Lake Powell

The pictures below pretty much sum up our Lake Powell trip this past weekend.

Okay, this is not completely true, but we forgot our camera when we were actually on the lake. We arrived Saturday afternoon later than expected. Brian's siblings had been waiting an hour and a half for us to arrive. We got to the boat launch at about 2:00 PM (AZ time). They backed in the boat and it wouldn't start. Lucky for us "Mr. Fix-it" owns the boat. Chad, Brian's brother-in-law, took the boat back to the hotel and started to work on it. He had to replace the starter. The rest of us spent the afternoon swimming in the pool.

Sunday morning came and the boat was running again. Brian and I were hesitant about what to do. Everything bad that has happened to a boat we were on happened on the Sabbath. We decided we would go and just watch everyone. All the nieces and nephews tubed and did some wake boarding. In the afternoon, Kelsey had an allergic reaction to something. Her eyes became swollen and red. She broke out with a rash on her torso. Of course the boat was out and she had to spend the afternoon miserable on the beach. This, however, was not the worst of our problems. In the evening on the way back to the marina, the boat broke down. It was almost dusk and we were 10 miles away from the ramp. Some nice people towed us all the way back. It was 8:00 PM by the time we made it back to the hotel.

Mr. Fix-it arose early Monday morning to work on the boat. He thought he had it going so we all loaded up and checked out of the hotel. We drove to the ramp and everyone was ready to get back on the lake. I too was excited because I passed up 2 opportunities to ski earlier in the week because I knew I was going to Lake Powell. Well the boat wouldn't start. The kids were so sad. We all piled back in the cars and made our way home. Brian and I detoured to Antelope Point Marina (we were already at their boat launch and thought we should check out their amenities). This is where we found the fountain that the girls played in. They were already in their swimsuits so we said have fun. They really did. I think it was one of the highlights for them. After 30 minutes or so we changed in the marina's nice, new bathrooms and hit the road. The best part about having to leave earlier than planned was we didn't have to pull into our garage in the middle of the night.

I have added a few other pictures from the trip to our photo album. I also added some more pictures from our Disneyland trip.

Bribes

I am a believer of bribing my children. Not necessarily all the time, but bribing has its place among child raising. I bribe my children to sometimes eat their dinner for a special treat. The bribes are generally a treat to get them to do something that is really important to me like getting in the car quickly and quietly so we are not late for an appointment or so they don't cry when I leave them with a babysitter. I use fruit snacks to get their fingernails cut and cereal or fruit snacks when Kelsey won't let me do her hair.

Macy was given a piece of gum every time she went potty on the toilet. She then got a whole pack of gum for staying pretty much dry for 2 whole days. That was a fiasco because she still wanted a piece of my gum for going on the toilet. When I wouldn't give it to her, Kelsey and her ate the whole pack before breakfast so she could get my piece. They were right in front of me and I didn't notice (I must have been busy on the phone or something). They must have swallowed every piece because I never saw them get off the stool to go to the garbage can. I can guarantee Kelsey swallowed hers. She is pretty much banned from it for that reason alone.

The newest bribe which could also be called income or allowance. A friend was telling me how she pays her oldest son (he is 4 years old) a quarter every time he cleans up the toys and when he has a dollar she will take him to the dollar store for a toy. I thought this was a great idea. So about 4 times a week I ask Macy to clean up either her room or the family room for a quarter. The one stipulation is if I pick up one toy she will not get a quarter. The way things are cleaned are not always the exact way I would like, but so far she has earned 3 quarters. She doesn't quite grasp the idea of using the money to actually buy something. She just likes to get money. She won't put it in a jar or her piggy bank so the coins are already lost. They stick around for a day or two and then are gone. Because she doesn't really understand the saving to buy, I am thinking of dropping the payment to a nickel or a dime until she gets it. But for now there are moments when the house feels clean.

The Good, The Bad, The Disgusting

Life is full of good and bad events. It is what makes life flavorful. Here is a sampling of ours so far this week.

The Good: I found Huggies swim diapers on clearance at Target for $2.25 a package (normally $8.99 for 18). I grabbed all the medium size that were left which was 5 packages.

The Good: Macy has still had minimal accidents in her pants. Luckily in public or staying at other people's homes she has a perfect record. Kelsey is very intrigued by this potty thing too. She has even tried to put on Macy's underpants.

The Bad: Kelsey is very intrigued by this potty thing too. Every time her sister sits on the toilet, she has to too. She cries out "potty" as she tries to rip her shorts from her body. Sometimes she is successful getting her shorts off and then soon after there is a bare bottom running from me because she doesn't want a diaper back on. Because of this little desire and tantrum we are going through twice as many diapers with her.

The Good: Yesterday I got to go to the lake with the young women from the ward. Once a month the kids get a half day at school, so for the YW activity we took them skiing. Two wonderful women in the ward watched my kids for a combined total of 6 hours so I could go. One of these women had 5 young kids of her own (this was Josh and Jesse's mom for those of you who have heard Macy mention her friends). She is definitely a saint.

The Bad: I didn't get to water ski or wake board yesterday. The boat that was doing that stuff took way too long with the first group and by the time they came back in to change we had a storm hit with strong winds, rain, and lightening. We had to call it quits. Of course the rain missed Gilbert.

The Good: Because it was a late dinner night last night we had Macaroni and Cheese. Yes I still like the stuff.

The Bad: Kelsey had to have her own water bottle with dinner. By the time she was done the water was a pale yellow color and had no resemblance to water.

The Disgusting: Macy saw the water bottle and wanted the drink that Kelsey was privileged to have. She wanted to know what kind of beverage it was. I tried to explain to her that it was just really dirty water and not to drink it. Well Miss Stubborn wouldn't believe me and still had a swallow. Yuk.

The Bad: As soon as we moved in last year I made us get a pest control service. It has been great so far until recently. We seem to have a major influx of crickets and earwigs.

The Good: My kids don't seem to be afraid of bugs and are very willing to pick the crickets up with their bare hands and throw them away. I, too, have put aside the creepiness (somewhat) and will get a tissue and get the bugs myself. Sometimes I still make Brian do it.

The Disgusting: Three nights ago Macy woke in the middle of the night and needed a drink. With my eyes barely open I went through the routine. Walking down the hallway back to bed I stepped on something with my bare feet that crunched and wiggled slightly. Yes it was a cricket. With goosebumps all over and hair on end I cleaned it up and soon found another bug to take care of. I went back to bed and woke Brian to tell him that we are switching to a different pest control company. I have since relented and have put in a call to my current company to come out to re-spray for free. I don't want to have to pay for another start up fee and get into another contract.

I never thought it would happen

I now have an extra $35 to spend each month. Macy has finally decided to wear big girl pants this weekend. We have gone 2 whole days with minimal accidents. She does sit on the toilet quite a bit, but hey, then I don't have to be cleaning anything up. The best part is she did it all on her own and likes it that way. I cannot tell her when to go. She has to do that. I just have to remind her that she is wearing underpants and she takes care of the rest. She hasn't even had a problem through the night and during naps. It is fantastic. The extra $35 dollars might end up going to the gum I owe her and all the toilet paper she uses.

The weekend has been great. Friday night Brian's employer sponsored the Diamondbacks game so we took the whole family. It didn't feel quite like baseball because the field is indoors and air conditioned. The roof opens up for when the weather is nice. Thank goodness the roof was closed because in the parking structure our car said it was 112 degrees at 7 PM. Our seats were in the nose bleed sections (third tier) so it still had to be 90 degrees. The physics law that says heat rises is very true. When we walked by the suites entrance we found the air conditioning. Even with the roof closed you could still take the chance of getting pooped on. We saw a couple of birds flying overhead that had gotten trapped inside. They must open the roof to help the grass grow. The games end result was the Chicago cubs beat the Diamondbacks. I wasn't to hurt because I really don't follow baseball.

Saturday was beautiful. We had a storm roll through so we cooled off. In fact early in the morning we had a good rainfall (for the desert). It stayed overcast for much of the day, so we were able to get some yard work done and do some pool maintenance. Later that evening our friends/"family"; LoraLee, Lacy and Madeline Mock, from Utah stopped by for a visit. They were visiting other relatives and took the time to see us. We were glad they did and really enjoyed chatting with them.

Book List

Most of my friends are a little more well read than I am, but here is what I have read lately.

• Rebecca
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Eclipse
• Sense & Sensibility
• Pride & Prejudice (a good friend gave me a book that contains all of Jane Austen's novels)

The books that I am reading right now are:

• Enchantment by Orson Scott Card - it is the Sleeping Beauty story with a twist. It came highly recommended. It is not a children's book. More of a Young Adult novel.
• The Face of a Stranger by Anne Perry - This one is for a book club. On the cover it says it is a Victorian mystery.

Here are a few books that I have read and really enjoyed:

• The Persian Pickle Club
• The Woman in White
• Twilight, & New Moon
• Vienna Prelude series by Bodie Thoene
• Follow the River

Here is a long list of books compiled from a number recommendations. I would love to get to these some day:

• Princess Academy, The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (a local Utah author)
• Peter and the Star Catchers
• Pope Joan - a historical fiction
• Sister of Heart
• Stolen Lives
• Secret Life of Bees
• Tending Roses
• The Great & Terrible by Chris Stewart
• Strangling Your Husband is not an Option
• East of Eden by Steinbeck
• Inkheart and Inkspell
• Before the Dawn
• The Kingdom Keepers
• The Life of Pi

Silly girls

I don't know what we are going to do with Macy. She cannot stop asking about Utah. She wants to know where Jake and Kennedy are. She wants to know if she can take this and that to Utah. Yesterday a plane was flying overhead and she looked up and said that poppy and grandma were on that plane to come see us.

Today Kelsey proved that she is in fact a monkey. She was crying and being ornery after her nap. She was inconsolable so I put her back into the crib and walked into the kitchen. Five seconds later she was crying at my legs. I have no idea how she got out. I checked and the sides of the crib were still all the way up. I don't know if she climbed over the side and then fell out or if she managed to get out gracefully. She was crying when I put her in there and crying when she came out. I guess that the crib will be coming down soon and she will have to sleep on her mattress on the ground until we get Macy a new bed and pass the toddler bed on down.

Addict

Help me! I am such a bookworm as of late. I can't stop reading. It is what I look forward to every day and I read in any spare moment I can find. I can't stop thinking about the book until it is finished. I have read 5 books in the past month and I have 2 more in the wings. There is only 2 conclusions that I can come up with: the books I have picked up have been really, really good or there is something mentally wrong with me.