Bear Lake 2009...Family Reunion.

So, we packed our car as full as it could possibly be packed...

From Bear Lake 2009

We had the DVD player in the car, so the kids watched a movie, and Talia fell asleep right as we headed up Logan Canyon. I love that drive, it's so beautiful. We got to where we were staying (Blue Water Beach KOA) and set our tent up next to my brother's trailer. We got all set up, and hung out.

From Bear Lake 2009

From Bear Lake 2009

We had dinner, went for a shake, hung around the "campfire" (a little propane fire bowl that Cole bought for his Halloween stuff) and then went to bed.

From Bear Lake 2009

Now, you'd think that I would sleep great, being exhausted from my week. I did...til about 2:30 am. That's when Kyle needed to go to the bathroom. Now that was OK...I figured if he needed to go, I'd go as well. I walked him over to the bathrooms, and then we came back...Only to have Alec say HE needed to go. Cole took him over. By this time, Talia was awake, and not happy about it. She was thrashing all over the bed, pushing Alec off the edge, and whining...I finally put her into bed with Cole and I. However, we were having problems with our bedding...it kept sliding off us, Cole was freezing, and I was only warm because I was next to him. Talia continued to thrash all over the bed, only now with 2 adults, there was less room. WE got kicked A LOT. Finally, around 5 am, Cole gave up, got up, and went outside. This is when I got cold...and I realized that Talia was probably cold too. I rearranged our blankets, we got warm, and she and I managed to fall asleep for 1 1/2 more hours...til Alec came and woke us. I thought his Daddy had told him to wake us, because breakfasts were our responsibility, but no...Cole was going to let me sleep a bit longer. Little Stinker. We cooked breakfast, I hit the showers (I was hoping it would wake me up and make me feel a little less grumpy...and it worked). My parents and Heidi and Adam went golfing, my brother had to go work for a few hours, so Brenda, her little sister Somer, Cole and I packed up the kids and headed down to the Lake. It was freezing cold in the water, and not really warm out (in the 70's at that point), but the kids were having a ball.

From Bear Lake 2009

From Bear Lake 2009

From Bear Lake 2009

From Bear Lake 2009

From Bear Lake 2009

We spent about 1 1/2 hours on the beach...then headed back up to the trailer for lunch. We ate, my parents and sister and brother in law joined us...then Talia and I tried to nap. Cole took the boys and my older nephew parker down to the Lake (along with my parents and Heidi and Adam). Brenda, Somer, Gracie and Hunter also went down for naps, and had better luck in their trailer than Talia and I had in our hot and noisy tent. After about an hour, I gave up on trying to get Talia back to sleep (we probably slept about 30 minutes). She and I headed down to meet our family at the beach.

This is where the typical "family reunion activities" occurred. Races for the kids,

From Bear Lake 2009

From Bear Lake 2009

From Bear Lake 2009

We hung out on the beach all afternoon. My family headed back a bit before my siblings and parents. We hit the showers, relaxed, and waited for everyone else to come back. Dinner was just hamburgers and hot dogs, but it was really yummy. We went out for another shake...

From Bear Lake 2009

From Bear Lake 2009

We headed back and sat around the "fire" again. Some of the extended family came to join us, and we had a really good time laughing and talking. Talia fell asleep in my arms.

Thankfully, we had a much better night. The kids were so wiped out, they slept great. They hardly moved, which kept them all warm. Cole and I solved the "technical difficulties" we had with our bedding, and we both slept decent as well. We got up, made breakfast, and then broke camp. We got home at almost 1 yesterday.

Getting there was stressful, but once we made it we had a great little camping trip. It's always fun to hang out as a family, see my aunts and uncles and cousins, and catch up with everyone.

It was even better, however, to come home and sleep in my own, soft, perfect water bed ;).

Back to real life. I have a ton of stuff I have to get done today.

Back in Town

Last week was entirely too crazy for my sanity. I needed to get all 3 of my shifts at work in early in the week, so that I could head up to Bear Lake with my family this past weekend. Consequently, my schedule was Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Leaving me only Wednesday to get everything ready to go. So, I worked Monday and Tuesday, and we were pretty slow. I didn't have anyone to watch Talia all day on Tuesday, so although the boys watched her so that I could lay in bed, I didn't get much sleep (I did learn, however, that Kyle is AMAZING with her even when I'm not right there...he knew just what to do to calm her down when she needed it). By Wednesday I was already completely wiped out. I went to get my hair colored, took the kids swimming at my mom's and did a lot of packing. At my mom's, Kyle learned a lesson...

From Bear Lake 2009

This is Kyle, after he told Talia to jump in the pool to him. He was a little too close, and she hit his nose, causing him to have a bloody nose. Her swim vest also scratched a vicious slice across his chest. His nose didn't want to stop bleeding, so the pic is of him, laying down, an ice pack across his nose, and a tissue up there too...poor kid.

Thursday, (to make a long story short) I was only supposed to have to work for 3 hours, and then go home on call. Unfortunately for me, we were too busy, and the charge nurse was unable to let me leave. That was ok(it always seems to happen to me when I don't plan ahead), but I was already tired, and I hadn't done the grocery shopping for the trip yet...It slowed down enough that I was able to leave about 45 minutes early. It wasn't much, but I was glad to have whatever I could...I headed to the store at about 2:45, and it didn't take me that long. I was home and in bed by 4, just as if I'd worked my whole shift. I slept the morning away, while Cole packed up the car. I wasn't in a huge hurry, and didn't have an abundance of energy thanks to my busy week, so we ended up leaving our house around 12:30 pm...

The Story of the Doggie

As you know if you read this blog, we have season passes to Lagoon. We've really enjoyed going there as a family. Usually, I end up taking the boys off to do the big coasters, and Cole takes Talia on the stuff that she's allowed to go on. This is mostly because I am a thrill seeker, and can do multiple coasters in a row without problems. Cole likes the coasters, but in small doses because he gets motion sick.

So, this week we headed to Lagoon on both Monday and Wednesday. Monday when we were there, Talia was riding the carousel while the boys and I did the roller coaster. She really, really wanted to ride on the doggie, but someone else got there first. The boys and I got back, and I took her back in line. We were almost at the front of the line. She kept saying, "Doggie? Doggie? Ride the Doggie?", and I kept telling her we would if we could...
We rushed to the doggie, only to find that the person right in front of us in the line had gotten there first. I managed to convince her to ride the frog instead.

Fast forward to Wednesday night. Talia had not forgotten that she wanted to ride the doggie. Cole took her, and they managed to get on the doggie. The funny part, however, is that the person behind him in line gave him a couple of extremely dirty looks, and was saying stuff under their breath (so he couldn't quite hear) about wanting the doggie. Are you kidding me? GROW UP! It's a kids ride, they all have specific animals they want to ride at times, and they all have to learn that you don't always get what you want. Our 2 year old didn't throw a tantrum when she couldn't have what she wanted, but that grown up did? It was funny to us.


Here she is, riding the doggie...

So, guess what she said when she was done riding the doggie...

"Ok, Meow?"

So, she went again and rode the kitty-cat. Which, thankfully, was not the object of abject desire.


All my family riding Rattlesnake rapids....

(I don't ride often...I don't like to walk around wet all day)

Another funny thing about Lagoon...Height requirements. We learned this at Disneyland when Alec was 4...Height requirements are adjustable, and completely dependant on the ride operator. Talia has 2 basic pairs of summer sandals. Her main pair, which are regular, and a pair of heeled wedges that I bought her to wear with her church dresses. However, if she wears her regular sandals to Lagoon, she is height restricted, where if she wears her wedge sandals, she's plenty tall to ride. No one cares if she is wearing high shoes, as long as when she stands up to the measuring stick, she's above 36 inches. I find it a little silly, but at least she gets to do most everything she wants to.

So, I'm on the lookout for another pair of sandals with higher heels she can wear when we go to Lagoon...

More Lagoon....

I didn't get called into work yesterday. We spent the afternoon swimming, and then when things were still looking ok, we headed out to Lagoon to spend the evening.

I'll tell you, Monday night is the night to go. We walked on practically everything. On the Jet Star, we actually had to wait because there weren't enough people to fill the car. We went on all the big coasters, Cole and the boys went on Rattlesnake Rapids and got soaked...we all had a really good time.

From Lagoon 2009

My boys LOVE Rattlesnake Rapids...

From Lagoon 2009

They love Odysea too...Cole and I don't quite understand why, but they do.

From Lagoon 2009

Me and the boys on the Turn of the Century (aka "The Swings")

From Lagoon 2009

The Carousel...

I got this video on Wicked....


The Spyder broke early in the evening while we were there. However, we were able to get on it right before we went home. I took the boys, then Cole took the boys. Twice in a row was a mistake for Alec...he ended up sick on the way home. Cole also got sick on it...it was his first time on it, and he says never again. It took awhile for both their stomachs to settle...

I'm really enjoying playing with my FlipVideo. It's been especially fun at Lagoon, getting short clips of my kids on the rides, or at the pool.

It's Done (mostly)...

My husband never ceases to impress me with his home improvement skills. Despite the fact that I worked Friday and Saturday, he managed to get the entire laundry room finished and put back together by Saturday night, while simultaneously taking care of our children. I'm so excited...It looks so nice. It's amazing what a coat of paint can do for the brightness in a room!

Freshly painted


The new floor

I have to explain about the tile. I am not a huge fan of ceramic tile flooring. I know it looks really nice, but I don't love the feel of it on my feet. I prefer to be barefoot all the time when I'm at home. Ceramic and stone are cold and hard. Even in the summer, it chills my feet, and gets painful to walk on after awhile. So, we went with vinyl tile. It's not quite as aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but I prefer it. It's softer and warmer. The fact that it is also easier and quicker to install also tipped the scales in it's favor ;)....The one thing Cole's not happy with is the door to the garage. It's metal, and we have to prime and paint it specially. We'll get to it later this summer, but it's bugging him. All in good time, though.


Ready for some laundry!

All put back together, including a new, energy efficient light fixture...hopefully I won't break the glass on this one like I did on the last one. We've been living with a bare bulb for awhile, because when I pull my clothes off the bar after they're dry, the hangers swing up, and one time it was hard enough to shatter the glass. The new fixture is flatter, and I continue to try to be more careful....



This is the new ceiling fan in our kitchen. Cole and I put it together and hung it this afternoon. I'm really happy with it...we love the fans, and our other one worked fine, but was really dated (think 80's brass). I love the updated look, now I just have to figure out how I'm refinishing our kitchen cabinets and mantel, and actually DO it, and our family room will be complete. I enjoy the ongoing projects though...Cole's teaching me basic wiring, and I get to do the ceiling fan in our bedroom tomorrow (if I don't get called in to work).


Daddy's "Helper"

Talia loves the tools, and spent a good 30 minutes removing most of the sockets from the case, and then trying to figure out how they work...she loves "fixing things" with her Daddy...

(intense concentration)

Cole still has a couple of days off work, and we're hoping the weather will cooperate so we can get some swimming in and go to Lagoon on Wednesday...

Home Improvement

Our Laundry closet...it's also the entrance to our house from the garage. It's a lot of stuff to cram into one small space. When we bought the house, I was just glad to have a main floor laundry, and I liked the shelves and the bar for hanging clothes to dry. I sometimes wish it was a little larger space, but it suits our needs and I like it.

However, we've been doing a lot of remodeling and upgrading in our house. Now that we've done our wood floors, painted the walls, etc...the paint in our laudry room has begun to appear dinged and dingy (maybe I just started to NOTICE it more ;)). When we did the wood floors last summer, we had originally planned to put them in the laundry as well. As the project unfolded, however, we decided that we didn't want wood in a room where there was possibility for flooding. So, we've been dealing with the old, cracked linoleum that was under the crappy floor we used to have. No more...
Last night, we moved the washer and dryer into the garage. Cole ripped up the linoleum floor, and did some patching. We had a little "accident" early this year...the doorknob went through the wall. It was apparent that this was not the first time...there was a bunch of old spackle in the wall from not so great patch jobs in the past. So, my wonderful and talented husband did a correct patch job...

We bought a steel and mesh patch, and my husband mudded and sanded it. The fan was put in there to help it dry overnight...we also patched a few nail holes that were there.

Cole washing down the walls...getting ready to prime in the next little bit!

The last couple of days....

I'm trying to remember what I've been up to the last couple of days. It's been cold and rainy, and I've been doing every bit of laundry in the house in prep for our weekend renovation project(more on that in the next post). Wednesday, I relaxed and rested in between loads. Wednesday night, I had mentioned to some friends that we'd been lucky this summer...that the frat boys who lived next door had only thrown one loud, drunken party. I spoke too soon...That night, I was jerked out of a very sound sleep sometime between 1 and 2 by our frat boy neighbors and some girls they had over. They were out on their deck (which is just across the fence from the wall of my bedroom) having a lovely, LOUD time. They were out there for about 30 min or so. I had a hard time getting back to sleep, so I was really tired Thursday morning. I sat on the couch. I debated about taking a nap...but then I got a surge of energy, and the result is that the upstairs of my house is sparkling clean. I swept, mopped, dusted, moved furniture around, moved it back, tackled my clutter spots. Made dinner for the kids, then we started moving stuff out of the laundry closet. Let the renovation begin.....

Summer Fun...despite the Rain!

Despite the unpredictable weather, and the coolness of the day, we managed to get some swimming in yesterday (the kids did anyway, I don't like to get in unless it's warmer outside).
Gracie

Talia

Kyle

Nana and Hunter

Talia enjoys a donut last saturday....

I wasn't able to get pics of Alec and Parker, they were too active in the water, and didn't want to pose...

We ended up taking our kids to Lagoon last night. We were hoping the possibility of storms would keep people away. We were right, it wasn't too busy, and after the first 45 minutes or so, the weather was nice. We had a good time, but came home exhausted and starving. I think we finally got the kids into bed right before 10 (ok, that's late for them). Cole and I crashed shortly thereafter....

I got up early today and went walking with my buddies. I'm not usually a morning person, but it was more fun to exercise as a group than by myself. I expected Kyle to be awake when I got home, but all the kids were still asleep. I guess 2 late nights in a row caught up with my early risers. Talia woke up about 10 minutes after I got home, Kyle about 15 minutes after that...and Alec didn't get up til after 9. I took advantage of them sleeping in to make them muffins and sausage for breakfast.
I think I'll go do some yoga now....

Sundays....

Are hard for me. I am not a morning person, and getting up early and rushing to get ready make it worse. 9 am church may be good for the rest of my family, but it's hard on me. Yesterday, Talia was particularly cranky during Sacrament meeting, and by the end I was at the end of my patience. After we got the kids some lunch, put Talia down for a nap, and I prepped our Sunday dinner, I tried to get a nap too. Unfortunately, too many noises around the house and outside kept me from sleeping. When I got up to put dinner in the oven, my head hurt, and I was extremely grumpy.

After dinner the kids and I headed out to my parents house. My sister and her husband were taking Kyle and Alec(along with my nephew and niece) to SLC to spend the night with them. We all went for our usual Sunday night walk, and between that and a couple of bottles of water, my headache went away and I was feeling much better. Then Heidi and Adam took off with the boys, and things calmed down.

When Talia and I got home, she was whiny, and I was tired. Once we put her to bed, however, things calmed down, and I was able to relax. I read the paper, read a novel, watched some tv...just wound down.

We woke later than normal this morning, and I feel really good. Pushed myself harder during my workout than I normally do. Currently, we're hoping the weather will be good enough that we can go swim at my mom's this afternoon.

I'm glad Sunday's over.

Purging....

I took advantage of being called off last night to overhaul my wardrobe. I cleaned out all my drawers, got rid of 3 bags of clothes that no longer fit, are worn out, or that I will never wear again. This is always a hard task, being completely honest with yourself. I let go of things that I had LOVED, but are now too big...Things with sentimental value, such as the jammies I wore during Talia's first summer of life...Purging is always difficult, and I've been working on getting rid of the excess stuff all spring. Now I have some room in my dresser drawers....

I also reorganized my closet, putting all the winter stuff to the back, all the summer stuff up front. Put all my shoes in order on my shoe tree(if my daughter didn't love my shoes so much, I wouldn't have had to do that). Found Aurora and Jasmine in a pair of my heels....

Did 6 loads of laundry yesterday during my purging. Mostly towels...the bad part about swimming so much during the summer is the fact that my towel laundry triples...

We finally managed to score a babysitter, and Cole and I are planning to see the new Star Trek movie tomorrow night...I'm really excited. I would have liked to have gone opening weekend, but I was working, and then since then we haven't been able to get a babysitter on our available nights. My typical babysitter has turned 16, and she's become a busy girl...she's not working, but is less available to babysit. It makes me sad, and a little frantic, because I'm not exactly sure who my new babysitter is going to be....

We have plans to redo our laundry closet next weekend. We had planned to redo it when we did the floors last summer, but ran out of time. We're going to repair, paint, and lay down a new floor. I say we, but since I'm working, Cole will be doing most of the work. I also bought new ceiling fans for our dining area and master bedroom that we're planning to install this weekend. The old ones work...but are really dated (think 80's hardware trends).

I'm in the mood to rearrange my furniture...maybe I'll work on that too.

Product Review - Neutrogena MoistureShine Lip Soother

I am a lip gloss girl. I really hate not having something soothing and moisturizing on my lips. I'm not a huge fan of lipstick. I prefer the more laid back look of lip gloss.

However, I'm picky. It can't be too sticky, it has to have a good texture, it has to actually moisturize (because, let's face it, most of us don't want something on our lips that's going to make them feel worse...lips are IMPORTANT!)

In my time I've found several brands that I like. Clinique Superbalm, Bare Escentuals Buxom lips, Lorac Mocktail (I got a sample of that one, but haven't ever purchased it).

However, with summer approaching, I needed something with a decent SPF. I use Softlips on a regular basis, but it's not a gloss. My favorite colored gloss, the Buxom lips, doesn't have a listed spf on the tube. My favorite go to lip gloss for the last couple of summers was the Bare Escentuals Lip Guard, spf 15, in the color Bare Beach. It was a perfect summer color for me...not too pink, not to orange, looked great by the pool or out and about. However, that shade was a limited edition, and they're not making it anymore. The other shades they are making I don't like quite as much. I was really sad....

I saw the Neutrogena MoistureShine Lip soother got a good review in one of the magazines I was reading. I decided to give it a try...@ about $6.50, it's a steal compared to the glosses I typically buy.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! Perfect texture, not sticky, good sheer color, moisturizes as good as the aquaphor I put on my lips at night....It's a great product.

When I took the pic, I had bought 3 colors, I just bought another one yesterday. Truly a good product, and you can't beat the price. It comes in about 10 colors I think.

Crafts abound at our house...

I've been doing a lot of crafting in my spare time...
Made a new beaded watchband...

(it's actually shades of purple, the pic didn't turn out that great). Then, I decided to try my hand at making a tutu for my princess...

I'm really happy with how it turned out. I modified some designs I had seen, made it a velcro closure instead of tie...if you want specifics on how I did it, check here

Talia loves it, but couldn't quite believe it was for her to play with...

Other happenings...Talia's new favorite phrase is "Sing me a book". It's really cute, and it's true...you use a singsong voice when reading to toddlers. We're singing books a lot around here right now...

It's the second day of summer vacation, and the boys are doing ok. Despite the fact that they want to play the PS3 24/7, (I've had to lay down the law on that one), they are really being pretty good. And this morning they did their reading without me having to nag them about it.
Hopefully it continues.