Vacation!

We just had a wonderful week of vacation.  Unfortunately, I’m not the best at taking pictures, so I didn’t get anything from the first two days.  We spent one afternoon with my cousin and her kids, and my Aunt.  We drive past them every time we go down to my parents’ house, but we rarely get a chance to stop.  This time we did, and we had a blast playing at the pool and then going to get ice cream.

Day two I saved for some old friends from College who live down in Provo, but since we’re always up in Salt Lake with my family, we don’t ever have enough time to visit.  Since we weren’t on a time schedule this trip, we spent a whole day with them.  It was a blast.  I just felt bad that C couldn’t get off work.  He would have loved to be there, too.

Day three I made my kids rest up.  We visited some family and then planted them on the couches in my mom’s house in front of a movie while she and I went shopping and stocked up on food for the next few days.  Good thing they got some down time, because then all the fun (and all my pictures) began.

My sister’s family came Wednesday night, so bright and early on Thursday, we went to the zoo!

We had a blast, but the most noteworthy event was that J spent all his time with my Grandma!!!  They made friends!

On Friday, we took the boat out.

This little boy objected to being small and not being allowed to go out in the boat with the big kids.  (Never fear, he did get to ride in the boat, but he was denied the tubes, which is what he really wanted!)  We set up in this pavilion up on the beach and went out in groups.

I wasn’t sure S was going to like it, and as soon as I put her in the tube, she wanted back out.  Then I had a flash of brilliance and reminded her of snow tubing … and just like that, she was fine!

L was a little unsure …

But they both ended up having fun!

They both ended up with smiles like this one.

We stopped for lunch while another group took the boat out.

Some people couldn’t sit still long enough to eat, so they walked around with sandwiches in their hands. 

The group of people next to us had a Sea-do that kept un-beaching  itself (it was quite windy the day we were out), and my dad had to keep calling to them that it was floating away.  As they were starting to pack up to leave, the Sea-do started floating off again.  This time, when my dad called out to them, instead of running off to get it, they started arguing amongst themselves.  The dad told his son to get it, he whined back incoherently.  The dad pointed out that he was all dry and didn’t want to get wet again, and the boy mumbled back defiantly.  The father demanded the boy go get the Sea-do.  The boy refused.

It was about this time that I raised my hand and called over, “I’ll go get it for you, if you want!”  I got a surprised, semi-suspicious look from the father … but apparently he was serious about not getting wet again, because he started to walk my way, asking if I knew how to drive one, etc, etc.  Then he asked if I was serious. 

“Heck yeah!” (Yes, I’m a Mormon, I say “heck” … )  He handed me his life vest and gave me some instructions.  I nodded and scrambled into the life vest …

In the water, I realized he was a little smaller than I am, and it was like swimming in a corset.  I couldn’t breathe, but with the wind blowing, I didn’t want to let the Sea-do get away, so I kept going.

When I got to the Sea-do, I adjusted the chest strap … apparently the delay in getting it started caused some concern among the party that owned the Sea-do.  “Is she having trouble getting it started?”  But then everything was ok, and I turned it on and took off.  My mom says one of the people said, “Oh, well, she’s obviously been on one before!”

Well, yeah, why do you think I was so excited to go rescue it?!!!  He told me to take it for a spin, and I was having a blast!  Then I looked down and realized I was going 37mph!  Whoops!  I’m not so sure that’s a “safe and prudent” speed on a lake …  But I got to play around on it for about 15 min before the black suburban brought the trailer down to pick it up.  Those 15 min were awesome!  Too bad I didn’t have one of my daughters on the back.

 

Then we got back in the boat for the final ride before putting it back on the trailer.

It took all of two minutes before J fell asleep on the way back to Mom and Dad’s house!

Unfortunately, my pictures stop here.  The next day I got to go to the temple with my brothers and sister and their spouses.  C was the only one missing, but he was on his way down.  We went up to Snowbird to Grandma’s condo in the afternoon and spent a couple hours in the pool. 

Sunday morning we had family pictures taken, so I will hopefully soon have new pictures for my wall, and for our parents’ walls.  Then we went up to the condo for dinner.

Now I need to backtrack to tell one more story.  A few weeks ago, I started to have a nagging feeling I needed to put roadside assistance on my Malibu.  I put it off a few weeks, but the Friday before we left, I finally called and got it put on.

Sunday, heading up to Grandma’s condo, we followed a semi up the mountain, going 15 mph, and the Malibu overheated … and then did this funky thing where it would lose power, then surge forward, lose power, then surge forward.  We were almost at the condo, so I was able to ease it up to the building.  I unloaded the kids and the stuff and headed up only to get a call from C when I was half way there that he couldn’t get the car to start at all.

Just as I got to the condo (and found cousins and and a brother who would be able to help with the car) C called again and said he’d got it started.  He parked it, and after letting it cool for an hour or so, he went down with one of the mechanics in the family to check it out.  It started and ran fine, so we figured it had acted funny because it had gotten too warm, and it would probably be okay.

The trip down the mountain went fine.  We picked up C’s car at my mom’s house and headed home.  About 10 miles out of Tremonton, I started noticing the slightest hesitation/surging.  I turned off the radio and started paying more attention to it.  Checked my temp, my tachometer, etc, and while everything looked fine (still no check engine light), it got worse.  I finally pulled off the road one exit before the one where we usually stop.  C hadn’t noticed anything, and when we parked, he first asked, “Decided you wanted Arby’s instead?”  I was almost in tears.  “No!  The car’s not going to make it home!” 

C suggested we trade cars for one mile and he could see what it was doing.  I got in his car and waited for him to back out.  He just sat there.  The Malibu was dead again.

We took the kids into the restaurant and got them fed while we called for … Roadside Assistance!!!  Which I’d only added 8 days earlier!  We got the car towed to the local dealer, loaded all our stuff into C’s car, and headed home.  C remarked that he wasn’t worried or upset about it, because it really felt like someone was watching out for us the whole time.

Luckily the mechanic found the problem, and we should be able to go get our car tomorrow.  We’re just feeling very grateful today!

More Summer!

J is growing even faster than his sisters did, I think, if only because he has to do anything he sees them doing.  He is already climbing up the ladder on the play structure at the park, and when S showed him this trick on the couch, he immediately joined in.

We’ve been visiting the parks around town, and the kids all have their favorites.

And we got to go out to the Air Show this weekend.  I think I was more excited and had more fun than any of the kids … although S really seemed to like it.  Both J and L asked do go home half way through the Blue Angels show!  Crazy kiddos!

We got a great spot just about 200 feet back from the announcer, and there were a number of times they flew directly over our heads.  When the “surprise” came from behind us (You know how they have you watching the formation exit to stage right and then #5 comes in low from behind the audience and scares you out of your wits?!), all three kids jumped, and I just giggled.  That was always my favorite part!

They didn’t let us bring in our own water bottles, so we went through two HUGE raspberry lemonades and a bottle of water … and some kettle corn, of course.

It’s been a while …

We’ve just been running for the past few months, and I haven’t really had a chance to sit down and put any pictures up.  Here’s my latest batch of everything we’ve been doing.

We’ve had a number of trips “back home”.  My Dad’s dad’s health started going downhill, so I threw the kids in the car and drove home to see him before he passed.

 

We got to spend a little time with family, but it was a quick, sudden trip, so we didn’t really see anyone outside family. 

We got back home and sent L to her last few weeks of Kindergarten.  I was allowed to take S and J to her field day and spend time with her and her class.

Then L had her Kindergarten Graduation. 

That’s her in the middle there.  It was a short, little program, but it was cute.  Poor C nearly lost it, laughing at the whole thing, but he was a good sport.

He did laugh at me for buying her flowers …

Then here we are, back in Utah at the zoo, when my Grandpa passed away.  It was another whirlwind trip, but it was good to see everyone together.

My mom’s parents always take us to the zoo, and we’re so grateful to them.  All three kids love it, and especially the new exhibits they have.  I love Polar Bears!

And I love this picture of the giraffe …

Grandpa’s Funeral turned out really nice.  He had the full military honors.  The sad part of the day was that now, with Grandpa gone, it feels like the anchor has been lost.  Most of my cousins, who I talked to, shared the same sentiment – that we wonder if we will all ever come together for anything again.  Probably not in this life.  It’s sad.

C was a pallbearer, so I had to get a picture of him with his Ogilvie tartan tie. 

We got home and all three kids dropped down sick.  This is poor J on the floor sacked out in front of a movie, hopped up on drugs.  And just as soon as they got to feeling better, I came down with it.  When I got better, I finally took the kids out to ride bikes (for the first time this summer – we’ve just been so busy!).

I took one look at S standing next to her bike and said, “Sorry, baby, you’re not going to be riding your bike today.” 

S, “Why not!?”

Me, “Because you’re going to be riding L’s bike from now on.”

Sure enough, L had grown too big for it.  Luckily she has a scooter she could ride, so she didn’t feel so left out.

And poor J … I just haven’t had the time to find something for him, so he ended up on S’s old bike. 

He doesn’t know it’s pink!

I also pulled out the sprinkler for the kids this weekend.

They thought it was a drinking fountain!

J didn’t care for it, much, but he sure had a good time watching his sisters.

And finally, today the girls did the dishes for me after dinner.  They’re growing up!

Jump!

Monkey see, monkey do.  My new workout video has a section where you squat, then jump, then scuttle backwards and start over again.  J thinks it's very cool.  And he thinks he can do it, too!