Austin's 3! Almost

We celebrated Austin's 3rd birthday on Saturday instead of Monday because of some time restraints but shhh, we're not telling Austin. As far as he's concerned he's already 3.

For his party we tried to play some games that didn't go over so well, Austin was a little tired (from keeping us up Thursday night) and a little shy from all the attention he was getting. So we bagged the games and went straight for the presents.

The big one took a whole roll of paper to wrap but it was worth it. I had them wrapped before he woke up so they taunted him all day. It was so fun to watch him open it and try to figure out just what it was.

It's a workbench by Step 2. Just wait and you'll see, he loves it...

but first he opened a few more gifts from the Grandparents and his brother and sisters.

And of course, we can't forget, the present that I spent four hours with a friend on...

Oh yeah! "Superman to the rescue!" Austin's been running around the house for weeks saying that. I wanted to get him a superman action figure to play with but they only came in sets with these heroines that were scantily dressed. He's 3! So a friend suggested making him a cape instead and offered to help. It was supposed to be easy but we ran into some trouble with the logo and had to redo it three times. In the end she finished it herself and brought it to me the next day. It was so much work I was keeping my fingers crossed that he would love it...

He put in on and took off running, screaming "woohoo" then "BAM" he ran into the front door and that was the end of that. He wouldn't even look at it for the rest of the day. Fortunately, this morning he told me he loved it and wanted me to help him put it on. It's amazing how quickly pains are forgotten when you're a child.

Here is the real hit. The boys had a lot of fun putting this workbench together.

It comes with these foam pieces that look like real wood. They fit together with plastic screws to make different shapes, i.e. boats, robots, backhoes, planes, cars,... I know this because Cameron spent the next several hours making all the suggested shapes and more. It's been fun for the whole family. But it's also the first toy that Austin has played with for more than 30 min. I'm so pleased. His favorite thing, above all the rest, though, is the drill. Just look at this face...

I asked Austin what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday and he said "a green one!" His favorite color. So what did I get? Of course, a chocolate chip mint ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins. Is there anything better?

Happy Birthday Austin! It's been so much fun discovering you this past year. Your love of cars and superheroes, your "big" muscles, your willingness to help, and your persistance (okay stubborness). You love green, blue, and orange. You love basketball (especially the green one daddy got you) and you love to play outside. You love to hide and then jump out and scare people. You love playing with your family and trying to follow everything your older sibblings do, good and bad. You are a delightful, silly, energetic, bright, adorable boy and I love you so much.

July 24th Celebrations

Well, after a rough nights sleep (thanks to Austin) Ryan and I got up at 5:45 am and once again ran the Speedy Spaniard 10k. I was feeling especially grateful this year that I didn't have shin splints. As a result I pushed myself much harder and ran the first three miles faster than ever. I ran with my good friend Emily again and we were thrilled with how well we were doing. (I have to be honest, though, there were a few grandma's that we couldn't catch up to.) Nevertheless I was happy, until around mile 5 where I lost all my energy. I definitely slowed down for the last mile but still finished about 6 min faster than last year which I'm thrilled about. And once again, I'm just happy I did it. It's hard to explain but that sense of accomplishing something personally challenging is very rewarding.

Ryan headed back in a crowded car with a friend to get our van so I started walking and told him he could pick me up on the road home. I made it almost a mile and a half before he met me. I was still feeling like I could function, though, so we took quick showers and then headed back downtown with the kids for the Fiesta Days Parade.

It's not very often that you get to see a tank driving down the streets of our small town. The only way we could explain to Austin what the gun on the front was for was to call it a "poomer" his word for shooting, hitting, or exploding things.

I bought the kids all hats a few days ago which came in really handy.

The best part of the whole parade was the candy people would throw out as they rode by on their floats. Austin clued in real quick and would take off early to grab as much as he could. Often he would find pieces other kids missed well after the float had passed.

This guy was getting ready to throw candy but Austin was standing so far out in the street he just held out his hand and the guy handed him a few pieces.

It was almost as good as Halloween.

You can't have a Pioneer Day Parade without a few pioneers and some missionaries.

And you can't have a parade in our town without some 4 x 4's, ATV's and Monster Trucks!

After the parade I walked the kids a few block to the city center to get snow cones. Then we headed back the four or five blocks (uphill) to our car. About 3/4 of the way there I noticed Austin's hat was missing. I told the kids to wait in the shade and ran all the way back to the snow cone shack before I found his hat ('cause I hadn't done enough running already). When we got home I was pooped.

That afternoon we headed to my sister Jacque's for a BBQ. I was still so tired I fell down her stairs (two whole steps). I decided to spend most of the rest of the night just sitting. But the kids had a blast playing with their cousins.

Austin especially enjoyed Grandma's cupcakes.

Dallin finally earned enough money (by mowing our lawn and babysitting all summer) to buy a Nintendo DS. We picked it up the day before and he couldn't resist bringing it to the party. We bought him his first game as a special "thank you" for all his hard work and help this summer. He's been great! (That's what's in the bag by the way).

We did fireworks a little early that night. Jacque's son Alex doesn't enjoy the loud noise.

But the rest of us had a good time.

I have to add one last thing. When I woke up the next day I was so sore I could hardly move.

$45 For A Picnic?

Today I thought it would be fun to go for a drive up American Fork Canyon and have a picnic dinner with my mom. It was a beautiful sunny day and a nice drive. The canyon was pretty crowded but my mom kept promising if we headed all the way up to Granite Flats it would be less crowded. We got to the top and pulled into a pretty empty campground. All we needed was a picnic table and we'd be good to go.

We found a group site picnic area that had one of those low gates that was locked and a sign that said "group site $45." There was nobody there and we weren't a group so we figured we'd use a table for our little picnic and be on our way.

It was a beautiful place with tall pine trees surrounded by granite mountains that still had patches of snow on them. There was a little stream running through and plenty of shade. The kids ran along the stream for a little bit before dinner. Cameron came back distraught because she found a lot of trash in the water downstream. So after a quick dinner Ryan gave the kids a grocery bag and they waded through the water and picked up trash.

We were all sitting by the stream enjoying the evening as the temperature got cooler when a man walked up (obviously the campground host) and said, "did you know that it costs $45 to have a picnic here?" He was holding a money pouch in his hand. There was a long pause and then Ryan said, "we saw the sign but we thought it was for group reservations." The man was pretty firm when he said, "nope. It's for anyone who wants to have a picnic here, $45." He looked like he was ready for us to hand him the money right then. So Ryan said, "well, we didn't know. Can we just give you $10 and call it good?" In a booming voice the man says, "Are you trying to bribe me?" We froze again. It was a stressful situation.

Then my mom says, "you know, the kids just spent the last 20 min. picking up trash out of the river. Would that work?" He turned to her with a questionable expression on his face and she said, "do you want to see the bag?" He said yes, so Dallin walked up and showed him the grocery bag full of wet trash. In an instant the man's whole expression changed. He offered to throw the bag away for Dallin and we took that as our cue to leave quickly before he brought up the $45 again. As I stood up to leave he says, "you know I hate to kick you out of here but...". I said it was no big deal since we were about to leave anyway. I talked a little bit more with him as we walked out to show there were no hard feelings and make sure he still wasn't going to demand any money. Then when I got in the car I turned around and thanked Dallin and Cameron for saving us $45.

Got Bugs?

Okay, so for the past few years our city has been plagued with moths. You know those white little things that fly up from your lawn as you try to walk across or nest on your door so when you open it they fly in your face. I picked up a neighbor the other day for swim practice and he groans, "we have moths, everywhere. They're everywhere!" He kept saying "everywhere" for a few minutes. I think it's haunting him. The worst part isn't the annoying moths though, it's the larva that hatch in your grass and eat the roots killing your lawn. Do you have dead patches yet? Can you pull the dead grass up easily? Yep. Not cool.

So a few years ago this happened to us and I freaked out. We watered, sprayed bug killer like crazy, and our lawn was still dying. Then something magical happened. I discovered arbico.com. They sell a solution that has worked for me for years and I am now using at our new house because once again, it's infested. They are called Beneficial Nematodes. I'm going to give you all the info you need to order them and then, trust me, you will see results. The stuff I've ordered is called NemAttack, it's designed for southern states with warmer climates but sandy soil. If you have really bad clay soil you can look into the one for Northern states (same price, etc.). It's $80 for a farm size order. I realize most of you don't live on farms but the first year we did this the guy told me to put the whole thing on my grass and I did and by September I had lush green grass again. So if you have a really bad problem use the whole thing. Otherwise, use half and give the other half to a neighbor (you'll both appreciate it).

What is this stuff? Nematodes are microscopic worms that inject bacteria into the larva of the moths and then eat them. So cool. They are totally organic so you can spray it on your plants, garden, whatever. They eat more than just sodwebworm or cutworm but ticks and fleas and some other stuff (see website). The other cool thing is they are alive (no more spraying moths every few weeks) and sometimes they survive the winter but I treat my lawn every year just in case, but it only needs to be treated once a year.

The tricky thing is they ship overnight and have to be immediately refrigerated. Since they're alive they will die in hot weather (i.e. sitting on your porch, waiting for you to come home), not so effective then. You have to spray them on your lawn in the evening (I usually try to wait for one of those summer storms that drops the temp into the 80's). So watch the weather, and your plans. Pick a day you know you'll be home then order them. You need to use a clean hose sprayer and mix them in water, then spray them onto your lawn.

One more thing. They don't kill live moths. Moths fly in from the neighbors so you won't know it's working just by seeing how many moths fly up in your face. You'll know it's working when you see your dead grass patches come back to life. It will probably take a few weeks. Last year I didn't think we had a problem until the middle of July (right now). I ordered mine the weekend of the 24th and by the end of August our grass was lush and green. If you need a second testimonial ask Ken Goates.

You know, if we could get the whole city to do this for a few years I think we would get rid of the problem but that's wishful thinking. The best thing we can do is share with a neighbor. Hence the post. Good luck.

He's Done

With all the activities we had going on last week I failed to mention that Ryan had his last class on Thursday. He is now officially done with his MBA Program! Woo hoo!

I have to honestly say it was a lot harder, for me, than I thought it would be. Especially these last few months. I think because it was hard to see Ryan stressed out and tired all the time and to feel like I had to take care of as much as possible here, so his load would be as light as I could possibly make it. But now it's over and I'm a little curious because I don't remember what life is like with him around, mentally as well as physically. I have a feeling he missed us as much as we missed him and it's exciting to be able to do family things in the evenings again. (Or have Ryan take the kids to pack night for once).

I'm really proud of Ryan for accomplishing something like this and doing so well. He learned a lot and I feel like this education will help him in his career, in some ways it already has. I know he will continue striving for excellence and to increase his learning, it's just become a part of who he is.

Camping at Flaming Gorge

This past week was crazy busy. At the beginning of the summer I asked the kids to make a list of some of the things they really wanted to do. Dallin said he wanted to go back to Classic Skate in Sandy with Erika and her kids. It has more than just roller skating but water slides, inflatables, a jungle gym, and arcade games. So we went there on Tuesday and had a blast. It was four hours of swimming, sliding, jumping, climbing, and gaming.

Every spring the kids can earn a free pass to Seven Peaks water park. So Wednesday we spent five hours there with the Heraldsons and the Mickelsens. It was a little tricky at first doing the water slides with Eden and Austin so it was nice to have help but I soon discovered that Eden was able to manage them all by herself. She's such a big girl (and literally). Austin was asleep in the car before I ever left the parking lot.

Then Friday morning we packed up (I actually did most of the packing on Thursday) and headed to Red Canyon Campground at Flaming Gorge. It was a lot further away than I thought. Ryan and I had never been there before and had no idea what to expect. I've decided you definitely need a boat to actually enjoy the gorge but camping above it was beautiful. If I had a boat, though, I don't think I'd ever use it anywhere else this place was so amazing.

We had tin foil dinners and thanks to some suggestions on FB they were a huge success. For one of Dallin's Webelos badges he helped set up the tent and prepare dinner. Cameron helped me with dessert.

After dinner we went to see what was at the end of our campsite. It was the gorge. With no fence! Except for this one viewpoint. I was hoping our campsite was close but I didn't realize it was that close.

We had a fire and roasted marshmallows and starburst (a first for Ryan). At one point, just as it was starting to get dark we heard a strange growling sound. We tried to keep the kids quiet so we could figure out what it was. We had seen plenty of deer in the area but didn't think they could growl. Ryan thought it was an elk. But I was pretty darn sure it sounded like a bear. It finally sounded so close I told him I thought we should "run". We literally ran to the van, Cameron was still holding her starburst on the stick, and locked the doors. It was too dark to see much so Ryan decided to try to drive closer (which totally freaked Eden out, there was crying involved). We drove down the road and were joined by four or five other slowly moving cars. Everyone was enjoying the view of multiple deer grazing near the road. We never saw a bear.

When we finally got back to camp it was too dark and time for bed. I admit I was still freaked out as I listened to the growling while brushing my teeth by the little water post. The kids were terrified still as we got there p.j.'s on and started tucking them in. I said a little prayer that whatever was making that sound would just go away so the kids could go to sleep. Fortunately, it worked and we never heard the sound again. What was it? Ryan thinks it was this.

Saturday we went exploring around Flaming Gorge and Dinosaur National Monument, had dinner in Heber and then came home. It was a busy week but lots of fun, so I should be off the hook for entertainment for the next few days, right?

Fourth of July Fun!

We spent the Fourth at Erika and Doug's house this year. The kids had a blast jumping around in the pool and throwing water balloons at the house - not at each other, because that had bad results.

Uncle Doug barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs.

While Eden and I fed their chickens. We've always wanted to have chickens. It seems like an easy enough thing. Maybe one of these days we'll get around to it. (It's on the list).

After dinner and s'mores it was time for sparklers.

The peanut gallery.

Ryan was in charge of the show this year. We combined fireworks with Erika's but it was nothing compared to the spectacle of illegal's going off 360 degrees around us. I felt like I was back at home watching the Disneyland fireworks. For every little firework we lit there were two or three booming in the sky around us. The kids thought it was great - like we had any control over it.

Big Fish

Dallin and Cameron are on the City swim team again this summer. I'm so proud of how well Dallin's doing this year. I take him to the hour long practices four times a week, then pick him up and drop off Cameron for the 45 min. practices. It's a busy schedule but I've noticed Dallin has improved a lot in his technique and I'm so proud of him. He's even starting to get the flip turns, yay.

Sometimes, it's so hard to get a good picture of them. Dallin's improved his freestyle by about 9 seconds over last year. Unfortunately, this week wasn't a strong improvement over last week but the poor kid has had a cough for the past 3 weeks! Swimming is probably one of the hardest things to do when you have a cough. But I'm impressed that none of his times were slower despite struggling for breath.

I did take him to the doctor after this meet. His lungs are clear but the doctor thinks he might have some kind of Respiratory Airway Disease or a mild form of asthma. We're trying a medicine this week to see if it helps. So far, I haven't seen a big difference, but Dallin's still swimming. What a trooper.

This was his first race doing Butterfly. Not his favorite stroke but he pushed through.

This was more like it. Of course Dallin likes Breastroke, he's my son isn't he. Lookin' good!

Finally, Dallin swam in the Freestyle medley relay. His team was awesome and they took second against Pleasant Grove by a hair! It was so close.