Farm Field Trip with Olivia's 2nd Grade Class

I got to help with OIivia’s farm field trip. They went up to an Equestrian Park in Lehi and watch some sheep dogs herd sheep.  

Then, they rotated around variation booths set up and run by FFA high school students explains variation aspects of livestock and agriculture.  

Then, we all went to Discovery Park for lunch and to let the kids play.  Olivia begged me to pack sushi for her, so before I headed up to meet the kids in Lehi I stopped at the grocery store and picked up some California rolls for both of us.  It was a fun day, and I was glad I was able to help out. 

The End of Summer

We had the best summer because summer is the best, and I always hate for it to come to an end.  We really packed it in this summer.

Alyson Pete (my 3rd cousin) came through Utah this summer, and it was super fur to get this pictures of my kids with their fourth cousins!  I love visiting with her wish I could see her more.

Our last pool visit of the year was to the Lindon pool.  I brought Kenadie with as to implement the buddy system for she and Liv.  Camden thank goodness passed the swim test so he could go down the slides without me and Carter still didn't, so he and I got to go down together every time.  Can I just say that I can't wait until the day when I can finally go to the pool and read a book by the side and not worry incessantly that someone is going to drowned? 

My kids attended their first parade this summer.  We have been trying to keep them a secret and we have had success until this year.  Our kids caught on to the fact that all the kids in the neighborhood, but them were going to summer fest parade last year.  This year we were out of town for summer fest, but Julie Riley invited us to sit on her parents driveway and watch the Lindon Days parade.  It was great and the kids got tons of candy and free handouts.  Not bad for a first parade.  Maybe they will forget about summer fest and we can get by with the Lindon parade each year instead.

Liv and I had a girls date to Annie at the Hale Center Theater Orem with Hallie and her sister and Mom.  We had a great time, and afterwards the girls wanted pictures with the cast.

Aunt Kylie came for the 4th of July and brought all the kids hats.  Liv loves hers and wears it all the time.  I snapped this cute pic of her walking London in it one day.

Build-A-Bear did a pay your age day where you only had to pay your age for bear.  I promised to take my kids after I got off work that day, but by the time we got there I learned that people had been staking out spots since 6am and barely just getting into the store at 4pm.  My kids were so disappointed.  They did; however, give us coupons for $15 off a bear, so I took them back another day and let them get a reduced price bear (which in my opinion is still overpriced).

Liv did multiple mini musical theater camps this summer:  Seussical and Annie at Hale Center Theater Orem, and Little Mermaid at Center Stage.  She got the part of Flounder in the Littler Mermaid camp and sang the cutest little solo ("She's in Love").

The Davis family welcomed baby Emberly this summer and Olivia is smitten.  She would beg me to take her over there every day to hold her.

Every once in a while I feel like these three love each other and get along great.

Liv took and enjoyed dance for the first time this summer.  She is a combo class and at the end had a little dance recital.  I decided we need to keep her in dance for nothing else but to keep her humble.  This poor little girl was no where close to doing the splits.  And when they did their twirls across the floor she was the one that ended up all dizzy and off balance.  But through on some music and she can follow choreographed dances with the best of them.

One afternoon Olivia and Kenadie spent the entire day making and delivering fliers for their dog walking business.  They charged a dollar a dog per walk and promised to walk the dogs around the block as many time around the block as desired.  I think their hand made flyer was so adorable that multiple people gladly handed over their dollar bills for the girls to walk their dogs around the block.

Our patient summer dog:

Liv's St. George Birthday Weekend

Olivia had about the best birthday a little budding thespian girl could ask for this year.  She was dying to see Matilda at Tuachan (and I was dying to see Cinderella), so we planned a girls’ trip to see both.  We brought along her BFF Hallie Blunk which was super great because over the summer Hallie moved to American Fork and Olivia had really been missing her at school.  I brought two of my girlfriends (Angelica Oler and Kassie Vought).  We had a great girls trip.  Hallie gave Liv these adorable sunglasses which matched her own set for her birthday.  I snapped this cute picture of the girls in their matching sunnies before we took off.  

We drove straight to the Tuachan when we got into St. George, stopping for McDonalds on the way.  The girls and I ate our McDonalds at a picnic table outside the Tuachan and then met up with Babi. 

Then, all of us went to watch Matilda which the girls thoroughly enjoyed.  


Meanwhile back at the home front Derek took the boys and dog on a campout up Provo canyon.  Sounds like they got a perfect site just in the nick of time and Camden of course befriends the kids in the neighboring campsite.

The next day, Nay and Benz and Aunt Kylie all came up to join in the festivities.  We went horseback riding.  We kept trying to get Benazir to join us which resulted in her admitting that she and Nay were expecting a baby.  Such exciting news for all of us!!!  Nay didn’t bring any jeans for the trailride, so he borrowed a pair of Moms.  

The girls did great on their first trailride and all these pictures show Nay's Mom jeans butt really well.




Aunt Kylie at least had the good idea to take one of the traditional pictures of this cute little girl with her 8 fingers.

I spent the afternoon with my friends at the foot palace getting massages, having lunch and Liv, Hallie, Babi and Aunt Kylie and Aunt Benazir all went to get pedicures.   I thought that it was hilarious without any planning these girls both had and had packed the same shirt! 

Aunt Kylie gave the two BFFS best friend necklaces which was the perfect birthday present that both were excited about.

We all came back to the house and had ice cream cake. 


Then, we got ready to get ready for Cinderella.  Hallie brought Cinderella dresses for the girls to dress up in.  Angelica did their hair, and Kassie painted their faces with glitter. 


The poor girls were so worn out from the fun day and late night the night before that Olivia actually fell asleep during the second half of the show.  But, I didn’t.  I was wide awake and loved that show so much.  I love the music and the costumes were amazing both Cinderella and the Fairy Godmother would just twirl around and their dresses would transform before our eyes.  Plus, the fairy Godmother flew out over the audience at the end.  It was a slightly newer version of the classic Rogers and Hammerstein play with a plot twist and a few new songs.  I loved it!  When we got back to the house Mom made me and my girlfriends midnight margaritas.   She makes them so great with lots of ice and chunks of citrus in them.

The next mornings I drove the girls to church in the golf cart which they loved.  

And we stayed 2 hours so the girls could attend primary which they also loved.  It seems they have a tradition almost every time of making these PB&J prayer sandwiches.  You start a prayer with Dear Heavenly Father (one piece of bread), fill it with thanks for blessings (peanut butter), ask for anything you need (jelly) and then close in the name of Jesus Christ Amen (the other piece of bread). The kids absolutely love this lesson/snack in one. Then, it was home again home again.  My girlfriends and I relished in the chance at uninterrupted hours of girl talk on both the drive down and home.   A fabulous girls weekend and amazing way for Liv to spend her 8^th birthday with her BFF.   (No big birthday party with a million friends this year for this girl, but I don’t think she found it lacking).

Fall Festival

The Foothill Fall Festival is a long anticipated event for my kids.  This year did not disappoint as usual.  Every kids got a popcorn, and cotton candy.  They had this lady with about 20 creepy crawling things you could hold (mostly a bunch of snacks, lizards, geckos, bearded dragons, scorpions, tarantulas).  

Carter literally held everything (except the tarantula--he wanted nothing to do with that).


 I was quasi freaked out by the whole thing, but tried to hide my panic for the kids' sake.

 They had an awesome climbing wall.  Carter waited in line forever for it, and then climbed his heart out. 

It was somewhat humorous because earlier that day I was called by the school nurse to come get Carter from school because he had smashed his fingers in the door and she felt like it ought to be looked at by a doctor.  I drove to the school between surgeries and found his hand all bandaged up and him in good spirits.  He seemed fine, but wanted to go home, so I had Steve pick both him and Camden up.  Obviously, it was not a get out of school worthy injury if he spent the evening rock climbing with the same hand.  The kids of course each decorated a soda for the event (and I forgot to take pictures!!!).  Camden made a Frankenstein out of a sprite bottle, Carter made a thief out of a fruit punch, and Liv made Pocahontas out of a caffeine free diet coke.  Then, at the end of the night each kid begged to wait in line for a change to be dunked in the dunk tank.

Dog Pool Party

We had the best Surprise Labor Day weekend.  Liv got up and was practicing her violin early Saturday morning, when we looked out the front window to see Hazel and Lilah walking up our front walk!  We had no idea they were coming to town, and it was so exciting.  Needless the say, all chores went out the window at that point.  Jamis told us they were thinking of hitting up the Provo Pool because they were having a dog swimming day.  All my kids thought that sounded awesome.  I didn't have any of them wear swim suits because I thought the swimming was only supposed to be for the dogs, but of course none of the kids could resist getting in the dog hair filled pool with all the dogs.  

This was the maddest dog party I had ever been to.  We invited Annie to meet us with Tilly.  I was glad Jamis came to keep track of the kids, so I could keep track of our dog.  She was hesitant to get in the water, but would follow only me around wherever I would lead her.  So, I had to wade in the dog hair pool too.  We only got London into the deep water once and we had to basically push her in.  She never got close enough to the edge to let it happen again.  It was a super fun thing and kudos to the Provo pool for letting their outdoor pool take the abuse. 


I don't think we will do it again because I'm not sure it was poor London's idea of a party, but my kids sure loved it.