy do this and thought she was brave enough. She made it through the first waterfall but after the first plunge she decided it was not her thing and we had to get off the ride. Maybe next year.

Next up on our agenda was J.T.'s enormous slip and slide on Pioneer day. This was Macy's favorite. In fact we did the big slip and slide twice this trip and went to a friend's house and used their little slip and slide. After getting cleaned up from the slip and slide we did some celebrating with fireworks lit by pyromaniac Jeff (with some added help from another pyromaniac Jake).

The next day we hit the Children's Museum at the Gateway. The poor kids were losing a battle with sleep so it wasn't their best day, but I still think they had a good time. And of course we had to find some more water so we played in the fountain.

No trip to Utah would be complete without trip boating on Poppy's boat. Macy has become a tubing junkie. She could stay on them forever. My dad doesn't take her extremely slow nor does he keep the boat straight so these are not the tamest rides, but she enjoys it. Kelsey on the other hand is still not so sure about them. She saw her sister do it so of course out she went. She didn't last very long and when she go back in the boat people kept asking her if she liked it. Her reply was, "No. It's stupid."

After a week at my parents the girls and I moved over to Brian's parents. I feel like it makes it easier to see his family and besides I like them too. One afternoon we went to a nearby splash park with the girls and their cousins. Macy had a great time with Kennedy while Kelsey spent half the time sleeping. The girls also got to have a sleepover twice with their cousin Jensen.

Well Brian too eventually made it up to Utah to join us. He had missed everything up to this point, but he made sure he got his fill in. Just the two of us took a ride up in to the mountains to remind us of what green is. We went on an extremely short hike to a waterfall that neither one of knew even existed (don't laugh if you know of it but it was called Hidden Falls or Secret Falls up Big Cottonwood). Then we drove up to Silver Lake and walked around viewing the beauty up there. For dinner we had to try Alan's (Brian's dad) favorite place to eat, Zupas. I have to agree it is good. I really like the Caribbean Salad.

The next day Brian went horseback riding with his grandpa and brother. The allergy shots and medication have worked and he had no problems so of course horses have been added to his list of wants. That night we had a luau at my parents house for Brian and my cousin Garrett. This was the other time we pulled out the slip and slide. For the luau we made pina coladas and had pork for dinner. Thanks to everyone who wished him Happy Birthday. He said you really made his day.

The next day we got together with Brian's family for a BBQ. Of course more water was involved. Brian's brother has one of those big blow-up water slides and the kids had a blast hanging out with their cousins.

No trip would be complete without a little Rock Band/Guitar Hero for the kids. I also tried Wii fit and got a total of 11 min worth of exercise using it. I was a yoga master and a body builder (I can't remember the exact titles). Ticket to Ride was played many times. I won a few, but I still can't beat Brian. We also made the annual trip to the Park City Outlets and this year it treated Brian well.

The other thing to note about the trip was Kelsey and Macy's love for my family's puppies. Macy hated these dogs in St. George in May and she hated them for the first part of the trip. She spent the first week up on the couch and/or screaming when the dogs came around. I wish I had been a better photographer so I could remember the silliness of the scene. But after some time she came to love those dogs. Soon she was carrying them all over the place, putting them in boxes, placing them in the entertainment center, and making them dance. Kelsey has always loved the dogs and has tormented them from day 1. I am sure Bella and Sophie were not sad to see the girls go.

Our trip ended the same way it began. My mom drove back with me and we did the drive in one day. The kids were really great in the car, but to make it go faster next time I think I am going to skip the meals and let them eat skittles and candy for dinner. My mom stayed for a day and half and the girls made sure she went swimming with them both days.

By the way...

Next Tuesday is Brian's birthday so be sure to wish him Happy Birthday when you see him around.

I'm a Big Girl Now

I forgot to mention the biggest news of the summer. Our home is now diaper free without me even trying. In May I purchased Kelsey underwear and ever since then she has wanted to wear them. The first time was unsuccessful so it was back to diapers because I did not have time this summer for this. Then the day before camping she cried for her underpants and I told her only when she went in the toilet, so she said okay and used the toilet. She used it one more time that day and then there was an accident. With camping and vaulted toilets the next day I said back to diapers. So 2 days before we left for Utah she begs for underpants. This time I just put them on her and told her she needed to tell me when she needed to go potty. Luckily my mom was there to remember the girl had big girl pants on during that first hour (she asked her when she needed to go). From then on we have had very few accidents and she refuses to wear diapers (the car trip up was torturous with many roadside stops on the highway). So don't ask me about any potty training advice. I have none. My girls both decided when it was time to start using the toilet and from that point on most of it has been cake.

One Busy Summer

I am now so far behind on documenting our adventures that I was dreading this day. But since I am still on vacation I am going to try to make it short and sweet. Besides I am having to type this on a laptop and I hate typing on a laptop. Give me a regular keyboard and I am happy.

Back to our life. The summer craziness actually began with Trek and has not stopped since. 4 days after our California trip we packed up again. This time we went to cool off over the fourth of July. Last years 113 degrees at 10:30 PM was too much so we went camping at a place called Big Lake in the White Mountains. The area was so beautiful and green. It reminded both Brian and I of Yellowstone. We purchased a larger tent because we did not want to repeat last years camping mishap. The tent was a wonderful 2 room mansion. We tried to use our aerobed but I forgot the inverter for the car so we still had to use the old air mattress. The air pump couldn't finish the job so I had to blow up the last little bit every evening and every morning we would wake up closer to the ground.

We spent the Fourth of July playing in a small town called Eager. We went to their parade where Macy gathered lots of candy and I got choked up when army helicopters flew over head. We went to watch fireworks at a nearby lake. The firework show was amazing. It was one of the best I have seen and it was sponsored by small towns.

We had rain every evening. We roasted marshmallows and scouted for animals. Macy said she loved the vaulted toilets and wanted one at home. The girls loved playing outside and inside the tent. I will have to post pictures when I get home to my computer.

After camping we came home and 2 days later my mom flew out so I could go to girls camp with the young women of my church. Here I had a lot of fun. We went on a fun hike. I didn't have to stay up all night. I laughed so hard at a game called Mormon Mouthful. I got my chocolate fix from the kitchen staff who keeps a stash specifically for the leaders and all you have to do is ask. There was a big water fight even though the temperatures were cool because of rain. With all the fun there were still moments of great spiritual learning and uplifting moments. The stake and our ward camp director did a wonderful job.

After I got home, I took a couple of days to get settled and cleaned up (and also have a seal replaced in the pool pump). Then my mom, the girls and I made the long trek up to Utah for our annual summer visit. Brian had to stay home so we can pay the bills. Here we remain just playing and enjoying the good life. Our adventures of this trip will have to come in a different post.

The Turtle

Kelsey loves turtles so at the aquarium she was able to see one up close and personal.

Surf City Here We Come

This is one crazy summer. Right now my house is covered in plastic because we are having some drywall repaired. The girls and I are confined to the 3 smallest rooms in the house so while they are watching Robin Hood I thought I would post pictures of our trip to Sunset Beach last week with Brian's family. Sunset Beach is in So. California just minutes north of Huntington. We had beautiful weather, mid-70s. We stayed in a beach house/condo and we had so much fun with everyone. Brian and I didn't want to leave. It was awful returning home to 113 degrees.

Here is a picture of our happy princess. She was not really a beach lover. She hated to have sand all over her hands and she wouldn't get in the water because it was too cold (the water was 70 degrees so actually really nice).
Here are the girls with their cousin. Kelsey finally got into playing in the sand. Macy loved everything about the beach. She loved to play in the water and took every opportunity to play and lay in the sand.
Even though Kelsey did start to play in the sand she quickly grew tired of it and wanted to go home. The other princess, Kelsey's cousin, had similar reactions as Kelsey to the beach. To distract them and keep them on the beach longer Brian sent them on a search for seashells. He said they spent close to an hour filling their bucket.

PS The swimsuit Kelsey is wearing has to be retired. We found a hole in it yesterday. She has worn it every time we have gone swimming since my mom purchased it in April. She won't wear anything else. Hopefully she will be okay with it when I toss it. I am not sure she got it when I explained this to her yesterday.

Macy wanted to be buried in the sand so I made her into a mermaid.
One day we took the kids to the Long Beach Aquarium. Kelsey loved seeing the fish. In another post I will put up some video. Macy and Jensen were not as excited. Also Macy now has to do a goofy face every time she has her picture taken.She didn't no her picture was taken so no tongue.
This is in Long Beach outside the aquarium. I had to put it up because I thought I looked good in this picture.
Another day we went to Magic Mountain. Kelsey really wanted to go to Disneyland. She kept asking us where Mickey Mouse was so someone told her Sylvester was Mickey Mouse. I think she knew it wasn't and became confused to accepted this answer.

Macy loves roller coasters. She and her cousin Kennedy rode this kiddy one over and over. There was hardly any one at the kiddy rides so the operators just let them stay on the ride for 10 minutes. Both of the girls needed a little more than a merry-go-round but the big coasters were just too big. The log ride was another favorite.

We were so sad to leave that we might have to make a trip to San Diego this September.