Family Trip 2012

Last year, with a one year old and a newborn, we decided to forego a big family trip and instead opted for a stay-cation in Park City for three nights.This year, though, we're all grown up and back out there.  We left Tuesday morning and drove to Vernal, where we got out at the temple to have lunch before driving to Dinosaur National Monument. We had with us Daisy, our pet quail, because she is such a good bird and follows us around like a dog, but isn't nearly as messy and/or needy.

We were walking around the temple grounds, getting ready for a family picture, and Daisy was following behind, 5-6 feet away from us, on the grass. Suddenly, I hear Jeff gasp and look over to see a large bird on the grass, where Daisy was standing, take off and fly away. It took a moment to process that this large bird (a hawk, Jeff confirmed) had landed on the temple lawn and flown away with our pet quail. It was unbelievably surreal, like a nature show come to life. It was all over in 5 seconds and Daisy was no more. 

No one was in the mood for a pic after that, but Jeff snapped one anyway. Note the girls' hysterics and Carter's shock. So funny. And sad. But most of all, crazy.

Dinosaur National Monument was awesome and definitely worth seeing (the Utah side, where all the dinosaur fossils are). We then drove around to the Colorado side (Dinosaur, CO) and on this steep dirt road down to Echo Park. We set up camp near Steamboat Rock (seen below) and started getting worried that the wind was going to ruin our night. A couple of our poles on the tent broke and we were a tad worried the tent would actually blow away.

We took the kids on a hike (supposed to be one mile each way) where we would get a great view of Steamboat Rock.We started at Picasso Face (the kids called this Witch Mountain) and scrambled up to the top of the hill. Then we proceeded to hike in 90+ degree weather and the beating sun for over a mile with no end in sight. The kids were good sports, but started wearing down, faces looking more like tomatoes than peaches. Jeff went on ahead while we sat in the shade, trying to get them cooled off a little. 

After some panic from Damon (he thought Jeff was going to die--maybe he's seen too many survival shows), Jeff came back to tell us that he hadn't found the lookout either and we headed back down to the water, where we cooled off a little.

Carter and McKay loved throwing things into the water and we spent more time doing that than anything else on our trip. Seriously, they were in love with the water.

That night, after eating our soup in a bread bowl in the van because of the wind, we got into the tent and everything just died. No wind, nothing. In fact, we were a little warm. But grateful we didn't blow away.

Wednesday morning we got up and drove to Rocky Mountain National Park, a few hours away. We stopped and had lunch in Steamboat Springs, which reminded us all of Park City. We played at this park and were glad for a little cooler weather.

We drove all the way through Rocky Mountain National Park, which was a 1.5-2 hour drive on windy roads that go up to 12,000 ft (above the treeline). Jeff was getting a sinus headache and the kids were BEYOND done traveling, but we kept going to Estes Park. It was raining, and we got there way later than we planned, but we found a two bedroom lodge that had room and stayed there. That was a lot of fun, although the gas stove accidentally was left on and I stayed up extra late after everyone else had gone to bed to make sure there wasn't anything fishy going on. 

The next morning we went back to Rocky Mountain National Park and tried to do some cool hikes. But there was so much construction on the roads to the trails, and so many people wanting to go, that we ended up doing one short "hike" (.2 miles) to some waterfalls. Again, we spent quite some time throwing things into the water. Pure heaven for my boys.

We took off a little earlier than we planned (the park was beautiful, but not any more so than a lot of places in Utah. Not a must-see if you live in the mountains here) and drove down to Denver. We ended up staying at a Hampton Inn there. Jeff wasn't too thrilled when he found we had to pay for parking, but once we found that we had scored a handicap accessible room (with PLENTY of space, including two queen beds and a couch bed), I was redeemed. The kids swam in the pool, we got takeout Qdoba and played games. 

The next morning after a hearty breakfast (one of the best things about Hamptons), we went to the Denver Museum of Science and History, which was awesome. We didn't even have enough time to see everything we wanted to see there, and I would love to go back someday when the kids are a little older and their attention spans are a bit longer. 

We then drove out of Denver back toward Utah on the I-70. We stopped about an hour outside Grand Junction at a place called Rifle Mountain. We took a slight detour (GPS on my phone was not working), and ended up going about 30 minutes out of our way, but finally made it to the campground. It was gorgeous. We walked around, threw things in the stream, and took a few pics. 

Then we headed back to our camp, had some pasta and spaghetti sauce, and tried to talk the kids into going to bed. Instead, we listened to music, played more PIT (a new family favorite with the kids) and finished the candy we had brought. Good family memories.

Saturday morning we got up and hiked (not much of a hike at all) to the falls and caves, which was really cool. And except for a run in with the world's smelliest latrine, it was a great day.

We then headed home, stopping in Grand Junction for a last picnic lunch and a Redbox movie. We made it home in one piece, having driven 1200 miles in five days, with five kids. We rock. 

Father's Day and Lasik

A quick word about the middle of June. We celebrated Father's Day by making breakfast for Jeff (he preferred to eat with us at the table and not in bed) and giving him some ever exciting gifts. Shirts and ties (two shirts I took back because he is a picky, picky man, but I bought four shirts, so the two he kept made me feel very pleased with my decisions). We did manage to take a quick pic before church and I must note that Carter picked his own tie out, although he doesn't have any that really match his brown outfit.

FHE usually turns into dancing as Jeff plays his repertoire on the piano. McKay is usually an unwilling participant.

I also had LASIK on both my eyes. I had to find a pair of glasses to wear for the two weeks I needed to let my eyes return to their normal shape, and I haven't worn any type of glasses in at least four years. So, I found these babies at zennioptical.com for $12 (including shipping). Not half bad, and I enjoyed my "hipster" look for two weeks.

The morning of the surgery I was pretty nervous. Although you never hear of anyone having a bad experience any more, it's still nerve racking to think about what is going to be done to your eyes. They gave me a valium to help me relax, but I should have taken it four hours earlier, as I didn't really feel it kick in until later in the day when all was said and done.

The procedure itself was quick and not painful. It took about 5 minutes in the actual operating room and except for the panic I felt that I might lose my eyesight, wasn't bad at all. I had to wait around for 30 minutes so the dr could check the eyes and make sure there was nothing under the flap (like a mote or a beam) that would cause complications in the healing process. There was nothing. 

I went home and tried to sleep the day away, per the doctor's orders. My eyes felt itchy and irritated and really they felt the best when they were closed. Plus, the valium was really making me feel relaxed so it was easy to rest. I started on the major drop regiment (steroids, antibiotics and a couple other drops) and was constantly squeezing something into my eye.

By the next morning, I felt about 80% better. And I could see! Amazing. Probably my biggest complaint would be the burst blood vessels in my eyes from the suction ring (an unavoidable side effect). Pretty, huh? And the ones in the left eye are just now fading away, three weeks later!

I had to wear these fashionable goggles for the first couple of nights so I didn't wake up aggressively rubbing, and the kids thought that was awesome.

Like I said, it's now been three weeks and I couldn't be happier. My eyes are still a little dry, but I am really loving my new eyesight! 

June Funnies

Lots to write. But today here are the funnies from June:

Mom: "I kinda like you."
Carter: "I kinda wuv you."

Allie: "I want to help you scrape the cucumbers!" (peel the cucumbers)

Found written on the table in Allie and Kyla's room: Goldelox was here.

Allie: "I want to do the boinga boinga at swim lessons." (bobs)

Kyla: "Carter! Your shirt says Lover Boy, but you're not being very loving!!"

(Everett Davis and Carter in the Lover Boy shirt)

Babysitter, who had just walked into the house: "Hi Carter!"
Carter: "I tooted."

One morning during scripture study, we were talking about 3 Nephi 12 and I asked the kids what Jesus said we should do to our enemies. Damon said, "keep your friends close and your enemies closer."

Kyla, watching the NBA finals: "Are there any white man's that play basketball?"

Jeff was talking on the phone to a guy in our ward and the kids asked who it was. He said, "Brother Carter." Carter got very mad and said, "Not brother me!"

Allie, after getting an appliance in her mouth (to widen her palate so she will have room for her permanent teeth): "I used to have such a lovely voice before I got the expander."

Kyla: "Hey, you bird over there, are you a Wobin?"

Carter: "Damon is a bum crack!"

Kyla, playing with some toys: "Get back in jail, little fella."

Finally, Carter, upset with the hawk that took off with our pet quail: "Spank! That! Bird!"

Week in St Geezy

For seven years when I was a kid, my mom taught Safety Town, which is a two week program for 5-6 year olds that focuses on all types of safety. Obviously. I went when I was five (before my mom started teaching) and learning to STOP DROP AND ROLL saved my life a few months later. 

(For posterity, here is that story: My mom was hosting a dinner at our house and was using her oven to cook a main dish of some type. Let's pretend it was a turkey. I honestly have no idea. She was also using the oven at the neighbor's house to bake potatoes. The neighbor wasn't home. At the last minute, she got thinking that she probably needed a couple more potatoes and sent me up with two to "toss" in the oven. I went in, opened the oven, and recoiled, imagining that if I tossed the potatoes in, they would probably knock some of the other potatoes out. So I grabbed a towel that was hanging on the oven door and used it to slide the rack of potatoes out. I set the other two potatoes on, slid it back in, and closed the door. 

Little did I know that the towel had touched the heating element on the bottom of the oven and was burning. I also didn't know that the fringe on my cutoffs had caught fire as well.When I looked down and saw my leg glowing, I dropped the towel in the middle of the kitchen, booked it over to the family room and performed the STOP DROP AND ROLL. The fire was quickly extinguished from my leg, but the towel was still burning. And I was alone in the neighbor's house.

I ran to the phone and called my mom, telling her,"The towel's on fire!" I'll never forget looking out the back window and watching my mom sprint up the street to me. She quickly got the fire put out, and we then had to deal with the aftermath (replacing the linoleum that had burned and the healing of my left thigh. I still have a scar).

For years after, my mom (the new Safety Town teacher) had me come talk to the kids on Fire Safety Day to tell them about my experience. So you can imagine I have a soft spot in my heart for Safety Town).

I tried to find Safety Town here in Orem so Allie could attend last year, but there is not one. So when it came time to sign Kyla up, I decided it would be a great opportunity for her to spend some time with Grandma Karen in St. George and attend with her cousins.

We left Kyla after the family reunion and came back a week later, when Damon and Allie got out of school. The program lasts two weeks. Here are some of the fun things we did!

The "Girls Car" plus McKay. 

The "Boys Car" driven by Tara. No matter where we went, this is how the kids liked to travel. Boys together in one car, girls together in the other. 

One night we went to a dinner hosted by my parents' electric company at the convention center. In addition to a yummy dinner and ice cream bar, they also had a couple of bounce houses for the kids as well as face painting. 

Damon and the twins spent a lot of time working on their fort. Damon came up with a way to keep the place lit with some cans and flashlights. My mom thought it was genius. 

Here's a funny pic of McKay eating a corn dog. It was too hot, so he kept licking it and showing me that he couldn't eat it.

Here are the Safety Town graduates. I know they had a lot of fun and learned a lot. We just wish Kyla was better about wearing her seatbelt (something she does not like to do).

It was a fun week, and the kids were all sad to come back home. 

Family Reunion

The McKnight Family (my mom's fam) had a reunion over Memorial Day. It was a great time. See for yourself...

Fun carousel rides...

Kimmy and flowers

Big group pics

Four Wheeler fun

Marshmallows

 Splitting wood

Sister Wives with French braids (we were only miles from Colorado City. It was fitting)

Cute t-shirts and LOTS of food!!

Kyla

Kyla turned five on May 24th. And all she really wanted was a party EXACTLY like Allie had. But since Kyla's friends already experienced that makeover extravaganza, I talked her into something different. I did, however, make her a pink Skittles cake. There was no compromise with that request.

Sadly, I only took two pictures of the party. It was a little hectic without Jeff here. Kyla LOVES Barbies. And I don't think she was the least bit disappointed that she pretty much only got Barbies. 

I had a Groupon for Color Me Mine, a place where you go and paint ceramics and then they fire them for you. She invited three friends and Allie and after presents, games, cake and ice cream, I took the five girls there. When we got there, I quickly realized how expensive the party could turn. The girls all wanted to paint something that cost $15-20! I had to step in and find some cute, SMALLER things ($3 each) to suffice.

Four of the girls were cooperative and happily picked two small things to paint. Allie, on the other hand, was having none of it. She wanted to paint something big. And I can't say that I blamed her. But she started off pouting and huffing around the store. I ignored her and helped the other girls get their paints and get started. The pouting soon turned into crying, and escalated into hysterics. She was NOT going to be satisfied with the dumb baby stuff. She wanted something bigger and better. We finally (after much crying and fighting) decided on one $6 item that was acceptable to her. But don't think the battle ended there. Oh no.

Everything was going wrong. The water was too dirty. The paints were all ugly. The paintbrushes were not the right kind. She complained and cried and sobbed about everything and anything, drawing many a curious glance from the painters at other tables. It was completely ridiculous. I wanted to take her out to the car and let her sit in there while the other girls painted. But obviously I couldn't do that. And after another 20 minutes or so of crying, she finally got her cupcake painted.

We left Color Me Mine and walked back to the van. Allie was the last one in and the only seat left was Kyla's booster, with the back. No one wanted to sit there. But especially not Allie. Because nothing was going to satisfy her that day. So she refused to get in her seat, and just stood next to me, wailing. I was driving out of the parking lot (slowly) and hit my brakes. I wanted her to get startled and realize that being in a seatbelt was pretty dang important. I did not want her to go flying into the dashboard headfirst. But that's what happened.

Her nose started bleeding and she started screaming, "You broke my nose! I can't believe you did that!" The whole way home, we got to listen to her scream, "Take me to the hospital!" and other such phrases. The girls had their fingers in their ears, and at one point one of them said, "I wish Allie hadn't come, do you?" I know I sure did.

We got home and I was relieved to find that her nose was not broken. She calmed down to when we determined that she was fine, and I could finally reason with her. But not before she ruined Kyla's birthday. At least for me. Kyla couldn't have cared less (at least she didn't act like she cared). All she wanted to do was play with her Barbies.

Here are a few pics of Kyla's last day of preschool. She sure had a great year and cried on the last day because she missed it already.

Miss Kirstie, Miss Chelsie and Miss Jenna

Claire, one of her friends

I sure do love Kyla. She sure is easy to love. And happy and fun and mischievous and playful. And doesn't like to eat dinner. And our family wouldn't be the same without her.

Girls Night

Back in April, Allie, Kyla and I went to a youth theater production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I knew they'd love it. They decided they wanted to wear their dresses from Mexico and wear their hair up in a sock bun. I probably should clarify that that is what ALLIE decided and Kyla likes to do what Allie does.

The show was great and we all had a good time. I love doing things with my girls.

Kyla's hair is still pretty short, and so we had to use one of the boys' socks for her bun. It barely stayed in, but she didn't seem to care. Typical KyKy.

We also took advantage of the girls' birthday money/Mother's Day and went and got spa pedicures. It was delightful. We want to make it a tradition every year (Mother's Day happens to be right between Allie and Kyla's birthdays. Perfect).

As far as Allie's counseling goes, it seems to be going well. She has gone three times now and has had far fewer problems. She still has some anxiety attacks (including one at school where she thought she couldn't breathe and got a bit hysterical), but has been able to get under control much more quickly. I hope it is helping.

I have found that I have spent so much time and energy worrying about her (having anxiety of my own, wondering if something traumatic has happened that she hasn't told anyone about (side note, her counselor asked her about this and she said no, and nothing else in her behavior leads me to believe that she is lying, so I have have tried not to let my imagination run wild)), and have also spent many hours in fervent prayer in her behalf. I feel closer to her than I ever have. I feel more empathy for what she is going through. I feel more love and patience for her when she is struggling. So even if the counseling is not helping that much (which I think it is), there are so many good things coming out of the situation. 

For now, I'm extremely grateful that she seems to be doing well. Except for a few instances I'd rather forget (including Kyla's birthday party), she seems much happier. Maybe that has something to do with the increased love and patience I have had for her. I hope so. I hope I can make her life a little better. And in turn, she can make mine a little better, too.