Carnival

We went to the carnival on Family Night (as always, it's the only night we can afford it!!) Alex always looks forward to the carnival...he LOVES it.
The carnival wasn't the best this year for Alex, he was sure that he was finally tall enough to ride all the rides but unfortunately he wasn't. You have to be 52 inches to ride on the 2 biggest rides there and he is not quite that tall yet. He tried several times to try to get on the ride anyway but he was not successful. He ended up feeling really bad and I felt bad for him. But I guess for sure he'll be tall enough next year. My camera died so I didn't get a lot of pictures.
He went on the Ring of Fire with Parker and Brett and Whytlie. He liked it but only went on it once.

Max loved driving the trucks. He got off the ride and said "awesome Mom" he liked to wave at us as he went by.

He also really liked the motorcycle too. He went on this one a few times.

He hopped on the train with Ashton, Laura and Kelsen. He loves trains and had fun on the ride.

Alex is on the back of the dragon with his arms up. I couldn't get Max to go on this one (he is taking after Dad and being kind of a wuss). Alex has always liked this ride even though it's kind of a baby ride.

This was the highlight of Max's night. All you had to do was make 1 basket and you got one of these cool guys. You get 3 shots for $5, Rich was not successful his first attempt and so we gave Brett the money to see if he could make a shot, luckily the lady gave him a few extras but he did make it so Max picked Spiderman. Then a while later he decided he wanted Hulk so Rich exchanged it. He kept going back and forth and really wanted both so Rich went up to exchange it one last time and the lady said "if you play again I will give you both even if you don't make it" so he tried again and didn't make it but Max ended up with both his "guys" and he was so happy. When we got home Max and Rich were playing with them for an hour. It was really cute.

Park City Weekend

We headed up to Park City on Thursday for a litte weekend getaway. Some of Rich's family went too. His parents, The Pauole's, Swenson's, Anderson's and Pyne's. We stayed at The Yarrow Hotel (we were supposed to stay at a condo but they didn't have enough rooms so they sent us to the Yarrow). We had a fun time. I have NO pictures because the batteries in my camera were dead and I didn't have any spares. We ate at Pizza Hut for dinner on Thursday night and the kids went swimming.
Friday Rich me and Carrie went for a run. It was a good little run. Rich ran about 10miles and I told him to pick us up (we ran mostly downhill so the return trip was mostly uphill and we didn't think we could make it, we ran probably 6 miles). We stayed at the pool all day and it was nice cause it was pretty much just us there. We ate lunch by the pool and I read for a while and Rich and Max took a nice long nap. We went to dinner at a Mexican place that was really good (but expensive). We were by the Alpine Slide so we walked up there and watched Dustin and Creed go down and Alexa and Kynlie jumped on the trampoline with the harnesses . We had a good time. Alex went to dinner with Alan so he was back at the pool when we got back. Me, Rich, Alexa and Max went to see the new Batman movie. Alex hung out with Cynthia's family and slept in their room. Max fell asleep about 30 minutes into the show so that was nice. We didn't get back until 1:00am. The movie was SO good. Heath Ledger did such an amazing job with his role as The Joker. I want to see it again.
On Saturday we checked out. We took the kids to ride the Alpine Slide and the Alpine Coaster, they had SO much fun!! We had to go to the Condo and do our Timeshare presentation. We got there at 12:30pm and the kids went into the kids place and we got started with our Sales guy. About 45 minutes into the presentation Alexa came in and looked like she was going to cry and said she needed me. Max had an explosion in his diaper and there was poop up to his neck. I went with her into the bathroom and it smelled so bad. There was poo on the toilet all over the changing table, she ran out of wipes and was trying to use toilet paper and there was a roll in the toilet cardboard and all. He had also thrown up on the floor (I think all the poo and the smell just got to his stomach). After cleaning up as best I could I went back out there and told them what had happened. Max was just in a diaper because there was poo all over his clothes. The guy was like "let me go talk to my manager" he came back and said we could re-schedule and come back another day (and start ALL over) or we could take a few minutes and get him some clothes on and continue. We didn't want to come back so we went down to the car (we parked at the bottom of the hill cause the kids wanted to ride the lift up) finally we got back and Alexa and Max just stayed with us for the rest of the time. It ended up taking way longer than 90 minutes we left there at 3:30pm. Oh well I guess that's what you get for being cheap and wanting a "free" vacation.
On the way home I saw a sign in Provo advertising the "Llama Fest" I didn't tell the kids we were going to stop there cause they both really wanted to go home.

When I didn't exit they both wondered where we were going and I didn't tell them cause I knew they were going to complain. I was right, the kids did not want to get out of the car but Rich and I have always wanted to go and see inside the Temple. It was HOT and there were alot of people there. The Temple was not at all what I had imagined. You have to take off your shoes and there is a gift shop and restaurant downstairs and then upstairs there was just a big room and people were playing weird instruments and some people were dancing. There was a display of Chinese looking dolls that looked like some sort of shrine. I am glad we went, the Llama contest was pretty funny.
We had a great weekend and now that school is almost ready to start again it was good to get away if only for a few days.

Dinner and a Play

Last night I went with my Book Club friends to dinner at Gloria's Little Italy and then to see "Little Women" at Hale Center Theater. We had so much fun and I am always glad to have a girls night.
We wanted to go somewhere "new" for dinner and a few people had been to this little Italian place that they said was really delicious and authentic. When we pulled up I have to admit I was not too impressed, I would not have ever just happened in there on my own (I guess that's whats so great about word of mouth). Our waiter was hilarious and kept wanting us to throw out songs for him to sing. We had the upstairs to ourselves which was great. If you ever go there (it's on 300 S. in Provo) I would request the upstairs, it had a cool atmosphere. There were 9 of us for dinner and we just talked and ate and tasted each other's food and had a great time. The dessert was my favorite part, we got 3 different kinds and just shared them. They also have Gilato that was so yummy.
I am so happy that I have such great friends and love the conversations we have. It is great to hear all the advice and funny stories about kids and husbands and just to be able to laugh and enjoy great company. We almost didn't make the play because we were a little late and didn't all get to sit together. It was so good. If you haven't been to a production there, I highly recommend it, even if you aren't into that kind of thing it is a great experience. We read the book earlier in the year for Book Club which was the whole reason for the outing. It was a great book and I recommend that too. I have to be honest and say that when it was picked I was not that excited to read it, not really my taste but I was wrong and really loved it. The play was very entertaining and very touching. There was a group of BYU students there and on the front row was a guy with tears just streaming down his face (it was tender) I was already crying but that made me cry a little harder.
I am glad that I have such a wonderful husband who is always supporting my "girls nights" with Bunco and Book Club and sister get togethers (mine and his). He is so great to stay home and take care of the house and the kids. All he ever worries about is what kind of food we will be eating...ha ha. When I got home after 11pm the house smelled clean and some of the clutter from the kitchen and our bedroom had been cleaned up. What a sweetheart, I really don't tell him enough how much I love and appreciate him. I am a lucky lucky girl!!

This is from Alex

As I was transferring my memory card onto the computer these pictures popped up. Alex LOVES Halloween so much. He had me get the box of costumes down the other day so that he and his friends could go around the neighborhood and scare people. They were out jumping n the trampoline with the scream costumes on and they would lay down and when they heard a car coming they would pop up and try to scare them, luckily we had no wrecks in front of our house cause I know if my Mom had been driving by she most likely would have ended up in the neighbors fence (she scares really easily).

 

I was going to just delete these photos cause it's just a costume posed on the floor in my living room but I know that Alex probably spent alot of time on this and so I thought I should share his creative photo shoot with everyone. He really has a pretty great imagination.

Spanish Fork Pool

We went to the pool on Saturday, Rich wanted to work on getting the garage cleaned out but I talked him out of it cause I wanted to play. That kind of stuff can wait til fall, right? I didn't really take any pictures cause sometimes you just forget. Stephanie and some of her kids came down too and hung out with us. We had a great time and it was not very crowded (it usually is so packed) but we really lucked out. Rich and I both ran in the morning (he ran 8 miles I ran 7)then we had a ward service project at 9am and the kids weren't happy about Rich getting them out of bed to go so it was nice to be able to relax and hang out for the rest of the day.
Max went down the water slide a few times with Rich. After he was done I asked him if he had fun and he said "it awesome, Mom" then I asked if he wanted to go again and he said "No, I scard" but he did go again just not right then.

Alex went to the pool with his friend a few days earlier and came home and told us that he did a front flip off the diving board...none of us believed him but we were wrong, here is the proof.

He is a crazy kid and reminds me of myself. I love trying anything and sometimes things that are probably not too smart to try so I worry about him. He is a definite dare devil and hopefully he will be smart and stay safe.

Bees Game

Every year for the past I don't know how many..like 6 or 7 my Dad gets tickets to the Bees game from work and a picnic before the game!! I LOVE this fun family tradition, everyone doesn't always come, some years there is everyone and other years some of my siblings decide they are too cool to come (Mel and Amy), also some of my cousins usually come too but I guess they were all busy (we missed you Kellers). We ate hamburgers, hot dogs, BBQ chicken, yummy watermelon, chips, baked beans, cookies and drinks all you can eat!!

 

My Mom had been at camp ALL week and had just gotten home this morning but she came to see us and we are so glad she did, she usually never even comes so that meant alot!! Max got a frog balloon hat (but he didn't even wear it). Steve (Melissa's husband) spent most the night reading and we all had fun catching up and chatting. It was a great game that went into the 10th inning and we won!! After we headed to 7-11 for a FREE Slurpee since it was July 11th (get it 7-11) anyway they stopped free Slurpee's at 5pm but we got one anyway and then we said our Good-byes and headed for home. Thanks Dad for making this fun tradition possible.

MEMORY LANE

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!


2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.


EVERYBODY PLAY! I want to see what memories are out there!

Alexa Update

On Monday evening after we got home from the Instacare in Springville they called the house and asked that we take Alexa back in to have her other arm X-rayed so they could compare them. I guess once the Radiologist read the X-Ray he wasn't sure about the diagnosis that the Dr had given us. So on Tuesday I took her back in to get another X-Ray. The Dr showed us the X-Ray on Monday and you could definitely see three cracks in the bone so I wasn't really sure why they would question the diagnosis. They said they would call us in a few hours and let us know if it was for sure fractured. Well they didn't call so this morning I called and the Radiologist still hadn't looked at it. They finally called me back at 4pm and said that both her bones looked like that and there was no fracture...what the heck. I am really confused but I have to say I am so relieved because she needed me to help her with a lot of things and she wasn't able to change Max's diaper etc. so I am bugged that we told everyone it was broken and now it isn't, SORRY!!! She took the wrap off and was able to move it around pretty well, it is still a little sore and swollen but she will be just fine. She wanted to thank everyone for all the love and sympathy that she received, that part she will miss but at least NO cast all summer woo hoo!

First Broken Bone

Alexa's Baseball team made it to the State Finals and their first game was today at 1:30pm in Springville. It was SO HOT and I was sitting under an umbrella not out on the field in the scorching sun. She plays catcher and I can't even imagine how hot she was with all the extra gear on. Well it was the 2nd inning and we were down 7 to 1 playing a team from Payson. The batter came up to the plate and Alexa was thinking in her head "she is standing back too far, I better move back" but the pitcher had pitched and it was not a good pitch but the batter swung down really low to hit it and instead she hit Alexa's elbow at full swing.

I didn't see it happen (I miss alot of things trying to keep my eye on Alex and Max) but I saw her holding her elbow and someone had said the ball hit her so I thought she could shake it off. The umpire asked if she could still catch and she crouched down like she was going to but then she got up and went off the field. I went over to see her and she was crying. She is a tough kid so I knew it must hurt really bad. I looked at her elbow and it was pretty swollen and felt like there was fluid around it. We got her some ice and she sat there for a few minutes. I asked her if she was going to be OK or if we should leave and go to the Doctor. She said she wanted to go. A nurse came over and looked at it and said she would guess it was broken. We went to InstaCare in Springville and the X-Ray showed it broke in 3 places but he said it looked pretty clean so she shouldn't need surgery, just a cast. He put on a soft cast and we have to take her in on Wednesday (after the swelling goes down) for the hard cast, she has to wear it for 6 weeks.
The crappy thing is the girl that hit her got to take a base because the umpire called interference on Alexa...what a joke. Anyway the team dedicated the game to her and they ended up winning which is really surprising because they are a good team and they were way ahead when we left. That's what they get for hurting my kid I guess!!! That is too bad though because they will keep playing now and she obviously won't be able to!!

4th of July

We had a great 4th of July. Rich woke up early and took Max and his Mom to the Parade (I am not a huge fan of parades and neither are Alexa and Alex), we went to the mall instead. They had a great time at the parade, as always. Max did have a little incident, after it was over he wanted to push the stroller back to the car and was doing fine until at the stop light he decided he wanted to go the wrong way. Rich told him he was going the wrong way but he didn't care so Rich had to grab him and the stroller so he wouldn't get run over and he just started screaming!!! He was having a huge fit the whole way to the car and when Rich tried to buckle him in his car seat he arched his back and he is a strong kid so it took some muscles to finally get him buckled in. He screamed the whole way home from Provo to Spanish Fork. When Rich dropped his Mom off at her house she said that is exactly how Rich used to be when he was a kid (I knew that's where Max got it). He wore himself out and finally fell asleep a few blocks before they got home and slept for 2 hours.

 

Then we headed up to "Harry's Ranch" in Salem for the annual family BBQ. It is always a good time even though its way too hot. We had hamburgers and hot dogs and tons of yummy salads and desserts, the kids played in the water and sand. Max had his first canoe ride and loved it. We stayed there for several hours. It was a fun time as always!!

Stadium of Fire

We got tickets for Stadium of Fire (they weren't cheap but I had never been and Miley Cyrus was performing so what the heck). Me, Rich, the kids, Jennifer, Kynli and Adriana all sat together. It clouded up in the evening and was really windy so we were a little worried they might have to cancel it...thankfully we were in the U.C. and they started the event with a prayer! I thought that was a little weird but I guess BYU always does that and hey it must have worked cause everything went according to plan.

 

They started the program with Skydivers, I love that...I think it's so awesome and I can't wait to try it!! Then all the dancers came out and danced and it was pretty incredible to see that many kids on the field. They had special tributes to the troops and the F-16's flew over the stadium (we were getting popcorn and drinks so we didn't get to see them we just heard them. Then they had these huge red, white and blue flags come down over some of the sections (we were sitting under the white one and we missed that too). Blue Man group performed but we were so far away we didn't really get to see what they were doing and the sound system was pretty bad it kept cutting in and out. Then it was time for Miley to sing and that was fun. She sang alot of 'new' songs which was kinds weird but they were good and the kids really liked her performance. The fireworks were GREAT!! It was a really good show, I was a little bugged that they didn't really play Patriotic music with the Fireworks though...they didn't even play "God Bless the USA by Lee Greenwood!!! It was crazy too because we kept getting showered with ash and smelled like smoke when it was over but it was a great night and everyone had alot of fun!! Max was really good through the whole thing too so that was a plus.

 

It was worth the money for sure but now that I've been I don't know if I need to go again for awhile. Here are some of the fireworks and pictures of Alex and Adriana covering their ears, they are crazy the loud ones are the best!

The "After" Show

After the show was over we slowly made our way to the car knowing that we weren't going to be getting out anytime soon. The traffic is crazy after the show. We got to the car but there was no hurry to get in the line that wasn't moving so we made the best of it. We cranked up the music and let the kids have a parking lot dance party. Alexa showed us her moves and then Adriana, Kynli and Max got in on the action. Max was just copying what the girls did, it was great!
Alex fell sleep so he missed out on all the fun, doesn't he look comfortable...I don't know what the deal is with one sock off!
Here is Max's pose, yes he was completely filthy when we got home! Check out his foot!
The girls had a great time and are such cute little dancers. What fun memories! I am so thankful for our country and feel so blessed to live here where we can be free to make our own choices and have so many brave, unselfish men and women who are willing to fight to protect our freedoms. God bless the USA!

Alex's Video

I guess both my kids are crazy. I had my camera on the counter and while I was at work and Alexa was sleeping (thats right, sleeping til 11am, while she's supposed to be watching her brothers) anyway Alex decided to make some movies of himself and Max. He made like 14 but I just saved the funniest ones.

My favorite part of this one is when he says "Ladies and Gentlemen, keep your arms and legs in the ride at adult times." Did you catch that...priceless.

Alexa and I were laughing SO hard when we were watching and Alex was in the bathroom crying because he was embarassed...I told him "if you make movies of yourself and you don't want anyone to see them then you need to erase them." He was also mad when I told him I was going to put it on the blog but oh well.

If anyone is a voice coach out there, I think he has a great voice and I told him I was going to make him take singing lessons but he had a fit and said he wouldn't go!

Alexa had a Hard Day

Alexa didn't have a very great day today, she was just having one of those days I guess when none of her friends could hang out and she had to clean the Villa and it was just a boring day. I tried to cheer her up by taking her to lunch but it didn't work. When I got home from work she was "working" on something and she wouldn't let me see it. Well I guess she forgot about it later and it was just sitting on the counter so of course I read it...
This is what it says:
Have you ever loved someone who wouldn't answer the phone when you called?

Have you ever loved someone that loved one of your friends?

Have you ever loved someone who talks to you when you are alone but when your in a group of people they act like you are invisible?

Have you ever loved someone that didn't love you back?

Well I have, and it sucks. But if you think about it, the person you love is a jerk for letting these things happen.

And the truth is, the person you thought you loved...you don't really love 'em.

I was just talking the other day about this with Rich and my Brother-in-law how it is so great to keep a journal or a blog or just write down your feelings because if you don't let things out, good or bad it makes it harder to function and you just have all these feelings and emotions locked up inside. I know especially for me I can easily write just about anything but if I try to express the same thing out loud I can never seem to just be totally honest or express myself as well as I can in writing.
I hope this helped Alexa let go of some of her sad feelings and she has been in a pretty good mood since so I think it has helped at least a little.

Front Yard Fireworks and Fires

I got home from Book Club at about 10pm or so and Alex was dying to light some fireworks and he had some neighborhood kids with him so I thought what the heck! I never spend a ton of money on fireworks but they are usually pretty happy with sparklers, flowers, tanks and smoke bombs. I did splurge on a few small fountains this year.
Here is Alex dancing along with the fountain. He LOVES fireworks so much.
Max had fun with the sparklers but he was kinda scared of the ones that moved.
Well we went through all the fireworks pretty fast and I realized that the kids were trying to start a fire with all the garbage.
I didn't think they would get very far with it so I just let them have fun while I was cleaning up the burnt fireworks.
They actually had a pretty good fire going for a few minutes and I hate to admit but I joined right in with them (I have been known to start a few gutter fires myself...when we were kids and my parents didn't think it was very funny). Anyway no harm done, I did give them a little lecture about fires and how dangerous they are etc. and if I ever catch them doing that without an adult I will call the police. Hopefully that scared them.