5 After the storm

Yesterday night we went back to my maternal Grandparent's home to hlep Nate haul off the last load of scrap/junk. It was so sad to see the yard overgrown and the house deserted. Grandpa Henry's shops were so hollow, purged of all the wonderful this-n-that that I grew up exploring. It just wasn't right.

The girls had a great time. Allie was actually a great help throwing junk on the trailer. She did find time to gather me a precious bouquet of gone-to-seed dandelions. Kylie was more into exploring. We had to remove the ramps to keep her from exploring right onto the trailer. In case you are wondering, no she isn't any closer to walking yet.

0 Great day to go to the pool, well not really

The forecast said sun, so my neighbor Teresa & I took out kids to the Logan aquatic center Tuesday. The dark clouds didn't scare us off, but maybe they should have. Instead of being mid-70's &sun it was 63 degrees & rain. Good thing the water was warm. I didn't get any picture of our 2 1/2 hr swim since it was too cold to get out.

We did learn there are bonuses to going to the pool on a rainy day. We practically had the entire place to ourselves so it was easy to keep track of the kids who didn't want to get out and run around.

My girls had a great time! Within about 5 seconds of getting to the pool Allie was going completely under the water, even opening her eyes...on purpose! What a welcome change from her anxiety last year. It was her idea to go on the waterslide, but I only let her go once...it was TOO COLD to climb the staircase, regardless of no line. Although she loved the slide, her favorite part was the 'mushroom' shower. What a water bug! Kylie also was crazy about the water. She kicked &splashed, giggled & grinned.

Oh, if you haven't heard, there is a new law in Utah in response to last years crypto outbreak. Children under 3 must wear not only a disposable swim diaper, but a reusable plastic waterproof swim pant such as these. Somehow I HADN'T heard this and wasn't prepared. The pool did have a FEW for sale, $8/piece, but I'd shop around if you plan on going to a pool with your young children.

1 I think his tractor's sexy

Nate has been very busy tilling gardens and lots this spring with his new tractor. He's also been mowing weeds with his flail chopper. We are hoping the wet weather we've been having will mean lots of work all summer long...not to mention full lakes to wakeboard in. While we are greatful for all the precipitation, its high time to see the sun!

2 a no picture post

Yesterday Allie insisted on pushing Kylie in the stroller the entire way to the neighborhood park. I'd repeatedly told her to stay on the sidewalk as she veered left & right. Despite her reckless driving, I stayed a few steps behind to avoid being yelled at to let her 'do it myself'. Then, just as we left the safety of the grassy yards TRAGEDY STRUCK! Allie got too close the the edge of the sidewalk & the front wheel dropped off the cement (the park doesn't have sod yet). The stroller tipped sideways and then toppled forward. Kylie screamed as she fell helplessly, buckled in the stroller, face first into the gravel. It was slowmotion for me; I just couldn't get there fast enough. Poor Kylie ended up with a little bloody nose, but in true Kylie fashion was over the scare in less than a minute and just wanted to ride in the swing.

5 Camp Crashers

Our neighbors, the Knights & Sorensens, went camping up Logan canyon together this weekend with their camper-trailers. They had invited us, but Nate's work schedule was booked solid all weekend. He surprised me by calling it quits at 8pm on Friday & we went up to sit around the campfire. The girls were having such a great time that when Nate left to go home, the girls & I stayed behind.

INPROMPTU OVERNIGHTER!

Luckily I had grabbed PJ's for the girls and had a few diapers in the car. Dirk & Hanne were more than happy to let us crash on their pull out bed (I had a couple 'park blankets' in the car) & they even had a playpen stored in the camper for Kylie. I had to sleep in my clothes, but hey -it was camping. The only thing I really missed was my toothbrush.

Allie & Ray had the time of their life gathering sticks for the fire. They would poke the long ones in the stream ("fishing") and then fry their catch in the fire. There was plenty of food (isn't there always when your camping), but all we really ate was smores & breakfast. Hanne made the best pancake batter from scratch and the bacon & sausage were divine. I am a complete breakfast fan, so it really hit the spot. I ate so much I don't think I ate again till 7pm that night! The girls on the other had were to busy taking it all in to eat.

Kylie loved the experience as much as Allie, but she was a bigger mess. I tried to put her in the playpen outside, but she didn't agree and squealed constantly. Finally, I relented and let her crawl around in the dirt. (It sure will be nice when she finally decides to walk.) It is funny how the little things can make kids the happiest. She played mostly with sticks & rocks, or a discarded plastic cup. As soon as we got home I striped the girls at the door & put everything in the washer. Then it was straight to the tub.



Hint: if you click on the slide-show you can see the photos larger

I'm so glad that I had taken the time to write my summer goals earlier that day. My automatic answer to an invitation to camp with only the clothes on our backs, was NO! But since I had intentionally decided to relax & let the girls have a playful summer, I gave it a shot. Boy was I rewarded!!! I had forgotten how relaxing it is to sit around a campfire, just staring at the flames & telling old stories. Our walk through the forest was calming- we saw fish in the stream & a wild sheep in the campground. I am so greatful for such wonderful friends to put up with our camp crashing.

3 More free Exercise

The old adage says that the doctor's wife gets sick and the cobbler's wife is barefoot. Let me add that the tractor man's garden is the last on the block to get planted.

After weeks of asking Nate to till my garden, I took matters into my own hands. This weekend Nate left his smallest tiller & I figured out how to use it after mowing the lawn. It was so fun that I did my garden, the Knight's side of the garden, & Teresa's berm around a tree.

Other than the wonderful strawberries, I planted a salsa garden:

• tomatoes (cherry and regular)
• peppers (bell and jalapeño)
• onions (sweet yellow)

1 Allie's Strawberry Mermaid Stylin Hair-do

Allie is really into getting her hair done. She is very patient and almost never complains. She usually has ideas on how she wants here hair, although I can usually sway her.

Friday I experimented with Allie's hair. I was motivated by a darling "do" Sienna had, not that it turned out near as cute. Allie called this her "Strawberry mermaid stylin hair-do" and LOVED it so much we did it again today for church.

Once again, we walked up to the neighborhood park to play in the afternoon. I know I've said to before, but I absolutely LOVE having this park so close. Allie pushed Kylie in the stroller the whole way there and back.

Kylie giggles so cute in the swing and would stay there all day if kept pushing her. On this day there was a group of about a dozen 11-12 yr old girls hanging out on the playground equipment. Allie stood back & watched them quite a bit. She dug in the sand & went on the smaller slides, but mostly observed the older kids. It is interesting to see how she handles new situations.

3 School is out, so it's officially summer, RIGHT?

This summer, I will:

• have 0 weeds in my flowerbeds
• get 1 great tan
• be active/exercise 2 times a day
• use up 3 Logan aquatic center punch passes
• do 4 step class without missing a beat
• easily bike 5 miles w/ girls in the trailer
• land 6 full jump 180's across the wake
• make 7 batches of strawberry jam
• make 8 batches of bread
• go to 9 movies
  
• loose my last 10 pounds weight
• do at least 11 blog posts a month
  
• read 12 new books
  

This summer, I won't:

• work too many hours
• stress about boat gas $$
• try to keep shoes on my girls
• have dinner at a set time
  

This summers agenda:

• pressure cooker class
• reunion at my parent's home
• camping with the girls ?
• Nate's Thursday softball games
  
• wakeboarding every week
  
• trips to the zoo
• days at the park
• sprinklers in the backyard

In other news:
This morning I got up earlier than I have in months and went the a 6am STEP AROBICS class. It has been 5 years since I've done step arobics, but I was pleasantly surprised I didn't make a complete FOOL of myself...I was able to stay standing the whole time ;). No really, it felt pretty good to move my body! (the ENDORPHINES are still pumping) Kylie's birthday woke me up to the fact that I can't use the "I JUST HAD A BABY" excuse for ignoring my body anymore. Its hight time I respect myself enough to make an honest effort to get back in shape. Thanks MAREN for giving me a kick in the pants I needed. I might not be game for a half marathon, but something is better than nothing. Now I just have to decide if WEIGHT WATCHERS is part of my plan, too.


In case you were wondering:
Nate & Dirk just left an hour ago to go plant the PUMPKIN PATCH. Its a bit later in the month than usual, but the rain held us off. With any luck the recent moisture will help the seeds SPROUT. Last year was too dry and they really struggled. So, much as I hate to say it out loud, I hope we get a bit more RAIN over the weekend...Sunday would be perfect. LOL

UPDATE: I guess the farm got more rain last night than we did here in town. It was too wet, so planting pumpkins is postponed.

2 I want to slurp my blog to blurp

At Nate's softball game tonight I chatted with an old friend & she told me about a website she has used to print her blog as a book, complete with digital scrapbook pages included! I came right home and check it out for myself. SO COOL!!!! Its called BLURB. Their software is free to download and use. Its available for Mac and PC, plus is works well is most blog services such as BLOGGER! It can "slurp" your blog (upload it into their program, complete with photos & text) and uses it as a first draft of your book. From there you can edit, remove, and add text & photos. Click HERE to go to there demo video. They aren't exactly what I'd call cheap, but they are reasonable and seem VERY high quality. My friend made a family "yearbook" and then is having several copies printed; one for her and one for each of her kids. I really like that idea. I figure if you include the price of photo printing, supplies, and an album cover, this is about the same cost as traditional scrapbooking. The really bonus comes in the amount of time it would save, especially doing duplicates! Now, I'm not ready to give up traditional scrap'n, but this definitely deserves a trial run.

0 From one extreme to another

The day has been a roller coaster weather-wise! We had quite a rain storm around 3am, but it turned into a bright sunny day. Here's a picture of some of the neighborhood kids on the Ballard's tramp. I love that they didn't assemble the tall part of the legs, so that it is just over ONE foot tall. The little kids can get on & off without any help. Plus, I don't have to worry about they falling off. Allie frequently helps Kylie on and the both have a blast. Even though Kylie isn't walking, she jumps with her right knee & left foot...always the same!
While the kids were down for naps the storm clouds rolled back in. It was downright chilly when
Daddy's 7pm softball game started. I bundled up the girls:
off came the shorts & tank tops,
on went the sweatshirts & pants.
We braved the raindrops to cheer our team on to victory.
The won 18-10 we Nate on the pitcher's mound.
GO TEAM!

(Allie didn't want her picture taken, but the rain coat was too cute)

1 Getting dirty

Today I planted annual flowers in my beds. Mostly I just got petunias, marigolds, & allysum, but I did try a few new things. Kylie enjoyed snacking on the rocks, dirt, & flowers.

I still need to find a perennial to climb the lattice under the girls' window. I'm thinking about a climbing rose.

Last year I transplanted a few strawberry plants as a boarder around the 2-level bed to the right of the sidewalk. Now they have completely taken over. I didn't have the heart to rip them out, so I guess I'll be making LOTS of jam this summer.

Note: the next morning my wrists (especially the right) are so sore from all that planting.

0 Neighborhood Park

Yesterday we took our first bike ride to the park. The girls LOVE to swing & I love to get out of the house.



Allie is starting to get the idea behind "pumping" on the swing, but for the most part she just wants "great big papa bear" pushes.




Kylie is all squeals in the swing. She jabbers & giggles. What a cute grin. Oh, that is a rock she is sucking on. She carried it around all evening & YES {cross my name off for'mother of the year'} I let her put that 'choking hazard' in her mouth.

0 Biking for Three

Now that the rain has finally stopped, I was able to get my bike down & hook up the trailer. Allie keeps telling me she really likes the bumps. I can really tell that the girls have grown over the winter...they are harder to pull. Between pulling the girls and mowing the lawn with a kid on my back, I am constantly reminded of how out-of-shape I am.

I better considering all of this FREE workouts.

0 Cut Lawn...check!

• Challenge: mow lawn while tending Kylie
• Solutions: strap Kylie to back

Walking around the yard for an hour in the sun with an extra 25 pounds sure makes me sweat, but on the bright side I'm getting a workout while keeping track of my crawling kid.
* Allie wanted to be just like mom...ah!

3 Twilight Feedback, please

Last night Aunt Rosie asked be why I like the Twilight books so much.
She said she'd looked at them but didn't think she could get into them.

So I am asking you why you like the Twilight Saga!
PLEASE leave me comments!!!

Here's what I've come up with so far:

As you all know, I am a binge reader & love to read just for the sake of reading, but I didn't read these books till long after the bandwagon was loaded. I really didn't think I could get into books about vampires (I tried a different vampire series years ago), so I kept putting them off myself. When I finally gave in & started reading I found that Stephanie hooked me with her well writing characters. Somehow the vampire stuff didn't seem that far fetched (LOL) in the first book. I will say that in the second & third books, New Moon & Eclipse, the fantasy aspect did get a bit more outlandish, but by then I captured by the characters & their relationships. I know that some of you did not enjoy Bella's struggle to choice between Edward & Jacob in the Eclipse, but I really related. So, I have to say that it is the characters that I love so much in this saga.

What about you?

3 Paid Day Off

Over the weekend & today (Memorial Day) I've worked on a few scrapbook layouts. Its been months since I scraped! It was so fun to play!!!

1 Cute Cousins

Saturday actually turned out to be quite a nice day, as long as you wore a sweater, so I took the girls to the park to stall nap time. After we'd been there for 20 min, we were surprised to see Aunt Maho & the cousins pulled up. What fun!

I just had to share this picture of Kylie with her cousin Mika. Even though she is almost 9 months older, but two will be in the same school grade.

The both loved to swing and didn't seem bothered by sharing, which is good since there is only one baby swing at our neighborhood park.

0 Tractor Shuffle

Friday night we did the TRACTOR SHUFFLE for family together time. Nate had an old car on his trailer that need to be dropped off at the farm, with the help of Grandpa Eldon's yellow tractor, so he could pick up his Green John Deer from another job site.

Allie was thrilled to ride with Daddy on the tractor, while I drove the work truck & loaded trailer down the narrow, pothole littered canal road.

When all tractors were taken care of, we still made a stop for Nate to bid a garden till job. We are so greatful that work has continued to come in.

*poor Kylie has 3 new teeth, but still more pushing through. She has been a trooper!

Here are some new pictures of the progress on the shop/shed, especially for Uncle Troy!

3 HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my BLOG!

One year ago today I started this little blog. I have to say I'm quite proud of myself. I don't think I ever thought I'd stick with it for so long (in fact I was mostly just posting baby picture of Kylie for family out of town), but it has turned into something I quite enjoy. There is something quite satisfying in looking back at what you've accomplished, experienced, or just plain endured. My blog might not be a traditional journal, but it is the best personal/family record I have ever kept. Thanks for your support!!! Here's to recording even more of my/our life during the coming year!

1 Creative outlet

I'm currently a leader in our ward's "Activity Day" program, which involves girls ages 8-12. We get together about twice a month and in June we will have the annual Father-Daughter party. This year we are playing water-kickball and eating pizza (weather permitting). Tomorrow the girls are putting together the invitations for their dads. I came up with this design this afternoon & cut out all the little parts for 30 invitations on my Cricut using the DoodleCharms cartridge. I tried to keep it simple & only use my scraps.

PS - Kylie is still drooling & screaming today. Come on teeth, give us all a reprieve!

1 A glum day

Today was just as cold and rainy as predicted: grey, dreary, and windy.
For the first time in weeks, we were trapped in the house.

Kylie must be teething again, because our happy girls has been fussing and crying for two days. She won't eat, won't sleep; doesn't want to be held or put down.
Poor Kylie!

Something wonderful happened today amidst the rain, Allie feel asleep on the couch just after noon, of her own free will. Nothing like this has EVER happened! In fact, she did it again in the car on a little drive after dinner. (well after Nate & I had dinner, both the girls are on hunger strike)

I took the photos above on our little evening drive out in the country. Allie fell asleep even though Kylie was screaming the entire time. Below are pictures of the site of Grandpa Eldon's new shop/shed on his Amalga farm, just 7 miles from here. They are getting ready to pour the foundation.

We also swung by Newton Reservoir, our favorite summer hang-out. The water is high, so hopefully the weather will cooperate so that we can be wakeboarding in a week or two.

2 SUMMER's HERE! (today anyway)

We've been L-O-V-I-N-G the heat!
It has been in the 80's for a few days, but now the weather man is forcasting a 30 degree temperature drop, thunder storms, and perhaps even SNOW!!!
So today we soaked up the summer weather to the fullest.
We had a picnic lunch in the backyard & ran through the sprinklers.

Girls' lunch: Apple slices, bananas, vienna sausages
My lunch: turkey/cheese on wheat

3 RE-evaluating my blog

For months you've read all my complaining about working too much to post, but it's been 2 weeks since the semester ended and I've almost been paid less attention to my blog since my workload was cut in half. (of course I have read 8 600+ page books in the past 2 weeks...that is a post to come)

Anyway, I've thought a lot about why I started this little blog in the first place and if I wanted to continue. I've come to the conclusion that I really do like it & want to keep it up. I want my focus to be more on the little things that my kids do & seemingly insignificant everyday things that would get forgotten otherwise. Sure, I still want to post about Birthdays and Weddings, but mostly I don't want to forget the little things before I have a chance to scrapbook them...like this moment at my Mom's house last week when Kylie investigated the Christmas Cactus.

So, I guess this week (since I'm NOT reading a book), I will attempt to post some of what I missing these past few weeks and then hopefully post nearly everyday. I'll re-evaluate in a few weeks.

PS- In 4 days it will have been a YEAR since I started this whole blog experiment! It was so much fun today to go back and look at the pictures and journaling a year ago...when Kylie was just born - Today she turned ONE!

0 Kylie turns ONE!

WOW!

I can't believe my baby is ONE year old. Time sure does fly. It was such a hot day today, we had cake outside. It wasn't much of a party; just us and Grandma & Grandpa Schwartz.

At first Kylie wasn't sure about the cake. She kept trying to shake the frosting off her hands. Once she got a taste of the cake underneath the frosting, she dove in.

Allie actually took a HUGE bit out of the candle thinking it was candy. Silly girl.