One day in August my sisters and I found ourselves wandering through the scorching gardens at Thanksgiving Point on what seemed like the hottest day of the year. It didn’t help that we had 23 kids with us going in ten different directions. At any given point we couldn’t locate half of them. We had originally planned on going through the museum so we weren’t prepared with enough water for our journey and the warm tap water from the few drinking fountains was barely cutting it. I poured my drinking water on Callie’s onsie in an attempt to keep her cool. By the time we got to the tiered fountains we were bordering on heat stroke and let the kids splash and play to cool off as we waded our feet. It was no surprise that an employee on a Segway was soon at our side informing us that these fountains were not to play in.We thanked her for how HELPFUL she had been as we scooped water over the kids before lifting them out. If we were to have answered her honestly though we would have said, “What took you so long?” This was a perfect example of asking for forgiveness instead of permission (that policy generally works best for me in life I’ll confess) but it was so hot!!! So in contrast to our Lagoon day: I can’t remember when it felt so HORRIBLE to be hot and sweaty.
That night we met at Classic Skating for our Orthodontist’s patient appreciation skate night. The flyer in the office stated that it was for patients and their friends and FAMILY. I saw Dr. Nord and said, “I hope you really meant what you said” as I piled in with 24 extended family members. We had a great time. Boy it’s been a while since I’ve been there and it’s the SAME. Oh, and Mallerie won an IPOD. Isn’t that so Mallerie…
On a different August evening some of us girls met at the Craft Fair in SLC and it was very interesting to say the least. The groups of people roaming around were about he freakiest I’ve seen in a long time. Apparently we had arrived way too early and we spent our time trying to reach people on Matt’s cell phone. Now I know why I don’t have one: they don’t work. We were about ready to leave when we spotted the rest of our crowd. It got dark before we could get much shopping in, but just in time for Channel 2 News to start and the perfect opportunity for anyone who was in the mood to make a darn fool of herself. As the girls danced and waved like maniac’s behind the news anchors, cell phones started ringing with husbands on the other end, “STOP it!”
Towards the end of the month we had more extended family fun at the Train Man’s house. That’s what he’s become known as in our family. He works with my dad at the Temple and has a train in his yard along with a swimming pool and waterslide. He invited all of us over one day in Aug to enjoy his stuff for free. He offers it to everyone for the same price.
OHS Class of '94 Reunion August 1, 2009
Christine LeBras, Jen Pliley, Holly Hughes, Katie Dallin, me, Marcy Backus, & Heather Corrigan
How great it was to see old friends at my 15-year reunion! It was held at a park in Provo, and though it seemed like only a handful of us were there. We had a great time. It was carnival-style so the kids were in heaven getting snow cones, cotton candy, and popcorn at their command. Then they mixed it all up in their tummies on the bounce houses and slides. Katrina had plans already so she didn't join us and I wondered if Mallerie would have a very good time, but she sure did. She makes friends so easily and was exchanging email addresses by the end of the night. It was one of those perfect August nights and I left wishing I could live in a neighborhood with people as fun as those there. Matt was good to tend to the babies while I visited but I saw him engrossed in conversations as well at times.
My friends seemed to get a kick of Callie way over by herself on a blanket, "Yep, she's number six!"
Grayson made his summer cash from the toothfairy.
Balloon: Going, Going, Gone.
He got me.
It's What FUN is! Happy Birthday to YOU Katrina July 25th 2009
Katrina's big cowabunga gift was a personal DVD player. It was Matt's idea. I was going to get her $150 gift card to the mall. Instead we gave her the DVD player and $50 to the mall. I asked her later what her preference would have been. She said, "The DVD player and $50 to the mall." Sweet!
July was a busy month for Katrina. She had two camps and she officially entered her teens. I say officially because anyone who knows her knows she has been in her "teens" for quite some time now. First up: Girl's Camp followed by Oakcrest. I don't know how I have lived in Heber for as long as I have and not heard of this camp that is located just a hop skip and jump away in the Kamas area. It is run by the church and is for girls who have finished 7th or 8th grade. The fee was VERY reasonable and she LOVED it! It was a full week of meals and classes and did I say she absolutely LOVED it? It is for Salt Lake stakes but those girls are free to invite anyone else not living in the designated stakes. She and Romney were roommates and came home sillier than ever but also better. This will be a must for next summer as well. Jamie, I think Rachel would love it.
While she was gone Mallerie and Ava spent some time in Sandy. This left me to take the boys and Callie on my VT apt one day. It was very overcast so I consented to let Gray stay in the car and play his Leapster during my visit. Afterwards we stopped at Dairy Keen for lunch. As we were inside eating Grayson piped up with, "How much better can my life get?" I looked at him confused so he explained, "No sisters for a week, lunch at Dairy Keen, and a sword (the product of his kids meal), how much better can my life get?"
Life did seem pretty lazy with half the kids gone. Matt wanted to catch up on the past Harry Potter's before he and I saw the sixth so we spent each night watching one of them downstairs. It was cozy.
Katrina's birthday was the day after she got home from Oakcrest so it would have been hard to have a party ready to go for that reason, and the other reason was because we were headed to Lagoon! Brent scored some sweet discount tickets from work and the entire extended family decided to make a day of it. I will describe the day in the words of my sister Eliza because it sums it up perfectly, "Heat and sweat have never felt so good!"
I requested Eliza wear her neon shirt for ease in spotting her in the crowd. She took it a step further and dressed all her babes in matching red shirts. This proved most helpful when left in charge of them.
K-so to get your hair like this you have to wear a baseball cap all day, then get wet (preferrabley on Rattlesnake Rapids) and then loose your hat on The Spider. I chose to use an umbrella on the rapids. I serioulsy did.
With the seats reclined this was just the right amount of space for Callie to feel like she was stretching her legs without actually crawling around. I loved it when I'd look over and her little bottom was in the air.
"Seriously, I can DRIVE this car???" You know he was thinking that.
I have this same photo of Ava at this same age!
I was not aiming to get a photo of Swiney Hiney.
"Life is like a carousel ride. You might not get the prettiest horse
but you only get one ride so you may as well enjoy it."
Teaching brotherly love.
The highlight of the day for me was watching pampered Paisley. She had a personal fan, snacks, and water. Though she would not go on a single ride she was most eager to share her spoils.
Summertime in Heber City 2009
Fair Days arrives in mid July in these parts and runs through the first part of August. Other events in the community are scheduled during this time as well. We attended the annual Relay for Life to try our hand at winning a raffle basket. Once again we walked away empty handed but at least the money goes to a good cause. We were disappointed in the entertainment though this year. I was glad to be sitting BEHIND the bleachers to eat dinner with my family while the MR. Relay pageant was going on. On stage the dressed up men danced for money. What kind of message is this sending? The rest of the evening the 'cross dressers' mingled through the crowd and quite frankly I thought it was creepy. Matt and I both agree that there isn't anything funny about seeing a man dressed as a woman. A few weeks later the community hosted a "drag" softball game to raise money for the CJC (Children's Justice Center). I joined my voice in protest to the local authorities but the game went on as scheduled thought we were not in attendance. The following Monday night Mallerie used FHE to pass off a Faith in God requirement. We read the Proclamation on the family. The part where it talks about gender being an essential role was a good time to talk about the "entertainment" we had seen!
The following night was the MISS Wasatch Pageant and we enjoyed the tunes of Abba sprinkled throughout the program. However, the evening was not without controversy either. A bored teen in the back used his voice and some choice words to describe what he thought of the evening. AWKWARD.
The Farmers Market runs throughout the summer every Thursday night at the city park. A live band plays while local farmers unload their crop and venders sell their food and goods. We usually just look but this time Color Me Mine was there and Mallerie and Ava enjoyed painting their ceramics till the sun set.
During the fair only Mallerie and Ava entered the 4H Fashion/Talent show. It was a good thing I was in attendance as well since I ended up being one of the piano movers between talent entries. It was all good till the other gal rolled the piano over my toe. I put on my best, "Oh, that didn't hurt at all" face and the show went on!
We all agreed we needed to stay away from the carnival because we knew none of us would have the strength to tell Graham “no” about going on the rides. It would be too tempting after being able to get on any ride at Lagoon. So instead we went to the outdoor movie, “Astronaut Farmer.” I was on the phone with my VT companion making arrangements since we were taking her daughter when she learned that we had not seen the movie before. She started telling me all about it. Well, I’m one who doesn’t like to know ANYTHING about a movie. I practically don’t even like to know who is in it. So I butted in, “Yeah, there was a write-up in the paper.” This was true, there had been a write up in the paper, I just chose not to read it!
Mallerie made her usual haul by entering her crafts in the exhibits and chose to buy a rip stick with her earnings this time instead of a doll. I entered some photos I had taken of the flowers in the backyard. Katrina didn't get a lip-sync together in time to enter so the honors went to someone else but I had a great idea if she changed her mind. I said she should come out all frumpy and there would be a judges table where they were rolling their eyes. Then the music would start and it would be Susan Boyle's "I Dreamed a Dream" and as soon as she started 'singing' the judges would start clapping and crying and crying their eyes out.
The following night was the MISS Wasatch Pageant and we enjoyed the tunes of Abba sprinkled throughout the program. However, the evening was not without controversy either. A bored teen in the back used his voice and some choice words to describe what he thought of the evening. AWKWARD.
The Farmers Market runs throughout the summer every Thursday night at the city park. A live band plays while local farmers unload their crop and venders sell their food and goods. We usually just look but this time Color Me Mine was there and Mallerie and Ava enjoyed painting their ceramics till the sun set.
During the fair only Mallerie and Ava entered the 4H Fashion/Talent show. It was a good thing I was in attendance as well since I ended up being one of the piano movers between talent entries. It was all good till the other gal rolled the piano over my toe. I put on my best, "Oh, that didn't hurt at all" face and the show went on!
We all agreed we needed to stay away from the carnival because we knew none of us would have the strength to tell Graham “no” about going on the rides. It would be too tempting after being able to get on any ride at Lagoon. So instead we went to the outdoor movie, “Astronaut Farmer.” I was on the phone with my VT companion making arrangements since we were taking her daughter when she learned that we had not seen the movie before. She started telling me all about it. Well, I’m one who doesn’t like to know ANYTHING about a movie. I practically don’t even like to know who is in it. So I butted in, “Yeah, there was a write-up in the paper.” This was true, there had been a write up in the paper, I just chose not to read it!
Mallerie made her usual haul by entering her crafts in the exhibits and chose to buy a rip stick with her earnings this time instead of a doll. I entered some photos I had taken of the flowers in the backyard. Katrina didn't get a lip-sync together in time to enter so the honors went to someone else but I had a great idea if she changed her mind. I said she should come out all frumpy and there would be a judges table where they were rolling their eyes. Then the music would start and it would be Susan Boyle's "I Dreamed a Dream" and as soon as she started 'singing' the judges would start clapping and crying and crying their eyes out.
Cascade Springs July 12, 2009
\Family Tree
Katrina and Mallerie had just gotten their braces on. The view behind Mallerie looks like a mural to me.
Oquirrh Mountain Temple, Chuck-a-Rama, and Sundance~one of these things is not like the others
Sometimes spur of the moment works best. We kept trying to clear a day for our family to go to the Draper Temple open house and it never happened. So on Sunday the 12th of July when we were discussing going to the Oquirrh Mtn Temple open house, we said, "How about tomorrow." Like the rest of you we enjoyed seeing the interior of this beautiful new temple and feeling of the spirit there.
I couldn't get over the big tent set up for the reception area afterwards. This puts my ward parties to shame! But our desserts were better...
We were SO hungry afterwards. It was a long drive out there from Heber, plus the wait, then the tour, and the drive back to the freeway, the kids could think of nothing else but eating. Matt treated us to Chuck-a-Rama. The best way to get your bucks worth there is to go when you are complelety famished as we were. The kids love a buffet so they were thrilled. Graham was bouncing around like a maniac and I was glad we were leaving as the dinner rush began.
Now that our tummies were full, we were game for some entertainment. Matt drove to Sundance. We noted that for our family to ride the lift it would cost the same amount that we had just dropped at Chuck. Besides the cost, we were in our Sunday best so we just looked through the shop and at the scenery. Everytime I go there I wonder why we don't go more often, then another three years pass...
Worship, Giving, Prayer, & Graditude = the Fourth of July in America
The STADIUM OF FIRE! No, I did not see the Jonas Brother's first hand...but I could hear them! Yes, tradition states that we watch the fireworks on Granny's front lawn EVERY YEAR. I enjoyed my day baking pies. What is more American than that? This is the second year to have done so and maybe I am starting a tradition. I made a sour cream cherry pie, a pecan pie, and a blueberry/banana/walnut loaf. We mingled and played on the lawn throughout the evening. Matt noted that the firework display was less than spectacular this year to which I told him, "That is so not the point!" As cars were leaving the stadium and the streets below got crowded, Will discovered he couldn't find Ane, which lead to panicked searching of the yard and cars only to find her asleep on the swing. Thank goodness! Her older sister Kate told Eliza, "I said a prayer that we would find her and then we did." Kate wasn't the only one praying. We were all grateful to have all the kids safe and sound. Cousins, cousins, and more cousins.
Unfortunately Callie had a fever, but it made her very easy. What would the party be without a play? This one was called, "Cool Lips"
Sidenote:
I'm noticing that these kids we have can cause some worry on the part of us parents! The very next week Katrina went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter. I had in my mind that that would put her home around 2 am 2:30 at the latest. I jolted awake at 2:35. I was sad to not have been awake to greet her (she was supposed to wake me up). I went down to her room but she was not there. I sat on the couch with different scenario’s going through my head. I just couldn't fathom that the movie was that long. At five till 3 I told myself, if she's not home in five minutes I'll wake up Matt and we’ll drive to the theatre. But at 3 am exactly I saw the headlights of her friend’s mom dropping her off. Conclusion: Though I am a fan of the latest installment of Harry Potter, I’m not so much a fan of a midnight movies I don't think.
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